The Day of the Lord Joel 1:15-2:11 Adapted from a Jerry Watts sermon http://www.sermoncentral.com/print_friendly.asp?ContributorID=&SermonID=145441

2. Joel 1:15 NIV Alas for that day! For the
day of the LORD is near; it will come like
destruction from the Almighty.
16 Has not the food been cut off before
our very eyes—joy and gladness from the
house of our God? 17 The seeds are
shriveled beneath the clods. The
storehouses are in ruins, the granaries
have been broken down, for the grain has
dried up.

3. 18 How the cattle moan! The herds mill
about because they have no pasture;
even the flocks of sheep are suffering.
19 To you, O LORD, I call, for fire has
devoured the open pastures and flames
have burned up all the trees of the field.
20 Even the wild animals pant for you; the
streams of water have dried up and fire
has devoured the open pastures.

4. 2:1 Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the
alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in
the land tremble, for the day of the LORD
is coming. It is close at hand— 2 a day of
darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and
blackness. Like dawn spreading across
the mountains a large and mighty army
comes, such as never was of old nor ever
will be in ages to come.

5. 3 Before them fire devours, behind them a
flame blazes. Before them the land is like
the garden of Eden, behind them, a desert
waste—nothing escapes them. 4 They
have the appearance of horses; they
gallop along like cavalry. 5 With a noise
like that of chariots they leap over the
mountaintops, like a crackling fire
consuming stubble, like a mighty army
drawn up for battle.

6. 6 At the sight of them, nations are in
anguish; every face turns pale. 7 They
charge like warriors; they scale walls like
soldiers. They all march in line, not
swerving from their course. 8 They do not
jostle each other; each marches straight
ahead. They plunge through defenses
without breaking ranks. 9 They rush upon
the city; they run along the wall. They
climb into the houses; like thieves they
enter through the windows.

7. 10 Before them the earth shakes, the sky
trembles, the sun and moon are darkened,
and the stars no longer shine. 11 The
LORD thunders at the head of his army;
his forces are beyond number, and mighty
are those who obey his command. The
day of the LORD is great; it is dreadful.
Who can endure it?

8. The last 2 lines of verse 11 are worth
having burned into our memory for recall
at any given moment. It says, ―The day of
the LORD is great; it is dreadful. who can
endure it?‖ It is my belief that if you and I
were to get our minds around this truth,
that it would revolutionize our hearts &
lives. To carry an honest concept about
how God will deal with humankind at the
end of time is to be sobered about the
actual
Day of the Lord.

9. Let us not become listless about the
prophet of Joel. For the 21st century
American (particularly inside the church),
we have come to expect our Sunday
messages to tell us things like, ―how to be
happy‖ or ‗how to overcome fear,
depression, pride, or the like.‘ The
message of Joel while offering words of
warning to people and the wants of God, if
heard in our spirits, will touch us in the
deep parts of our souls and affect all these
areas of our lives.

10. That is what is meant by:
Matthew 6:33 NIV
When we seek Him and His first, then the
rest of our lives will come into line and
focus of His best for us.

11. We start today in Joel 1:15: the most
offensive doctrine in the Bible. Here it is.
―Alas for that day! For the day of the Lord
is near.‖ Here is the offensive doctrine: It
will come like destruction from the
Almighty.

12. The most offensive doctrine in the Bible is
the fact that God judges; that God claims
to have the right to set the absolutes, and
then the right to determine when and how
He confronts that which refuses those
absolutes. Often the Church is as troubled
by the judgment of God as the world is.
The temporal judgments of God, those are
the judgments.

13. After the four waves of locusts had
passed, then they faced the aftermath of
starvation, death, and disease. It was at
this time that the crisis seemed to be in
the past tense, yet Joel prophesied that
the crisis was not nearly over. It was about
to increase to a new level of intensity.
Something was coming that was more
severe than a locust invasion (Joel 1:4-12),
with a drought (Joel 1:16-20), and fires (Joel
1:19–20). (Mike Bickle)

14. 16 Has not the food been cut off before
our very eyes—joy and gladness from the
house of our God? 17 The seeds are
shriveled beneath the clods. The
storehouses are in ruins, the granaries
have been broken down, for the grain has
dried up. 18 How the cattle moan! The
herds mill about because they have no
pasture; even the flocks of sheep are
suffering.

15. 19 To you, O LORD, I call, for fire has
devoured the open pastures and flames
have burned up all the trees of the field.
20 Even the wild animals pant for you; the
streams of water have dried up and fire
has devoured the open pastures.
It has gone from bad to worse!
Who could endure it?

