Verse 5: "Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts."
2 Peter 3:7: "But the present heavens and earth by His word are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men" (NASB).
2 Peter 3:10: "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up" (NASB).
I find myself this morning saying "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
This is so descriptive of what will take place when the battle of Armageddon recorded in Revelation 19:11 - 16: "And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war. And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems; and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself. And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, 'KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS'" (NASB).
Verse 7: "The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah"
Eugene Peterson paraphrases verse 7: "Jacob-wrestling God fights for us, God of angel armies protects us."
Catching this vision of God makes us understand how simple a matter it will be for him to cause the holocaust that takes place during the great tribulation period.
Anne Graham Lotz said: "Everything is not falling apart, just falling into place!"
The phrase that has meant the most to me this morning is "he lifts his voice." When God speaks, oh what power are in those words. In our text when "he lifts his voice, the earth melts."
Stop and think about it. When He spoke in the beginning: '"Let there be light' and there was light...' Let there an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.' ...'Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let the dry ground appear.' ...'Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it.' ...And God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years'" (Gen. 1 - 14 NIV).
At the baptism of the Lord Jesus, we read in Matthew 3:17: "and behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased'" (NASB).
On the Mount of Transfiguration we hear the same voice: "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!" (Matt.17:5 NASB).
Isaiah 30:21: "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it'" (NIV).
With young Samuel we need to be saying, "Speak Lord, for your servant is listening."
