A Call to Arms

Spiritual Warfare - A Call to Arms

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A Handbook for Spiritual Warfare

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The coming days, an opportunity for the Church to carry out the Lord’s final instructions

Our Passover has passed. The Feast of First Fruits has been celebrated. We have now entered the days when 2000 thousand years ago the resurrected Lord Jesus was with His disciples for 40 days. For the next 10 days, the disciples waited in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father. Then at the Feast of Pentecost, the disciples were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit to be Christ’s witnesses to the world.  What was Jesus doing during those 40 days? It might give us a clue as to what He wants the Church to be doing in the coming days between Passover and Pentecost on May 29, 2020, and beyond.

It would be important to read and digest all of the scriptures dealing with what Jesus was doing during the 40 days He spent on earth before His ascension. But, for the sake of brevity let’s focus on the reason or purpose of these encounters.

Before Jesus’ death, He spoke to His disciples about things that were going to happen before the end of this current age. These “signs of the times” are certainly in our world today. But note that the Lord concludes with the statement that the gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nation, and then the end will come. Jesus leaves us with the key to His return, the preaching of the Gospel.

[Mat 24:1-14 NKJV] 1 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down." 3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" 4 And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 6 "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 "All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. 10 "And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 "But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Paul gives us the same message in Romans 11 when he tells us that the final restoration of Israel is contingent upon the “Fulness of the gentiles has come in”, the preaching of the gospel to the nations is completed.

[Rom 11:25-27 NKJV] 25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins."

Now, after the resurrection, Jesus gives His disciples the great commission. Again, the emphasis is on the preaching of the gospel and the making of disciples of all the nations.

[Mat 28:16-20 NKJV] 16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. 

What Jesus was doing during those 40 days He spent with His disciples was preparing them for the assignment that lay before them. As the Father had sent Jesus, Jesus was sending them.

[Jhn 20:19-21 NKJV] 19 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you." 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you."

After Jesus commissioned His disciples, He then empowered them to carry out the commission just before His ascension into heaven. This empowering, this being immersed in or baptized in, the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost. On that very day, the Church age began with the preaching of the gospel to all people and nations.

[Luk 24:44-49 NKJV] 44 Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me." 45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. 46 Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 "and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 "And you are witnesses of these things. 49 "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high." 

[Act 1:4-9 NASB] 4 Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, "Which," He said, "you heard of from Me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." 6 So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" 7 He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; 8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." 9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

[Act 2:1-4, 16-21 NASB] 1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. ...

Peter tells us that this was what was prophesied by the prophet Joel.

[Act 2:16-21 NKJV] 16 "But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.

This initiated the days of the wheat harvest, the gathering of souls, both Jew and gentile into the Kingdom; the gathering of souls into the Kingdom of God through believing in Jesus as the Messiah. But the harvest time has an ending. As Paul taught us, there will be a day when the “fullness of the gentiles has come in”. But we need to remember that at the end of the wheat harvest is what is called the days of gleaning. A time when the workers were sent out to gather in remaining wheat that was in the corners and far reaches of the fields. Remember this from the book of Ruth. Joel gives us a possible hint that near the end of the church age (the wheat harvest), possibly as a part of the gleaning of the fields, this anointing of the Church with power might intensify or be pouring our as the “latter rain”. The latter rain was the early spring rain. The rain of Pentecost.

[Joe 2:23 NKJV] 23 Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the LORD your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you--The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month.

[Zec 10:1 NKJV] 1 Ask the LORD for rain In the time of the latter rain. The LORD will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, Grass in the field for everyone.

Paul in Acts 2:19-21 also hints that there would be a latter rain outpouring in the days just before the coming of the great and awesome final day of the Lord; the days preceding His second coming.

[Act 2:19-21 NKJV] 19 I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. 21 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.'

Could it be possible that the Lord is right now, in our day, preparing the Church for this latter-day outpouring of His Holy Spirit on Pentecost? Is the Lord right now, during these days before our Pentecost reminding us of our commission to take the gospel to the world, to disciple the nations, and to go out into the highways and byways (the corners of the wheat fields) to gather in the lost.

