This . . .
Joel 2
11 For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible;
Who can endure it?
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Malachi 4
5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.
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That . . .
The good . . . and the bad . . . two extremes related to Jesus' return. Joel says the day of the Lord is good and VERY terrible.
"Who can endure it?" puts emphasis on the terrible.
Malachi calls the time great and dreadful.
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This is That . . .
In the final three years before Jesus returns, there will be a great outpouring of the Spirit that will make it a great day for those who call on Jesus' name; and at the same time, things will get steadily worse for the rebellious as sin matures into a fullness we cannot imagine.
This will be a time of the most severe outpouring of God's judgements ever seen.
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Haggai 2
6 “For thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land;
Jesus' judgements will shake all that can be shaken on earth. The nations of the earth will experience military invasions (Rev. 13) while God's judgments are poured out as seen in the Book of Revelation with the Seven Seals, Seven Trumpets and Seven Bowls of wrath.
The question remains, "Who can endure these 'Day of the Lord' events?" This will be a most relevant question that must be answered by all, as the best and worst times are experienced by the Church and all nations (including the USA and Israel ).
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I think I might tell a joke or something tomorrow, and then get on to "The Great Day of the Lord: Positive Trends".