Joel 2:28-31--"And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on menservants and on maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of YHVH."
"And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh" &ff. If there was ever a concept that caused such a debate among God's people, it is the idea of "The Day of YHVH." And we see here, in verse 28, that another word is thrown in to make us ponder even more. That word is "Afterward..." When Peter brings to the mind these words in Acts 2:17, he quotes the LXX and calls that time "the last days..." What period of time does "afterward" refer to? What are the "last days" Peter speaks of? Is it (A) some time in Joel's near future? Or (B) the time of Mashiach, when Peter spoke? Or could it be (C) the "end times," when God brings all the things we see to an end?
The short answer is...YES. There is a concept we must always remember when we are reading Scripture. And that is the continuity of the Scriptures. In other words, there are indeed some passages that were spoken to ONE person, or ONE group of people (or even the entire nation Israel) that were to be understood as a ONE-TIME promise or command. For example, when God told Elisha to command Naaman to swim in the Jordan to cure his leprosy--is that the common treatment for leprosy? No. That was a ONE-TIME deal. When God promised Job that He would restore everything he had lost double--and oh, how the Creflo Dollars of the world love to pervert THAT promise!!--that was a ONE-TIME promise to ONE man. Now, there are some Old Testament stories that we can use for encouragement, and we can use them as testimonies to the strength of the arm of God in aiding those who trust in Him. But not every promise is applicable today.
However, there are commands and warnings--and, yes, promises--in Scripture that are forever and always. Thou shalt not murder (Exodus 20:13). That is still for today. YHVH is my Shepherd (Exodus 23:1). Still for today. And one very easy way to tell if a promise or command or warning from the Old Testament is still in effect is if that promise/command/warning is repeated elsewhere in Scripture. "If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments." He said to Him, "Which ones?" Jesus said, "'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, '‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself'" (Matthew 19:17-19). Because Jesus quoted these commandments, it shows us that they are still in effect today. "I AM the Good Shepherd" (John 10:11). By Jesus calling Himself our "Shepherd," He is telling all people--Jew and Gentile alike--that He is indeed the Shepherd of Psalm 23, and will covet and protect and die for His sheep (side road--Did Jesus say He would lay down His life for goats and dogs? Who did He say He laid down His life for? "The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep"--John 10:11. Just in case anybody was wondering whether Jesus died for only His elect or for the whole world).
So when Peter stands up and declares that God would pour out His Spirit upon all flesh, with the accompanying signs, he was simply demonstrating that the promise of God, spoken by Joel, had not yet been completely fulfilled in Joel's day, or even by the time Christ came.
See, we humans get so caught up in this little breath of wind we call "time." We forget that, for us, life is but a vapor, which is here for a little while then vanishes away (James 4:14). But as far as God is concerned--well, if He tarries for a thousand years, what is it to HIM but a day (2nd Peter 3:8)? And do we really think that His word is limited by our concept of time? That, "Well, God hasn't done it yet; I guess it isn't going to happen"? Friend, God is not on OUR timetable--WE are on HIS! And if His will is that something is going to happen a lot later than we want it to, who are we to say otherwise? Does Paul not tell us that Jesus did not appear at a time designated by man, but that when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son (Galatians 4:4)? His word is eternal, it will never fade! Psalm 119:89--Forever, O YHVH, Your word is settled in Heaven! Isaiah 40:8--"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever." Matthew 5:18--"For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled."
So, because Peter is repeating this promise that was given some 800 years prior, he is really telling us that this "Day of YHVH" not only has been, but was being, and eventually will someday be. That the Old Testament picture is now to become a reality. That as God saved the people of Judah from the physical death that occurred because of the destroying locusts, He would also save His people from eternal destruction that awaits those condemned to Hell. That when the day comes when God gives all of mankind over to their basest desires, when He lifts His restraining hand that is holding back the evil hearts of men, that He will show wonders in heaven and earth. He will send His angels to pour out bowl after bowl of His divine wrath and justice upon those whole will deny Him, despise Him, blaspheme His name, and utterly reject Him and kill His saints (Revelation 16:1-21). So as we begin, let us keep one thing in mind: As with any Old Testament prophecy, not every single detail had a future fulfillment in mind. That said, let's look at the immediate impact of the word of YHVH spoken through Joel, and how it was repeated in the words of Peter.
Verse 30. "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood and fire and pillars of smoke." What had been taken away from the people? Their sacrifices. They had so hardened their hearts against God that He destroyed any hope of them being righteous in His eyes by way of bulls and goats. There was no fear of YHVH in Judah in those days. Therefore, there was no mercy for Judah in YHVH. But now, the people have repented, they have rent their hearts and not their garments (Joel 2:13). They have returned to YHVH. He has restored their crops, healed their land, and allowed them to resume their sacrifices. And, if we recall, what are three things that were a result of those animal sacrifices?
First, there was Blood... Lots of it. Think about it. Think about all the people bringing all their animals. Animals like bulls, oxen, goats. These are not small animals. And when you have a large animal--are you going to have more than a little blood? Now, multiply that times hundreds of thousands of people. At the very least. So many animals were slaughtered every day that the priests could never sit down. So the fact that God was returning to them the gift of bringing Him burnt offerings was to be a sign on earth that God had accepted their repentance as being true. But what about in Heaven? Well, they had confessed their sins. And what does John say will happen if we confess our sins (1st John 1:9)? When was the Lamb of God slain (Revelation 13:8)? So the blood of the bulls and goats would once again cover their sins (although it would not take those sins away, Hebrews 10:4) while the blood of Christ, shed before the foundation of the world, would take away the sins of those who would continue to believe and who abided in the word of God.
Fast forward about 800 years. The Christological fulfillment of this promise. The blood of Christ was shed. The Lamb of God had come to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Now, your garden variety Jehovah's Witness will tell you that Christ was nailed to an upright stake. They will say the cross was a pagan symbol, so Christ could not have died on a two-beamed cross. I guess someone forgot to tell them that Christ was crucified by pagans, and than even an upright stake would have been a pagan form of capital punishment.
...Anyway...
But here's why Jesus HAD TO die on a two-beamed cross: this was typified in the Old Testament on no less than 2 occasions. One was the first Passover. Long story short: where did the people have to smear the blood of their lamb? On the doorposts and.....what? The lintel. (See Exodus 12:7). The lintel was a crosspiece that went over top of the door. Hmmm.....an upright post and a crosspiece. Interesting. Second, where did God tell the High Priest to put the blood of the goat that was slain for YHVH? Leviticus 16:18--"And he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD, and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around." And do you remember, kids, how many corners were on the altar? Yes, four. And if you consider that Jesus had nails driven through His left hand (1), His right hand (2), His feet (3), and had the crown of thorns on His head (4), that makes four corners.....just like the altar.
Another element of the sacrifices was ...Fire... What did the priests do with the animals once they cut their jugular vein and drained all the blood? They cut it up and roasted it. Space does not permit me to list all the things they had to do (cut this off, throw this out, carry that outside and burn it and bury it, etc). But, as an example, the burnt offering in Leviticus 1:7-9--The sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar, and lay the wood in order on the fire. Then the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall lay the parts...on the fire upon the altar...And the priest shall burn all on the altar as a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to YHVH. So when the people once again saw fires being kindled on the altar of burnt offering, this was a sign on earth that God was pouring out His spirit upon the people, and He would once again allow them to worship Him with their sacrifices. And in Heaven, God would once again consider their burnt offerings to be a sweet aroma unto YHVH.
So what is the Christological implication? As with the blood, we look backward so we can look forward. What was Isaac's question to Abraham in Genesis 22:7-8? Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” This of course is another foreshadowing of Christ. We know the Lamb was Christ. The wood was the cross. But what was the fire? It was God's wrath, that He poured out upon His Son, who drank that cup full strength. Luke 22:41-42--And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” And as our Lord, the King of Glory, hung upon that cross, the wrath of God--that divine fire of God's holy justice--was poured out upon that Son, devouring our sins in a single burnt offering. As we sing,
'Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live
Mark 15:34--And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” What greater sign can be shown in Heaven, than Almighty God allowing His Son to endure the wrath of our Father? And should not those who claim to love God, also fear God? Hebrews 12:28-29--Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.
And, whenever you have fire, you have pillars of smoke. Almost 100 years later, Isaiah would see the King, YHVH Sabaoth. And how would he describe the throne room of Almighty God? Isaiah 6:4--And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. And, of course, whenever the high priest went into the Most Holy Place on Yom Kippur, as did Aaron that first time, YHVH would do what He promised to Moses: "I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat" (Leviticus 16:2).
But, eventually, that mercy seat would be done away with, and the eternal mercy seat would take its place. For, as the blood of the goat upon whom the lot of YHVH fell was sprinkled on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant (Leviticus 16:14), the blood of the Lamb of God was shed abroad upon the mercy seat of the cross. For it pleased God to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of [Christ's] cross (Colossians 1:20).
The mingling of blood and fire and smoke upon Golgotha also brought about some fulfillment of verse 31, where God says through the prophet, "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of YHVH." After all, what happened the moment Jesus gave up the ghost and died? Matthew 27:45--Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And, just to speculate a little bit, as far as the moon turning to blood (and, no, this ain't a hill I'm gonna die upon). Could this not have referred to a lunar eclipse? Considering that Passover was celebrated during the new moon, when the moon is obscured by the earth? For your consideration: what color does the moon appear to turn during a lunar eclipse? If you've never seen a lunar eclipse, the moon appears to turn a shade of dark red, even maroon. Now, the people in Jerusalem would not have seen the moon at that time, but certainly those who lived on the other side of the world would have, no? So, at the moment when Jesus died, the entire world would have been shrouded in darkness. The sun would not give its light, and the light the moon gives off as it reflects the light of the sun would be negated. Again, speculation.
So, not only did all these things come about--the blood, the fire, the smoke--at some point after this was written by Joel. They also happened during the time of Messiah. And they will happen again before the final Day of YHVH as well. For this same Peter, who stood and told the people at Pentecost that these things were coming to pass, warns us that the final day of YHVH will be preceded by these same elements. 2nd Peter 3:10--But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Even John tells us in Revelation 16:1-21 that the seas and the rivers and the springs would turn to blood, that the sun will be given the power to scorch men to death and dry up the Euphrates, and cause smoke to rise and cover so much of the earth.
