Joel 2:1-11
1 Blow a trumpet in Zion,
And sound an alarm on My holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
For the day of the Lord is coming;
Indeed, it is near,
2 A day of darkness and gloom,
A day of clouds and thick darkness.
As dawn is spread over the mountains,
So there is a great and mighty people;
There has never been anything like it,
Nor will there be again after it
To the years of many generations.
3 A fire consumes before them,
And behind them a flame devours.
The land is like the Garden of Eden before them,
But a desolate wilderness behind them,
And nothing at all escapes them.
4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses;
And like war horses, so they run.
5 With a noise as of chariots
They leap about on the tops of the mountains,
Like the crackling of a flame of fire consuming the stubble,
Like a mighty people drawn up for battle.
6 Before them the people are in anguish;
All faces turn pale.
7 They run like warriors,
They climb the wall like soldiers;
And each of them marches in line,
Nor do they lose their way.
8 They do not crowd each other,
Every warrior of them marches in his path;
When they burst through the defenses,
They do not break ranks.
9 They storm the city,
They run on the wall;
They climb into the houses,
They enter through the windows like a thief.
10 Before them the earth quakes,
The heavens tremble,
The sun and the moon become dark,
And the stars lose their brightness.
11 The Lord utters His voice before His army;
His camp is indeed very great,
For mighty is one who carries out His word.
The day of the Lord is indeed great and very awesome,
And who can endure it?
The Depiction of the Second Invasion
The day of the Lord is coming
Today’s passage begins with the command, “Blow a trumpet in Zion.” In Old Testament times, trumpets were blown for various reasons, but here the trumpet is blown to announce the invasion of an enemy army (ref. Num. 10:9). The first invasion was by locusts, but the second invasion that is about to occur in the future will be far more terrifying than that. (1) Joel describes this second invasion by saying, “For the day of the Lord is coming; indeed, it is near.” As has been repeated, “the day of the Lord” refers to the Great Tribulation. Before the Messianic Kingdom (the Millennial Kingdom) appears on the earth, the final outpouring of God’s wrath will come upon the earth. (2) The day of the Lord is “a day of darkness and gloom,” and also “a day of clouds and thick darkness.” Other prophets have also prophesied that the day of the Lord is a day of darkness (ref. Isa. 8:22; 60:2; Amos 5:18-20; Zeph. 1:14-16, etc.). (3) Verses 2-9 depict the scene of the invasion. The means by which the earth is devastated are fire and flame. What was once as beautiful as the Garden of Eden is transformed into a desolate wilderness. (4) What comes invading is not human beings. Though they are like warhorses, they are not warhorses; though they are like chariots, they are not chariots. This is an invasion by evil spirits. (5) They advance without breaking formation and carry out destruction thoroughly. The peoples of the nations writhe in anguish before them, and all faces turn pale.
Relation with the Book of Revelations
Here we touch on the Book of Revelation. (1) The Book of Revelation consists of 22 chapters, but most of what is written in chapters 1-20 appears somewhere in the Old Testament. Revelation arranges and organizes, in chronological order, the end-time prophecies that are scattered throughout the Old Testament. (2) The content of Joel chapter 2 is addressed in Revelation chapter 9. In Revelation 9, invasions by evil spirits are prophesied twice. In 9:1-11, the invading army torments people for five months. In 9:13-21, the invading army kills one third of the population of the earth. (3) Joel chapter 2 presents these two invasions by evil spirits together in a single, unified description. If God’s wrath comes down, it is truly a terrifying thing. “Can your heart endure, or can your hands be strong for the days that I will deal with you? I, the Lord, have spoken and will act” (Ezek. 22:14). Let us learn to be reconciled with God through the Lord Jesus. And let us proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible. The time is drawing near.
Today's prayer
Father God of Jesus Christ, I will share the gospel with my beloved family and friends. Please save them. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.