Expounds on the distinct meanings of "man's day," "the day of Christ," and "the day of the Lord" (or "day of Jehovah"), asserting that the "day of the Lord" commences after the church is raptured and encompasses the Great Tribulation and the millennial reign. It highlights that the "day of the Lord" is characterized by divine judgment and destruction, contrasting it with "man's day" which represents human self-rule and "the day of Christ" which refers to Christ's return for His bride. The sermon emphasizes that the "day of the Lord" in Joel signifies a future period of intense judgment upon the earth, particularly targeting God's people Israel, and that this judgment will be preceded by the restoration of Israel and the temple, followed by a period of great tribulation and ultimately God's eternal reign.
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in prayer to him, asking him to remember our loved ones of the sick. Father, we bow in thy holy presence. We are grateful that we can come into thy holy presence. We bless thee for the one who opened the way by his own precious blood. Oh, how we thank thee, though long ago in the Old Testament, only the high priest once a year could go into the holiest of that earthly tabernacle where the shekinah glory cloud of God's presence and the golden ark was there within so typical of our blessed Lord Jesus in the glory of his person the excellency of his beauty to thine own heart but oh now father we thank thee every believer can come into thy presence And we are encouraged to draw near with a true heart and with a assurance of faith, having our heart sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
We bless thee, Father, for the entrance. Though on the earth and thou art in heaven, there is access into the holiest. We bring thee our praise and thanksgiving for the one who opened the way. We long for the day. when all the redeemed of the Lord will be forever above in thy glory there. But until then we pray thee, remember those of us who are still here on the earth, thy children, and for them all we pray. Far and near, wherever they are, however their condition, bring them closer to thyself. We think of our dear friends that are sick, Pray for Linda that thou wouldst remember and strengthen her.
And there are many others, Lord, whom thou lovest to the sick. Comfort them in their sickness. Relieve them in their discomfort if it be thy will. May they know thy grace. Some of thy dear people will be going home to be with Christ. That will be far better. But Lord, we commend all, and we commend one another to thee. Pray for the families that we represent. that the Lord Jesus will become precious to every dear one in our families. We pray for the unsaved amongst them. Bring them to Christ before the day of the Lord should come, and it would be too late. We pray for their salvation, asking thee too, Father, restore those who need to be restored to the fellowship of the Lord and to the Father's heart.
And we ask thy blessing upon us as we gather around thy word Open thy word. Oh, how we would ask thee, not only to open thy word, but with the psalmist we would say, Open thou mine eyes, that I may see wondrous things out of thy word. And we put ourselves in thy dear hands, asking thy blessing now as we study thy word, in the name and for the glory of the Lord Jesus. Amen. If you turn in your Bibles to the prophecy of Joel in chapter two, we only got into the introduction of the chapter last week, the first two verses.
And I would like to read those two verses again and feel led of the Lord to speak particularly regarding the meaning as well as the scriptural place in that expression that we're considering today. the day of the Lord. But let me read verses one and two. Your lesson sheet will be page three. Blow ye 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 cometh, for it is nigh at hand. A day of darkness and of gloominess. A day of clouds and of thick darkness.
As the morning spread upon the mountains, a great people and a strong, there hath not been ever the light, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. May God bless the reading of these two verses. I would particularly like to follow through with a little explanation, which I hope you'll bear with me, and if you have any notes that you can make, I trust you'll feel free to do it. For I would like to particularly put in the proper perspective the meaning of this expression, the day of the Lord. First of all, if you will turn with me to First Corinthians chapter four, and verse three, I want you to notice there is an expression, not in our authorized version, but you'll find it in the corrected revised and other versions that may have the correction.
In verse three of first Corinthians four, there is a reference to man's day. Now, if you make a note, put the note down, man's day, which we are going to consider for just the moment. Let me read the verse. Paul writing regarding the judgment seat of Christ, but with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or man's judgment, literally meaning... That it is man's day. Whatever man is, he's not going to be my judge. So that the day that you and I are living in, as Paul refers to it, it is man's day.
Now let me corroborate that in a very prophetic scripture that I'm sure you'll understand. Go with me to the book of the Revelation. Chapter thirteen. And the last verse Now you may be familiar with this particular chapter of the Revelation, and you know that it presents to us the closing day of the Gentile age when the beast and the false prophet, one who will be the political head of the revived Roman Empire, the other who will be the religious head of that revived empire at the close of the age, who's the false prophet or the antichrist.
