Tues.’s Devo - Joel’s Warning -

Read: Joel 1:1-3:21; Revelation 1:1-20: Psalm 128:1-6; Proverbs 29:18 Joel describes a plague of locusts that devoured the land of Judah. It destroyed the animals, that year’s crops, and the seed of the next year. It was exactly what Deuteronomy 28:38-46 describes in the curses which were promised by God if they broke their covenant with him. *** Joel warns them to sound the trumpet and bring everyone together to repent and ask God to restore his covenant with them once again. Instead, the people were terrified and had nowhere to turn. Joel begs them to return to the Lord, weep, fast, mourn their sins. Then, maybe the Lord will hear and forgive them and have mercy on them. *** This plague was bad, but nothing compared to final judgment when all the nations would be called to give an account before the Lord. If Israel repents, then the Lord will have mercy and return to them and give them what had been stolen from them. They will be blessed and he will pour out his Spirit upon them - all of them from the least to the greatest. Their sons and daughters will prophecy and dream dreams. God will send wonders in the heavens and on the earth. They will see signs in the heavens and those who call on the Lord will be saved. God will restore the prosperity of Judah and Jerusalem. He will gather the armies of the world to the valley of Jehoshaphat and judge them for harming his people. *** God had a special warning to Tyre and Sidon who had ravaged Jerusalem and taken their people as slaves. *** The valley of Jehoshaphat was the Valley of Decision where God would decide their fate. Those who are guilty will be judged and their land would become a wasteland. But those who trusted in the Lord would be saved and blessed abundantly. God will tabernacle with his people and be their God. He will pardon those not yet pardoned. Judah will be filled with people and Jerusalem will endure through all generations. *** Revelation is the book of the revelation of who Jesus Christ is. This revelation was given to John while he was a prisoner for his testimony about Jesus. He was on the island of Patmos. God blesses everyone who reads this book to the church and those who listen and obey it. *** It is a letter to the churches in Asia. Jesus is the witness to the world of this letter. Jesus has made us a Kingdom of priest for God. When Jesus returns, he will be seen from the clouds by everyone - even those who killed him with their words of unbelief. *** The Lord proclaims that he is the beginning and the end, the one who has always been and will always be. *** It was the Lord’s Day when he heard a loud voice telling him to write in a book everything he was about to see and hear. Then he was to send the book to the churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. *** John turned to see who was talking and it was the Lord Jesus standing in the middle of the lamp stand. He was dressed in his radiant heavenly glory. He held seven stars in his right hand and a two-edged sword in his mouth. *** When John saw him he fell to the ground and the Lord had to lift him up. He told John not to be afraid that he was the First and the Last. He died but came to life and now holds the keys to death and the grave. He was to write down the meaning of the mystery of the seven stars he was holding and the seven gold lamp stands. The seven stars were the angels of the seven churches and the seven lamp stands were the seven churches. *** Lord, as we see your kingdom coming closer and closer, may we understand this last book and comprehend our role in our day. May we not fear tomorrow because it is so wonderful we cannot even comprehend. Help us through the last phase of this battle we are in against sin. May we use the weapons of our warfare to pray victory for our warriors in heaven and on earth. May we rise victorious and bring your kingdom to earth.