Friend, the Day of YHVH is something that should be feared by anyone who does not know Christ. The things that will happen during those 7 most dreadful years when the wrath of God is poured out upon the earth will make the things we see happening now look tame by comparison. But for those of us who do know Almighty God, and Jesus Christ whom He sent, the Day of YHVH will be the fulfillment of our labor. What we have now, what we see only dimly, will be revealed in its fullness. When we see, face-to-face, the One who paid for our sins with His blood, and we fall at His feet as dead men, and we cry out how unworthy we are for Him to have suffered as he did for us. Then we will cry out in joy inexpressible, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain!"
Showing posts with label Day of the Lord. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Day of the Lord. Show all posts
30 June 2009
04 August 2008
Verse by verse through Joel (2:1-2:11)
Joel 1:1-11
1 Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the LORD is coming, for it is at hand: 2 A day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, the like of whom has never been; nor will there ever be any such after them, even for many successive generations. 3 A fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns; the land is like the Garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; surely nothing shall escape them. 4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; and like swift steeds, so they run. 5 With a noise like chariots over mountaintops they leap, like the noise of a flaming fire that devours the stubble, like a strong people set in battle array. 6 Before them the people writhe in pain; all faces are drained of color. 7 They run like mighty men, they climb the wall like men of war; every one marches in formation, and they do not break ranks. 8 They do not push one another; every one marches in his own column. Though they lunge between the weapons, they are not cut down. 9 They run to and fro in the city, they run on the wall; they climb into the houses, they enter at the windows like a thief. 10 The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble; the sun and moon grow dark, and the stars diminish their brightness. 11 The LORD gives voice before His army, for His camp is very great; for strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; who can endure it?
Joel 1:1-11 describes the devastation which the locusts bring. It is an UNSTOPPABLE CALAMITY. This is the judgment of YHVH. Next time you watch a war movie, I want you to notice something. You will see men throw grenades, you will see bombs going off. Tanks will deliver their payloads. Go back even to movies about wars in ancient times. The Romans and the Greeks. They used catapults, trebuchets, fireballs. But in combat, whether in ancient Israel or in the modernized warfare of our day, how are wars won and lost? Hand to hand. Man vs. man. Plane vs. plane. It matters not a whit. Wars are won and lost by individuals. Thus our lack of success in Korea and Vietnam. We had the weapons. We had all the big explosive things. but the VC and the North Koreans were trained, almost from birth, in hand-to-hand combat. They let us come to them, and they knew they had the advantage. It does not matter how large and how powerful a nation is, they can be defeated by a smaller, less technologically advanced people who are determined to prevail. Ask the USSR about their success in Afghanistan.
In our text, the kingdom of Judah has been enjoying economic prosperity. But they will be overrun and conquered by an army that does not have a shekel to its name. They have no weapons. They do not even have a home. They do not know where their next meal will come from, and they only go where the wind carries them. This kingdom with all of its wealth and power and military strength was about to be conquered—by a bunch of bugs. Bugs. Locusts. You could squash them under your feet. One or two or a dozen is no big thing. But this was not something that could be handled with a fly swatter. There was nothing the Orkin® Man could do about it. How are you going to fight against an army that forms companies that are miles wide? You don’t. You just hope they don’t do too much damage. This is the Day of the LORD.
Verse 2. A day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, the like of whom has never been; nor will there ever be any such after them, even for many successive generations. Water droplets are small. Real small, tiny. Can barely be seen. Get billions of them together, hang them in the sky and you have a cloud. Locusts are small. The largest are, maybe, 3 inches in length. Get billions of them together, with a good tailwind, and you have a swarm. But this was not just any swarm. In an average swarm there may be upwards of 120 million locusts—per square mile. And these swarms were many, many miles wide. You don’t need to be a genius to know that from this wording, this was no regular swarm. This would be large enough to cause thick darkness, like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. If you’ve ever been to the Smoky Mountains, you would understand how they got their name. Wake up in the morning, or go outside after a rainstorm, and you would see the hills covered with a dense fog—a fog that resembles smoke. If you stand in that fog, you can actually see it move around you. Now, imagine you are looking at this “fog,” but it is not made up of water droplets—it’s made up of bugs.
God tells the prophet to warn the people that this cloud, this thick darkness, like the dew or the fog of the morning, this cloud that would cover the kingdom of Judah—was just a symbol. It was only a taste of the greater destruction to come. These locusts represented A people come, great and strong, the like of whom has never been. And remember, this was not to be just one wave—there were to be four waves in total. Joel 1:4—That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten. Just as one wave of locusts after another will devastate the land, so will four successive waves of marauders—the likes of which have never been seen before. …nor will there ever be any such after them, even for many successive generations. Notice the wording here. He does not say that there will never be a swarm like this again. He says that there will not be another plague like this even for many successive generations. He doesn’t say there will never be a day like this again, as God promised Joshua (Joshua 10:13-14). There will be another invasion like this, but the saints won’t be here to see it. Revelation 9:1-4—1 Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. 3 Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. Thus will be the fate of those who live during the seven-year tribulation—those who are not sealed to God.
Verse 3. …the land is like the Garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; surely nothing shall escape them. Nothing. Nothing will be left when they are done. Think about the Garden of Eden. Everything was there. It was perfect, it was lush, it grew and grew, it supplied every need. But just as Adam’s sin caused the ground to be cursed, the rebellion of these people brought swift, certain, complete destruction upon their own heads and upon the crops which they loved and adored so much. The works of their hands were consumed by an enemy commanded by God (Joel 2:25). Thus will our works be consumed, destroyed if they are not done for the glory of God. We live in this world that at one time, for a very brief time at its inception, provided all we would ever need. All we would have needed to do was reach out and grasp it. But by one man’s sin, because of that sin, we now work and toil and till and mulch and mow and weed-eat and spray. We work, and commute, and climb the ladder, and seek and strive for material goods. And when we are done it won’t mean a thing. Ecclesiastes 5:13-16—13 There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun: riches kept for their owner to his hurt. 14 But those riches perish through misfortune; when he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand. 15 As he came from his mother’s womb, naked shall he return, to go as he came; and he shall take nothing from his labor which he may carry away in his hand. 16 And this also is a severe evil—just exactly as he came, so shall he go. And what profit has he who has labored for the wind? And how many people have never considered that? They work hard, they go without sleep, they spend years away from their family. They spend long hours after the sun has gone down, only to rise again a few hours later and do it all over again. For what? So they can spend one or two weeks a year with their family? Here’s an idea: let go of the need for material stuff—which isn't really a need, but rather a desire—leave your children a legacy that tells them they don’t need stuff. These people make it sound as though stuff is the Garden of Eden—but it will be destroyed one day. Riches kept to their owners hurt.
Verse 9. They run to and fro in the city, they run on the wall; they climb into the houses, they enter at the windows like a thief. How do bugs get into our houses? We caulk and we seal and we do all we think that we can to keep them out—yet they find a way in. why? Because that’s what bugs do. They find ways to get inside. If you have children, you will understand this sentiment. Put something out of a child’s reach. Tell them they can't have it. Tell them to not go near it. Then leave the room. How long do you think it will take that child to get at that thing that you have placed so far out of his reach he can't get at it? Why? Because that’s what children do. Ever think you were so sanctified and so strong that there is no possible way you could ever be overtaken by temptation? Don’t act like you haven’t. Do not act like you haven’t. Because you know that you have. If you did not give in, then praise Jesus! But there are many who have given in. they built all kinds of safeguards, put up all kinds of defenses, and barriers. And somehow, some way, sin managed to get in them and bring them down. Why? Because that’s what sin does.
The locusts were a picture of Judah’s enemies. The Chaldeans and the Babylonians and the Medes and the Greeks. But they are also a picture of our ultimate enemies—Satan, sin, the flesh. Just as these locusts run to and from in the streets, Satan is “going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” (Job 1:7). He is just as free to cause chaos and confusion as God allows him to be. Forget what you have heard about Satan being in charge of Hell—he ain't. He isn't even IN Hell right now. He is still walking the face of the earth. And he will be really active during the Tribulation. 2nd Thessalonians 2:9-10—9 The coming of the lawless one—THE Antichrist—the coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. If Satan is confined to Hell, how can he deceive the whole world (Revelation 12:9)? Why does it say that he will be bound in a bottomless pit for a thousand years (Revelation 20:1-2) if he's already in Hell?
But that’s what Satan wants us to believe. He wants us to think that there is nothing he can do, that he is powerless, that he is just some cartoon character with a pointy tail and horns. Because if he can get people to think he is just a figment of man’s imagination, he can make himself our friend. And be careful when Satan tries to be your friend. Matthew 16:21-23 (KJV)—21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, “Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.” 23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, “Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” Be careful when men who preach and teach heresies want to partner with your church to “do good things.” When the local Mormon gathering or some unbelieving group wants to partner with you for “the common good.” Or when certain liberal political figures want to come and speak at your church. 2nd Corinthians 11:13-15—13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. Satan is not our friend, and we are to have no partnership with him (2nd Corinthians 6:14-16).
Finally, verse 11. The LORD gives voice before His army, for His camp is very great; for strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; who can endure it? How mighty are our enemies! How strong is the one who opposes the saints of God. But keep one thing in mind: they are all restrained by the hand of God. They can rattle their sabers and make all the noise they want. Butt they can do nothing unless God allows it. Have we ever really considered that? That these mighty beings—one of which can destroy 185,000 armed soldiers—all of these are restrained by, controlled by, and beholden to, God? That with a word, God could destroy them all? That with a snap of His fingers, He can send them all to the flaming abyss? This gives such a great illustration of that song we sing—
What a mighty God we serve!
Angels bow before Him!
Heaven and earth adore Him!
What a mighty God we serve!
Ah, but friend! There is a flipside to that restraining power of God. That grace that reserves our enemy in chains, that knowledge that, as Luther once said, “Even the Devil is God’s Devil.” Restrained as he may be, he is still somewhat free. Free as he may be, he is still at God’s command. It is true that when God tells him “Stop” he must stop. But consider this also—when God tells him “Go,” he must go. There are times when Satan wants to do something, attack us, try and make us fall. We know that God holds him back many times. But do we also consider that God tells him “Do it” other times? Do we ever consider that there are times when God tells a demon to come against is people? We don’t like to think about that. That doesn’t fit into our thinking. That God would command a demon to attack us. But He does.
In Jeremiah 22, we see that the wickedness of (Je)Coniah was so great that God sent the Chaldeans to take the nation Israel captive. 24 “As I live,” says the LORD, “though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet on My right hand, yet I would pluck you off; 25 and I will give you into the hand of those who seek your life, and into the hand of those whose face you fear—the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the hand of the Chaldeans. 26 So I will cast you out, and your mother who bore you, into another country where you were not born; and there you shall die (Jeremiah 22:24-26). In another place, Jeremiah testifies of the fate of Jerusalem. 26 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying, 27 “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me? 28 Therefore thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it. 29 And the Chaldeans who fight against this city shall come and set fire to this city and burn it, with the houses on whose roofs they have offered incense to Baal and poured out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke Me to anger; 30 because the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done only evil before Me from their youth (Jeremiah 32:26-30). God, on more than one occasion, gave His people Israel into the hands of their abominable, heathen enemies. What makes us think He won’t allow a similar fate to befall us.
And do we not have the witness of Scripture that this will even happen to those who belong to Christ? What did Jesus tell Simon Peter in the Upper Room the night before He was led to His death? 31 And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren” (Luke 22:31-32). Satan wanted Simon, and Jesus let Satan have him. The kingdom of Judah had gone after other gods—which are no gods (1st Corinthians 8:4-5). So in order to show them just who is in charge, He sends this army, this mighty army, this very great camp, which executes His word and His command, to show the people, to remind the people that the Baals they had turned to were useless, worthless, mute, deaf, etc etc. When we turn to idols, when we worship the things of earth, when we worship the creature rather then the Creator (Romans 1:25), when we turn our back on God, the Author and Sustainer and Finisher of all things, don’t think for one moment that He won’t somehow assert Himself in our lives, and command a demon to come against us. Remember, if God is with us, who can be against us? But also, if God is against us, who will be for us? That is a sword that cuts both ways.
And when God has His say, when He declares the day when His anger turns to action, He will command that Satan to come against us, to sift us as wheat, to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh (1st Corinthians 5:5). When God decides to let Satan loose, and removes His restraining hand, then the Day of the LORD will be upon us. Who can endure it? Who can stop it? Only repentance and confessing ourselves unworthy of His grace will cause Him to repent from allowing the evil to continue upon us. We are powerless to stop it, for it is an UNSTOPPABLE CALAMITY.
1 Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the LORD is coming, for it is at hand: 2 A day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, the like of whom has never been; nor will there ever be any such after them, even for many successive generations. 3 A fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns; the land is like the Garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; surely nothing shall escape them. 4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; and like swift steeds, so they run. 5 With a noise like chariots over mountaintops they leap, like the noise of a flaming fire that devours the stubble, like a strong people set in battle array. 6 Before them the people writhe in pain; all faces are drained of color. 7 They run like mighty men, they climb the wall like men of war; every one marches in formation, and they do not break ranks. 8 They do not push one another; every one marches in his own column. Though they lunge between the weapons, they are not cut down. 9 They run to and fro in the city, they run on the wall; they climb into the houses, they enter at the windows like a thief. 10 The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble; the sun and moon grow dark, and the stars diminish their brightness. 11 The LORD gives voice before His army, for His camp is very great; for strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; who can endure it?
Joel 1:1-11 describes the devastation which the locusts bring. It is an UNSTOPPABLE CALAMITY. This is the judgment of YHVH. Next time you watch a war movie, I want you to notice something. You will see men throw grenades, you will see bombs going off. Tanks will deliver their payloads. Go back even to movies about wars in ancient times. The Romans and the Greeks. They used catapults, trebuchets, fireballs. But in combat, whether in ancient Israel or in the modernized warfare of our day, how are wars won and lost? Hand to hand. Man vs. man. Plane vs. plane. It matters not a whit. Wars are won and lost by individuals. Thus our lack of success in Korea and Vietnam. We had the weapons. We had all the big explosive things. but the VC and the North Koreans were trained, almost from birth, in hand-to-hand combat. They let us come to them, and they knew they had the advantage. It does not matter how large and how powerful a nation is, they can be defeated by a smaller, less technologically advanced people who are determined to prevail. Ask the USSR about their success in Afghanistan.
In our text, the kingdom of Judah has been enjoying economic prosperity. But they will be overrun and conquered by an army that does not have a shekel to its name. They have no weapons. They do not even have a home. They do not know where their next meal will come from, and they only go where the wind carries them. This kingdom with all of its wealth and power and military strength was about to be conquered—by a bunch of bugs. Bugs. Locusts. You could squash them under your feet. One or two or a dozen is no big thing. But this was not something that could be handled with a fly swatter. There was nothing the Orkin® Man could do about it. How are you going to fight against an army that forms companies that are miles wide? You don’t. You just hope they don’t do too much damage. This is the Day of the LORD.
Verse 2. A day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, the like of whom has never been; nor will there ever be any such after them, even for many successive generations. Water droplets are small. Real small, tiny. Can barely be seen. Get billions of them together, hang them in the sky and you have a cloud. Locusts are small. The largest are, maybe, 3 inches in length. Get billions of them together, with a good tailwind, and you have a swarm. But this was not just any swarm. In an average swarm there may be upwards of 120 million locusts—per square mile. And these swarms were many, many miles wide. You don’t need to be a genius to know that from this wording, this was no regular swarm. This would be large enough to cause thick darkness, like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. If you’ve ever been to the Smoky Mountains, you would understand how they got their name. Wake up in the morning, or go outside after a rainstorm, and you would see the hills covered with a dense fog—a fog that resembles smoke. If you stand in that fog, you can actually see it move around you. Now, imagine you are looking at this “fog,” but it is not made up of water droplets—it’s made up of bugs.
God tells the prophet to warn the people that this cloud, this thick darkness, like the dew or the fog of the morning, this cloud that would cover the kingdom of Judah—was just a symbol. It was only a taste of the greater destruction to come. These locusts represented A people come, great and strong, the like of whom has never been. And remember, this was not to be just one wave—there were to be four waves in total. Joel 1:4—That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten. Just as one wave of locusts after another will devastate the land, so will four successive waves of marauders—the likes of which have never been seen before. …nor will there ever be any such after them, even for many successive generations. Notice the wording here. He does not say that there will never be a swarm like this again. He says that there will not be another plague like this even for many successive generations. He doesn’t say there will never be a day like this again, as God promised Joshua (Joshua 10:13-14). There will be another invasion like this, but the saints won’t be here to see it. Revelation 9:1-4—1 Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. 3 Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. Thus will be the fate of those who live during the seven-year tribulation—those who are not sealed to God.
Verse 3. …the land is like the Garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; surely nothing shall escape them. Nothing. Nothing will be left when they are done. Think about the Garden of Eden. Everything was there. It was perfect, it was lush, it grew and grew, it supplied every need. But just as Adam’s sin caused the ground to be cursed, the rebellion of these people brought swift, certain, complete destruction upon their own heads and upon the crops which they loved and adored so much. The works of their hands were consumed by an enemy commanded by God (Joel 2:25). Thus will our works be consumed, destroyed if they are not done for the glory of God. We live in this world that at one time, for a very brief time at its inception, provided all we would ever need. All we would have needed to do was reach out and grasp it. But by one man’s sin, because of that sin, we now work and toil and till and mulch and mow and weed-eat and spray. We work, and commute, and climb the ladder, and seek and strive for material goods. And when we are done it won’t mean a thing. Ecclesiastes 5:13-16—13 There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun: riches kept for their owner to his hurt. 14 But those riches perish through misfortune; when he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand. 15 As he came from his mother’s womb, naked shall he return, to go as he came; and he shall take nothing from his labor which he may carry away in his hand. 16 And this also is a severe evil—just exactly as he came, so shall he go. And what profit has he who has labored for the wind? And how many people have never considered that? They work hard, they go without sleep, they spend years away from their family. They spend long hours after the sun has gone down, only to rise again a few hours later and do it all over again. For what? So they can spend one or two weeks a year with their family? Here’s an idea: let go of the need for material stuff—which isn't really a need, but rather a desire—leave your children a legacy that tells them they don’t need stuff. These people make it sound as though stuff is the Garden of Eden—but it will be destroyed one day. Riches kept to their owners hurt.
Verse 9. They run to and fro in the city, they run on the wall; they climb into the houses, they enter at the windows like a thief. How do bugs get into our houses? We caulk and we seal and we do all we think that we can to keep them out—yet they find a way in. why? Because that’s what bugs do. They find ways to get inside. If you have children, you will understand this sentiment. Put something out of a child’s reach. Tell them they can't have it. Tell them to not go near it. Then leave the room. How long do you think it will take that child to get at that thing that you have placed so far out of his reach he can't get at it? Why? Because that’s what children do. Ever think you were so sanctified and so strong that there is no possible way you could ever be overtaken by temptation? Don’t act like you haven’t. Do not act like you haven’t. Because you know that you have. If you did not give in, then praise Jesus! But there are many who have given in. they built all kinds of safeguards, put up all kinds of defenses, and barriers. And somehow, some way, sin managed to get in them and bring them down. Why? Because that’s what sin does.
The locusts were a picture of Judah’s enemies. The Chaldeans and the Babylonians and the Medes and the Greeks. But they are also a picture of our ultimate enemies—Satan, sin, the flesh. Just as these locusts run to and from in the streets, Satan is “going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” (Job 1:7). He is just as free to cause chaos and confusion as God allows him to be. Forget what you have heard about Satan being in charge of Hell—he ain't. He isn't even IN Hell right now. He is still walking the face of the earth. And he will be really active during the Tribulation. 2nd Thessalonians 2:9-10—9 The coming of the lawless one—THE Antichrist—the coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. If Satan is confined to Hell, how can he deceive the whole world (Revelation 12:9)? Why does it say that he will be bound in a bottomless pit for a thousand years (Revelation 20:1-2) if he's already in Hell?
But that’s what Satan wants us to believe. He wants us to think that there is nothing he can do, that he is powerless, that he is just some cartoon character with a pointy tail and horns. Because if he can get people to think he is just a figment of man’s imagination, he can make himself our friend. And be careful when Satan tries to be your friend. Matthew 16:21-23 (KJV)—21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, “Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.” 23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, “Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” Be careful when men who preach and teach heresies want to partner with your church to “do good things.” When the local Mormon gathering or some unbelieving group wants to partner with you for “the common good.” Or when certain liberal political figures want to come and speak at your church. 2nd Corinthians 11:13-15—13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. Satan is not our friend, and we are to have no partnership with him (2nd Corinthians 6:14-16).
Finally, verse 11. The LORD gives voice before His army, for His camp is very great; for strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; who can endure it? How mighty are our enemies! How strong is the one who opposes the saints of God. But keep one thing in mind: they are all restrained by the hand of God. They can rattle their sabers and make all the noise they want. Butt they can do nothing unless God allows it. Have we ever really considered that? That these mighty beings—one of which can destroy 185,000 armed soldiers—all of these are restrained by, controlled by, and beholden to, God? That with a word, God could destroy them all? That with a snap of His fingers, He can send them all to the flaming abyss? This gives such a great illustration of that song we sing—
What a mighty God we serve!
Angels bow before Him!
Heaven and earth adore Him!
What a mighty God we serve!
Ah, but friend! There is a flipside to that restraining power of God. That grace that reserves our enemy in chains, that knowledge that, as Luther once said, “Even the Devil is God’s Devil.” Restrained as he may be, he is still somewhat free. Free as he may be, he is still at God’s command. It is true that when God tells him “Stop” he must stop. But consider this also—when God tells him “Go,” he must go. There are times when Satan wants to do something, attack us, try and make us fall. We know that God holds him back many times. But do we also consider that God tells him “Do it” other times? Do we ever consider that there are times when God tells a demon to come against is people? We don’t like to think about that. That doesn’t fit into our thinking. That God would command a demon to attack us. But He does.
In Jeremiah 22, we see that the wickedness of (Je)Coniah was so great that God sent the Chaldeans to take the nation Israel captive. 24 “As I live,” says the LORD, “though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet on My right hand, yet I would pluck you off; 25 and I will give you into the hand of those who seek your life, and into the hand of those whose face you fear—the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the hand of the Chaldeans. 26 So I will cast you out, and your mother who bore you, into another country where you were not born; and there you shall die (Jeremiah 22:24-26). In another place, Jeremiah testifies of the fate of Jerusalem. 26 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying, 27 “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me? 28 Therefore thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it. 29 And the Chaldeans who fight against this city shall come and set fire to this city and burn it, with the houses on whose roofs they have offered incense to Baal and poured out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke Me to anger; 30 because the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done only evil before Me from their youth (Jeremiah 32:26-30). God, on more than one occasion, gave His people Israel into the hands of their abominable, heathen enemies. What makes us think He won’t allow a similar fate to befall us.
And do we not have the witness of Scripture that this will even happen to those who belong to Christ? What did Jesus tell Simon Peter in the Upper Room the night before He was led to His death? 31 And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren” (Luke 22:31-32). Satan wanted Simon, and Jesus let Satan have him. The kingdom of Judah had gone after other gods—which are no gods (1st Corinthians 8:4-5). So in order to show them just who is in charge, He sends this army, this mighty army, this very great camp, which executes His word and His command, to show the people, to remind the people that the Baals they had turned to were useless, worthless, mute, deaf, etc etc. When we turn to idols, when we worship the things of earth, when we worship the creature rather then the Creator (Romans 1:25), when we turn our back on God, the Author and Sustainer and Finisher of all things, don’t think for one moment that He won’t somehow assert Himself in our lives, and command a demon to come against us. Remember, if God is with us, who can be against us? But also, if God is against us, who will be for us? That is a sword that cuts both ways.
And when God has His say, when He declares the day when His anger turns to action, He will command that Satan to come against us, to sift us as wheat, to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh (1st Corinthians 5:5). When God decides to let Satan loose, and removes His restraining hand, then the Day of the LORD will be upon us. Who can endure it? Who can stop it? Only repentance and confessing ourselves unworthy of His grace will cause Him to repent from allowing the evil to continue upon us. We are powerless to stop it, for it is an UNSTOPPABLE CALAMITY.
21 July 2008
Verse by verse through Joel (2:1-2:2)
Joel 2:1-2
1 Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the LORD is coming, for it is at hand: 2 A day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, like the morning clouds spread over the mountains.
The Day of the LORD. An UNSTOPPABLE CALAMITY. The people have been commanded to gather together, to grovel, to beg for mercy. For the day of the LORD is coming, for it is at hand. It is here. It has been impending, it has been on the horizon. And because the people of Judah went after other gods—which are no gods—and because of this, God Almighty is preparing to punish His people, and lay waste to His land, His vine, His field to make it known who is really in control of all things.
We saw last week that sometimes there are immediate implications to the phrase Day of the LORD. And sometimes the implications are for the future. Let’s work backwards, from the final Day of the LORD to what our prophet is speaking of here. At the end of all things, God will pour out His wrath on an unbelieving world over a period of seven years which will be filled with unimaginable misery. The apostle John was instructed by the Holy Spirit to write down what he saw. But I dare say the picture painted by the apostle whom Jesus loved does not give us half of what it will look like. At the end of these things, Christ will reign for a thousand years while Satan is bound in a bottomless pit. After one final satanic rebellion is crushed by our Lord, then will come the final judgments.
They will come on the final Day of the LORD. The day when all sin and corruption is destroyed, and death and Hades are cast into the lake of fire along with all those who rebelled against our glorious God. Amen. Those who wrote the New Testament used the Greek word παρουσια (parousia). It is spoken of many times throughout the New Testament. It will be a day of joy. 2nd Timothy 4:8—Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. It is called the “Day of Christ,” or “of Jesus Christ,” or “of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:10, Philippians 1:6, 2nd Corinthians 1:14, respectively). It is called the “day of wrath.” Romans 2:5—But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. The “day of God” (2nd Peter 3:12). The “day of judgment” (Matthew 10:15; 2nd Peter 3:7). It is also called the “great day” (Jude 1:6; Revelation 6:17). All these descriptors of one day—one day—that will last who knows how long.
In that day those who never knew Christ will be judged worthy of damnation, and will be cast into outer darkness. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 8:12, 13:42, 13:50, 22:13, 24:51, 25:30. Matthew recorded this phrase of our Lord—the gnashing of teeth—more than any other gospel writer. The only other place we see it is in Luke 13:28. Now, for those who think that God is not a wrathful God. That He is not a vengeful God. That He is not a God who would send anyone to an eternally fiery torment and suffering—stop using a Sharpie® as a highlighter. Line after line, verse after verse, discourse after discourse. We find all throughout the writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter, Jude, James—we find all throughout these pages that there is coming a day—a lot closer than most people know—when God will judge the secret things of man by Jesus Christ (Romans 2:16).
Well, by this point you may be asking the same question as the Philippian jailer. “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30). I would tell you the same thing Paul and Silas told him: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31). For the day of our Lord Jesus Christ is not only a day of wrath and sorrow and torment. It is also a day when the faithful are rewarded for their good deeds. For their faith which spurred on their good works. Those works which they did for the glory of God, and not for their own glory. 1st Corinthians 3:12-13—12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If our work survives, our reward will increase. If our works were done so the world could see us, and declare what a “good person” we were—then that work will be burned, and we will suffer loss—but he himself will be saved through that fire (1st Corinthians 3:15). The Day of the LORD—that final day when all things are judged by Christ Jesus—will be about the glory of God and His Christ.
Malachi mentioned a Day of the LORD. Malachi 4:1-6—1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,” says the LORD of hosts, “That will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves. 3 You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this,” says the LORD of hosts. 4 “Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. 5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. 6 And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” Now, if we’re not careful, we could very easily read this to mean that Malachi is speaking of that final Day of Judgment. We would be wrong. He is not speaking of that final Day. This prophet is speaking of the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ—Yehoshua Ha’Mashiach.
Consider the language Malachi uses. “And the day which is coming shall burn them up,” says the LORD of hosts, “That will leave them neither root nor branch.” What warning—about a tree—did John the Baptist give the Pharisees who came out to see him? “And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.” (Matthew 3:10). He also gave them a warning about fire. “Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire…His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:10, 12). And what is significant about John Baptist’s ministry? Was he not the second Elijah? 11 Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. 12 But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist (Matthew 17:10-13). This Elijah—John Baptist—was sent before the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But the advent of our Lord into this world was a joyous event, no? Why then does Malachi use such unattractive language in describing this day? Dreadful? That Day is “burning like an oven?” The wicked being “trampled” under our feet “like ashes?” This doesn’t sound like a happy occasion at all. This sounds awful. Or does it? Word association time. In one word, describe the attitudes of the Pharisees. Did you say “proud?” If you did, congratulations. Look at Malachi 4:1. [A]ll the proud…will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up… Their little kingdom. Their happy fiefdom they had established based on the doctrines of men was about to come to a screeching halt. It would be done away with, abolished, in that day. Remember the story of the woman caught in adultery, in John 8? When Jesus stoops down and writes in the and with His finger? Do you remember another famous incident where a finger wrote upon a wall? What did it write? MENE. MENE. TEKEL. UPHARSIN. “You have been weighed in the balance. Your kingdom is taken from you and has been given to Gentiles.” I’m not going to take a bullet for it, but I believe that’s what Jesus wrote in the sand that day. That the day had come of which Malachi wrote. Their kingdom was about to be taken away. For these, this day was dreadful.
But for those who fear the LORD, it would be a glorious day. They would shout “Hosanna!” in the streets. The sick and the lepers and the blind would come to Him, be brought to Him, seek Him out in the streets and from the top of sycamore trees. This was a great day! YHVH had come into their midst, as was prophesied by Isaiah (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6). He would bear their scars, their stripes, their sins upon His body on the tree (Galatians 3:13; 1st Peter 2:24). For He did not come to heal those who did not need healing. He came to seek and save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). He came to save sinners, of whom I am chief (1st Timothy 1:15). He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Matthew 9:12-13). But in order to save the lost, He had to be delivered into man’s hands, to suffer and die and rise again the third day (Mark 9:31). Thus, not only was the coming of our Lord a great day, it was indeed dreadful. For the Son of God must suffer for the sins of men.
