The Daily Word of Righteousness

The Army of the Lord, continued

Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. (Isaiah 13:9,10)

The shaking of the created universe by the hand of God is the calling card of Christ. Whenever we see this event described in the Word of God it is referring to the Day of the Lord and the appearing of the army of the Lord.

The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come. (Joel 2:31)

The sun and moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear. (Habakkuk 3:11)

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: (Matthew 24:29)

The shaking of the earth and the heavens will take place immediately after the great tribulation. It is the herald of the appearing of Christ and His army. The generation alive on the earth when the heavenly signs take place will not pass away until the Lord returns.

There may be people who decide to wait until the signs take place before they prepare themselves to meet God. They are deceiving themselves. The events will take place so quickly and with such ferocity that while the careless believers go to purchase the oil of the Lord's Spirit the door will be closed and they will knock on it in vain!

And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it? (Joel 2:11)

The only individual who can survive the Day of the Lord is he or she who has clean hands and a pure heart. God accepts the righteous. The wicked will be removed from His Presence in the Day of the Lord.

We have said that a willingness to suffer in the Lord is an important requirement for competence and eligibility to ride with the Lord in His Day—competence because suffering destroys the sin and self-seeking from us; eligibility because the Scripture states that it is those who suffer who will rule with the Lord.

If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: (II Timothy 2:12)

Let us turn now to Second Thessalonians to see how suffering saves us and makes us worthy of the Kingdom of God. The same concept of salvation through suffering may be found also in the fourth chapter of the Book of First Peter.

So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: (II Thessalonians 1:4)

To be continued.