DISASTER IN THE LAND, | DAY OF THE LORD, | DEPENDENCE ON THE LORD, | |
Destruction, | Imminent, | Turn to Me, | I will answer, |
Awake, | Illustrated, | Restoration of the land, | |
Lament, | Outpouring of the Spirit, | ||
Be ashamed, | Judgment of the nations, | ||
Lament, | Blessing for Israel, | ||
Major characters #
- Joel (“The Lord is God”), the son of Pethuel
Major themes #
- Day of the Lord, 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14
The Day of the Lord is a phrase used repeatedly in the Old Testament as a reference to a time of judgement by God upon the nation of Israel and also upon the Gentile nations. (Note that it is not here a 24 hour day, but rather a reference to an undefined period of time.) Sometimes the reference is to a judgement that was to occur in the near future (Isa. 13:6, 9; Jer. 46:10) and has subsequently been fulfilled, although these are generally seen as but a foreshadowing of the final great Day of the Lord.
Joel, speaking of the day of the Lord, says “it shall come as destruction from the Almighty” (1:15). He goes on to say, “it is great and terrible; Who can endure it?” (2:11). He warns of cosmic disturbances that will precede this great day of God’s judgement (3:14-15). Then the Lord will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; But the Lord will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel” (3:16).
The Day of the Lord “will be a lengthy time period including both judgement and blessing. It will begin soon after the Rapture and will include the seven-year Tribulation, the return of the Messiah, the Millennium, and the making of the new heavens and new earth.”
Robert Chisholm, Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament
