The Great and Terrible Day of the Lord
Blow 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 is coming, for it is at hand: A day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, the like of whom has never been; nor will there ever be any such after them, even for many successive generations. …
The LORD gives voice before His army, for His camp is very great; for strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; who can endure it?
The prophet Joel’s message contains powerful warnings of punishment and destruction from God to wake people from their apathy and sin so they can turn to God and be delivered. This terrifying invading army is unstoppable; no human defenses can withstand it. The only solution is to turn to God.
The Day of the Lord is mentioned throughout the Bible. It is the theme of the book of Joel. It is also the theme of the book of Revelation, where the plagues and battles are described in much more detail through the seven trumpets and the seven last plagues.
For more about the Day of the Lord and why it is necessary, see our article on “What Is the Day of the Lord?” Tomorrow we will look at what God calls on us to do in the face of these warnings.
