Joel: The Ultimate Day of the Lord

Joel’s message to Judah and to us is reaching its conclusion. He has described the immediate day of the Lord and the imminent day of the Lord, and to conclude his book, he turns his attention to the ultimate Day of the Lord.

In these final verses, Joel describes a sequence of events relating to the great and terrible Day of the Lord. He describes what will happen before that day, during that day, and after that day.

1. Before That Day: The Spirit Poured Out. Joel 2:28-32.

Joel 2:28–30 “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. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, Blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.”

Joel 2:31–32“The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, Before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: For in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, As the Lord hath said, And in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.”

These five verses have two contexts which must be considered.

A. The Jewish Context.

“Afterward” in verse 28 refers to the Lord healing Judah after the Assyrian invasion; however, it does not necessarily mean immediately after, for many centuries passed before the Spirit was poured out.

On the Day of Pentecost, Peter quoted Joel, and the Holy Spirit led Peter to interpret “afterward” as in the last days.

Acts 2:17 “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:”

If you are ever going to understand prophecy, you must understand two points.

(1) 1 Corinthians 1:22 (The Jews require a sign)

(2) Hebrews 1:1-3 (The “last days” began with the ministry of Christ on earth)

The “last days” will conclude with the ultimate Day of the Lord which will be the period of worldwide judgment called the Tribulation for 3 1/2 years and the Great Tribulation for the last 3 1/2 years.

Matthew 24:21 “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”

Jeremiah 30:7 “Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: It is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; But he shall be saved out of it.”

Revelation Chapters 6-19 describe the ultimate Day of the Lord which climaxes with the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ with His armies to earth to deliver ISRAEL and to establish His earthly Kingdom.

The climax of the Day of the Lord can be found in these passages and many more:

Isaiah Chap 2:2-5

Zechariah Chaps. 12-14

Revelation Ch. 19:11-20:6

Joel is telling Judah and the Jews that before the Day of the Lord begins there will be an outpouring of the Holy Spirit accompanied by signs in the heavens and on the earth.

In the Old Testament, except for David maybe, the Holy Spirit did not permanently indwell man.

1 Samuel 16:13 “Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.”

Numbers 11:17 “And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.”

Other examples in the Old Testament:

Eliakim (Servant to King Hezekiah)

Samson (At the end of his life)

Gad (David’s seer 1 Chronicles 21)

God was telling Joel that the Holy Spirit would come upon all flesh including men, women, young, old, Jew, and Gentile, and the Holy Spirit did that at the Day of Pentecost.

Joel 2:32 “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: For in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, As the Lord hath said, And in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.”

Acts 2:1–3 “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.”

Acts 2:38–39 “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”

If any person goes to Heaven, they will go because of the work of Jesus Christ and by being baptized into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit. That’s it!

Joel prophesied it and Peter preached it. All who call on the name of the Lord will be baptized into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit and will receive the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Remember, what I always say. You must be able, if you are going to have an understanding, keep prophecies regarding Israel and the church somewhat separated.

1 Corinthians 1:22 “For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:”

When the church is removed, the Bible speaks of two special witnesses in the Rev. Chap. 11 and of 144,000 sealed witnesses in Rev. Chap. 7, and I want you to notice what they are empowered by the Holy Spirit to do.

Regarding the two witness in Rev. Chap 11:

Revelation 11:5–6 “And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.”

Regarding the 144,000 witnesses:

Revelation 7:3–4 “Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.”

Moses and Elijah should come to your mind immediately as the two witnesses are able to do as Moses and Elijah did.

1 Kings 17:1 “And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.”

Exodus 4:1–5 “And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee. And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.

And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.”

Who is “they” in verse 5 of Exodus 4? “They” refers to the Jews. Moses was to perform signs so that the Jews would know that Moses was from God.

During the Tribulation, these witnesses will be given special power and protection to proclaim the Gospel. If you read Rev. Chaps. 6-19, you will see all kinds of signs taking place while they are witnessing. (Rev. 8:7-Rev. 9, Rev. 16).

As a result of the signs and the incredible power of the witnesses, God’s Spirit will be poured out upon millions during the ultimate Day of the Lord as whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Revelation 7:9–10 “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.”

When people like Peter, Paul, and John wrote about the last days, they had the indwelling Holy Spirit and the Old Testament scrolls as reference material. What they wrote was never intended to by mysterious.

Peter, Paul, and John linked what they wrote to what prophets like Joel wrote so that the Jews would be prepared for the 2nd Coming of Christ. If the Jews refuse to regard the signs, they will judged and go to hell.

Prophecy is not intended to be mysterious. If you are saved, you are better off than Peter, Paul, and John. Why? You also have the indwelling Holy Spirit, but you have something that Peter, Paul, and John did not have, and that is the completed Word of God.

