Word for the day by Christian Education Fourm

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Coming again: The Day of the Lord
Zechariah 14
Abey Cherian

St. Thomas MTC, Yonkers, NY

3 Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. 4 On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives, which lies before Jerusalem on the east....  
 

References to “The day of the Lord” in the scriptures often points to a span of time when God visibly intervenes in the history of His people to fulfil His purposes, and to the events associated with it. The Prophet Zechariah and other major and minor prophets have talked about the “The day of the Lord” referencing events that take place in its immediate context and also pointing to the Messianic and eschatological (relating to the end time) fulfilment of those prophesies. The Book of Zechariah presents “The King” of Israel who is lowly and righteous, coming with salvation for His people in Chapter 9. Then we see the fulfilment of the day of the Lord in chapter 14; the final establishment of His Kingdom and reign.
 
On the day of the Lord there is
  • Victory and security in the Lord for His people (Vs.3).
  • Neither darkness, nor distinction of day or night, but rather, constant light (Vs.6-7).
  • Life in its fullness where the living water flows out from Jerusalem throughout the year. (Vs.8).
  • One Lord who will be the king over all the earth and whom all will worship (Vs. 9,16)
  • Nothing ungodly or unclean in His temple; everything from the bells of the horses to the cooking pots in the temple are sanctified for God with the inscription “Holy to the Lord” (Vs.20).
Apostle John talked about the fulfillments of all of the above in the book of Revelation in the day of the Lord yet to come.  However for believers in Christ, this day of the Lord is not just an eschatological expectation, but also is a present reality.
This already began in us when Christ became the Lord and King of our life and continues as we progress in our journey with Him, with its final fulfillment in His second coming. Jesus has provided us victory and security in Him by defeating the enemy through His death on the cross (Hebrews 2:14-15), and total dependency on the Lord is the key to our progressive Christian life in that victory.  Jesus, the light of the world works in the believers’ life to remove darkness of all kind and its power (John 3:19-21). Jesus has given the Holy Spirit to us and made us the source of the life giving water to bless others with our life (John 7:37).

 In a world of insecurity, turmoil and darkness, we the believers are sanctified for Lord as a holy nation and entrusted with the responsibility to proclaim “The day of the Lord” of peace, light and life in Christ through our words and life (1 Peter 2:9).

PRAYER

Lord, Thank you for the Kingdom life which began in us through the cross of Calvary. Help us to live our lives proclaiming Your Kingdom to bring hope and salvation to the world.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
The life of a Christian proclaims the day of the Lord all the time.

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