But let me read verse eighteen, and you're very familiar with the expression I know. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is six hundred threescore and six. Now here you can recognize that, and may I say, don't be concerned regarding the literal numerals at all. But most of all, the moral and spiritual meaning behind it, it's man's number. Now you can recall, as you remember in Genesis one, that it was on the sixth day that man was created.
So that numeral, speaking numerally, the numeral six spiritually in its exposition of Scripture refers to man. and you and I are living in man's day if I may go further to say you can embrace it in the whole Gentile age from Nebuchadnezzar all the way down to the coming again the second coming of the Lord Jesus the whole age what God did he put into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar together with his successors who followed him the government of the earth now it's up to you my people Israel failed now I turned the government of the earth over to man and then as you come to the end of that age as you think of the book of the revelation we see man coming to the fruition of just what he is in all of his wretchedness and wickedness and lawlessness in that coming day typified particularly in those persons who will be the world dictators forming the satanic trinity the satan himself the beast and the false prophet In the end of the age.
Now man's day. Now Paul says. Man's not my judge. Though I'm living in man's day. So recognize. The period can be called. And is in the word of God. Man's day. Now go with me to Philippians chapter one. Verse six. And I want you to notice another expression. And this expression is. The day of Christ. The day of Christ. Philippians chapter one. Verse six. Paul writing to the Philippian believers and to you and to me, being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it or finish it or complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Now underline that. This is the day of Christ in the expression before us. Now go to Second Corinthians chapter one, if you please, in verse fourteen, and you'll have a clearer understanding of the meaning of the day of Christ. Second Corinthians chapter one, in verse fourteen, whereby the Spirit Paul writes these words, may I begin at verse thirteen, for we write none other things unto you, and will you please remember, to the Philippians, to the Corinthians, Paul was writing to believers in the Lord Jesus.
We write none other things unto you than what we read, ye read or acknowledge, and I trust ye shall acknowledge even to the end, as also you have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus. Now what's the day of the Lord Jesus in relation to his church? This is coming for his bride. That will be his day. And one can recognize the implication. We are saved by his grace until he comes for us.
And that's going to be his day when he claims his blood-bought bride. It's going to be the coming day of his marriage to the church when he takes her home to glory. And that is the day of Christ. It's a distinction from the other, man's day, the day of Christ. But the emphasis, wherever you find it, relative to the day of Christ, relates to that day when he comes for his bride. And I pray it would be today. Now there's another day that we're studying. From Joel, the day of the Lord, or the day of Jehovah.
Now we've already noticed, as we covered verses one and two, the character of the day of the Lord is far different. And may I suggest to you, now, and this is what I want to emphasize particularly, the day of Jehovah begins after the church is gone. Please let me emphasize that. There are some dear teachers of the Word of God Who may be doctrinally correct in many ways, but in my humble opinion are incorrect when they put the church in the Great Tribulation. For the day of Jehovah begins after the Lord comes through his church.
Now I want to prove it. I've done it already before, but I'm going to do it again. I make no apology for the repetition. If there's anything I want you to enjoy, and I enjoy it, I know I'm not going through the Great Tribulation. Look at Second Thessalonians chapter two, please. Second Thessalonians chapter two. We were here once before, but I do want to repeat it, so to present to you the expression and the meaning of the day of the Lord in its proper perspective according to the purposes of God. Second Thessalonians chapter two, let me just read verse one and two only. for brevity's sake. Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together unto him.
Now what is Paul referring to in these words? All you need to do is read First Thessalonians chapter four, verse thirteen through eighteen. Paul had already written to the Thessalonians preceding this second epistle. and told them you and I are going to be caught up together with the dead in Christ and the living in Christ together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air so shall we ever be with the Lord and that's what Paul's referring you now listen he says to these Thessalonians I besieged you on the ground our Lord Jesus is coming for us you and I are going to be gathered together to meet him in the air now he says in verse two Because of that, be ye not soon shaken in mind, don't let your mind be affected, nor let it be troubled, whether by spirit, whether by word, somebody telling you, or whether somebody says, we wrote a letter about it.
