Title: The Day Of Reckoning / Topic: Judgment

Today’s Reading: Ezekiel 38; Ezekiel 39; Psalm 145; Revelation 20

• Special note 1: Today's reading is fantastic! Take time to read it all. The Ezekiel passages speak of the extremity of God's judgment (you definitely want to stay on His good side!), and it parallels the Revelation account of judgment against satan and the incorrigibly evil element of humanity. Psalm 145 is a wonderful song of comfort, rejoicing, and celebration of God's goodness.
• Special note 2: The number of comments has dropped off quite a bit. I want to make a simple request that for the rest of September, everyone who reads this blog would leave a comment and at least say, "hi." (Kind of like signing a guest book.) Would you please do that? Just click at the bottom of the post where it gives the number of comments. And don't forget to click on this link and read Cynthia's blog as well -- and leave a comment there too. Thanks.

Scripture: Ezekiel 38:18-23
18 "This is what will happen in that day: When Gog attacks the land of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused, declares the Sovereign LORD. 19 In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. 20 The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. The mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble and every wall will fall to the ground. 21 I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign LORD. Every man's sword will be against his brother. 22 I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him. 23 And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.'"

Observation: What a scary scene! It's like the combination of all natural disaster movies. And this passage is foretelling how God will react against a future military assault against Israel. He intervenes big time! And notice what God says about why He reacts as He does: "my hot anger will be aroused...in my zeal and fiery wrath..."! That is scary talk coming from God. And look at the manifestation of God's "hot anger": immense earthquake, rock slides, plague, flash floods, hailstones, volcanic eruptions. This is excellent incentive to stay close to God!

Application: The truth is, God is capable of indescribable destruction. Most of the time, we don't see it, thank You, Lord. But there is coming a day when, basically, God says, "That's it. I've had enough!" And He will let loose with a destructive barrage that will make "shock and awe" look like a table game. We serve an awesome God. He is loving and just. And His love of goodness and justice means He hates wickedness and injustice and must eventually deal with those who choose to engage in them. The inevitable outcome is that a day of reckoning is coming when God will use His power to sweep away those who love what God hates.

Bottom line: Serve God. Stay close to Him. Sometimes it may seem like the more challenging path, but ultimately we are saved while those who chose the easy path of evil and indulgence will suffer.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that You are just and righteous and that You have a plan and the means to right all wrongs and bring the scales of justice and mercy into perfect balance. Help us to represent You strongly and boldly. May we stand with You in the day of reckoning.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.