GDL–Great Day of the Lord – Book Of Joel

Posted on May 15, 2012 by CgiCanada

A Study of the Book of Joel

Introduction

In three short chapters the book of Joel takes us from an ancient locust plague to the eschatological day of the Lord. How can two events so far apart in time and so different in content be related? For the prophet Joel, who apparently witnessed the devastation wrought by the invading insects, the connection was easily established. Knowing the promised blessings and curses contained in the Covenant God had established with Israel, the prophet’s divinely inspired insight enabled him to see in the locust plague a sign of a greater day of destruction in his people’s future. The bad news is that the future day of visitation—called “the great and terrible day of the Lord”—will bring far worse devastation than any locust plague could. But the day of the Lord is not all bad news. It’s a time of judgment, to be sure; but it’s also a time of repentance and restoration, a time of revival and spiritual renewal. In fact, the prophet describes it as a time when God will pour His Spirit upon the young and the old, the sons and the daughters, and the male and female servants.

But God’s promise of the outpouring of the Spirit is not restricted to the future day of the Lord. In the New Testament, Peter cites Joel’s prophecy of this wondrous event and applies it directly to what was happening then and there. A careful study of Joel’s chronology of prophesied events reveals that Peter was on target. Contrary to the claims of a few skeptics, the apostle did not lift Joel’s prediction out of context; nor did he misapply it.

Joel prophesied during a time when the Temple was standing and the priesthood was in place. But it is difficult to pinpoint a precise date for the book. Evidence within the text has led many scholars to believe that this work belongs to the ninth century B.C. This date is partly based on Joel’s references to an anticipated invasion of the promised land, though the prophet’s description of this approaching event easily matches at least three known invasions: the Assyrian invasion of 701 BC., the Babylonian invasion of 598, and the Babylonian invasion of 588. This study does not require an opinion on the date of the book.

As for Joel himself, we know little about him. He is mentioned in no other book of the Old Testament, and the book bearing his name tells us only his name and the name of his father. But was he a priest? A farmer? His references to both occupations might lead us to suspect that he was one or the other, but we cannot be certain because the book simply does not say.

Of this we are certain: Joel’s prophecy is no useless relic, but has profound meaning for all who would read it and heed its message.

I. Anticipating the Day of the Lord

A Severe Locust Plague

1 The word of the Lord that came to Jo’el, the son of Pethu’el: 2 Hear this, you aged men, give ear, all inhabitants of the land! Has such a thing happened in your days, or in the days of your fathers? 3 Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation. 4 What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten. What the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten, and what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten. 5 Awake, you drunkards, and weep; and wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine, for it is cut off from your mouth. 6 For a nation has come up against my land, powerful and without number; its teeth are lions’ teeth, and it has the fangs of a lioness. 7 It has laid waste my vines, and splintered my fig trees; it has stripped off their bark and thrown it down; their branches are made white (Joel 1:1–7).

The first verse declares the origin of the prophet’s warning. Joel, whose name means “Yahweh is God,” is but a messenger. The “word” he brings to his people is from Yahweh.

Joel’s description of the massive agricultural loss brought about by wave after wave of devouring locusts calls attention to the terms set forth in the Covenant between God and the nation of Israel. Long before, God had promised this nation blessings for obedience to His commandments and curses for disobedience. If the people were careful to do all that God had commanded, He would set them “high above all the nations of the earth” (Deuteronomy 28:1). Their crops would produce abundantly, and food would be plentiful for them and their many healthy children; their herds and flocks would multiply; their enemies would turn and flee from them, and no foreign power would dominate them (verses 2–14). However, failure to obey God’s commandments would bring just the opposite—crop failure, drought, famine, disease, defeat at the hands of the enemy, and ultimately, loss of the land (verses 15–68).

The locust plague Joel witnessed was due to the people’s disobedience to the commandments set forth in the Covenant. God had warned their ancestors, “You shall carry much seed into the field, and shall gather little in; for the locust shall consume it” (Deuteronomy 28:38).

Agricultural pestilences varied in intensity, some causing far greater loss than others. This one was among the worst. It was of the kind that is not soon forgotten but is talked about for generations to come (Joel 1:3).

The prophet describes the invading locusts as a large and mighty “nation” that moves in and strips the land of the blessings God had previously given. This is the first clue of what will later become painfully clear: The locust plague, as devastating as it is, is only a harbinger of something much worse! A “day of the Lord” is drawing near! His mighty army would soon cast its terrifying shadow over the face of the land!

Temple Worship Affected

8 Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the bridegroom of her youth. 9 The cereal offering and the drink offering are cut off from the house of the Lord. The priests mourn, the ministers of the Lord (Joel 1:8,9).

The prophet calls for an expression of the kind of deep sorrow a young maiden would experience if her intended husband were taken away before the wedding could take place. The crop losses and resultant shortage of food for the people as well as their flocks and herds are cause enough for lamentation, but Joel recognizes that the adverse effects of the locust plague upon the sacrificial system—the very heart of the nation’s religious life—is, in a sense, an even greater cause for sorrow.

