Majoring in the Minors Part 2 - Joel

Major in Minors

Focus on minor issues.

Minor Prophets

Book of 12

bad name

Minor = small (length)

Major = large

Most unknown

part of scripture

needs study.

Subtitle

Apocalypse of Joel

filled with

last day language.

Filled with

dual fulfillment prophecy

Applied to their day

literal sense.

Applies to our day

spiritual sense.

Opening Illustration

At the foot of the Acropolis at Athens there stand a few beautiful Corinthian pillars. These are all that remain of the once-famous Temple of Olympian Zeus. The Athenians regard these pillars with the utmost veneration, and everything has been done to preserve them. To their great pain and regret, however, they awoke one morning to find one of these matchless pillars prostrate upon the ground, and the visitor can still see its scattered and broken drums and examine the beauty and finish of their workmanship. As no storm had shaken them during the night, the collapse of the pillar seemed inexplicable until it was found that a colony of ants, having found a small crevice where one of the drums of the column joined the other, had forced an entrance and had gradually eaten away the cement, so effecting at last its ruin. (James Burns -Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations).

So it is,

with all this of this world

that we put our

pride

hope

expectation

happiness.

They all come

toppling down.

Today

book of Joel

same idea.

Apocalypse of Joel

Lots of destruction

devistations

trials

Last day events.

Seeking world

sin and pride.

The results???

The Grasshoppers

Joel 1:2–4 (NKJV)

Hear this, you elders, And give ear, all you inhabitants of the land! Has anything like this happened in your days, Or even in the days of your fathers?

--

Tell your children about it, Let your children tell their children, And their children another generation.

--

What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; What the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten; And what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten.

God allowed

all produce

to be destroyed.

Not just grasshoppers

it gets worse:

Joel 1:19–20 (NKJV)

O Lord, to You I cry out; For fire has devoured the open pastures, And a flame has burned all the trees of the field.

--

The beasts of the field also cry out to You, For the water brooks are dried up, And fire has devoured the open pastures.

Apparently,

also severe drought.

no water.

no rain

fires destroying land.

Literal fire?

Looked like fire?

Either way,

same result!

Great devastation...

why?

Reminds me of Titanic

“God Himself could not sink this ship,” boasted a deckhand aboard R. M. S. Titanic in 1912. The men who built the ship, the civilized world, the credulous public-all believed and boasted that the ship was unsinkable. But God was not mocked. It is said that when the captain gave the order to abandon ship, many passengers simply could not believe that the Titanic could possibly sink and refused to board the lifeboats. And the crew was almost criminally complacent. So 1,515 men, women, and children plunged into the depths. (Prairie Overcomer).

Horrible outcome

because they believed

Titanic couldn’t sink.

Israel,

Terrible outcome

because they believed

couldn’t be destroyed.

God would protect

even in their sin!

The results?

Joel 1:11–12 (NKJV)

Be ashamed, you farmers, Wail, you vinedressers, For the wheat and the barley; Because the harvest of the field has perished.

--

The vine has dried up, And the fig tree has withered; The pomegranate tree, The palm tree also, And the apple tree—

--

All the trees of the field are withered; Surely joy has withered away from the sons of men.

Why did God allow

this terrible trials?

God’s people have

turned their backs.

God’s judgments

are upon them!

Judah had become

belligerent in sin.

God must act.

Why Does God Allow Good Things Happen to Good People?

Sometimes bad thing happen

as judgments from God.

Other times,

bad things happen

as attacks from Satan.

The hard part is

knowing the difference.

Example:

In 303, Emperor Diocletian inaugurated the most terrific onslaught the world has known against the Bible. Almost every Bible was destroyed, myriads of Christians perished, and a column of triumph was erected over an exterminated Bible with the inscription: “Extincto nominee Christianorum” (The names of the Christians have been extinguished). And yet by the year 325, Constantine enthroned the Bible as the Infallible Judge of Truth in the First General Council. (Acts and Facts)

Many probably thought,

Jesus was answering

their prayer to stop

persecution.

