God Restores the Land

God Restores the Land

Joel 2:18-32

Last week we looked at 2:12-17. We considered three things:

God is merciful. He wanted to forgive Judah.

Repentance should be immediate. Everyone needed to take the call to repentance necessary. There could be no excuses or exceptions.

Restoration is possible. Judah could experience a revival in their land and in their hearts if they were willing to come to God in sincere repentance.

In this section we see what the Lord will do in the future. Verse eighteen opens with the assumption that Judah has repented. Joel explains what the Lord will do in response to their repentance. Oftentimes prophecy has an immediate fulfillment and a greater future fulfilment. That’s the case in this section of Joel. If Judah repents the Lord will bless them with forgiveness and a degree of material stability as well. But as we look closely, we can see that Joel is not only speaking of immediate events. He is looking deep into the future. He is going to share with us the ultimate plan of God for this world. We’re going to consider three things from this text:

1. Restoration (2:18-29).

2. Tribulation (2:30-31).

3. Salvation (2:32).

1. Restoration (2:18-28).

A. Our God is a jealous God (18).

Joel says the Lord is jealous for His land and will pity His people.

Exodus 20:4-5 says

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

Some may wonder why God describes Himself as jealous. We shouldn’t think of His jealousy in the way we think of sinful jealousy. Sinful jealousy looks at something we want but don’t have. God’s jealousy is not like that. Everything belongs to the Lord already.

Is it wrong for a wife to be jealous if a woman is flirting with her husband?

Is it wrong for a man to be jealous for his property if someone is trying to take it?

Absolutely not. In fact, it would be wrong for us to allow people to strip away from us what belongs to us. What would the husband think if his wife didn’t care that another woman was trying to steal him? What would a man’s family think if he allowed everything to be stolen from him without any resistance at all?

We belong to God. This world belongs to God. His jealousy is a godly jealousy. And His jealousy results in our salvation and welfare. God’s jealousy, therefore, is not wrong.

Why does God call us to repentance?

Why does God call us to Christ?

He calls us away from sin and to Himself because He is restoring His creation to Himself. That which rightfully belongs to Him, that which the devil has tried to steal, and sin has stained, He is restoring all of that back to himself. Thank the Lord our God is jealous. If He were not, He would let the devil have us and this entire world.

B. Our God will restore the earth back to Himself (19-27).

What we see next is a complete reversal of every horrible that has happened so far in the book.

God will restore the years that the locusts destroyed. We see that in verse 25. He names all the locusts that he named in 1:4. This gives us insight into how long this situation lasted for Judah. These circumstances continued at least two years.

God will restore the crops. Look at verse 21. He tells the land to no longer fear. In verse 19 he says the corn, and wine and oil will be restored.

God will restore the grapes. That was one of the first things mentioned that had been destroyed (1:5). In verse 24 we see the vats will be filled with big juicy grapes and there will be abundance.

God will restore the animals. In 1:18 & 20 we saw both domesticated and undomesticated animals crying out in anguish because of the drought. In verse 22 the animals are told to no longer be afraid. There is plenty of pasture for them to feed on now.

God will send the rain again. In chapter one we say drought. In 2:23 we see that the full cycle of rain will return. Both the early and latter rains were needed for a good crop. Both would be sent.

The army of locusts would be removed. In chapter one the locusts devoured everything. In 2:20 they are driven into the sea. There are so many killed that they send forth an awful stench.

God will remove their reproach (2:19). The nation had become a laughingstock to the surrounding nations. Those who worshiped false gods assumed Judah had a weak God. The Lord would reverse this and those around them would see them in prosperity once again.

God would remove their fear. Through the locust plague, drought, famine, the preaching of Joel and the warning of the priests about the coming Day of the Lord the people were no doubt living in fear. This fear would be replaced with joy. Up until now the people have been told to weep, howl, & repent. In 2:23 the people are told to rejoice.

Some see the northern army in verse 20 as an actual invading army that would come sometime after the locusts came. The locust plague in chapter one is a warning and symbolic of an actual army that would attack Judah from the North. Most of their enemies did attack from the North. Joel’s call to repentance could then be a type of formula for Judah. We do see in Scripture that God’s people were often defeated by armies when they lived in sin. The Lord would subsequently give them victory when they repented.

But more than that must be in view here. Let me show you why. Look at 2:26.

And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.

Now look at 2:27

And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.

Theirs is a coming a day in which God’s people will never be put to shame again. I believe this text is pointing to that day.

The only explanation I can give for this is the millennial reign of Christ. This is a period of 1000 years. Christ rules this earth in person. Where does He rule from? He rules from Jerusalem. Where is Jerusalem? It’s in Judah, which is now called Israel.

During the millennial reign all of God’s people will live on earth with Jesus Christ ruling the entire earth from His throne in Jerusalem. Some may wonder why the Lord would do that. I would ask why he would not.

The Garden of Eden did not last for long. Only two people were able to enjoy it. It makes sense to me that the Lord would restore this earth and let His people enjoy it. I don’t have time to explain in detail the millennial kingdom but please know it will be a time of restoration:

God will destroy the years sin has devoured.

