The Coming Day of the Lord - Joel

 Joel 3:11-13 (ESV)

Hasten and come,

all you surrounding nations,

and gather yourselves there.

Bring down your warriors, O LORD.

Let the nations stir themselves up

and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;

for there I will sit to judge

all the surrounding nations.

Put in the sickle,

for the harvest is ripe.

Go in, tread,

for the winepress is full.

The vats overflow,

for their evil is great.

The book of Joel is written to warn the Gentile nations of the Day of the Lord.  The nation of Israel was excited about the Day of the Lord because to them this was God’s judgment on the surrounding nations.   That is what makes the above verses so potent to the reader.   Now, they failed to realize that God would, also, bring judgement to them.  They were only focused on the theme of the above verses. Joel also wrote to them, however, to repent and return to the Lord.   The Day of the Lord is for anyone who is not following God in faithful obedience.

In the above passage we read that God, indeed, will judge the nations.  He will bring the all to a place of judgment.   The Apostle John, in the Book of the Revelation, states the same thing about the final judgment he saw in his vision:

Revelation 14:15-16 (ESV)

And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped.

The world knows nothing of this coming day of God’s wrath on those who disobey Him and deny Him.  The world mocks and scorns those who believe this truth.   They can deny all they want, but The Day of the Lord will come.  Even those who think they are special (Israel) will suffer if they did not faithfully obey Him in Spirit and Truth.   God will put His sickle into the harvest when it is ripe.  Right now there is time to repent and turn to Him.  But, there will come a day called The Day of the Lord and there will be no more chance to repent.