Joel chapter 2 has a gigantic sweep!

And near its end God promises: “And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.” Joel 2:30-31

Yes, the Holy Spirit will have a specific and powerful Ministry during these days as well. (Yesterday’s Lesson, Joel 2:28-29 … “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.” Where “afterward” may be a key word!) Bear in mind: this “pouring out” of the Spirit is not just a historical event (Pentecost) but also a prophetic (future) event (including both Tribulation and Millennium)!

I say that because the sun being darkened and the moon appearing as blood … with accompanying fire and pillars of smoke on earth … are not past tense occurrences, but still up-coming!

In Isaiah 13:9-10 the Prophet may have been seeing the identical phenomena Joel beheld. “Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.”

And Jesus too, in Matthew 24:29. “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.” Verse 30 is even better … “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn (under conviction), and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” Both Mark and Luke similarly quote Jesus, too.

Then John on Patmos: “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.” Wow, Revelation 6:12-13.

Natural upheaval!

The wages of sin!

Creation groaning!

And God, as always, knowing the end from the beginning!

Joel the Prophet is different, but amazing nonetheless.

I’d love to preach his 73 verses, all of them!

The Lord willing, more studying tomorrow. We still have (at least) one more Lesson in chapter 2, then of course, Joel’s final Sermon, chapter 3.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

The Old Testament Prophets often “blur” Jesus’ First Coming and Second Coming. They did not clearly see the “Church Age” intervening between those two Epochal Events. Paul the Apostle even called the Church a “Mystery,” unseen by the older Prophets but specially revealed by God to himself, to Paul! Here’s Colossians 1:26-27, as an example. “Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Amen!

 

 

A little Paragraph in Joel 2 gives us a precious view of God the Holy Spirit.

One that is familiarly replicated in the New Testament.

The Prophet (Joel) quotes Almighty God: “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.” Joel 2:28-29

This Text (most of it anyway) was used by Simon Peter on the Day of Pentecost, as an example of the Holy Spirit’s Ability to come (to flood) a people with His Presence. “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 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: and on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.” Acts 2:16-18

But … Pentecost is NOT the final and complete fulfillment of Joel 2:28-32. Because both Joel and Peter continue their Sermons with further information. (Which will be tomorrow’s Lesson theme.) Data about astronomical phenomena such as … from Joel’s account, still quoting the Lord … “And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.” Joel 2:30-31

Pentecost indeed was a “foretaste” of the coming of the Holy Spirit in a yet final day! A Day when Israel shall believe on Jesus and be saved! A Day at the end of the Tribulation and the beginning of the Millennium when She (Israel the Nation) shall “look  on Jesus Whom they have pierced” and “trust” Him as Saviour!

A Day when her Judgment has finally crested and her Jubilee has gloriously begun!

The verbs for “pour out,” both in Hebrew and in Greek, suggest copious amounts of Blessing!

And clearly an “equal opportunity” effusion is intended, to all who believe!

Young and old, male and female!

Folks, God does all His Work via the Holy Spirit in some way or another.

God is Triune.

And clearly, we NEED the Touch of the Holy Spirit yet in the time we live.

Sorely so!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

 

 

The Paragraph is long, and glorious!

And gives, in detail, aspects of the Grace of God, that will some day (near the end of the Tribulation I suspect) be extended to the Jews, as a People, a Nation. By the way, a repenting Group as well!

Yesterday, in Joel 2:12-17, we heard Judah sorrowfully turn back to God, from her sins.

Now today, God responds!

“Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people. Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen: but I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things. Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things. Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength. Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil. And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.” Joel 2:18-27

These conditions must be future!

Certainly no time in the past has seen such fulfilled, not literally.

In other words, the world being described above is Millennial in nature.

I can say with confidence, after a yet coming time of (likely the most severe in all her existence) suffering and persecution and humiliation … the Jewish people will enjoy unprecedented blessings!

Both material (obviously) and spiritual (forgiveness, the Presence of God) benefits innumerable!

Joel as a writer excels here.

And, no doubt, some day in the future Israel (her scholars) will diligently scour these words … learning appropriate behavior for such a dramatic time!

I am more convinced than ever … THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

 

We today notice Joel 2:12-17, a true “call to repentance.”

The Lord Himself is inviting His people to return to Him!

In fact, the key verb of the whole Text is “shub” in Hebrew, the major “repent” verb of the Old Testament.

Twice God beseeches (actually commands) Israel (or Judah, depending on the date one assigns to Joel) “to turn” back to Him. Verses 12 and 13 record the Lord’s Words: “Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn (“shub”) ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn (“shub”) unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.”

Then “shub” appears a third time in the Paragraph, at verse 14: “Who knoweth if he (God) will return (“shub”) and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?”

In other words, as I understand this … if we will “turn” from our sins … God then well may “turn” from His planned judgment!

Also some things seem to accompany such repentance, verse 12 again: fasting and weeping and mourning, true heartfelt contrition! What one BELIEVES, one DOES!

Another interesting facet of the Text … “Who knoweth if the Lord … will leave a blessing behind Him, even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God?” Verse 14, Wow! Here God leaves them gifts … that they can immediately return to Him in worship! Thrilling, astounding! We actually DO gave back to Him (in tithes, for example) what he has recently given us! And that’s the way God intended it to be!

Then (in verse 16) a convocation is called, an old fashioned “Revival” type Meeting! “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.” To collectively repent, to confess sins, to seek God’s Face!

Then the Preachers (Priests, since we’re in the Old Testament) are given work to do. “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.” What a prayer! Do see that they are given the exact words to use! (As in … “After this manner pray ye,” the Lord’s Prayer!)

Intercessory prayer, seeking God on behalf of others!

Lastly, watch the unique “argument” used (assigned) in this petition. It is not … “Bless us for our sakes, O Lord!” But rather … “Bless us for Thy Sake, O Lord!”

Verbatim, the last of verse 17: “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?” Lest God’s Holy Name be denigrated!

Yes, this is a classic call to repentance.

A warning other Nations would be well-advised to pray!

Including ours.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

 

That’s exactly what the Prophet Joel (guided by the Holy Spirit) labels an army attacking Israel or Judah at some point in her national existence, “God’s army!”

As in Joel 2:11 here: “And the LORD shall utter His voice before HIS ARMY ….”

This is another reason why I feel Joel’s invading forces here may be something more than just a fact of history. Rather, maybe a proclamation of a yet coming (future) event!

Look what happens as the attackers march: “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.” Joel 2:10

The anomaly in nature here described … the sun being darkened, the moon as well, no starlight even … is not a natural result of normal warfare.

But such convulsions in creation are described by John the Disciple from the Isle of Patmos in the New Testament Book of Revelation. During the world-wide Tribulation yet to grip planet earth. For example: “And I (John) beheld when he (the Lord) had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.” Revelation 6:12-14, King James Version.

It is at this point (during these miraculous happenings) that Joel notes “God’s Army” is involved!

Yes, I here believe Joel has gone “tribulational” on us!

And tomorrow’s Lesson, as well as Saturday’s, will strengthen my position even more.

Hundreds of years before Jesus’ First coming, Joel is writing about Jesus’ Second Coming!

The Bible, what a Book!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell