Joel: The Day of the Lord

The prophet Joel delivered a sobering warning to a nation facing devastation, but his message wasn't ultimately about destruction—it was about restoration. In this episode, Deb Kalsbeck explores Joel's powerful call to return to God, the promise that God can restore "the years the locusts have eaten," and the remarkable prophecy of God's Spirit being poured out on all people.

Together, Ric and Deb discuss repentance, transformation, and why Joel's ancient message still speaks directly to the Church today. If you've experienced loss, disappointment, or seasons of devastation, this conversation offers a powerful reminder: restoration is at the very heart of God.

Transcript

TITLE: Joel: The Day of the Lord

GUEST: Kalsbeck, Deb

SEASON: S5, E26

SERIES: Ancient Voices

DATE: June 30, 2026

Deb Kalsbeck (00:00):

These words from the Lord to Joel, they're for us. We have to hear them. We have to receive them as from God for us. "I will restore." We have to hear that for ourselves.

(00:13):

I'm telling you, God can restore anyone including you – whoever's listening to this podcast. He can restore any marriage. He can restore any relationship. He wants to restore our finances. He wants to restore our health. He wants to restore our joy. He's the Master Restorer and the key element is always, as Joel pointed out, this matter of repentance, which is getting our minds to think the same thoughts as God. It's not just about a heart change, it's got to be a mind change.

Ric Shields (00:54):

There are some voices in scripture that whisper and then there are voices that sound like an alarm. The prophet Joel doesn't ease into the conversation. He interrupts it. A plague of locusts - crops stripped bare - joy cut off. An entire nation staring at loss they can't control and can't fix. And Joel steps into that moment and says, "This isn't just happening to you. It is speaking to you."

(01:20):

And that's where this gets uncomfortable because we're fine when talking about hardship as long as it's random. But what if it's not? What if in the middle of disruption, God is inviting us to wake up - to return - to remember who we are? Joel doesn't just diagnose the moment. He calls for something deeper than behavioral change. He calls for a heart change and yet somehow this isn't just a message of warning. It's a message of hope because the same God who allows the alarm is the God who promises restoration. But at least one thing is clear. A locust plague and devastation await.

(01:58):

My guest today is Deb Kalsbeck who lives in Brookings, South Dakota. In fact, she says she is a South Dakota girl. Fifty-five years ago, at 19 years old, she married Steve her high school sweetheart. They were told they wouldn't be able to have children, but that was wrong and they have four adult children and six granddaughters to prove it.

(02:17):

Deb earned her bachelor's degree in music education from South Dakota State University and she works there as a collaborative pianist when she's not teaching private students in her home studio. Deb is a student of the Word and she loves to read it, teach it and preach it. We're pleased that she holds ordination credentials with DoorWays®.

(02:35):

It's hard for me to believe that we met in 1979 at the church where I was a newly hired youth pastor in Worthington, Minnesota. Deb, where has the time gone?

Deb Kalsbeck (02:45):

It's amazing, isn't it, Ric? Steve and I were, I think our timeframe might be a little different, but anyway, early 70s, Steve and I were up in Canada teaching in a very small private school and the Vietnam War started. Steve's draft number was 47 so we came back home. Steve joined the Army and instead of getting sent to Vietnam, he was sent to Germany, which was a really, a big God thing. I think God had to take us far away from our family, far away from everything we knew just to expose us to some things of the Spirit because that's where and when we were filled with the Holy Spirit. And Worthington is just a few years down the road in that big journey of faith. So, we're very grateful for the part you played in that.

Ric Shields (03:29):

So, we're going to talk about the minor prophets today. We're going to be talking especially about the Book of Joel. So, when we look at the order of the minor prophets in our Bibles, the Book of Joel is listed as the second book. I didn't use that order because I hoped that reviewing these books in a chronological order may give us a little better insight and understanding of their prophecies.

(03:50):

Here you are, Deb, as we study the Book of Joel as the final book of our series on ancient voices. Can you give us a 30-second overview of the book or 35 or 40 seconds?

Deb Kalsbeck (04:02):

I think the main theme has to be restoration, has to be. It's properly pronounced "Yo-El," meaning anytime the word "El" shows up, we're talking about God and how powerful he is. The book is only three chapters, but extremely powerful. He spells out the devastation, the invasion. There's this personal plea from God, "return to me," in chapter two. It's verse 12. I think that's got to be the key verse. ”Return to the Lord, render hearts and not your garments." And very important word here. This word return in the Hebrew is "sub." So, it means yes, return. It means turn back. I think King James actually says, "Turn ye to the Lord." But it's also the very same word that shows up in Psalm 23:3 - "He restoreth my soul." It's the same word that shows up in Job 42:10, where after Job prayed for his friends, God "restored all of the fortunes of Job."

(04:58):

It's also the word that shows up in Jeremiah 30:17, where he says, "I will restore your health." David prayed it in Psalm 51:17, "Restore the joy of my salvation." So anytime we return to the Lord, just take one step towards God, he's running towards us and always with pure restoration.

Ric Shields (05:18):

That's really good. Thanks, Deb. That's great insight.

(05:21):

Joel is difficult for scholars to date because he tells us almost nothing about himself other than that he's the son of Pethawell. So, his prophecies are dated in a 400-year span that extends from 835 to 450 BC. He doesn't refer to any of the kings like the [other] Minor Prophets do, but he does speak about the pending destruction of Jerusalem. What we don't know is if he's speaking about the Babylonian invasion in 586 BC or the destruction of the temple in 70 AD.

(05:51):

He also speaks about the "Day of the Lord," a term often related to the Second Coming of Christ. Joel uses language that feels apocalyptic. And when he talks about the "Day of the Lord," should we read that as a present warning, a future prophecy, or both?

Deb Kalsbeck (06:08):

You know, this phrase, "The Day of the Lord," shows up five times in the book of Joel, eighteen times at least in the Old Testament. Yes, and it's always referring to all the different prophets of present-day warning for the people. And I believe also it is referring to something in the future where God's going to break into history in some kind of way where there's going to be judgment upon the nations.

(06:30):

When I was studying it, one of the fun things that I saw, this phrase in Joel shows up three times where it says, "The sun will be darkened and the stars will no longer shine." I believe there's a pretty clear connection here. We just went through Easter and we saw that three hours of darkness where God could not look upon the Son of Man because of the sin that he was carrying - ours. All the iniquity, all the corruptness of human nature. If we could understand that all of the judgment of God, all the wrath of God, all the anger towards sin, the very torrent of hell, Jesus took it all. So yes, I believe it refers to all these different things. You know how God talks in layers to his people, but it thrills me to realize that Jesus already took it all upon himself.

Ric Shields (07:23):

You live in South Dakota, you are familiar with agriculture. Your husband, Steve, was a farmer. Do you think this is just about agriculture gone wrong or is Joel trying to wake people up to something deeper?

Deb Kalsbeck (07:35):

Agriculture was their entire life. So, a devastation like that caused by locusts or drought or an invasion of an army, obviously affected everything about them and every single person. And whatever is coming down the road, whatever judgment God has in mind, it will be far reaching. It's going to effect. I mean, we've seen it already. Weather, fires, the trauma of war, whatever and whenever God breaks in for the purpose, specifically of judgment, the whole earth will be affected.

Ric Shields (08:06):

Living in this area where agriculture is such an important part of the economy in South Dakota. Have you seen some of these times when there's really just total devastation where there's an infestation of insects, where there's flooding or there's drought, there's fungus? Have you seen devastation like that?

Deb Kalsbeck (08:24):

That's actually why we moved off the farm, Ric. We experienced flooding. We happened to live in the valley the first couple years we lived there. That was the perfect place to live because it was dry-ish. We had irrigation and so the crops flourished, but those last six years during the flood, everything was wiped out. And then the prices dropped and the cattle price went down and we left the farm. But again, I feel like God was leading, God was directing and it was a very good move for us to move into the city and to move into the, I don't know what I call the destiny of the Father for us.

Ric Shields (08:57):

Joel calls for repentance, not just individually but corporately. He calls for everyone, the elders, children, nursing mothers, the newly married, the priests and everyone in between. What would it look like for a community today to truly repent, not the end result, but the act of repentance by everyone?

Deb Kalsbeck (09:18):

Well, that would be amazing, wouldn't it?

Ric Shields (09:19):

Yeah, it would.

Deb Kalsbeck (09:21):

To see people calling upon God and not the fake, not the pretense, but the real thing where their hearts are changed, where their minds are being changed and we're seeing it across the globe right now. Pockets of people gathering purely to worship just to seek the face of God. Yeah, that's what we're all looking for.

Ric Shields (09:41):

So, it's not just wearing a cross? Because I see some people and I'm going, "They're wearing a cross? That's interesting." So, it's not just that, it's something different.

Deb Kalsbeck (09:51):

Exactly. Even the tattoos. Everybody's got a cross in their chest or their back or their arm, but exactly what's going on.

Ric Shields (09:59):

Or their leg.

Deb Kalsbeck (09:59):

That's the question.

