Sermon Central
Joel 2
The Terrible Visitation
And sound an alarm on My holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
For the day of the LORD is coming;
Surely it is near,
A day of clouds and thick darkness.
As the dawn is spread over the mountains,
So there is a great and mighty people;
There has never been anything like it,
Nor will there be again after it
To the years of many generations.
And behind them a flame burns.
The land is like the garden of Eden before them
But a desolate wilderness behind them,
And nothing at all escapes them.
And like war horses, so they run.
They leap on the tops of the mountains,
Like the crackling of a flame of fire consuming the stubble,
Like a mighty people arranged for battle.
All faces turn pale.
They climb the wall like soldiers;
And they each march in line,
Nor do they deviate from their paths.
They march everyone in his path;
When they burst through the defenses,
They do not break ranks.
They run on the wall;
They climb into the houses,
They enter through the windows like a thief.
The heavens tremble,
The sun and the moon grow dark
And the stars lose their brightness.
Surely His camp is very great,
For strong is he who carries out His word.
The day of the LORD is indeed great and very awesome,
And who can endure it?
“Return to Me with all your heart,
And with fasting, weeping and mourning;
Now return to the LORD your God,
For He is gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness
And relenting of evil.
And leave a blessing behind Him,
Even a grain offering and a drink offering
For the LORD your God?
Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly,
Assemble the elders,
Gather the children and the nursing infants.
Let the bridegroom come out of his room
And the bride out of her bridal chamber.
Weep between the porch and the altar,
And let them say, “Spare Your people, O LORD,
And do not make Your inheritance a reproach,
A byword among the nations.
Why should they among the peoples say,
‘Where is their God?’”
And will have pity on His people.
“Behold, I am going to send you grain, new wine and oil,
And you will be satisfied in full with them;
And I will never again make you a reproach among the nations.
And I will drive it into a parched and desolate land,
And its vanguard into the eastern sea,
And its rear guard into the western sea.
And its stench will arise and its foul smell will come up,
For it has done great things.”
For the LORD has done great things.
For the pastures of the wilderness have turned green,
For the tree has borne its fruit,
The fig tree and the vine have yielded in full.
And be glad in the LORD your God;
For He has given you the early rain for your vindication.
And He has poured down for you the rain,
The early and latter rain as before.
And the vats will overflow with the new wine and oil.
That the swarming locust has eaten,
The creeping locust, the stripping locust and the gnawing locust,
My great army which I sent among you.
And praise the name of the LORD your God,
Who has dealt wondrously with you;
Then My people will never be put to shame.
And that I am the LORD your God,
And there is no other;
And My people will never be put to shame.
That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind;
And your sons and daughters will prophesy,
Your old men will dream dreams,
Your young men will see visions.
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
Blood, fire and columns of smoke.
And the moon into blood
Before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.
Will be delivered;
For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
There will be those who escape,
As the LORD has said,
Even among the survivors whom the LORD calls.