The sacrifices and offerings of the Temple at Jerusalem were an integral part of Israel’s system of worship. Each offering was (ideally) an expression of humility and thanksgiving toward the God of the covenant. The abundance of agricultural produce brought to the Temple was a continual reminder of the promises of blessings God had made long before (Deuteronomy 28). But now, the agricultural loss brought about by the locust plague threatened the sacrificial system. The lamenting priesthood and lack of offerings was a stark reminder that God’s protection had been withdrawn, and served as a sign of the unhappy results of unfaithfulness.

Curses of Disobedience

10 The fields are laid waste, the ground mourns; because the grain is destroyed, the wine fails, the oil languishes. 11 Be confounded, O tillers of the soil, wail, O vinedressers, for the wheat and the barley; because the harvest of the field has perished. 12 The vine withers, fig tree languishes. Pomegranate, palm, and apple, all the trees of the field are withered; and gladness fails from the sons of men (Joel 1:10–12).

Like the priests of the Temple, the farmers wail because of the severe loss. The fields that had brought forth abundantly in previous years are now barren. The vines and trees have been stripped of their fruit. Again we are reminded of God’s promises of abundant blessings for obedience to His laws, and of the devastation of having those blessings taken away because of disobedience.

God had intended to continually pour His blessings upon the people of Israel, and would have done so had they remained faithful. It had been His desire to place them in “a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing” (Deuteronomy 8:8,9). This they could have had, but instead of the good fruit of the land they chose to partake of the fruit of disobedience, the “grapes of wrath.”

Through Moses, God had warned,” All your trees and the fruit of your ground the locust shall possess” (Deuteronomy 28:42). The rebellious nation of Joel’s day could no longer treat God’s warnings to the Exodus generation as outdated and obsolete.

A Call to Repentance

13 Gird on sackcloth and lament, O priests, wail, O ministers of the altar. Go in, pass the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God! Because cereal offering and drink offering are withheld from the house of your God. 14 Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord your God; and cry to the Lord (Joel 1:13,14).

The priests were to officiate in all sacrificial rites and see to it that the rituals and ceremonies of the Tabernacle (or Temple) were properly performed. They represented the people before God, and were to teach the Israelites God’s laws and statues. As the spiritual leaders of the nation, it is important that repentance begin with them. God calls upon them to put on sackcloth, an outward symbol of heart-rending repentance, and to call for fasting and fervent prayer.

In Scripture, fasting is a physical expression of contrition and penitence. An outstanding example of such fasting is in the scriptural account of Nineveh’s response to the dire forecast of the prophet Jonah. When Jonah announced to the people of Nineveh that God would soon overthrow their city, they “proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them” (Jonah 3:5). The king proclaimed a fast for all Nineveh, and called upon the people to cry out for God’s mercy as they resolved to turn from their evil ways (verses 6-8). God responded to their repentance by deciding not to destroy the city (verse 10).

It is not the act of refraining from food and drink that causes God to withhold punishment. Rather, it is the inner transformation, expressed through “a broken and contrite heart” (Psalm 51:17), that draws a positive response from God. The pleasures of food and drink seem inappropriate during a period of such heart-rending contrition and penitence.

This is the kind of fasting Joel has in mind when he calls upon the priests to sanctify a fast and call for the elders and people to cry out to God. He knows that the health of the nation depends heavily upon the spiritual condition of the individuals that make up the nation. If enough people will truly turn to God with all their hearts, the nation will be spared; but if no, something far worse than the locust plague lies in the immediate future.

Description of Desolation

15 Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is near, and as destruction from the Almighty it comes. 16 Is not the food cut off before our eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God? 17 The seed shrivels under the clods, the storehouses are desolate; the granaries are ruined because the grain has failed. 18 How the beasts groan! The herds of cattle are perplexed because there is no pasture for them; even the flocks of sheep are dismayed. 19 Unto thee, O Lord, I cry. For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and flame has burned all the trees of the field. 20 Even the wild beasts cry to thee because the water brooks are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness (Joel 1:15–20).

The plague of locusts was only part of the problem. The wasted fields now lay barren under the cloudless sky of a hot summer. The locusts had destroyed the crops, and the intense summer heat and lack of rain had resulted in ruined pastures and insufficient water supplies. Again, the prophet’s description draws our attention to God’s promise of curses for disobedience: “And the heavens over your head shall be brass, and the earth under you shall be iron. The Lord will make the rain of your land powder and dust; from heaven it shall come down upon you until you are destroyed” (Deuteronomy 28:23,24).

Joel describes the desolation that had already occurred and the turmoil the people had been experiencing for some time. Until this point, Joel’s descriptions have been in the present tense. But now, the prophet links the present distress with something yet to come—an even greater time of trouble that lies in the immediate future.

Joel warns that “the day of the Lord is near.” Four other prophets in four different centuries gave the same warning (Isaiah 13:6; Ezekiel 30:3; Obadiah 15; Zephaniah 1:7,14). In each case, the day of the Lord was imminent, and was a day of divine visitation wherein the wrath of God would be poured upon the ungodly.

The apostle Peter, writing many centuries later, clearly places the day of the Lord in the future, and associates it with the time of the Second Coming of Christ (2 Peter 3:3–12). This is the “great day of…wrath” the apostle John foresaw (Revelation 6:17).

But how can this be? How can prophets and apostles living hundreds of years apart say that the day of the Lord is near?

The day of the Lord is any day of divine visitation. God has intervened and brought both destruction and deliverance many times in the past, and each divine act was a “day of the Lord.” Each day of divine visitation points to and serves as a forerunner of the final judgment of the present age. Therefore the day of the Lord can be both near and distant. For Joel and other Old Testament prophets, the day of the Lord was near in that divine punishments for disobedience were imminent. However, since God’s promise of divine retribution for the ungodly was never exhausted in any past intervention, the ultimate and final day of the Lord lies in the future.

II. Judgment and Restoration

The Coming Judgment

1 Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming, it is near, 2 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people; their like has never been from of old, nor will be again after them through the years of all generations. 3 Fire devours before the, and behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before them, but after them a desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes them. 4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses, and like war horses they run. 5 As with the rumbling of chariots, they leap on the tops of the mountains, like the crackling of a flame of fire devouring the stubble, like a powerful army drawn up for battle. 6 Before them peoples are in anguish, all faces grow pale. 7 Like warriors they charge, like soldiers they scale the wall. They march each on his way, they do not swerve from their paths. 8 They do not jostle one another, each marches in his path; they burst through the weapons and are not halted. 9 They leap upon the city, they run upon the walls; they climb up into the houses, they enter through the windows like a thief. 10 The earth quakes before the, the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. 11 The Lord utters his voice before his army, for his host is exceedingly great; he that executes his word is powerful. For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; who can endure it? (Joel 2:1–11).

The fact that the day of the Lord “is coming” indicates very strongly that the events described in 2:1–11 are future to the locust plague, which has already taken place. Further, the destruction described in 2:1–11 suggests that this is a plague of a different sort than the earlier one.

This is the second time Joel speaks of the rapidly approaching day of the Lord. The prophet warns of a coming invasion, and describes the invaders in terms reminiscent of the locust plague of chapter one. Their number is so great that their distant approach appears to be a huge shadow. They leap, devour, climb, run upon the walls, and turn the garden of paradise into an empty wasteland. The prophet draws from the earlier plague in his description of this “great and powerful people,” but makes it clear that these invaders are not locusts.

This exceedingly great host cannot be another swarm of locusts, for “their like has never been from of old.” The desolation resulting from the locusts and drought was thorough, so another swarm of locusts could hardly bring unparalleled destruction.

The invader is called “the northerner” in verse 20. Both the Assyrians (in 701 B.C.) and Babylonians (in 598 and 588 B.C.) invaded from the north, so the prophecy most likely pertains to one of these encroachments, depending upon when Joel lived. The locust plague served as a harbinger of this far worse invasion.

As with the locust plague and drought of chapter one, this prophecy must be viewed in light of the covenantal curses of Deuteronomy 28: “The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies….and they shall besiege you in all your towns throughout all your land (verses 49,52).

The invading army is God’s army. It may seem strange that the warriors of a foreign nation are called God’s army, but it should be understood that they are God’s army in the sense that god uses them to chasten His own nation.

The Only Hope

12 “Yet even now,” says the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mournings; 13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and repents of evil. 14 Who knows whether he will not turn and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, a cereal offering and a drink offering for the Lord, your God? 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; 16 gather the people. Sanctify the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber. 17 Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep and say, “Spare thy people, O Lord, and make not thy heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’” (Joel 2:12–17).

God calls upon the people to turn to Him in heart-rending repentance, and assures them that “even now,” at this late date, it is still possible to mend the broken relationship. The problem is with the unwillingness of the people, not with God. His love, mercy, and graciousness far exceed the ordinary human boundaries of these qualities. He is “slow to anger” in that He always allows plenty of time for repentance, and sends prophets to warn His people and give them a chance to repent before being severely chastised. God “repents of evil” in that He changes His course of action and withholds punishment—“relents from sending calamity” (NIV)—when His people turn to Him in wholehearted repentance.

Unfortunately, many believe that God foreordained every event that would ever happen over the entire course of human history, from the beginning to the end. This is clearly not true. Joel’s prophecy, alongside many other prophecies of Scripture, reveals the conditional nature of prophetic pronouncements. Here, Joel declares that the day of the Lord is near. He even indicates that God has already selected and prepared His army to carry out the punishment He has determined upon His people. Yet, the prophet cites God’s own call for repentance in assuring the people that their future depends upon whether they turn from their evil and restore their relationship with God.

Joel asks, “Who knows whether he will not turn and repent, and leave a blessing behind him…?” This is almost identical to the hopes expressed by the repentant king of Nineveh after hearing of Jonah’s pronouncement of doom upon the city (Jonah 3:9). The question is notwhether God will respond positively to the people’s repentance, but how He will respond. Who knows?—In addition to calling off the invasion, He might restore everything that’s been lost, and then add some additional blessings! The priesthood could begin sacrificing again, and the joyous worship of God could be recaptured.

Joel reiterates God’s call for fasting and repentance. He calls for a solemn assembly of all the people, exempting no one, not even the children, infants, and newlyweds. He calls for the priests, the ministers who represent the people before God, to go to God with contrite hearts and pray on behalf of the assembled crowd. Only then would God relent from bringing calamity upon the nation—but if the people would offer to him the sacrifice of a broken and contrite heart, He would do it gladly.

Repentance is the key.

