In this prophecy, Joel demonstrates that failure to acknowledge and honour God is serious. That life without God is empty and hopeless. But more than this, Joel is telling his hearers that the sorrow and the pain that they experience, the sense of hopelessness that they feel, is a warning of worse to come, unless something changes. The reality of the present distress that Joel's hearers are experiencing is intended to convince them of the greater and more lasting reality that will come in the future. building on the experience of chapter one in which we have a description of a horde of locusts that have swept through the land devouring every growing thing in the fields and then a subsequent drought that has burned up the land so that there has been no recovery from the locusts. That experience of the judgment of God upon the people is intended to call them back to God. And Joel now in chapter 2 presses home his point. He is in a sense saying God has just fired a warning shot. That's all you've seen so far. That's all you've heard so far. You think what you've seen and heard and what you've experienced is bad? You ain't seen nothing yet, Joel is saying to them. And so in these words that I've read to you a moment ago from chapter 2, we have the future judgment of God upon this people if things don't change. If there is no change of heart, if there is no change of priority, if there is no change of direction in their lives, then God will severely judge them for their rebellion. It won't be a passing judgment this time, it won't be something that will happen for a season with recovery to follow, but it will be a lasting judgment. And so vividly this future judgment is described by Job. It's portrayed that a people, an army, will come and strike the land with such destruction that there will be no recovery from it. The warning note is sounded. And it sounded in Zion of all places. An alarm is sounded in the holy mountain of God, in the place of God's dwelling among his people. For his people have turned their backs on him. The inhabitants of the land have worshipped the false gods of the people around them. They have rejected and neglected the worship of the God who brought their fathers out of captivity in Egypt and brought them into the promised inheritance of Abraham. They have turned their back on the one who had shown such oneness to release them from Pharaoh's grasp and who had provided for them so wonderfully through their years of wandering in the wilderness and had so triumphed before them in driving out the peoples of the land to give them a place of inheritance. This God who had been so good to them, this God who had been so kind to them, this God who had showed such lavish love to them, they had turned away from. they had denied, they had rebelled against, they had pursued their own path, they had walked their own way. And now the alarm is to be sounded Even from the temple itself. The trumpet blast is to be heard in Jerusalem. The warning note is to be sounded. There is to be an invasion. An invasion of this holy city. An invasion of this place that the people had taken for granted would be able to withstand any onslaught. For it was God's city. It was God's temple. He would not let it be defiled. and yet they themselves had defiled it. They had assumed too much of the Lord their God, who had dealt so patiently with them, for they had not realised that his patience had been for their repentance. But they had failed to repent, they had failed to turn, they had failed to seek his mercy, they had persisted in their rebellion, And now, Joel says, now the hordes of God's army are to come. And as the description unfolds, it is so much like what we read in chapter one, so much like the description of that swarm of locusts that had swept through the land and who had already destroyed so much. This great swarm would darken the sun and the moon and the stars. There would be a thick gloom descending upon the land. They would be like an army that would ravage the people. Everything before them might have been like the Garden of Eden, Richel says, but afterwards it is a desolate wilderness. There is no escape. from this army. They're like the war horses carrying the warriors in their chariots that sweep down upon an unsuspecting people. But this army is able to leap over mountains and so the walls of Jerusalem, they're not going to be any defense against such an army as this, so powerful and so fixed upon their goal. And the people who watch, perhaps from the very walls of Jerusalem, who watch this approaching army will be filled with anguish. There will be no hope for them. There will be no escape for them. And this is the Lord's army. He is at the head of it. This isn't some force from a foreign nation that is simply stronger than the armies of Israel. but God himself is directing its success. And of course there can be no escape from he who sees all things and knows all things and can do all things. They have turned away from the Lord and now the Lord is coming against them with this mighty army to judge them, to devour them. It is a picture of what will happen to Israel. If Joel is one of the earliest of the prophets, it is perhaps warning them of the day when Babylon will capture the city of Jerusalem, tear down its walls and destroy its temple and carry the people away into captivity. Or if Joel is one of the later prophets, it may be depicting the progress of the Greeks and then the Romans in subduing the land and reigning over the people so that they have no freedom, no independence, no autonomy. Either way, ultimately, Joel is seeing beyond Babylon, beyond the Greeks and the Romans, beyond any empire that this world raises. Joel is seeing into the very far reaches of history to the end of the world. and the pictures that he paints, the destruction