1. The Day of the Lord & “THE” Day of the Lord

2. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord!” Psalm 33:12

3. Thus, a corollary statement to Psalm 33:12 would be: “The nation who no longer has God as her Lord is in serious trouble!”

4. Because we are no longer a “Christian nation” and each person does what is right in his/her own eyes, we are no longer under God’s hand of provision and blessing, and we are moving ever closer to being under God’s hand of outright judgment and destruction.

5. As I say this, there are two things we should be mindful of: First of all, sin carries within itself the seed of its own self-destruction. It has judgment built into it. First of all, sin carries within itself the seed of its own self-destruction. It has judgment built into it. But also, God will ultimately judge sin. When God judges sin, it can be called “The Day of the Lord.” But also, God will ultimately judge sin. When God judges sin, it can be called “The Day of the Lord.”

6. In Deuteronomy 28, we read about the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience. In Deuteronomy 28, verses 1-14 are about the blessings of obedience! Then Deuteronomy 28, verses 15-68 are about the curses of disobedience!

7. In Genesis 6, we read about “the day of the Lord” for those days which came in the form of a flood. God was judging the sin of human race.

8. Genesis 6:5-8 5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

9. Judges 2:11-15 11 Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals; 12 and they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the Lord to anger. 13 They forsook the Lord and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.

10. Judges 2:11-15 14 And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. 15 Wherever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for calamity, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were greatly distressed.

11. God is righteous. God is a judge. God is a righteous judge! Psalm 11:7 For the L ORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright. Psalm 34:15-17 15 The eyes of the L ORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry. 16 The face of the L ORD is against those who do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry out, and the L ORD hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.

12. God is gracious and loving, but there are times when the sin becomes so egregious (bad), that God cannot tolerate it any more, God steps in to judge the sin! God judges sinful people. (Usually this is when they die.) God judges sinful families. God judges sinful cities. God judges sinful nations.

13. When God judges a person, a family, city or a nation, that is “the day of the Lord” for that person, that family, that city or that nation.

14. God is righteous. God is a judge. God is a righteous judge! God judges sinful people. Everyone of us will stand before the Lord and give an account for our lives, for actions, for our words, for our thoughts. This will be our “Day of the Lord” when we are judged before Him.

15. 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

16. 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

17. God is righteous. God is a judge. God is a righteous judge! God judges sinful families. Joshua 7 - the Sin of Achan All of the nation of Israel was impacted by Achan’s sin. Joshua 7:22-26

18. God is righteous. God is a judge. God is a righteous judge! God judges sinful cities. Genesis 19 - Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of their sin and depravity. Jonah was sent by God to Nineveh to declare that “the day of the Lord” was coming.

19. Jonah 3:3-10 3 Now the word of the L ORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the L ORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent. 4 And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

20. 5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. 6 Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. 7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying…

21. Saying…. “Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?” 10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.

22. God is righteous. God is a judge. God is a righteous judge! God judges sinful nations. Job 12:23 He makes nations great, and destroys them; He enlarges nations, and guides them.

23. Psalm 9:15-20 15 The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made; In the net which they hid, their own foot is caught. 16 The L ORD is known by the judgment He executes; The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Meditation - Selah 17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, And all the nations that forget God. 18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten; The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.

24. Psalm 9:15-20 19 Arise, O L ORD, do not let man prevail; Let the nations be judged in Your sight. 20 Put them in fear, O L ORD, That the nations may know themselves to be but men. Meditation – Selah

25. Psalm 46:6 The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. Psalm 79:6 6 Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not know You, and on the kingdoms that do not call on Your name.

26. Isaiah 60:12 12 For the nation and kingdom which will not serve you shall perish, and those nations shall be utterly ruined. Jeremiah 10:10 10 But the L ORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth will tremble, And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.

27. God’s hand of protection and blessing is no longer upon the United States. We are no longer a “Christian” nation. We have forsaken the Lord. Sin, violence, greed, materialism, apathy, immorality, and selfishness rule in our land. Every person does what is right in his own eyes! We mock God!

28. Concerning God’s judgment, we should be reminded again that sin carries within itself the seed of its own self-destruction. It has judgment built into it.

29. In our personal lives and in our nation, spending is out of control.

30. Our current national debt is closing in on 17 trillion dollars. $17,000,000,000,000!

31. $100

32. $10,000 a stack of $100 bills ½ inch thick

33. $1,000,000 – One Million dollars

34. $100,000,000 One Hundred Million dollars

35. $1,000,000,000 – One Billion Dollars

36. $1,000,000,000,000 – One Trillion Dollars

37. $1,000,000,000 – One Billion Dollars

38. The size of a football field, double stacked for one trillion!

39. Sixteen trillion, seven hundred forty two billion, three hundred fourteen million, Six hundred thirty three thousand, Five hundred sixty seven & change!!!

40. Judges 2:11-15 14 And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. 15 Wherever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for calamity, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were greatly distressed.

41. Deuteronomy 15:4b-6 for the Lord will greatly bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance— 5 only if you carefully obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe with care all these commandments which I command you today. 6 For the Lord your God will bless you just as He promised you; you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; you shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you.

42. Deuteronomy 28:43-44 “The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and “The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. 44 He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail.”

43. Even as we understand that sin carries within itself the seed of its own self-destruction, we should also remember: God, because He is a righteous and a just God, He will ultimately judge sin. When God judges sin, it can be called “The Day of the Lord.”

44. Joel 1:15-18

45. Joel 2:12-17

46. Joel 3:14 14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the L ORD is near in the valley of decision.

47. 2 Chronicles 7:14 14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

48. Acts 3:19-20 19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before…

49. Today, God is calling us to humble ourselves and to repent. We are to repent not only for our sins, but also for the sins of our nation… much like Nehemiah did in Nehemiah 1:4-11 and much like Daniel did in Daniel 9:3-19.

50. Today, much like Nehemiah and Daniel did in their day, God is calling us to humble ourselves and to confess and to repent. We are to repent not only for our sins, but for the sins of our families, for the sins of our cities, and for the sins of our nation. Father God, today we confess our selfishness and self-centeredness, and we repent and ask for Your grace. Fill us with Your love which is self-sacrificing and self-giving!

51. Today, much like Nehemiah and Daniel did in their day, God is calling us to humble ourselves and to confess and to repent. We are to repent not only for our sins, but for the sins of our families, for the sins of our cities, and for the sins of our nation. Father God, today we confess that too often we seek our own will and do what is right in our own eyes, instead of taking the time to seek out the Lord and His will!

52. Today, much like Nehemiah and Daniel did in their day, God is calling us to humble ourselves and to confess and to repent. We are to repent not only for our sins, but for the sins of our families, for the sins of our cities, and for the sins of our nation. Father God, today we confess our greed and our materialism that has our country on the brink of financial collapse. We ask for Your wisdom and grace to show us how to correct our desperate, dangerous situation.

53. Today, much like Nehemiah and Daniel did in their day, God is calling us to humble ourselves and to confess and to repent. We are to repent not only for our sins, but for the sins of our families, for the sins of our cities, and for the sins of our nation. Father God, today we confess our sexual immorality, and we ask for purity and for freedom in this area!

54. Father God as we confess our sexual immorality, and we ask for purity and for freedom in this area, we pray for freedom for those who are addicted to pornography. We pray for those who have been abused and healing and forgiveness for the abusers. We pray that You will move in power and stop the insanity of human trafficking, and show us how to help. We pray for healing and grace upon families who are being torn asunder because of the lack of self control in the area of sexual immorality!

55. Today, much like Nehemiah and Daniel did in their day, God is calling us to humble ourselves and to confess and to repent. We are to repent not only for our sins, but for the sins of our families, for the sins of our cities, and for the sins of our nation. Father God, today we confess our apathy and indifference to spiritual truth and to spiritual realities. Open our spiritual eyes that we may see and our spiritual ears to know Your truth!

56. Father God, today we PRAY FOR REVIVAL!!! We pray, Lord Jesus, FOR GREAT MOVES OF GOD across our nation, and that You will reveal Yourself and Your love and grace in mighty and powerful ways!