Then there are various other times the prophets spoke of a Day of the LORD. For example, there are times when the Day of the LORD is a day when He destroys Israel’s enemies. Isaiah, writing some 100 years after Joel, warned that the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty…the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. (Isaiah 13:6, 9). In this instance, the words were addressed to the Babylonians. How close does something have to be for God to consider it being “at hand?” Jesus told us He would return “soon.” That was 2000 years ago. But God does not measure time the same way we do. That is to say, when He says something is “near”—everything is “near” to God, because time does not affect Him. He is not slack as men count slackness (2nd Peter 3:9). This destruction of the Babylonians was some 250 years in the future from the time Isaiah wrote this. Yet God considered it to be “at hand.” It was certain. It was going to happen. And it did. In 331 BC, Alexander the Great conquered King Darius III, and the Babylonian Empire was no more. Alexander was, no doubt, filled with a sense that he himself had conquered these people. What he was not aware of was that God used him to bring destruction upon the enemies of His people.
And in the writing of Joel, we see that God will sometimes visit destruction upon His own people. And when that happens, it is never a good thing. …the day of the LORD is coming, for it is at hand: a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. It is never a good thing when god has to discipline His children, especially in the public eye, in full view of the whole world. Do not be mistaken. God will punish His children as severely as is necessary, and if must needs be, very publicly. There are many who like to mock Calvinism, saying that it somehow promotes unbridled liberty. That it encourages people to say, “Hey, I’m saved! And I can't lose my salvation! I can do anything I want and never get punished for it!” That is NOT Calvinism. That is a system of belief called antinomianism. And it is a shameful display of arrogance and licentiousness. Because it is unbiblical. In Galatians 5:13 (ESV), the apostle Paul warns us, do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. In other words, just because you are saved, do not think you can use your freedom in Christ to live in an utterly ungodly manner. If you are, in fact, saved at all. I dare say, if this is how someone is thinking and acting, then their salvation can rightly be questioned. In fact, in another place, we are commanded to walk worthy of your calling with which you were called (Ephesians 4:1).
There comes a point when God will take His hand of protection off of His children, and allow the enemy to have his way with them. In fact, we as the church are to deliver that person to the enemy. 1st Corinthians 5:1-5—1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife! 2 And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you…4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Sometimes we have to put people out of the church, and let them go as far into their sins as they can go. One of two things will happen. Either they will find they enjoy their sins more than they do the Lord Jesus and the fellowship of believers. Or they will come to the point of utter disgust with themselves and repent and return to the Lord, once and for all forsaking their sins. This was what God was doing with Judah here.
This nation of Judah had enjoyed the fellowship of Almighty YHVH. They had worshipped Him in joy and gladness; they had been blessed with all kinds of blessings, both physical and spiritual. The early years of the reign of King Joash had been filled with economic and spiritual abundance. But then Jehoiada the high priest died. And Joash fell deeper and deeper into rebellion against God, and had embraced the Baals. The land still provided abundantly. But that was all about to change. See, God will give us time to repent of our sins and return to Him. But there will come a time when He will say, “Enough!” And He will remove our blessings from us. He will send chewing locusts, and swarming locusts, and crawling locusts and consuming locusts. He will command them to take away everything we think we can depend on until we have nothing to depend on but God.
And isn't that the point? Who do we have but God? No one! No one! Psalm 16:5—O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. Heaven and earth belong to the LORD. He does with them what He will. He gives, He takes away. He commands the rain to fall; He commands the rain to cease. He commands the trees to bloom; He commands the trees to wither. And when His children go astray, He will put them into situations where they have no choice but to cry out to Him. Psalm 73:25-28—25 Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. 26 My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 27 For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish; You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry. 28 But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all Your works. And of course there is that well-known passage in James. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:8).
The locusts have come. They have devoured. They have laid waste to the field and the tree and the vine. They had no one in Heaven but God. And it is as if even He has forsaken them. You are never truly alone as long as you have God within you. But when you leave Him, then you are truly alone. Amen? You may be surrounded by people. You may have all kinds of friends and family. But when disaster strikes, and you are far away from those people, and you have no one to turn to but God—friend, if you have turned your back on Him, and He has withdrawn His hand from you, you are…alone. The wolves are surrounding you, the lions are baring their teeth, and the Shepherd is nowhere to be found. Because you didn’t want anything to do with Him. And because you have forsaken Him, He has delivered you to the enemy to destroy your flesh, so your spirit may be saved—when? in the day of the Lord Jesus (1st Corinthians 5:5). The Day of the LORD.
What will you say to Him then? What will He say to you? When you stand before Him, sooner than you had anticipated, because He had to take you out of the world so you would not cause Him further embarrassment. So you would not store up for yourself more wrath for the day of judgment. As did these people of Judah. Who sank so far in their paganism and idolatry that God had to send a heathen nation—one of the most blatantly pagan, most evil nations to ever sweep across the land—He had to send this nation to ensnare His own people. What makes us think we are any different? We sit so comfortably in our little pews, going about our little lives, we look nothing at all to the world like we do to those who sit in the pews around us. Thinking that because we are sitting in a church that we are somehow protected from Satan. Friend, Satan can make himself at home just as comfortably in a “church” as he can in a local strip joint. These movies where someone is hiding from a demon and they seek refuge in a church, because that demon can't enter. Don’t believe it. Do not believe it. Satan is busy preaching every Sunday. He’s singing in your choir. He’s teaching you or your children in Sunday School. What did Paul tell us about the Antichrist? He will sit in the temple of God, as God! 2nd Thessalonians 2:4.
The Day of the LORD, when it comes upon the people of God, is a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. It is the anger of God visited upon His people. It is a day like a funeral. Heaven weeps because His people have brought shame upon His name. And He must deal with it in the only way He can—He must send strong chastisement, as a father chastens a son he loves (Hebrews 12:5-6). It sits heavy upon the people. Their hearts are heavy, because they now understand that their own lusts and desires have brought this upon them. They wonder how this could have happened, how it could have gotten this far. Why they ever let someone talk them into rebelling against God. It covers the people, it saturates them, it clings to them, and they cannot get rid of it. They must endure it, it must be thus. The generation that sinned against God had to wander the desert for 40 years. If things have gotten to the point that one is in flat-out rebellion against God, and they will not be convinced by the brethren, then they will experience their own Day of the LORD—an UNSTOPPABLE CALAMITY.
1 Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the LORD is coming, for it is at hand: 2 A day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, like the morning clouds spread over the mountains.
The Day of the LORD. An UNSTOPPABLE CALAMITY. The people have been commanded to gather together, to grovel, to beg for mercy. For the day of the LORD is coming, for it is at hand. It is here. It has been impending, it has been on the horizon. And because the people of Judah went after other gods—which are no gods—and because of this, God Almighty is preparing to punish His people, and lay waste to His land, His vine, His field to make it known who is really in control of all things.
We saw last week that sometimes there are immediate implications to the phrase Day of the LORD. And sometimes the implications are for the future. Let’s work backwards, from the final Day of the LORD to what our prophet is speaking of here. At the end of all things, God will pour out His wrath on an unbelieving world over a period of seven years which will be filled with unimaginable misery. The apostle John was instructed by the Holy Spirit to write down what he saw. But I dare say the picture painted by the apostle whom Jesus loved does not give us half of what it will look like. At the end of these things, Christ will reign for a thousand years while Satan is bound in a bottomless pit. After one final satanic rebellion is crushed by our Lord, then will come the final judgments.
They will come on the final Day of the LORD. The day when all sin and corruption is destroyed, and death and Hades are cast into the lake of fire along with all those who rebelled against our glorious God. Amen. Those who wrote the New Testament used the Greek word παρουσια (parousia). It is spoken of many times throughout the New Testament. It will be a day of joy. 2nd Timothy 4:8—Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. It is called the “Day of Christ,” or “of Jesus Christ,” or “of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:10, Philippians 1:6, 2nd Corinthians 1:14, respectively). It is called the “day of wrath.” Romans 2:5—But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. The “day of God” (2nd Peter 3:12). The “day of judgment” (Matthew 10:15; 2nd Peter 3:7). It is also called the “great day” (Jude 1:6; Revelation 6:17). All these descriptors of one day—one day—that will last who knows how long.
In that day those who never knew Christ will be judged worthy of damnation, and will be cast into outer darkness. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 8:12, 13:42, 13:50, 22:13, 24:51, 25:30. Matthew recorded this phrase of our Lord—the gnashing of teeth—more than any other gospel writer. The only other place we see it is in Luke 13:28. Now, for those who think that God is not a wrathful God. That He is not a vengeful God. That He is not a God who would send anyone to an eternally fiery torment and suffering—stop using a Sharpie® as a highlighter. Line after line, verse after verse, discourse after discourse. We find all throughout the writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter, Jude, James—we find all throughout these pages that there is coming a day—a lot closer than most people know—when God will judge the secret things of man by Jesus Christ (Romans 2:16).
Well, by this point you may be asking the same question as the Philippian jailer. “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30). I would tell you the same thing Paul and Silas told him: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31). For the day of our Lord Jesus Christ is not only a day of wrath and sorrow and torment. It is also a day when the faithful are rewarded for their good deeds. For their faith which spurred on their good works. Those works which they did for the glory of God, and not for their own glory. 1st Corinthians 3:12-13—12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If our work survives, our reward will increase. If our works were done so the world could see us, and declare what a “good person” we were—then that work will be burned, and we will suffer loss—but he himself will be saved through that fire (1st Corinthians 3:15). The Day of the LORD—that final day when all things are judged by Christ Jesus—will be about the glory of God and His Christ.
Malachi mentioned a Day of the LORD. Malachi 4:1-6—1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,” says the LORD of hosts, “That will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves. 3 You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this,” says the LORD of hosts. 4 “Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. 5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. 6 And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” Now, if we’re not careful, we could very easily read this to mean that Malachi is speaking of that final Day of Judgment. We would be wrong. He is not speaking of that final Day. This prophet is speaking of the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ—Yehoshua Ha’Mashiach.