Little did they know,

another attack

more dangerous and subtle.

In case of,

book of Joel,

condemnation

due to sin.

He is doing this,

so they see

their need of Him.

and return to him.

Call for Revival and Reformation

Joel 1:14–16 (NKJV)

Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; Gather the elders And all the inhabitants of the land Into the house of the Lord your God, And cry out to the Lord.

--

Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is at hand; It shall come as destruction from the Almighty. Is not the food cut off before our eyes, Joy and gladness from the house of our God?

They had gotten

focused on themselves.

God withheld His blessings.

God is calling

them back to Him.

Organized corporate

prayer and fasting.

“Cry out to the Lord.”

Must ask

What about us?

Are we in need of Revival?

In need of transformation?

In luck,

Joel explains steps:

Steps of Revival

Joel 2:1 (ESV)

Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near,

1. Blow Trumpet

Make sure people

are awake and aware

of the crisis.

Call to wake up!

Typical of invading army.

Army of grasshoppers!

infantry

horseman

can’t do anything

to stop them!

Many may think

end of world.

last plagues...

It was a plague of Egypt

What can be done?

Unlike Joel’s time,

no grasshopper.

world in crisis

but we don’t see it!!!

If we try to

blow trumpet

accused of doom and gloom.

How can we call

people to wake up.

carnal security!!!

(Titanic)

2. Repentance

First blow trumpet

so people know

disaster

decision.

Next,

invite choice for change.

Joel 2:12–13 (ESV)

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.”

--

Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.

God of grace!

loves to forgive!

Turn to God

mourn over sin

tear clothes

Seek God

When I was in South Africa, a fine, handsome Dutchman came into my service, and God laid His hand on him and convicted him of sin.  The next morning he went to the beautiful home of another Dutchman and said to him, "Do you recognize that old watch?"

"Why, yes," answered the other. "Those are my initials; that is my watch. I lost it eight years ago. How did you get it, and how long have you had it?"

"I stole it," was the reply.

"What made you bring it back now?"

"I was converted last night," was the answer, "and I have brought it back first thing this morning. If you had been up, I would have brought it last night."

Gipsy Smith, The Bible Friend.

What we need today

true conversion

Don’t wait

seek God now.

Tomorrow too lake

not due to death

conviction is gone!

Great Controversy Chapter 17—Heralds of the Morning

To prepare a people to stand in the day of God, a great work of reform was to be accomplished. God saw that many of His professed people were not building for eternity, and in His mercy He was about to send a message of warning to arouse them from their stupor and lead them to make ready for the coming of the Lord.

We must realize

they time we live.

Time to awake

be converted!

Professor Drummond once described a man going into one of our after meetings and saying he wanted to become a Christian.

"Well, my friend, what is the trouble?"

He doesn't like to tell. He is greatly agitated. Finally he says, "The fact is, I have overdrawn my account" -- a polite way of saying he has been stealing.

"Did you take your employer's money?"

"Yes."

"How much?"

"I don't know. I have never kept account of it."

"Well, you have an idea you stole $1,500 last year?"

"I am afraid it is that much."

"Now, look here, sir, I don't believe in sudden work; don't steal more that a thousand dollars this next year, and the next year not more that five hundred, and in the course of the next few years you will get so that you won't steal any. If your employer catches you, tell him you are being converted; and you will get so that you won't steal any by and by."

My friends, the thing is a perfect farce! "Let him that stole, steal no more," that is what the Bible says. It is right about face.

Take another illustration. Here comes a man, and he admits that he gets drunk every week. That man comes to a meeting, and wants to be converted. Shall I say, "Don't you be in a hurry. I believe in doing the work gradually. Don't you get drunk and knock your wife down more than once a month?"

We laugh,

but we believe

how it works

with “lesser” sins.

3. Corporate Repentance

Joel 2:15–17 (ESV)

Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people.

--

Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants.

