The Day of the Lord is Coming

Joel 2:1-11

The fear of God was not in the hearts of the leaders of Israel or its citizens, but God had placed a spiritual watchman named Joel to cry out, sound the alarm, the day of the Lord is coming.  In the 64th chapter of Isaiah, verse one, we're told the people had for years asked Yahweh to open the doors of heaven and come down.  “If only You would tear the heavens open and come down so that mountains would quake at Your presence.”  They were looking for a God to do their bidding, not much different than the people of our day.  Joel has a message, you are going to get a small sample of what you have been asking for, but know this, a Holy God does not allow sin in His presence, and that is as true today as it was in the time of Joel.

“Blow the horn in Zion; sound the alarm on My holy mountain!  Let all the residents of the land tremble, for the Day of the Lord, is coming; in fact, it is near—a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and dense overcast, like the dawn spreading over the mountains; a great and strong people appears, such as never existed in ages past and never will again in all the generations to come.”

Not the day they were planning, it was a day of darkness and gloom, and yet so many each day go out of this life with the wrong expectation of standing before a holy, pure, God.  Sin is absent from heaven, yet we have all sinned and fallen short, all, the Pope, Billy Graham, Sister Teresa and you and me.  Jesus is the only way anyone is going to have our sin debt paid.  He did it all for you, but until you agree and bow before him, giving Him permission to come into you and make you a new person in Christ, you're not ready for the “Day of the Lord.”

A fire destroys in front of them, and behind them a flame devours.  The land in front of them is like the Garden of Eden, but behind them, it is like a desert wasteland; there is no escape from them. Their appearance is like that of horses, and they gallop like warhorses. They bound on the tops of the mountains. Their sound is like the sound of chariots, like the sound of fiery flames consuming stubble, like a mighty army deployed for war.

Their appearance is like that of horses, very critical, judgment has come from the Lord, His watchman have declared what is going to happen, but no one knows if it was an army from the north or an Army of Locusts.  What is clear it was a fire, leaving not one thing standing, no food, no jobs, and no hope.

Nations writhe in horror before them; all faces turn pale. They attack as warriors attack; they scale walls as men of war do.  Each goes on his own path, and they do not change their course. They do not push each other; each man proceeds on his own path. They dodge the arrows, never stopping. They storm the city; they run on the wall; they climb into the houses; they enter through the windows like thieves.

We try to understand what is stated, it’s like an incredible war machine, and we come up with something like “Desert Storm, ” but that is so weak, maybe what General Sherman did to cities like Atlanta is closer, but it is still much worse.

The earthquakes before them; the sky shakes.  The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars cease their shining.  The Lord raises His voice in the presence of His army.  His camp is very large; those who carry out His command are powerful.  Indeed, the Day of the Lord is terrible and dreadful—who can endure it?”

The watchman have moved past locust, and vast armies of God Himself and His command brings judgment on the nations, Judgment day has come!

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

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