Divine Deliverance

18 Then the Lord became jealous for his land, and had pity on his people. 19 The Lord answered and said to his people, “Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations. 20 I will remove the northerner far from you, and drive him into a parched and desolate land, his front into the eastern sea, and his rear into the western sea; the stench and foul smell of him will rise, for he has done great things. 21 Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things! 22 Fear not, you beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green; the tree brings its fruit, the fig tree and vine give their full yield. 23 Be glad, O sons of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord, your God; for he has given the early rain for your vindication, he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before. 24 The threshing floors shall be full of grain, the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. 25 I will restore to you the years which the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. 26 You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. 27 You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I, the Lord, a your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame” (Joel 2:18–27).

God assures the repentant people that He will drive away the enemy, bring an end to the drought, and restore all that was lost in the locust plague. The people will then rejoice before God, praising Him as the faithful Provider who defends, protects, and preserves His people, and who dwells in the midst of Israel.

Rather than allow the invaders to overtake the land, God will scatter them, sending them into the desert, the Dead Sea (“eastern sea”), and the Mediterranean (“western sea”). As Deuteronomy 28:7 states, “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you; they shall come out against you one way, and flee before you seven ways.”

On the one hand, this entire section expresses the ideal outcome, and should be understood as conditional. On the other hand, it prophetically points to both the temporal restoration (which did occur) and the ultimate restoration of Israel in the future. The assurance that God’s people “will never again be put to shame” points to the future period when God will regather the scattered descendants of Jacob and renew the Covenant with them (Jeremiah 31:31–40; Ezekiel 37:21–28; 39:25–29).

The history of Israel and Judah is a history of curses and blessings. At times, the prophets warned of the nearness of national calamities due to the sins of the people; at other times God blessed the people because they turned to Him in repentance. Unfortunately, such “revivals” were always short-lived.

In summary, this section (2:18–27) should be understood three ways: 1) It expresses the ideal outcome and is therefore conditional. 2) It speaks of the temporal effects of the people’s repentance, and refers to actual events in Israel’s history. 3) It prophetically describes the ultimate restoration of Israel and fulfillment of God’s promise to gather the scattered people to their own land, reestablish His Covenant with them, and make them the model nation they were intended to be.

The prophesied events of the following sections will ultimately be fulfilled after the restoration of Israel—during the millennial reign of Christ—but it is a mistake to place the entire spectrum of fulfillment for these prophecies on the other side of the Second Coming. Indeed, the promises contained in these prophesied events have already been fulfilled to some extent.

God’s Spirit to be Poured Out

28 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. 29 Even upon the manservants and maidservants in those days, I will pour out my spirit. 30 And I will give portents in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. 32 And it shall come to pass that all who call upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls” (Joel 2:28–32).

The term “afterward” in verse 28 is important. It tells us that the events described in the subsequent verses occur at some point after the events described in the previous sections. The outpouring of the Spirit of God will take place at some undesignated time after the “day of the Lord” described in 2:1-11. Yet, 2:31b seems to indicate that the outpouring of the Spirit and celestial/terrestrial portents (2:30,31) take place before the “great and terrible day of the Lord” arrives.

This seeming conflict can be resolved once we understand that the “day of the Lord” of 2:1–11 happened long before the time of Christ, and that the “great and terrible day of the Lord” of 2:31 is the eschatological day of the Lord—the same “day of the Lord” mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 5:2–4 and 2 Peter 3:10, and described through the powerful symbolism of the book of Revelation (6:15–17; 8:1–9:21; 11:15–19; 16:1–21; 19:1–21). The “great and terrible day of the Lord” is the culmination of all previous days of divine visitation. The portents in heaven and earth will precede, and announce the arrival of, that day. God’s Spirit will be poured out before that day arrives; however, the everlasting nature of the blessings described in this section indicates that the greater outpouring will occur after, or during, the eschatological day of the Lord.

Preliminary fulfillments of this prophecy occurred in Jerusalem (Acts 2), at Samaria (Acts 8), and Caesarea (Acts 10). From God’s prospective in eternity, these occurrences and all subsequent down-pourings of the Holy Spirit are seen as a single event. The event began on the Day of Pentecost when the Spirit descended with a sound “like the rush of might wind” (Act 2:2), but did not end there. It continued in the days subsequent to Pentecost, and has not yet been completed!

On the Day of Pentecost, Peter cites Joel 2:28–32 and declares that the downpour of the Spirit they were experiencing is a direct fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy (Acts 2:16–21). That the prophecy is open-ended and subject to future fulfillments is indicated in the promise of salvation for “whoever calls on the name of the Lord” (2:21; cf. Joel 2:32).

The book of Revelation reveals that the Pentecost event will be repeated in the end-time, just before the great and terrible day of the Lord. When Christ opens the sixth seal, a great earthquake accompanied (or followed) by heavenly signs occurs (Revelation 6:12–14). These occurrences are not unlike those Joel predicted (Joel 2:30,31), and, like the portents of Joel’s prophecy, these begin before the final day of the Lord. This is indicated in Revelation 6:15–17, where everyone from the kings to the slaves call for the mountains and rocks to fall on them and hide them “from the face of him [God] who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb [Christ]; for the great day of their wrath [the final day of the Lord] has come….” Then, before Christ opens the seventh seal, which represents the final day of the Lord, 144,000 Israelites are “sealed…upon their foreheads” (7:3,4). These are followed by “a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation” (7:9). Apparently, the innumerable multitude is also “sealed” before the wrath of God is poured upon sinful humanity.

