Joel 2:1-11To: Joel Main MenuTo: Grace Notes Home Page Joel 2:1-9 portrays Armageddon from the perspective of the Jewish believers who will be alive at that future time. [1] There are five specific narratives of Armageddon in Scripture. Each narrative has a different emphasis. The five are: 1. The Apostle John in Revelation 16:12-16. Joel 2:1"Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand --"The "trumpet", shofar, is a reference to the ram's horn that was used in Israel to sound the alarm of coming invaders. Just as today we utilize sirens and flashing lights. "Zion" is Jerusalem, and specifically the western escarpment. "Holy hill" also refers to Jerusalem, and is so used in Daniel 11:45. And "those who live in the land" refers to the Jews in Israel and Judah. And the "day of the Lord", as we have seen, designates here the Second Advent, that day upon which our Lord returns to the earth and His feet touch the Mount of Olives. Joel 2:2"A day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come."Here is Joel's description of the Second Advent of our Lord. The day is one of "darkness;" this term refers to the supernatural darkness that will engulf the earth just before our Lord's return. "Gloominess" refers to the utter hopelessness of the situation on that day: beset by four powerful armies, the remnant of believing Jews stands and fights, but they will lose without divine intervention. And "clouds" designates the massive armies of the four invading power-seats of the future, North, South, East and West; and is so used in Ezekiel 38:9,10, which says in verse 9, "You and all your troops and the many nations advancing with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land." The term "blackness" provides more detail and explanation about the supernatural darkness of that "day." It is literally black; this is a darkness in which there is no light at all; no stars, no moon, no spotlights, no electrically produced light of any type, no reflective light. This lightless darkness is also described in the following passages: Isaiah 13:9,10; Zechariah 14:6,7; Ezekiel 32:7,8; Joel 2:10,11; Joel 3:15; Amos 5:18; Matthew 24:29; Luke 21:25-27; and Revelation 6:12. Amos 5:18 says, "Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord! Why do you long for the day of the Lord? That day will be darkness, not light." And Revelation 6:12 says, "I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red." The phrase "like dawn spreading across mountains" is interesting and very descriptive. Just as the sun rises and quickly illuminates the mountains, so will the invading armies engulf Palestine during the Tribulation. But also just as the sun rises across the mountains it does not illuminate every nook and cranny. There are some areas that remain in darkness because of irregularities in topography. Just so the invading armies will miss those believers hiding in the mountains (those that ran when the statue went up in the Temple in the middle of the Tribulation) as they advance. The darkness will protect the "remnant according to grace." [2] The "dawn," then, is the army of the King of the North during the Tribulation; and his army is described as the largest and mightiest in the history of the world. This acknowledgment of size and power projects an aura of lethality beyond imagination. Joel 2:3"Before them fire devours, behind them a flame blazes. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, behind them, a desert waste -- nothing escapes them."The "fire" is a picture of the invading armies (of the locusts; of the Assyrians; of the King of the North) destroying everything as they advance. And the analogy "like the Garden of Eden" describes the Palestine area in the future Tribulation: it is prosperous and beautiful, and this beauty is totally destroyed by the invasion of the King of the North. He leaves behind a wasteland. And the final phrase of verse three, "nothing escapes them," should read, literally, "and also escape is not to them," [3] with "them" referring to the invading armies. In other words, although their advance leaves complete devastation behind them, this advancing army, as invincible as it appears to be, will not escape the "day of the Lord." At the Second Advent of our Lord the destroyers will be destroyed. Joel 2:4,5"They have the appearance of horses; they gallop along like cavalry. With a noise like that of chariots they leap over the mountaintops, like a crackling fire consuming stubble, like a mighty army drawn up for battle."In verses 4 and 5 Joel describes the invading armies. The use of the terms "appearance" and "like" indicate that the prophet was attempting to characterize machines of war with which he was not familiar, i.e., technological advancements beyond his awareness. The "horses," then, would be some type of mobile forces capable of rapid movement. And the "chariots" would represent some type of armored forces. Zechariah 12:4, Ezekiel 38:4 and Daniel 11:40 also describe the mobile forces as horses; and Ezekiel 39:20 illustrates the armored forces as chariots. Joel 2:6"At the sight of them, nations are in anguish; every face turns