Joel and The Day of the Lord
"And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come."
(Joel 2:30-31)
We find that Joel is a pre-tribulation account of the terrible day of the Lord, but we have to ask 4 questions,
- What is the day of the Lord?
- Wouldn't God give his people a warning that it is beginning?
- When does the day of the Lord begin?
- What happens during the final days of the day of the Lord?
- How long does the day of the Lord last?
Wouldn't God give us the answers to these questions?
"Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. " (Amos 3:7)
What is the day of the Lord?
Revelation describes it as an apocalyptic time of God's wrath against those who have turned from him.
It consists of a span of time in which humanity is punished for turning their backs to God. In an effort to get humanity to repent and return to him God continues to removes his protections from satan allowing what are called,
- The seven seals
- The seven trumpets
- The seven vials
Wouldn't God give his people a warning that it is beginning?
What if he did from creation? What if God built into his plan of salvation
a way to tell us what was about to happen?
"And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: " (Genesis 1:14)
God said look to the sky for signs.
Joel said that there will be wonders in the heavens, blood moons, the sun turning dark (eclipses), and the zodiac (astronomy) lining up in a specific way.
Luke and Acts support Joel's pre tribulation signs in the sky view.
"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;" (Luke 21:25)
"And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: " (Acts 2:19-20)
But because of false assumptions we are missing out on what God is showing us,
in turn causing an incorrect timing of the day of the Lord.
Satan the great counterfeiter created a counterfeit religion that tells us
not to look to the stars because astrology is wrong in order to hide Gods plan of
astronomy for signs all under the guise of Deuteronomy 4:19.
"And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven." (Deuteronomy 4:19)
But what it is saying is, do not worship anything visible in the skies, not to
avoid looking to them for signs from God.
In Revelation John was told to warn the church's, a warning for all God's
people, both present and future.
When did the day of the Lord begin?
John said that the "Day of the Lord" had already begun, and that he was in it. The Day of the Lord encompasses past, present, and future events.
"I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, " (Revelation 1:10)
"Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter (it has started); " (Revelation 1:19)
What happens during the final days of the day of the Lord?
Just as ancient Israel went into captivity in three waves, so will the USA.
- Ancient Israel went broke paying tribute to a foreign nation. The USA is going broke sending money to foreign nations.
- Ancient Israel was taken over losing it's national governance, the left wants to give up governance to the UN.
- Ancient Israel was removed as a nation, the UN/world will make war with
Christian nations.
How long does the day of the Lord last?
"For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night." (Psalms 90:4)
"But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own sted fastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." (2 Peter 3:8-18)
So basing a thousand years as a day in the eyes of the Lord, the prophecy of
Hosea 6 makes sense
"After two days (after two thousand years) he will revive us: in the third day (millennial reign) he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth." (Hosea 6:1-3)
It has been approximately two thousand years since Jesus was here the first time to shed his blood for us, 30-31AD, and after two thousand years he will return to restore God's kingdom upon the earth for a thousand year reign.
Now most churches confuse Matt 24:29, and Mark 13:24 as pre tribulation scriptures,
but if you read them carefully you find that they are post tribulation
scriptures.
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." (Matthew 24:29-30)
"But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory." (Mark 13:24-26)
We are likely going to see the return of the Lord within a fairly short window of time: months
or years, depending upon when you are reading this, but not decades. Based upon
everything above, approximately 2030-31 should see the return of our Lord. Though
no one knows the hour or the day (Matt 24:36) yet we are told to watch and that
we will know when it is at hand.
"Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors." (Matthew 24:32-33) and (Mar 13:28-29)
"when ye shall see all these things" what are these things? Read the paragraphs before starting in Matthew 24:3 or Mark 13:3.
And then again it could be sooner
"And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." (Matthew 24:22)
Make no mistake about it, we are already in the Day of the Lord.
"Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (Luke 21:36)