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Joel 2 (ESV)

²⁸  “And it shall come to pass afterward,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
²⁹ Even on the male and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

³⁰ “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. ³¹ The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. ³² And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.

REFLECTION:

• While the prophet exhorted the people to repent, he also explained that God not only provided us with material abundance, but also gave us spiritual blessings. In “the day of the Lord,” the Holy Spirit will be poured out on the children of God in general, regardless of age, class, gender, master and servant; the most humble and low-level people are equally qualified to receive the Holy Spirit as the noble people with a high level of education. This prophecy was partially fulfilled at Pentecost of the New Testament (see Acts 2:16-21), because Peter said that the experience of the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost was similar to that recorded in the Book of Joel. However, all of Joel’s prophecy will be fulfilled when “the day of the Lord” comes at the end times.
• Here, “the day of the Lord” is used to describe the specific moment when God judges all nations (31). Judgment and mercy are inseparable. Joel once pointed out that as long as people are willing to repent, God will save them from judgment (2:12-14). Therefore, in the days of judgment and tribulation, there will still be people saved (32). God’s will is not to destroy, but to heal and save; however, we must accept God’s salvation in order to be saved, otherwise we will be perished with those who do not repent.

PRAYER:

Lord, I hope You come again soon, so that I can truly taste Your grace and blessings. Please give me an eager heart to share the gospel with my unbeliever friends and relatives and lead them to You.

HYMN:

Let Your Kingdom Come – youtu.be/3Rh8I0r9glA