(Joel 2:12-16) “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “Return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping and mourning;
13 And rend your heart and not your garments.” Now return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil.
14 Who knows whether He will not turn and relent and leave a blessing behind Him, even a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God?
15 Blow a trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly,
16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children and the nursing infants. Let the bridegroom come out of his room and the bride out of her bridal chamber..."13 And rend your heart and not your garments.” Now return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil.
14 Who knows whether He will not turn and relent and leave a blessing behind Him, even a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God?
15 Blow a trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly,
If the Israelites had been obedient and turned their hearts to God, and accepted Jesus as their Messiah (their King) the first time, they could have gone directly into the Kingdom of God with all their covenants fulfilled. But because of the Israelites' disobedience, and because God knew that they would not change their ways at this time, Joel gave them a warning about the coming Tribulation - the Day of the Lord...
(Joel 1:15) Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty.
Again - Joel gave another warning before going into a description of the Tribulation. (NOTE: a trumpet was often used to get the people's attention, and there will be a trumpet blowing at the start of the Tribulation, 1 Thess.4:16. Also, the supernatural army described below is found in Rev.1-12)...
(Joel 2:1-11) Blow a trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; surely it is near,
2 A day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness. As the dawn is spread over the mountains, so there is a great and mighty people; there has never been anything like it, nor will there be again after it to the years of many generations.
3 A fire consumes before them and behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before them but a desolate wilderness behind them, and nothing at all escapes them.
4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; and like war horses, so they run.
5 With a noise as of chariots they leap on the tops of the mountains, like the crackling of a flame of fire consuming the stubble, like a mighty people arranged for battle.
6 Before them the people are in anguish; all faces turn pale.
7 They run like mighty men, they climb the wall like soldiers; and they each march in line, nor do they deviate from their paths.
8 They do not crowd each other, they march everyone in his path; when they burst through the defenses, they do not break ranks.
9 They rush on the city, they run on the wall; they climb into the houses, they enter through the windows like a thief.
10 Before them the earth quakes, the heavens tremble, the sun and the moon grow dark and the stars lose their brightness.
11 The Lord utters His voice before His army; surely His camp is very great, for strong is he who carries out His word. The day of the Lord is indeed great and very awesome, and who can endure it?
2 A day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness. As the dawn is spread over the mountains, so there is a great and mighty people; there has never been anything like it, nor will there be again after it to the years of many generations.
3 A fire consumes before them and behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before them but a desolate wilderness behind them, and nothing at all escapes them.
4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; and like war horses, so they run.
5 With a noise as of chariots they leap on the tops of the mountains, like the crackling of a flame of fire consuming the stubble, like a mighty people arranged for battle.
6 Before them the people are in anguish; all faces turn pale.
7 They run like mighty men, they climb the wall like soldiers; and they each march in line, nor do they deviate from their paths.
8 They do not crowd each other, they march everyone in his path; when they burst through the defenses, they do not break ranks.
9 They rush on the city, they run on the wall; they climb into the houses, they enter through the windows like a thief.
10 Before them the earth quakes, the heavens tremble, the sun and the moon grow dark and the stars lose their brightness.
11 The Lord utters His voice before His army; surely His camp is very great, for strong is he who carries out His word. The day of the Lord is indeed great and very awesome, and who can endure it?
Although the judgments in the Tribulation will be great, there will be people during the Tribulation who become believers, including the 144,000 who will be sealed (and therefore guaranteed to make it through these seven years alive)...
30 (Joel 2:30-32) “I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, blood, fire and columns of smoke.
31 “The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
32 “And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.
31 “The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
32 “And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.
The battle of Armageddon will be fought at the end of the Tribulation...
(Joel 3:9-17) Proclaim this among the nations: prepare a war; rouse the mighty men! Let all the soldiers 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 mighty man.”
11 Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves there. Bring down, O Lord, Your mighty ones.
12 Let the nations be aroused and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.
13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread, for the wine press is full; the vats overflow, for their wickedness is great.
14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and moon grow dark and the stars lose their brightness.
16 The Lord roars from Zion and utters His voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth tremble. But the Lord is a refuge for His people and a stronghold to the sons of Israel.
17 Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain. So Jerusalem will be holy, and strangers will pass through it no more.
10 Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, “I am a mighty man.”
11 Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves there. Bring down, O Lord, Your mighty ones.
12 Let the nations be aroused and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.
13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread, for the wine press is full; the vats overflow, for their wickedness is great.
14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and moon grow dark and the stars lose their brightness.
16 The Lord roars from Zion and utters His voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth tremble. But the Lord is a refuge for His people and a stronghold to the sons of Israel.
17 Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain. So Jerusalem will be holy, and strangers will pass through it no more.
