JOEL: THE DAY OF THE LORD

 

Joel, Fresco by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel
Dated between 1508 and 1512 (Wikimedia)

 

BY

 

JIM GERRISH

 

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTER-NATIONAL VERSION® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used with permission.

 

 

Copyright © 2024 by Jim Gerrish

 

Light of Israel Bible Commentaries
Colorado Springs, CO

 

INTRODUCTION TO JOEL 

 

When we come to Joel we come to one of the most exciting books in the Old Testament and a book that greatly figures into the establishment of the church on the day of Pentecost.

The only things we know about the prophet Joel are what we can find in the text, and that is not very much. We know he was the son of Pethuel, which separates him from all the other Joels in the Bible. The name Joel in Hebrew means “Yahweh is God.”  It is a common name in the Bible and in modern Israel today. Since there is no “J” sound in the Hebrew language, the name is pronounced “Yo-el.”

From textual evidence it appears that Joel had a good knowledge of the temple and its services. However, since he castigates the priests, it is not likely that he was a member of their group.¹ It does appear that the setting of his prophecies was in Judah and Jerusalem.

There has been a lot of discussion among commentators concerning the date of Joel. It seems that scholars either place him very early or very late. Since there is no reference to a ruling king, several put him early, during the reign of Joash (or Jehoash) in Judah at about 830 BC. Joash was a boy king who was hidden away as a baby from wicked queen Athaliah. He served under the tutelage of the good priest Jehoiada, who arranged for his coronation at age seven (2 Ki. 11:4-16). The northern kingdom was apparently already in captivity since it is not mentioned, and “Israel” is used for the southern kingdom of Judah.²

Bible teacher and broadcaster, Warren Wiersbe, thinks that Joel might even have been the first writing prophet.³ There are a number of verse comparisons with early Bible books that seem to place Joel in early times: In Joel 3:16, we see God roaring like a lion and uttering his voice from Jerusalem. This statement is duplicated in Amos 1:2. In Joel 3:18, the prophet speaks of the mountains dropping down sweet wine and the hills flowing with milk and this is virtually duplicated in Amos 9:13.

It might be interesting to compare Joel 1:15 with Isaiah 13:6 and Joel 3:10 with Isaiah 2:4. More comparisons can be found in our notes.⁴  English theologian, Peter Pett says, “There are a number of occasions when Joel appears, either to have copied phrases from other prophets, or to have had his phrases copied by others…It would appear from these examples that one had unquestionably read the other or had heard his prophecies cited.” ⁵

Also, for the same reason that no king is mentioned, some scholars place Joel late in post-exilic times, even as late as 400 BC. That would have been after the times of Ezra, Nehemiah and even Malachi. With all due respect to scholarship, Joel just does not seem to fit in these late times. Some have favored the later date because the Greeks or Ionians are mentioned in 3:6. Bible scholars, Pfeiffer and Harrison say, “Intercourse between Greece and Tyre could have occurred at an early date, for Greece is not here referred to as a nation.” ⁶ Adam Clarke, the early British Methodist theologian mentions that St. Jerome and many other church fathers believed that Joel was a contemporary with Hosea and that would have placed him in a very early period. ⁷

The clear theme of Joel’s prophecy is “The Day of the Lord.” This is quite a complicated subject which includes some great events of God’s judgment in the past, and also the final judgment and consummation of God’s kingdom in the future. There are so many angles to this subject that we will try to discuss it bit by bit as we go through Joel’s book.

 

CHAPTER 1

 

The word of the LORD that came to Joel son of Pethuel. Joel 1:1

As we have mentioned, there is very little information on the prophet Joel. We know that his father’s name was Pethuel. Everything else we can know about him must be gleaned from his little book itself. Authority on Jewish history, Charles L. Feinberg says it is likely that he ministered around Jerusalem and the temple (cf. 1:9, 13, 14; 2:15).¹ Other references seem to also place him around the Judah and Jerusalem areas (cf. 3:17, 20).

It is interesting that Joel does not touch on idolatry or on other great sins that the prophets normally dealt with. Rather, his main emphasis is on the Day of the Lord and upon the great northern power that would eventually invade Israel.²

“Hear this, you elders; listen, all who live in the land. Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your ancestors?” (1:2). Joel first quizzed the elders since they had been around a long time and had much experience. Then he simply asked other folks if they had ever seen such a thing. They would all surely have to agree with the magicians of Egypt, that what was going on was nothing short of the “finger of God” (Exo. 8:19).³

“Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation” (1:3). In Israel’s early days the people lived very much as an oral society.  Important things had to be remembered and handed down orally from one generation to the next.  We can almost hear the grandchildren later asking, “Grandpa, tell us again about the great plague of locusts!”

Calvary Chapel’s founder Charles Ward (Chuck) Smith sadly remarks about our modern day. He says that in our times, “the tradition of conversation began to suffer with the advent of radio. And, of course, TV almost has devastated the tradition of oral transmission of knowledge… part of the breakdown of our society is surely traceable to the advent of entertainment in the home by way of radio and television.” ⁴ All this is a terrible loss for any society. Smith, however, says nothing about the ubiquitous computers, smart phones and social media that take up so much of our time today.

Despite out technological advances we still have a sacred obligation to tell our children about the word of God. Deuteronomy 4:9 says: “Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them” (cf. Deut. 6:6-7; 20-24; 11:19; Psa. 78:5-7).

“What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; what the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten; what the young locusts have left other locusts have eaten” (1:4).

Now we are told that the problem is a massive locust invasion. There are nine words for locust in Hebrew. Four are used here: gazam,‘arbeh, yeleq, hasil. These probably do not refer to separate species or plagues. They might very well refer to the stages of a locust’s growth. D. Guthrie of London Bible College says, “Hebrew often heaps up words, in order to stress the total nature of an event.” ⁵ Clarke says: “…these different names are used here by the prophet to point out the locust in its different states, or progress from embryo to full growth.” ⁶

In each of its stages of growth the locust can be terribly destructive. Of course, there could be a reference here to different species since there are about eighty or ninety species of locusts in the east.⁷ David Guzik, pastor, teacher and author, tells of an awful modern infestation of locusts that affected the Middle East in modern times: 

In 1915, a devastating plague of locusts covered what is modern-day Israel and Syria. The first swarms came in March, in clouds so thick they blocked out the sun. The female locusts immediately began to lay eggs, 100 at a time. Witnesses say that in one square yard, there were as many as 65,000 to 75,000 eggs. In a few weeks they hatched, and the young locusts resembled large ants. They couldn’t fly yet, and got along by hopping. They marched along 400 to 600 feet a day, devouring every speck of vegetation along the way. After two more stages of molting, they became adults who could fly – and the devastation continued.⁸

John Phillips of Moody School and broadcasting, gives some more ideas of the vast destructive nature of the locust infestation:

The desert locust, ranging a territory of some eleven million square miles, threatens sixty-five countries where 10 percent of the world’s population live. Locusts have been called “the teeth of the wind” and even more expressively, “the incarnation of hunger.”… Each female will lay at least three hundred pods in her lifetime and each pod contains up to one hundred eggs…A medium-sized swarm may comprise more than a billion locusts, and some swarms reach prodigious proportions with an estimated million million locusts extending over two hundred square miles…locusts simply ride the prevailing winds. During its five or six months of life, each locust travels between two and three thousand miles, breeding as it goes…The locusts invaded towns and houses and devoured food, linen, woolen garments, and leather belts.⁹

“Wake up, you drunkards, and weep! Wail, all you drinkers of wine; wail because of the new wine, for it has been snatched from your lips” (1:5). Wiersbe comments: “Except for pointing out the insincerity of some of the worshippers (2:12-13), drunkenness is the only sin that Joel actually names in his book.” ¹⁰ A quick way of sobering up was to suddenly realize that the locusts had destroyed everything, even the vines that would have produced their future wine.

Guthrie says: “A sleepiness and unreality, like that of the half-intoxicated man, has come over the whole nation…” ¹¹ We must stop to realize that such an intoxication and sleepiness has come over America. God has richly blessed our nation so that it is the envy of the whole world. Yet, we are rapidly rejecting the God who has given us all the blessings. We surely must notice that God is now snatching the food right out of our mouths. Inflation, shortages, broken supply chains, drought and a hundred other ills are in some ways worse than an invasion of locusts. We seem helpless and stupefied in the face of all these creeping woes. How sin stupefies the sinner! ¹²

“A nation has invaded my land, a mighty army without number; it has the teeth of a lion, the fangs of a lioness. It has laid waste my vines and ruined my fig trees. It has stripped off their bark and thrown it away, leaving their branches white” (1:6-7). Here the Hebrew goi speaks of a nation or people. James Burton Coffman, twentieth century Churches of Christ commentator says: “Such a personification of locusts is in keeping with the biblical description of ants and conies as ‘folk’ and ‘people’ (Proverbs 30:25-27).” ¹³ In several places the Bible speaks of the devastation caused by locusts (cf. Judg. 6:5; 7:12; Jer. 46:23; Nah. 3:15).

We have seen earlier that the locust invasion was called “the teeth of the wind.” Here locusts are compared to the teeth of a lion and lioness that tares their prey to pieces.

The locusts literally ate everything. After eating green and growing things they ate the bark off the trees and left their branches stripped and white. Of course, when all the bark was stripped off, the trees died. Nineteenth- century American theologian, Albert Barnes, notes: “Even the reeds, wherewith the huts were thatched, though quite dry, were not spared.” ¹⁴

A MOURNFUL PLAGUE

Mourn like a virgin in sackcloth grieving for the betrothed of her youth. Joel 1:8

The picture here is a supreme symbol of grief.  It is the picture of a girl whose fiancé has died or else been killed before the wedding day.¹⁵ The poor betrothed girl was left a widow before even being married. It is a grief and sorrow like that which has come upon the Jews after the plague of locusts. It is a deep grief and an almost hopeless grief of having all material things stripped away. Wiersbe says: “Having one’s own vineyard and fig trees was a symbol of success and contentment in the East (2:22; Isa. 36:16; Amos 4:9; Ps. 105:33).” ¹⁶ Now all thoughts of success and contentment were snatched away.

“Grain offerings and drink offerings are cut off from the house of the LORD. The priests are in mourning, those who minister before the LORD. The fields are ruined, the ground is dried up; the grain is destroyed, the new wine is dried up, the olive oil fails” (1:9-10). Not only were the people mourning but the priests were also mourning. Their living was supplied through the offerings that were made at the temple. Now these offerings would be scarce. Pfeiffer and Harrison say: “In later Judaism nothing was more dreaded than the suspension of the Thamid (meal & drink offerings).” ¹⁷ The sight of the groves and fields must have been horrible.

Apparently, the locust plague was accompanied by a serious drought. The two things brought devastation over the whole land. The loss of olive oil was a very serious matter since it was necessary for food, for cooking oil, for medicinal purposes and oil for lighting the lamps.

“Despair, you farmers, wail, you vine growers; grieve for the wheat and the barley, because the harvest of the field is destroyed. The vine is dried up and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, the palm and the apple tree – all the trees of the field – are dried up. Surely the people’s joy is withered away” (1:11-12). I grew up on a farm. Quite often our crops were badly burned and dried out for lack of rain. I can still remember the despair we felt, knowing that there would not be much money when these crops were harvested. It was worse for the Israelite of old since they lived in a mostly agricultural society. Crop loss meant hunger and possibly starvation.

A CALL TO REPENTANCE

Put on sackcloth, you priests, and mourn; wail, you who minister before the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you who minister before my God; for the grain offerings and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God. Joel 1:13 

All the gruesome descriptions so far were for one purpose. They were all designed to call Israel to sincere repentance. This call to repentance began with the priests. The people of Israel often showed their repentance by wearing sackcloth. This word originated from the Hebrew sak.  Sackcloth was a dark, coarse, fabric often made of goat’s hair. It was uncomfortable when worn next to the skin. Sackcloth was worn by mourners (2 Sam. 3:31; 2 Ki. 19:1-2) and by prophets (Isa. 20:2; Rev. 11:3).¹⁸ It must have felt something like clothing oneself today with a burlap bag. The priests needed to repent first, for often their laxity caused the common people to drift away from God. The priest would also be affected first by the plague since the people’s offerings would begin to slacken, which caused their own lack to become obvious.

God desired that his people truly repent of their sins so that the awful plague could be lifted.  It seems that we have less and less repentance in our society today. My old pastor used to say, “A lot of our repentance needs to be repented of.” People are prone to put off their repentance. William Mason said: “If we put off repentance another day, we have a day more to repent of, and a day less to repent in.” The great D. L. Moody said: “If God’s today be too soon for thy repentance, thy tomorrow may be too late for God’s acceptance.” Wiersbe comments: “Too often we drift along from day to day, taking our blessings for granted, until God permits a natural calamity to occur and remind us of our total dependence on him…then we discover the poverty of our artificial civilization and our throwaway society.” ¹⁹

“Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD” (1:14). This was a call to stop normal activities, to cease all work, to begin a holy fast, to give themselves to prayer and supplication (cf. 1 Sam. 7:5-6; 2 Chron. 20:3-13).²⁰ They were to come together at the house of the Lord. God really moves when his children get desperate and cry out to him.

I remember on one occasion, when our three children were young, that we desperately needed a thousand dollars to pay off a loan. We needed it the next day. No one else but my wife knew of this need and we kept our needs secret. On that occasion the need was so desperate that I got into my car, rolled up the windows and began screaming for help to God as I drove around the countryside. That very day in the afternoon someone entered our house and left exactly one-thousand dollars inside an envelope on our kitchen range. We never found out who that “angel” was. We did call together all our close Christian friends for a meeting of celebration and thanksgiving.

THE DAY OF THE LORD

Alas for that day! For the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. Joel 1:15

The prophet now comes to the particular burden he wished to share, that being the Day of the Lord.  Man has his day, the devil has his day, but God certainly will have his day. It will come with destruction because all the trash that man and the devil have accumulated will be destroyed.

We need to take some time and try to understand the Day of the Lord. It appears five times in this book and twenty-two times in the Bible. It even appears in our New Testament. Guthrie sums up the term saying, “the phrase means God’s clear vindication and manifestation of himself in earthly history.” ²¹

Prophetic fulfillment is often a strange and puzzling thing.  The word of God can be partially fulfilled on more than one occasion leading up to the final fulfillment. Sometimes we see prophecy related to the partial and final fulfillments woven tightly together as in Matthew 24. In this chapter it is almost impossible to separate events relating to the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70, with events concerning the end of the age. Both are in fact “Days of the Lord.” ²² Thus we can see that the Day of the Lord was coming in Joel’s day and also in Jesus’ day. It was partially fulfilled at least three times, in the destruction of Israel by the Assyrians In 722 BC, the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC and by the Romans in AD 70.

There seems to be no good reason for us to separate the concepts of “the Day of the Lord,” “the Day of Christ,” “the Day,” and “that Day” as they are used in scripture.  All these speak of the same event. The entire book of Revelation likewise speaks in detail of this day. It is sometimes confusing because we are attempting to peek into a time frame that is partially hidden from us. In other words: “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face…” (1 Cor. 13:12). It is much like a prehistoric man trying to glimpse the wonders of the electronic age in which we now live. It simply was not revealed to him. Electronic wonders for him were limited to occasional flashes of lightning.

There are two clear aspects to the Day of the Lord according to world renowned professor Renald Showers.²² The first one, which is most obvious in the Old Testament, is the aspect of judgment upon the wicked. The prophets see that the Day of the Lord will bring down the proud and lofty. Isaiah says, “The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled and human pride brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day” (Isa. 2:11). It is a day of disaster and destruction upon the ungodly (Isa. 13:6). We see this also pictured in Revelation 6:17: “For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?” God will shake the earth terribly (Isa. 2:19).

As it is said in Job 38:13, God’s plan is to shake the wicked out of the earth. Then the people will cast their idols of gold and silver to the moles and bats (Isa. 2:20). Gold, silver and other treasures will be a liability on the last day. Earth’s great and mighty ones will cry for the rocks and mountains to fall on them and hide them from the face of the Lamb (Rev. 6:15-16). The cry of that day will be bitter (Zep. 1:14). Wicked hearts will faint as they are seized with terror (Isa. 13:7-8). The heavenly bodies will no longer give their light (Isa. 13:10-13). A devouring fire will break out on the earth as the Lord comes.

In Malachi 4:1, the prophet says: “‘Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,’ says the LORD Almighty.’ ‘Not a root or a branch will be left to them’” (Mal. 4:1). So, the present evil earth will be judged and then it will be remade to be a place of joy, peace, beauty and of God’s righteousness.

It is clear in the Bible that the Day of the Lord will also be a day of blessing for the righteous. The prophet Malachi says that the righteous will go forth leaping like calves released from a stall. In Malachi 4:3 he says: “‘Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,’ says the LORD Almighty.” We who love and serve the Lord will be able to lift up our heads as the Day of the Lord approaches (Lk. 21:28).

We will have great confidence and boldness on that day (2 Tim. 1:12; 1 Jn. 4:17). After all, when Jesus appears we will appear with him in glory (Col. 3:4) and be like him (1 Jn. 3:2-3). In 2 Thessalonians 1:10, we see that he will come “…to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed…”

On that blessed day, Jesus will come with all his saints (1 Thess. 3:13). Even those who sleep in Jesus will be brought in that great triumphal procession. Those saints still alive will be glorified and become like the Lord. For the saints of the Lord, the Day of the Lord has nothing for us to fear. It is a day of blessing and glory. In Proverbs 10:25 we read: “When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.” In verse 29 we also read: “The way of the LORD is a refuge for the blameless, but it is the ruin of those who do evil.”

Joel goes on to describe the great devastation of God’s judgment in his day. He says: “Has not the food been cut off before our very eyes – joy and gladness from the house of our God? The seeds are shriveled beneath the clods. The storehouses are in ruins, the granaries have been broken down, for the grain has dried up” (1:16-17). When the food is plentiful it usually brings celebration but when it is lacking it brings sorrow and even a sense of panic. In my farming days I remember seeing seed rot beneath the clods due to the weather.

“How the cattle moan! The herds mill about because they have no pasture; even the flocks of sheep are suffering” (1:18). Also, in my experience I have heard animals moan, usually for lack of water, but sometimes from lack of pasture. It is a very sad and pitiful sound. Pfeiffer sighs, “The poor, innocent, helpless beasts have to bear the guilt of man’s sin.” ²⁴

“To you, LORD, I call, for fire has devoured the pastures in the wilderness and flames have burned up all the trees of the field. Even the wild animals pant for you; the streams of water have dried up and fire has devoured the pastures in the wilderness” (1:19-20). When people get desperate enough, they finally cry out to God for help. We also see here that there is a special relationship between the beasts and all other creatures with God, for it is God who provides for them all (cf. Job 38:41; Psa. 104:11-16; 147:9).