[Luk 14:16-24 NKJV] 16 Then He said to him, "A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, 17 "and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, 'Come, for all things are now ready.' 18 "But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.' 19 "And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.' 20 "Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' 21 "So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.' 22 "And the servant said, 'Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.' 23 "Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 'For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.' "

[Mat 22:2-14 NKJV] 2 "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, 3 "and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. 4 "Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding." ' 5 "But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. 6 "And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. 7 "But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8 "Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 9 'Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.' 10 "So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 "But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. 12 "So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. 13 "Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 14 "For many are called, but few are chosen."

Let all Christians remember our great commission. We have been given the authority to be the Lord’s ambassadors, to represent or re-present Him on this earth. We are being charged to go out into the highways and byways and compel the lost to come into His marvelous Kingdom through what Jesus did for us when He died and rose again to atone for our sins and give us the possibility of eternal life with Him. And we all need to ask the Lord to pour down His great power to accomplish this commission by asking once again for an anointing of the Holy Spirit’s power.

I suspect that these will not be easy times. There is much evil being manifested in our world today. There is a great spiritual war going on in the heavens and on the earth. Deception and spiritual blindness are rampant in our world today, even in the institutional churches. As never before we need to trust the Lord and His great plan for the future. We need to focus on the glory that is about to be revealed to us and through us.

[Rom 8:18 Amp] [But what of that?] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time (this present life) are not worth being compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us and ^[g]for us and ^[h]conferred on us!

We need to focus on the promises Jesus has given us, and on things which are above, not on things on the earth.

[Col 3:1-4 NKJV] 1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

Paul encourages us with these words.

[2Co 4:1-4 NKJV] 1 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. 3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

[2Co 4:15-18 NKJV] 15 For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Trust God, trust His Plan, for the battle is the Lord’s!

[1Sa 17:45-47 NKJV] 45 Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 "This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 "Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD's, and He will give you into our hands."

Each one of us has a part to plan in this great end-time drama. Some will be the front-line evangelists, some the intercessors, some the teachers, prophets, some the helpers, administrators, and backup troops.

[Eph 4:11-16 NKJV] 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ-- 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

I believe that we have been called for “such a time as this”. We are the Esthers (Hadassahs) of our day.

[Est 4:14-16 NKJV] 14 "For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" 15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai: 16 "Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!"

The Lord’s spiritual army just like a worldly army needs all hands on deck. Seek your part. Seek your personal commission/assignment and the authority and power to execute your part well. In the end, we win because He has already won!!!!

A Study in the Book of Joel

A Study in the Book of Joel

(April 2020)

Many scholars date the book of Joel to 835 B.C. This makes Joel a prophet, who ministered before the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel (721 B.C.) or the southern kingdom of Judah (586 B.C.). (Guzik)

 "The name Joel means 'Jehovah is God' and therefore constitutes a short confession of faith, somewhat like the primary New Testament confession, 'Jesus is Lord.'" (Boice)

Joel’s Prophecy of the Day of the Lord

Chapter 1

[Joe 1:1 NASB] The word of the LORD that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel:

[Joe 1:2 NASB] Hear this, O elders, And listen, all inhabitants of the land. Has anything like this happened in your days Or in your fathers' days?

First, we note that the prophecy about to be told has not yet occurred. Not in the days of the people Joel was speaking to, or in the past, (in your fathers’ days). This is a prophecy about some future events.

[Joe 1:3 NASB] Tell your sons about it, And let your sons tell their sons, And their sons the next generation.

This prophecy was something to be taught to and for future generations.

[Joe 1:4 NASB] What the gnawing locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; And what the swarming locust has left, the creeping locust has eaten; And what the creeping locust has left, the stripping locust has eaten.

The visual picture painted here is a complete devastation likened to that when swarms of locus cover a land devouring everything in their path. In Middle Eastern cultures, using pictures and stories is the way they teach and communicate. Jesus often taught in parables.

[Joe 1:5 NASB] Awake, drunkards, and weep; And wail, all you wine drinkers, On account of the sweet wine That is cut off from your mouth.

It is inferred here that the people of Israel were asleep like drunkards. Living in deception and oblivious to their pitiful condition, they would one day wake up to discover that their wanton ways of living are suddenly cut off.

[Joe 1:6 NASB] For a nation has invaded my land, Mighty and without number; Its teeth are the teeth of a lion, And it has the fangs of a lioness.

