The Wonder of God’s Judgment

Third Advent Mid-Week , December 19, 2012

Rev. George Ferch

Joel 2:30-32

Dearly loved by God in Christ Jesus,

Honestly, I had not given this any thought when I chose this text last summer for our Advent mid-week series. The Mayan calendar says the end of the world is coming the day after tomorrow. God’s Word also tells us that the end of the world is coming. The prophet Joel is not quite so specific about the date, however.

I recently saw a cartoon comparing the Bible with this kind of human prophecy. In one picture the guy laughs at hearing what the Bible says and declares, “It is all superstitious nonsense” Then the same guy hears the Mayan prophecy and says, “Oh, no. Is that really going to happen!” Go figure.

We have looked these past two weeks at the wonder of God’s power, and the wonder of God’s promise. God’s prophet writes here about The Wonder of God’s Judgment. In writing about the coming of the Day of the LORD Joel is specific about two things. First, there will be signs for everyone to know judgment has come. Second, there is salvation for everyone who calls on the name of the LORD.

The prophet Joel was describing in the immediate application God’s judgment of Judah for their idolatry. His words also would apply in the future to the greater and final judgment of God at the end of time. We have been talking about this throughout the Advent season of repentance. We prepare with repentance to welcome Jesus into Bethlehem, welcome him as he comes through Word and sacrament, and welcome him when he comes not to save the world but to judge the world.

Jesus applied the words of our text and a couple of verses before our text to what was taking place on Pentecost. The disciples were not drunk. They were fulfilling the words of the prophet Joel. They were speaking God’s Word; the word that would prepare the nations’ hearts and minds for Christ.

The wonder of God judgment will begin with signs in the planets. God put the sun and the moon in the sky during Creation to mark time. At the time of Judgment, the greater light and the lesser light will mark the beginning of the end of time and the start of eternity. God uses nature as his heralds. Another example is Peter who writes that the morning star announces the dawn. [2 Peter 1:19]

The end of the world, or doomsday, or whatever else people may call it when defined in human terms has nothing to do with God or the end of man’s time of grace then standing before the judgment seat of Christ. You have not been hearing anything about judgment in connection with the Mayan calendar end of the world. The end of the world is not the issue. Joel shows us that the end of the world announces the issue of God’s judgment, and man’s future in either heaven or hell. The destruction of the planets is a sign that ushers in the wonder of God’s judgment. This so called “doomsday” is not an event that takes place independent of God or his purposes.

This evening as we get closer to Christmas we will emphasize Joel’s second specific promise in the wonder of God’s judgment. There is salvation for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord.

Rather than be so concerned about just when the end of the world is coming, we do better to be more concerned about how I will be a survivor. Joel is in full agreement with all the prophets, and the apostles when he says, “And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” Paul quotes Joel in his letter to the Romans as the apostles applied the prophet’s words to the Gentiles.

We can illustrate what we mean “to call on the name of the LORD” this way. If my house is on fire, I call on the name of the fire department. If my computer does not work, I call on the name of the Geek Squad. To call on a name means to trust in the reputation of that organization or person which they have revealed about themselves.

Recall from catechism that the name of the Lord includes everything God has revealed about himself in his Word. We trust the Lord’s reputation as the just and loving God who has declared us not guilty of sin because of Jesus’ works as our Substitute. We call on Jesus’ name for forgiveness, for the answer to our prayers, for safety and survival when the fire and heat of judgment fall upon the earth and its inhabitants at the end.

Without the meaning of the LORD’s name, which is ours by faith, we would not be able to bear the wonder of God’s judgment. God has revealed his name to the world in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, Mary’s son conceived by the Holy Spirit in her virgin womb. The wonder of God’s judgment is tied very closely to the wonder of his love, his joy to the world-the Lord has come. God has sent his Son so that through him alone sinners like us can have salvation as we call on the name of the Lord.

I think it is sad that so many people as they consider the end of the world, and in some cases Jesus’ return think it is important where they will be when it happens. When we were in Arizona during the late seventies and early eighties a group in Tucson sold all their material goods, and went to the top of Mt. Lemmon to wait for Jesus. They may still be there. They have a jump on everyone else if the Mayans are right.

Joel writes that there is a mountain we need to go to for the wonder of God’s judgment. “for on Mt. Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls.” Mt. Zion is the hill on which Jerusalem is built. The LORD called his people to that mountain and city to worship him in the Temple. God has called us by the Spirit into the spiritual Zion and Jerusalem, the holy, Christian church. It is here in this mountain we will survive the God’s wonder of judgment. We will not only survive. For us that is the great day of our eternal peace; the peace the angels announced to the world in Jesus, the Prince of Peace. It is in Jesus that God’s favor rests on all people. It is in that favor we call on the LORD’s name.

We are ready to welcome Jesus into his manger. We lift our eyes and hearts to God’s Old Testament promises trusting in their New Testament fulfillment. With a repentant heart and Christ’s name on our lips, we prepare to meet and celebrate the wonder of it all. Amen. <SDG>