The Day of the Lord

DURING the manifestations of divine wrath, at the commencement of the day of the Lord, "The LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones." Isa. 30:30. Of the kings and rulers of earth which set themselves in battle array, and take counsel together against the Lord, and against his anointed, it is said that the Lord shall "speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure." Ps. 2.

This voice of the Lord is predicted in many places of Scripture, and always in connection with the battle of the great day, or, in other words, the treading of the wine-press of the wrath of God. The prophet Joel gives a description of the assembling of the nations, and the descent of the "mighty ones" from Heaven to the battle, "to judge all the heathen round about." (Comp. Rev. 19:11, and onward.) The sickle is put in, for the harvest is ripe; the wine-press is full, the vats overflow, "for their wickedness is great." And in this connection it is said, "The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake." Joel 3:9-17. Mark the effect of the Lord's voice—the heavens and the earth shall shake. The Zion or Jerusalem from which the Lord utters his voice, is not on earth, but in Heaven. It is what Paul calls, "Jerusalem which is above"—the "heavenly Jerusalem." This will be evident from the quotation which follows:—

"The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD." Jer. 25:30, 31. This takes place at the pouring out of the seventh vial. "And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great." Rev. 16: 17, 18.

Thus we learn that when the great day of the Lord's wrath begins, the voice of the Almighty comes from his holy habitation on high, from the heavenly Jerusalem, from his temple, and his throne which is between the cherubim, and the effect is, the heavens and the earth shake, mountains and islands are moved out of their places. "And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" Rev. 6:12-17. "The powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." Matt. 24:29, 30. By comparing the scriptures we discover their harmony and beauty. The shaking of the heavens and the earth immediately precedes the second advent of the Son of man. What causes this shaking? The voice of God, which comes from the throne in Heaven, saying, "IT IS DONE." What is done? The seven last judgments of God—the vials of his wrath which are to desolate the earth of all its tribes—have been poured out. But why come these desolating judgments?—why does the curse devour the earth? Because of sin, which is the transgression of God's law—the ten commandments. The question is answered fully and clearly in the twenty-fourth chapter of Isaiah. After foretelling the utter desolation of the earth, the Spirit of truth continues: "The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore the curse hath devoured the earth," etc.

Here the reason is plainly given. It is the violation of the laws of God. He has never published but one entire code of moral laws, and that code is the ten commandments. These laws have all been transgressed, but one of them has been changed by men. They have changed the ordinance. This I think is the Sabbath law. It is the law concerning which a change is pleaded in excuse of its violation. All laws are ordinances; though there is a clear distinction between moral laws and the ceremonial ordinances of the church in either dispensation. The "everlasting covenant," which men have broken, and the violation of which brings the curse, consists of those laws of which the Sabbath ordinance is a part. This is proved by the following scriptures:—

"And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice. And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone." Deut. 4:12, 13. This proves what covenant was given to Jacob for a law. Our next testimony will prove that "the same" is the everlasting covenant. "Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations; Even of the covenant which he made with Abraham, and of his oath unto Isaac; And hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant," 1 Chron. 16:15-17. If the Bible can prove a proposition, our proposition is proved. The covenant promises to Abraham related to the new earth. They made him "heir of the world;" and he looked, according to God's promise, for "a city that hath foundations"—"the heavenly Jerusalem." See Rom. 4:13; Heb. 11:10.; Rev. 21:10, 14. This is Abraham's inheritance; and in this inheritance the "everlasting covenant" will be kept by him and all his seed; and the Sabbath commandment will not be excepted. See Eze. 37:24-26; Isa. 66:22, 23.

The way is now open to understand the language of the apostle: "Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain." Heb. 12:26, 27. See the context. God's voice shook the earth when he confirmed the holy principles of his divine law, speaking the ten commandments to all Israel from the summit of the burning mount. Terror seized the people, and even Moses, who was accustomed to receive communications from Heaven, said, "I exceedingly fear and quake." The great Jehovah has promised to utter his awful voice again. It comes, this time, from on high—from his holy hill—and all the earth shall hear. He speaks in vindication of those righteous principles which he before promulged from Sinai. His sore judgments are poured out upon the transgressors of his law, his justice stands approved while his terrific and vindictive voice exclaims, It is done! "The earth is moved exceedingly." It reels to and fro like a drunkard. It is moved out of its place like a cottage; and because the transgression thereof is heavy upon it, "it shall fall and not rise again." See lsa. 24:19, 20. O sinner, what will you do in that day? Can you stand before the exceeding terror of that voice, which, when uttered in comparative mildness, made Moses, the man of God, exceedingly fear and quake? Thank God! there now is hope. A refuge in Jesus will be a shelter from the storm. His love still pleads. O, forsake your sins and embrace him now. Receive the "kingdom that cannot be moved," and be of those that cannot be shaken, but remain.