Amos 5:16–20 (ESV)

Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the Lord:

            “In all the squares there shall be wailing,
                        and in all the streets they shall say, ‘Alas! Alas!’
            They shall call the farmers to mourning
                        and to wailing those who are skilled in lamentation,
            and in all vineyards there shall be wailing,
                        for I will pass through your midst,”
                                                            says the LORD.          

                        Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD!
                        Why would you have the day of the LORD?
            It is darkness, and not light,
                        as if a man fled from a lion,
                        and a bear met him,
            or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall,
                        and a serpent bit him.
            Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light,
                        and gloom with no brightness in it? (ESV)

This passage teaches a key point that many Christians miss—the day of the LORD won’t be a picnic.

We have hints of this all over scripture. The shepherds were terrified of the angel announcing the good news of the savior. Being in the presence of the LORD causes Isaiah to start to disintegrate.

And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. — Luke 2:9–10 (ESV)

And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” — Isaiah 6:5 (ESV)

So, there’s obviously something not fun about being in the presence of holiness. Here Amos spells it out, in terrifying detail. We see similar descriptions in Ezekiel 30:2 and Joel 1:15. God showing up will be far more intense than what folks expect. This passage even describes it as, “It is darkness, and not light.”

Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD!

But how does this apply to us? Are “saved” Christians immune to the terror of the day of the Lord?

Not exactly. Grace does not prevent embarrassment, even terror. Being forgiven does not mean we don’t get to see, with newly opened eyes, the full extent of what we’re forgiven of.

These Monday—Friday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. The Weekend DEEPs are written by Matt Richardson. To subscribe to all the DEEPs click here:

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The weekly study guides, which include the Monday–Friday devotionals plus related questions for discussion or meditation, are available for download here:

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.