Joel Chapter One

The Theme of Chapter One: The Day of the LORD

We have now reached the point wherein God reveals the reason behind all of the previous verses describing in metaphoric terms the cutting of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: it is a prelude to the Day of the LORD – Judgment Day. Once God has sealed all of His living saints, that is once God has saved the last soul to be brought into His kingdom, then judgment will commence. The following is a complete list of verses that speak of the Day of the LORD:

Isaiah 2:12 - For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:

Isaiah 13:6 - ¶Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.

Isaiah 13:9 - Behold, 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.

Jeremiah 46:10 - For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.

Ezekiel 13:5 - Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD.

Ezekiel 30:3 - For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen.

Joel 1:15 - Alas for the day! for the day of the

LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.

Joel 2:1 - ¶Blow ye 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 cometh, for it is nigh at hand;

Joel 2:11 - And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?

Joel 2:31 - The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

Joel 3:14 - Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

Amos 5:18 - Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light.

Amos 5:20 - Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?

Obadiah 1:15 - For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.

Zephaniah 1:7 - ¶Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.

Zephaniah 1:14 - ¶The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.

Zechariah 14:1 - ¶Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.

Malachi 4:5 - Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

Acts 2:20 - The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:

1 Corinthians 5:5 - To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

2 Corinthians 1:14 - As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:2 - For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

2 Peter 3:10 - But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat,

the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Now that we have listed all of scripture’s passages that speak of the Day of the LORD, let us briefly record the main themes or characteristics of each passage and what it tells us concerning the Day of the LORD:

Isaiah 2:12 = The Day of the LORD shall be upon the proud and lofty.

Isaiah 13:6 = Howl for the destruction from the Almighty.

Isaiah 13:9 = The day of the LORD will destroy sinners from the earth.

Jeremiah 46:10 = The Day of the LORD will be a day of vengeance, that God may avenge him of his adversaries.

Ezekiel 13:5 = Ye have not made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand.

Ezekiel 30:3 = A cloudy day and the time of the heathen.

Joel 1:15 = The Day of the LORD is a destruction from the Almighty.

Joel 2:1 = Tremble.

Joel 2:11 = The Day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?

Joel 2:31 = The sun darkened and the moon turns to blood.

Joel 3:14 = Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision.

Amos 5:18 = The Day of the LORD is darkness, and not light.

Amos 5:20 = The Day of the LORD will be very dark, and no brightness.

Obadiah 1:15 = The Day of the LORD is upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.

Zephaniah 1:7 = For the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.

Zephaniah 1:14 = The voice of the Day of the LORD hastens greatly: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.

Zechariah 14:1 = Thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.

Malachi 4:5 = The appearing of John the Baptist before the day of the LORD?

Acts 2:20 = The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood.

1 Corinthians 5:5 = To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

2 Corinthians 1:14 = As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:2 = The Day of the LORD comes as a thief in the night <to the unsaved world>.

2 Peter 3:10 = The heavens will pass away and the elements will melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

The Voice of the Day of the LORD: God Will Hasten the Day.

Zephaniah 1:14 = ¶The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth <speedily, suddenly, quickly> greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.

The fact that God speaks of the “Voice” of the Day of the LORD is something that we seldom hear, but nonetheless is an extremely important ingredient to the unfolding events of the Day of the LORD. In the above verse, Zephaniah 1:14, God in no uncertain terms tells us that He will hasten the Day of the LORD once the VOICE begins to sound. What is this voice? The Hebrew tells us that it is defined as to proclaim or to call aloud. Yes, the Day of the LORD will hasten greatly as will the voice of the Day of the LORD. This voice is certainly undeniable in today’s world with the emergence of a super power gobbling up the Middle East as we read in Daniel chapter eleven. The voice of the Day of the LORD is loud and clear as we see the strange whether patterns accelerating world wide. Again the lawlessness and man’s love toward one another has become dead cold, echoing the voice of the Day of the LORD. On and on we can continue to cite world conditions, both spiritually and physically, that have changed over the past generation as we hasten toward Judgment Day.

Revelation 16:21 - And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent <approximately one hundred pounds>: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

<Note: If you think this plague will be strictly spiritual in nature, please think again. Many end-time events will dovetail, that is to say many spiritually discerned end-time events will collide with the physical. Old Testament physical plagues certainly foretold of and reflected the final spiritual plagues that God will bring upon this earth. However, many events in these final days will transition both in the spiritual realm as well as in the physical earth. As for the plague of hail, it appears to be twofold; both physical and spiritual. Please read the following verses carefully as God condemns the false prophets of the House of Israel. Be certain that this does not solely reflect Old Testament Israel:

Ezekiel 13: 3-14 -

3 - Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!

4 - O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts.

5 - Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD.

6 - They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD saith: and the LORD hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word.

7 - Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The LORD saith it; albeit I have not spoken?

8 - Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies,

therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord GOD.

9 - And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD.

<Note: Understand that the ultimate House of Israel and Land of Israel is the eternal Kingdom of Heaven – God’s spiritual Israel.>

10 - Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter:

11 - Say unto them which daub it with untempered morter, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it.

<There you have it. All those from Old Testament Israel to the New Testament congregations who preach lies and falsehoods are daubing (meaning to spread) the foundation of Christ (mortar) with untempered

mortar, meaning frivolity: playfulness, lightheartedness, thoughtfulness, silliness, foolishness, etc. Yes, and most especially in these final days the pastors of today’s congregations worldwide are spreading this untempered mortar, these false foundations, at an alarming rate. It is the Abomination of Desolation that ushers in the final days and a prelude to Judgment Day. These are the spiritual frogs and locusts of the final days that will eat up the greenery of the true Word of God. Yes, and these false prophets are also referred to by God as … ye great hailstones here in verse eleven! Yes, the plagues of hailstones in the final days appear to directly relate to the locusts or false prophets.>

12 - Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it?

13 - Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it.

14 - So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered morter, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

As we stated earlier, with the onslaught of spiritual plagues upon the earth there will in all probability be physical counterparts to these plagues which we may term the dovetailing (merging or joining together) of scripture. This is not something new. God has

dovetailed, so to speak, the physical Old Testament Israel with the spiritual New Testament Israel. When we read of the seas and the waves roaring in Luke chapter twenty-one, in regard to the end of time, we know that scripture metaphorically speaks of unsaved man as restless waves in a storm, yet God also speaks of the earth’s real physical perils during that time.

<It is rather naive to believe that all end-time plagues will be spiritual in nature only. When the earth and the heavens melt with fervent heat (2 Peter 3:10) at the last day, certainly that is a physical event. When the sun, moon, and stars glow dark, that also is a physical event as well as probably metaphoric of the Gospel of Christ (Sun), the moon (Church), and the stars (believers) being silenced upon the earth. One should fully anticipate the events of Revelation 16:21 to unfold upon the earth in a material manner. Even now we may be witnessing the beginnings of this plague. Scientists around the world and at this very hour are baffled by a relatively new occurrence called megacryometeors; a phenomenon that produces huge chunks of falling hail, some have been reported to weigh up to a hundred pounds or more, while most are well under a hundred pounds. The crucial point is flee now to the saving cross of Christ as God will hasten the Day of the LORD.

END OF STUDY