You literally can learn all you want to learn from God’s Word. I felt I had a decent grasp of prophecy, but this study of Joel has multiplied my understanding of it. I will say this again. You can learn all you want to learn from God’s Word.

B. The Church Context.

The church context in regard to Joel 2:28-32 is what I am referencing.

Joel is talking about the ultimate Day of the Lord. When Peter preached in Acts Chap. 2, he did not say Joel’s prophecy was being fulfilled. He said the same Holy Spirit Joel had written about had now come.

Acts 2:8 “And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?”

Acts 2:16 “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;”

The Holy Spirit was empowering believers to praise God and preach the gospel in various languages understood by the JEWS who were assembled in Jerusalem from all over the Roman Empire.

Acts 2:5–6 “And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.”

The Jews heard in their own language. The Bible does not mention Gentiles hearing, just the Jews. Why? Because this was a sign to the Jews of who Jesus Christ was.

In his prophecy, Joel promised signs in the heavens, but there is no record that any of the things Joel described occurred at the Day of Pentecost. Everyone understanding in their own language what Peter and the others were preaching was the sign that the Holy Spirit was present.

THIS IS SOME GOOD STUFF!!!!!

Peter used Joel’s prophecy to declare that the promised Spirit had come as an answer to the accusations levied by the Jews. (Acts 2:13-16).

Remember, the Jews would have been very familiar with Joel’s writings. With that in mind, listen to what Peter says:

Acts 2:13–16 “Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;”

Peter was telling the Jews that the last days were upon them. This Day of Pentecost the Spirit Joel prophesied about had come to live in those who called on the name of the Lord. It was a sign to the Jews that the 2nd Coming was near.

I believe that the Jews, if you want to look at scripturally, were given from Acts Chap. 2 to Acts Chap. 7 to repent and be saved. I believe the stoning of Stephen was the last straw that led to spiritual blindness among the Jews.

If you know the outline of the Book of Acts, in Acts 8, the Ethiopian eunuch was saved. In Acts 9, Saul who became Paul, the missionary to the Gentiles, was saved, and in Acts 10, Cornelius was saved. From that point forward in the New Testament, the Jews are seen as persecutors of the church. If you do not believe me, read Acts 17 and the letters Paul wrote to the Thessalonians to see how the Jews persecuted those Christians.

Conclusion:

When it comes to Israel, the last days, the latter times, will involve both tribulation and triumph.

When it comes to the church, the last days involve perilous times of Satanic opposition and oppression in the world and apostasy in the church.

Jude 18–19 “how that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.”

1 Timothy 4:1 “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;”

Christianity is being attacked in the world and distorted in the Church.

Attacked in the world. Immorality, Perversion, and Rejection.

Distorted in the church: Compromise and Denial.

What we need more than anything else in the church, is to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 5:18–21 “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.”

Being filled with the Spirit is a choice that is made by Christians, and you make that choice by:

Speaking to yourself in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs

Singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord

Giving thanks always unto God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Submitting one to another

There is nothing in that list that a Christian cannot do. All of those are possible especially if you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit allows you to witness with power, understand the Scripture, glorify Christ, pray in the will of God, and develop Christian character. What would happen in the world if all of us here tonight were filled with the Holy Spirit?

2. During the Day of the Lord: Judgment Poured Out. (Joel 3:1-16)

If you read Joel Chap 3 verses 1-16, you are going to see many verses that are found in Revelation Chaps. 6-19. Look at this chart I made for you.

Joel verses and comparable Revelation verses:

Joel 3:2 -> Revelation 16:12-14

Joel 3:13-14-> Revelation 14:14-16

Joel 3:15 -> Revelation 6:12

Joel 3:16 -> Revelation 14:1-3

Joel’s writing in Chapter 3 is talking about the judgment of the Tribulation. Do you remember the two purposes of the Tribulation?

The Purposes of the Tribulation:

(1) God finishes chastising Israel as a remnant of Israel is saved.

(2) God judges the nations of the world and sinners.

Israel’s status in the world will change drastically during the Tribulation as Israel will finally realize its inheritance, and I believe we are beginning to see events shifting in that direction.

Joel gives some serious warnings to the nations of the world. Let’s see what he says.

A. The Nations Need to Prepare for Judgment.

Joel 3:1–2 “For, behold, in those days, and in that time, When I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, And will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, And will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.”

In the first two verse of Joel Chap. 3, Joel makes sure he notifies the world that Israel will be regathered.

In verse 1, Joel includes and Jerusalem and Judah which represent the Southern Kingdom, and he says God will gather those scattered among the nations which is a reference to the Northern Kingdom and the 10 Lost Tribes.

I want you to pay attention to a verse found in Paul’s writings, and I am going to give it to you in 2 translations because in those 2 translations you get the complete picture.

1 Thessalonians 2:15–16 “Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.” (KJV)

1 Thessalonians 2:15–16 “For some of the Jews killed the prophets, and some even killed the Lord Jesus. Now they have persecuted us, too. They fail to please God and work against all humanity as they try to keep us from preaching the Good News of salvation to the Gentiles. By doing this, they continue to pile up their sins. But the anger of God has caught up with them at last.” (NLT)

I believe these two verses tell us all we know regarding the Jews in today’s world.

As we know, antisemitism is increasing daily.

The wrath of God has caught up to the Jews at last.

I believe the event that sealed God’s wrath for them was the stoning of Stephen. If you read Acts 6 and 7, you will see that Stephen is preaching to all Jews. I believe, nationally, the rejection of Stephen and his message resulted in Israel being blinded.

Romans 11:25–26 “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:”

If you remember when Christ was before Pilate, the Jews said let His blood be on us and our children, and it has as Jews have been continuously persecuted and will be until the 2nd Coming of Christ at Armageddon, and even though the Jews have been persecuted because of their rejection of Christ, God will still honor His covenant with them, and a remnant of the Jews will be saved.

As antisemitism continues to increase, you are going to see more and more Jews returning to Israel, and I believe it is totally possible by the Tribulation that every Jew in the world will live in Israel, an Israel that could be much larger than it currently is because Palestine is going to eliminated.

Joel Chap 3:2 is a reference to Armageddon.

Even though Joel calls it the Valley of Jehoshaphat, he is referring to Megiddo or Armageddon.

How do I know that? Because the Valley of Jehoshaphat is found nowhere else in the Bible, but the events Joel describes in verse 2 are found in multiple places in the Bible such as:

2 Chronicles 35:22, Isaiah 13:6, Isaiah 13:9, Daniel 11:40, Matthew 24:29-31, Luke 21:25, Revelation 11:15, Revelation 14:14-20, Revelation 16, Revelation 17:14, & Revelation 19: 11-21.

I could give you many more references, but those given are enough to start an extensive Bible study. All of those Scriptures are describing what Joel describes in Chapter 3.

If you are still doubting that the Valley of Jehoshaphat and Armageddon are the same place and event, consider this. Jehoshaphat as a name means “The Lord Judges.” Where will the Lord finish judging the nations of the world? Armageddon as found in Ezekiel Chaps. 40-48 and Isaiah Chaps 55-66.

Now, this is very interesting and a deep subject to consider.

In Joel 3:3-8, the sins of the Gentile nations against Judah are listed.

Sins by Gentile nations against Judah:

Selling Jews into slavery

Treating Jews as cheap merchandise

Plundering the land of its wealth

Taking what belonged to the Lord and using it for their own gods

Without a doubt, God is Sovereign, but God sometimes displays His sovereignty in an interesting way.

Take the following nations:

Philistia

Babylon

Persia

Assyria

Egypt

Rome

Nazi Germany

Those nations were used by God to discipline Israel because of Israel’s sins, but those nations went beyond discipline to exploitation, and those nations are going to be judged. Many of them have already been judged.

Jeremiah 50:11–12 “Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine heritage, Because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, And bellow as bulls; Your mother shall be sore confounded; She that bare you shall be ashamed: Behold, the hindermost of the nations Shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.”

Those nations who have exploited the Jews need to prepare for judgment. For instance, this is the best example I can give of God’s sovereignty in action.

I believe without a shadow of a doubt that God raised the United States of American to deliver the Jews from Nazi Germany. You cannot convince me otherwise. Today, people try to deny that the Holocaust ever happened. It is Revelation Chap. 12 playing out before our eyes along with 1 Thessalonians Chap 2 verse 15.

I want you to know what Dwight D. Eisenhower said as he liberated the concentration camps. Eisenhower said this almost 80 years ago, and it is absolutely eerie.

Dwight D. Eisenhower: “The visual evidence and the verbal testimony of starvation, cruelty and bestiality were so overpowering. … I made the visit deliberately, in order to be in a position to give firsthand evidence of these things if ever, in the future, there develops a tendency to charge these allegations to propaganda.”

Dear friend, I am telling that Eisenhower, and I really believe this, knew his part and role in delivering Israel. Those are some incredible words. Those nations who have exploited the Jews need to understand there are some godly principles at play.

Romans 2:5–6 “But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds:”

Romans 12:19 “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”

Revelation 18:3–5 “For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, And the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, And the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, That ye be not partakers of her sins, And that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, And God hath remembered her iniquities.”

A nation that exploits Israel openly is going to be judged. The Jews are God’s people. Israel is His land. The wealth of the Jews is His wealth. He has not and will not abandon them. God has given the Gentiles thousands of years to repent because God is not willing for any to perish, and while God has been patient, the sins of the Gentile nations against Israel have continued stacking up to heaven.

How many of you would say that the United States is not as strong of a nation as it was in the past?

Do you think this could be the reason why?

Prior to 1976, every US President staunchly stood with Israel saying that there should not be a Palestinian state within Israel. Beginning in 1976 with Jimmy Carter through Joe Biden, every US President except for Ronald Reagan has supported a Palestinian state. Ronald Reagan said he would never support it and was shot.

Since 1976, what has happened to America? Has it happened because America weakened its support for Israel? I will let you decide, but any government sponsoring something outside of God’s Word is taking a big, big chance, as big a chance as Belshazzar took when he broke out the temple vessels in a drunken stupor and the handwriting appeared on the wall.

Has the handwriting appeared on the wall of America?

God’s warning to the Gentile nations, including the United States of America, is to be prepared because vengeance is His. (Hosea 1:2, Hosea 11:10-11, Revelation 19:16-21, Revelation 14:20).

Israel will be avenged, and vengeance will be severe.

3. After the Day of the Lord: Blessings Poured Out.

The establishment of the earthly kingdom has been so anticipated. Let’s see what the Millennium has in store for Israel.

A. A Holy City.

Joel 3:17 “So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God Dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: Then shall Jerusalem be holy, And there shall no strangers pass through her any more.”

Revelation 21:1–2 “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

Evidently, the New Jerusalem will hover above the earth during the Millennium.

Why?

My theory is that the New Jerusalem will be a glorified city. Only those with glorified bodies during the Millennium will have access to it.

Earthly Jerusalem will become the capitol of the world as God has always intended.

B. A Restored Land.

Joel 3:18–19 “And it shall come to pass in that day, That the mountains shall drop down new wine, And the hills shall flow with milk, And all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, And a fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord, And shall water the valley of Shittim. Egypt shall be a desolation, And Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, For the violence against the children of Judah, Because they have shed innocent blood in their land.”

Those remaining after Armageddon who had not taken the mark of the beast will live out the rest of their natural lives, and age limits will no longer exist.

Isaiah 65:20–25 “There shall be no more thence an infant of days, Nor an old man that hath not filled his days: For the child shall die an hundred years old; But the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; And they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit;

They shall not plant, and another eat: For as the days of a tree are the days of my people, And mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, Nor bring forth for trouble; For they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, And their offspring with them.

And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; And while they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, And the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: And dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord.”

Over the centuries, the land of Israel has been ravaged, but it will become as Eden during the Millennium. There will will be no animosity between the animal kingdom and mankind.

Animosity exists today because of sin as there was no animosity between Adam and creation until he sinned. During the Millennium, sin will be dealt with quickly and severely.

Revelation 2:27 “And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.”

The land will become a land of milk and honey as God’s initial promise to Israel is finally fulfilled. It will be a well-watered land.

Jerusalem is the only ancient city that was not built near a great river, but during the Millennium, Jerusalem will have a river that proceeds from the Temple of God.

Zechariah 14:8 “And it shall be in that day, That living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; Half of them toward the former sea, And half of them toward the hinder sea: In summer and in winter shall it be.”

I want you to look at Joel 3:19 again for something that is interesting. It says that Egypt and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness. What in the world? Do you want my opinion?

Tower of Babel vs. Millennium

Revelation 20:7–8 “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.”

C. A Glorious King.

Joel 3:20–21 “But Judah shall dwell for ever, And Jerusalem from generation to generation. For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: For the Lord dwelleth in Zion.”

The Lord will dwell in Zion. The corresponding prophecy is found in Revelation Chap. 14.

Revelation 14:1–3 “And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:

And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.”

Joel Chap 3 and Rev Chap 14 are of incredible importance, and it goes all the way back to the Tabernacle and the glory of the Lord coming upon Moses. We know that the glory of the Lord was with Israel in the Tabernacle and in the Temple, but Ezekiel physically saw the glory of the Lord depart from the Temple as it was about to be destroyed by Babylon.

Ezekiel 11:23 “And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city.”

In his vision of the Millennium (Chaps 40-48), Ezekiel saw that glory return.

Ezekiel 43:1–5 “Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east: And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory. And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face.

And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house.”

Incredible!!! In Ezekiel 48, Ezekiel sees a New Jerusalem that had been given a new name, Jehovah Shammah.

Ezekiel 48:35 “It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The Lord is there.”

The Lord will be ruling as King of Kings from the New temple and Jehovah Shammah. It will mark the fulfillment of many passages including Rev. 11:15, Matt. 6:10, and Matt. 19:28.

What an interesting little book! I will be honest counting all the books and topics we have studied on Wednesday nights, including the Book of Revelation, the Book of Joel required more Bible study than any other.

The book began with a devastating swarm of locusts, but it closes in victory with the reign of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.