The seal sets the servants of God apart for protection from God’s wrath during the tumultuous day of the Lord (Revelation 9:4). But what does the seal consist of? Paul writes, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30). Those who turn to God in heart-rending repentance and accept His provisions for salvation are “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, which is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it” (1:13,14).

The 144,000 Israelites and great multitude from all nations are set apart, or sealed, by the Holy Spirit immediately before the day of the Lord commences. This suggests that another great downpour of the Spirit will occur in the time of the end. Perhaps it will be even greater than the downpour that occurred in the days of the apostles. At any rate, it is certain that the prophetic downpour of the Spirit was not exhausted in first-century Jerusalem, Samaria, and Caesarea.

It is also important to realize that Joel’s prophecy of the down-pouring Spirit is not restricted to the boundaries of a restored nation of Israel. God’s Spirit is to be poured upon “all flesh” (Joel 2:28), not just the Israelites. This is consistent with the promise God had given to Abraham, which is the basis of the covenant between God and Israel. God had said to Abraham, “And I will make you a great nation….and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves [or be blessed]” (Genesis 12:2,3).

The pattern of the Abrahamic promise is seen in the formation and growth of the apostolic church. Abraham’s children were the first to receive the Spirit, but soon afterward the Samaritans and other non-Israelites received it. The pattern seems to be repeated in the sealing of the 144,000 Israelites and great multitude from all nations. It will repeat once more when the Messianic Kingdom is established.

Te ultimate and final fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy will dwarf the initial fulfillment that occurred in the days of the apostles.

III. Divine Blessings for Zion

Israel’s Enemies Overthrown

1 “For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehosh’aphat, and I will enter into judgment with them there, on accounts of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations, and have divided up my land, 3 and have cast lots for my people, and have given a boy for a harlot, and have sold a girl for wine, and have drunk it. 4 What are you to me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you paying me back for something? If you are paying me back, I will requite your deed upon your own head swiftly and speedily. 5 For you have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried my rich treasures into your temples. 6 You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, removing them far from your own border. 7 But now I will stir them up from the place to which you have sold them, and I will requite your deed upon your own head. 8 I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the sons of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabe’ans, to a nation far off; for the Lord has spoken.” 9 Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare war, stir up the mighty men. Let all the men of war draw near, let them come up. 10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, “I am a warrior.” 11 Hasten and come, all you nations round about, gather yourselves there. Bring down thy warriors, O Lord. 12 Let the nations bestir themselves, and come up to the valley of Jehosh’aphat for there I will sit to judge all the nations round about. 13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the wine press is full. The vats overflow, for their wickedness is great. 14Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. 16 And the Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth shake. But the Lord is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel (Joel 3:1–16).

Continuing the thought, God speaks of “those days” when the captives of Judah and Jerusalem will be brought back. While this occurred at the end of the Babylonian exile, its ultimate fulfillment is yet future. At that time, god will enter judgment with the nations who had scattered His people. To God, there is little difference between a day and a thousand years (2 Peter 3:8), so the events of ancient times and the events of the last days of the present age are closely related. This is why God can speak of ultimate things in an ancient context. He links the past to the future by referring to the deeds of ancient Tyre, Sidon, and Philistia as He speaks of the future restoration of Israel. The judgments pronounced against those nations, while fulfilled in history, apply to end-time nations performing the deeds of those ancient enemies of Israel.

Isaiah’s depiction of nations living at peace is reversed. Rather than beating their swords into plowshares (Isaiah 2:4), the nations called to the valley of Jehoshaphat for judgment are told to beat their plowshares into swords and prepare for war. Again, “the day of the Lord is near.” That this is the eschatological day of the Lord is certain because it is linked with the celestial and terrestrial portents (compare 2:30,31 with 3:15,16).

The Glorious Future

17 “So you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who dwell in Zion, my holy mountain. And Jerusalem shall be holy and strangers shall never again pass through it.18 And in that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the stream beds of Judah shall flow with water; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord and water the valley of Shittim. 19 Egypt shall become a desolation and Edom a desolate wilderness, for the violence done to the people of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land. 20 But Judah shall be inhabited for ever, and Jerusalem to all generations. 21 I will avenge their blood, and I will not clear the guilty, for the Lord dwells in Zion” (Joel 3:17–21).

This is quite a different picture from that of the locust plague and drought of chapter one and the foreign invasion of chapter two. God is no longer far removed from His nation, but dwells in Zion. Full and joyous worship has been restored in Jerusalem, and all the enemies of Israel have been vanquished, their lands inheriting the curse earlier placed upon the land of promise. Zion, on the other hand, is a veritable paradise, overflowing with both material and spiritual blessings.

The return of Jesus Christ will bring not only severe judgment for the ungodly, but blessings to those who turn to God in whole-hearted repentance. In that day, Christ will regather the scattered descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and give them the land He promised to their forefathers. Then, “the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nations shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Isaiah 2:2–4).

That’s what the future holds for Israel and the world.