Now here's the correction we need, and I hope you're making it in your Bible, it's not the day of Christ here, in the text, the Greek text, another corrected version, it's the day of the Lord. that the day of the Lord is at hand. And here was one problem the Thessalonian believers faced. They thought, and they were having trouble, and they thought it was the day of the Lord, of his coming judgments already beginning. Wait a minute, Paul says, don't let anybody shake you. And if anybody tries to shake you, stand firm. Tell them, I don't believe it.
And tell them what I've told others. When the rapture comes, I hope I go alongside with you, and I'll tell you all the way up, I told you so. Beloved Lord, make the distinction that day of the Lord comes after the rapture. And the rest of the chapter goes on to prove it in second Thessalonians two. And one can recognize. But may I give you this truth about it? That day of the Lord not only begins after the rapture, and takes in the great tribulation, but it is also the day of Jehovah's reign, when for a thousand years he rules over the earth.
In other words, let me give you the thought. How will the Lord establish his kingdom on the earth? He's got to do some very important tragic surgery. to clean up the mess that's down here. Judgment, power, destruction, the most terrible that has ever been known in all human history. Please let me say, and he has been long-suffering for centuries and centuries, he's been long-suffering to this world.
May I put it in this perspective. From Nebuchadnezzar's day, he has entrusted the government of the earth to the Gentile nations, and they've let him down. And when the end comes, and he has to take the kingdom, he's not coming to be a savior, but to be a judge. And the day of the Lord, the character of it, is one of solemn judgments. destruction darkness gloom terrible as thus he cleanses the earth let me give you the thought from Jude chapter the only chapter in the epistle of Jude verse fourteen and fifteen when Jude said that Enoch the seventh from Adam now here's something the seventh man from Adam Enoch And if you go back to Genesis chapter five in the genealogy of Adam, you'll find that Adam was still living when Enoch was preaching.
If I recall correctly, it's many, many years, fifty or more, I figured it out. But I think it's somewhere like two hundred and forty-three years Adam was living when Enoch was on the earth. You know, they lived a long time then. And this is why Enoch preached. Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints. to execute judgment now here let me put also another thought that's another proof that the church won't be here during the great tribulation because how are we going to come with him unless he's got us the first the rapture comes first so when he comes from heaven and you read revelation nineteen the armies of heaven come down with him and if you never rode a horse maybe you will then but anyway that matters not but we know we're coming with him and how joyful it is to realize it's coming forward first then when he comes down in glory to take the kingdoms of the world we're coming with him and all that history of man's day from Nebuchadnezzar to the end of the Gentile age comes to an end Daniel chapter two
In the image that Nebuchadnezzar... Remember what? The image that Nebuchadnezzar saw in that dream? Daniel said it was the image of what? A man. And I tell you, when you look at a man, you know he's looking at something beautiful in God's sight. He's a failure. This is man's day. And all the prospectus that the Chamber of Commerce has for the city of Charlotte is not going to be fulfilled. or even the government of this earth man's the failure and when you read revelation thirteen and verse eighteen there's the complete fulfillment of it six six six a triple failure with the satanic trinity satan the beast and the false prophet man's ruin now there's another day it's called the day of god Second Peter, chapter three.
Second Peter, chapter three. And I want you to get these distinctions because it will help us in the understanding of these days. Second Peter, and chapter three, let me read verses ten through thirteen, where Peter goes on to say in verse ten, But the day of the Lord or the day of Jehovah will come as the thief in the night, into which the heaven shall pass away with a great noise, The elements shall melt with her beneath. 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, and note this, the day of God. Now make a complete, clear distinction. This is not man's day, this is not the day of Christ, no, the day of Jehovah, it's the day of God. Another truth, and from the context, as you notice it, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. Remember John's words in the book of the Revelation? When he declared, the heavens and the earth passed away, And I saw a new heaven and a new earth.
A new creation. That's God's day. The day of God. When God... And may I go a little bit further to suggest. Don't think particularly of the Father. But I think you would indeed magnify and glorify the whole Godhead. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God's day. The Supreme Day. When the universe... After his redempted purposes are done, we'll bring in the day of God. Well, go to First Corinthians chapter fifteen. First Corinthians chapter fifteen. Here you have in First Corinthians chapter fifteen. The precious expression that's beautiful to realize.
