“I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there.” Joel 3:2
If you were to ask, “What will the day of judgment be like? What will it be like to be there when all nations will be gathered together in one place?” it seems unimaginable.
Joel uses words to paint pictures. He portrays the day of the Lord so you can taste, see, and picture what this day will be like.
God says, “I will gather all the nations.” This is inclusive—the vast populations of China, India, the United States of America, Brazil, Russia, and on and on. This is the Creator speaking, and he says, “I will gather all the nations.”
We do not know where or how God will do this. Joel speaks about “the Valley of Jehoshaphat,” but there is no known place with that name, and it’s the only time in the Bible that this valley is identified. The significance is in the name rather than the location. Jehoshaphat means “God has judged.” So when God says, “I will bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat,” he is saying, “I will bring them to the place of judgment and enter into judgment with all people there.”
Words often slide right over us, so God brings the reality of this day to our attention by describing it in a picture. His picture is of a valley, with vast multitudes of people crammed into this space, and God himself visibly present, entering into judgment with the nations.
How does this picture of the day of judgment alter your view of the nations?