Israel In The Day Of Judgment

Joel 2:21-3:21

“Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things.  Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength.  Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.  And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.

And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.  And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.  And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.” (Joel 2:21-27)

God has stated that if they will turn back to Him, He will take pity on Judah, and provide their needs.   Even the wild animals will have enough to eat because the crops will again grow.  As they showed their appreciation for his blessings, he would increase those blessings with the result the crops would be abundant.  Ultimately they would recover everything they had lost over the years, as they learned to be thankful.

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.  And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.” (Joel 2:28-32)

As they turn more to God, he will pour out his Spirit upon them, enabling them to speak God’s word and experience his guidance, being filled with the Holy Spirit.  At the same time God would do miraculous things in the natural world, just before God’s judgment comes on the earth.  Peter described the events on the day of Pentecost as a partial fulfilment of this prophecy in Acts 2:16-21.  Today, every believer has that same opportunity to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and be guided by him. The last part, about the signs in the heavens and the earth, with the sun turned to darkness and the moon to blood just before God’s judgment is described in Revelation 6:12-17. 

“For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.” (Joel 3:1-2)

In that day of Judgment, God will free Jerusalem and Judah, destroying the world powers that are arrayed against them in the valley of Jehoshaphat.  Revelation 14:18-20, and Revelation 19:11-21 describe this time of Judgment. 

“And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink.  Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompense? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompense upon your own head; Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things:  The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border. “ (Joel 3:3-6)

The Phoenician traders of Tyre and Sidon had sold thousands of Jewish children as slaves around the Mediterranean Sea, buying them from the Philistines and selling them to the Greeks, often for little more than the services of a prostitute or a bottle of wine.   Even if they were to try to make payment, there is nothing that would make up for what they had done, and God would not accept such an attempt. 

“Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompense upon your own head: And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off: for the LORD hath spoken it.” (Joel 3:7-8)

God will cause his people to come back together from all the lands where they have been scattered.  The people who have hated them will receive the same treatment they have given God’s people,  with their own children being sold into the slavery to the Sabeans.   The Sabeans refer to the people of Saba or Sheba. 

“Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.  Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD. Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.  Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the vats overflow; for their wickedness is great.  Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. ” (Joel 3:9-14)

In that day there will be a huge military buildup with even the agricultural tools being turned into weapons.  There will be a united force of all the nations of the world to attack Israel and Christ.  They will come into the valley of Megiddo for the battle of Armageddon. , and as Revelation 14 describes it, the Lord will destroy them like grapes in a winepress. 

“The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.  The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.  So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.” (Joel 3:15-17)

All the miracles described in Revelation will come to pass, and Christ will set up his earthly kingdom for a thousand years.  The people who come to Jerusalem in that time will come to worship God, not to try to take over or make a profit. 

“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim.  Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.  But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.  For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion.” (Joel 3:18-21)

Even the least productive land will produce abundant crops and feed vast herds of cattle.  The rivers will flow year around, and the valley around the dead sea will be filled with water, opening into the Red Sea.  The lands that have been most opposed to Israel will be uninhabited. But Judah and Jerusalem will be blessed forever.  Even the genetic diseases will be cleansed forever.  

Given A Choice

Joel 2:1-20

“Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. “ (Joel 2:1-2)

Joel warns they need to sound the alarm in Jerusalem and the surrounding area because God’s judgment is coming.  The judgment would be such as had never been seen before and it’s like would never be seen again for many generations.   The description relates to the Babylonian invasion and destruction of Jerusalem.    

“A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.  The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.  Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.  Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.” (Joel 2:3-6)

When Babylon conquered Jerusalem, initially they tried to leave the nation intact, carrying away only the rebellious leaders.  After repeated rebellions they came back and completely destroyed the nation, carrying off everyone except a few of the poorest who were left as caretakers.  Even those rebelled, fleeing to Egypt and leaving the land desolate and unoccupied.  The land was as empty as if it had been burned with a fire.  The Babylonian forces moved from country to country like a forest fire leaping from mountain top to mountaintop.  Their attack would be as fast and unstoppable as fire burning a stand of dried weeds, turning everything black. 

“They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:  Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.  They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.” (Joel 2:7-9)

The Babylonians would develop tactics used centuries later by the Greeks and Roman. Marching in close order so that their shields overlapped, making it almost impossible to get a clear shot at an individual.  Stones from a Ballista or catapult would knock men down but the close packed shields would absorb much of the impact preventing injury.  Because they were so well disciplined and trained they were unlikely to accidentally stab or cut one of their own men.  They would be equipped with scaling ladders and grappling hooks to climb over the walls or into second story windows. 