If I may begin reading at verse twenty-four. Let me begin at verse twenty-three. And I want you to know something. In what we read now, you've got the order of the resurrection. And he may I begin reading in verse twenty-three, every man in his own order. Christ, he heads the resurrection, the first fruits. Afterward, they that are Christ that is coming. And there you can recognize the rapture indeed. Then come at the end. Now what's the end here? It's not the millennial kingdom. It's really the end of the millennial kingdom. It's the end of all God's purposes. when the second resurrection of the unsaved is taken place, then come at the end.
And when he has reigned for a thousand years, note the next words. Then when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power, for he must reign till he has put all enemies under his feet, and the last enemy that shall be destroyed is one. death and you read it in Revelation chapter twenty the judgment of the unsaved death and Hades cast into the lake of fire that's the last act the Lord Jesus will ever do to perform the complete redemptive purposes of God then when he's done that read next for he has put all things under his feet but when God saith all things are put under him it is manifest he is accepted who did put all things under him And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things unto him, that God may be all in all.
Underscore those last words, that God may be all in all. My who can visualize such a day? And may I say, it's an eternal day. God, all in all. Sing, God, death, pain, everything of all the previous creation, God, God's day. Oh, beloved, I'm glad there's so much ahead. But realize the distinction. Man's day, the day of Christ, the day of Jehovah, Which takes in the judgments of the coming on the earth after the rapture.
Down to the end of the millennial kingdom. And then. When the sun is finished. The great white throne judgment. Climaxes. God's purposes. With the human race. And is the separation of the lost forever. Because their name is not written in the book of life. And then the son says father. I've done it all. And he turns it over. And yet he himself continues to be in subjection as a man forever to the will of his Father, that God may be all in all. And I'm sure we can say, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit will forever manifest their blessed presence and person in that day of God.
Well, let me just say this. I wish man's day was over. Christ's day would come, and then ultimately the day of God. But now back to our chapter in Job. Now I hope you'll pardon the digression, but I thought it would be very helpful to realize the distinction between those days. Now going back to our lesson, please. Let me again read verse one and two, where we were in the closing moments of last week. Blow ye the trumpet in Zion and sound an alarm. Now, please note that. It's an alarm. The trumpets in Israel were blown for more than one purpose, for gathering the people together, for to worship, as well as for blowing when they should be on the march in Israel.
But this is an alarm, please, if I don't mind emphasizing. Look at your lesson sheet. I'd like to repeat for our emphasis. On lesson sheet number three and verses one and two, let me please read what we have in our paragraph. There is an alarm sounded. And may I say, the alarm is regarding the day of Jehovah. Please, or the last chapter, the first chapter, we saw the locus invasion of the land in the day of Joel that devastated the whole land. Now, when we come to chapter two, please let me say very firmly, the Spirit of God through Joel takes us to the end of the Gentile age, the day of the Lord.
And he sounds it as an alarm. Let me go down the chapter with you, please. Look at verse fifteen for just one moment. And we'll come to it and explain it further when we reach that. But I want you to notice the difference. In verse one, the trumpet is an alarm. In verse fifteen, blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast and call a solemn assembly. Now there you can recognize this is not an alarm. And when we get to we'll see. God says, I want to gather my people together. Blow the trumpet. Yes, blow it. But it's not an alarm of danger. Get the suggestion. The alarm is one of danger.
The trumpet, as it is blown, is but one to gather the people together. Now go into my lesson sheet, please. We reach right here in chapter two, the heart of the prophecy, for the literal description of the locus is no longer in view. And dispensationally, the first chapter stands for the entire times of the Gentiles, which began with Nebuchadnezzar, and there's the dream that Nebuchadnezzar had, And Daniel's interpretation is given. And they continue until the God of heaven sets up a kingdom which cannot be destroyed. You remember that vision or that dream that Nebuchadnezzar had?
And Nebuchadnezzar was told by Daniel. And Nebuchadnezzar saw in the dream an image of gold, breast and arms of silver, belly and fire, brass or copper, legs of iron and feet of iron and clay. And Daniel was told Nebuchadnezzar, it was the whole complete Gentile rule. Nebuchadnezzar, you're the head of gold. Next comes the inferior kingdom of the Medes and Persians. Next the Grecian, last the Roman Empire. Please let me say. Even though it's a conglomeration of nations today, there's remnants of those nations still existing.
And down at the end, Nebuchadnezzar saw a stone come and smite the image on its feet. At the end of that Gentile time, and the image was destroyed, and the stone filled the whole earth, and Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar, the God of heaven is going to set over the kingdom that cannot be moved. What a day that will be, and one can well recognize that surely, as we come, into this second chapter of the prophecy of Daniel, of Joel. And may I please, oh, if I could only enter into it myself more, to realize what God is saying way back in the days of Joel about the end time.
May I put it, when you study the prophecies of the Old Testament, you can learn more about the future than you may even learn in the New Testament. the whole burden of prophetic scripture in the Old Testament was the kingdom the messianic kingdom you get it all the way back from Genesis chapter three in verse fifteen when God told the serpent that he would that he would bruise the head of the seed of the woman or rather the seed of the woman would bruise the serpent's head the glory of the temple in Matthew twenty four he said do you see all these stones not one stone of this temple will be left standing it will be judged later on the disciples came to him Lord what will be the sign of thy coming and of thy kingdom and the end of the age oh beloved let me let me please say these prophecies of the Old Testament They point you beyond the church age.
But let me also declare, they don't tell you anything about the church age either. For when you read Ephesians chapter three, Paul says it was the mystery that was hid from the foundation of the world and revealed to Paul what the church is. read Ephesians chapter three there was a mystery hidden ages past Paul says please let me state literally you may find some typical meaning sometimes but literally the church is not revealed in the Old Testament you may have types oftentimes the first type that is ever spoken of is when God made he out of a river of Adam out of the side of Adam a type of Christ from Christ the bride has been formed but it's only a type literally the first mention of the church Matthew sixteen when the Lord Jesus told Peter upon this rock the son of the living God I will build my
church so please let me emphasize when you look sometimes you've got to An authorized version. Sometimes the one of its authorized and unauthorized in some of its express. But anyway, when you look at it, sometimes on the heading of your page, if you've got an old-fashioned Bible, you'll see headings of chapters or heading on top of the pages. And they refer in the Old Testament the publishers, the printers, not the Lord, but the printers refer to the church. The church. No, forget it. The church is a revelation of the New Testament. But the kingdom, you get it from Genesis through Malachi.
And what we have in Joel is the propelling of this truth that when the day of Jehovah comes, it's going to be the day when he takes the kingdom. And every pious Israelite, when he weaves of the day, that day in the Old Testament, Read Zechariah sometime. In chapters twelve through fourteen, the last three chapters, I forget how many times, maybe twenty, sixteen or twenty, there's the repetition. In that day, in that day, in that day, and every pious Jew knew what he meant. It's the day of the kingdom. Then the Messiah will reign. And all the prophets write on him.
They knew nothing of the church. Let me repeat again. Keep the perspective that church is a New Testament revelation. And the Lord Jesus never spoke of it until he knew he was being rejected. And knew in the purposes of God, I will build my church. And you and I are in that interval between the Old Testament scriptures and the coming again of our Lord Jesus, where he's building his church. But then we'll come after the rapture, the taking of the kingdom. Joel mentions it.
And in order to do it, well, very frankly, in order to do it, he's got to clean up this world. Oh, my. And it's getting messier and messier all the time. Now look at what Joel goes on to say. Let me read the second paragraph of our lesson sheet. The second chapter takes us at once to the end of the times of the Gentiles. When the law, day of the Lord is to be fulfilled, and we touched on those references last week, and before this is fulfilled, part of Israel must be in their land. And this has now taken place, and ancient ceremonies and sacrifices will be partially restored. Please let me point out, do I need to?
You and I are living, and we have lived to see the restoration of some form of the nation of Israel. in recognition within their land, though there they are in unbelief. And there'll be the restoration of their ceremonial worship in that coming day. Look at Revelation chapter eleven and verse one. Let me prove it. The book of Revelation mentions that fact in the eleven chapter where John tells in regards to the great visions that God gave him. Let me read verse one and two, if you please. Just one and two only. There was given me a reed like unto a round of measuring reed.
The angels stood saying, Rise and measure what? The temple of God, the altar, and them that worship therein. Please note the reestablishing of some form of the temple and also the altar where there will be sacrifices made. You remember, I beg your pardon. Yeah, when we studied Ozea. You remember when we studied those then, we found that for a great length of period, they would have no altar. They would have no king. Right here in the book of Revelation, chapter eleven, verse one, they're going to have some form of a temple and altar to reestablish.
