History:
Assyrian Empire 722 BC Babylonian Empire 600 BC Mede-Persian Empire 539 BC Roman Empire 64 BC
Jerusalem barely survives Assyrians, 722BC
Jerusalem destroyed by Babylonians, 586BC
Jews come back under Persians, 539BC
Jerusalem oppressed by Romans, 64BC
Jerusalem destroyed by Romans, 70AD
Israel reconstitutes, 1948
Prophesy: Luke 21
Joel Jesus predicts Jewish Destruction
Day of the Lord Cosmic Events Cosmic Events
Locusts, Assyrians,
Pentecost, Last Days Matt. 27
Jesus Dies
Earthquake, Darkness
Peter at Pentecost,
Joel’s “Spirit poured out”.
Acts 2, Cosmic Events
Principles:
Underlying Practical: Repent, Be Blessed, Be Restored, Forever.
Yet conditional, temporal,…. People break covenant… …. God’s restoration is broken.
Ultimate Overarching: God will ultimately fulfill this promise of restoration, when Gentiles and Jews receive Messiah. Romans 11:25ff.
The Run Down
Joel 3
Just as he “poetically” goes in and out, back and forth in the double symbolism of Locusts/Assyrians… he likewise moves in and out of “the day of the Lord”…
Does he know it… or not…
How clearly does he understand the final days… from Jesus Messiah to the Future End?
He will use apocalyptic language for incredible occurrences…. Literal… sometimes… sometimes not so much… at least as of yet.
Jesus will use similar language…
Locust have attacked.
1:15 Alas for the day of the Lord is near.
Locust have ravaged… Assyrians coming?
2:1 for the day of the Lord is coming
Darkness, gloom, clouds, darkness…
2:10 earth quakes sun/moon darkened, stars not shining,
The Lord before this army.
2:11 The day of the Lord is great … who can endure it?
Return to me.
Lords pity, and restoration.
2:26 my people never again put to shame.
2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward…
I will pour out my spirit…
2:30 wonders in heaven, earth, blood fire smoke, sun darkened.
Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Jesus says about Jerusalem’s future judgment after he is gone…
Luke 21
20″But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. 21Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, 22for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. 23 Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. 24They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
25″And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Matthew 27
45Now from the sixth hour[f] there was darkness over all the land[g] until the ninth hour.[h] 46And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. 51And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.
Acts 2
14But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.[b] 16But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
18even on my male servants[c] and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
19And I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
20 the sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
21And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
Go over Sheet: History, Prophesy, Principle.
Joel
God is plaintiff in court room.
vs. 1-3 they have scattered God’s people among the nations.
The foreigners have taken God’s “land”.
Sold the inhabitants of Israel/Jerusalem, portions of Judah as slaves.
Jehoshaphat means “Jah” (short for Jahweh) judges.
Intended to be symbolic, like other valleys.
None named that literally in Palestine.
“The plain of judicial decision.”
The symbolic place in “that coming day” when God will judge.
Valley tradition:
Valley of Hinnom (Jeremiah 7:30-34;19:1-7) Valley of Slaughter
Valley of Vision Isa. 22:1-13
Valley of Those who Travel Ez. 39:11 Valley of Hamon Gog.
Vs. 4-8
Tyre and Sidon, major trade cities on the coasts, utilized in slave trading.
During this time… the people had luxurious homes… and the gold and silver is plundered by their enemies.
Doesn’t specifically mention the Assyrians, but some traditional adversaries,… just maybe including “all the nations”….
The punishment will fit the crime.
Gal. 6:7, 2 Thess. 1:6-8. Matt. 18:23-35, forgiven debtor doesn’t forgive.
Seba is know only as a distant country in the OT, but archeology has located it in modern day Yemen, opposite from Greece.
Reap what you sow.
Return sin upon their own heads concept.
Vs. 9-12 Proclaim this among the nations.
From court room to battle scene.
From His nation Israel first … now to the nations.
Call to judgment.
Let all the nations know.
God was judging Judah for her sins… soon he will judge the nations for their sins and sins against Judah.
Farmers become warriors, weak will become strong.
This will be the Lord’s battle.
Psalm 24:8 Lord mighty in battle.
Ironic reversal of Isa. 2:4 and Micah 4:3 of beating plow shares.
Isa. 2
1The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the LORD
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be lifted up above the hills;
and all the nations shall flow to it,
3and many peoples shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go the law,[a]
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
4He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.
Micah 4
1It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the LORD
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and it shall be lifted up above the hills;
and peoples shall flow to it,
2and many nations shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,[a]
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
3He shall judge between many peoples,
and shall decide for strong nations far away;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore;
God will bring down angelic hosts to fight.
Joel
Joel 3:9-10
Proclaim this among the nations: Consecrate for war;
stir up the mighty men.
Let all the men of war draw near;
let them come up.
10 Beat your plowshares into swords,
and your pruning hooks into spears;
let the weak say, “I am a warrior.”
But… before this final judgment of “all the nations”… Jesus will reject his own… who reject him…
And demand the Gospel be preached to all the nations…
Mark 4:10ff
10And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, 12 so that “they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.”
13 And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.[a] 18And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
21 And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? 22 For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. 25 For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
Mark 11:12
12 On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.
Mark 10
3And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4″Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” 5And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. 6 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. 7And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. 8For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.
9 “But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. 10And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations.
Mark 11:15-19
15 And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 16And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” 18And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. 19 And when evening came they[b] went out of the city.
Matt. 28:16-20
16Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Vs. 13-17
The Final Battle
God calls the angelic hosts to swing the sickle, harvest.
Crush grapes in winepress.
Vs. 14 becomes “valley of decision” or “valley of verdict”.
Should remember 2:12… even now you can repent. As judgment is upon you.
Romans 11:25-32. Mercy on all.
Yet Final Judgment is real.
Vs. 18-21 Glorious future.
1:5 the sweet wine was cut off… now it flows.
1:18 no milk… now rich.
1:17-20 no water in drought… now flow all year round.
Fountain from the Temple Ps. 46:4.
Valley of Shittim mentioned nowhere else in the Bible. Maybe rocky portion of Kidron Valley moves southwest towards dead sea.
Two enemies will be destroyed: Egypt and Edom.
Day of the Lord… enemies lose.
Abundance, restoration, for Judah…
Peace from enemies…
Defeating of foes.
Joel
This prophetic book flows from
current to future judgments,
current to future “days of the Lord”,
current to future blessings.
God offers himself … reject/receive…
He judges His… calls to the nations… all can repent…
Mercy on them all.
From Jonah’s day… to Joel’s day… to Jesus’s day…
to the “last days”…
Then Judgment.