The earth will be filled with bountiful harvests of fruits and vegetables.

There will be no suffering animals.

There will be no drought or flood.

There will be no war.

There will be no shutting down of the church.

Christ will be exalted all over this earth.

C. Our God will bring a spiritual restoration (28-29).

These verses are quoted by Peter in Acts 2:16-20. Peter was referring to the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. Peter quotes 2:30-31 as well. Obviously, those verses have not come to pass yet. Therefore, Peter must have meant that what Joel said began to come to pass at Pentecost but hasn’t been fully fulfilled yet.

The Spirit of God being poured out upon all flesh is important because we don’t see that in the Old Testament. The Spirit was active. He was active in the lives of Kings and prophets sometimes. He was certainly active in showing people the way to repentance and moving upon hearts in conviction. But in the OT it was more of a sprinkling of the Spirit. In the NT the Spirit of God is poured out in abundance and He is poured out upon everyone who calls on the name of the Lord for salvation.

Young and old, man and woman, slave and free will all receive the Spirit of God. Joel says the old men will dream dreams and the young men will see visions. His point is that God will be communicating in a personal way with all people. In Joel’s day that is how the Lord spoke to people. There was no full cannon of Scripture.

Dreams occurred when one was asleep.

Visions occurred when one was awake.

Again, the point is everyone will hear from God. We see the fulfillment of this in part in the new covenant. All believers have the Holy Spirit and can therefore understand the Word of the Lord. God speaks to us through His Word and His Holy Spirit reveals what the Word of the Lord means.

In the millennial reign of Christ, we will especially see this. The Bible says in Isaiah 53:14

And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.

In heaven the Bible says we will know as we are known! (1 Cor. 13:12).

2. Tribulation (30-31).

Joel mentions the great and terrible day of the Lord at the end of verse 31. The Bible teaches that before the end comes the world will experience a time of severe tribulation. Jesus warned of it in Matthew 24:21 when He said

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

For the sake of time I’m only going to reference what Joel references regarding this period. He says the Lord will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth. He then mentions blood, fire and smoke and heavenly signs. Let’s consider these.

A. Blood.

Revelation 8:8-9 describes what will happen at the first trumpet judgment saying:

The first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood, and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.

Revelation 14:20 says

And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

Revelation 16:3 says

And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.

Before the Day of the Lord there will be great bloodshed on the earth.

B. Fire.

Revelation 8:5-10 says

Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake. And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them.

The first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood, and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.

The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters.

Before the Day of the Lord there will be fire from heaven that falls upon the earth.

C. Smoke.

Revelation 9:2-3 says

He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

D. Heavenly signs.

Joel says the sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood. In other words, light will be obscured from the earth.

Revelation 6:12 says

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;

Jesus said in Matthew 24:29

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

It’s clear that Joel is describing the Great Tribulation. There are those who believe Christians will not see those days. I’m not one of those people. I don’t see that in Scripture. Regardless of where you stand on that issue please know that a time of intense suffering is coming to this world. The only escape from it is Jesus Christ.

3. Salvation (32).

A. The Lord will call a people to himself.

Look at the end of verse 32. It says the Lord will call a remnant to Himself. Even though the world has forsaken Him, the Lord will call a people to Himself. The Lord will always have a people on this earth. On every continent, in every country in every state and in every town the Lord has someone.

He’s calling people to himself through the preaching of the gospel. Paul quotes this verse in Romans 10 and follows it by asking “How shall they hear without a preacher?” The call of God is issued through the preaching of the gospel.

You ought to put yourself under the preaching of the gospel because that is how the Lord calls His people to Himself.

You ought to make sure your children are under the preaching of the gospel because that is how He calls His people to himself!

You ought to make sure the people you love are under the preaching of the gospel because that is how the Lord calls His people to Himself!

How can we call on the Lord if we have not heard the Lord call us? We can’t! We won’t!

B. We must call on the name of the Lord (32).

I love the word “whosoever”. I’m a whosoever. You’re a whosoever. But that doesn’t matter if we don’t call on the name of the Lord.

Notice how narrow the path is. We must call on the name of the Lord. The covenant name of God is inserted in verse 32. They couldn’t just call on any god to save them. Joel didn’t say choose a god and call on his name. They had to call on the God of Israel.

The God of the OT has revealed Himself in the person of Jesus Christ. Because of that there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Jesus is THE way, THE truth and THE life.

We are free to call on whatever god we want to call on. But know this, no other god can save us except Jesus Christ. We need saving and there is only One Savior. His name is Jesus.

C. God will save us.

If we call on the name of the Lord, we will be delivered.

We will be delivered from the penalty of our sin.

We will be delivered from this sinful world.

We will be delivered from judgment.

We will be delivered from this weak body.

Look at how simple the Lord has made it for us. Call on the Lord in faith and repentance. Look to the work of Christ and cry out to Him “Have mercy on me!”

God will save you!

Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,

Weak and wounded, sick and sore!

Jesus ready stands to save you,

Full of pity, love and power.

Come ye weary, heavy laden,

Bruised and mangled by the fall;

If you tarry till you're better,

You will never come at all.

Won’t you come!