2021 Christmas Advent Day 20: The One who came is coming again

• Main Passage: Revelation 22:12
  • “And, behold, I come quickly: and My reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”
• The one who came as a child, the one who came in weakness and in humility, the one who meekly rode a donkey’s colt into Jerusalem, the one who was slaughtered upon the cross for sin: this same one is coming again. He Himself testifies to this, as do many various places in scripture. Though Jesus came in weakness, He will return in power; though Jesus came in gentleness and meekness, He will return with fiery anger and wrath; though Jesus came hardly to be seen by any, He will return from the heavens and all the earth will see His glory. And this day will not be one of joy as we find Christmas to be; this day will not be one of light, as His life on earth was found to be: this day will, as Ezekiel says, be a “cloudy and dark day;” [Ezekiel 34:12] and it will be “a day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness;” [Joel 2:2] for “The Day of The LORD is darkness, and not light;” [Amos 5:18] it is “a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness.” [Zephaniah 1:15] This is a day where The LORD Himself will “bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against The LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.” [Zephaniah 1:17] There will be very much blood and death and sorrow. There will be no light nor joy in this day whatsoever, even as it is written regarding Jerusalem, “Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate.” [Jeremiah 7:34] Jeremiah again testifies to this day, saying, “I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void: and the heavens, and they had no light.” [Jeremiah 4:23] And The LORD again speaks through Isaiah regarding this day, “For the indignation of The LORD is upon all nations, and His fury upon all their armies: He hath utterly destroyed them, He hath delivered them to the slaughter. Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcasses, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood. And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.” [Isaiah 34:2-4] There is more to be said, but this paints a vivid picture already. And let us not forget the words of Jesus, who said, “For The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto The Son.” [John 5:22] It is Jesus who will mete out this wrath upon those who do not believe Him; even as He said again, “Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” [Matthew 21:44]
• The rejection of God’s Son, Jesus, is such an abhorrence, such an abomination, such a wicked and foul and loathsome thing, that it truly deserves all of God’s unending and horrifying wrath. This is made clear to us as we read of the judgments upon mankind that are yet to come, but will indeed come, and indeed be realized in full and literally. If not, then what is this which is written, regarding those who “made light” of the marriage of the King’s Son? “But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.” [Matthew 22:1-7]
• Remember, now, day twelve, regarding Jesus as the creator. Remember the unimaginable energy required to create all of the Universe in a single instant. Now think of the energy required to destroy it. For we read in Peter, “The Day of The LORD will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” [2 Peter 3:10] Or yet again, “And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.” [Revelation 6:14] And, “For thus saith The LORD of Hosts; yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land.” [Haggai 2:6] And now consider what The LORD says: “for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened,” and, “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will He keep His anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.” [Psalms 103:8-10] Because of God’s mercy and His love for those who trust in Jesus during the tribulation and are thus on earth during it (while those who are saved before the wrath are removed from the earth before it begins), the wrath will be restrained and shortened. As Psalms says, “the remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain.” [Psalms 76:10b] So even in God’s wrath we see His mercy. Even in all this destruction He chooses to show mercy. He truly is an awesome God. And what is more awesome is this: The LORD has mercy on us as fallen men and women, but He did not show His Son any mercy upon the cross. The only reason God can restrain wrath and shorten those days is because He did not do so with Jesus; no, but Jesus drank full and deep of that cup: every single drop of God’s everlasting, hot, burning anger against our sin was dumped upon Jesus’ head until He was crushed to smithereens. Jesus was pulverized and absolutely zero mercy was given to Him. He bore the full force of God’s wrath for me. For you. So that it might be graciously and mercifully written, “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.” [1 Thessalonians 5:9] Let that sink in, because the energy and wrath showed in The Day of The LORD is not even one millionth of a fraction of what Hell is like. The destruction in The Day of The LORD is not even one billionth of what Jesus received upon the cross as He drank every last single drop for mine, and yours, wretched, damnable sin.
• And this One who have offered us such a great salvation is coming again. Let us not delay in our devotion to Him.

Questions for Day 20

1. The Day of The LORD is supposed to be frightening. It is supposed to be dreaded. God’s wrath ought to put into us a literal dread and fear of Him. And it ought to reveal to us the great atrocity that sin truly is. The penalty for sin must be known; The Bible is abounding in references to God’s hatred for it and judgment because of it. We must read these things; we must know these things. Our God is a consuming fire, who abhors sin and abhors those who practice it. And we must never forget: the One who came is coming again. Because Jesus is coming again, what shall we, who are saved, do? What should those, who are unsaved, do?
   • Reflect: Peter tells us that we should strive diligently to be found of Jesus, when He returns, in peace, and without spot and blameless. Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians that we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ and give an account for our actions. Jesus also teaches this more than once, that those who He has committed things to, will be required to settle accounts with Him. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Let us therefore seek out Jesus and His glory, that we might see His beautiful character (all points of it) and His glory, and therein find motivation to love Him, cling to Him, serve Him – all of our days with pure and simple and fervent devotion.
   • “The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him.” [Nahum 1:7]
   • “Seek ye The LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought His judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of The LORD’s anger.” [Zephaniah 2:3]
   • “Kiss The Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a litte. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.” [Psalms 2:12]