Revelation 6:17 (KJV) The Inescapable Day

Revelation 6:17 (KJV)

For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

“Who shall be able to stand?”

The question is rhetorical in many respects. It is meant to express the incredible wrath of the day. It’s nothing like anything anyone has seen before.

Generally, as bad is it gets, most people can manage. It might be hard, painful, miserable, but it’s doable. None of us like going through tough times. Some people don’t survive them but by in large the world goes on. 

The point of this is that the world will not go on – at least not like it was before. When the great day of His wrath is come the heaven will pass away and the earth will melt with fervent heat. Sun moon and stars will fall. The great day of God’s wrath is such that there is literally no one able to stand up to it.

• No one but God Himself.
• No one but those hidden in God in Christ.

The world has known some strong men. There are stories of people who have endured the worst the world could do, and they’ve come out the stronger for it. Not so when the great day of God’s wrath comes.

There is only one safe place.

That’s inside faith in Jesus Christ.

#DayOfWrath #WhoShallStand #FaithInChrist #EndTimesWarning #SafeInHisHands #Revelation #eschatology
The Inescapable Day: Finding Refuge in Jesus Christ

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6200 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Revelation 6:17 (KJV) The Inescapable Day

Isaiah 8:11 (KJV) Strong Hand, Strong Message

Isaiah 8:11 (KJV)

For the LORD spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying,

The Word of God is filled with warnings about taking on the lifestyle, worldviews, and culture of the world around us.

In the days of Isaiah,
-Ahaz was the king in Jerusalem.
-Ahaz was evil and evil man with no heart for God or for His will.
-Syria and Israel were under threat of Assyria

We know that Israel would be destroyed by them shortly. 

Ahaz contemplated joining hands with Assyria to rid himself of his enemies. Isaiah was commissioned by the Lord to preach against it.

God has a “strong” message for Isaiah too. 
He was not to embrace the ideas of Ahaz or of the people of Judah.

God teaches us over and again not to be like the people around us. 
Their ideas may be popular, reasonable and appear to be without argument. After all Judah faced the threat of Damascus and Samaria. Assyria was a threat to Damascus and Samaria. To join them and defeat their enemies might look like a no brainer – sort of like when our leaders give money and weapons to people, we know to be our enemies because they will defeat our other enemies before they turn against us. It’s foolish but it is common wisdom and practice.

God used a strong hand to teach Isaiah.
I think it’s to make him see how important this is to God. In our day, it is so common for the average Christian to compromise with worldliness, to walk in the way of the world, it requires a strong hand some meaty preaching to get anyone to separate from walking in the way of the people. Those who do are considered radical, lunatic fringe and heavy handed.

It is, nevertheless, the Word of God – we “should not walk in the way of the people.”

God has a better way for us to walk.

#WordlyWarnings #DivineGuidance #StrongMessage #GodsBetterWay #compromise #hamartiology #Isaiah
Strong Hand, Strong Message: God’s Better Path

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6200 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Isaiah 8:11 (KJV) Strong Hand, Strong Message

Isaiah 6:1 (KJV) Divine Signs

Isaiah 6:1 (KJV)

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

It’s fascinating to consider the events surrounding Isaiah’s vision of God.

King Uzziah died
Uzziah was a good king. Perhaps one of the better ones. The country did well under him and would not be difficult to have put a great deal of confidence in him. He was a sign of God’s blessing. His very life would give hope of God’s deliverance from enemies and prosperity in their work. But he died. It was inevitable that he would, but that doesn’t make it easier.

King Ahaz reigned
Ahaz, the son of Uzziah, was just about to antithesis of his father. Whatever Uzziah was for God Ahaz was against him. Not only was their symbol of God’s goodness gone, but in his place stood a symbol of judgment.

Syria and Israel threatened them at the same time
Wow. They had a horrible man on the throne, and they had not one but two enemies positioning to war with them. Could it have gotten any worse?

We often think God is seen in the good times. Isaiah’s best vision of God came in arguably one of the worst. It goes even further. Since wicked Ahaz had no interest in God, God Himself took interest in the people. “Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign …” That sign can have no reasonable fulfillment except in Jesus Christ.[1]

When things look bad, look up.
-Have your earthly hopes died? Look up!
-Are your confidences fallen? Look up!
-Do your enemies threaten? Look up!

Those around you may have little interest in God but God has great interest in you for Jesus’ sake.

Look up!

#IsaiahsVision #HopeInLoss #FacingAdversity #DivineIntervention #LookUpToChrist
Divine Signs: Looking Up in Tough Times

---

[1] Isaiah 7:14 (KJV)
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6200 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Isaiah 6:1 (KJV) Divine Signs

Isaiah 5:11-13 (KJV) Choosing Hope Over Denial

Isaiah 5:11-13 (KJV)

Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!
And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands.
Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.

This is, I believe, the reason people are so quick to dismiss God and hateful of those who continue to preach Christ openly. If, as they insist, God does not exist, then there is no judgment awaiting them. 

They are, in their minds, free to rise up early and follow strong drink. 
Whether that strong drink is literal, or symbolic of some other form of evil, it makes no difference because there is no ultimate price to pay for it.

They are free to regard not the work of the Lord.
It is their business if they wish to skip out on the house of God. They have no obligation to pay God homage, to dedicate time, talents, and treasure to Him. If He, as they insist, does not exist, their time is their own, their talents are their own and their treasures belong solely to them.

They are free not to consider the operation of His hands,
The judgment of sin nor the plan of salvation. These are, in their minds, myths. Or at least they hope they are.

I have encountered many of these people – even more of them in the last decade. Their numbers seem to increase or at least their boldness is elevated. They are quick to throw out a curse word against God, but they generally refuse to engage in serious conversation. They sometimes are familiar with catch phrases of atheists, and they will engage as long as they have another one of them to throw out, but they refuse to consider any evidence that might point out they are wrong about God.