16. 1 Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the
alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in
the land tremble, for the day of the LORD
is coming. It is close at hand—
For emphasis he repeats himself. Blow
the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on
my holy hill. Why? So everyone will hear,
know & tremble because the day of the
LORD is coming. It is close at hand. Here
is the reason to tremble.

17. 2 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of
clouds and blackness. Like dawn
spreading across the mountains a large
and mighty army comes, such as never
was of old nor ever will be in ages to
come.
There never has been or will ever be
again a large and mighty army such as
this one. Compare this with
Joel 1:2b Has anything like this ever
happened in your days or in the days of
your forefathers?

18. This will be something for the History
Books…if there are any books afterwards.
I offer for comparison these verses from
chapter 2 with those of the last days as
recorded in John‘s Revelation.
Revelation 16:10 NET Then the fifth angel
poured out his bowl on the throne of the
beast so that darkness covered his
kingdom, and people began to bite their
tongues because of their pain.

19. Some commentators view this as the army
of locust in the 1st chapter, others as the
Babylonian invasion. I don‘t believe either
of those fit because of verse 2:2b,c a large
and mighty army…such as never was of
old nor ever will be in ages to come.
Would not the army led by Jesus be
mightier than any before?

20. Revelation 19:11 NET Then I saw heaven
opened and here came a white horse! The
one riding it was called "Faithful" and
"True," and with justice he judges and
goes to war.
Revelation 19:19 NET Then I saw the
beast and the kings of the earth and their
armies assembled to do battle with the
one who rode the horse and with his army.

21. 3 Before them fire devours, behind them a
flame blazes. Before them the land is like
the garden of Eden, behind them, a desert
waste—nothing escapes them.
Let‘s compare that scene with the 4th bowl
of plagues poured out.

22. Revelation 16:8 NET Then the fourth
angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and
it was permitted to scorch people with fire.
9 Thus people were scorched by the
terrible heat, yet they blasphemed the
name of God, who has ruling authority
over these plagues, and they would not
repent and give him glory.

23. 4 They have the appearance of horses;
they gallop along like cavalry. 5 With a
noise like that of chariots they leap over
the mountaintops, like a crackling fire
consuming stubble, like a mighty army
drawn up for battle. 6 At the sight of them,
nations are in anguish; every face turns
pale.

24. 7 They charge like warriors; they scale
walls like soldiers. They all march in line,
not swerving from their course. 8 They do
not jostle each other; each marches
straight ahead. They plunge through
defenses without breaking ranks. 9 They
rush upon the city; they run along the wall.
They climb into the houses; like thieves
they enter through the windows.

25. 10 Before them the earth shakes, the sky
trembles, the sun and moon are darkened,
and the stars no longer shine. 11 The
LORD thunders at the head of his army;
his forces are beyond number, and mighty
are those who obey his command. The
day of the LORD is great; it is dreadful.
Who can endure it?

26. Perhaps Joel is reminding Judah how
terrible the swarm of locust was to make
an impression how much worse it will be
on The Day of The Lord for those who fail
to repent. You can visualize the terrible
swarm of locust as you read this section
right up to verse 11 The LORD thunders at
the head of his army; In his reference
notes Scofield says, This "army" is
described, (Rev 19:11-18). We read Rev
19:11 earlier.

27. Compare verse 10 …the earth shakes, the
sky trembles, the sun and moon are
darkened, and the stars no longer shine.
to these verses. Revelation 6:12 NET
Then I looked when the Lamb opened the
sixth seal, and a huge earthquake took
place; the sun became as black as
sackcloth made of hair, and the full moon
became blood red; 13 and the stars in the
sky fell to the earth like a fig tree dropping
its unripe figs when shaken by a fierce
wind.

28. Revelation 16:18 NET Then there were
flashes of lightning, roaring, and crashes
of thunder, and there was a tremendous
earthquake — an earthquake unequaled
since humanity has been on the earth, so
tremendous was that earthquake.
Today, let‘s get a picture and Biblical
concept of the Day of the Lord, and verses
which call us to ―Get Ready.‖ Let‘s
consider 3 thoughts about the Day of the
Lord.

29. IT'S COMING
Children love to play ―hide and seek.‖
They count to a specific number and then
yell, ―Ready or not here I come!‖ Not
wanting to humanize or disrespect our
Heavenly Father, I submit that a
countdown is in progress.