(09:59):

You're listening to the DoorWays® Ministry Podcast. My name is Ric Shields, and I'm joined on this episode by Deb Kalsbeck from Brookings, South Dakota. When she's not teaching private students at her home studio, Deb is a collaborative pianist at South Dakota State University. She's a student of the Word and loves to read it, teach it and preach it.

(10:21):

Deb, we see a shift in Joel from devastation to restoration. What does that tell us about the nature of God?

(10:31):

This is the best part, isn't it? Joel perceiving the heart of God always to restore. Always to bless. Always for his people to draw strength and life and provision from his heart and from his hand. Isaiah 40:31 says, "They that wait on the Lord," who wrap themselves around him. I think The Passion [Bible] says, "Those who entwined their hearts around Yahweh will receive divine strength."

Ric Shields (10:58):

So, Joel speaks about God restoring the years the locusts have eaten. Is that poetic language or do you think people can really experience that kind of restoration? And what do you think that looked like?

Deb Kalsbeck (11:12):

These words from the Lord to Joel, they're for us. We have to hear them. We have to receive them as from God for us. I will restore. We have to hear that for ourselves.

(11:25):

I'm telling you, God can restore anyone including you. Whoever's listening to this podcast, he can restore any marriage, he can restore any relationship. He wants to restore our finances. He wants to restore our health. He wants to restore our joy. He's the Master Restorer and the key element is always, as Joel pointed out, this matter of repentance, which is getting our minds to think the same thoughts. And God, it's not just about a heart change, it's got to be a mind change.

Ric Shields (11:58):

And not just the mind change, but then in the end, a behavioral change as well. It has to be a complete change.

Deb Kalsbeck (12:05):

I think we missed that question back there, but I want to talk about this because like we said, it's not about that outward show, but what we believe and what we think is actually more important than our behavior because our beliefs dictate how we behave. And if we don't get our minds transformed, Romans 12:2, "Be, ye transformed." Verse one is all about surrendering our lives, presenting our bodies as living sacrifices. But if we don't get to that next step of being transformed, having the word wash over us and actually train our minds, because our minds are going to be trained one way or the other. We're either letting our minds be trained by the world and all its opinions and lies and distractions, or even some of the churches dictating how people think and how they feel. But we've got to allow the voice of the Lord to wash over us with his holiness and actually train us in how to think.

(13:03):

Our first instinct has to be to think like Jesus thought. It's not enough to just believe in Jesus. We have to believe like Jesus believed.

Ric Shields (13:13):

I like Joel chapter two, where he talks about God pouring out his spirit on all people, sons and daughters, old men and young men, servants, men, and women. So, let's talk about that. How radical was that idea then and how should it challenge us now?

Deb Kalsbeck (13:32):

I don't think we have a clue of how shocking this was to Joel maybe himself and to the people he was giving this message to because it was just unheard of for God to speak to anybody other than a priest, a king, a prophet, and was usually a man. For God to speak to or through a woman, for him to pour out his spirit on young people, men and women, rich and poor, high class, and low class. I think it was shocking, but that was God's intention from the beginning for every single person to connect with him spirit to spirit and heart to heart. That's why Jesus called it the promise of the Father because we're seeing Jesus right now revealing himself in dreams to hundreds of Muslims. People we would never have thought - dreamt that would be coming into the kingdom of God. We are definitely living in the day and the hour of [the] pouring out of God's spirit. Hopefully till the end, but because that's where the kingdom will be making advancement.

Ric Shields (14:38):

I love Joel chapter two, again where he speaks about pouring out of his spirit upon all flesh. And I'm reminded that in the New Testament where the church really started was in that part of the temple complex called Solomon's Colonnade where everyone - Jews, Gentiles, men, women could all come, they could all meet and that's where the church did a lot of the teaching and its initial growth. What does that tell us about who the gospel should reach?

Deb Kalsbeck (15:17):

That's for every man, every woman. The female slaves, the male slaves, the higher up, the priest, the king, the prophet. God desperately wants to connect with everyone, everyone. I was just listening to a podcast last night by a Muslim woman who had been scheduled to marry. Someone she didn't want to marry. She was scared to death. She had just discovered Jesus. She had this New Testament hiding in her mattress and Jesus appeared in her room and supernaturally opened the door so she could escape. It was an amazing story, but Jesus wants to communicate, connect with, engage with every single one.

Ric Shields (15:58):

Do you think women really have a place in ministry?

Deb Kalsbeck (16:01):

Oh, big frustration, Ric. They say we can see in the scripture, women couldn't even vote in court. Their testimony was "zilcho" in the courtroom when Jesus came on the scene. But if anybody showed dignity for the woman, grace for every single one, right? Yeah, it does feel like the church still is not exactly accepting of women. It's a delicate subject. It would be interesting to hear what Jesus himself would say, but I just have decided I'm going to flourish wherever I am. I'm going to take every single opportunity to preach the kingdom to love on his behalf and to drop the Word wherever I could, right?