But the book of Joel is not just a story of what is going to happen. It is far more than a mere prediction about what we can expect. It is a call to repentance! The message for us is contained within God’s admonition to Joel’s original audience: “’Yet even now,’ says the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.’”

This is what God wants for each of us. Turning to Him with fasting and weeping simply means giving our lives to Him completely. It means committing ourselves to becoming a pliable lump of clay to be molded and formed by the hands of the Master Potter. It means accepting His provisions, obeying His laws, bowing before the King He appoints as Ruler over all Israel and the world, and trusting Him without wavering.

That, above all else, is the message God wants us to glean from the book of Joel.

EET-Evidence of the End Times

Posted on May 15, 2012 by CgiCanada

Speaking of the end times, Jesus said, “Learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh; So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things [signs of the end of the age], know that He [Jesus] is near, even at the doors” (Matthew 24:32–33). Are we seeing the “fig tree” beginning to bud? Have we finally entered the “season” of the end times? Is the return of Christ “near, even at the doors”?

In Luke’s account of the “fig tree” analogy, Jesus adds this important exhortation: “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” (Luke 21:36).

In Mark 13, Jesus privately tells Peter, James, John, and Andrew of events and conditions that will lead to the end of the age. He tells them of many future events, some of which would happen in their lifetimes. Yet, none of them realized it would take many centuries before the prophecy would run its course.

We must remember that the relationship of time and prophetic events that are portrayed in our Bibles are often seen from God’s perspective and concept of time as the standard. Therefore, remember a thousand years is as one day to Him (2 Peter 3:8), making it understandable as to why Peter would say, as he did on the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem, “Ye men of Judea, …hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day [approximately 9 a.m.]. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:14-16). Then Peter proceeds to take a quantum leap and quote Joel 2:28–30, which says, “And it shall come to pass in the last days.” Peter further explains about the sun turning to darkness and the moon turning blood red right before the notable “Day of the Lord.” And yet this happened two thousand years ago! How can this be? Keep in mind; as far as God was concerned, it was only about two days ago. In other words, if you were to ask Peter if we were in the end times, based on his initial presentation two thousand years ago, it’s fair to say he would have told you unequivocally, YES! “Never Before…”

As much as the early New Testament apostles thought they were in the end times, little did they know how many centuries would pass before mankind would achieve the capability to completely destroy all of civilization around the world. Jesus said, “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows” (Mark 13:8).

However, since many of these mentioned events have occurred regularly over the passing centuries and humanity’s legacy is one of war, multiple calamities and assorted natural disasters, many modern day pundits scoff at the thought that mankind’s days are now conclusively numbered. Even the apostle Peter saw this cynicism coming in his time when he described the attitude of some during the last days (2 Peter 3:3–10).

So, if these modern times are indeed any different, what is it that makes them that way? Are these the final days and times Jesus was talking about? And if they are, how are they any different from the many times before? Why shouldn’t we consider it just another cycle of violence, unrest, calamities, and more war and destruction?

It would do us well to consider the terminology of the Apostle Peter when he said, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night…” (2 Peter 3:10). This is an interesting characterization. The notion you’re given is that some of us will be caught off guard and taken by surprise when Jesus returns and the heavens and earth begin to pass away. This is why Jesus explains to us that we should learn the parable of the fig tree. He warns us to WATCH! Why? So we will be prepared physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Committed to never giving or letting up! We should be like the good man of the house, who if he had known what watch the thief would come, he would not have suffered his house to be broken into. In other words, BE PREPARED because we are living in a day and age unlike any other time in the history of mankind; and if we become complacent, we could suffer loss. So watch and consider the following “buds of the fig tree.”

Never before has there been a time when the world has been so tightly knitted together by the “cyberspace highway.” It is indeed a global community and growing world economy! Exports and imports are shipped throughout most of the world in what can almost be characterized as a developing “seamless” social order. Even China, a country espousing a completely opposing political ideology with the West, is now one of the largest trading and/or investment partners with North America, Europe, and South America. Never before have the economies of China, Korea, India, and many of the Asian countries exploded into such a frenzy of social commerce. The consumption of goods and services has become a force to be reckoned with in the last decade, even causing shortages of raw materials in some areas. Additionally, the competition to acquire raw materials is becoming more acute. The labor force in some of these countries has grown hundreds of percentage points producing trade deficits in the West that appear to be insurmountable due to this cheap available labor.

Never before has there been such international turmoil of the magnitude we have today over culture, politics, religion, energy, environment, and terrorism. “Nuclear energy management” is a central issue for much of the world’s paranoia regarding the security of the global community. Despots in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, parts of Africa, and South America continue to “saber rattle” and hold the world hostage while they periodically use the United Nations to forge their policies of nuclear development and uranium enrichment under the guise of domestic energy needs. It is a precarious situation at best among the G-8 nations to attempt to manage this extremely hot issue and find any sincere and truthful mutual concessions. Everyone seems to have his own agenda. It is impossible to satisfy all concerned. God’s Word says, “The way of peace they know not.”