   

“The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?” (Joel 2:10-11)

As terrible as the invasion and defeat by Babylon was, it was only a precursor of the judgment that Jerusalem and Israel will suffer during the last half of the Tribulation period.   At that time, God will bring forth his army to deliver Israel, as described in Revelation 19:11-16.  “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.  And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.  And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.  And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

“Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.  Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?” (Joel 2:12-14)

Even at the point of the pending invasion, God was still asking Judah to turn to him.  He stresses that he wants a real turning of the hearts, not just a symbolic tearing of their clothes as a display.  He is a gracious and forgiving God. and had put up with a great deal, but was still willing to forgive if they would turn, blessing them instead of punishing them. He could miraculously supply even the crops for food and enough for sacrifices as well. 

“Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.  Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?” (Joel 2:15-17)

If they wanted God’s blessing, they needed to spread the word and setting aside a period for getting close to God and setting themselves apart to hi,  They would to get everyone together, from the infants and children to the engaged couple to spend time getting close to God.  The priests and ministers needed to get down and pray, asking God to forgive their sins and deliver them from their enemies, because they had so completely turned away that other groups were asking where their God was. 

“Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people.  Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen: But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.” (Joel 2:18-20)

If they would turn to him wholeheartedly, God promised to forgive them and answer their prayers.  He would send them abundant food.  People would no longer make fun of them.  The invading army would be defeated and driven away, and ultimately destroyed.  As we know from History, The Jews never turned to God and were conquered by Babylon.  In the Tribulation, they will turn to God and their enemies will be destroyed.  

Conditions In Joel’s Day

Joel 1:1-20

There is no way of determining exactly when Joel was written.  Schofield and others have stated that Joel was a contemporary of Elisha, but there is no evidence to support the claim, so far as I know.  Joel’s prophecies resemble some of those by Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel’s.   

In any case, Joel’s prophecies were clearly accepted as being from God, as we see from Peter’s message on the day of Pentecost, in Acts 2:14-16.  “But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.  But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel.”

  

“The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.  Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?  Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.  That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten.” (Joel 1:1-4)

They were going through a period of pestilence such as they had never experienced in their lifetimes.  Early crops had been devoured by an infestation of Palmer worms.  What survived the palmerworms had been eaten by swarms of locusts.  When they replanted, canker worms attacked the sprouting plants, and finally caterpillars invaded the growing plants, killing nearly everything.  While an infestation of one of these pests was not uncommon, having all of them in single year was unheard of.   Such an event signified something important. 

“Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine, for it is cut off from your mouth.  For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion.  He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.” (Joel 1:5-7)

Even the drunks and drug addicts could no longer ignore what was happening.  The insects had eaten off even the bark of the trees and vines, killing them so that there would not be a crop.  There wouldn’t be any drugs or alcohol even if they tried to steal it.  The economy was completely destroyed. 

“Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.  The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests, the LORD'S ministers, mourn.  The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.  Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished.  The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.” (Joel 1:8-12)

The churches and charitable organizations that the drunks and drug addicts had depended on were broke.  The farmers and workers who had supported the charitable organizations were starving themselves.  Even the solidest most dependable producers and industries had been wiped out.  They could no longer take pride in their ability to take care of themselves.  There was nothing left for them to feel good about. 

“Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God.  Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD.  Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.  Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God?” (Joel 1:13-15)

Under the Law, the priests and temple workers were to wear their holy garments and keep themselves to a certain moral standard.  Joel said they needed to get themselves back to that standard, humbling themselves and weeping over their sin because the offerings were not being given.  As so often happens the leadership was the last to feel the effects of the sin and resultant problems.  They needed to call for a fast, a time of seeking the Lord, because it was God who was causing the things that were happening and they would only get worse if they were ignored.  The fact that they were already going without should be warning enough. 

“The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered.  How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.  O LORD, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field.  The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.” (Joel 1:17-20)

It wasn’t as if no one was trying, they planted the seed, and it rotted in the ground rather than growing.  The storage barns were falling down from lack of care because there was nothing growing to put in them or or pay for repairs.  The livestock and wild animals were starving because the Locusts and other insects have left no food for them.  The trees had died and dried up, and fires spread rapidly through the dried branches.   Even the wild animals were turning to the people for help, coming into the cities in hopes of finding something to eat or a little water to drink because the rivers were dry.  Grass fires destroyed any straw or stubble left from previous years. 

The main reason Joel has been assumed to be contemporary with Elisha is because of the famine during Elisha’s say.  In fact we know that there was also famine in Hezekiah’s day, and again just before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.   Internal evidence suggests Joel was probably written during one of these later famines, rather than in Elisha’s day.