Joel 3:12-21 ~ And in that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the streambeds of Judah shall flow with water; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord and water the Valley of Shittim.

Joel 3:12-21 

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12 Let the nations stir themselves up

and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;

for there I will sit to judge

all the surrounding nations.

13 Put in the sickle,

for the harvest is ripe.

Go in, tread,

for the winepress is full.

The vats overflow,

for their evil is great.

14 Multitudes, multitudes,

in the valley of decision!

For the day of the Lord is near

in the valley of decision.

15 The sun and the moon are darkened,

and the stars withdraw their shining.

16 The Lord roars from Zion,

and utters his voice from Jerusalem,

and the heavens and the earth quake.

But the Lord is a refuge to his people,

a stronghold to the people of Israel.

17 “So you shall know that I am the Lord your God,

who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain.

And Jerusalem shall be holy,

and strangers shall never again pass through it.

18 “And in that day

the mountains shall drip sweet wine,

and the hills shall flow with milk,

and all the streambeds of Judah

shall flow with water;

and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord

and water the Valley of Shittim.

19 “Egypt shall become a desolation

and Edom a desolate wilderness,

for the violence done to the people of Judah,

because they have shed innocent blood in their land.

20 But Judah shall be inhabited forever,

and Jerusalem to all generations.

21 I will avenge their blood,

blood I have not avenged,

[Or I will acquit their bloodguilt that I have not acquitted]

for the Lord dwells in Zion.” 

The Scriptures repeat themselves again and again. It’s a blessing.

Matthew 25:31-36

 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’

Two things in life are certain – death and taxes. But if you die this year, your pockets will belong to someone else and they get to pay. Another truism failed.  So instead we realize…. we are all going to leave this life. 

When doubts come to me, I remember what I believe. 

I remember my grandmother’s dreams of Heaven, with her husband Ray waiting for her.  The fruit of her dreams -  peace and joy. She spoke about her dreams for the rest of her time on earth.  What were her dreams? The gift of God for her faith.  Her faith came first. Before her dreams.

When the Day of the Lord is at Hand

Unfortunately, maybe instead you have seen death avoidance modeled to you. Have you seen relatives and friends avoid a death bed? If you avoid it, it will stay away from you. Right. Death is part of the plan. It is only a comma. When we trust in Jesus Christ, we have already attained eternal life. 

I’ve been part of death 6 times, intimately with loved family, in 4 decades. Each time I have marveled at the peace surrounding death. As I’ve driven home from the dying, I wondered at the Ecclesiastes time passage – a time to be born, a time to die.  God usually provided a peace for this time. How many times does He provide?

Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.

Revelation 15:3

And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!

Revelation 15:4

Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed."

Revelation 21:23-25

And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.

For whom will this salvation occur?

Jesus said:

John 10:9

I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.

1 John 4:10

 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Romans 10:10-13

 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”