We today notice Joel 3:17-21, the Prophet’s sweet “Millennium” Paragraph.
Nearly all the Old Testament Books of eschatology have one, some more than one!
“So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim. Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land. But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion.” Joel 3:17-21
The Unit is full of promises.
The Lord Jesus has returned to earth. And is “dwelling” in Zion, in Jerusalem! I’m thinking of Zechariah’s great chapter 14 now. The Second Coming, literally.
Thus, Judah’s Capitol City is “cleansed, sanctified!” Actually “holy” means “set apart, sanctified, consecrated.” Ezekiel 48:35 chimes in with these words: “And the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there.” Wow!
Truly Israel will then have become a “land of milk and honey!” Grape harvests unprecedented, and that “Water of Life” is mentioned yet again!
Judgment has fallen upon the enemies of God’s people, Egypt and Edom being named particularly. The noun “wilderness” means “desert,” like many lonely and solitary places forsaken by God.
Yes, God remembers sins (even of a Nation) … especially those dealing with “innocent bloodshed.”
Then the grand finale of all promises to Israel, I think. The Jews in their land … forever! “Judah shall dwell FOR EVER, and Jerusalem FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION. For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion.”
The verb “dwelleth” in this Text, when used of God (verse 17 and again in verse 21), is “shakan,” as in the “Shekinah Glory” of the Almighty!
And the verb “dwell,” used of the Jews (verse 20), is “yashab,” meaning “to dwell, remain,” in a permanent sense. It is NOT the word “to sojourn,” to live in tents, roaming an area.
Total cleansing, too!
The verb “to cleanse” (verse 21) is rare! It is used twice in this single verse … and elsewhere in the whole Bible only 42 more times. It means “to hold guiltless.” To so forgive as to allow someone “to go unpunished!”
Yes, Joel ends with a note of Grace!
As does the New Testament, the book of Revelation: “The GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” Revelation 22:21
— Dr. Mike Bagwell