 

CHAPTER 2

 

 Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand – Joel 2:1

The sounding of the trumpet (shofar) in the Hebrew scripture pictured many things. It was used for marking sacred times and seasons (Psa. 81:3). It was used to call God’s people together (Num. 10:2). Of course, in those days they did not have cell phones and email. We see in scripture that there was a specific trumpet call for the leaders to assemble (Num. 10:4).

The trumpet was used not only to gather the people but to direct the movement of God’s camps (Num. 10:2). God’s people are going somewhere, and we are being guided by the trumpet call of God. The trumpet was also used in Israelite worship (Num. 10:10; Psa. 150:3). There is a call going out today as never before to worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth. Interestingly, the shofar is again being used for worship in some Gentile churches and particularly among messianic Christian congregations in the land of Israel.

Trumpets were also used in warfare (Num. 10:9; Josh. 6:16). In Numbers 10:9, the Lord tells us to blow the trumpet when the battle gets intense and the Lord will remember and help. When we consider that Gideon sounded the trumpets and with 300 men defeated 120,000 Midianites (Judges chapters 6 & 7), we might conclude that the trumpet is one of the most powerful weapons this world has ever known. I can remember during one time of testing in Israel that I went out into our yard and sounded the trumpet, summoning the Lord’s help.

Most importantly, the trumpet is used for the coronation of Israel’s kings (2 Ki. 11:14). Today we await the sounding of the last trumpet which will bring about the coronation of Jesus as King of this world.

We note here that the trumpet is to be sounded in Zion. It was to be sounded in the midst of the Lord’s people. Peter says: “For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1 Pet. 4:17). Surely, a trumpet is sounding today for God’s saints to shape up and get it together, spiritually speaking. It is a time of putting on spiritual armor for the last day (Eph. 6:10-18).

The trumpet call is alarming to many for it signifies the coming of the Lord’s kingdom. With this, Joel moves into an eschatological mode (this regards last things). We have said in the first chapter that the Day of the Lord can be partially fulfilled many times leading up to the final day. In that sense, the Day of the Lord is always near to us. It was near in the time of Joel, it was near in the time of Jesus and it is near for us in our time.

The Day of the Lord was upon the people of Joel’s day as they experienced a terrible plague of locusts. However, even that plague was a picture of a more horrible day of judgment that was to come in the end-time (cf. Matt. 7:22; 10:15; 11:22, 24; 12:36; Acts 17:31; 1 Thess. 5:4; Heb. 10:25; 2 Pet. 2:9; 3:7; 1 John 4:17; Jude 6). Phillips says: “‘The Day of the Lord’ is Joel’s signature tune, the dominant color on his canvas of
catastrophe.” ¹

As we have said earlier, the Day of the Lord will come as a dreadful time for the unprepared and the unbelieving. In Joel’s day the people were not obedient and not prepared so the day was a time of terror and disaster. But for those who are prepared and watching, the Day of the Lord will be a time of great blessing. In Matthew 24:31 we read: “And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”

The apostle Paul tells us further: “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” (1 Cor. 15:51-52).

Paul says further: “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thess. 4:16). So indeed, the last trumpet sound will bring forth the resurrection of the righteous dead and the glorification of the righteous living. We can understand why the trumpet of God will bring exceeding joy to those who are prepared and awaiting the Lord’s coming.

Joel goes on to describe the day as, “a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was in ancient times nor ever will be in ages to come” (2:2). The prophet is here remaining in an eschatological mode as he begins to describe the darkness and gloom of the last-day invasion in Israel. The stage is being set for the great last day Battle of Armageddon when all the nations on earth will come to invade modern Israel (Rev. 16:16; cf. Joel 3:2).

This battle will be much worse than any locust plague. Likely, in this battle the nations will try to cut Israel in two from Haifa port eastward, at Megiddo (Armageddon) along the Valley of Jezreel. Since Israel, for the most part (excluding desert areas), is only about 50 miles wide (80 km.) and 150 miles long (241 km.), whatever happens in one place will affect the whole land. Can we even imagine how dark such a day will be for the people of Israel?

This great battle assumes that the people of Israel will be gathered back to their land. We have observed this great movement going on since the 1880s and now we have a mostly regathered people of Israel back in their own land. The nations of the world have never been happy with the modern nation of Israel. Most of the Muslim Arab nations have fought several wars to eliminate the nation and the United Nations has constantly condemned Israel. On the average the UN passes around 30 anti-Israel resolutions each year.² In Zechariah 12:2 God says: “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem.”

Smith says of Joel: “I think he did a tremendously commendable job in describing something he had never dreamed of, and yet the Lord gave him an insight into the battle of the future day.” ³ Joel describes this: “…a large and mighty army comes, such as never was in ancient times nor ever will be in ages to come” (Joel 2:2). Nothing like this has ever happened before and neither will it happen again in all the history of the world. This is not talking about Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, World War I or World War II or any other war.  Clearly the Battle of Armageddon will be history’s largest war since it will directly involve all nations.  Since Israel is a very small country the Battle of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:2, 12) will also be part of this attack.

After that awesome war ends and the kingdom of Christ is established, then the Millennial reign will begin. We know there will yet be another and final great war. It will come at least one thousand years after the Battle of Armageddon. After Satan is released, he will make one last attempt to destroy Israel. It is of note that this last battle on earth is not international in scope but is mostly conducted by a great nation in the north along with certain allies.

Unlike Armageddon this large army will be completely destroyed by God before it ever reaches Jerusalem (Ezekiel chapters 38 & 39). This conflict is usually called the battle of Gog and Magog. Unfortunately, many commentators confuse this battle with Armageddon. The two cannot be compared. This great battle ends all earthly battles forever. Soon after this, the Kingdom of God will be fully consummated on earth. That kingdom of peace and righteousness will last forever. Evil people, evil angels, evil spirits and the devil himself will be permanently banished from the earth.

MORE LESSONS FROM LOCUSTS

Before them fire devours, behind them a flame blazes. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, behind them, a desert waste – nothing escapes them. Joel 2:3

Joel has already connected the destruction of locusts to the great end-time battle of Armageddon. Now he goes back to the locust attack for more comparisons and lessons. Some who have observed locust infestations speak of the ground as having the appearance of being burned after the plague passed (cf. Joel 1:19-20).⁴ We know in real battles there is sometimes a “scorched earth” policy where everything is burned and destroyed. The recent attack of Russia on Ukraine has given us some terrible pictures of such a policy. Apparently, the end-day battle will display this same characteristic, but on a much larger scale.

The land is like the Garden of Eden before them and like a desert waste behind them. Interestingly, the Garden of Eden is only mentioned here and in Ezekiel 36:35 outside the book of Genesis.⁵ Today, through innovative Israeli farming methods, some places in Israel are beginning to look a little like the Garden of Eden. After the War of Armageddon, Israel will no doubt be ravaged. The Book of Revelation makes plain that after the last great war with Gog and Magog, God will finally make Israel a veritable Garden of Eden (Rev. 22:1-2).

“They have the appearance of horses; they gallop along like cavalry” (2:4). “The locusts are likened first of all to horses; in fact the head of the locust is so like that of a horse that the Italians call it cavalette (little horse)…” ⁶ Other Bible references compare the two (Job 39:19-20; Jer. 51:27; Rev. 9:7-12). They gallop noisily like horses and the sound of the locust swarm can be heard as far as six miles away (9.6 km.).⁷

“With a noise like that of chariots they leap over the mountaintops, like a crackling fire consuming stubble, like a mighty army drawn up for battle” (2:5). Phillips says of Joel: “He went on to portray a country overrun by foreign troops – just as his country had been overrun by locusts…he was also referring to the terrible wars that will be fought during the days of the Antichrist.” ⁸ In Revelation 9:9, we hear that the sound of a locust invasion is like that of horses and chariots.

“At the sight of them, nations are in anguish; every face turns pale. They charge like warriors; they scale walls like soldiers. They all march in line, not swerving from their course” (2:6-7). Just as people and nations fear a locust invasion, so will the invasion of Antichrist cause fear and panic in the last days. The locusts illustrate the military skill that will be seen in the end-day army.

This invasion is part of the Great Tribulation spoken of in Revelation 7:14. It is clear that many believers will become martyrs in this time (Rev. 6:9-11; 7:14). It is also clear that two thirds of the people in Israel will be struck down and the remaining third will be refined like silver and gold (Zech. 13:8-9). This is probably why God is looking for victorious saints to stand in the last days (Rev. 2:7, 10, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21). Guzik says, “Tough times don’t last, but tough people do.” ⁹

The scripture gives us some dreadful pictures of this day (Isa. 13:8-9; Jer. 30:6-7; Nah. 2:10). We know that this awful battle will bring forth the final trumpet sound and the appearing of the Messiah Jesus who will rescue the remnant of Israel and totally defeat the Antichrist and his army. Antichrist and the false prophet will be assigned to Hell and Satan will be locked up for the period of one thousand years (Rev. 19:17-21; 20:1-3).

