Joel 2:31

My Notes

What Does Joel 2:31 Mean?

Joel 2:31 describes the cosmic signs preceding the day of the LORD: "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come." The Hebrew hashemesh yehaphekh lechoshekh (the sun turned to darkness) and hayyare'ach ledam (the moon to blood) describe the inversion of creation's most reliable sources of light. The sun that has risen every morning since Genesis 1 will go dark. The moon that reflects its light will turn the color of blood.

Peter quotes this verse at Pentecost (Acts 2:20), declaring that what Joel prophesied is beginning to be fulfilled in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The cosmic signs bracket the entire "last days" — the era between Pentecost and the return of Christ. The sun-to-darkness and moon-to-blood aren't necessarily a single future event. They're the character of the age: an era where the normal order is destabilized in preparation for the ultimate arrival.

The Hebrew gadol (great) and nora (terrible, awe-inspiring) describe the day with two adjectives that produce opposite emotional responses: great (significant, momentous, worthy of celebration) and terrible (fearsome, dread-inducing). The day is both — simultaneously the greatest event in history and the most terrifying. Which aspect you experience depends on which side of the day you stand on. The same sunrise is warmth to one person and exposure to another.

Reflection Questions

• 1.The sun goes dark and the moon turns to blood. How do you respond to signs of cosmic instability — with fear, with expectation, or with numbness?
• 2.Peter said Joel's prophecy began at Pentecost. If we're already in the 'last days,' how should that affect the urgency of how you live?
• 3.The day is 'great' and 'terrible' simultaneously. Which adjective do you expect to define your experience? What determines which one it is?
• 4.The most reliable things in creation — sun and moon — are disrupted. What stable things in your life might God be shaking to prepare you for something bigger?

Devotional

The sun goes dark. The moon turns to blood. The two most reliable things in your sky — the fixtures you've never once questioned, the lights that have worked since day four of creation — stop functioning as expected. Before the day of the LORD arrives, the universe itself signals that something unprecedented is approaching. The normal rules are suspended. The lights you counted on are no longer dependable.

Peter said at Pentecost: this is what Joel was talking about. The last days have begun. Which means the era between Pentecost and Christ's return is the era of cosmic instability — the age where the foundations tremble in anticipation of the day. The darkened sun and blood moon aren't just a single spectacular event at the very end. They're the signature of the entire era we're living in. The world feels unstable because it is unstable. The signs Joel described are the atmosphere of the age, not just its finale.

The day is called great and terrible. Both. Not great for some and terrible for others — though that's true too. Great and terrible at the same time, the way a sunrise is both beautiful and blinding. The question Joel forces is: which adjective will define your experience of it? The day arrives for everyone. The sun goes dark for everyone. The moon bleeds for everyone. But whether the day is great or terrible — whether it's the best thing that ever happened to you or the worst — depends entirely on where you stand when the lights go out.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture