SCRIPTURE
Alas for that day! For the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the almighty. Joel 1:15
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— 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 in ancient times nor ever will be in ages to come. Joel 2:1 and 2
Before them the Earth shakes, the Heavens tremble, the sun, and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The Lord thunders at the head of His army; His forces are beyond number, and mighty is the army that obeys His command. The day of the LORD is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it? Joel 2:10 and 11
I will show wonders in the Heavens and on the Earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; Joel 2:30-32a
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The LORD will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the Earth and the Heavens will tremble, but the LORD will be a refuge for His people, a stronghold for the people of Israel. Joel 3:14-16
SPOTLIGHT
What would you do if your local T.V. weatherman suddenly interrupted the regular scheduled program with a tornado warning instructing everyone to take immediate shelter in a safe place?
How would you respond? Would you ignore the warning or would you immediately run to your basement? Few people would dismiss the weatherman’s prediction of the future.
Like the weatherman, God has filled His Word, the Holy Bible, with future pictures of things to come. They are called Biblical prophecies which provide hints but not details of future events.
What is so very important is that Christians DON’T IGNORE BIBLICAL PROPHECY!
The book of Joel is named after its author and is comprised of three short concise chapters filled with prophetic pictures of things to come. Several verses in the book of Joel are quoted in the New Testament by three different authors. The Apostle John who wrote Revelation quoted Joel. The Apostle Paul quoted Joel in Romans. Significantly, the fulfillment of the coming of the Holy Spirit in Joel 2:28-32 is quoted in great detail when Dr. Luke records Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost. See Acts 2:16-21.
The key phrase in the book of Joel is “the Day of the Lord.”. It appears five times as identified in the Scripture section above. Joel described the day of the Lord as a time when there would be days marked by darkness, armies conquering like a consuming fire, and the moon turning to blood. All of this reinforces New Testament pictures of the future. The Apostle Paul wrote in
2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 “Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.” The Apostle Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3:10-13 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.”
The bottom line is this. DON’T IGNORE BIBLICAL PROPHECY! Take the Biblical prophetical hints of the future very seriously. When you listen to or read your newspaper, keep God’s prophecies in mind. Filter what is happening now in the world through Biblical prophecy.
SOMETHING TO DO
#1 In order to be sure that you are not ignoring Biblical prophecy, the first thing that you need to do is read Joel 2 and Acts 2 to be convinced that God predicts and fulfills prophecy.
#2 Seek out some people who you know who have trusted and studied God’s Word for some time. Ask them about the importance of prophecy.
#3 Ask your Pastor to recommend a good book to read about Biblical prophecy.
SOUL TIME PRAYER
Heavenly Father, Almighty God, Maker of heaven and earth and things and times to come, thank you that Biblical prophecy assures me that You’ve got the whole world in Your hands and under control. I trust You for my salvation and for my future here on earth and eternally with You. AMEN