[Joe 1:7 NASB] It has made my vine a waste And my fig tree splinters. It has stripped them bare and cast them away; Their branches have become white.

Now we are told what the “locus” represents. They are a mighty nation that will invade their land (Israel). This invading nation will be likened to a fierce lion seeking prey. This nation army will strip the vineyards of Israel bare.

[Joe 1:8 NASB] Wail like a virgin girded with sackcloth For the bridegroom of her youth.

[Joe 1:9 NASB] The grain offering and the drink offering are cut off From the house of the LORD. The priests mourn, The ministers of the LORD.

[Joe 1:10 NASB] The field is ruined, The land mourns; For the grain is ruined, The new wine dries up, Fresh oil fails.

[Joe 1:11 NASB] Be ashamed, O farmers, Wail, O vinedressers, For the wheat and the barley; Because the harvest of the field is destroyed.

[Joe 1:12 NASB] The vine dries up And the fig tree fails; The pomegranate, the palm also, and the apple tree, All the trees of the field dry up. Indeed, rejoicing dries up From the sons of men.

There is utter despair in the land. The people mourn like at the death of a loved one. There is nothing left for even the offering for the house of the Lord. The fields and vineyards are completely destroyed. There is no rejoicing in the land.

[Joe 1:13 NASB] Gird yourselves with sackcloth And lament, O priests; Wail, O ministers of the altar! Come, spend the night in sackcloth O ministers of my God, For the grain offering and the drink offering Are withheld from the house of your God.

The religious leaders are in despair. Darkness has fallen over the land and they are unable to do anything about it.

[Joe 1:14 NASB] Consecrate a fast, Proclaim a solemn assembly; Gather the elders And all the inhabitants of the land To the house of the LORD your God, And cry out to the LORD.

So the prophet advises these leaders of the land to gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to cry out to the Lord in this hour of great darkness.

[Joe 1:15 NASB] Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is near, And it will come as destruction from the Almighty.

This is the verse that defines just what this whole prophecy is all about. It is about “the day of the Lord”.

Just what is this “the day of the Lord”? Let’s see from scripture.

[Isa 13:6 NASB] Wail, for the day of the LORD is near! It will come as destruction from the Almighty.

[Isa 13:9 NASB] Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, Cruel, with fury and burning anger, To make the land a desolation; And He will exterminate its sinners from it.

[Eze 13:5 NASB] "You have not gone up into the breaches, nor did you build the wall around the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the day of the LORD.

[Eze 30:3 NASB] "For the day is near, Even the day of the LORD is near; It will be a day of clouds, A time of doom for the nations.

[Joe 1:15 NASB] Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is near, And it will come as destruction from the Almighty.

[Joe 2:1 NASB] 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,

[Joe 2:11 NASB] 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?

[Joe 3:14 NASB] Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

[Amo 5:18 NASB] Alas, you who are longing for the day of the LORD, For what purpose will the day of the LORD be to you? It will be darkness and not light;

[Amo 5:20 NASB] Will not the day of the LORD be darkness instead of light, Even gloom with no brightness in it?

[Oba 1:15 NASB] "For the day of the LORD draws near on all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you. Your dealings will return on your own head.

[Zep 1:7 NASB] Be silent before the Lord GOD! For the day of the LORD is near, For the LORD has prepared a sacrifice, He has consecrated His guests.

[Zep 1:14 NASB] Near is the great day of the LORD, Near and coming very quickly; Listen, the day of the LORD! In it the warrior cries out bitterly.

 [1Th 5:2 NASB] For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.

[2Th 2:2 NASB] that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

[2Pe 3:10 NASB] But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.

The Day of the Lord is the final and ultimate judgment of the unrepentant sinners of earth. These are the days of God’s wrath. These are the days of judgment just before the Lord returns to the earth to establish His Kingdom on earth as King of kings and Lord of lords.

The “Day of the Lord” are the days of God’s wrath.

[Zep 1:15 NASB] A day of wrath is that day, A day of trouble and distress, A day of destruction and desolation, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness,

[Rom 2:5 NASB] But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,

[Rom 1:18 NASB] For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

[Eph 5:6 NASB] Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

[Rev 6:12 NASB] I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood;

[Rev 6:15 NASB] Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains;

[Rev 6:16 NASB] and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb;

[Rev 6:17 NASB] for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"

[Joe 1:16 NASB] Has not food been cut off before our eyes, Gladness and joy from the house of our God?

