JOEL

Joel Chapter 2

• Joel 2:1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; 
• 2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. 
• 3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. 
• 4 The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. 
• 5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. 
• 6 Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. 
• 7 They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: 
• 8 Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. 
• 9 They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief. 
• 10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: 
• 11 And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it? 

This is the judgment by the Lord upon all those that persecute His believers and come against Israel in the latter days. There are many partial fulfillments of this prophecy but the final one is yet to come as I write this. The day of the Lord is a day of judgment. It is not what we call the rapture of the church. That is not judgment but deliverance. There is a difference. The day of the Lord is when the wrath of God is poured out and Jesus sets up His kingdom on earth.

70 AD invasion of the Roman army is judgment because of their rejection of Jesus the Christ.  Previous to this they had the invasion of Babylon or the Chaldeans, then they were under the Medes and Persian, Greece then Rome.

Although they were not in the nation called Israel at the time but the Spanish Inquisition and the German Holocaust were one of many other attempts to get rid of all Jewish people. This is August 2025, as I'm proofreading this article for updates. Now the time seems to be getting closer to when armies shall attempt to destroy Israel as a nation. However, by the hand of Jesus Christ the Son of God, Israel will be delivered. 

America will not be their final help, they either will not exist or they will refuse to help. The final fulfillment will have the sun, stars, and moon affected by the fulfillment.  

• Joel 2:12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 

Yet any who call upon the Lord and turn to Him can be saved from His judgment. Jesus made the way of salvation so simple that in desperation, one can call upon the Lord and be saved. 

• Joel 2:13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. 

After Jesus came to save us from sin, outward religious rituals are not necessary. We don't have to outwardly show repentance by rending our garments or doing things to appear religious. God wants us to rend our hearts. This means that we repent and turn back to Him believing His word and receiving His salvation.

When we do this, God will pour out His spirit upon those who genuinely repent and seek Him. God longs for us to repent and believe in His way He provided for us to be saved. He does not want anyone, Jew or Gentile to be lost and burn in hell. He sent Jesus for the purpose of saving us from sin and giving us the Holy Spirit.

He wants us to have eternal life. It is not the will of God that any perish. It is our choice. We are not predestined to burn in hell. Through Christ we are predestined to obtain salvation. This of course is only given to those who believe this and come to Christ by faith. We recognize that we can't save ourselves just by being a good person. We must accept the fact that we are sinners in need of a savior from sin. Sin will keep us out of heaven and send us to a burning hell. Sin separates us from God.

We can't get rid of sin by ourselves. That is why Jesus came to die for our sins. His death will count for all who believe this. Without Him there is no salvation for either the Jew or the Gentile. 

Even before Jesus came into the flesh, those who believed in the promise of God to send a Messiah rested in that hope and were saved by faith. Now we look back to the time Jesus died and rose again, and we are saved by faith by looking back and believing in the one God sent, even Jesus Christ. 

• Joel 2:14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God? 
• 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: 
• 16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. 
• 17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? 

God pleads with Israel here to mourn, weep and call a solemn assembly of people to return to God and be delivered from the heathen who persecute them and desire to devour their heritage. The answer is the same both then and now. When we sin whether we are individuals or whole nations, the answer to restoration and getting right with God is to REPENT. Change, turn back, seek God.  

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

This is a warning to all nations that gather together against Israel literally. God will one day fight for Israel. I don't know if they have to repent and believe in Christ first or how exactly this will come about but my warning is for those who will come against Israel in the form of an army. That army will be destroyed eventually.

Nations were allowed at one time to defeat Israel and scatter them into other nations but the time will come when this will cease and no power on earth will be able to defeat Israel and all who attempt to do so will be destroyed. 

I am not defending everything Israel does. That is not my calling. I leave their judgment to God. We as a people and especially we who call ourselves the church should never lift up a hand or a voice against Israel and try to claim to take their place in the heart of God.

We are not Israel, Israel is Israel. We will be partakers of the promises to Israel by our faith in Jesus Christ but we are not Israel and do not take their place. We are to pray for Israel and pray for them to recognize the true Messiah, Jesus who already came the first time but we are not to rise up against them if they reject our message. Jesus said to love our enemies not persecute them. 

A good sign that we are walking in truth is first that we love one another and then that we love Israel and love our enemies. This isn't possible except by the spirit of God which is given to those that obey Him. The Holy Spirit dwelling within us can give us that power to love but it is impossible without the Holy Spirit. 

• Joel 2:21 Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things. 
• 22 Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength. 
• 23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. 
• 24 And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil. 
• 25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. 
• 26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. 

God will restore material blessings to Israel but the greatest blessings will be the spiritual. 

• Joel 2:27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed. 
• 28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 
• 29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. 

This former rain of the spirit was began on the day of Pentecost. The first part of the latter rain is happening now. Notice how for years between the resurrection of Jesus until just before the turn of the twentieth century, there was only isolated cases of those receiving the outpouring of the spirit similar to Pentecost. This seemingly ceased for a time causing many to think the gifts of the spirit stopped in the days of the apostles. 