And no, worshipers there. But the court which is without the temple, leave out. Measure it now. It is given unto the Gentiles. And the holy city shall they tread underfoot forty and two months, which is three and a half years. And one can reckon that. Please let me say this. I wonder if I could make the picture clear. The day is coming. John doesn't prophesy this as John does. But it's the same period of time to which he refers. The day is coming when the Jews will have some form of restoration of temple and worship and sacrifice.
And the Gentiles, they're going to hate it. And before the end, they're going to seek the destruction of the city. Oh, how we can recognize that? to what their Jews are coming to. But the Gentiles are going to seek its destruction. Will you go with me to Daniel chapter nine, please? Daniel, go back to the prophecy of Daniel chapter nine. I want you to notice something. We've got to mention somewhere along here of the Great Tribulation, but Daniel chapter nine.
Let me read verses, the last two verses of the chapter. Let me go to verse twenty-six. After three-score and two weeks this great prophecy of Daniel, shall Messiah be cut off? Daniel was told that the Messiah would come, and after a certain period, weeks of years, sixty-two, three-score and two weeks of years, shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself, and the people of the prince that shall come. Now the prince that shall come has not yet appeared, but his people, the Romans, shall destroy the city and the sanctuary, and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war, desolations are determined.
Now when you look at verse twenty-seven, here you have the last week of Daniel's prophecy, which has yet to be fulfilled. And let me repeat again. When the rapture takes place, This last week of Daniel will be fulfilled. And the prince, Roman prince, his people of Rome long ago destroyed Jerusalem, as we well know in the past. And when he comes, notice verse twenty-seven, he will confirm, establish the covenant with many, meaning many Jews. For Daniel is being referred to by the angel regarding his people.
For one week, that last week of seven years, and in the middle of the week, he shall cause the sacrifice, the oblation to cease. For the overspreading of abominations, he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. And here you have in the middle of that week of seven years, the one who makes the covenant with the Jews will abominate the temple and place up, you have it in Revelation thirteen, will place the image of the beast to be worshipped.
Now look in Matthew twenty-four, please. Let's confirm it. Matthew chapter twenty-four, let's See the words of the Lord Jesus, that we can recognize the time of this occasion. And you have it in verse, if I may begin reading, in verse fifteen. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place. Who still read it? Let him understand them. Let them flee. Now go back down to verse twenty-one, please. And verse twenty-two. For this particular reason the Lord warns, when that takes place, and it will literally, then he said, For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world at this time, no, nor ever shall be, and except those days should be shortened or limited, there should no flesh be saved.
But for the elect's sake, those days shall be shortened or limited. Beloved, may I please stay? Joel is prophesying. Joel is telling by the Spirit the dreadful times that are ahead for his own earthly people. And we can well recognize there will be a God-fearing remnant in that day, too. But, oh, may I be reminded as you come, let's go back to our chapter in Joel. And I want you to note something, what God is saying. And I wish particularly... Not only to make the application and the interpretation and a past, but again the day of the Lord after the rapture.
And look in verse two, please. It will be a day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds, of thick darkness as the morning spread upon the mountains, and of great people and of strong. Beloved, look. This is not literal locus anymore. This is people coming against God's earthly people in the day of the Lord, in those days of judgment. And please note the expression that follows. There has not been ever the life.
Neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. Can you remember the words of the Lord Jesus we just read in Matthew twenty four? Oh, he said, For that which is coming upon the earth, it will be a time of such trouble that has never been known before, and never shall be known again. Oh, if I could only take him to my heart, my mind, and you too, beloved fellow believer, the terrible character of the day of the Lord. people coming against God's earthly people.
And may I add, the days coming right now, let me give you this thought. Even in the days following Joel's prophecy, he prophesied in the days of the kingdom of Judah. And if you were to read, if I may suggest to you, you're reading the thirty-seven chapter of Isaiah. And you've got an Assyrian invasion from the north came down against the city of Jerusalem. Hezekiah was king of Judah at that time. Hezekiah was a good king. Under Hezekiah there was a spiritual revival such as never to be known for centuries. But he was surrounded on one occasion by the green armies of the Assyrians, Sennacherib and all of his hosts.