“They do not jostle each other; each marches straight ahead. They plunge through defenses without breaking ranks. They rush upon the city; they run along the wall. They climb into the houses; like thieves they enter through the windows” (2:8-9). This is a spiritual picture of the last day battle. Antichrist will have his international army well trained and disciplined as they come to destroy Israel and Jerusalem. We know from scripture that they will plunder and rape, but they will not completely conquer Jerusalem before the Messiah returns.

In Zechariah 14:2-3, God says: “I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle.”

“Before them the earth shakes, the heavens tremble, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine” (2:10). Just as the vast swarm of locusts blackened the sun and moon, in the last days the sun and moon will be strangely darkened (cf. Rev. 6:12-14; 8:12; 9:2). Apparently, some evil people were looking forward to the Day of the Lord in order to escape their troubles. Amos said to them: “Woe to you who long for the day of the LORD! Why do you long for the day of the LORD? That day will be darkness, not light” (Amos 5:18).

Many of the prophets have this same message of darkness in the final day (Isa. 8:22; 60:2; Jer 13:16; Zep 1:15-16). Darkness does not indicate that God is absent. Pett says: “It is interesting, however, that God is often spoken of as being in darkness (Psalms 18:11), and in clouds (Exodus 16:10)…and thick darkness (Exodus 20:21; Psalms 18:9), in order to shield his glory from his creation.” ¹⁰

“The LORD thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty is the army that obeys his command. The day of the LORD is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?” (2:11). While the army of Antichrist will be great, the army of the Lord will be greater.  Psalm 68:17 says: “The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands…”

It will still be a serious time. Phillips comments: “We know from many Old and New Testament prophets that the Antichrist will take over the world in the day of the Lord…the blood bath of the great tribulation will threaten to exterminate the Hebrew people completely…Joel was the first prophet to catch a glimpse of this great climax…(cf. Rev. 19:11-21). One word from Jesus and the battle will be over.” ¹¹ God says, “On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will keep a watchful eye over Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations” (Zech. 12:3-4).

RENDING OF THE HEART

“Even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Joel 2:12

Pett comments: “We now come to the purpose of YHWH’s severe judgment. It was in order to call priests and people to repentance.” ¹²  Wiersbe says: “Now that he had their attention, Joel told the people to stop looking around at the locusts and to start looking ahead to the fulfillment of what the locust plague symbolized…” ¹³ It is never too late for sincere repentance.

When God observes this in his people, he can literally change the course of history. Signs of true repentance usually included fasting, weeping and mourning. I have noticed in my life and ministry that sincere tears always seem to get God’s attention. In much the same way the tears of our children always get our attention. Fulgentius of Ruspe (467-533) once said: “if we wish to keep the fruits of our seeds, let us not stop watering our seeds with tears that must be poured out more from the heart than from the body.” ¹⁴

“Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave behind a blessing – grain offerings and drink offerings for the LORD your God” (2:13-14). The great F. B. Meyer says, “To rend the garment is easy, but a broken and contrite heart can be imparted only by the grace of the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁵ There are many places in scripture where we see the people rending their garments (Gen. 37:29, 34; 1 Sam. 4;12; 1 Ki. 21:27; Isa. 37:2). This custom is still observed in modern Israel today. The presence of grain offerings and drink offerings signify that the good harvests have returned.

“Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber” (2:15-16). Texas Baptist professor Bob Utley says, “‘Blow a trumpet in Zion’ This is the exact phrase used in Joel 2:1 in the sense of preparing for battle, but here it is used in a religious sense for assembling for a holy convocation (i.e., time of prayer and repentance).” ¹⁶ We have seen already how the same trumpet can be used for several different purposes. The trumpet seems to be a call for national repentance. The mere fact that a plague of locusts was upon them was proof that the nation had sinned (Deut. 28:36-46).

“Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber” (2:16). This gathering was not to exclude anyone. Normally the bride and groom were not to be disturbed for their first year. The groom was even exempted from military duty during that special time (Deut. 24:5).

“Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the portico and the altar. Let them say, ‘Spare your people, LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, “Where is their God?”’” (2:17). The area between the portico and altar was a sacred area for the priests. Guthrie says: “The intercession of the priests for Israel in this verse is one of the noblest passages in Joel.” ¹⁷ Scorn from the Gentile nations was something Israel feared yet something that too often happened.

THE LORD ANSWERS

Then the LORD was jealous for his land and took pity on his people. Joel 2:18

We can believe from this verse that God noticed their wholesale repentance and drove the locust plague away. He no doubt then moved to heal the land and restore his blessings to his nation.  The Lord was still concerned that his people would not miss the end time message that the locusts conveyed. He wanted them to fully understand the Day of the Lord that was coming.

“The LORD replied to them: ‘I am sending you grain, new wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations” (2:19). Once again, we see the present and future seemingly dealt with in the same verse. God would send them a bountiful harvest with grain, wine and oil. That was for their present need.

However, the promise to no longer make them an object of scorn was for the distant future. We remember from our Bible history that Babylon later made them an object of scorn and carried most of the people away into exile. Even after a large number returned under Zerubbabel, they were still made objects of scorn by the hateful Samaritan, Ammonite and Arab leaders. Still, the prophet was speaking of a far distant day when there would be no more scorn toward Israel forever.

“‘I will drive the northern horde far from you, pushing it into a parched and barren land; its eastern ranks will drown in the Dead Sea and its western ranks in the Mediterranean Sea. And its stench will go up; its smell will rise.’ Surely he has done great things!” (2:20). Once again Joel begins to speak in an eschatological manner. He is speaking of the coming Day of the Lord in the distant future. This could very well have reference to Armageddon and the battle with all nations or it could even refer to the far distant battle of Gog and Magog. Coffman makes plain that this is not a battle with locusts since words like a “northern army,” “forepart and hinder part” are military words more applicable to human armies rather than locusts.¹⁸ 

Guthrie remarks: “To our modern world, one of the most refreshing things about the Bible is its frankness; a bad smell is still a bad smell, even in scripture.” ¹⁹ When the last days do arrive, we will see Israel spending months to bury dead and rotting enemy soldiers. Perhaps in both the coming great wars.

Pfeiffer and Harrison describe the stench of dead locusts: “The terrible locust swarms will be removed and scattered in the desert, the Dead Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea…The stink of dead locusts is often referred to as intolerable and the cause of plagues. Augustine quotes from Julius Obsequens to show how a vast cloud of locusts, cast into the African Sea, were rolled up putrid on the shore, and a plague broke out killing 800,000 persons.” ²⁰ We can know that as the last-day battles close out there will be a terrible stench of dead enemy soldiers all over the land of Israel. The armies of all nations will be completely destroyed by God.

“Do not be afraid, land of Judah; be glad and rejoice. Surely the LORD has done great things! Do not be afraid, you wild animals, for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green. The trees are bearing their fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their riches” (2:21-22). Here the Lord arises to bless Judah and to return her joy. We see that God also blesses the wild animals by restoring their pastures and thus bringing forth their necessary food supply. In their own way they praise him (Psa. 148:10). It is truly amazing that God supplies all living things with their needed food (Psa. 104:27-28). Knowing this we should not worry about our food and provision. Neither should we forget to praise and thank him.

“Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil” (2:23-24). Since Israel had suffered a drought along with the locust invasion God now returns the refreshing rains.

There is no rain at all in Israel after about April or May. The former rains usually begin around Tabernacles time in October. These are light rains. It is good not to stand under a tree for these former rains because all the dust of half a year will come down upon you as a mud shower. These former rains loosen up the ground for sowing. Usually, the hard rains come in late December and January. This moisture can come in the form of snow at times. The winter rains are usually accompanied by brisk winds. Then the latter rains come around Passover or in the March/April season. They help ensure the harvest. The early and latter rains are both symbolic of the Holy Spirit (Isa. 32:15; 44:1-5; 55:10-13).²¹

“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten – the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm – my great army that I sent among you. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed” (2:25-26). We realize that Joel is talking in terms of the present and the future here. God is repaying them in the present with his blessing for the locust invasion. Yet, future blessing is involved as well. In the future they will not be shamed. This promise has already appeared in 2:19. Clearly, Israel will suffer shame of nations, as they still do today, until the Lord appears in the last days.

“Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the LORD your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed” (2:27). Pfeiffer and Harrison say: “Through his prophetic vision, Joel rises above the religious experience of the local locust plague to a wider view of history. He dips into the future and sees spiritual revival in Israel and deliverance from all surrounding enemies.” ²² Once again, God promises that in the future Israel will never be shamed again. We can realize by this the great offense that current antisemitism is to God.

THE COMING DAY OF THE LORD

And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. Joel 2:28-29

Suddenly, Joel comes forth with an astounding last day promise of the Holy Spirit. Clearly, the last days were instituted with the ministry of Jesus, including his death and glorious resurrection (Heb.1:2). When Jesus ascended to Heaven, he sent forth the Holy Spirit in a completely new way (Jn. 14:26; 15:26; 16:7). In Old Testament days the Holy Spirit came upon certain important and godly people so that they could do the works of the Lord. These were people like Joseph (Gen. 41:38), Joshua (Num. 27:18), and David (1 Sam.16:13). Now the Holy Spirit would come and abide on all of God’s people, and he would stay forever (Jn. 14:16). Now the Holy Spirit would come upon men, women, young people and servants. Even sons and daughters will now prophesy and see visions.

