The Day of the Lord is coming--Beware!

My place is of the sun and this place is of the dark
I do not feel the romance I do not catch the spark
I don't know when I noticed life was life at my expense
The words of my heart lined up like prisoners on a fence
The dreams came in like needy children tugging at my sleeve
I said I have no way of feeding you, so leave
But there was a time I asked my father for a dollar
And he gave it a ten dollar raise
When I needed my mother and I called her
She stayed with me for days
And now someone's on the telephone, desperate in his pain
Someone's on the bathroom floor doing her cocaine
Someone's got his finger on the button in some room
No one can convince me we aren't gluttons for our doom
But I tried to make this place my place
I asked for Providence to smile upon me with his sweet face
But I'll tell you
My place is of the sun and this place is of the dark
I do not feel the romance I do not catch the spark
My place is of the sun and this place is of the dark
(By grace, my sight grows stronger and I will not
be a pawn for the Prince of Darkness any longer)
Maybe there's no haven in this world for tender age
My heart beat like the wings of wild birds in a cage
My greatest hope my greatest cause to grieve
And my heart flew from its cage and it bled upon my sleeve
The cries of passion were like wounds that needed healing
I couldn't hear them for the thunder
I was half the naked distance between hell and heaven's ceiling
And he almost pulled me under
Now someone's on the telephone desperate in his pain
Someone's on the bathroom floor doing her cocaine
Someone's got his finger on the button in some room
No one can convince me we aren't gluttons for our doom
I tried to make this place my place
I asked for Providence to smile upon me with his sweet face
But I'll tell you
My place is of the sun and this place is of the dark
I do not feel the romance I do not catch of spark
My place is of the sun and this place is of the dark
(By grace my sight grows stronger, grows stronger)
I do not feel the romance I do not catch the spark
(And I will not be a pawn for the Prince of Darkness any longer)

As I write this, my son is somewhere in Canada, driving to Alaska where he hopes to winter in Anchorage.  Given that autumn has officially arrived, and that Alaska is in the upper regions of the Northern Hemisphere, he will experience a third less daylight than those of us in the lower 48.  Many people become depressed (I've heard) when they spend time in Alaska, for although they are surrounded by awesomely beautiful scenery and wildlife, the seasons play havoc with their emotions.  In the summer, there is a third more daylight than normal, leaving precious little cover of night for good, sound sleep.  And in winter, the darkness is pervasive, causing many to fall in to deep depression.  I would be worried for my son, except for his extensive social network--not just with Facebook and other social media, but within his church and other friends and relatives who can support him if he calls for help.

I can't imagine spending a dark winter in Alaska without a network of close friends for support.

Darkness is also a common prophetic figure used of the Day of the Lord, and is generally a metaphor for distress and suffering.  Hell itself is described as a "lake of fire", but the flames are not bright, cheery yellow flames that we think of when we plan to go camping, singing songs around the campfire and roasting marshmallows.  Revelation 19:20 describes the capture of the Beast and of the False Prophet, and together "they were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur."  Sulfur has a blue flame that emits sulfur dioxide, a vile smell that is found in skunk odor and fertilizer. Molten sulfur assumes a dark red color.  In utter and complete darkness, these dark colors would not give enough light to read by, much less to be able to discern the faces of friends and relatives who abide there with you.  Those who joke, "I'll see you in hell" are sadly mistaken, for the darkness there is so intense that you can feel it.

That is why in Revelation 8-9, the judgments of God are each preceded by a trumpet blast.  Trumpets are used in the Bible to warn God's people of danger, and to muster the troops against the enemies of God.  So when we read the following verses from  Revelation 8:12-13, we should take it very seriously:

The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark.  A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.  As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice:  "Woe!  Woe!  Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded the the other three angels!"

In the ninth plague on Egypt, thick darkness covered the land for three days.  References to the Egyptian plagues suggest that in Revelation we have the final exodus of God's people from the bondage of a world controlled by hostile powers.  Exodus 10:21-23 says, "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt--darkness that can be felt.' So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days.  No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days.  Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived."  You can see why I draw a parallel between this plague, which only lasted three days, and hell, which will last an eternity: first, it is a darkness that can be felt; second, there is no leaving or even seeing anyone else (suggestive that even if they tried to light a candle during this period, it shed little or no usable light); and third, the chosen ones of God did not suffer in this way.

Ezekiel 32:7 says, "When I snuff  you out, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give its light."  Nowhere is this imagery of darkness more stark than in the second chapter of Joel.  Joel 2:1-2 says, "Blow the trumpet in Zion, sound the alarm on my holy hill.  Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming.  It is close at hand--a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness.  Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come." Joel 2:10 says, "Before them the earth shakes, the sky trembles, the sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine."  Joel 2:31 says, "The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord."

Many today say that they look forward to the Day of the Lord, but they are not ready.  Amos 5:18 says, "Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord!  Why do you long for the day of the Lord?  That day will be darkness, not light."  The time when God will show himself to be the victor over the world, vindicating his claims to be the Lord over all the earth, will not be a happy time for those who have not made Him Lord of their lives.  Israel expected to be exalted as his people and longed for that day to come.  Amos warned that the day would come, but not as Israel expected--it would be a day of "darkness, not light" for her, because she had not been faithful to God.  Zephaniah 1:15 says, "That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness."

Today in my daily Bible reading, I was in Revelation chapter 21.  The verse that stands out to me is verse 8: "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice the magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.  This is the second death."  Note it does not say those who are not Jews; it does not say those who don't belong to a certain church; it does not say those who fail to take the sacraments, or tithe, or do good works.  It DOES say the cowardly (those who are unfaithful, who fall away), and those who do not believe (that Jesus is the one and only Savior of mankind), and those who do vile things, like commit murder, or adultery (including pornography, brethren), and those who place their faith in the magic arts (any of you ladies follow your horoscope?), and those who worship anything other than God, and those who do not follow the truth (with their lives as well as their lips)--those are the ones who will be eternally separated from God.

Some Christians believe in the Rapture, the time when God removes the Church from the earth so that Christians will not be subject to the judgments of God on those who dwell in the earth.  Others believe that God knows who we are, and that by the sign of the cross on our foreheads and on our right hands (and in our hearts), we will avoid the judgments just as the Israelites did in the plagues of Egypt.  Revelation 12:12 says, "Therefore, rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them!  But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you!  He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short."  Every generation sees more demonic activities, as Satan realizes that the Day of the Lord is ever closer.

Revelation 3:10 says, "Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth."  If you call yourself a Christian, rejoice!  You will be saved from the trials and tribulations that the rest of the earth will be subject to, as well as the fiery lake of burning sulfur prepared for the Beast and False Prophet.  Friend, do not be deceived.  The God who promised heaven to the faithful also promised hell to the unbelieving sinners.  Jesus spoke more about hell during His time on earth than He did about heaven.  The idea that a loving God would not send anyone to Hell flies in the face of Scripture.  Open your eyes and read.  Open your heart and receive.  You can know the truth, and the truth can set you free.

When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more,
And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair;
When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
When the roll, is called up yonder,
When the roll, is called up yonder,
When the roll, is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder I’ll be there.
On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise,
And the glory of His resurrection share;
When His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
When the roll, is called up yonder,
When the roll, is called up yonder,
When the roll, is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder I’ll be there.
Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun,
Let us talk of all His wondrous love and care;
Then when all of life is over, and our work on earth is done,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
When the roll, is called up yonder,
When the roll, is called up yonder,
When the roll, is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder I’ll be there.