Joel 3:16, commentary and pictures

The Lord roars with power from Zion and Jerusalem, from His holy dwelling and place of glory in heaven, and His voice shakes the heavens and the earth. That shaking is the last sign before the advent, when the created order is shaken at the pouring out of the seventh vial in the great earthquake, and it is heard before Jesus descends with His angels to awaken and gather the elect. In the time of trouble God speaks amid thunder and upheaval to deliver and strengthen His people, announcing their deliverance and giving the living saints the day and hour of Jesus' coming. The righteous recognize and understand the voice and rejoice, while the wicked hear it only as thunder and an earthquake, do not understand its words, and are afraid. Amid judgment and upheaval the Lord remains the hope and strength and security of His obedient children, so they have no cause for fear, for He shelters and preserves them, their enemies lose power to harm them, and the shaking brings triumphant victory, deliverance, and restoration at Christ's appearing in glory.

The Shaking Voice

God roars and utters His voice with power from Zion and Jerusalem, from His holy dwelling and place of glory in heaven, and that voice shakes the heavens and the earth. The roar and shaking are the last literal sign before the advent, when the created order is shaken. This corresponds to the shaking of the heavenly powers foretold in Jesus' prophecy and to the heavens departing like a rolled scroll after the stars fall.

The shaking voice is the voice from the heavenly temple and throne at the pouring out of the seventh vial, producing the great earthquake. It is distinct from Jesus' voice that raises the dead. It is heard before Jesus descends with His angels to awaken and gather the elect.

The verse is fulfilled in the time of trouble, when God speaks from His holy dwelling amid thunder and upheaval. He so speaks to deliver and strengthen His people and to announce their deliverance. In so doing He gives the living saints the day and hour of Jesus' coming.

The righteous recognize and understand the voice and rejoice in it as the announcement of their deliverance. The wicked hear it only as thunder and an earthquake, do not understand its words, and are afraid. The shaking comes in wrath and judgment upon the persecutors who enforce the sign or mark of the beast. Those who turned away from what God spoke when His voice shook the earth will then confess their fatal error when His voice shakes the heavens and the earth, and will realize the importance of the Sabbath as the seal of the living God.

Hope of His People

Amid the shaking of heaven and earth in judgment, the Lord remains the hope and strength and security of His people. His obedient children have no cause for fear, for they can rely on Him and need not fear the terrors of that day. The day that brings terror and destruction to transgressors brings joy to the obedient. Those who turned away from what God spoke when His voice shook the earth will recognize their error when He shakes heaven and earth. The promise belongs to Christ's return, when earth and heavens are shaken and the earth and the works in it are destroyed, while God's people are secure in Him.

God shelters His children so that falling cities, mountains and houses do not harm them, and His promise to them will not fail. He preserves those who remain faithful to His law, and their enemies lose power to harm them. For those who fear Him and keep His law He makes a covenant of peace, and He covers and hides them in the day of His anger when He rises from His holy dwelling to punish the earth for its sin. In the time of trouble He speaks from His holy dwelling amid thunder and upheaval, and His people recognize His voice as the announcement of their deliverance, while the wicked hear it but do not understand and the saints rejoice. When His people face peril He speaks with power from heaven, and His voice brings terror to those around them but safety to them, for He is their friend and strength.

The shaking accompanies triumphant victory and restoration, as He delivers His people from captivity and from their enemies. That deliverance leads to Christ's appearing, when the earth and its works are destroyed. The shaking accompanies the final struggle and Christ's return in glory, when the righteous dead are raised and the living saints are taken with them to God's city. The living and risen saints are gathered to meet Him.

As the hope of His people, the Lord God of Israel hears their prayers and helps them carry out the work He has called them to do.