The great day of the LORD is near,
near and hastening fast;
the sound of the day of the LORD is bitter;
the mighty man cries aloud there.
15 A day of wrath is that day,
a day of distress and anguish,
a day of ruin and devastation,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness,
16 a day of trumpet blast and battle cry
against the fortified cities
and against the lofty battlements.
Have a nice day! The late comedian George Carlin had a snappy response to that kind phrase that will not be repeated here. He was ready, he said, sometimes for a really terrible day. If he ever read the prophets, he would realize that there are days to be avoided, one in particular. The prophets spoke of the “day of the LORD”. At first glance, this would seem amazing but Zephaniah, writing in the 7th century BC, warned Judah of just such a day, filled with bitterness, wrath, distress, anguish, ruin, devastation, darkness, and gloom. Babylon will conquer Judah. They will be ready for a really good day.
They and we received that day on the first Christmas when Messiah, Jesus Christ was born. We also received such a day when, amazingly, Jesus went to a cross to die for our sins. But the best day in history, the hinge of history, was when Jesus walked out of that tomb. But there is another day coming in the future that deserves to go by the name of “that day”. It is the day Jesus returns to make everything right. On that day, he will bring his own to himself and we will worship him forever. There will no longer be a need to say…
Have a nice day!
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church