“Day of the Lord”: Reflections on the Book of Joel

Having just finished a three-part sermon series on the Old Testament Book of Joel, I wanted to share some reflections. Written in the aftermath of a devastating plague of locust, the central theme of Joel is the “day of the Lord.” What is the “day of the Lord?” It is the final day of human history. When the locust destroyed all vegetation and brought about a devastating famine, this was but a foretaste of a more complete destruction, judgment day, when God will bring an end to evil on earth.

Here is the surprise at the heart of Joel: the “day of the Lord” is not only ahead of us—it is also behind us. On the cross, when darkness fell and the earth shook, it was God’s final judgment brought forward in history and poured out on a single man, Jesus Christ, for the salvation of his people. But the fullness of that judgment awaits us in the future. It is already here but not yet.

Joel promises that in that future day to come, there will also be a renewal and resurrection of the world, so that everything will be good and beautiful again. This is the prophecy of the “New Heavens and the New Earth” in Revelation 21-22. Until that day, God is gathering his people from all nations, and the offer still stands: “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Joel 2:32)