A black day! A Doomsday! Clouds with no silver lining! Like dawn light moving over the mountains, a huge army is coming. There's never been anything like it and never will be again.
Wildfire burns everything before this army and fire licks up everything in its wake. Before it arrives, the country is like the Garden of Eden. When it leaves, it is Death Valley. Nothing escapes unscathed.
It sounds like thunder leaping on mountain ridges, Or like the roar of wildfire through grass and brush, Or like an invincible army shouting for blood, ready to fight, straining at the bit.
GOD himself bellows in thunder as he commands his forces. Look at the size of that army! And the strength of those who obey him! GOD's Judgment Day--great and terrible. Who can possibly survive this?
But there's also this, it's not too late-- GOD's personal Message!-- "Come back to me and really mean it! Come fasting and weeping, sorry for your sins!"
Change your life, not just your clothes. Come back to GOD, your God. And here's why: God is kind and merciful. He takes a deep breath, puts up with a lot, This most patient God, extravagant in love, always ready to cancel catastrophe.
Who knows? Maybe he'll do it now, maybe he'll turn around and show pity. Maybe, when all's said and done, there'll be blessings full and robust for your GOD!
Get everyone there. Consecrate the congregation. Make sure the elders come, but bring in the children, too, even the nursing babies, Even men and women on their honeymoon-- interrupt them and get them there.
Between Sanctuary entrance and altar, let the priests, GOD's servants, weep tears of repentance. Let them intercede: "Have mercy, GOD, on your people! Don't abandon your heritage to contempt. Don't let the pagans take over and rule them and sneer, 'And so where is this God of theirs?'"
GOD answered and spoke to his people, "Look, listen--I'm sending a gift: Grain and wine and olive oil. The fast is over--eat your fill! I won't expose you any longer to contempt among the pagans.
I'll head off the final enemy coming out of the north and dump them in a wasteland. Half of them will end up in the Dead Sea, the other half in the Mediterranean. There they'll rot, a stench to high heaven. The bigger the enemy, the stronger the stench!"
Children of Zion, celebrate! Be glad in your GOD. He's giving you a teacher to train you how to live right-- Teaching, like rain out of heaven, showers of words to refresh and nourish your soul, just as he used to do.
"I'll make up for the years of the locust, the great locust devastation-- Locusts savage, locusts deadly, fierce locusts, locusts of doom, That great locust invasion I sent your way.
You'll eat your fill of good food. You'll be full of praises to your GOD, The God who has set you back on your heels in wonder. Never again will my people be despised.
You'll know without question that I'm in the thick of life with Israel, That I'm your GOD, yes, your GOD, the one and only real God. Never again will my people be despised.
"And that's just the beginning: After that-- "I will pour out my Spirit on every kind of people: Your sons will prophesy, also your daughters. Your old men will dream, your young men will see visions.
Whoever calls, 'Help, GOD!' gets help. On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be a great rescue--just as GOD said. Included in the survivors are those that GOD calls.