[Joe 1:17 NASB] The seeds shrivel under their clods; The storehouses are desolate, The barns are torn down, For the grain is dried up.

[Joe 1:18 NASB] How the beasts groan! The herds of cattle wander aimlessly Because there is no pasture for them; Even the flocks of sheep suffer.

[Joe 1:19 NASB] To You, O LORD, I cry; For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness And the flame has burned up all the trees of the field.

[Joe 1:20 NASB] Even the beasts of the field pant for You; For the water brooks are dried up And fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

Note that all of this destruction has been caused by fire. In chapter 2 we will learn that this fire is the destruction that comes from war, the wars of The Day of the Lord.

[Rev 6:3 NASB] When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come."

[Rev 6:4 NASB] And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.

Sound an Alarm, Destruction is at Hand

Chapter 2

[Joe 2:1 NASB] 1 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,

In chapter 2, the details of the prophecy begin to unfold with the blowing of a shofar (a ram’s horn). It is to sound an alarm of an approaching attack and war. Israel is about to be attacked. It is a day of trembling; a day of great shaking, fear, and anxiety. The blast of the shofar is the announcement that the day of the LORD is coming and is very near. From the book of Revelation, we know that this day of the LORD begins in Revelation chapter 6 with the release of the Antichrist and the subsequent wars at the breaking of the second seal of the great scroll in heaven.

[Rev 6:1-4 NASB] 1 Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, "Come." 2 I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. 3 When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come." 4 And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.

[Joe 2:2 NASB] 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.

To the people of this “day of the LORD”, it will be a day of great darkness and gloom. This darkness will be dread, despair, hopelessness, and great fear. The attack on Israel will be by a great and mighty force, so great that it will seem like a dark cloak covering the land. During these days, a sudden attack with thousands of missiles and aircraft could very well seem like a “dark cloud” covering the land. That there will never be anything like it again for many generations could be interpreted as, not seen again until after the 1000-year reign of Christ on the earth when Satan will for the last time raise a rebellion against the Lord. (Rev 20:7-9).

[Joe 2:3-10 NASB] 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.

These verses describe the attack. The land is attacked with fire (missiles and bombs) before the troops arrive and there is great destruction by explosions and fire.  The land-attack sounds like armored vehicles and tanks (chariots) rumbling across the mountains on the north of Israel firing their weapons along the way. Then the ground troops arrive. They are disciplined and very effective. They are zealous and committed to bringing a devasting attack on Israel.  A spiritual, psychological, emotional, and even physical darkness covers the land.

[Joe 2:11 NASB] 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?

We are reminded here that this “day of the Lord”, this attack on Israel and the attacking army, are under the Lord’s control. It is His army. This day of the Lord is a day of testing, purifying, and judgment (Matt 10:15, 12:36; Jn 16:8; 1 Pet 4:17; 2 Pet 2:9, 3:7; Jude 1:15; Rev 2:2, 3:10, 17:1, 18:10). For Israel, this army is God’s tool of judgment calling them to repent.

[Joe 2:12-17 NASB] 12 "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?

Even though this specific attack is upon Israel, it is affecting the whole world. This attack is initiating the final “day of the Lord”. It is a day of testing and judgment upon the entire earth. While here in the book of Joel, the call to repent is directed at Israel, these events are surely a call to the whole earth to repent before the wrath of God is poured out in full during the days of great tribulation just before the Lord returns as King of kings and Lord of lords.

This repentance is a true turning away from sin and turning to God, not in ritual (rend your garments), or halfheartedly, but with all your heart. This repentance is marked by the action of fasting, and the emotion of weeping and mourning.

“We don't repent with the idea "God is so mean that if I don't return to Him, He will squash me." Instead, the idea is "God is so gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness that He will spare me from what I deserve if turn back to Him." Ultimately, it is His goodness that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4).” (Guzik)

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. 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?'"

It is the “elders”, the leaders among God’s people that are to lead this movement of repentance. It is these leaders that are to pray before God’s altar. The prayers are to spare the people that deserve judgment, they are to plead for mercy, to remind God that they belong to Him, and to remind God that their lack of repentance brings reproach to His name.  The repentance of the leaders and God’s mercy to them when they do repent will bring God glory among the nations.

[Joe 2:18-20 NASB] 18 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."

For those in Israel that do repent, the Lord now promises deliverance and restoration. Note that God promises to “never again make you a reproach among the nations”. God now turns His attention away from Israel and to this mighty army because of the monstrous things it has done to Israel. God drives this army both back into the desert and its vanguard into the eastern sea. The vanguard is the foremost or leading position in an army or fleet advancing into battle. The rearguard is driven into the western sea. In general, the picture painted here is an army from the north of Israel attacking through Lebanon and Syria through the mountains on the north of Israel. God drives this army into a desert area like the desert areas of Syria with its leading positions being driven into an eastern sea. This could be the Sea of Galilee. The rear guard of the army seems to be driven into the Mediterranean Sea.

[Joe 2:21-27 NASB] 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.

After God defeats the “great army” that has attacked Israel, God reminds Israel that in the end, He will restore all that this great army has destroyed. The agriculture blessings that God promises are related to His promise to pour out upon Israel once again the Autumn rain (the former or early rain), and the latter rain which falls in the spring. These early and latter rains are essential in Israel to having good crops.

The devastation of war (His army) upon Israel is likened to the devastation of swarming, creeping, stripping, and gnawing locust. The next promises are profound. God tells Israel that they will never again be put to shame. At this time, Israel, and the world, will know that the Lord is in the midst of Israel and that there is no other God, except the LORD.

"It will strike you at once that the locusts did not eat the years: the locusts ate the fruits of the years' labor, the harvests of the fields; so that the meaning of the restoration of the years must be the restoration of those fruits and of those harvests which the locusts consumed. You cannot have back your time; but there is a strange and wonderful way in which God can give back to you the wasted blessings, the unripened fruits of years over which you mourned. The fruits of wasted years may yet be yours." (Spurgeon)

It will be during the 1000-year reign of Christ Jesus on the earth with His Throne in Jerusalem that He will be in the midst of Israel and the land will flourish like never before.

 [Mic 4:1-4, 7 NASB] 1 And it will come about in the last days That the mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains. It will be raised above the hills, And the peoples will stream to it. 2 Many nations will come and say, "Come and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD And to the house of the God of Jacob, That He may teach us about His ways And that we may walk in His paths." For from Zion will go forth the law, Even the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 3 And He will judge between many peoples And render decisions for mighty, distant nations. Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they train for war. 4 Each of them will sit under his vine And under his fig tree, With no one to make them afraid, For the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken. ... 7 "I will make the lame a remnant And the outcasts a strong nation, And the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion From now on and forever.

[Joe 2:28-29 NASB] 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.

“The Old Testament has a rich record of the work of the Spirit, but He was not poured out on all flesh under the Old Covenant. Instead, certain men were filled with the Spirit at certain times and only for certain duties. It was rather selective:

- Joseph was filled with the Spirit of God (Genesis 41:38)

- The craftsmen who built the tabernacle were filled with the Spirit of God (Exodus 31:3)

- Joshua was filled with the Spirit of God (Numbers 27:18)

- The judge Othniel was filled with the Spirit of God (Judges 3:10)

- The judge Gideon was filled with the Spirit of God (Judges 6:34)

- The judge Jephthah was filled with the Spirit of God (Judges 11:29)

- The judge Samson was filled with the Spirit of God (Judges 13:5, 14:6, 14:19, 15:14)

- Saul was filled with the Spirit of God (1 Samuel 10:9-10)

- David was filled with the Spirit of God (1 Samuel 16:13)”

(Guzik)

In Joel 2:28-29 the prophet tells us that there will be a time when God will pour out His Holy Spirit upon all mankind. This did not begin until after Jesus was resurrected and ascended into heaven.

[Jhn 16:7 NASB] 7 "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.

This first outpouring of the Holy Spirit occurred on the day of Pentecost (Acts 1:4-5).

[Act 2:17-18 NASB] 17 'AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,' God says, 'THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND; AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS; 18 EVEN ON MY BONDSLAVES, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, I WILL IN THOSE DAYS POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT And they shall prophesy.

Both Jew and Gentile, male and female, young and old were endued with power from on high to be Jesus witnesses throughout the world.

[Act 1:8 NASB] 8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."

This outpouring of the Holy Spirit continues throughout the New Testament.

[Joe 2:30-31 NASB] 30 "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

Verses 30 and 31 associate this outpouring of the Holy Spirit with the great and awesome day of the Lord. These are the days as the Lord breaks open the 6^th seal of the great scroll just before the 7 years of tribulation begin (before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes).

[Rev 6:12 NASB] 12 I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood;

There is a hint here that at this point in history there might be a second and perhaps last outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon mankind in general. This later day (Autumn) outpouring might very well be associated with a day of Pentecost as an equipping for the last season of the ingathering of souls into the Kingdom of God. A gleaning of the wheat fields so to speak.

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.

Finally, Joel reassures us that even in these days of darkness before the final day of the great and awesome days of the Lord when He returns to the earth as King of kings, those that call upon the name of the Lord will be delivered, for on Mount Zion (in Israel) there will be survivors, those who escape the punishment of the wicked and are saved.

[Rev 12:11 NASB] 11 "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.

 

Judgment in the valley of decision – A warning to the nations

Chapter 3

[Joe 3:1-3 NASB] 1 "For behold, in those days and at that time, When I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,

Joel chapter 3 begins by taking us to a time when God begins to restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem. This last day’s restoration began when God began to bring Jews back into the land of Israel after being exiled for almost 2000 years. This return began in 1917 with the Balfour Accord and is continuing to this day. Today we find Israel restored as a nation, prosperous, and a great military force in the Middle East. This was all prophesied by the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 36 and 37).

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.

"There is no such valley in the land of Judea; and hence the name must be symbolical. It signifies the judgment of God, or Jehovah judgeth." (Clarke)

God’s judgment will come upon all the nations that have mistreated His people, Israel (the Jews), scattered them among the nations, and divided up the land of Israel. This mistreatment has gone to the extreme, considering Jews as worthless, cheap, and undesirable to the point of wanting to completely exterminate them. These are the nations that God is going to bring down to the valley of judgment.  A good question to ponder is, what current nations have or are mistreating Jews, divided or are presently trying to divide the land of Israel, or have scattered Jews among the nations?

“In the judgment of the nations Jesus described in Matthew 25:31-46, the criteria is not faith in Jesus Christ but how the nations have treated the people of Israel - the brethren of Jesus. Held on the earth after His return in glory, this judgment determines who is allowed to enter into the Millennial Earth, and who goes straight to judgment.” (Guzik)

[Joe 3:4-8 NASB] 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.

God is challenging the nations to come against Him or His people. To those that dare, God promises to return their retaliation upon their own heads. God’s judgment is very logical. Those that reject the saving grace of Jesus will receive what they deserve before the court of Heaven.

Trapp details the horrors that befell the ten Emperors of the Roman Empire that persecuted Christians:

“- Nero lost 30,000 of his subjects by pestilence, had his armies utterly defeated in Britain, suffered a revolution in Armenia, and was so hated by the senators of Rome that they forced him to kill himself

- Domitian was butchered by his own soldiers

- Trajan died of a foul disease

- Severus died miserably on a military campaign in Britain

- Maximus was cut in pieces, together with his own son

- Decius died as an exile in a far country

- Valerian was whipped to death by the King of Persia who captured him

- Aurelian was killed by his own soldiers

- Dioclesian poisoned himself

- Maximum hanged himself”

The fate of world leaders and nations that are currently persecuting Jews, attempting to divide the land of Israel, or even financially dealing wrongly with them is surely going to be very unpleasant in the days to come.

[Joe 3:9-12 NASB] 9 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.

Here God is calling the nations to prepare for the final battles, the battles of Armageddon.

[Rev 16:12-16 NASB] 12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east. 13 And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; 14 for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. 15 ("Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.") 16 And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon. (Megiddo)

[Dan 11:40-45 NASB] 40 "At the end time the king of the South will collide with him, and the king of the North will storm against him with chariots, with horsemen and with many ships; and he will enter countries, overflow them and pass through. 41 "He will also enter the Beautiful Land, and many countries will fall; but these will be rescued out of his hand: Edom, Moab and the foremost of the sons of Ammon. 42 "Then he will stretch out his hand against other countries, and the land of Egypt will not escape. 43 "But he will gain control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver and over all the precious things of Egypt; and Libyans and Ethiopians will follow at his heels. 44 "But rumors from the East and from the North will disturb him, and he will go forth with great wrath to destroy and annihilate many. 45 "He will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain; yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.