Joel describes the judgment of nations that will happen at the end of the battle of Armageddon...
(Joel 3:1-18) “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 Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; and they have divided up My land.
3 “They have also cast lots for My people, traded a boy for a harlot and sold a girl for wine that they may drink.
2 I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; and they have divided up My land.
3 “They have also cast lots for My people, traded a boy for a harlot and sold a girl for wine that they may drink.
4 Moreover, what are you to Me, O Tyre, Sidon and all the regions of Philistia? Are you rendering Me a recompense? But if you do recompense Me, swiftly and speedily I will return your recompense on your head. 5 Since you have taken My silver and My gold, brought My precious treasures to your temples, 6 and sold the sons of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks in order to remove them far from their territory, 7 behold, I am going to arouse them from the place where you have sold them, and return your recompense on your head. 8 Also I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the sons of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a distant nation,” for the Lord has spoken.
After "the sheep have been separated from the goats", all unbelievers will be removed from the earth at that time...
19 (Joel 3:19, 21) Egypt will become a waste, and Edom will become a desolate wilderness, because of the violence done to the sons of Judah, in whose land they have shed innocent blood...
21 And I will avenge their blood which I have not avenged, for the Lord dwells in Zion.
21 And I will avenge their blood which I have not avenged, for the Lord dwells in Zion.
All people who have become believers in the Tribulation will enter the Millennium...
18 (Joel 2:18-29) Then the Lord will be zealous for His land and will have pity on His people.
19 The Lord will answer and say to His people, “Behold, I am going to send you grain, new wine and oil, and you will be satisfied in full with them; and I will never again make you a reproach among the nations.
20 “But I will remove the northern army far from you, and I will drive it into a parched and desolate land, and its vanguard into the eastern sea, and its rear guard into the western sea. And its stench will arise and its foul smell will come up, for it has done great things.”
19 The Lord will answer and say to His people, “Behold, I am going to send you grain, new wine and oil, and you will be satisfied in full with them; and I will never again make you a reproach among the nations.
20 “But I will remove the northern army far from you, and I will drive it into a parched and desolate land, and its vanguard into the eastern sea, and its rear guard into the western sea. And its stench will arise and its foul smell will come up, for it has done great things.”
21 Do not fear, O land, rejoice and be glad, for the Lord has done great things.
22 Do not fear, beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness have turned green, for the tree has borne its fruit, the fig tree and the vine have yielded in full.
23 So rejoice, O sons of Zion, and be glad in the Lord your God; for He has given you the early rain for your vindication. And He has poured down for you the rain, the early and latter rain as before.
24 The threshing floors will be full of grain, and the vats will overflow with the new wine and oil.
25 “Then I will make up to you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the creeping locust, the stripping locust and the gnawing locust, my great army which I sent among you.
26 “You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you; then My people will never be put to shame.
27 “Thus you will know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and there is no other; and My people will never be put to shame.
22 Do not fear, beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness have turned green, for the tree has borne its fruit, the fig tree and the vine have yielded in full.
23 So rejoice, O sons of Zion, and be glad in the Lord your God; for He has given you the early rain for your vindication. And He has poured down for you the rain, the early and latter rain as before.
24 The threshing floors will be full of grain, and the vats will overflow with the new wine and oil.
25 “Then I will make up to you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the creeping locust, the stripping locust and the gnawing locust, my great army which I sent among you.
26 “You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you; then My people will never be put to shame.
27 “Thus you will know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and there is no other; and My people will never be put to shame.
28 “It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
29 “Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
29 “Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
(Joel 3:18, 20) And in that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with milk, and all the brooks of Judah will flow with water; and a spring will go out from the house of the Lord to water the valley of Shittim...
20 ...Judah will be inhabited forever and Jerusalem for all generations.
20 ...Judah will be inhabited forever and Jerusalem for all generations.
Today's takeaway: Joel's plea applies to us now...
12 (Joel 2:12, 17) “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “Return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping and mourning...
17 Let the priests, the Lord’s ministers, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, “Spare Your people, O Lord, and do not make Your inheritance a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they among the peoples say, ‘Where is their God?’”
17 Let the priests, the Lord’s ministers, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, “Spare Your people, O Lord, and do not make Your inheritance a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they among the peoples say, ‘Where is their God?’”
(Matthew 5:4) “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
Our sins should sadden us to the point that we confess them and be delivered from their hold on us. Of course, at the point of becoming a Christian, all our sins are forgiven and God chooses to NOT remember them anymore. We are then able to live in God's grace! And we should desire to walk according to the Spirit. Apostle Paul explains it better than I can...
(Romans 6:1-2) What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?
(Romans 7:16-25) But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. 17 So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, 23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.
(Romans 8:1-4) Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
No comments:
Post a Comment