GOOD NEWS - BAD NEWS
Isaiah 11:1-9 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him - the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord - and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
When Jesus returns to earth to reign for 1,000 years all creation will live in peace. It will be a wonderful place to live. Even among the animal kingdom there will be no need for fear. It is a shame what sin has done to affect the perfection God made when he created everything. Satan, the powers of darkness and the evil of this world have rebelled from the Lord in such a way as to remove from themselves all Christ-likeness. They have no love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness or self-control. For them it is only natural to be just the opposite of Jesus. During this 1,000 years they will be kept from bring their evil in any way. In some ways it will seem like heaven on earth. Unfortunately the seven years just before Jesus returns will bring great turmoil and sorrow like the world has never seen. We see in Matt 24 where Jesus goes into detail about all that must happen. We also see in Isaiah 13:6-13 how God will punish the earth for the evil and wicked sins that it has brought before the Lord. Isaiah tells humanity to wail for the day of the Lord will come like destruction from the Almighty. The hands of man will go limp and every man’s heart will melt. Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at each other, their faces aflame.
Jesus is not coming the second time as a lamb to the slaughter. The day of the Lord will be seen as a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger making the land desolate. He will destroy the sinful within it. The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. At Jesus’ coming he will punish the world. The Lord’s anger will burn against all who reject him. While the day of the Lord will bring hope for some it will also be one of great sorrow and dread for others. So if the world knows this why don’t they repent and seek the forgiveness of Jesus, before it is too late? It is because they have hardened their hearts against the Lord. In doing this they may hear God’s warning, but it as though their ears are detached from their heart. It has no effect on them. To try to warn these people will only bring their wrath. It will be as though pearls are being thrown to pigs. It is unappreciated and they will only abuse those that try to bring them the good news for their salvation.
Possibly today as never before is the urgency of the call of the Holy Spirit. If you have never asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins and to come into your heart you must do it quickly. To wait another day may be too late. This may be your last call by the Holy Spirit.
Prayer: Holy Spirit, thank you for your convicting help to bring us to salvation. Please move on our loved ones and people all over the world to become a Christian. Please do it so that Jesus will have a beautiful Bride and a glorious kingdom. We ask this in Jesus name.