Consider the language Malachi uses. “And the day which is coming shall burn them up,” says the LORD of hosts, “That will leave them neither root nor branch.” What warning—about a tree—did John the Baptist give the Pharisees who came out to see him? “And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.” (Matthew 3:10). He also gave them a warning about fire. “Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire…His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:10, 12). And what is significant about John Baptist’s ministry? Was he not the second Elijah? 11 Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. 12 But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist (Matthew 17:10-13). This Elijah—John Baptist—was sent before the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But the advent of our Lord into this world was a joyous event, no? Why then does Malachi use such unattractive language in describing this day? Dreadful? That Day is “burning like an oven?” The wicked being “trampled” under our feet “like ashes?” This doesn’t sound like a happy occasion at all. This sounds awful. Or does it? Word association time. In one word, describe the attitudes of the Pharisees. Did you say “proud?” If you did, congratulations. Look at Malachi 4:1. [A]ll the proud…will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up… Their little kingdom. Their happy fiefdom they had established based on the doctrines of men was about to come to a screeching halt. It would be done away with, abolished, in that day. Remember the story of the woman caught in adultery, in John 8? When Jesus stoops down and writes in the and with His finger? Do you remember another famous incident where a finger wrote upon a wall? What did it write? MENE. MENE. TEKEL. UPHARSIN. “You have been weighed in the balance. Your kingdom is taken from you and has been given to Gentiles.” I’m not going to take a bullet for it, but I believe that’s what Jesus wrote in the sand that day. That the day had come of which Malachi wrote. Their kingdom was about to be taken away. For these, this day was dreadful.
But for those who fear the LORD, it would be a glorious day. They would shout “Hosanna!” in the streets. The sick and the lepers and the blind would come to Him, be brought to Him, seek Him out in the streets and from the top of sycamore trees. This was a great day! YHVH had come into their midst, as was prophesied by Isaiah (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6). He would bear their scars, their stripes, their sins upon His body on the tree (Galatians 3:13; 1st Peter 2:24). For He did not come to heal those who did not need healing. He came to seek and save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). He came to save sinners, of whom I am chief (1st Timothy 1:15). He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Matthew 9:12-13). But in order to save the lost, He had to be delivered into man’s hands, to suffer and die and rise again the third day (Mark 9:31). Thus, not only was the coming of our Lord a great day, it was indeed dreadful. For the Son of God must suffer for the sins of men.
Then there are various other times the prophets spoke of a Day of the LORD. For example, there are times when the Day of the LORD is a day when He destroys Israel’s enemies. Isaiah, writing some 100 years after Joel, warned that the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty…the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. (Isaiah 13:6, 9). In this instance, the words were addressed to the Babylonians. How close does something have to be for God to consider it being “at hand?” Jesus told us He would return “soon.” That was 2000 years ago. But God does not measure time the same way we do. That is to say, when He says something is “near”—everything is “near” to God, because time does not affect Him. He is not slack as men count slackness (2nd Peter 3:9). This destruction of the Babylonians was some 250 years in the future from the time Isaiah wrote this. Yet God considered it to be “at hand.” It was certain. It was going to happen. And it did. In 331 BC, Alexander the Great conquered King Darius III, and the Babylonian Empire was no more. Alexander was, no doubt, filled with a sense that he himself had conquered these people. What he was not aware of was that God used him to bring destruction upon the enemies of His people.
And in the writing of Joel, we see that God will sometimes visit destruction upon His own people. And when that happens, it is never a good thing. …the day of the LORD is coming, for it is at hand: a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. It is never a good thing when god has to discipline His children, especially in the public eye, in full view of the whole world. Do not be mistaken. God will punish His children as severely as is necessary, and if must needs be, very publicly. There are many who like to mock Calvinism, saying that it somehow promotes unbridled liberty. That it encourages people to say, “Hey, I’m saved! And I can't lose my salvation! I can do anything I want and never get punished for it!” That is NOT Calvinism. That is a system of belief called antinomianism. And it is a shameful display of arrogance and licentiousness. Because it is unbiblical. In Galatians 5:13 (ESV), the apostle Paul warns us, do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. In other words, just because you are saved, do not think you can use your freedom in Christ to live in an utterly ungodly manner. If you are, in fact, saved at all. I dare say, if this is how someone is thinking and acting, then their salvation can rightly be questioned. In fact, in another place, we are commanded to walk worthy of your calling with which you were called (Ephesians 4:1).
There comes a point when God will take His hand of protection off of His children, and allow the enemy to have his way with them. In fact, we as the church are to deliver that person to the enemy. 1st Corinthians 5:1-5—1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife! 2 And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you…4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Sometimes we have to put people out of the church, and let them go as far into their sins as they can go. One of two things will happen. Either they will find they enjoy their sins more than they do the Lord Jesus and the fellowship of believers. Or they will come to the point of utter disgust with themselves and repent and return to the Lord, once and for all forsaking their sins. This was what God was doing with Judah here.
This nation of Judah had enjoyed the fellowship of Almighty YHVH. They had worshipped Him in joy and gladness; they had been blessed with all kinds of blessings, both physical and spiritual. The early years of the reign of King Joash had been filled with economic and spiritual abundance. But then Jehoiada the high priest died. And Joash fell deeper and deeper into rebellion against God, and had embraced the Baals. The land still provided abundantly. But that was all about to change. See, God will give us time to repent of our sins and return to Him. But there will come a time when He will say, “Enough!” And He will remove our blessings from us. He will send chewing locusts, and swarming locusts, and crawling locusts and consuming locusts. He will command them to take away everything we think we can depend on until we have nothing to depend on but God.
And isn't that the point? Who do we have but God? No one! No one! Psalm 16:5—O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. Heaven and earth belong to the LORD. He does with them what He will. He gives, He takes away. He commands the rain to fall; He commands the rain to cease. He commands the trees to bloom; He commands the trees to wither. And when His children go astray, He will put them into situations where they have no choice but to cry out to Him. Psalm 73:25-28—25 Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. 26 My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 27 For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish; You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry. 28 But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all Your works. And of course there is that well-known passage in James. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:8).
The locusts have come. They have devoured. They have laid waste to the field and the tree and the vine. They had no one in Heaven but God. And it is as if even He has forsaken them. You are never truly alone as long as you have God within you. But when you leave Him, then you are truly alone. Amen? You may be surrounded by people. You may have all kinds of friends and family. But when disaster strikes, and you are far away from those people, and you have no one to turn to but God—friend, if you have turned your back on Him, and He has withdrawn His hand from you, you are…alone. The wolves are surrounding you, the lions are baring their teeth, and the Shepherd is nowhere to be found. Because you didn’t want anything to do with Him. And because you have forsaken Him, He has delivered you to the enemy to destroy your flesh, so your spirit may be saved—when? in the day of the Lord Jesus (1st Corinthians 5:5). The Day of the LORD.
What will you say to Him then? What will He say to you? When you stand before Him, sooner than you had anticipated, because He had to take you out of the world so you would not cause Him further embarrassment. So you would not store up for yourself more wrath for the day of judgment. As did these people of Judah. Who sank so far in their paganism and idolatry that God had to send a heathen nation—one of the most blatantly pagan, most evil nations to ever sweep across the land—He had to send this nation to ensnare His own people. What makes us think we are any different? We sit so comfortably in our little pews, going about our little lives, we look nothing at all to the world like we do to those who sit in the pews around us. Thinking that because we are sitting in a church that we are somehow protected from Satan. Friend, Satan can make himself at home just as comfortably in a “church” as he can in a local strip joint. These movies where someone is hiding from a demon and they seek refuge in a church, because that demon can't enter. Don’t believe it. Do not believe it. Satan is busy preaching every Sunday. He’s singing in your choir. He’s teaching you or your children in Sunday School. What did Paul tell us about the Antichrist? He will sit in the temple of God, as God! 2nd Thessalonians 2:4.
The Day of the LORD, when it comes upon the people of God, is a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. It is the anger of God visited upon His people. It is a day like a funeral. Heaven weeps because His people have brought shame upon His name. And He must deal with it in the only way He can—He must send strong chastisement, as a father chastens a son he loves (Hebrews 12:5-6). It sits heavy upon the people. Their hearts are heavy, because they now understand that their own lusts and desires have brought this upon them. They wonder how this could have happened, how it could have gotten this far. Why they ever let someone talk them into rebelling against God. It covers the people, it saturates them, it clings to them, and they cannot get rid of it. They must endure it, it must be thus. The generation that sinned against God had to wander the desert for 40 years. If things have gotten to the point that one is in flat-out rebellion against God, and they will not be convinced by the brethren, then they will experience their own Day of the LORD—an UNSTOPPABLE CALAMITY.
14 July 2008
Verse by verse through Joel (2:1)
Joel 2:1
1 Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the LORD is coming, for it is at hand…
The Day of the LORD. But doesn’t every day belong to the LORD? Does not the earth, and everything in it, belong to the LORD (Psalm 24:1)? This concept, first spoken of by this prophet, conveys a stronger sense of awe, and judgment. When one hears the phrase Day of the LORD, that person should be filled with fear, with trembling, and with sadness. For when the Day of the LORD draws near, the closer it comes, the more swiftly it approaches, there is nothing that will stop it. Who can stop the will of God? Who can hinder His purposes? 7 “Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty? 8 They are higher than heaven—what can you do? Deeper than Sheol—what can you know? 9 Their measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea. 10 If He passes by, imprisons, and gathers to judgment, then who can hinder Him?” (Job 11:7-10). In fact, the only thing that stopped God from destroying Nineveh was when they repented in dust and ashes and worshipped the Living God. Had they not, surely within forty days after Jonah gave the warning, that great city, hundreds of miles in circumference, would have been hewn down like a sapling.
Here, the prophet is charged to bring the news to the people. That the UNPRECEDENTED CATASTROPHE that led to an UNANTICIPATED CORRUPTION, and which called for an UNCONDITIONAL CONSECRATION would bring about an UNSTOPPABLE CALAMITY. Verse 1. Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the LORD is coming, for it is at hand… Blow the trumpet—the שּׁוֹפּר (shofar). The shofar was no mean musical instrument. When its sound went forth, it was not simply for entertainment. It was, rather, to call the people together for a certain purpose. Gideon and the 300 men with him blew their shofars and brought confusion and chaos to the armies of the east (see Judges 7:19-22). When an army blew a shofar, it normally commanded about 1000 men. The enemy heard 300 shofars and concluded that they were facing an enemy 300,000 strong. Well, in fact, they were. For when it is God who fights for us, hundreds of thousands cannot withstand Him (see 2nd Kings 19:35). When the shofar blows, there is always a reason. Paul asked the Corinthians, if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle? (1st Corinthians 14:8). Blow the shofar, let the people know it is time to gather together in solemn assembly (Joel 1:15), for it is time to get our hearts right.
Sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Sound a ריע (rua). “Split the ears! Raise a sound, cry out, cry out in distress!” according to Brown-Driver-Briggs. This is more than just making rabble. This is a call to lament and wail and weep. Because something dreadful is approaching. How many times do we know there is some matter that is on the horizon that will require our full attention. Yet in the days and weeks leading up to it, we just go on about our happy little lives as if that day will be like any other. Joel is saying, “No! This is not a time to promote jocularity. This is not a time to break out the champagne. This is not a time to rev up the jukebox and throw a party.” But how many times do “churches” treat the time for worship as if it were some festival. These gatherings where they will have clowns officiate the Lord’s Table. They make funny videos about how “hip” and how “cool” and how “relevant” (I must brace myself every time I see that word) their services are. Even as the final Day of the LORD approaches.
But this is not how it is to be. That’s why the writer of Hebrews told us, 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see—as you see what?—as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:24-25). When we gather together, it is not meant to be a carnival. It is not a circus, and it certainly should not resemble a Las Vegas gambling hall, nor should we be bringing the music of atheists and pagans into said venue. It is a time that is to be sanctified to the LORD our God. Yet how many times do gatherings (the name I will give these places where people meet in a building and hear a guy give a speech) treat so flippantly the call to gather for godly—GODLY—edification. What is going on in gatherings these days is the exact opposite of how this prophet was calling the people to act. Blow the trumpet to call the people to solemnity. Split the ears to cry out in distress.
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble… Here we get to the reason that gatherings—and yes, even many churches—are having an ever-diminishing impact on the culture around us. Because many of these groups are so consumed with helping people boost their self-esteem. They are devoted to being “warm and inviting” rather than preach a gospel that makes people realize they are sinners. They are committed to not offending anyone, lest they not come back. So they water down the gospel, they do not teach the fear of the LORD. They ignore the cross, and repentance. They treat sin as if it is simply a little, um, a little character defect, rather than treating sin for what it is—sticking our middle finger up in the face of God. They don’t treat God as if He were a crutch.
“What’s that you say? God is a crutch? Isn't that what the unbelieving world says we think about Him? Isn't God more than a crutch?” Don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. Yes, of course God is much more than a crutch. Follow me here. When Jesus is addressing His disciples in the upper room the night before His death, Whom does He tell them He will send after He ascends to the Father? The Holy Spirit, right? What name does our Lord give the Holy Spirit when He gives them this discourse? “Comforter.” Your translation may say “Helper” or “Counselor.” Whatever English word you have, it comes from the Greek παράκλητος (parakletos). Thayer calls the association of this word παράκλητος to the Holy Spirit, , “destined to take the place of Christ with the apostles (after his ascension to the Father), to lead them to a deeper knowledge of the gospel truth, and give them divine strength needed to enable them to undergo trials and persecutions on behalf of the divine kingdom.” So, in the sense that when we are tempted to fall; when we are in the midst of a trial we could not possibly make it through on our own; when we are so beaten down by the world that it would seem we have no choice but to give in and follow the world, God—the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, the Helper—is the One who holds us up through that valley. Psalm 37:23-24—The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD--does what?--the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
But that’s not the Christ that is being spoken of in these gatherings. The only Christ these people know is simply some kind of Divine cheerleader, looking on from the sidelines and shouting encouragement to us when we don’t feel good about ourselves. These places do not teach a Christ who is personally involved in the lives of His children. They do not teach a Christ who, with His rod, drives off the wolves and the lions and the bears who seek to devour the sheep. They don’t teach a Christ who, with that same rod, breaks the legs of His sheep when they go off on their own one too many times, and He has to carry them on His shoulders. They do not teach a Christ who, with His staff, reaches out and guides His sheep in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. I don’t think I have to quote all of Psalm 23 for you. Even many unbelievers and scoffers know the words. But how many gatherings, how many churches, know the deeper meaning behind the words.
That is the kind of person God seeks. That is what He requires here. Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble… How is one going to tremble in the presence of a God he doesn’t fear? Some say we are not supposed to fear God. They paint a picture of God as being some buffoonish old uncle who just kinda rattles around, and gives us $5 when we come and visit Him. No! No! No! We are to fear God with every ounce of our being. Why shouldn’t we? Have we forgotten that he destroyed the world once? That He rained fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah? That He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day (Jude 6) those angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation? Fear the LORD! Fear Him in everything you do! For, as the Psalmist wrote, Blessed is He who fears the LORD, who delights greatly in His commands! (Psalm 112:1). Who is it that the LORD seeks? Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and—listen closely—him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at my word (Isaiah 66:1-2).
Many of these teachers who do not teach the full counsel of God are not preachers. They are lawyers, looking for loopholes in God’s word, that they may get out from under His judgment. They do not treat God as a crutch, who upholds them in times of need. They do not treat Him as a crutch, but as an ottoman. But if you have an ottoman at your house, you know how easy it is to trip over it. If they want to treat Christ as an ottoman, then He shall be an ottoman to them. Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed (1st Peter 2:7-8).
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the LORD is coming, for it is at hand… Call the people together. Let them know distress is nigh. let them know it is time for them to return to the fear of the LORD they once knew. Because it is at hand. It is קרוֹב (qarob). Near. It is not “about to arrive.” It is not “Lurking somewhere close by.” It is not even “within the general vicinity.” It is standing on the doorstep, getting ready to come in. And it ain't gonna knock. As I mentioned earlier, this Day of the LORD mentioned here is not to be confused with the “Great” Day of the LORD. In fact, according to Keil & Delitzsch, the word “cometh” is in the perfect tense. Do you know what that means? It means the proper way to read this is to understand that this Day of the LORD, while not fulfilled as of yet, is none the less upon them. It will happen. In fact, it is as if it has already happened.
I mentioned earlier that Joel was one of the first prophets to write about the Day of the LORD. Isaiah wrote many times about it. So did Ezekiel. And Amos and Obadiah and Zephaniah. But here’s the thing. He was the first of any of these prophets, save Obadiah, to write, period. It is believed that he and Obadiah did in fact did prophesy at about the same period of time, the onset of Obadiah’s ministry preceding Joel’s by perhaps 10-15 years, with some overlap between the two. And only Elijah’s prophetic ministry completely preceded Joel’s, as Joel proclaimed the word of YHVH the same time as Elisha.
Why does all this matter? Because there are some who will point to the phrase “Day of the LORD” and say this is some kind of contradiction (setting it opposite the Great and final Day of the LORD) and ask whether there are two “Days of the LORD.” Or, they will make the accusation that the New Testament writers (and even Christ Himself) borrowed this phrase from the Jewish prophets—hijacked it, so to speak—and formed some new theology. But consider this: even the prophets Zechariah and Malachi wrote of the Day of the LORD. And these wrote some 400 years after Joel and Obadiah. Now, considering that the writers of the Bible were led by the Holy Spirit to write as they did, and knowing that God cannot lie, what do we make out of the fact that Joel said the Day of the LORD was upon them, yet Malachi wrote that the Day of the LORD was coming? Did it occur once? Twice, perhaps? Are there many “Days of the LORD?”
Again, this is where we need to rightly divide the word of God. As we find so many times, with so many prophecies, there are often two aspects, if you will, to these prophecies. There is often a near fulfillment, and a future fulfillment. Much like the Levitical offerings that pointed to the Messiah, this prophecy from Joel pointed to a judgment from God that was as good as done. Yet, it also was meant as a warning to future generations of the swift and sore and severe judgment that God will lay upon the world at the end of all things. As we will see in verse 2 next week, the prophet describes this punishment as The like of whom has never been; nor will there ever be any such after them, even for many successive generations.
Gatherings that call themselves “churches” would do well to heed this call. For what are locusts? They're bugs. They eat stuff. The stuff grows back. But what will happen one day in the future? Paul told the saints in Thessalonica that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night (1st Thessalonians 5:2). That day when Christ returns to rule over the whole earth,
This day will come without warning.
But what of the prophecy of Malachi? When God told him, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD” (Malachi 4:5). Will He be sending Elijah to warn the people, or will that day come without a warning? The answer: Yes. Huh? That’s the point. The Day of the LORD Joel is talking about is a destruction that is at hand. The Day of the LORD Malachi is talking about is the first advent of our Lord. As He said, “But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.” (Matthew 17:12). The Day of the LORD spoken of by Paul to the Thessalonians is the Day of the LORD that will come near the end of all things, when Christ begins His 1000 year reign, and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God (Revelation 19:15).
What will that great and final Day of the LORD be like? We will see next week. But we do know this: it will not be pleasant for the wicked. It will be a day when they shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation (Revelation 14:10). Joel writes in verse 11 of chapter 2, For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; who can endure it? John saw a vision of the great day of God’s wrath, and how on that day the wicked cried out, “For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Revelation 6:17). Whether it is an imminent judgment, or the final execution of His wrath, the Day of the LORD is an UNSTOPPABLE CALAMITY.
1 Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the LORD is coming, for it is at hand…
The Day of the LORD. But doesn’t every day belong to the LORD? Does not the earth, and everything in it, belong to the LORD (Psalm 24:1)? This concept, first spoken of by this prophet, conveys a stronger sense of awe, and judgment. When one hears the phrase Day of the LORD, that person should be filled with fear, with trembling, and with sadness. For when the Day of the LORD draws near, the closer it comes, the more swiftly it approaches, there is nothing that will stop it. Who can stop the will of God? Who can hinder His purposes? 7 “Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty? 8 They are higher than heaven—what can you do? Deeper than Sheol—what can you know? 9 Their measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea. 10 If He passes by, imprisons, and gathers to judgment, then who can hinder Him?” (Job 11:7-10). In fact, the only thing that stopped God from destroying Nineveh was when they repented in dust and ashes and worshipped the Living God. Had they not, surely within forty days after Jonah gave the warning, that great city, hundreds of miles in circumference, would have been hewn down like a sapling.
