The Lamb and the Day of the Lord

We volunteered to help at the Spring Carnival. Our church hosts this event every year in a neighborhood park. I’d not attended before never mind signed up so was nervous about this ‘first time’ event. We were assigned to the petting zoo. The only one I’d ever seen had small cages with one animal in each. Children were allowed in the cage to pet the animal and moved on to the next when their time was up. Our zoo was not like that.

It was a large room-sized enclosure with a smaller open-top box in the middle filled with rabbits, chicks, and Guinea pigs. The other animals ran loose except a docile pony and a large calf both tied to the fence. There was a big pig, several hens and a small rooster, mother goats with a half dozen kids, a turkey and three lambs. The children, usually with their parents and twenty or so at a time, were allowed in for about ten minutes, then went out making room for the next batch. This went on for two hours and was the most fun I’ve had for a while. I had no reason to be nervous!

This event bears no resemblance to “the Day of the Lord” but the church at Thessalonica was fearful about it, far more anxious than I was about serving in that zoo. They had only Old Testament prophecies to inform them and those prophecies were scary. Here are just a few of them:

Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people; their like has never been before, nor will be again after them through the years of all generations. Fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before them, but behind them a desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes them. . . . The earth quakes before them; the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. The Lord utters his voice before his army, for his camp is exceedingly great; he who executes his word is powerful. For the day of the Lord is great and very awesome; who can endure it? (Joel 2:1–3; 10–11)

The great day of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter; the mighty man cries aloud there. A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements. I will bring distress on mankind, so that they shall walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the Lord; their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them on the day of the wrath of the Lord. In the fire of his jealousy, all the earth shall be consumed; for a full and sudden end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth. (Zephaniah 1:14–18)

Behold, a day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. (Zechariah 14:1–2)

While some of these prophesies followed up with hope and good news, most of them could easily strike terror into the hearts of anyone. The Christians in Thessalonica wondered if they would be victims in the Day of Judgment.

I wish I could offer simple answers to this question. The Bible is not clear on the chronological order of events at the time of Christ’s return or when God’s judgment happens. These Christians wondered just as we wonder if we will find ourselves caught in the frightful days of “the great tribulation” that is to come upon the earth? Or, will the Lord take us away before His judgment begins?

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Lord Jesus, In the next three days, I plan to take another look at the things that will happen before this ‘day’ comes, how much You have told us about what is going on, and how we can trust You with our lives during this time. Today, I am thankful that wickedness will meet its end because You are not looking the other way. You will bring justice to this world. I’m also going to think about the zoo and the children, and especially those lambs that reminded me You are the Lamb of God. Spending an afternoon with these gentle, defenseless creatures gave me a picture of what You became as my sacrifice for sin. 

“Lamb of God, oh Lamb of God, how I love the sweet Lamb of God.”