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082320SS-Book of Joel.mp3

Posted on 23 Aug 2020, Pastor: Dr Gregg Nash

An overview of the book of Joel

JOEL

Lesson 29

Books of the Bible

KEY VERSE:

JOEL 1:15 Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.

THEME: A terrible plague of locusts swarmed over the land of Israel. Using the situation as an object lesson, Joel predicts future return of the Lord Jesus Christ and the restoration of the nation of Israel. The main doctrine of the book is the return of the LORD Jesus Christ to be the great King over the nation of Israel and the whole earth (Jer. 23:5-6; Hab. 2:14; Rev. 19:16). This glorious time is called by the phrase the day of the LORD, which occurs five times in the book (1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14).

DATE: Joel wrote the Book early in the eighth century B.C., somewhere between the dates of 875 B.C. and 840 B.C.

WRITER: JOEL

Joel is called, “The son of Pethuel.” Beyond this bare statement, little is known about Joel.

Some think he might have been a priest because of his repeated reference to the priesthood of his day (Joel 1 :9,13: 2:17)

The name, Joel means “Jehovah is God.” We believe Joel lived in Jerusalem.

WRITTEN: Joel, next to Obadiah, is probably the most ancient prophet.

There is no mention of Assyria, Syria, or Babylon.

There is mention of ancient Tyre, Zidon, Philistia, Edom, and Egypt (Joel 3:4, 19)

We believe Joel prophesied during the reign of Jehoiada and young Joash (2 Kings 12:1-3; 2 Chron. 24:1-2).

Elijah and Elisha were preaching in the north to the ten tribes, while Joel prophesied to the two southern tribes, Judah and Benjamin.

PURPOSE: To show that locusts swarming into the land were figurative of the Lord’s army at His Second Advent (2:1-11). Most shortages are planned by evil bankers and wretched government officials (Neh. 5:3), but real famines are designed by God to punish sinful people. Pests that eat the crops increase as sin increases in a land. Weakness in the soil usually follows weakness in the nation. God would one day them deliver and restore them and pour out His Spirit upon them during the Millennium. The major doctrinal truth of the Scriptures is the restoration of Israel under the reign of LORD Jesus Christ in Jerusalem (Jer. 23:5-6; Amos 9:13-15; Luke 1:30-33; Heb. 8:8-12).

DIVISIONS:

PRESENT FAMINE (1:1-20)
PREDICTED FLAMING, FIERY VENGANGE (2:1-11)
PROMISE OF A FULL RESTORATION (2:12-27)
PROPHETIC FOCUS (2:28-3:21)

FACTS:

We believe the little boy, Joash, was king at the time Joel was written.
The country was governed by his advisor, Jehoiada, the high priest.
The queen mother, Athaliah, had killed all of the grandchildren that were heir to the throne, except Joash, who had been hidden away in the Temple.
Joel is sometimes called “the prophet of Pentecost,” but Concerning Joel 2:28 you might want to point out the foolishness of the charismatic and Pentecostal crowd who say the former rain was the outpouring of the Spirit in Acts 2:1-8 and the latter rain began in the early 1900’s and has continued into the charismatic movement. They ignore the paragraph marking in Joel 2 at verse 28.

The Lords Army will invade the earth at the end of the tribulation. The Millennium will begin with an abundance of rain to replenish the earth after a long drought. The showers of blessing will restore the earth to the fruitfulness of the Garden of Eden.

Joel 2:28 – 32 was not fulfilled in Acts 2. Commonsense and spiritual discernment observe the differences between these passages. There is no prophecy of tongues by Joel and there is no record of the wonders and Acts 2. The Spirit has never been poured out upon ALL flesh and the deliverance in Joel refers to the remnant in mount Zion and Jerusalem.

JOEL IN PRESENT HISTORY CONTEXT IS THE STORY OF WASTED YEARS

OUTLINE:

Israel had gotten careless and loose. (1:5)
The tragedy had set in upon them. (1:6)
Israel was like a virgin bride whose new husband had died. (1:8)

The people had stopped bringing offerings to the Temple. (1:9)

The priests were at their wits’ end. (1:9)
The fields were dry and barren. (1:10)

The corn shriveled and was empty. (1:10)

The grapes were wrinkled and like raisins. (1:10)
Wheat and barley were gone. (1:11)
The fruit was withered (1:12)
There was no hope, but God. (1:12)
The oxen, sheep, goats, and cattle were desolate. (1:18)
The water all dried up. (1:20)

THE AUTHOR (1:1)
THE SWARM OF LOCUSTS (1:2-20)

III. THE CLASHING ARMIES AT ARMAGEDDON (2:1-11)

THE CALL TO REPENTANCE (2:12-17)
THE ASSURANCE OF THE LORD (2:18-29)
THE HAPPENINGS PRIOR TO THE DAY OF THE LORD (2:30-32)

VII. THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL (3:1)

VIII. THE JUDGMENT OF THE NATIONS (3:2-14)

THE PRESENCE OF GOD IN JERUSALEM (3:15-17)
THE ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF JUDAH (3:18-21)

MISCELLANEOUS:

Even though the Book of Joel is short, it is neglected.
It is one of the most stirring of all prophetic writings.
It is a survey of the history of Israel from the time of its writing to the Second Coming of Christ in power and great glory.
The Book of Joel illustrates how God makes the future known to man.
It illustrates the way all Biblical truth is revealed.
It demonstrates that revelation is progressive.
Joel unfolds and develops the phrase, the Day of the Lord, as do the prophets that follow him.
The land of Palestine had been a beautiful place dotted with fig and olive trees. The slopes were covered with beautiful vineyards, and the valleys were filled with corn.
Palestine had been described as “a land flowing with milk and honey,” Then, the locusts came.
There had been four plagues . . . Palmer Worms, Locusts, Canker Worms, and Caterpillars.

