Easter 2026

Valley of Decision

When we were in Wilmington NC helping out my mom, I was praying and thinking of what to share with on this wonderful Easter Sunday. Helping out there was exhausting, Liz kept making me clean. So it was good times with prayers and wrestling with my head and heart. And I got nothing. Just nothing. I was able to do a message on Communion, and few others. But nada on Resurrection Sunday.

We celebrate the Resurrection every Sunday but this is a day when even some out in the world inquire about Jesus. And as I pondered that, the Lord I do think, revealed my text.

When I say, I wrestled, I wrestled. Because what i kept seeing was apocalyptic. I thought about sharing with you about the end of all things. What the bible calls the Day of the Lord rang over and over in my head. (Its a prophetic phrase that points to when the final judgement or wrath of God begins on this earth).

Not the usual hopeful pat on the back we normally hear on this day. But I had to let you know, that what is coming, is supposed to rock on back on our heels, like being smashed in the face.

You know, I don’t normally say this, but I do think this is something supernatural I’m sharing with you right now, the Lord wanted me to do this.

We always say come quickly Lord but when this begins, It will be painfully obvious what a supernatural event it is.

Isaiah 13:6 “ Wail, for the day of the LORD is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty.” Isaiah 13:9 “ Behold, the day of the LORD comes, Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, To lay the land desolate; And He will destroy its sinners from it.”

Real syrupy huh? This isn’t just God foretelling a meteor hitting the earth, the things described are spiritual supernatural and real. With all the fulfilled prophecy in the scriptures, we must see that God is winding this creation to an end. And you, us we all have a decision to make. Our key verse in the text today is;

Joel 3:14 “ Multitudes, multitudes (innumerable) in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.”

We argue about so much in the church. We get hung up on non-critical issues, granted, we should argue (debate) about many things. But when it comes down to it, we brethren and body of Christ, have to get that we are in a war, with demonic forces that literally serve the god of this world. You really need to understand that Satan, can sway the entire planet.

Revelation 12:9 “ So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

The bible refers to this Angel, as the god of this age, note what Paul shares in

2 Corinthians 4:3–4 “ But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”

The gospel is veiled to those that are perishing. Those that will be caught in this judgement, in this age or the one to come. Here then hell.

It is veiled (hidden) by the god of this age (satan), but it is still a willful, heart issue of unbelief. Who hide from the light of Christ.

Christ, the very image of God (seen me, seen the father Jn 14:9) can be hidden by satan and ignored by men. It shows us why, 1 Corinthians 1:18–19 “ For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.””

your unbelief has many factors working for it. The bible describes it as the 1 John 2:16 “ For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.”

This is part of where the World (system, designed to distract, money, etc), The flesh (not our bodies but our desires, lust, etc.) and the Devil (supernatural enemies that seek to destroy the work of God)

Now in the midst of all this - we have the truth. That we can have peace, even in the midst of this turmoil. I want to read the text in Joel 3 with you, turn there if you would

Joel 3:12–17 “ “Let the nations be wakened, 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. Come, go down; For the winepress is full, The vats overflow— For their wickedness 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 moon will grow dark, And the stars will diminish their brightness. 16 The LORD also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; But the LORD will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel.

17 “So you shall know that I am the LORD your God, Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy, And no aliens shall ever pass through her again.””

We read this and often think, that's the God of the OT. Its all blood and battles. You ain’t seen nothing yet. And this is the beginning of the end we are in right now. And all this judgement, you know who's doing that?

Paul preached event to the elite of Athens in Acts 17:30–31 “ Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.””

This is the final act of human history, and we see it reflected in the scriptures that Jesus gave to us in. (cf. Isa 13:10; Ezek 32:7–8; Matt 24:29; Rev 8:12; 9:2).

Jesus came not to Judge but to save. To present a Gospel in the power of His salvation and ability to save. Calling us only to Believe. And in doing so, our judgement is on Him. Everything I did or will do, on me. But when these times come, things will be different.

The law still reminds and convicts of sin. And the further that people pervert it, rebel against it, and live in unbelief, the crazier this world gets, Matthew 24:12  “ And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.”

The valley. The valley we all travel toward. This is the the one that the last will take place in. That valley of jehosophat; means, “the valley where Yahweh judged”

Would you let Christ take your judgement now? Or will you risk the throne of judgment? Will you risk that you are as pure as jesus? that you have lived a holy, sinless life? That is the only decision you have for yourself.

Be assured. You will die. This world, will die. Both the system and the world itself. The sun will darken, the stars grow dimmer. Either in time, or in the end. We always think that good people will dodge all this judgement, that somehow, our goodness can deliver us.

The requirements are astounding, turn to Romans 3 with me.

Romans 3:21–22  “ But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;”

Now you pull this apart (and Paul's about to ‘splain) and its difficult. Because we often have the idea that salvation is transactional. You do good, God owes you. Think good thoughts, get even more heaven points. But Paul disjoins that idea in the next verses:

Romans 3:23  “ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

All means? How many of you are athletes? Whats the longest anyone here has long jumped. How many of you old enough to remember Evel Knieval jumping Snake River Canyon? Remember when his son jumped the Grand Canyon? Watch screens RobbiGrandCanyon.

No human being that has ever lived could’ve jumped that without a machine. you would die. Thats the same thing in achieving Gods glory by your own righteousness. You will fall short. What is required Paul explains:

Romans 3:24  “ being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” justification He says, is by His grace (what he did on the cross), completely wholly totally in Jesus. He Himself is our salvation.

Its through what Christ had done. Its not how you live, purity, legalism, sin, etc. Its about Jesus.

Romans 3:25–26  “whom God set forth as a propitiation (satisfactory sacrifice) by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

Thats where it comes to. I do this not to terrify or cause a reaction of fear. But to reveal that we are all lost. And Jesus calls us to come, wearied by the world and our sin, to live in and for Him. Altar Call.