We cannot miss the fact that it was these verses Peter quoted on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit fell on the Jews (Acts chapter 2). Peter said, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). He called for repentance like Joel had called centuries before. On that day the church was born and about three thousand Jewish people were added to the young assembly (Acts 2:41). Guthrie says: “…the universalized gift of the Spirit lies in the distant future from Joel’s standpoint. It was therefore a true insight of Peter’s in Acts 2:16ff. to apply this promise to the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost…” ²³

It is sad and tragic fact that so many in the church today reject these scriptures. They almost despise the Holy Spirit baptism and especially spiritual gifts. Many church members and religious denominations consider it almost heresy to speak in tongues or prophesy in the church. How far removed we are from the simple gospel!

We notice that God is now pouring out his Spirit. It is freely poured out for every believer to take and enjoy. Fulgentius of Ruspe speaks again saying that God, “does not ration his gift of the Spirit.” ²⁴

Peter would say in Acts 2:39: “The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.” Peter makes clear that the promise of the Holy Spirit is for every believer in Christ, without exception (cf. 1 Cor. 12:13).

I still remember an event that happened many years ago while I was alone in my hotel room. At that time, I was a bewildered preacher, knowing that there was much more in the gospel than I had ever experienced. Finally, in desperation, I laid hold on this verse, realizing my qualification as being one of those who was “far off.” At that moment, I took this verse as my own, opened my mouth in faith, and to my utter amazement began to speak rapidly in a language that I did not understand. That gift of tongues has never left me in all these years and is a constant affirmation that the Holy Spirit of God resides in my life. How sad it is that in our theology we have separated the blessing of salvation from the blessing of the Holy Spirit’s filling.

“I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD” (2:30-31).  Once more, Joel jumps from his present Day of the Lord with the locust plague to the final Day of the Lord which would happen centuries later. We live today in what the Bible calls “the present evil age” (Gal. 1:4). God has allowed the devil to wear the title “prince of this world” for many centuries. He has tried his hand at ruling the world and has made an awful mess of it. This evil prince now stands condemned and is about to be cast out. (Jn. 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). He has lost all the authority he ever had (Mt. 28:18).

The Bible makes plain that there will be a lot of turbulence and tribulation as the devil is judged and overcome. There will be lots of bloodshed and many saints of God will become martyrs in the last days as we have said. We also see natural turbulence with fire and billows of smoke. The Bible speaks a great deal of fire in the last days (Mal. 4:1; 2 Pet. 3:7; 3:12).

I still remember how a messianic Jewish leader in Israel explained the billows of smoke. The Hebrew is tem-ah-rot esh, and it means palm trees of smoke. The leader claimed that this is a clear reference to atomic explosions. Joel had never heard of an atomic bomb, but he did see a lot of palm trees. We noticed while living in the Galilee that unattended palm trees take on a globular shape and look much like little mushroom clouds. We have several wicked and rogue rulers in our world today with atomic bombs at their disposal and it is almost unthinkable that they will not use these if they are about to lose a military conflict.

The Bible also speaks of wonders in the heavens and problems with the sun and moon shining. It seems that the whole creation is going into convulsions and birth pains in order to free itself from Satan. Jesus says that there will be great signs in the heavens as well as earthquakes, famines and pestilence on the earth itself (Lk. 21:11). Guthrie comments: “It has been said that Joel, short book though it is, is yet a veritable compendium of Old Testament eschatology.” ²⁵

Pfeiffer and Harrison comment: “The darkening of the sun and the extinction of the lights of heaven are frequently mentioned in the scriptures as harbingers of the Day of the Lord or of approaching judgment (2:2, 10; 3:15; Isa 13:10; 34:4; Jer 4:23; Mt. 24:29; Rev 6:12).” ²⁶  Wiersbe notes that there is no record of any of these things happening on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. ²⁷ In other scriptures we note that there will be wars on an unprecedented scale as forerunners of this last day (cf. Isa. 13; Zeph. 1:7).

“And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, even among the survivors whom the LORD calls” (2:32). What a promise this is!  Everyone, absolutely everyone, who calls on the Lord Jesus will be saved. The Jews on the Day of Pentecost believed this promise and called on the Lord for salvation. We read that about three thousand were saved in a single day. This wonderful promise is still available today. If we repent of our sins and call on Jesus, we will be saved. It is just that simple.

But make no mistake, the Day of the Lord will be an exceedingly difficult time. Despite what some say, God’s people will be involved in it. Many of God’s people will become martyrs and some valiant souls will be survivors as this verse tells us. Regarding the last day, we need to get all of our spiritual armor of Ephesians chapter 6 in place and stand ready for the last-day onslaught. We need to get plenty of practice in overcoming before this day comes is upon us.

 

CHAPTER 3

 

In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, Joel 3:1

God has restored his people on several occasions after their sin and unbelief. He had to restore them from their seventy-year exile in Babylon. Now God is restoring his people from their two-thousand-year-old exile among all the nations. “Those days” and “that time” have now arrived but sadly, not many Christians and even Bible students understand this. Some Christians and some whole Christian denominations are even now actually fighting against Israel politically, economically and in other ways. This is known as the BDS movement, where Christian groups boycott, divest and sanction Israel at every opportunity.

The Jewish exiles (diaspora) began to return to the land of Israel in the 1880s. At this writing, Israel now has a population of almost ten million people. Holy Jerusalem is about to reach one million in population and has now become the largest city in Israel.

God did say that he would have to restore Israel a second time: “In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea” (Isa. 11:11 ESV). The first time was from Babylon or the East, but the second time was from all the nations of the earth. The Hebrew of this verse reads “from the Islands of the sea,” or “from the coastlands of the sea,” and is translated like this in several Bible versions (NAS, NKJ, NRS).

So, an incredibly important biblical event has been happening in our lifetimes and sadly, it has received little attention from the worldwide church and even from evangelicals, who supposedly believe their Bibles. How tragic! The fortunes of Israel have been largely restored since Israel is now one of the upcoming scientific and inventive powerhouses in the world. Israel has won three major wars against the Muslim Arabs and continues to display a fearsome military power today.

The gross misunderstanding of Israel among Christians and even Christian commentators is clearly seen in these remarks of a popular scholar and commentator: “But in this chapter, one should forget all about the secular Israel, the Jewish state, the Hebrew nation, the fleshly Israel, the old Israel, etc. All of the references to Judah, Jerusalem, Zion, ‘my heritage Israel,’ etc. are used in a spiritual sense of the church and kingdom of Jesus Christ our Lord.” ¹ This is a very clear example of Replacement Theology or Supercessionism, the idea that the church has completely replaced Israel in God’s purpose.

Those who hold this view would say that the current State of Israel has no special significance for Christians. How this differs from former commentators like Matthew Henry who says: “The restoration of the Jews, and the final victory of true religion over all opposers, appear to be here foretold.” ²

“I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel, because they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land” (3:2). We note immediately that all nations on earth are gathered here. This is none other than the great Battle of Armageddon (Rev. 16:16). Israel is a very small country as we have mentioned. There are slightly over 50 air miles (approx. 90 km.) between Armageddon (Megiddo) and Jerusalem, where the Valley of Jehoshaphat is located. The world’s military planners would certainly want to conquer the capital city of Jerusalem. For centuries the Kidron Valley, between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives has had the name Valley of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat simply means “God judges.”

Phillips remarks: “The Valley of Jehoshaphat” is the Kidron Valley…And in ‘the valley of Jehoshaphat’ God intends to put an end to Gentile power and judge the Gentile nations for the way they – collectively and individually – have treated the Jewish people.” ³  Zechariah the prophet has stated: “For this is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘After the Glorious One has sent me against the nations that have plundered you – for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye” (Zech. 2:8).

In the great passage of Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus speaks to the righteous in his judgment of nations: “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’” (Matt. 25:40). Then he speaks to the wicked: “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life” (Matt. 25:45-46). Some scholars have pointed out the scarcely understood fact that the brothers and sisters of Jesus were Jewish.

Today the Valley of Jehoshaphat has become a vast burial place for Jewish people in both ancient and modern times. However, that same valley might soon become a burial place for the nations of the world. They will die there by the thousands and perhaps by the millions. Feinberg says, “The lifeblood of the nations will drench the soil of the earth.” ⁴

No doubt, the valley got its name from King Jehoshaphat. In his great battle with Ammon, Moab and Seir (2 Chron. 20:15-17), God told him through the prophet that he would not have to fight but only watch as the Lord destroyed all this vast enemy. It happened just as the prophet said. All that Jehoshaphat and the people of Israel had to do was watch and rejoice. So shall it be when God destroys all of earth’s armies at Megiddo and the Valley of Jehoshaphat.

We notice in verse 3:2 above that the nations were on trial because they had scattered the Lord’s people and divided up his land. There are two biblical facts that are clear. The people of Israel are God’s people and the land of Israel is God’s land. He makes that plain in a number of passages (cf. Gen. 12:1-3, 7; 13:15; 15:1,18; 17:1-5, Lev. 25:23; Isa. 14:25; Jer. 2:7; Ezek. 36:5; 38:16; Joel 1:6).

Close to a million Jews were killed in the Roman victory of AD 70, and 97 thousand were carried away captive.⁵ That pattern of killing Jews and scattering them would continue for the next two thousand years. In the fourth century the Christian ruler Constantine even cast them out of their own city Jerusalem. From 1012 to 1492, the Jews were expelled from European cities and countries 34 times.⁶ The whole Jewish populations were expelled from Spain in 1492 and from Portugal in 1496. Of course, in the Holocaust, beginning in 1933, six million Jews were murdered, and millions were expelled from Germany and other European countries.