They stopped because the church had become apostate. They didn't stop because the Lord withdrew them. The Holy Spirit is being poured out now on all who will receive by first repenting of sins and believing in the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The latter rain began in the late 1800s and it will be fulfilled in full when the nation of Israel receives Jesus as Lord. 

• Joel 2:30 And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 
• 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. 
• 32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call. 

Verse 30 through 32 refer to the latter day great tribulation or the time of Jacob's trouble. It will become so bad in that time that whoever simply calls on the Lord will be saved. Repentance will occur at the same time so God is not telling us here that if we call on the Lord but really don't want to keep His word, we will be saved. Things will just be so bad that if they call on Him, it is a sign that they truly are repentant and need His salvation. He makes it easy and simple for all to believe and be instantly saved from sin.

Here is the fulfillment of the in Acts

• Acts 2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: 
• 15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. 
• 16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 
• 17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 
• 18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: 
• 19 And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke: 
• 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: 
• 21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. 
• 22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: 
• 23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: 
• 24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. 
• 25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: 
• 26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: 
• 27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 
• 28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. 
• 29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day. 
• 30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
• 31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. 
• 32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 
• 33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. 
• 34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 
  35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool. 
• 36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. 
• 37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 
• 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 
• 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 

Repentance is necessary and believing in Jesus Christ as the Messiah sent from God for our salvation. Then we will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 

We can't reject the Holy Spirit and expect to be able to witness, love, and obey the scriptures. It is impossible to do on our own. 

We are what we desire to be. We receive what we want to receive. God does not force His spirit upon any of us. If we go so far and just accept a religion we may call Christianity or Christondom, then religion is all we will get. It will not save the soul and will not give us the power to love one another. We must repent of sin and believe in Jesus Christ as savior and Lord. That makes us a real Christian, not just a religion we call Christianity.

We must receive all that God wants to give us to equip us for His service. We need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. This will come if we truly accept the Lord in full and hold back nothing. If we come to Christ to escape hell and are not willing to forsake our old sins, we will not be saved. Forsaking sin and believing in Jesus as Lord go hand in hand.

Jesus came to save us from sin not just forgive us in our sins. He saves us from the penalty of sin but He also gives us the power not to return to the sin we were saved from. If we do, we must repent right away and not continue in sin or else habitual, deliberate returning to sin will cause us to lose our salvation. The study of the scriptures will bear this out. 

Getting our minds on the writings of one man instead of the bible, is dangerous. I don't care how good that one man may seem to be. If we rely too much on them to interpret the word for us instead of studying the word ourselves, we are asking to be deceived. I include my own writings here. I would never want anyone to take my own words over or even equal to the word of God. I could make a mistake easily but the word of God that was handed down to us, I believe God has provided us with, and we can trust it to be authentic. God gave us different writers in the bible but they say the same things if we study them diligently.

Basing a doctrine on one man's experience is also dangerous. Please do not stray from the word of God. An example of this is Joseph Smith who started the Mormon church. That church is based not on the word of God but upon the experiences of Joseph Smith. A true prophet will not be contrary to the tried and true already written word of God.

The word must be rightly divided. We must be careful not to pick up the religious observances in the Old Testament that Jesus Christ fulfilled by His death on the cross. We now worship Him in spirit and in truth and we do not have to depend upon the intercessions of priests, prophets and ministers to do our praying for us. They are to teach and preach yes but we are not to rely upon them wholly when we can study on our own. If they do not encourage private study of the bible, beware because they are not true ministers of the word of God. If they are afraid of our private study of the word, they are to be avoided. 

A true minister will encourage private study and private seeking of God. They should not fear anyone seeking God without their assistance. 

In Joel we read about the exciting restoration of Israel both as a nation and spiritually. We read that they too receive the latter day outpouring of God's spirit just like their brethren (sisters also) received on the day of Pentecost. Because they rejected Christ as a nation they temporarily were cut off the vine but now we are seeing the beginning of the latter day outpouring of the spirit upon the Jews again. They will receive Him as a nation during the tribulation where we will see another outpouring of God's spirit.

After Pentecost the gospel went to the Gentiles. Some fell away during the Middle Ages and substituted the doctrines of men instead of God's word. The outpouring of the spirit begin to lessen. During the late 1800s and the early 1900s the outpouring of the spirit began again among Gentile believers who were seeking Him. Actually this may have started earlier during John Wesley's holiness movement and among some of the Anabaptists but they may not have known what the outpouring of the spirit was as yet.

Now we are seeing many Messianic congregations arise. The gospel is returning to the Jews.  Gentiles can still be part of this as long as we do not go into apostasy and think we are replacing Israel like many are doing. When we do that we begin to substitute our commandments and weird religious rituals instead of the word. Some have let Eastern religions and mysticism replace the real spirit of God. 

We must avoid this New Age stuff because it is a substitute. It is not the real thing. It invaded the church before and that's how we got Eastern and Western apostasy during the Middle Ages. It's invading us again in the name of unity but it is a false unity like that had at Babel. Don't be fooled again. If you don't love holiness, the word of God, the nation of Israel and believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven, be careful, apostasy lies at your door. DC