The Day is Coming

In chapter 1 we saw the day of the Lord that was in the immediate context. There was a drought and famine in the land, and insects had swarmed the whole land and ate everything in sight.

This left the people barren. God was trying to use this to get their focus and attention back on Him. So the prophet tells them to fast, pray, and mourn over their sins.

This event that was taking place was a picture of a day that was soon to come. Chapter 2 spoke of the imminent day of the Lord concerning this nation.

Just as the locusts came and swarmed the land, there would be a mighty army at the command of God who come and devour the land of Judah.

Yet, again, the prophet urges the people to repent. This time he gives specific instructions for them to get real with God. To stop masking where their hearts truly were and come to the Lord genuinely.

If they would respond in this way, maybe God would turn His anger from them and restore them. And that’s exactly what happened in chapter 2.

The armies were destroyed, the famine stopped, and the people of God experienced His blessing once more after these two terrible periods that they endured.

That leads us to the last day of the Lord shown in this book. A day still yet to come, where God will judge the world and restore and renew His people Israel.

We didn’t finish out all of chapter 2 last week intentionally. These last five verses of chapter 2, actually, in the Hebrew Bible, are a chapter in itself.

Then chapter 3 in our Bibles would actually be chapter 4 in the Hebrew Bible.

But the last part of chapter 2 looks forward to the day that’s spoken of in the last chapter, and so we’ll examine the rest of the book tonight as we look at a message entitled: “The Day is Coming.”

PRAY

-On the night of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere rode from Lexington to Concord, warning people of an attack that was coming from the British.

-They needed to guard their weapons and ammunition from the enemy. In the poem Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote about Revere, he depicted him riding through the streets at night with an urgent message, “The British are coming, the British are coming.”

-While Revere never is recorded actually having said that, he did warn the people and had them act quickly.

In this chapter, the prophet is telling the people, God’s people of a day that is coming. A great and terrible day. He’s telling them, “The Lord is coming, the Lord is coming.”

So be prepared for that day.

Transition:

Tonight I want us to see Three Events that surround the day of the Lord that is imminent to us today. And we should take the message that Joel gives with urgency.

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There Would Be A Pouring Out of God’s Spirit (v. 28-31)

Joel 2:28–29 KJV 1900

And it shall come to pass afterward, That I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids In those days will I pour out my spirit.

If you’ll recall in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit had a different ministry in that day than He does in the New Testament and even now.

In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit would come upon certain people, for a specific task, for a specific amount of time, and once the work was accomplished the Spirit would leave.

You might remember David praying to God and saying: “take not thy Holy Spirit from me.”

The doctrine concerning the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, where the Spirit of God takes up residence in you: is promised here, but it wasn’t yet a reality. Even Jesus Himself promised that there would be a time when the Spirit of God would indwell believers:

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John 16:13 KJV 1900

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Up to this point only spiritual leaders were given the ability to discern the wisdom of God and experience the presence of God.

So if an ordinary person wanted to understand something like a dream or vision, they would go to someone who had spiritual insight.

But Joel says here, that there would be a day where the Spirit would be poured out on all flesh. There wouldn’t be a selective indwelling, the pouring out of the Spirit was for every child of God!

We see this fulfilled at Pentecost. In fact, take your Bibles and turn to Acts 2:

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Acts 2:1–4 KJV 1900

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Several verses later people began to mock Peter because of his speaking in tongues, saying he was full of new wine, but his response to them is this:

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Acts 2:14–21 KJV 1900

But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Acts 2 is a fulfillment of prophecy from Joel 2.

So now today, each and every one of us have who are saved have the Spirit of God indwelling us. We can gain insight to Scripture by the illumination of the Spirit.

We experience the presence of God by the Spirit. We are convicted of wrong, and confirmed of right by the Spirit. We are controlled by the Spirit. We are enable and empowered by the Spirit.

We display good fruit because of the Spirit. Every child of God has within them the Spirit of God!

What an amazing gift we are given at salvation! That we have part of the Godhead living in us! Have you thought about what that could mean in your life?

God has taken up residence in man! The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us today! What victory we could have, what power we could have, what boldness we could have, if we would yield to that power! GOD IN US!

But notice that Joel not only talks about the presence that God would give in pouring His Spirit out, but also note His power displayed:

Joel 2:30–31 KJV 1900

And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, Blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, Before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.

Joel is speaking in future tense. “I WILL shew.” One day, friend, mark it down, this will happen. God’s wrath and anger will be on display. His vengeance will be shown and the world will be judged.

There would be a pouring out of the Spirit.

I think what Joel is trying to do here is encourage us. Yes, this world is full of wickedness. And godlessness is everywhere, but we’re not placed here standing in our own strength.

We have the power of the Holy Spirit. We have a comforter in this uncomfortable world. And we’re not placed here alone, no, we have His presence.

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There Will Be Judgment upon the World (v. 1-16; 2:32)

Joel 3:1–3 KJV 1900

For, behold, in those days, and in that time, When I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, And will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, And will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. And they have cast lots for my people; And have given a boy for an harlot, And sold a girl for wine, that they might drink.

The Lord makes it clear that the nations of the world will be judged as he brings them to the valley of Jehoshaphat.

The reason He is going to bring judgment on them is because of how they’ve mistreated God’s people. Notice God’s zeal for His people.

They scattered them, they took their children into slavery and used them in ungodly ways. And this stirred God’s wrath.

