Today is the Day

Rend your heart…Joel 2:13

Blow the trumpet, sound the alarm, Verse 1. The day of the LORD is coming. As the fire and locust devour, the Lord’s judgment is sure, faces shall be drained of color, verse 6. Repent, while there is time.

Speaking through His prophet Joel, God calls Israel to repentance, Chapter 2, verses 12 & 13: Now therefore, says the LORD, turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. So rend your heart, and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness. And He relents from doing harm.

When they repent, God will restore what was destroyed by the swarming, crawling, consuming, and chewing locust, verse 25. When they repent, they shall eat and be satisfied, verse 26. They shall praise the name of the LORD, verse 26.

Before the final judgment grace shall come like the latter rain, verse 23. God will pour out His Spirit, Verse 28. Peter quotes this verse in his now famous Pentecost sermon, Acts 2:17-21. This prophecy has been fulfilled. Now is the time of grace: whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved, Joel 2:32. This we believe. This we proclaim. Today is the day of salvation.