"The Day of the Lord" Joel 1-3
The Locust Plague
* Four waves of locusts leave nothing: grain, wine, oil, even the ability to worship.
* Sin’s judgment is total devastation.
* This disaster is written as a timeless object lesson for every generation.
A Call to Repentance
* Two responses to judgment: harden your heart or turn and repent.
The Day of the Lord
* “The Day of the Lord” begins as a general term for any day of judgment from the Lord and later develops into a specialized eschatological concept.
* A greater Day is coming—darkness, an unstoppable army, complete ruin.
* “The day of the Lord is great and very awesome; who can endure it?”
Judgment for the Nations
* What fell on Israel is coming to every nation.
* We sound the alarm so that people may run to safety while there is still time.
The Day of Salvation
* God’s judgement is never the final say.
* All who turn from their sins in repentance can find a way of escape from that day.
* The Day of the Lord is never judgment for judgment’s sake. It is judgment that clears the ground for restoration.
So now what?
Every crisis is a trumpet call.
Rend your heart, return to the Lord, and expect fresh fillings of the Spirit for bold witness.
The Day is near, but the fountain still flows for all who come.
