Joel 2:1-11
September 12th, 2006 by Stephen
“Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
“A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. … “The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?”
–Joel 2:1-11
Commentators are divided about whether Joel is here referring back to the plague of locusts, or whether he is looking forward to some future battle. I take the view that the latter is more likely (as Joel is comparing the coming of the great people, this great army, with the coming of the Lord, using the future tense).
This being so, we can see why Joel paints such an appalling picture. He is saying that even as the plague of locusts was a great and mighty judgement, so there is more yet to come. The Lord is raising up an army of people whose might has never been seen before, nor will it ever be seen again. There will be a devastating battle when justice will be done.
It is like the Day of the Lord, for in that day the Lord will pour out his wrath, and seek justice. For the unrepentant it will be a woeful time, for the wrath of God will be upon them. Other prophets looked forward to the Day of the Lord with longing, for they knew that on that day the Lord would vindicate his name. He would minister wrath to his enemies, but comfort to His people.
On that Day, do we expect wrath or comfort? Are we against God or for Him?
There is a battle to be fought now. An army has assaulted the church and we must fight that army or else die trying. If we do not fight then we can expect nothing but total annihilation.
What is that army? it is sin.
Sin has entered the church. It has broken down the walls and left us battered and helpless. We need to blow the trumpet, to sound the alarm. The enemy has broken in and we are called to fight Him.
Let us stand up to this enemy. Let us stand up and do battle. Let us purge the church of the sin that has torn it apart, and replace it with love for God, and for one another. Let us awake and turn to God in prayer. Let us not be found sleeping on the walls, but rather let us be found standing in the gap like a faithful watch.
If we do not start fighting for our churches then we will be destroyed completely. Satan’s army will overrun us and there will be nothing left.
A minister hammered a notice on his church door:
“This church will have revival or a funeral.”
Through prayer and a process of consecration of the people of that church, God graciously visited them with revival. But the minister was right. If there had been no revival then at some point there would have been a funeral.
God destroyed Sodom when there was no longer a remnant to intercede for it. Will he do any less to the churches of our countries, or even our whole nations when there is no remnant to be found there either?
The church in our nation will have revival or a funeral.
Which will it be?
