Question 1

What are the wonders in heaven and earth, like blood, fire, and pillars of smoke?

Accepted Answer

The passage speaks of God showing startling signs in the sky and on the earth: blood, fire, and tall columns of smoke. These pictures point to times of war, burning, and deep trouble, when it even feels like the whole order of the world is shaking. Some readers connect this to the fall of Jerusalem, others to later times of judgment, and others to the final day. The main point is not to map each image to one event, but to see that serious judgment is coming, and it will be hard and painful.

Question 2

What does it mean that the sun is turned to darkness and the moon to blood?

Accepted Answer

The wording about the sun going dark and the moon turning to blood shows how severe these troubles will feel. It is as if even the lights of heaven are changed. This can picture thick smoke and ruin from burning cities, so the sun is hidden and the moon looks red. It can also be a way of saying that normal life is overturned and both rulers and worship are shaken. Faithful readers have seen this both as real events and as word pictures of deep upheaval before God’s day of judgment.

Question 3

What is the great and terrible day of the Lord in this passage?

Accepted Answer

The “great and terrible day of the Lord” is the time when God steps in openly to judge and to make things right. In the near sense it points to heavy judgment, like the destruction that fell on Jerusalem. In a wider sense, it looks ahead to the final day when God will call all to account. It is “great” because God’s power and justice are clearly seen, and “terrible” because it is a fearful day for those who resist him, though it is a day of joy for those who trust him.

Question 4

What does “whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered” mean?

Accepted Answer

This line is a simple but deep promise. To “call on the name of the Lord” is more than saying God’s name once. It means turning to him with real faith, crying out to him for mercy, trusting his character, and looking to him for help and rescue. God promises that everyone who does this will be delivered. In the near setting, believers were kept from the ruin coming on the city. In the fullest sense, God saves from sin, his wrath, and final judgment all who truly call on him.

Question 5

Why is deliverance said to be in mount Zion and in Jerusalem?

Accepted Answer

Mount Zion and Jerusalem were the center of worship and sacrifice, the place where God made himself known among his people. Saying that deliverance is there means that rescue is found where God is present and where he has set his name. Later, this picture points to God’s gathered people in every place, who hear the good news and trust him. So the line is not about a safe city wall, but about a safe relationship with God himself, among the people he gathers to himself.

Question 6

Who are “the remnant whom the Lord shall call”?

Accepted Answer

The remnant is the smaller group within the larger nation who truly belong to God. Many may hear and stay hard, but some respond when God calls. These are the ones he draws to himself by his grace, and they show it by calling on his name. The passage hints that this remnant includes not only some from Judah, but all kinds of people who answer God’s call. They may look weak or few in the world’s eyes, but they are the ones who share in his promised deliverance.

Question 7

How do judgment and grace appear together in this passage?

Accepted Answer

The same passage that speaks of blood, fire, darkness, and a fearful day also gives a wide, warm promise: everyone who calls on the Lord will be saved. Judgment shows God does not ignore evil or pride. Grace shows he does not leave people without hope. Hard times keep people from thinking this life is all there is, and the promise calls them to seek God while there is still time. So even in warning, God holds out mercy and a sure refuge for those who turn to him.

Question 8

How can this passage about the day of the Lord apply to my life today?

Accepted Answer

This passage reminds you not to build your hopes on comfort in this life, because trouble and change will come. It also invites you to be honest about your need for God. Rather than trying to stand on your own when things shake, you are called to “call on the name of the Lord” with real trust. You can let this shape your prayers, your sense of what really matters, and your hope. Whatever comes, God keeps those who belong to him, even through days that feel dark and fearful.

Question 9

Why do some people understand these verses in different ways?

Accepted Answer

The language about the sun, moon, blood, fire, and smoke is very strong and picture-like, and that is why people have read it in more than one way. Some see it mainly as describing real signs before a specific event in history, like the fall of Jerusalem. Others see it as speaking in picture-language about many times of upheaval, all pointing toward the final day. What is clear for all readers is the heart of the promise: in every shaking, God saves those who call on his name.

Joel 2:30

And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

I Will Pour Out My Spirit

The Day of the LORD

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Joel 2:30

And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

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I Will Pour Out My Spirit

The Day of the LORD

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