Never before has Europe ignited into such a global powerhouse! Today, heralding the union of twenty-five nation states (and growing!) under a common European Union (EU), it is attempting to aspire to a level of geopolitical influence it hasn’t experienced since the days of the Ottomans, Hapsburgs, or Napoleon. Today, the EU is brokering peace accords in the Middle East and negotiating with both Palestine and Israel. It is also actively developing its own constitution so it can operate and construct policies more uniformly, along with a strike force and a common currency. Currently, the EU has interfered with corporate mergers belonging to the United States that were hoping to do business in Europe, while at the same time setting industrial standards for corporations around the world, and continuing to gain additional economic leverage throughout the globe by virtue of its currency, the euro.

The euro, presently worth more than the dollar, has acquired a prominent role as the world’s accepted back-up currency behind the dollar. As a matter of fact, that may change very soon as the dollar continues to lose confidence around the world and the OPEC nations seriously consider the euro as the preferred currency for oil. This potential shift stands to create far reaching worldwide economic effects that will impact many of the economies around the world, if and/or when it happens. Europe persistently maintains being the driving force behind the globalization of the world’s community of nations. It is no secret that many of the European leaders intend for the EU to become a type of “United States of Europe,” functioning in the role of a resurrected Roman Empire. Even the Catholic Church has recognized the emergence of this “Euroclydon Power” and is attempting to influence European opinion for its accepted place and role going into the future.

Never before have these European geopolitical “assimilated conditions” come together in such modern times, with technologies in place, political, economic, and religious prowess in line, and a grass roots acceptance from the populace. The potential of fulfilling what Daniel said is fast becoming a practical matter. Notice: “And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully [by wonderful works] and shall prosper, and practice, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people [people of the holy ones]. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace [prosperity] shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes [Jesus Christ]; but he shall be broken without hand” (Daniel 8: 23–25).

Remember, Daniel also prophesied that “the judgment shall sit, and they [Jesus Christ and His resurrected immortals] shall take away his [a king of fierce countenance, the beast] dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions [earthly rulers] shall serve and obey him” (Daniel 7:26–27). This is very good news! It is at the heart of the Gospel!

Never before have Israel and its neighboring countries been so outspoken about their intents to protect their own territories and policies. Though this area of the world has been a “lightning rod” of strife and animosity affecting the world since the inception of Israel as a legitimate nation state in 1948, recently the intensity appears to have turned a corner for the worse. Terrorism has exacerbated the conditions, causing them to become extremely volatile, with potentials of endangering the rest of the world. The nuclear policies and intents of surrounding Arab countries continue to agitate much of the world’s community of nations with concerns of potential reactionary violence erupting from terrorist groups or irrational government military action. It wouldn’t take much to encircle Jerusalem with foreign armies (Luke 21:20).

Never before has there been an Israeli Sanhedrin in place driving ahead to construct a Temple. Currently, though without Israeli government recognition, this Sanhedrin is moving ahead to assemble engineers and architects for the development of detailed working plans to bring this project to an operational stage. The Sanhedrin is presently calling upon the Jewish people to contribute towards the acquisition of materials for the purpose of rebuilding the holy Temple!

As described in the Daniel 12, it is clear that “daily sacrifices shall be taken away” (Daniel 12:11). That, of course, presumes the fact that there must be a sacrificial system in place that will be stopped. We understand that this happens around the time when “he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished” (Daniel 12:7). It is further clarified that these things happen at the “time of the end” (Daniel 12:9).

Additionally, with a temple built and the daily sacrifices stopped, conditions conducive for “the abomination that makes desolate” can be set up (Daniel 12:11; Matthew 24:15; Mark13:14). Remember, at some point even the apostle Paul recognized that a man would come along “Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God” (1 Thessalonians 2:4).

Never before has there been such an explosion of anti-Christ sentiment. Christian persecution, even among Sunday-keeping Christians, is on the increase around the world. The humanistic, secular culture of the West, especially throughout England, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, has reduced and/or diminished the name of Jesus Christ from any public influence and/or display except in the area of the Church. Currently, there are movements trying to rid the educational systems of any Christian influence, as it is in politics or on government buildings. Today lawsuits are targeted in many instances to confront Christian values with the growing humanist “value system” within our culture. The abandonment of the God of our Bible and Judeo-Christian values is fast becoming evident to many throughout the West.

Islam is advancing around the world today and enjoys the prominence of being the fastest growing religious faith in the world. If it continues at the current pace of growth, some have said, it will exceed Catholicism in Europe by the year 2015. Islam is an “anti-Christ” religion, as are many faiths around the world outside of Christianity. This, too, has never occurred in a day and age when science and technology have produced weapons with mind-boggling destructive potential.

Never before has there been such an outpouring of anti-American rhetoric throughout the globe. In today’s world, many nations want what the American economy and market, resources, and military have to offer. There are literally multiple millions of people immigrating to the United States, legally as well as illegally, attempting to share in the “American Dream.” However, at the same time they will criticize, ridicule, and deride anything they can about the exercise of its power or political influence and the freedoms American culture enjoys.

Never before has the United States enjoyed such exclusive role recognition, identified among the community of nations as the last remaining superpower of the “Cold War Era.” While the British had enjoyed their dominance, controlling at one time fourteen million square miles of planet Earth, it is apparent, like never before, the sun is finally setting on the British Empire.