that he foretells is that which is foretold again in the New Testament in the book of Revelation. where for example in Revelation chapter 6 and verses 12 through 17 we read of one of the visions that John saw and he says, when he opened the sixth seal I looked and behold there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as a fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and the rocks, fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand? Or again, in Revelation chapter nine, the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. Then from the smoke came locusts of the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions on the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. And in those days, people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them. In appearance, the locusts were like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were what looked like crowns of gold. Their faces were like human faces, their hair like women's hair, their teeth like lion's teeth. They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to herd people for five months is in their tail. They have as a king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon. These are not far-fetched pictures. They're not myths and legends of another age. These are God's warnings, warnings to this earth. of the coming judgement that he will bring to the people of this world. It has parallels the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ in Luke's gospel and chapter 21 and verses 25 through 28 we read, there will be signs in sun and moon and stars and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the seas and the waves people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world for the powers of the heavens will be shaken And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads because your redemption is drawing near. Or again in Mark's Gospel in chapter 13, Where in verses 24 through 26, Jesus says, in those days, after the great tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. And the stars will be falling from heaven and the powers in the heaven will be shaken. And then they will see the son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. So the Lord is coming and he's coming to bring judgment and destruction upon this earth but to bring his people to safety, to save them ultimately and eternally. Here then is a great difference, a great separation between those who rebel against God and those who are loyal to God, those who continue in their indifference towards God and do not obey God, do not serve God, do not honor or glorify God, and those who devote their lives to God, to his worship and to his service, to honouring his name and praising his grace. And this is what Joel is talking about. These are the things that he foresees. This is the judgment that is to come. These are the warning notes that are to be sounded from Mount Zion. Judgment is coming to this world. It is inescapable. The Lord himself is at the head of this irresistible host. He comes against all people who have rejected him. A reality for the whole world. None are exempt. But of course, Joel isn't simply describing what will take place in this figurative language that he uses. But Joel is calling for a response. He is calling for the people to heed the sound of the trumpet, to respond to the alarm that is being sounded forth. He is calling for the people to have a change of heart and a change of mind about their lives. He is calling for them to repent. This is the great message of the Bible. From the early chapters of the book of Genesis to the final chapters of the book of Revelation, this is the great theme of the Bible. that there is salvation for those who repent, even though they have incurred the judgment of God. There is mercy to be had for those who plead with God for mercy. He will not turn any away who humble themselves in their hearts and acknowledge their sin and rebellion against him, making no excuses, not seeking to in any way present themselves as worthy of his favour, those who cast themselves upon him with empty hands and humble hearts. Repentance, it implies sin, it implies rebellion, it implies that we have done something wrong and that we need to be made right. It's not the kind of message that we want to hear. We would like to think well of ourselves. We would like to think that God's smile would be upon us for the good that we do, though we may acknowledge that there is not perfect goodness in us. We would like to think that we do well enough and that God, being the God of love that he is, will welcome us into his kingdom and into salvation. But God is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity. He sees into the depths of our hearts. He knows the hidden motives of our lives. He reads the thoughts in our minds. He knows everything about us. There is nothing that is hidden from him. All is exposed before his all-seeing eye. He knows the end of our lives. He knows the beginning of our lives. And he knows every moment in between. There is nothing that is hidden from him. And we must acknowledge that. We must accept that. We must be ready to expose ourselves to God and say, this is who I am. This is what I am. These are my thoughts. These are my words. These are my works. All are polluted. All are spoiled. There is so much pride, there is so much selfishness. There is so little of you, Almighty God, in my thoughts and in my words and in my works. The message of the Bible is the message of repentance from sin. We don't like to speak about sin, perhaps, but we need to face it. We cannot brush it under the carpet. We cannot stick it in a dark corner of the garage and hope it will be forgotten. We cannot disguise it and try and beautify it in some way that will make it acceptable. We have to confront