Joel 1:16-20
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The Concept of Days in the Bible
The word 'day' refers to three different time periods in Scripture: 1)
a time period that is less than 24 hours or a day; 2) a time period that
is exactly 24 hours or one day; 3) a time period that is more than 24 hours.
Less than a 24 hour time span:
Day of salvation, II Cor 6:2; here the term 'day' refers to
a 'second' or an 'instant.'
Day of Christ, I Cor 15; here the term 'day' refers to the Rapture of the
Church.
Day of Wrath; here the term refers to the sentencing of unbelievers at the
last judgment.
Day of declaration, I Cor. 3:13; here the term refers to the Judgment Seat
of Christ. This is where Christ hands out rewards to the members of the
Royal Family.
Exactly a 24 hour time span:
Six days of Genesis 1:3-31; the Creation.
The Sabbath, Friday night at sundown to Saturday at sundown.
The Lord's Day, Rev. 10:1; here the term refers to the first day of the
week (Sunday).
One day at a time, Romans 14:5-6; here the term is used as a manner of living.
Thinking of Christ Daily, Psalm 119:97; here the term refers to occupation
with Christ on a daily basis.
More than 24 hours:
Day of Redemption, Ephesians 4:30; here the term refers to 'ultimate
sanctification,' which is the day the believer in Christ receives his resurrection
body.
Day of the Lord, Isaiah 2:12, Joel 2:1; here the term begins immediately
after the Rapture of the Church, includes the Tribulation and the Millennial
Reign of Christ; and is sometimes used for only a portion of this time period
(context dictates the precise meaning).
Day of God; here the term refers to eternity and the eternal state. [1]
Joel 1:16
"Has not the food been cut off before our very eyes -- joy and
gladness from the house of our God?"
The phrase "the food cut off" is an allusion to the loss of the
basics of life and is also an indirect mention of the "abomination
of desolation" already erected in the Temple during the Tribulation,
since worship of the idol of the Beast does not involve the meal offering.
And the phrase "joy and gladness" refers to there being no worship
of God, from whence true happiness is derived.
Joel 1:17,18
"The seeds are shriveled beneath the clods. The storehouses are
in ruins, the granaries have been broken down, for the grain has dried up.
How the cattle moan! The herds mill about because they have no pasture;
even the flocks of sheep are suffering."
In these two verses Joel relates the destruction of crops and the starvation
of the cattle due to lack of grazing land. Just as the locust infestations
destroyed all the vegetation of Joel's day, so will the Assyrians 200 years
later, and so will the King of the North during the future Tribulation.
Joel 1:19,20
"To you, O Lord, I call, for fire has devoured the open pastures
and flames have burned up all the trees of the field. Even the wild animals
pant for you; the streams of water have dried up and fire has devoured the
open pastures."
In verses 19 and 20 Joel speaks a prayer for the remnant of believers, both
those living in his day and those of the future. He calls to God for deliverance
in the face of devastation.
And the use of judgment terminology, "fire and flames," refers
to the King of the North's invasion during the Tribulation.
Notes:
[1] Thieme, Robert. Doctrine of Days in Scripture; from notes on Zechariah,
1975.
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