He knew not what to do, except he called upon the Lord. And the enemy around the city surrounded it. And Ezekiah called upon Jehovah. And the prophet Isaiah came and told Ezekiah, The Lord will defend the city for you. And you read the account. The great army around the city at that time. And the leader of it was called away because of some danger in another part of their kingdom. But before he left, Even when Sennacherib came later and surrounded it, the angel of the Lord came. You'll read the most astonishing statement that you'll read.
The angel of the Lord smote one hundred and eighty-five thousand Assyrians in one night. And there were dead corpses in the morning. Now that invasion, God delivered his godly servant from the danger. Later on, the Ephraim, later on, the Babylonian kingdom came and overtook and took into captivity the Jews of Judah and so on. But God did that literally and punished his people of old in that day. But what we're reading in Joel is the coming day. I want you to think of something.
Every nation that hated the Jews down in this Old Testament time still hates them. They're still around. They're still around. In the old world, they are around that little nucleus of Israelites that are in the land of Israel today. And hated by them. Hasn't stopped. Now look. Even though in the past God visited in judgment some of those nations, their representatives are still alive.
And in the generation today and the days to come, they'll show their hatred more and more. And most of all, unfortunately, we'll see it in chapter three particularly of Joel. All the rest of the nations go along with them. to try and exterminate God's people Israel. Now let me ask you the question. What will it mean for Israel? What trouble it will be for them? Know with me under letter D if you please. I want you to know something before we go further in our chapter of Joel chapter two. Under letter D on your lesson sheet in verse two.
The day is described and may be compared with Zephaniah one, fifteen and sixteen, and Isaiah sixty-two. An invading army is announced, and they are described. Words describing the character of that day follow. And the day of the Lord is a day of darkness and gloom. And on the other hand, like the dawn spread upon the mountains, after the darkness the morning will break, and it will be a morning without clouds. Now I'd like you to look at some scriptures with me. Look with me at Isaiah chapter eight, please. Isaiah chapter eight. The prophet Isaiah mentions this coming destruction. And in the eighth chapter, let me just read verse twenty-two, if you please.
Chapter eight in the prophecy of Isaiah. And may I be reminded with you, we suggested no question to doubt that Joel preceded Isaiah in his prophetic. In fact, as far as we can determine, he was the earliest of the minor prophets. to thus minister but in chapter eight and verse twenty two we have the and you can read the whole chapter it's about the Assyrians but we find here what at the end of chapter eight well let me read a verse nineteen I want you to know what God says when they shall say unto you seek unto them that have familiar spirit unto wizards that peep and that mutter but may I point out to you look We've got more satanic delusions today than we've ever had in the world.
Mysticism? Spiritism? And seeking wizards? I don't know whether you all read the horoscope every day in the paper or I tell you, you better be careful. Because it doesn't come from the Bible. And even in Isaiah's day, some of the people of God were turning to what the Gentiles, the heathen, were turned to. And they believed in witchcraft, familiar spirits, wizards, the people, the martyr. And God said, should not a people seek their God for the living, to the dead, to the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, because there's no light in them.
they shall pass through it hardly be fed and hungry and it shall come to pass there when they shall be hungry they shall fret themselves and curse their king and they're gone and look upward and they shall look now please note these last words they shall look unto the earth now may I point out this fact Israel today as a nation Israel today, even after the rapture, is going to look to the earth for deliverance. Then you'll have the manifestation of the beast and the false prophet.
Look to the earth. Make a covenant with the one who's running the world at that time. Now know what the Lord said. And behold, trouble, darkness, dimness of anguish. They shall be driven to darkness. Beloved, let me please state this as a principle. Who are you looking to? Who am I looking to? For our sustenance and grace and health and strength in times of difficulty. The earth? God forbid. Look to the Lord. Seek ye God. And one can recognize in not so doing it, It brings darkness.
