The Lord will make a distinction. He makes a separation. The wicked and the righteous will be treated differently.

The wheat and tares have grown together here on earth, but the tares will get bundled up and thrown into the fire. The wheat will be brought into God’s barn.

God will pour out wrath on the earth. The righteous will be raptured away. Tribulation has always been for God’s people, but wrath is never for God’s people, not the holy ones who have been separated out.

The evildoers will be burned. The arrogant will be destroyed and left with nothing.

There is a distinction between those who fear God’s name and everyone else.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning and the end of things. We’ve lost it in the American church. Ask for it. Seek it. Pray for it for your church. We need the fear of the Lord.

Those who fear the Lord go leaping about.

Just like we had a specific warning about marriage before, this chapter has a warning about broken families.

God loves the family. Pray together. Stay together.

God is going to send His prophet to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers.

If their hearts aren’t turned, there is a decree of utter destruction.

Let’s look at this in two ways again. In the physical, we need children to honor their mother and father. That is the first command with a promise. It’s one of the ten commandments.

The church in America, at least, lost honoring parents when they lost the fear of God. They also lost respect for husbands.

We need the fear of God!

But in looking at this from the standpoint of the church, we need the fathers, the pastors, to have their hearts turned to their children and the children to their fathers.

I have seen a lot of pastors not caring for their flock, choosing what’s popular instead of edifying, for example. They choose entertainment over truth. They aren’t loving their children. Their hearts are elsewhere.

Church, wake up! Listen to God’s messengers warning and calling for repentance. The great and awesome day of the Lord is coming!