Joel 3:4–8 KJV 1900

Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, And all the coasts of Palestine? Will ye render me a recompence? And if ye recompense me, Swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head; Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, And have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things: The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, That ye might remove them far from their border. Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, And will return your recompence upon your own head: And I will sell your sons and your daughters Into the hand of the children of Judah, And they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off: For the Lord hath spoken it.

Not only did these nations take children from God’s people and use them for immoral purposes, but they also get rid of them by selling them off to the Grecians.

How familiar does this all sound today? In recent days we’ve been made more aware of child trafficking in our world.

One resource claimed that over 4 million children have fallen prey to trafficking. They are stolen, mistreated, and abused.

Our children are sold off, and in some cases they don’t even make it into existence. The World Health Organization (WHO) said that around 40-50 million abortions take place around the world. So many they can’t even keep track of them.

That many innocent babies that are murdered before they’re able to even live on this earth.

One thing that stirs God’s wrath is a devaluing of life, especially when it comes to innocent children. In fact, Jesus said:

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Mark 9:42 KJV 1900

And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.

God isn’t going to let people get away with a mistreatment of children. He will judge them. This was the case in the context of God’s children.

Joel 3:9–10 KJV 1900

Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, Let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: Beat your plowshares into swords, And your pruninghooks into spears: Let the weak say, I am strong.

In essence Joel’s saying: “Get ready for a fight.”

Joel 3:11–12 KJV 1900

Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, And gather yourselves together round about: Thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord. Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: For there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.

God will be the judge on this day and He will get vengeance.

Joel 3:13 KJV 1900

Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: Come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; For their wickedness is great.

What he’s portraying here is that there was no lack of wickedness going on during this time.

Joel 3:14–15 KJV 1900

Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, And the stars shall withdraw their shining.

This valley of decision that’s spoken of here is synonymous with the other valley of our text, the valley of Jehoshaphat. Now, you might ask, why did Joel call it the valley of Jehoshaphat?

Well, the name Jehoshaphat means the God who judges. What did it say in verse 12? He would judge all the nations. So the valley of decision is not named as such for a decision the nations would make, rather it is named the valley of decision because there was a decision that God would make!

God would be judge. God would be calling the shots. This valley many, myself included, believe to be the same valley spoken of in the book of revelation.

The valley of Jezreel, the valley of Megiddo, the valley of Armageddon.

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Revelation 16:15–21 KJV 1900

Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

But I want you to notice from Joel’s description how this battle will be fought. From this, we’re not going to lift a finger in battle. We won’t have to. In fact, the battle strategy is simple:

Joel 3:16 KJV 1900

The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, And utter his voice from Jerusalem; And the heavens and the earth shall shake: But the Lord will be the hope of his people, And the strength of the children of Israel.

All God has to do is roar. The sound of His voice will defeat the nations. Think about it: the same voice that framed the world is the same voice that could destroy it in an instant.

There is power in the Word of God!

These verses are full of gloom, doom, and despair. But I would tell you church, we find comfort from these verses because of what Joel says at the end of chapter 2.

Joel 2:32 KJV 1900

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: For in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, As the Lord hath said, And in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.

God will be a hope to His people. He will be a refuge. He will be their strength and deliverer. Those who call upon Him, those who recognize Him as Lord before this day comes will be on the winning side!

And while evil seems to prevail, and wickedness has run rampant. And as time goes on evil will only grow more and more.

I want to remind you, don’t be dismayed. Don’t live defeated. Don’t be discouraged. Because one day, God will take control and He will win the war. Satan will be defeated. And we will be victorious!

There will be judgment upon the world. But if you are a child of God, these verses should bring comfort and not distress.

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There Will Be A Good Ending (v. 17-21)

Joel 3:17 KJV 1900

So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God Dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: Then shall Jerusalem be holy, And there shall no strangers pass through her any more.

Joel 3:19–21 KJV 1900

Egypt shall be a desolation, And Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, For the violence against the children of Judah, Because they have shed innocent blood in their land. But Judah shall dwell for ever, And Jerusalem from generation to generation. For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: For the Lord dwelleth in Zion.

Look at this. No more fighting. No more war. No more strangers. No more outsiders. Peace will finally come as a result of this great war.

God will make things perfect again. Sin will be eradicated. There will be perfection.

Joel 3:18 KJV 1900

And it shall come to pass in that day, That the mountains shall drop down new wine, And the hills shall flow with milk, And all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, And a fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord, And shall water the valley of Shittim.

Shittim was the last encampment of the nation after their wilderness wanderings before they crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land.

Now, the God’s children would enter into the everlasting Promised Land. A land of plenty.

Conclusion

What a contrast this is to the first chapter! When Joel started out the people were in despair, misery, barrenness, and lacking provision.

Now we find them in a land that is the complete opposite of where they were.

Friends let me encourage you with this. Times ahead may look difficult, and we may be at the beginning of our own locust situation in history.

But I want you to remember, the day of the Lord is at hand! All of this will unfold soon. And the situation we’re in will look nothing like what is to come.

So let’s be faithful. Let’s seek God. And let’s remind ourselves of the glorious future we have because we’re a child of God!

https://www.worldschildren.org/child-trafficking-statistics/

https://www.who.int/health-topics/abortion#tab=tab_1

https://www.gotquestions.org/Shittim-in-the-Bible.html

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