The land is like the garden of Eden before them, but behind them a desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes them. (v3)
The book of Joel opened with prophecies and descriptions of Israel's impending doom, followed by calls to repentance. As noted before, that doom was but a small glimpse of the judgment to come, when rebellious man is held to account by the almighty, holy and just God of the universe.
As man has despoiled God's precious creation with his sin, so God will will use the elements of this world to bring man's comeuppance to bear. The beauty of creation will be cast in shadows on that great and horrible day, reflecting the shadow of sin that has fallen upon every heart.
Yet, in that day, creation will be remade, and as in the days of Eden, heaven and earth will be joined, with the earth serving as God's footstool. Man will no longer defile God's creation and creation will no longer be used to call man to account. The lion will lie down with the lamb. The tree of life will bear fruit for the healing of the nations. The river of the water of life, coming from Christ's eternal throne of grace, will bring eternal refreshment to the souls of God's people.
Let those who have been spared from the eternal devastation of God's righteous judgment rejoice in the salvation that has been secured for them by Christ Jesus!
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