The nations that will be involved in these final battles will include kings from the east, the king of the South, the king of the North, Egypt, and Libia. Edom, Moab, and the sons of Ammon or Jordan seem to left out of these final battles, the battles of Armageddon.

“ Megiddo is in a region frequently associated with decisive battles: Deborah over Sisera (Judges 5:19); Gideon over the Midianites (Judges 7); Pharaoh over Josiah (2 Kings 23:29; 2 Chronicles 35:22). It is also a place of end-times mourning (Zechariah 12:11).

 The vast Valley of Megiddo has seen tremendous battles through the centuries. Over 200 battles have been fought in the region, from 1468 b.c. (with Pharaoh Tuthmosis III) to 1917 (with Lord Allenby of the British).

 It is best to see the place as literal, as the region of Megiddo and the valley of Esdraelon. Revelation 16:14, 17:14 and 19:19 described an organized battle that must center somewhere, even if it extends much further.” (Guzik)

As Satan attempts to establish his kingdom through the terrible destruction of these final battles, God laughs!

[Psa 2:1-6 NASB] 1 Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, 3 "Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!" 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. 5 Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, 6 "But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain."

[Joe 3:13 NASB] 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.

This is the fate and judgment of the nations at Armageddon.

[Rev 14:18-20 NASB] 18 Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe." 19 So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God. 20 And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses' bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.

[Joe 3:14-17 NASB] 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.

As the day of the Lord draws near, indeed multitudes are in the valley of decision. Today is the day when one must decide to believe in and follow Jesus. When the world reaches the battles of Armageddon, it will be too late. It is not God who does the deciding. Megiddo is a place of God’s judgment. Those involved are thrown into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

On earth, there will be a great trembling (earthquakes), and darkness. There will be cosmic cataclysmic events as mentioned in Joel 3:30-31. Yet in the midst of it all, the Lord will be a refuge for His people, the sons of Israel. And the world will know that Jesus is Lord dwelling in Zion and Jerusalem will once again be holy.

[Joe 3:18-21 NASB] 18 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. 19 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. 20 But Judah will be inhabited forever And Jerusalem for all generations. 21 And I will avenge their blood which I have not avenged, For the LORD dwells in Zion.

Joel 3 ends with the restoration and blessings that come to the Jews and Israel after the final battle and the Lord’s return to establish His physical Kingdom on earth. God fulfills His covenant promise He gave to Israel to give them a land flowing with milk and honey. A land flourishing with water. And water flowing like a spring going out from the house of the Lord (Ezek 47, Zech 14:8).

[Jer 11:5 NASB] 5 in order to confirm the oath which I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day."'" Then I said, "Amen, O LORD."

[Jer 32:22 NASB] 22 and gave them this land, which You swore to their forefathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey.

[Zec 14:8 NASB] 8 And in that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter.

“The Valley of Acacias (Valley of Shittim) was a place associated with both failure and victory. It is located on the eastern side of the Jordan River, to the north of the Dead Sea. It was where the King of Moab sent his young women to the men of Israel to seduce them into idolatry and sexual immorality (Numbers 25:1-3). It was also the launching place for the armies of Israel when they set out against Jericho and Canaan in the days of Joshua (Joshua 2:1 and 3:1). When water from the house of the LORD flows down to the valley of Acacias, then God's grace and provision covers the past - every sin, every victory is covered over by Him.” (Guzik)

Joel’s prophecy begins with the destruction of wars, but it ends with redemption, restoration, and the fulfillment of God’s covenants with the Hebrews (the Abrahamic Covenant). It ends with the beginning of the Millennial reign of Christ Jesus on the earth with His Throne in Jerusalem.

ii. "This prophet, who has many things similar to Ezekiel, ends his prophecy in nearly the same way: Ezekiel says of the glory of the Church, Yehovah shammah, THE LORD IS THERE. Joel says, Yehovah shochen betsiyon, THE LORD DWELLETH IN ZION. Both point out the continued indwelling of Christ among his people." (Clarke)