"Blow Ye The Trumpet In Zion..."

Joel 2:1

  1. 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;

Commentary

God's judgment is coming to the earth today as surely as it was coming to Israel when the prophet Joel spoke these words. Now as then, it is not the heathen world that needs to be warned first, but rather those of us who call ourselves by the Lord's Name (1 Pet. 4:17).

In Matthew 7:23, Jesus warns that He will say "I never knew you" to multitudes who were sure they knew Him. Many who profess belief in Jesus Christ do not have a saving relationship with Him, and many who profess eagerness for his Second Coming are not ready for it.

Western Christianity is not characterized by an attitude of "trembling" at the word of God. Rather, it is typified by flippancy and a disconnect from everyday life. People build their lives around things God hates, yet believe themselves saved because they are "in church" - a church that all too often fails to tell them otherwise.

God is not playing games. The hour is late. "Examine yourselves," Paul says, "whether ye be in the faith" (2 Cor. 13:5). This does not mean fearful introspection, but a sober assessment of our lives - an attitude of openness toward the Spirit of God. Jesus did not come to bring condemnation, but salvation, and He promised that no one who comes to Him will be cast out (John 3:17, John 6:37).

When we respond with repentance to the conviction of God's Spirit through the standard of his Word, peace and freedom will always be the result (1 Cor. 11:32, 2 Cor. 7:10).


All Scripture references from KJV. Commentary ©2011 Hitchcock Family Ministry. Unaltered text may be reproduced freely without financial gain. Original commentary and Scripture song available at http://www.freescripturesongs.org/blow-ye-the-trumpet-in-zion.