Now, to the matter of dividing up the Lord’s land.  Through the good graces of England after World War I, the Balfour Declaration (1917) handed the bulk of biblical Israel back to the Jewish people. Soon a mandate was given to Britain by the nations to settle the Jewish people in their land. However, it was not long until the land began to be divided because of political goals, pressures, and economic aspirations. Almost immediately Britain lopped off about three quarters of the Mandate (all land east of the Jordan River) and formed the Arab nation of Transjordan (Today’s Jordan).

In a further attempt to ease tensions between Arabs and Jews, the United Nations Partition Plan of 1947 was proposed. The planned Arab state was to include most all of the central mountain area (biblical Israel, now called the West Bank) as well as a large tract in the Galilee plus the Gaza strip. The proposed Jewish state would include the vast desert area to the south, a coastal strip and some land around the Sea of Galilee. The Arabs totally rejected this plan, although the Jews were willing to accept it. In the Israeli War of Independence (1948-1949) the Jewish land holdings were increased considerably, including all the Galilee, but Jordan invaded and held Old Jerusalem and the West Bank until the 1967 war.⁷

Beginning with the Madrid Peace Conference in 1991 and the Oslo Accords in 1993, there was a serious international effort, led primarily by the US, to divide Israel further. Under these plans the sacred biblical areas of Bethlehem, Shechem (Nablus), Jericho, and certain large tracts of Judea and Samaria were given to the Arabs.⁸ Liberal Jewish people in the Israeli government agreed to this plan while evangelical Christians living in Israel were appalled. We can certainly say that God was angered with all this.

Few people stopped to consider the toll that this “peace process” exacted. By September, 1998, the fifth anniversary of the Oslo Accords, 279 Israelis had been killed in terrorist attacks. This figure exceeded the number of Israelis killed in the 15 years prior to the Oslo Peace Accords.⁹

We now ask, did we think God would not hear all the despicable things we have spoken against his people? Did we think God would not notice the evil things we have done to them and how we have spoken against and divided up the Lord’s land? Have we unknowingly joined hands with those who are trying to persecute his people and divide his land?

“They cast lots for my people and traded boys for prostitutes; they sold girls for wine to drink” (3:3). This verse, perhaps above all others, reveals that the nations did not and still do not regard the Jews as God’s heritage. Feinberg says, “Little do the nations realize how they incur the wrath of God when they lay violent hands upon his heritage and the plant of his choosing.” ¹⁰ Utley comments: “…This verse highlights the greed and immorality of the invaders. They saw no value in the lives of God’s people….” ¹¹

GOD’S REBUKE AND CHALLENGE TO SURROUNDING NATIONS

Now what have you against me, Tyre and Sidon and all you regions of Philistia? Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done. Joel 3:4

Tyre and Sidon were prominent city-states in ancient Phoenicia (today’s Lebanon). In King Solomon’s time these cities were blessed because they cooperated with Israel. Since that time the devil has turned them against Israel. Lebanon fought against the nation in the Israeli war of independence. Then modern Lebanon allowed the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) to move into the country and use it as a base to fight Israel. Later, Lebanon opened her doors to the Hezbollah from Iran. Both of these organizations are terrorist groups who are violently opposed to Israel. While the PLO is now gone from Lebanon, the Hezbollah remains and has from 40,000 to 150,000 rockets pointed at Israel. In the 2006 Lebanon War they fired 4000 rockets at Israel causing much destruction.¹² At present, they daily pound northern Israel with rockets.

We might ask how God is dealing with Lebanon?  According to Reuters,

Lebanon is in an economic meltdown. “Over two years, around 78% of the Lebanese population has fallen into poverty. The World Bank says it is one of the sharpest depressions of modern times…Early in the crisis, Lebanon defaulted on its massive pile of public debt, including $31 billion of Eurobonds that remain outstanding to creditors…The currency has fallen by more than 90%, demolishing purchasing power in a country dependent on imports…The banking system is paralyzed. With depositors locked out of foreign currency savings or forced to withdraw cash in the collapsing local currency, this currently equates to a de facto slump in the value of deposits of 80%…Food prices have jumped by 557% since Oct. 2019 according to the World Food Program, and the economy has contracted by 30% since 2017…Fuel shortages have crippled normal life, affecting essential services including hospitals and bakeries…Vital medicines have also run out…Many of Lebanon’s most qualified have left the country in a steady brain drain.” ¹³

Add to all this the massive ammonium nitrate port explosion of 2021 that killed some 217 people and injured 7000. This awful blast displaced 300,000 people and caused widespread destruction. The explosion damaged buildings up to 12 miles (20 km.) away.¹⁴ Lebanon has certainly paid a high price for messing with God’s people and his land.

Then there is Philistia. The King James Version translates this “Palestine.” We must point out that “Palestine” was unknown until the end of the second Roman war against Israel in 135 AD. Emperor Hadrian renamed the land “Palestine” in order to remove all connections with Israel. The land has been called by this name until modern times. The Arabs, in their unending battle with Israel, have called themselves Palestinians and have organized the PLO or the Palestine Liberation Organization to carry on constant attacks and warfare with Israel. For many years Gaza and the West Bank were administered by Israel. However, we might ask how the “Palestinians” are doing today? George Gilder, Discovery Institute co-founder writes:

During these twenty years under Israeli management until the First Intifada [Palestinian uprising] of 1987, the West Bank and Gaza comprised one of the most dynamic economies on earth, with a decade of growth at a rate of roughly 30 percent per year from 1969 to Annual investments in constant dollars soared from under $10 million in 1969 to some $600 million in 1991, rising from 10 percent GDP to around 30 percent in 1988…Life expectancy rose from 48 years in 1967 to 72 in 2000…By 1968, 92.8 percent of the population…had electricity around the clock, as compared to 20.5 percent in 1967…Even more dramatic was the progress in higher education. [From zero in 1967] by the early 1990s, there were seven [universities] boasting some 16,500 students. ¹⁵

Now that Israel has withdrawn from Gaza and has turned over much of the West Bank administration to the Palestinians, we might wonder how they are doing. Gilder says: “In 1993-1997, real private investment is estimated to have declined by an average of 10 percent per year and private investment’s share in GDP to have declined from 19 percent of GDP in 1993 to 10 percent of GDP in 1997. What went wrong?” ¹⁶

We might say that nothing has gone right with the so-called Palestinians. God has promised to bless all those who bless his people and curse all those who curse them (Gen. 12:3). They have continually cursed Israel and they have been continually cursed. According to UNICEF, in the Palestinian areas, around 2.1 million people [out of 5.3 million total] need humanitarian assistance. Work which was once freely permitted in Israel has now been restricted because of their own terrorist attacks.¹⁷ Palestinian leaders seem to be focused only on terror and care nothing about their people. In Psalm 108:9, God says about the Palestinians, “…over Philistia I shout in triumph.”           

“For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples” (3:5). Utley comments: “These phrases speak of the common ancient Near East practice of defeated people’s temple treasures…being taken to the victor’s national temple as a visible token of the superiority of the victor’s deity.” ¹⁸ Babylon took many of the temple treasures but some or perhaps all were later returned with Zerubbabel. “The Philistines and Arabians had carried off all the treasures of King Jehoram’s house (2 Chron. 21:16-17). Compare also, 1 Kings 15:18; 2 Kings 12:18; 14:14).” ¹⁹

“You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, that you might send them far from their homeland” (3:6). The mention of Greeks here has caused problems for commentators. If the Greek nation actually existed here, it would place Joel at a much later date.  However, early Church of Scotland minister, Robert Jamieson says, “Grecians—literally, ‘Javanites,’ that is, the Ionians, a Greek colony on the coast of Asia Minor who were the first Greeks known to the Jews.” ²⁰ The Greek Nation had not yet come into prominence.

The Bible speaks of nations that sold Jews into slavery. The Philistines were guilty of this as we note in Amos 1:6. Barnes says, “The Philistines hoped thus to weaken the Jews, by selling their fighting men afar, from where they could no more return.” ²¹ Tyre was also involved in the slave trading of Israelites (Ezek. 27:13; Amos 1:9). Barnes says of Tyre: “In yet later times the Tyrian merchants followed, like vultures, on the rear of armies to make a prey of the living, as the vultures of the dead.” ²²

“See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them, and I will return on your own heads what you have done. I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, a nation far away’ The LORD has spoken” (3:7-8).  Reformer John Calvin, citing Henderson, states that with the capture of Tyre, Alexander sold 13,000 of its inhabitants into slavery…he tells how Alexander took Gaza killing 10,000 of its citizens and selling the rest of its inhabitants, even women and children, into slavery.²³

We learn from Utley that the city of Sidon was captured and sold into slavery by Antiochus III in 345 B.C. ²⁴ Apparently, Alexander and his successors liberated many Jews that had been sold into slavery. ²⁵ Truly, God has a way of returning evil upon the heads of those that do it.

“Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting men draw near and attack. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weakling say, ‘I am strong!’” (3:9-10). All these words tell us that God is getting ready for a showdown or face-off with the nations. Utley says: “A final end-time attack of the kingdoms of this world against the kingdom of our God and his Christ is mentioned over and over in scripture (cf. Psa. 2; Isa. 8:9, 14; 17:12-14; Ezek. 38-39; Zech. 12-14; Rev. 16:14-16; 19:17-19).” ²⁶ Beating plowshares into swords is the opposite of Isaiah 2:4 and Micah 4:3.