pale."Here, the term "nations" refers to the Jews of Jerusalem and Judah; and the term "anguish" designates the great pain that is associated with child-birth. And the faces "that turn pale" is an indication of notable worry and anxiety on the part of the Jews as the massive army advances. The Jews are scared almost to the point of shock by the power and fierceness of the King of the North's advance. Joel 2:7-9"They charge like warriors; they scale walls like soldiers. They all march in line, not swerving from their course. They do not jostle each other; each marches straight ahead. They plunge through defenses without breaking ranks. They rush upon the city; they run along the wall. They climb into the houses; like thieves they enter through the windows."Joel notes in these three verses the initial success of the enemy armies. The "walls" are the walls of Jerusalem in the future. The phrase "march in line" indicates that this army is disciplined and well-trained; indeed, remember that this army is composed of unbelievers and therefore they have no spiritual dynamics to motivate them. Yet they are unbelievably, astonishingly triumphant. What is their secret? Training and discipline. And there is a lesson here for both believers and unbelievers. [4] The term "jostle" means that the soldiers all know exactly what to do and when to do it -- every man does his job. The term also implies that there are no accidents due to human error, ignorance or sloppiness, i.e., they do not accidentally shoot each other. Verse 9 describes the army's entry into the city of Jerusalem. The walls do not hinder them. They easily enter private homes, kicking in doors, smashing in windows. Zechariah 14:1,2 provides more detailed information on this 'break into the city.' "A day of the Lord is coming when your plunder will be divided among you. I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people (the believing remnant) will not be taken from the city." All these advancing armies, and especially that of the King of the north utilize and understand only one thing: raw force. They are impressed only by force and power. It is difficult to illustrate just how powerful, dynamic, disciplined, professional, and ferocious these armies are. The Hebrew provides an almost palpable energy to these armies. As a foe the King of the North is redoubtable; his lusts are intractable; his armies exhibit no humane refinements, no mercy, no compassion. They are harsh, they smash, they destroy, they kill, they rape, they overwhelm through brute force. The implication is that the person (the King of the North and his troops) involved is of such potency that all obstacles, all difficulties, dwindle to contemptible triviality. Joel's narration is one of pressure, sound and chill: the pressure of a massive army of rigid discipline whose only function is to kill; the sound of war-machines, explosions, gun-fire, rapidity; and the chill is the chill of passionless rape and death. It is no wonder that the faces of the Jews "turn pale." Joel 2:10"Before them the earth shakes, the sky trembles, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine."Here, then, is the great earthquake as our Lord arrives at the Second Advent; Matthew 24:29, Jeremiah 10:10, Luke 21:25-27, Zechariah 14:4 and Isaiah 13:13 all describe this earthquake which splits the Mount of Olives as His feet touch it. And again we have the supernatural darkness that accompanies His return, just as supernatural darkness covered the earth as He hung on the Cross and bore our sins. Joel 2:11"The Lord thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty are those who obey his command. The day of the Lord is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?"The word "thunder" refers to the voice of our Lord as He speaks. This voice is described in Revelation 19:15, "Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations." This sharp sword is His word of power -- His voice. Note also that our Lord is at the "head" or front of His army. This is an unusual place for a military leader to be. This signifies that our Lord does the fighting, and that His army, those believers in their resurrection bodies, stand and watch. "And mighty are those who obey His command" is a direct reference to the power of any and all believers present at the Second Advent, for they have obeyed His Word by believing unto salvation and knowing Scripture. "Who can endure it?" None, except the believer will endure the judgment of our Lord at the Second Advent. Notes: [1] Thieme, Robert. Joel; from notes. [2] Thieme, Robert. Joel Wolff, Hans Walter. Joel and Amos. [3] Owens, John Joseph. Analytical Key to the Old Testament; page 792, Volume 4. [4] Thieme, Robert. Joel; from notes. There is no charge for Grace Notes Materials. You can help further this work by your prayer and by sending a contribution to: Grace Notes 1705 Aggie Lane Austin, Texas 78757 wdoud@bga.com Grace Notes Web site: http://www.realtime.net/~wdoud/ Anonymous FTP site: ftp://ftp.bga.com/vendors/wdoud/ Grace Notes is a ministry of Village Missions International. |
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