(Amos 5:18-20) Alas, you who are longing for the day of the Lord, for what purpose will the day of the Lord be to you? It will be darkness and not light;
19 As when a man flees from a lion and a bear meets him, or goes home, leans his hand against the wall and a snake bites him.
20 Will not the day of the Lord be darkness instead of light, even gloom with no brightness in it?
19 As when a man flees from a lion and a bear meets him, or goes home, leans his hand against the wall and a snake bites him.
20 Will not the day of the Lord be darkness instead of light, even gloom with no brightness in it?
The Tribulation (the first part of the Day of the Lord) is not only a time for the nations (and all unbelievers) to be judged, but a time for the unbelieving Israelites to realize that Jesus was and is their Messiah and that the judgments are the signs of the end of their Jewish Age...
(Amos 8:1-14) Thus the Lord God showed me, and behold, there was a basket of summer fruit. 2 He said, “What do you see, Amos?” And I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the Lord said to me, “The end has come for My people Israel. I will spare them no longer. 3 The songs of the palace will turn to wailing in that day,” declares the Lord God. “Many will be the corpses; in every place they will cast them forth in silence.”
4 Hear this, you who trample the needy, to do away with the humble of the land, 5 saying,
“When will the new moon be over, so that we may sell grain, and the sabbath, that we may open the wheat market, to make the bushel smaller and the shekel bigger, and to cheat with dishonest scales,
6 So as to buy the helpless for money and the needy for a pair of sandals, and that we may sell the refuse of the wheat?”
6 So as to buy the helpless for money and the needy for a pair of sandals, and that we may sell the refuse of the wheat?”
7 The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob, “Indeed, I will never forget any of their deeds.
8 “Because of this will not the land quake and everyone who dwells in it mourn? Indeed, all of it will rise up like the Nile, and it will be tossed about and subside like the Nile of Egypt.
9 “It will come about in that day,” declares the Lord God, “That I will make the sun go down at noon and make the earth dark in broad daylight.
10 “Then I will turn your festivals into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring sackcloth on everyone’s loins and baldness on every head. And I will make it like a time of mourning for an only son, and the end of it will be like a bitter day.
8 “Because of this will not the land quake and everyone who dwells in it mourn? Indeed, all of it will rise up like the Nile, and it will be tossed about and subside like the Nile of Egypt.
9 “It will come about in that day,” declares the Lord God, “That I will make the sun go down at noon and make the earth dark in broad daylight.
10 “Then I will turn your festivals into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring sackcloth on everyone’s loins and baldness on every head. And I will make it like a time of mourning for an only son, and the end of it will be like a bitter day.
11 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord God, “When I will send a famine on the land, not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, but rather for hearing the words of the Lord.
12 “People will stagger from sea to sea and from the north even to the east; they will go to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.
13 “In that day the beautiful virgins and the young men will faint from thirst.
14 “As for those who swear by the guilt of Samaria, who say, ‘As your god lives, O Dan,’ and, ‘As the way of Beersheba lives,’ they will fall and not rise again.”
12 “People will stagger from sea to sea and from the north even to the east; they will go to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.
13 “In that day the beautiful virgins and the young men will faint from thirst.
14 “As for those who swear by the guilt of Samaria, who say, ‘As your god lives, O Dan,’ and, ‘As the way of Beersheba lives,’ they will fall and not rise again.”
At the end of the Tribulation, the battle of Armageddon will be fought. Jesus will also separate the goats from the sheep (the unbelievers from the believers)...
(Amos 9:1-10) I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and He said,
“Smite the capitals so that the thresholds will shake, and break them on the heads of them all! Then I will slay the rest of them with the sword; they will not have a fugitive who will flee, or a refugee who will escape.
2 “Though they dig into Sheol, from there will My hand take them; and though they ascend to heaven, from there will I bring them down.
3 “Though they hide on the summit of Carmel, I will search them out and take them from there; and though they conceal themselves from My sight on the floor of the sea, from there I will command the serpent and it will bite them.
4 “And though they go into captivity before their enemies, from there I will command the sword that it slay them, and I will set My eyes against them for evil and not for good.”
2 “Though they dig into Sheol, from there will My hand take them; and though they ascend to heaven, from there will I bring them down.
3 “Though they hide on the summit of Carmel, I will search them out and take them from there; and though they conceal themselves from My sight on the floor of the sea, from there I will command the serpent and it will bite them.
4 “And though they go into captivity before their enemies, from there I will command the sword that it slay them, and I will set My eyes against them for evil and not for good.”
5 The Lord God of hosts, the One who touches the land so that it melts, and all those who dwell in it mourn, and all of it rises up like the Nile and subsides like the Nile of Egypt;
6 The One who builds His upper chambers in the heavens and has founded His vaulted dome over the earth, He who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the face of the earth, the Lord is His name.
6 The One who builds His upper chambers in the heavens and has founded His vaulted dome over the earth, He who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the face of the earth, the Lord is His name.
7 “Are you not as the sons of Ethiopia to Me, O sons of Israel?” declares the Lord. “Have I not brought up Israel from the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir?
8 “Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth; nevertheless, I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob,” declares the Lord.
9 “For behold, I am commanding, and I will shake the house of Israel among all nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, but not a kernel will fall to the ground.
10 “All the sinners of My people will die by the sword, those who say, ‘The calamity will not overtake or confront us.’
8 “Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth; nevertheless, I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob,” declares the Lord.
9 “For behold, I am commanding, and I will shake the house of Israel among all nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, but not a kernel will fall to the ground.
10 “All the sinners of My people will die by the sword, those who say, ‘The calamity will not overtake or confront us.’
All unbelievers will be removed from the earth, so that only believers will enter into the Millennium (the second part to the Day of the Lord) to experience peace and blessings, with all covenants fulfilled...
(Amos 9:11-15) “In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David, and wall up its breaches; I will also raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old;
12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by My name,” declares the Lord who does this.
12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by My name,” declares the Lord who does this.
13 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “When the plowman will overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; when the mountains will drip sweet wine and all the hills will be dissolved.
14 “Also I will restore the captivity of My people Israel, and they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them; they will also plant vineyards and drink their wine, and make gardens and eat their fruit.
15 “I will also plant them on their land, and they will not again be rooted out from their land which I have given them,” says the Lord your God.
14 “Also I will restore the captivity of My people Israel, and they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them; they will also plant vineyards and drink their wine, and make gardens and eat their fruit.
15 “I will also plant them on their land, and they will not again be rooted out from their land which I have given them,” says the Lord your God.
Today's takeaway: Israel wanted the nations to be judged for their sins without realizing that they themselves would be judged for their own sins. So when their Messiah came the first time to fulfill the new covenant of salvation - they did not recognize Him - because they didn't think they needed to be saved from their own sins - they wanted their Messiah to lead them in war against the Romans and other enemies. But we all need salvation in order to become a child of God!
Even as Christians, it's far too easy to become self-righteous and only look at the sins of others. In every conflict that comes about, we need to do a heartfelt evaluation of ourselves, then confess and apologize where we are wrong (whether the others forgive us or not), and sincerely forgive others (no matter how terrible the offense, or whether they apologize or not). This is never easy, but once I do these things, there is such a weight of burden that is taken away, words cannot even describe all the wonderful feelings. And when I do struggle to do the following - I ask God to do them for me - since doing the following is not normal human behavior. It's a choice!...
(Matthew 7:1-5) “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2 For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye...
(Matthew 7:12-14) “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want [j]them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets. 13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it..."
(Proverbs 25:21-22) If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; 22 for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.
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