Some Hebrew scholars maintain that four stages of the development of the locusts are described here.

The first column destroyed every leaf and blade of grass. The second wave devoured the bark from the trees.
The noise of their wings was heard for miles, and the land looked as though it had been swept by fire.
The prophet revealed that this was chastening upon the people because of sin.
The locusts symbolized the invasion of Assyria.

JOEL CHAPTER THREE GIVES THE ORDER OF THE EVENTS IN THE “DAY OF THE LORD.”

The Re-gathering of Judah to Jerusalem (3:1) (Zechariah 10:6)
The Gathering of the Islamic Empire of the AntichristAgainst Jerusalem (3:3,9-15) (Revelation 17:12-15; 19:17-19)
Great Controversy With the Gentile/Islamic Muslim Powers Over Their Treatment of God’s People (3:2-8) (Deuteronomy 30:5-7; Matthew 25:31 -45)
The Deliverer Who ROARS Out of Zion (3:15,16) (Joel 2:32)
The Millennial Blessing of Israel With Jehovah Dwelling Inside (3:17-21)

Joel 3 speaks of the judgment of the Gentile nations and will occur after the battle of Armageddon, the former and latter rain, and the restoration of the nation of Israel. Matt. 24:31-46 and Zechariah 14:2 speak of all nations being gathered only once at the Judgment of the Nations. The criteria for this judgment is the treatment of the Jews by the Gentiles during the tribulation. We know Palestine is not the socialist property of the United Nations or the Muslim Edomites; it is God’s country. Jesus Christ will verify His rightful claim to the land at this judgment and the Judge will execute an everlasting death sentence to the guilty in the fires of hell (Matt. 25:41-46).

PRACTICAL LESSONS FROM THE BOOK OF JOEL

EVERYONE NEEDS A TIME OF PRAYER WHERE THEY GET ALONE AND SEEK GOD.

Joel 2:12‑17 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:

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.

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. Notice this is for every one.

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?

Our prayer is not concerned with our comfort but with God’s testimony.

There is a lot in the Bible about having this kind of prayer with the Lord.

James 4:4‑10 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Ecclesiastes 7:2‑4 It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.

3 Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.

4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

II THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD WANTS TO FILL YOU AND CONTROL YOU BUT YOU MUST DIE TO SELF.

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:

29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:

Ephesians 5:18‑19 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

The Holy Spirit is a Person (not an impersonal “blob” or “presence”)

John 14:16‑17 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

John 16:7‑8 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

John 16:12‑14 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Many times we don’t yield to the Holy Spirit because we want to do our own thing and we know God won’t agree. When we are filled with self and flesh and doing things our way then God cannot fill us with Himself. The Holy Spirit is a person, not a blob or cloud.

The fullness of the Holy Spirit is for every child of God.

It is available, to every saved person.

Don’t associate it with just the full-time Christian worker.

Every Child of God has the Holy Spirit from Salvation – – – Ephesians 1:12-13

Every Child of God does not have the fullness of the Holy Spirit – – – Ephesians 5:18

The Job of the Holy Spirit is to talk to the people within as you talk to the people without.

The Holy Spirit takes the power that belongs to God and makes it ours.

Do you see results in your soul winning?

Do you see results in your ministry?

Do you have victory in your Christian life?

Do you enjoy being saved?

Do you have answers to prayer?

Are you filled with the Holy Spirit?

If you are not there is a reason for it.

If you are not filled with the Holy Spirit, it is not because God is not willing to fill you. God is very willing to help you.

If you are not filled with the Holy Spirit there is a reason and only you can answer it.

When you were saved God gave you all of Himself and held nothing back. The one God is trying to get a hold of is you.

You have all of God living in you if you’re saved.

Does He have you? Does He have all of you?

How can you get this power?

You must be clean and separate.

You need to live in God’s book – You need a relationship with the Word of God.

Give God what is his financially

Work hard, be faithful and loyal to God.

The main thing for a Christian to be so sincere that he pays the price in agonizing and pleading with and tarrying and begging God for His power.

The theme of Joel is the Day of the Lord

The Day of the Lord is mentioned 5x in 3 chapters

Revelation 19:1-21 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:

2 For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.

3 And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.

4 And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.

5 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.

6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.

13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;

18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.

20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

The martyred saints are with Jesus in the battle of Armageddon

Zechariah 14:2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Like Matt 24

3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.

4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.

It brings together Ps 50:4 also

Psalm 50:2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.

3 Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.

4 He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.

5 Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. Christians

6 And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah.

Now go back to Joel 2

Joel 2:10-11 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?

The martyr’s revenge

The ones that Islam kills will come back to haunt them.

The true martyr’s will get revenge on the evil Muslim “Shahids” – the suicide bombers who blow up innocent men, women and children.

The rapture happens to gather God’s Army for the Battle of Armageddon.

Notice the prayer of the saints

Revelation 6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

12 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;

13 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.

14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

The prayers of the saints are answered on the Day of the Lord when Christians will finally participate in executing justice.

Most believe that the sword coming out of His mouth is mystical. “poof!”

Messiah is going to let the Christians have at it.

The false bravery of Muslim warriors, the wolf packs that rape innocent Christian women in Armenia, Sudan, and Lebanon will see the day when these women come back at them and their cowardly faces are wrenched with pain.

Joel 2:1-11 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?

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082320SS-Book of Joel.mp3