However, today the United States is enjoying the apex of its material, political, and military prowess, serving in the prominent role as a balance of power among many terrifying conditions that could rapidly deteriorate into a massive global conflict. Many of us don’t understand just how fragile and dangerous these circumstances really are. Yet, it seems for many throughout the world, there is nothing they would like more than to see the United States failing in its role and attempting to be the counterbalance of an endangered world, threatened by so much irrational anger and militant behavior. Unfortunately, trends are beginning to indicate those gainsayers repudiating the United States will ultimately get what they are hoping for.

Never before has the United States been so vulnerable to collapse. There is the proverbial “handwriting on the wall.” In so many areas there are trends that, if they continue, will definitely conclude with the same result the northern ten tribes of Israel experienced. In 2 Kings, the record of why God took Israel down and allowed their land to be destroyed is clear. “Yet the LORD testified against Israel and against Judah by all the prophets…. And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant…and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them…. And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God…. Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight…also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God…And the LORD rejected all the seed of Israel…the LORD removed Israel out of his sight…so was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day” (2 Kings 17:13–23).

The United States is morally bankrupt. Corruption runs rampant throughout politics, religion, and business. Private interest groups are tearing at the very fabric of the American culture. Families are in disarray. Divorce runs in excess of 60 percent of all marriages. And marriage itself is under attack, being redefined according to the homosexual agenda, while at the same time, the United States allows approximately two million unborn human beings to be murdered by legalized abortion. It’s a sad state of affairs—and God is not amused!

The United States of America was indeed framed by imperfect men God used who viewed this new homeland of “the free and the brave” through the paradigm of God’s Holy Word, both Old and New Testaments of the Bible. God has blessed the United States of America with so much wealth in so many areas—in spite of our national transgression; He now owes our nation nothing! The promises made of material wealth and affluence to the ancient patriarch Abraham and his descendents have been fulfilled. When properly understood, this is a most frightful truth!

The proof of this daunting realization of our current geopolitical distinction is: NEVER BEFORE has the United States enjoyed the exclusive role as the dominant WORLD POWER! And regrettably, America has been weighed against God’s Word and has been found miserably wanting. As the people of the United States stand before God, this nation is viewed to be in the process of “giving up” on Him and becoming more Epicurean and hedonistic in their ways as never before. As the nation moves away from God, so God will remove Himself. And along with His departure, so goes His protection as with ancient Israel. The pattern is the same, and God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. History has proven this to be true!

Much More Could Be Said

So much more could be said about geopolitical conditions, and much could be said about the weather, about the potential for major droughts and famines, earthquakes and volcanic activity, and deadly disease pandemics; but it’s apparent to those who have eyes to see that the “fig tree” is indeed beginning to bud! It is vitally IMPORTANT that we do not underestimate the perilous times we’re living in! We are consistently reminded that we know not the hour when our Lord will come. We are also reminded that the days will be shortened for the elect’s sake, because if they weren’t, no flesh would remain alive. God has assured us He won’t let that happen.

We need to consider there are conditions that could easily erupt into a rapid progression of circumstances igniting the world into catastrophic chaos. The book of Revelation explains that “power was given unto them [the four horsemen] OVER THE FOURTH PART of the earth, to kill with the sword [second horseman], and with hunger [third horseman], and with death [fourth horseman], and with the beasts of the earth” (Revelation 6:8).

The apostle John is warning us that 25 percent of the population of the world will be destroyed by the effects of these four horsemen contained in the FIRST FOUR SEALS (Revelation 6:8)! Then following right on the heels of these first four seals, is the fifth seal describing a horrific Christian martyrdom. Quickly following is the sixth seal, describing heavenly signs in the sky, with the seventh seal opening up thereafter to announce the “seven trumpets,” outlining the great day of God’s wrath (Revelation 6:17).

With that said, all true believers need to realize the prophetic events we know are scripted to happen in the Bible may occur by circumstances and conditions that are not necessarily detailed in our Bible. Remember, World Wars I and II are not listed, yet they have had major influence in setting the current geopolitical stage. So have oil, economics, terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, and the vast cultural malaise and the rise of computer technology and the Internet, none of which are detailed in the Bible.

However, all of these items are factors contributing to the massive trends catapulting the world toward a “new world order” that will position three major powers to face off with each other in the latter days: the King of the North, the King of the South, and those powers to the northeast of Jerusalem (Daniel 11:40–45). Sadly, it is obvious the influence and military might of the United States and Britain will have been previously neutralized, eliminating them from any involvement as a nation during these latter day conflicts.

With the United States and Britain out of the way, a “times of the Gentiles” will ensue. Events leading up to and causing the downfall of God’s birthrighted cultures, resulting in enormous casualties and the death of thousands of Christians (Revelation 6:9–11), will certainly cause a mammoth geopolitical shift that will lead to the fulfillment of many end-time events prophesied in Scripture.

The point is, we are living in volatile times that are unlike any time before. Today, one terrorist, through one mindless act of violence, can kill thousands! Think of what mayhem a team of well-organized terrorists could cause, especially if they were able to acquire weapons of mass destruction! Indeed, a series of terrorist attacks could quickly send the global community into a tailspin, throwing it headlong into the abyss of chaos and confusion. Beware, and WATCH (Luke 21:29–36)! Global turbulence continues to escalate; a storm is brewing! Indeed, the “fig tree” is putting forth “buds”!

The apostle Paul reminds us, “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of the darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and that that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do” (1 Thessalonians 5:1–11).