our sin. We have to accept that we are sinners. This is what God was calling his people in Joel's day to do, to recognise their sin and to cry out to God for mercy. This is what the writers of the New Testament were calling upon people to do, to recognise their sin and to cry out to God for mercy. The theme of the Old Testament in which prophet after prophet after prophet calls upon even God's people to repent of their sins and return to the Lord is a theme that is repeated throughout the New Testament. John the Baptist prepared the way and said, repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. Jesus took up the refrain and said, repent for the kingdom of God is near. Peter at Pentecost said to the crowds who were listening to him there, repent. Repent. Repent. Why? Because the judgment of God lies before every man and woman and child. Everyone must repent. There are no exceptions. Listen to how Joel puts it. Blow the trumpet in Zion, he says. Consecrate a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the people. Who? Who is he to gather? The elders, the children, even nursing infants. The bridegroom who's just got married and the bride, they're called out of their chamber. And there is nothing more important, there is nothing more sacred at this moment in time than getting right with God. Everything else must be put on hold. Everything else must be set at the bottom of the list of priorities in comparison to dealing with God. and sorting out this great danger of His judgment that lies before every one of us. To repent is to turn to God in humility, to acknowledge sin, to plead for mercy from Him. It requires a change, a complete turnaround, a 180 degree change of direction. Instead of rushing away from God, fleeing from God's holiness, from God's purity and from God's demand upon your life, Pursuing your own way, going along your own ambitions, seeking your own goals, it means turning around and fleeing back to God. Approaching God with head bowed, shame faced, but seeking his mercy. Repentance means a change of life, to give up on the old way, on the old habits of sin and selfishness and pride. It means humbling ourselves to walk in obedience before the Holy God to acknowledge his laws and his precepts which describe for us his essential character that is to be imaged in us to live our lives as mirrors of God in this world, in a world that continues to be at war with God, that continues to hate God, that continues to reject God and to deny God and therefore a world that will be at war with us, that will hate us, that will seek to eliminate us and destroy us. How can anyone live such a life? How can anyone turn around in this way? How can anyone honor God in the way that he demands and deserves? No one has a will strong enough to make such a new resolution and to succeed in pulling it off day after day after day after day for the rest of life in this world. Joel cried out to the people to seek God's mercy. We will see next time that the Lord is ready to show mercy. But ultimately the story of Israel is the story of man's inability to change. They try and they fail. It's the repeated cycle of their history from the days of the Exodus through to the New Testament itself. They cannot save themselves. They cannot change themselves. They need more. We need more. More than a new will. More than a new resolve. More than a new determination. More than new instructions to follow. New rules to guide us. New laws to obey. We need more. And God gave more. God gave far more. God gave his own son to be a representative for his people, to stand in their place, to live in their place, to obey God perfectly for them, and to take the wrath of God for them. And so Jesus came, and Jesus lived, and Jesus died. He died that we might live. He died that we in him might die to self and die to sin, and that we in him might be raised to new life in his resurrection, to be given a new heart, to be given a new love, a love for God, a heart that longs to serve him. and to please him. And this is what repentance in the Bible calls for. It calls for an utter surrender of oneself, an acknowledgement of our impotence, our powerlessness to do anything and an appeal to God that he will change us. uniting us to Jesus Christ in the power of his life, in the efficacy of his death, in the glory of his resurrection. And you all need it. From the youngest to the oldest, you all need it. From the richest to the poorest, you all need it. From the most insignificant to the most powerful and influential, you all need it. You need God's intervention, you need God's mercy. And Joel teaches us to cry out, to cry out with deliberateness, to cry out with perseverance to God, have mercy, have mercy, have mercy. And that, that is the daily cry. of the Christian. Lord, have mercy again today. It's our lifestyle. It permeates our thoughts, our words and our actions. A humble dependence upon the mercy of God. no self-sufficiency, no self-confidence, but confidence in the One who sent His Son to be the Saviour of sinners. All must turn to Him in repentance if they are to be saved from the judgment that is to come. Have you Turn to God. Have you pleaded with him for mercy? The trumpet is sounding. The alarm is ringing out. Don't leave it another day, but cry out to God and he will have compassion. Let's pray. Almighty God, We plead with you that you will have mercy upon us, that you would show compassion in our sinfulness. Lord, come and forgive and cleanse and renew and restore us to a right relationship with you. And day by day, grant that your Spirit may dwell within us, prompting us, guiding us, convicting us, and helping us to be a people marked by repentance, and the joy that follows repentance, because we have the peace of God. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.