The nations are doing everything to prepare for battle. The weak are to convince themselves that they are strong. In Christian circles we sometimes use this scripture as a crutch to lift ourselves up not realizing that it is a scripture describing the enemies of Israel.

We see a picture of this awful last-day war in the Book of Revelation.  In Revelation we read: “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself…The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean” (Rev. 19:11-12, 14). In the messianic Psalm 110 we read: “…he will crush kings on the day of his wrath. He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth” (Psa. 110:5-6; cf. Zeph. 3:8).

THE GREAT BATTLES OF ARMAGEDDON AND JEHOSHAPHAT

Come quickly, all you nations from every side, and assemble there. Bring down your warriors, LORD! Joel 3:11

Here, it is God himself who is calling all nations to war in Israel. While Antichrist may seem to be gathering the nations to fight, it is really God who gathers them (3:2; Zech. 14:2). The nations in all their united might and glory are about to be surprised to find themselves battling the angelic legions of heaven (Deut. 33:2; 2 Ki. 6:16) as well as the Lord himself, the one with eyes of blazing fire. This is the judgment of Christ on evil governments.

“Let the nations be roused; let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the nations on every side. Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full and the vats overflow – so great is their wickedness!” (3:12-13). The vast armies of a wicked and degenerate world will gather at Megiddo and Jerusalem feeling that they can make a quick work of tiny Israel. There is no idea in their minds that all the earth’s armies will be annihilated.

The swinging of the sickle is a picture taken from Micah 4:12; Matt.13:30, 39; Rev. 14:14-20. Today we can observe all around us that the harvest of evil is getting ripe. Things that are commonplace today were unspeakable two or three generations ago. Millions of lawless souls are preparing themselves to join forces with the Antichrist, the lawless one (2 Thess. 2:8).

“Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision” (3:14). Jamieson says, “‘Multitudes, multitudes!’ a Hebraism for immense multitudes.” ²⁷ The prophet Isaiah says: “The LORD is angry with all nations; his wrath is on all their armies. He will totally destroy them, he will give them over to slaughter” (Isa. 34:2). In addition to the multitudes of armies, we sense that there are multitudes of people trying to make up their minds about Israel. No doubt, some who call themselves “Christians” will have cast their lot with these invading armies.

The latest war in Israel has caused the nation to be slandered and shamed all over the world. God seems to be using this to separate and judge people. Asher Intrater, messianic leader in Israel, explains all this. Ages ago, human beings fell into sin. God’s plan to redeem people centered on Abraham, who believed and obeyed God. God used Abraham to bring forth a believing family and then a believing nation. Through that nation of Israel God fully plans to redeem the world. The Bible does say that salvation comes from the Jews (Jn. 4:22). It is from the Jews that the Messiah Jesus has come to us. It is extremely important that we understand this plan and honor the Jewish people.

Intrater points out how the war with the Palestinians has caused people all over the world to take sides, for or against Israel. Today we may have millions and even billions of people in the valley of decision.²⁸ Many will come out hating Israel and it may well be some of these who will join with Antichrist and fight against God’s nation.

Dreadful events will happen on the Day of the Lord. Zechariah says: “On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south” (Zech. 14:4).

“The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The LORD will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the heavens will tremble. But the LORD will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel” (3:15-16). Utley comments: “‘The sun and moon grow dark.’ This is apocalyptic language to describe God’s coming to his creation (cf. Joel 2:10, 31; Isa. 13:10; Jer. 4:23; Ezek. 32:8; Zech. 14:6).” ²⁹

In Revelation we read: “I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind” (Rev. 6:12-13). Wiersbe says, “When the Lamb becomes a Lion, the nations had better tremble…” ³⁰

BLESSINGS FOR GOD’S PEOPLE

Then you will know that I, the LORD your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill. Jerusalem will be holy; never again will foreigners invade her. Joel 3:17

We see something absolutely astounding here. The Almighty God, the Ruler of the Universe, will take up his residence in Jerusalem. Few people on earth, even few Christians, would believe this. However, it is all over the Bible. Because this seems to be a controversial subject let us look at a number of scriptures that state this fact explicitly:

Exod. 29:45 Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God.

Num. 35:34 Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites.”

1 Ki. 6:13 And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel.

1 Chron. 23:25-26 For David had said, “Since the LORD, the God of Israel, has granted rest to his people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem forever…”

Psa. 9:11 Sing the praises of the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done.

Psa. 68:16 why gaze in envy, you rugged mountain, at the mountain where God chooses to reign, where the LORD himself will dwell forever?

Ezek. 43:7 He said: “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever…”

Ezek. 48:35 …And the name of the city from that time on will be: THE LORD IS THERE.

Psa. 9:11 Sing the praises of the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done.

Ps. 76:2  His tent is in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion.

Psa. 87:2-3 The LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the other dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are said of you, city of God.

Psa. 132:13-14 For the LORD has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling, saying, “This is my resting place for ever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it.”

Psa. 135:21 Praise be to the LORD from Zion, to him who dwells in Jerusalem. Praise the LORD.

Joel 3:21 …The LORD dwells in Zion!

Zech. 2:10 “Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the LORD.

Zech 2:11-12 …I will live among you and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you.  The LORD will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem.

2 Cor. 6:16  As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

Rev. 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.

This information should drastically change our theology. We will never be able to look at Israel and Jerusalem the same way. We will gain a new respect for the people of Israel. If it is true that the Almighty God will someday live in Jerusalem, then we can see how heaven and earth will be joined together in the last days. After all, the things in heaven are all coming down. The kingdom is coming down, the bride is coming down, the New Jerusalem is coming down, and the Lord himself is coming down. In our modern and postmodern theology, we have everything going up, but the Bible has everything coming down.

Because the holy God lives in Jerusalem, the city will become a very holy place. Isaiah states: “And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it” (Isa. 35:8). Isaiah also says: “Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem” (Isa. 4:3). Again, Isaiah says: “Awake, awake, Zion, clothe yourself with strength! Put on your garments of splendor, Jerusalem, the holy city. The uncircumcised and defiled will not enter you again.” (Isa. 52:1). Nahum says: “Celebrate your festivals, Judah, and fulfill your vows. No more will the wicked invade you; they will be completely destroyed” (Nah. 1:15).

Beginning with the Millennium and continuing into eternity there will be an incredible beauty and fruitfulness throughout the land of Israel and in Jerusalem. “In that day the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will flow with milk; all the ravines of Judah will run with water. A fountain will flow out of the LORD’s house and will water the valley of acacias” (3:18). The prophet Amos says, “‘The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills,’” (Amos 9:13).

Isaiah says: “The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God.” (Isa. 35:1-2). Isaiah adds: “The LORD will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing” (Isa. 51:3).

Wiersbe says: “Jerusalem is the only city of antiquity that wasn’t built near a great river…But in the kingdom, Jerusalem will have a river that proceeds from the temple of God.” ³¹  The springs and rivers that are going out of the house of God is an eschatological motif that is quite common in scripture (cf. Psa. 46:4; 65:9-13; Ezek. 47:1-12; Zech. 14:8; Rev. 22:1, 2).³²   Feinberg says: “The Valley of Shittim [acacias], on the border between Moab and Israel beyond Jordan, known for its dryness, will be well watered…” ³³

“But Egypt will be desolate, Edom a desert waste, because of violence done to the people of Judah, in whose land they shed innocent blood” (3:19). Because of Egypt’s long history of violence against Israel, she will inherit a curse from God. It was Egypt that tried to kill all the newborn boys of Israel. It was Egypt that held the people of Israel in bondage for 400 years.

As we have mentioned, it was Egypt’s King Shishak that looted God’s temple in the days of Rehoboam (1 Ki. 14:25-26). It was King Necho of Egypt who killed Israel’s good king Josiah (2 Ki. 23:29). In modern times Egypt has fought four great wars against Israel. We will see that in the Millennium, Egypt will refuse to bring its worship to Jerusalem. For that they will have no rain (Zech. 14:17-18). Egypt, that was so fruitful with its Nile River, will become a desolation in the end-days.

Another great enemy of Israel was Edom, the heritage of Esau. Edom the relative of Israel refused to allow the nation through their country when they escaped Egypt (Num. 20:14-21). They participated in the slave trade against Israel (Amos 1:6, 9). They assisted in the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC (Obad. 1:14). Their anger against Israel raged and flamed unchecked over the centuries (Amos 1:11). They harbored an ancient hostility against Israel (Ezek. 5:35). Finally, even the longsuffering God had enough of Edom. In Obadiah 1:10, God says: “Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever.” God cursed Edom out of existence. A few Edomites still hung around through history, like King Herod and Haman, but the nation of Edom was gone.

“Judah will be inhabited forever and Jerusalem through all generations. Shall I leave their innocent blood unavenged? No, I will not. The LORD dwells in Zion!” (3:20-21). Here we see again the eternal nature of Jerusalem. This is the true eternal city. God will certainly deal with the nations and peoples who have cursed and harmed his city and shed the blood of his people.  Strangely, we do not read anything about the ancient and consistent enemy of Israel – Syria.  Perhaps, Syria has already ceased to exist by the end days. In Isaiah 17:1, the prophet says of Damascus, one of the oldest, continuously occupied cities in the world, “…Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins.”

