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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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?

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

actualDay of the Lord.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)

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.

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?

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.

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?

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

IT'LL BE A SURPRISEThe 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

43

44

Revelation 16:15 NET

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.

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.

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.

Do you remember this Framadvertisement? 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.

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!

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.

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."

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!

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.’

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.

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.

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.

REPARATIONThe 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.‘

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.

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.

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.

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.‖

SEPARATIONIn 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?‖

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.

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.

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.

DEAL IN TRUTHToday 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.

DECIDE FOR TRUTHPreparing 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

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.

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.

DECLARE THE TRUTHWhen 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.‖