30. When we watch the countdown for the
space shuttle, the end of a ballgame, or a
wedding day, we know that when the
countdown is over, something is going to
happen. Here is what it will be; it will be
the ―Day of the Lord.‖ Just like coming to
the end of a game is inevitable, coming to
the end of this world is unavoidable.
Ready or not, it‘s coming.

31. IT'S NEAR
Joel 1:15a NIV Alas for that day! For the
day of the LORD is near...2:1d the day of
the LORD is coming. It is close at hand—
When a preacher says this, he will receive
some sarcastic looks and even remarks.

32. Never forget that Peter tells us: Now, dear
friends, do not let this one thing escape
your notice, that a single day is like a
thousand years with the Lord and a
thousand years are like a single day. 2
Peter 3:8 NET
Putting God‘s time table in place reminds
us that it hasn‘t been long since the world
was spoken into existence and it won‘t be
long until these words are consummated.

33. The signs pointing to the second coming
are increasing in number. Watch the news
& become either excited or distressed,
because the days are short. Matthew 24:6
NET
7

34. IT'LL BE A SURPRISE
The day of the Lord will be a surprise on
many fronts. Jesus, Paul & Peter tell us
that this day will come as a thief. Think
about the thief. The thief comes when you
are not expecting Him.
Matthew 24:42 NET

35. 43
44

36. Revelation 16:15 NET

37. 1 Thessalonians 5:1 NET Now on the
topic of times and seasons, brothers and
sisters, you have no need for anything to
be written to you. 2 For you know quite
well that the day of the Lord will come in
the same way as a thief in the night.

38. 2 Peter 3:10 NET But the day of the Lord
will come like a thief; when it comes, the
heavens will disappear with a horrific
noise, and the celestial bodies will melt
away in a blaze, and the earth and every
deed done on it will be laid bare.
The point is that ‗no one knows‘ when The
Day of the Lord is. No one but the
Heavenly Father. He has the Holy
countdown.

39. The thief comes and takes something.
God Himself will take the heavens, earth,
the elements and all the rest of what we
think is important to us. The Bible says
God will destroy all there is only to replace
it with the NEW, the Perfect, and the
eternal.
For many, there will be some other
surprises on that day.

40. Do you remember this Fram
advertisement? A mechanic says, ―Pay
me now or pay me later.‖ The point of his
message was that every car needs to be
properly maintained and it costs to
maintain a car. However, if you choose not
to maintain it, then you will face the pain of
expensive repair. So (said the
commercial) you can pay a little now or
pay a lot later, BUT one way or the other,
YOU WILL PAY.

41. Many people who claim to be believers
have a preconceived notion about what
the ―Day of the Lord‖ will be like. Too often
these thoughts are based on hearsay,
personal preference, and even
imagination, but what exactly does the
Bible teach about this day!

42. DECLARATION
―Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm
on my holy hill.‖ At the time of Joel‘s
prophecy it was the Priest‘s duty to Blow
the trumpet.
Who are the Priests now?
In 1 Peter 2:5 Peter calls Christians a holy
priesthood & in 2:9 a royal priesthood.
John also wrote believers are Priests.

43. Revelation 1:5e NET To the one who loves
us and has set us free from our sins at the
cost of his own blood 6 and has appointed
us as a kingdom, as priests serving his
God and Father — to him be the glory and
the power for ever and ever! Amen.
Revelation 5:10 NET You have appointed
them as a kingdom and priests to serve
our God, and they will reign on the earth."

44. Anyone who is free from their sins by the
love of Christ shedding His own blood is a
priest. Knowing that the day of the Lord is
coming is obligated to ―Blow the trumpet in
Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill.‖
Every time we read blow the trumpet, we
know that it is a call, an alert, or an alarm.
A trumpet sound is used to sound taps,
retreat, charge, reveille, as well as a
warning!

45. The declaration or the sound of the horn
to warn people about the coming ―Day of
the Lord‖ rests in the hands of those of us
who know. Compare this duty to that of
Ezekiel‘s. Ezekiel 33:6 But if the
watchman sees the sword coming and
does not blow the trumpet to warn the
people and the sword comes and takes
the life of one of them, that man will be
taken away because of his sin, but I will
hold the watchman accountable for his
blood.’

46. Do you remember the penalty for a guard
going to sleep at his post?
It is death. Why?
Because everyone depends on the guard.
For the believer, we are called to alert
humanity that eternity is coming and to
make ready.

47. Think about it in terms of war: ―If you don‘t
know the enemy is coming, you cannot
ready yourself.‖ Blow the horn. Some will
say, ―We are not the enemy of God.‖
James 4:4b NET So whoever decides to
be the world's friend makes himself God's
enemy.

