The Great and Terrible Day of The LORD

One day in early July 2016, my sister and I had decided to take a day trip, so the first thing we did was look on our phones weather app to see what the weather would be like in Maine, which was to be our destination. When I launched my weather app instead of opening and showing me the weather in the town where I lived, which is what it had always done, it automatically opened up a browser and went directly to the weather apps website. Now this had never happened to me before, and I’ve used the app quite often, and right there on the homepage of the website was the picture of the sun turning black and the Lord immediately quickened to me the scripture “the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; before the great and terrible day of the Lord”. That’s when I knew the Lord had arranged the whole thing to show me that sign.

I got so excited, I showed it to my sister, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it all day. My sister and I had discussed it on our trip and I knew the Lord wanted me to report on it. The significance of the sun turning to black is that this will occur after the rapture and in about the middle of the tribulation. And although it states in the bible that no man may know the day nor the hour of Jesus’ return, because God wants us to always be prepared for that, we can watch for the signs and be found ready, waiting and watching for his return.

“And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
   And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
   And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were 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

NASA has discovered a dark black “hole” on the sun

In July 2016 NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)spotted one of the largest black holes (or a ‘coronal hole’) on the sun, and reports said that this did have the potential to cause chaos on Earth. NASA explains that: “A coronal hole is a region on the sun where the magnetic field is open to interplanetary space, sending coronal material speeding out in what is called a high-speed solar wind stream.”

NASA claims that while a coronal hole does NOT signal the end of the world, its effects here on Earth is that it can disrupt satellite and radio communications from the solar winds released by the corona. The winds can impact the Earth’s magnetic field, causing geomagnetic storms, which influence the Earth’s magnetic energy and cause Aurora light shows.

Scientists go on to say that even though it sounds pretty terrifying, it is not a sign of impending doom for earth or the sun, but…scriptures say otherwise, and although it is not the end of the world, the sun turning black is a foreshadowing of the “great and the terrible day of the Lord.”

What is to Come!: from the book of Revelation

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified [it] by his angel unto his servant John:
   Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
   Blessed [is] he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time [is] at hand.” Rev 1:1-3

I was recently talking with a Christian who told me they had just read from the book of Revelation at a church she was visiting and said it was scary and hard to understand. I had to admit to her that it is scary, but the Lord didn’t give it to us to scare us. He gave it to us so that we would know what is to come and what we need to do to be overcomers and inherit life everlasting as stated in Revelation 3:21: “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” Revelation also speaks of God’s mercy and hope for those saints who don’t get raptured and who, even at the peril of their life, refuse the “mark of the beast”, which we believe the rapture will occur before the tribulation.

“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
   Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
   For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake [as they were] moved by the Holy Ghost.” 2 Peter 1:19-21

In regards to the book of Revelation being hard to understand, it does take prayerfully seeking the Lord in faith and studying it, allowing Him to open His Word to you and show you the truth of it. Because it can be understood. God wouldn’t have given us the book of revelation, or any part of the bible, if it could never be understood. But we must seek the Lord about everything and allow ourselves to be instructed by Him. He wants us to go to Him with a sincere and contrite heart ready to receive that which He tells us. So that we can get understanding, knowledge and wisdom. As stated in Proverbs 16:16 “How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!”

The book of Revelation is so important as the last book of the bible it’s where the Lord shows us what will happen in the end, and how all things that have been prophesied will come to a head and be consummated in the seven year tribulation. Because God does have a plan and it has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Revelation, does tell us what to expect in these end days of which we are living in now.

In chapter 6 of Revelation is where we see the Lamb of God (Jesus) in heaven opening the seven seals, and the sixth one is where we see the sun turning to darkness and the moon to blood. Here is a brief run down of the first six seals quoted from Terry M. Smith’s book “Revelation Pure and Simple”;

“Four of the seven seals are immediately broken open. The Antichrist is given authority to rule on earth. Wars, Famine, Pestilence, death and Hell are then released in rapid succession. This takes us to the halfway point of the Tribulation. With seal five, the saints, those who oppose Satan and the Antichrist and refuse his mark, are persecuted and slain. The tribulations and trials of judgment on the earth are building. The Antichrist’s victories and his new world order make the world’s future look hopeful to the lost and humanistic mind, but to believers who were left behind after the Rapture the evil Antichrist and His motives are all too apparent. When the sixth seal is opened and the sun, moon and stars are darkened and an earthquake shakes the whole earth, all mankind comes to the awful realization that God is now fighting against them. This is past the midway point of the seven year period.”

For those who do not get raptured and have to go through the tribulation, there’s still hope to inherit life everlasting, but it will come at a great price, your very life. For in the days of the tribulation there will be the “mark of the beast” as stated in Revelation 13:17-18 “And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number [is] Six hundred threescore [and] six.” (666)

If you take the mark there is no turning back from it, you will forever suffer God’s wrath and be tormented with fire and brimstone, damned to hell as stated in Revelation 14:9-11;

“And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
   The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the Lamb:
   And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”

But if you refuse the mark of the beast it will cost you your life, but save your soul, and you will be given a white robe and be forever in the presence of God as stated below in Revelation 6:9-11;

“And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
   And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
   And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they [were], should be fulfilled.”

And here’s a glorious picture of the tribulation saints in heaven around the throne of God.

“After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
   And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
   And all the angels stood round about the throne, and [about] the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
   Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, [be] unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
   And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
   Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
   They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
   For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” Rev. 7:9-17

So as you can see, from God simply bringing me to that incredible image from NASA of the sun turning to black, how it can be really exciting and hopeful for those who truly do believe Jesus’ return is nigh at hand. For those who are watching and waiting upon the Lord and who love the Lord with all their heart, and who love His appearing – this is where our hope should be, on Jesus’ return.

“For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
   But if we hope for that we see not, [then] do we with patience” Rom. 8:24-25

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
   Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
   Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”  1 Thes 4:16-18

Come soon Lord Jesus, Come Soon!!