--

Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber. Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep and say, “Spare your people,

--

O Lord, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ ”

Earnest Repentance

seeking God

prayer for change.

Concern for God’s name.

Do it together!!

Ten Days of Prayer.

Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing Chapter 4—The True Motive in Service

The object of the fast which God calls upon us to keep is not to afflict the body for the sin of the soul, but to aid us in perceiving the grievous character of sin, in humbling the heart before God and receiving His pardoning grace.

Purpose of Fasting

not hunger strike

not to manipulate God

not to punish us

It is to:

give us clarity

see sin in our heart

seek repentance.

4. God Forgives!

Joel 2:18–19 (ESV)

Then the Lord became jealous for his land and had pity on his people. The Lord answered and said to his people,

--

“Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations.

God forgives.

God redeems.

In late 18th century Poland, the Kaiser’s forces were burning all the Jewish villages. One village had been burned and nothing was left standing. As the sun came up the next morning an old Jewish gentlemen pounded a few boards together, made a sellers stall and opened it up for business. A young man walked passed, stared in disbelief and asked, “What are you selling among these ruins. The man smiled and said, “I am selling hope. You can sell water on a dry desert, so the place to sell hope is on the ash heap of destruction.” (Tim Zingale - Sermon Central).

God will re-establish.

Joel 2:23 (ESV)

“Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before.

Rain is symbol

Holy Spirit.

Early Rain

Crops in Israel

rain during germination

rain before harvest

early rain

latter rain

Spiritual Rain

Acts of the Apostles Chapter 5—The Gift of the Spirit

The outpouring of the Spirit in the days of the apostles was the beginning of the early, or former, rain, and glorious was the result. To the end of time the presence of the Spirit is to abide with the true church.

Apostles

Pentecost.

Latter Rain

Indwelling of Holy Spirit

Acts of the Apostles Chapter 5—The Gift of the Spirit

But near the close of earth’s harvest, a special bestowal of spiritual grace is promised to prepare the church for the coming of the Son of man. This outpouring of the Spirit is likened to the falling of the latter rain; and it is for this added power that Christians are to send their petitions to the Lord of the harvest “in the time of the latter rain.”

We need this

special outpouring

of the Spirit

for the Last Days...

But how do we get it?

Zechariah 10:1 (ESV)

Ask rain from the Lord in the season of the spring rain, from the Lord who makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field.

To receive,

we must ask.

Time of Latter Rain

Do you believe

Jesus is coming soon?

If yes,

then it is,

time of the Latter Rain

Must pray for Rain!

10 Days of Prayer

Last Days with

Holy Spirit...

What will happen?

Great Controversy Chapter 38—The Final Warning

The great work of the gospel is not to close with less manifestation of the power of God than marked its opening. The prophecies which were fulfilled in the outpouring of the former rain at the opening of the gospel are again to be fulfilled in the latter rain at its close. Here are “the times of refreshing” to which the apostle Peter looked forward when he said: “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and He shall send Jesus.” Acts 3:19, 20.

Joel describes

small picture

results of Spirit:

Joel 2:28–29 (ESV)

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.

--

Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

Fulfillment of

Latter Rain.

Supernatural gifts.

Prophecy

other

healing

speaking in tongues

etc.

Praise God for

future outpouring

of Holy Spirit.

But how can we

be sure we are

in the last days?

Cosmic Signs

Joel 2:30–31 ESV

“And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.

Dark Day

this has already happened!

Great Controversy Chapter 17—Heralds of the Morning

May 19, 1780, stands in history as “The Dark Day.” Since the time of Moses no period of darkness of equal density, extent, and duration, has ever been recorded. The description of this event, as given by eyewitnesses, is but an echo of the words of the Lord, recorded by the prophet Joel, twenty-five hundred years previous to their fulfillment: “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.” Joel 2:31.

Like Egypt

Trumpet

wake up

last days.

What can we do?

Joel 2:32 ESV

And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.

God will have mercy

even through Tribulation.