Ric Shields (16:44):

You know, the DoorWays® Ministry Network, you have credentials with DoorWays®. We have 80 people who currently are credentialed with DoorWays®. Forty are men, forty are women. And they're not all married couples, you would anticipate that. There are single men, there are single women, or there are men who are married but whose wives are not part of the network or vice versa.

(17:07):

I look at Joel chapter 2:28, when Joel writes and says, "I will pour out of my spirit in those days on all flesh, on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy." Now, is that prophesy in terms of foretelling or prophesy in terms of forthtelling? I don't know, but it's obvious that both men and women are going to be used in those last days to speak out the Word and to bring others into the kingdom. How did we miss that? How did we ever miss that one?

Deb Kalsbeck (17:41):

As I say, it tends to be a man's world, but Jesus has a way of just sneaking in there with his Word and his spirit and he's going to have his way.

Ric Shields (17:49):

You think if Joel were speaking directly to the church today, what do you think you would say that might make us uncomfortable?

Deb Kalsbeck (17:56):

Let's say it like this. [One] - stop playing games with God, be done with the pretense, the empty rituals. [Two] - there is a day of reckoning coming and only those who are found in Christ are going to be saved. Number three - repentance is a huge thing with God. But remember, it's got to be a heart change and a mind change. We would do well to renew our minds. Like I said before, our minds are being trained. They're always being trained, but the question is, are we letting the world train them? Are we letting the Word of God internal truth? Are we letting his words ... Jesus said, "My words are spirit and my words are life."

(18:36):

And the fourth message to the church - start again. Come on, if you fail, turn to God. Every step you take towards him is answered with restoration. If you've experienced loss, if you're coming out of a time of devastation like Joel is referring to, let him restore. Let him rebuild. Let him refresh. Let him replenish. That's his heart.

Ric Shields (19:03):

If there's one takeaway, one important thought, one thread that we should remember about the book of Joel, what is it? Can you take 30 seconds, a minute, whatever, and give us the big picture that will wrap this up for us?

Deb Kalsbeck (19:17):

Again, I believe the heart of the message is restoration. God's desire to restore, to connect with his people. We got to remember Joel's old covenant and we are in the new. It was all law then and now we are in grace. In the old God was very distant and now he's come near in the person of Christ. Joel saw God's plan hundreds of years ago to restore, to bless, to connect with his people. He heard the roar of the Lion of Judah. Chapter 3:16, the phrase is "the Lord roars from Zion."

(19:51):

The mountain of God's choice is no longer Mount Sinai, it's Mount Zion. And Zion is actually more than a physical location. It's a spiritual realm where God is enthroned, where the light prevails. It's a synonym for the people of God indwelt by his spirit. Joel's very last words are "the Lord dwells in Zion."

(20:14):

Or as the message Bible puts it, "God has moved into Zion for good." So, I think we need to take advantage of this major outpouring, the accessibility to the Spirit of God. Let's make it a practice daily to repent. To change our thinking to agree with Gods, that's going to mean reading and hearing and meditating and reading and learning and meditating and muttering and considering and speaking out loud the Word of God, day and night, until we are trained with eternal truths and that dwells in our inward parts. And that is what transformation's all about. And then comes restoration.

Ric Shields (20:58):

Joel leaves us with a question we don't want to rush past. What if the very thing we're trying to escape is the thing God is trying to use to get our attention? Joel doesn't deny the devastation, but he refuses to let it be the final word because tucked inside the warning is an invitation. Joel 2:13 says, "Return to the Lord your God for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love."

(21:27):

That is the tension of Joel. A God who takes sin seriously and a God who refuses to give up on his people. So maybe the question isn't just, why is this happening? Maybe the better question is, is there something in me that needs to return? And if there is, the door is not closed and it never was.

(21:51):

Next week we'll begin a new series. I hope you'll join us for "Women in Scripture; Unseen, Unheard and Unstoppable." You might ask, who are these women? Well, for now, let's just say that some were unnamed. Some were overlooked, some were silenced by culture, circumstance, grief, or expectation. Yet God kept writing their stories and we hope to tell them.

(22:14):

Don't forget to like, follow, subscribe, or share our episodes with family or friends and please consider supporting our efforts by visiting doorways.cc/give for help facilitating your giving.

(22:28):

As we close today, I'd like to pray the Lord's Prayer known by some as the “Our Father.” Wherever you are, would you join me in prayer?

(22:35):

“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Keep us from falling into temptation and deliver us from the evil one for yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever. Amen.”