JOEL-Day of the Lord is at hand
Day of the Lord is mentioned 4 times in the book of the prophet Joel.
There are 86 Bible verses about The Day of the Lord. God has been reaching out to man since creation.
God formed man of the dust of the ground & breathed into him the breath of life. Gen. 2:7.
After man sinned & was hiding, God walked in the garden and called to him: “Adam where art thou?” Gen. 3:9.
God pronounces judgement for sin: “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return unto the ground” Gen. 3:19.
After Cain killed Abel, The Lord said to Cain “where is Abel thy brother?” Gen. 4:9.
God judgement: “…a fugitive and vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. Gen. 4:12.
God reached out to Noah & delivered him and his family from the flood. “Thee only have I seen righteous” Gen. 7:1.
God dealing with nations.
Nations established after the flood were worshipers of idols.
One day the Lord appears to Abraham and tells him to leave his country and go to a land he promised him, and He will bless him and his seed…”and in thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” The promise of the Redeemer. Gen. 12:1-3.
Abraham’s seed multiplies in Egypt and become enslaved.
God delivers them using 10 judgement days-the 10 plagues.
Abraham’s seed becomes the nation of Israel.
God’s dealing with the nation of Israel.
Israel was a United Kingdom under King Saul, King David and King Solomon.
After King Solomon the kingdom divided into Northern Kingdom and Southern Kingdom.
The Northern Kingdom deviated from God and all it’s Kings were wicked.
The Southern Kingdom strayed from God from time to time. Some of it’s Kings were Godly.
God sent prophets to these Kingdoms to warn them that the Day of the Lord is at hand.
The Prophet Joel was sent to the Southern Kingdom.
Joel warns them four times that the Day of the Lord is at hand.
The Prophet Joel’s warning statements of the Day of the Lord is at hand .
Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand…Ch.1:15.
For the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand. Ch.2:1.
The day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it. Ch.2:11.
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.
Survey of the book of Joel.
Joel means The Lord is God.
Joel the son of Penthuel wrote this book of Minor Prophets about 800 B.C. before the Captivity of Israel and Judah.
Main theme of the book is: Return to the Lord your God.
Ch. 1: Lamenting over a great plague of locusts and severe drought.
“Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.” vs. 8.
“The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the Lord; the priests, the Lord’s ministers, mourn.” vs. 9.
“Alas for the day of the Lord is at hand and as a destruction from the Almighty it shall come.” vs. 15.
“Oh Lord, to thee will I cry for the fire has devoured the pastures…the beasts of the field cry…” vs15-18.
Ch. 2: Return to the Lord.
'“Blow the trumpet in Zion and sound the 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.” vs.1.
“Yet even now declares the Lord, turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: and rent your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and he repenteth him of evil. vs.12-13.
“ And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh… and I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth…” vs.28-30.
“And it will come about that whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” vs. 32.
Ch. 3: Return of the captivity.
“…I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem.” vs.1.
“Let the heathen be awakened and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat…multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.” vs. 12-14.
Summary of the Book of Joel:
Oh Israel return to the Lord your God. God will restore you and end your captivity.
All you heathen, awaken and come to the valley of decision for the day of the Lord is near.
below is the message audio.
Below is the underlined link to the typed message notes.