Speaking of Tribulation

Joel has more

apocalyptic language.

Final Crisis

Joel 3:9–10 (ESV)

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. Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, “I am a warrior.”

Dual fulfillment

current crisis

future crisis

Hardship

Trials

Tribulation

Trials of last days.

Prophets and Kings Section 5—In the Lands of the Heathen

The present is a time of overwhelming interest to all living. Rulers and statesmen, men who occupy positions of trust and authority, thinking men and women of all classes, have their attention fixed upon the events taking place about us. They are watching the relations that exist among the nations. They observe the intensity that is taking possession of every earthly element, and they recognize that something great and decisive is about to take place—that the world is on the verge of a stupendous crisis.

The Bible, and the Bible only, gives a correct view of these things. Here are revealed the great final scenes in the history of our world, events that already are casting their shadows before, the sound of their approach causing the earth to tremble and men’s hearts to fail them for fear.

People see it coming

weather crisis

economic crisis

meteor

People see it

just don’t see accurately.

We have truth

our community need

to hear it.

Final Harvest

What happens after

the tribulation?

Final Harvest.

Joel 3:13 (ESV)

Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is great.

I think

John, in Revelation

alluding to this verse.

Revelation 14:17–20 (ESV)

Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire,

--

and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.” So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

--

And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse’s bridle, for 1,600 stadia.

Destruction during

7 last plagues

and

second coming

Great Controversy (Chapter 39—The Time of Trouble)

These plagues are not universal, or the inhabitants of the earth would be wholly cut off. Yet they will be the most awful scourges that have ever been known to mortals.

--

All the judgments upon men, prior to the close of probation, have been mingled with mercy. The pleading blood of Christ has shielded the sinner from receiving the full measure of his guilt; but in the final judgment, wrath is poured out unmixed with mercy.

It will seem

everyone will die

but God is protecting

His people.

Millennium in Heaven

God bring people

to heaven

Joel 3:16–17 (ESV)

The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake.

--

But the Lord is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel. “So you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain.

--

And Jerusalem shall be holy, and strangers shall never again pass through it.

Crisis in Israel

current war

US support of Israel

political reasons

theological reasons

both are false.

Peace in heaven

no wicked.

Not earth

Not Jerusalem

Not Modern Israel

As in the 1st Coming,

so in the 2nd Coming.

Great confusion

most unprepared.

Why?

Looking for wrong

fulfillment of prophecy.

Both Errors

Thinking to Physically.

Thinking of this world.

1st Coming

Expected a Physical King

to Rule Jerusalem

Didn’t happen.

Jesus came as

suffering servant

died on cross

no earthly prosperity

mixed with sinful

mastery in this world.

2nd Coming

Expect Physical King

to Rule Jerusalem

Won’t happen.

Not physical Israel

spiritual Israel

Not physical Jerusalem

spiritual Jerusalem

No Physical Temple

Heavenly Temple

cleansing of heart.

Majority of those

confused at 1st coming

refused to change

were lost.

Let’s not be

foolish as they.

The triumphal entry

3rd Coming

Revelation 21:1–3 (ESV)

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

--

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

This is the fulfillment

of prophecy from

Zechariah 14:3–5 (ESV)

Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east,

--

and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward.

--

And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.

Notice,

holy ones come with him.

not just angels.

Holy People.

Coming in City

NEW JERUSALEM.

Don’t be fooled.

have nothing to do

with hype about

modern Israel.

Galatians 3:26–29 (ESV)

for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

--

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

There is no

such thing as

special nation

covenant with God

in the NT era.

If you are believer

you are Israel.

70 Weeks prophecy

Israel cut off.

Political entity of Israel

no longer means

anything to God.

They do matter

as all human beings

just like

Americans

Africans

Palestinians

Filipinos

All others!

Appeal

Focus on Christ

Early Rain

Latter Rain

Revival

Corporate Reformation

Character Development

Gospel Witness

Spiritual Gifts.

These are the issues

of the last days.