Here, the prophet is charged to bring the news to the people. That the UNPRECEDENTED CATASTROPHE that led to an UNANTICIPATED CORRUPTION, and which called for an UNCONDITIONAL CONSECRATION would bring about an UNSTOPPABLE CALAMITY. Verse 1. Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the LORD is coming, for it is at hand… Blow the trumpet—the שּׁוֹפּר (shofar). The shofar was no mean musical instrument. When its sound went forth, it was not simply for entertainment. It was, rather, to call the people together for a certain purpose. Gideon and the 300 men with him blew their shofars and brought confusion and chaos to the armies of the east (see Judges 7:19-22). When an army blew a shofar, it normally commanded about 1000 men. The enemy heard 300 shofars and concluded that they were facing an enemy 300,000 strong. Well, in fact, they were. For when it is God who fights for us, hundreds of thousands cannot withstand Him (see 2nd Kings 19:35). When the shofar blows, there is always a reason. Paul asked the Corinthians, if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle? (1st Corinthians 14:8). Blow the shofar, let the people know it is time to gather together in solemn assembly (Joel 1:15), for it is time to get our hearts right.
Sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Sound a ריע (rua). “Split the ears! Raise a sound, cry out, cry out in distress!” according to Brown-Driver-Briggs. This is more than just making rabble. This is a call to lament and wail and weep. Because something dreadful is approaching. How many times do we know there is some matter that is on the horizon that will require our full attention. Yet in the days and weeks leading up to it, we just go on about our happy little lives as if that day will be like any other. Joel is saying, “No! This is not a time to promote jocularity. This is not a time to break out the champagne. This is not a time to rev up the jukebox and throw a party.” But how many times do “churches” treat the time for worship as if it were some festival. These gatherings where they will have clowns officiate the Lord’s Table. They make funny videos about how “hip” and how “cool” and how “relevant” (I must brace myself every time I see that word) their services are. Even as the final Day of the LORD approaches.
But this is not how it is to be. That’s why the writer of Hebrews told us, 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see—as you see what?—as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:24-25). When we gather together, it is not meant to be a carnival. It is not a circus, and it certainly should not resemble a Las Vegas gambling hall, nor should we be bringing the music of atheists and pagans into said venue. It is a time that is to be sanctified to the LORD our God. Yet how many times do gatherings (the name I will give these places where people meet in a building and hear a guy give a speech) treat so flippantly the call to gather for godly—GODLY—edification. What is going on in gatherings these days is the exact opposite of how this prophet was calling the people to act. Blow the trumpet to call the people to solemnity. Split the ears to cry out in distress.
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble… Here we get to the reason that gatherings—and yes, even many churches—are having an ever-diminishing impact on the culture around us. Because many of these groups are so consumed with helping people boost their self-esteem. They are devoted to being “warm and inviting” rather than preach a gospel that makes people realize they are sinners. They are committed to not offending anyone, lest they not come back. So they water down the gospel, they do not teach the fear of the LORD. They ignore the cross, and repentance. They treat sin as if it is simply a little, um, a little character defect, rather than treating sin for what it is—sticking our middle finger up in the face of God. They don’t treat God as if He were a crutch.
“What’s that you say? God is a crutch? Isn't that what the unbelieving world says we think about Him? Isn't God more than a crutch?” Don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. Yes, of course God is much more than a crutch. Follow me here. When Jesus is addressing His disciples in the upper room the night before His death, Whom does He tell them He will send after He ascends to the Father? The Holy Spirit, right? What name does our Lord give the Holy Spirit when He gives them this discourse? “Comforter.” Your translation may say “Helper” or “Counselor.” Whatever English word you have, it comes from the Greek παράκλητος (parakletos). Thayer calls the association of this word παράκλητος to the Holy Spirit, , “destined to take the place of Christ with the apostles (after his ascension to the Father), to lead them to a deeper knowledge of the gospel truth, and give them divine strength needed to enable them to undergo trials and persecutions on behalf of the divine kingdom.” So, in the sense that when we are tempted to fall; when we are in the midst of a trial we could not possibly make it through on our own; when we are so beaten down by the world that it would seem we have no choice but to give in and follow the world, God—the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, the Helper—is the One who holds us up through that valley. Psalm 37:23-24—The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD--does what?--the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
But that’s not the Christ that is being spoken of in these gatherings. The only Christ these people know is simply some kind of Divine cheerleader, looking on from the sidelines and shouting encouragement to us when we don’t feel good about ourselves. These places do not teach a Christ who is personally involved in the lives of His children. They do not teach a Christ who, with His rod, drives off the wolves and the lions and the bears who seek to devour the sheep. They don’t teach a Christ who, with that same rod, breaks the legs of His sheep when they go off on their own one too many times, and He has to carry them on His shoulders. They do not teach a Christ who, with His staff, reaches out and guides His sheep in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. I don’t think I have to quote all of Psalm 23 for you. Even many unbelievers and scoffers know the words. But how many gatherings, how many churches, know the deeper meaning behind the words.
That is the kind of person God seeks. That is what He requires here. Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble… How is one going to tremble in the presence of a God he doesn’t fear? Some say we are not supposed to fear God. They paint a picture of God as being some buffoonish old uncle who just kinda rattles around, and gives us $5 when we come and visit Him. No! No! No! We are to fear God with every ounce of our being. Why shouldn’t we? Have we forgotten that he destroyed the world once? That He rained fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah? That He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day (Jude 6) those angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation? Fear the LORD! Fear Him in everything you do! For, as the Psalmist wrote, Blessed is He who fears the LORD, who delights greatly in His commands! (Psalm 112:1). Who is it that the LORD seeks? Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and—listen closely—him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at my word (Isaiah 66:1-2).
Many of these teachers who do not teach the full counsel of God are not preachers. They are lawyers, looking for loopholes in God’s word, that they may get out from under His judgment. They do not treat God as a crutch, who upholds them in times of need. They do not treat Him as a crutch, but as an ottoman. But if you have an ottoman at your house, you know how easy it is to trip over it. If they want to treat Christ as an ottoman, then He shall be an ottoman to them. Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed (1st Peter 2:7-8).
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the LORD is coming, for it is at hand… Call the people together. Let them know distress is nigh. let them know it is time for them to return to the fear of the LORD they once knew. Because it is at hand. It is קרוֹב (qarob). Near. It is not “about to arrive.” It is not “Lurking somewhere close by.” It is not even “within the general vicinity.” It is standing on the doorstep, getting ready to come in. And it ain't gonna knock. As I mentioned earlier, this Day of the LORD mentioned here is not to be confused with the “Great” Day of the LORD. In fact, according to Keil & Delitzsch, the word “cometh” is in the perfect tense. Do you know what that means? It means the proper way to read this is to understand that this Day of the LORD, while not fulfilled as of yet, is none the less upon them. It will happen. In fact, it is as if it has already happened.
I mentioned earlier that Joel was one of the first prophets to write about the Day of the LORD. Isaiah wrote many times about it. So did Ezekiel. And Amos and Obadiah and Zephaniah. But here’s the thing. He was the first of any of these prophets, save Obadiah, to write, period. It is believed that he and Obadiah did in fact did prophesy at about the same period of time, the onset of Obadiah’s ministry preceding Joel’s by perhaps 10-15 years, with some overlap between the two. And only Elijah’s prophetic ministry completely preceded Joel’s, as Joel proclaimed the word of YHVH the same time as Elisha.
Why does all this matter? Because there are some who will point to the phrase “Day of the LORD” and say this is some kind of contradiction (setting it opposite the Great and final Day of the LORD) and ask whether there are two “Days of the LORD.” Or, they will make the accusation that the New Testament writers (and even Christ Himself) borrowed this phrase from the Jewish prophets—hijacked it, so to speak—and formed some new theology. But consider this: even the prophets Zechariah and Malachi wrote of the Day of the LORD. And these wrote some 400 years after Joel and Obadiah. Now, considering that the writers of the Bible were led by the Holy Spirit to write as they did, and knowing that God cannot lie, what do we make out of the fact that Joel said the Day of the LORD was upon them, yet Malachi wrote that the Day of the LORD was coming? Did it occur once? Twice, perhaps? Are there many “Days of the LORD?”
Again, this is where we need to rightly divide the word of God. As we find so many times, with so many prophecies, there are often two aspects, if you will, to these prophecies. There is often a near fulfillment, and a future fulfillment. Much like the Levitical offerings that pointed to the Messiah, this prophecy from Joel pointed to a judgment from God that was as good as done. Yet, it also was meant as a warning to future generations of the swift and sore and severe judgment that God will lay upon the world at the end of all things. As we will see in verse 2 next week, the prophet describes this punishment as The like of whom has never been; nor will there ever be any such after them, even for many successive generations.
Gatherings that call themselves “churches” would do well to heed this call. For what are locusts? They're bugs. They eat stuff. The stuff grows back. But what will happen one day in the future? Paul told the saints in Thessalonica that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night (1st Thessalonians 5:2). That day when Christ returns to rule over the whole earth,
“…when he will show himself to be King of kings, and Lord of lords, and the Judge of the whole earth; and which is sometimes styled the day of the Son of man, and the day of God, for Christ will appear then most gloriously, both in his divine and human nature; the day of redemption, that is, of the body from the grave, and from corruption and mortality; and the last day in which will be the resurrection of the dead, and the day of judgment, in which Christ will come to judge the quick and dead: and which so cometh as a thief in the night; at an unawares, and the Lord himself in that day will so come (Revelation 3:3) respect is had not to the character of the thief, nor to the end of his coming; but to the manner of it, in the dark, indiscernibly, suddenly, and when not thought of and looked for; and such will be the coming of Christ, it will be sudden, and unknown before hand, and when least thought of and expected…” (John Gill, from his Exposition of the Whole Bible).
This day will come without warning.
But what of the prophecy of Malachi? When God told him, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD” (Malachi 4:5). Will He be sending Elijah to warn the people, or will that day come without a warning? The answer: Yes. Huh? That’s the point. The Day of the LORD Joel is talking about is a destruction that is at hand. The Day of the LORD Malachi is talking about is the first advent of our Lord. As He said, “But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.” (Matthew 17:12). The Day of the LORD spoken of by Paul to the Thessalonians is the Day of the LORD that will come near the end of all things, when Christ begins His 1000 year reign, and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God (Revelation 19:15).
What will that great and final Day of the LORD be like? We will see next week. But we do know this: it will not be pleasant for the wicked. It will be a day when they shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation (Revelation 14:10). Joel writes in verse 11 of chapter 2, For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; who can endure it? John saw a vision of the great day of God’s wrath, and how on that day the wicked cried out, “For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Revelation 6:17). Whether it is an imminent judgment, or the final execution of His wrath, the Day of the LORD is an UNSTOPPABLE CALAMITY.
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