Because if they are wrong, they face judgment.

I think they know that. 

Rather than facing it and fixing it, they fight against it.

#RiseAndReflect #GodsWorkMatters #FacingJudgment #FreeWillDebate #PreachChristBoldly
Choosing Hope Over Denial: Rise Early for God

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6200 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Isaiah 5:11-13 (KJV) Choosing Hope Over Denial

Isaiah 3:16 (KJV) The Nature of God

Isaiah 3:16 (KJV)

Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:

The passage has to do with the haughtiness of the women in Jerusalem. I don’t think there is any question it’s speaking about doing things to attract the attention of men. Tinkling with the feet means wearing bells and jewelry that would cause the men to look at them as they moved. It’s an issue of modesty. To be haughty is to be immodest.

To be sure, the New Testament also teaches modesty. Both men and women, but even in the New Testament, women are especially urged to modesty.

This all got me to thinking about the arguments of so many atheists and agnostics. One of the common complaints is that God is cruel, overbearing, unkind. I’ve heard accusations such as,

• The God of the Bible endorses slavery
• The God of the Bible is misogynistic
• The God of the Bible ordered the annihilation of women and children

Etc.

Often Christians can take on this same attitude, misunderstanding the character of God. Standards of separation, clearly instructed upon in the New Testament, become a measure of righteousness inconsistent with the Word as a whole.

I am reminded of Eve. When confronted by the serpent, she expressed God’s instruction, but she took it further than God had commanded. She added “neither shall ye touch it.”[1] We’ve got to be careful not to “assumethe worst” of God.

God’s Word, especially in the Old Testament, does contain some demanding and difficult concepts. Don’t allow your imagination to read into them that God is cruel, hateful, mean spirited. It’s not true and it will take you to a spiritual place that is not Biblically found or in sync with the nature of the Almighty.

#GodsCharacter #MisconceptionsAboutGod #BiblicalModesty #UnderstandingScripture #Isaiah
The Nature of God: Dispelling Misconceptions

---

[1] Genesis 3:2-3 (KJV)
And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6200 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Isaiah 3:16 (KJV) The Nature of God

Isaiah 1:10 (KJV) Isaiah’s Insight

Isaiah 1:10 (KJV)

Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.

Isaiah directs his words to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, and there are at least three lenses through which we can view this address.

Is Isaiah addressing Sodom and Gomorrah historically? 
Absolutely not. Given that Isaiah lived centuries after the cities’ destruction, he isn’t speaking to the cities, people, and rulers who inhabited the region in the days of Lot.

Is he addressing Sodom and Gomorrah literally? 
Again, a firm no. By the time Isaiah prophesied, these cities were long gone, devoid of rulers and inhabitants. There was no literal Sodom and Gomorrah left in his time.

Is he addressing Sodom and Gomorrah typically? 
That’s a resounding affirmative. As a prophet in the southern kingdom, situated adjacent to the former site of Sodom and Gomorrah, it’s evident that Isaiah is using typology to convey his message.

Now, anticipating objections from skeptics who might challenge the accuracy of the Word of God, it’s crucial to understand that employing typology is a valid form of literal interpretation. In this context, Isaiah, by referencing Sodom and Gomorrah, is shedding light on the nature of the people and rulers in Jerusalem.

Consider Isaiah 1:11, where the Lord questions the purpose of the multitude of sacrifices in Jerusalem.[1] Here, the lesson is clear— their sacrifices, lacked purpose. The broader message is that religious practices devoid of understanding serve no meaningful purpose. 

Religion does meaningless things. Genuine Christianity is full of meaning and purpose. To go through religious activity such as, for instance, baptism and Lord’s Supper without understanding them is worthless or worse. But when we comprehend and embrace the truths about Christ they memorialize, they become full of life for us.

#InterpretationInsights #IsaiahTypology #UnderstandingScripture #PropheticMeaning #SpiritualLessons #bibliology
Isaiah’s Insight: Isaiah’s Warning to Modern-Day Worship

---

[1] Isaiah 1:11 (KJV)
To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6200 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Isaiah 1:10 (KJV) Isaiah’s Insight

Revelation 1:18 (KJV) Fear Not, I Am He

Revelation 1:18 (KJV)

I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Just looking at Revelation chapter one, I see the struggle we have with our eyes.

On one hand, the apostle John unveils divine mysteries: 

• The revelation of Jesus Christ,
• Caught up in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day
• Bearing witness to the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Yet, on the other hand, earthly tribulations cast their shadows: 

• A companion in tribulation, 
• Exiled to desolate Patmos for the Lord’s sake.

Amidst these earthly challenges, John paints a canvas of eternal blessings: 

• He hath made us kings and priests
• The promise of His imminent return.

Yet, intertwined with eternal promises, he reveals the impending judgment upon the world: 

• Every eye shall see Him,
• Those who pierced Him shall wail.

Revelation chapter one contains the glorious image of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 1:13-16 (KJV)
And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

But when John saw it, his response was to fall at his feet as dead.
Revelation 1:17 (KJV)
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

The next verse is the one we need so desperately to get hold of…
I am He…

We’re going to face times in life when we have trouble keeping our eyes off the tribulation, trouble, suffering, threats. We’re going to face times when we have difficulty keeping our minds off our weakness, failings, and spiritual faults. Through all these shortcomings and sins, the spiritual man goes back to the ultimate truth, Fear not; …. I am He.

#RevelationReflections #DivineMysteries #EternalPromises #SacredEncounter #FearNotIamHe
Fear Not, I Am He: Finding Hope in the Depths of Revelation

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6200 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Revelation 1:18 (KJV) Fear Not, I Am He