And when you think of Israel in that coming time, and today, as a nation, they are not seeking God. One of the deepest impressions I got when I visited Israel, and I don't care about going again, but I got the impression, the strongest impression, they did not seek God. Very few at the wailing wall who seem to have been Orthodox Jews. The majority... blind darkness seeking help we'll see more about that but please go to Isaiah chapter sixty please Isaiah chapter sixty and I want you to note even when the coming kingdom is about to appear of the Lord in chapter sixty let me please note something verse one and two verse one and two in that coming day when Christ comes as the Messiah the prophet says arise shine for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee for now note behold the darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the people please let me read those words again what kind of a condition darkness
covering the whole earth gross darkness covering the people can I say humbly but can I say faithfully You've got more moral and spiritual darkness than the world perhaps has ever known. Covering the earth, covering the people. Not just Israel alone. Beloved, may I say humbly, but gratefully, how precious for you and for me to be here this morning, and at the joy and the privilege of knowing we've got the light of God's word. But those that know not our God and love not our Savior and cast him out, darkness.
And what did the Lord Jesus say to the Pharisees? If that light in the darkness, how great is that darkness? Please can I say, you've got the darkest conditions that the world has ever known morally and spiritually today. And then may I add, they're going to get worse as you've got the scriptures. And thus you can see. Let me read, if I may, in verse two again of Isaiah. And there you can recognize that darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness that be above. The Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And may I say it again, you'll never have the coming of the Lord to the earth until you get the darkest time of the world's history.
First. First. Now let's go to our chapter in Joel, please. I'd like to go a little further. As you look at verse three, and find, as you go on, you'll find, if I may read in verse three, the words, and it describes, may I just read what follows? It gives you the picture, if I may go right through verse eleven, and just read it. It gives you the picture of that invading army at the end time. Wait a minute. Will you please note something? Go down to verse twenty. I want you to note. I want to prove that it's not locusts. It's an army. In verse twenty, God refers to the fact, I will remove far off from you the northern.
Listen, will you please emphasize that word northern? That's the direction from which the greatest enemies of Israel are coming at the end time. In the Old Testament days, the Joel and the prophet, Assyrian. Let me say, the greatest danger that Israel is going to face as a nation is coming from Syria. The Northern Army is going to be coming again and again. And I want to give you this thought.
One of the greatest powers of the world will be behind them. Russia. Russia. And the purpose and the desire of the government of Russia, whether it was the Zans or whether now it's the Communists, the greatest desire of Russia is to rule over the East, the Middle East. And in that coming day, they are even now preparing to undermine the Asiatic nations so that they control them. And in that last day, to exterminate the Jews, Bring their northern army down.
Now let me just read from verse three to verse eleven. As the prophet describes so vividly their action, a fire devoureth before them, behind them a flame burneth, the landeth as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness, yea, and nothing shall escape them. Let me just pause here. I better stop with this verse. I want you to note something. You please note with me. I want you to note with me something on your lesson sheet. The invading northern army, many armies in the past have invaded Israel and wasted it. There is to be a coming invasion from the north. You can turn to Isaiah twenty-eight and read about it there as well as in Isaiah ten.
And the Assyrian invasion mentioned is a type of the final Assyrian threatening the land of the people at the end time. And you can read of it in Daniel eleven. But please know verse three. on the letter B. No, verse three says, Before them the land, this is the Garden of Eden, and the invading army find the land restored and cultivated, and this is even now true today, there is to be a rude awakening, for it will be again stripped of its beauty. Will you go to Isaiah seventeen, verse ten and eleven, before we close, if you don't mind me taking a moment or two? Isaiah chapter seventeen, there's a most remarkable prophecy In verse ten and verse eleven.
Now I want you to think of it. Verse ten and eleven. I should read verse ten to get the connection in verse ten. Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation. Now this is to Israel. Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation and hath not been mindful of the rock of thy strength. Now know next. Therefore shalt thou plant Pleasant plants and shall set it with strange, meaning foreign slips. One of the things I found in Israel, and you can see it today, the most beautiful, cultivated land you'd find anywhere in the world.
Standing on the hill of Megiddo, looking over that great plain of Valley of Jehoshaphat, a distance of forty miles across, you could see the further production of those trees. and farms. And may I give you a thought here? You say, you're going to plant pleasant plants. You're going to plant foreign slits. Do you know that the oranges of Israel came from California? The eucalyptus trees that they planted came from Australia, foreign plants. And may I say to you, you never received. It's been a tremendous transport. to see what Israel has done in cultivating the land.
Now look in verse eleven of our chapter though. In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow. In the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish. But the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.