The Day of the Lord

Imagine a vast army of soldiers marching in battle formation. They are fierce. Ready to conquer at any cost. This is the imagery that God gave us of an army that is prepared to carry out His judgment on a nation.

“They do not push one another; every one marches in his own column. Though they lunge between the weapons, they are not cut down. They run to and fro in the city, they run on the wall; they climb into the houses, they enter at the windows like a thief. The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble; the sun and moon grow dark, and the stars diminish their brightness. The Lord gives voice before His army, for His camp is very great; for strong is the One who executes His Word. For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; who can endure it? [1]

How should the recipient of this warning respond?

“’Now, therefore,’ says the Lord, ‘Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.’ So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm. Who knows if He will turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him—a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God?”

“Blow the trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly; gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children and nursing babes; let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, and the bride from her dressing room. Let the priests, who minister to the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar; let them say, ‘Spare Your people, O Lord, and do not give Your heritage to reproach, that the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, where is their God?’” [2]

The Lord advises such a people to turn to Him with all their hearts with fasting, weeping and mourning. Sound the alarm! Pray! Ask the Lord to intervene and rescue!

“Then the Lord will be zealous for His land and pity His people. The Lord will answer and say to His people, ‘Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, and you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations. But I will remove far from you the northern army and will drive him away into a barren and desolate land, with his face toward the eastern sea and his back toward the western sea; his stench will come up, and his foul odor will rise, because he has done monstrous things.’” [3]

The Lord will bless the resources of those who seek Him and rebuke the devouring nation from their land. What’s more, He will send His Spirit on that nation and bless them with ability to speak for Him, and to dream and envision the possibilities in Him that they previously lacked.

“And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.” [4]

“It shall come to pass that whoever calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved.” [5]

[1] Joel 2:8-11
[2] Joel 2:12-17
[3] Joel 2:18-20
[4] Joel 2:28-29
[5] Joel 2:32