Joel’s vision of the day of judgment is certainly similar to
John’s vision in Revelation. Joel says
all the nations will gather for war in the “Valley of Jehoshaphat” which means
the valley of decision and there He will come and judge the nations. We speak of the battle of Armageddon from
Revelation 20 where the Lord will intervene on behalf of his besieged and
outnumbered people and judge the nations by destroying their army there on the
plain. Joel says that in that day, “The
sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.” John tells us the same. We can have confidence in the prophetic words
that in the end the Lord will judge the earth and He will be victorious. If we are His people then we know that
nothing can prevent His kingdom from coming, He alone is sovereign and that He
will rule over all the universe as King of kings and Lord of lords. We have nothing to fear.
At the time of Jesus’ earthly life there was a dispute
between two great rabbis, Hillel and Shammai, over the issue of divorce based
on Deuteronomy
24.1-4. The Pharisees question is an
attempt to determine Jesus’ interpretation of Scripture, whether he is more
“liberal” in his interpretation. Hillel
allowed divorce for nearly any reason based on that passage, which states that
a man may give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away if he find
any indecency in her. Jesus goes back,
not to Deuteronomy but to Genesis to answer their question but He does
something else. Their question says that
Moses “commanded” something concerning divorce but Jesus says that Moses
“permitted” or “allowed” divorce but that was based on a failing not in the
woman but in the man, hardness of heart.
If you want to know what God thinks of marriage, Jesus says, go back
past Moses to Genesis.
Peter begins the epistle, after telling to whom it is
addressed, with praise, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ!” Then he tells us why he is
blessing God: for His great mercy in causing us to be born again to a living
hope, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in
heaven for us, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a
salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this, no matter how difficult the testing
is at this time, we are to rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled
with glory. The reason for this is that
this salvation of our souls is faith’s reward.
Faith is demonstrated by our worship, our rejoicing in loving Him and believing
in Him. We know what the prophets of old
longed to know, they were serving us, even us Gentiles, in their work and we
have the fullness of the knowledge of God’s plan. We are to prepare ourselves through rejoicing
now in that living hope, that, at the revelation of Jesus in His second coming
we might join with heaven in praise and glory and honor.
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