Phillips says: “During the millennium, Jerusalem will become the capital of Christ’s world empire. Moreover, the heavenly Jerusalem – the celestial city that will be placed in stationary orbit over the earthly Jerusalem – will endure forever.” ³⁴ There are hundreds of wonderful prophecies about Israel and Jerusalem in the last days (cf. Zech. 13:1; Ezek. 36:24-27; 43:1-5). Wiersbe says of this little book: “The prophecy of Joel begins with tragedy, the invasion of the locusts, but it closes with triumph, the reign of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” ³⁵

 

 

 

 

ENDNOTES

Several sources I have cited here are from electronic media, either from websites or electronic research libraries. Thus, in some of these sources it is not possible to cite page numbers.  Instead, I have cited the verse or verses in each book (e.g. v. verse 1:1 or vs. verses 1:5-6) about which the commentators speak.

 

INTRODUCTION

1  Charles F. Pfeiffer & Everett F. Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1979), p. 819.

2  Ibid.

3  Warren W. Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2007), p. 1407.

4  Also compare  Joel 2:32 with Obadiah 1:17; Joel 3:4 with Obadiah 1:15; Joel 2:6 with Nahum 2:10; Joel 2:17 with Psalms 79:10; Joel 2:28-29 with Ezekiel 39:29.

5  Peter Pett, Commentary on Joel, Peter Pett’s Commentary on the Bible, 2013, v. 1:1. https://studylight.org/commentaries/eng/pet/joel.html.

6  Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 819.

7  Adam Clarke, Commentary on Joel, The Adam Clarke Commentary, 1832, Intro.

CHAPTER 1

1  Charles L. Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, Joel (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1948, 1990), p. 71.

2  John Phillips, Exploring The Minor Prophets, Joel (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1998), p. 69.

3  D. Guthrie, ed. The New Bible Commentary: Revised (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1970), p. 718.

4  Charles Ward Smith, Smith’s Bible Commentary, Commentary on Joel, 2014, vs. 1:1-20. https://studylight.org/commentaries/eng/csc/joel-1.html.

5  Guthrie, ed. The New Bible Commentary: Revised, p. 718.

6  Clarke, Commentary on Joel, The Adam Clarke Commentary, v. 1:4.

Jamieson adds: “This verse states the subject on which he afterwards expands. Four species or stages of locusts, rather than four different insects, are meant (compare :-). Literally, (1) the gnawing locust; (2) the swarming locust; (3) the licking locust; (4) the consuming locust; forming a climax to the most destructive kind.” (Jamieson, v. 1:4).

7  Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 821.

8  David Guzik, Enduring Word Bible Commentary, Joel, v. 1:4. https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/joel-1/.

9  John Phillips, Exploring The Minor Prophets, Joel, pp. 71-72.

Feinberg expounds: “They have been known to devour over an area of almost ninety miles every green herb and every blade of grass, so that the ground gave the appearance of having been scorched by fire. The locusts have a “scorched-earth policy” of their own.” (Feinberg, p. 72).

10  Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1408.

11  Guthrie, ed. The New Bible Commentary: Revised, p. 719.

12  Albert Barnes, Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible, Commentary on Joel, 1870. v. 1:5. https://studylight.org/commentaries/eng/bnb/joel-1.

13  James Burton Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, Commentary on Joel (Abilene TX: Abilene Christian University Press, 1983-1999), v. 1:6. https://studylight.org/commentaries/eng/bcc/joel-1.html.

14  Barnes, Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible, Commentary on Joel, v. 1:7.

15  Guthrie, ed. The New Bible Commentary: Revised, p. 719.

16  Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1409.

17  Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 821.

18  J. D. Douglas & Merrill C. Tenney, The New International Dictionary of the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1987), p. 878.

19  Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1409.

20  Robert Jamieson, D.D.; A. R. Fausset; David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, Commentary on Joel, 1871-8, v. 1:14. https://studylight.org/commentaries/eng/jfb/joel-1.html.

21  Guthrie, ed. The New Bible Commentary: Revised, p. 720.

22  Renald E. Showers, The Biblical Concept of the Day of the Lord, https://israelmyglory.org/article/the-biblical-concept-of-the-day-of-the-lord/

23  Ibid.

24  Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 822. 

CHAPTER 2

1  Phillips, Exploring The Minor Prophets, Joel, p. 68.

2  Jim Gerrish, Does God Play Favorites? God’s Unique Relationship with Israel (Minneapolis: Cornerstone Publishing, 2000, 2003, p. 308.

A free copy of this book is available online at https://www.churchisraelforum.com/god-play-favorites/

3  Smith, Smith’s Bible Commentary, Commentary on Joel, vs. 2:1-32.

4  Charles L. Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, Joel (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1948, 1990), p. 72.

5  Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 822.

6  Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, Joel, p. 76.

7  Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 823.

8  Phillips, Exploring The Minor Prophets, Joel, p. 75.

9  Guzik, Enduring Word Bible Commentary, Joel, vs. 2:6-11.

10  Pett, Commentary on Joel, Peter Pett’s Commentary on the Bible, vs. 2:2-10.

11  Phillips, Exploring The Minor Prophets, Joel, p. 76.

12  Pett, Commentary on Joel, Peter Pett’s Commentary on the Bible, vs. 2:12-13.

13  Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1409.

14  Alberto Ferreiro, Gen, Ed., Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, The Twelve Prophets (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2003), p. 69.

15  F. B. Meyer’s ‘Through the Bible’ Commentary, Joel, vs. 2:12-27. https://studylight.org/commentaries/eng/fbm/joel.html.

16  Bob Utley, Free Bible Commentary, Joel, v. 2:15. http://www.freebiblecommentary.org/old_testament_studies/VOL12OT/VOL12BOT_01.html.

17  Guthrie, ed. The New Bible Commentary: Revised, p. 722.

18  Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, Commentary on Joel, v. 2:19.

19  Guthrie, ed. The New Bible Commentary: Revised, p. 722.

20  Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 824.

21  Pett, Commentary on Joel, Peter Pett’s Commentary on the Bible, v. 2:23.

22  Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 825.

23  Guthrie, ed. The New Bible Commentary: Revised, p. 723.

24  Ferreiro,  Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, The Twelve Prophets, p. 74.

25  Guthrie, ed. The New Bible Commentary: Revised, p. 724.

“Perhaps the true answer is that there was a common stockpile of eschatological imagery, used by all.” (Guthrie, p. 721).

26  Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 825.

27  Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1412. 

CHAPTER 3

1  Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, Commentary on Joel, v. 3:1.

2  Matthew Henry, Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible, Concise Commentary on Joel, 1706, v. 3:1-8,  https://studylight.org/commentaries/eng/mhn/joel-1.html.

3  Phillips, Exploring The Minor Prophets, Joel, p. 80.

4  Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, Joel, p. 84.

5  Flavius Josephus, Josephus Complete Works (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1960). Wars, p. 6, 9.

Feinberg explains: In Roman wars the enemy chose out of the Jews “the tallest and most beautiful, and reserved them for the triumph; and as for the rest of the multitude that were above seventeen years old, he put them into bonds; and sent them to the Egyptian mines…” (Feinberg, p. 83).

6  Gerrish, Does God Play Favorites?, p. 186.

7  Ibid., pp. 94-96.

8  Ibid., pp. 102-103.

9  The Jerusalem Post, 13 September, 1998.

10  Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, Joel, p. 82.

11  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, Joel, v. 3:3.

12  Google.com. https://www.google.com/search?q=hezbollah+rockets+i+lebanon&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS974US974&oq=hezbollah+rockets+i+lebanon&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i22i30j0i390l3.7423j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

13  https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-est/how-bad-is-crisis-lebanon-2021-09-10/

14  Google.com https://www.google.com/search?q=lebanon+explosion&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS974US974&oq=lebanon+expl&aqs=chrome.0.0i433i512j69i57j0i512l8.8286j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

15  George Gilder, The Israel Test (US: Richard Vigilante Books, 2009), pp. 49-50.

16  Ibid., p. 50.

17  Unicef: https://www.unicef.org/appeals/state-of-palestine

18  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, Joel, v. 3:5.

19  Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, Commentary on Joel, v. 3:5.

20  Ibid., v. 4:6.

Clarke adds: “Sold unto the Grecians — These were the descendants of Javan, Genesis 10:2-5. And with them the Tyrians trafficked, Ezekiel 27:19.” (Clarke, v. 3:6).

21  Barnes, Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible, Commentary on Joel, v. 3:6.

22  Ibid.

23  John Calvin,  John.Calvin’s Commentary on the Bible, Commentary on Joel, 1840-57, 3:8. https://studylight.org/commentaries/eng/cal/joel-3.html.

24  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, Joel, v. 3:8.

25  Clarke, Commentary on Joel, The Adam Clarke Commentary, v. 3:7.

26  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, Joel, vs. 3:9-13.

27  Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, Commentary on Joel, v. 3:14.

28  Asher Intrater, Multitudes in the Valley of Decision. https://www.tikkunglobal.org/teachingvideos?wix-vod-video-id=64ylDJrJ8k8&wix-vod-comp-id=comp-kt4v50di

29  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, Joel, v. 3:15.

30  Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1413.

31  Ibid.

32  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, Joel, v. 3:18.

33  Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, Joel, p. 85.

34  Phillips, Exploring The Minor Prophets, Joel, p. 82.

35  Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1414.