48. Think about this in terms of life and death;
―If you knew someone was on a collision
course with a freight train, would you feel
any sense of responsibility?‖ Certainly you
would. To have knowledge that the Day is
close & not be divinely motivated to tell it
is unthinkable.
We must blow the horn.
We must tell.
We must declare.

49. REPARATION
The word reparation is unused today. For
some it is an old and forgotten word while
for others it is a new word, yet it is an
accurate word as it speaks of much that
will be a part of that day!
Synonyms for this word are things like
‗compensation‘, ‗reimbursement‘,
‗recompense‘, ‗amends‘, and even
‗damages.‘

50. Reparations are paid in the aftermath of a
war to the defeated country for the
purpose of helping them rebuild & restore
their society. These countries get what
they NEED to re-start their lives. Can you
comprehend the parallel? Since the
Garden of Eden this fallen world has
fought against Creator God.

51. We have pretended happiness and
independence accompanied by an air of
invincibility literally, ignoring God and His
sacrificial offer of salvation in our lives. It is
the principle of the wide gate versus the
narrow gate. Usually we have told God
that we want Him in eternity, but for now
we can handle ‗time.‘ We are having OUR
DAY.

52. Don‘t forget we are talking about HIS DAY,
The Day of the Lord. He will give this
world the compensation for their deeds,
the reimbursement for what has been
given, in other words—He will give exactly
what has been earned.

53. To read this text and picture the complete
judgment of God on this world is to be
sobered about the future. On this Day, His
day, He will take control of all; the
agriculture, the animals, the atmosphere,
the armies, and even the universe. Finally,
this world and all her remaining inhabitant
will get ―JUSTICE.‖

54. SEPARATION
In that day there will be a separation like
we have never seen. God‘s people, those
who have received His gift of salvation
through Jesus will be apart from those
who receive the judgment of God.
Verse 11 of Chapter 2 says, ―the Day of
the Lord is great; it is dreadful. Who can
endure it?‖

55. There will be some husbands who will be
separated from their wives (wives from
husbands, parents from children, friends,
and families) because on this day, it will
finally be all about HIM. God does and will
have the final word. Allow me to offer one
observation about this scripture.

56. The last thought from verse 11 requires
attention? It asks, ―Who can endure it?‖
My question from reading this scripture is
―How can anyone endure it?‖ Let‘s end
today with an answer to that question.

57. Through Amos God is sending word to
Israel. He knows about their corruption
and His impending discipline. Amos 4:12
NIV ―Therefore this is what I will do to you,
Israel, and because I will do this to you,
prepare to meet your God, O Israel.‖
There exists an entirely different train of
thought in being ready for heaven versus
being ready to meet God! We better be
prepared.

58. DEAL IN TRUTH
Today we ask, ―What is truth?‖ because
there is this idea that truth changes. Jesus
said, ― .‖ You want to be ready
for the Day of the Lord then it is divinely
required that you deal in the pure, holy, &
eternal truth of the Lord Jesus. His life and
words will guide you into everything you
need. He teaches that as a sinner, we are
outside of God‘s plan & are an enemy of
God. However, He teaches God has
provided a way.

59. DECIDE FOR TRUTH
Preparing for the day of the Lord is simple
and complex; it is both easy and hard. It is
simple because the Holy Spirit will come
to you and convict you of your need for
Jesus, but it is complex because deciding
to follow Jesus, to put your faith in Him, is
only the first step. It‘s easy because the
Bible says,
Mark
16:16 NET

60. But it is hard because He demands your
life, allegiance, and heart. God sent His
Son, Jesus, to die the death of a sinner in
your place and then God urges you,
invites you, and pulls you to repent of your
sin and turn to Jesus. But here‘s the
amazing thing; He allows you to decide.
No, He forces you to decide.

61. When you decide, ―No I don‘t want what
God is offering,‖ at some point, God will
leave you alone. But don‘t be deceived---if
that is your decision, you will meet Him
again on much different terms on ―HIS
DAY.‖ However, to miss the horrors that
await this world and those who reject God,
decide for Him today. He has already
decided for you.

62. DECLARE THE TRUTH
When you decide for God and allow Jesus
into your life, it‘ll be better than that new
gadget or tool or toy you have discovered!
Think about it; when you find something
that rings your bell, you want to share it!
When you come to faith in Christ and find
the truth of eternity, you will want no one
to miss it. The only thing you will want
them to miss is
―The Day of the Lord.‖