The Great Day of the Lord Part 2

Lesson 5 - The Great Day of the Lord Part 2

1. The Border of the puzzle Joel 2:28-32 Last events before the Terrible Day of the Lord.

a. I want to go back and “pick up the fragments that remain…” out of this section of the prophecy of Joel. I just skimmed it last time. I don’t want it to take the entire time tonight but there is a lot here. Not only is it fragments but it builds the border for the rest of the puzzle pieces here for us to put together.

i. We talked last time about the outpouring of the Spirit and Israel being saved, (This happens after the restoration of Israel, when none will be ashamed. what we didn’t talk about too much was the other signs that are listed in this chapter. The main idea is that God is going to turn Israel back to Him, putting the judgment that was going to fall on them, on their enemies. What destruction that is going to be.

ii. I Will Show Wonders; 30-31 Lets look first of all with the parallel reading of this verse and Revelation 6:12-15 revealing the sixth seal.

1. In the heavens

a. For several years now Hubble telescope has been beaming back awesome and amazing pictures of the vast unknown of outer space. Take for example

i. The Eye of God – An authentic picture taken by NASA that as one writer describes it,”… is the so-called Helix Nebula, described by astronomers as "a trillion-mile-long tunnel of glowing gases." At its center is dying star which has ejected masses of dust and gas to form tentacle-like filaments stretching toward an outer rim composed of the same material. [1]

ii. The Hand of God

iii. The Crown of Thorns

iv. Or many other marvelous discoveries in the heavens lately. BUT I DON”T THINK THIS IS WHAT JOEL IS PROPHECEING

b. Hank Hanegraaff, with whom I disagree on most of his interpretation of prophecy, claims this was completely fulfilled by Pentecost. Hank takes for evidence that on the alleged day of Christ’s crucifixion there was a darkening, an eclipse and a dust storm; apparently this is verified by science and historical evidence. That the lunar eclipse darkened the sun, and that the moon appeared to turn blood red because of it as well. All of this was amplified by the dust storm.

i. Sorry Hank, I’m sure you went well out of your way to try to document your facts but you forgot some important details, this is not the end of the Book of Joel neither was it the end of the Age when Peter stood and declared, “This Is That” I’m not sure that Peter even fully understood this at the time because he later talks about the refreshing that was coming from the Lord, indicating that he believed that at any moment the Lord was going to return and set up his kingdom.

1. It is sometime later before we see Peter begin to realize that it wasn’t quite time yet.

c. Some suggest it could be nuclear warfare

i. Jamieson-Fauset-Brown says, “…the figures chiefly symbolize political revolutions and changes in the ruling powers of the world… Such shall probably occur in a more appalling degree before the final destruction of the ungodly world ("the great and terrible day of Jehovah," compare Mal 4:5), of which Jerusalem's overthrow is the type and earnest.”[2]

d. Some suggest it could be some of the volcanic eruptions we have seen recently.

e. What do I think, I think it could be one of two things

i. Either nuclear warfare on a scale that has never been seen before. I think this is possible because of the following list of “Wonders” that are coming, blood, fire, pillars of smoke (We call them mushrooms)

ii. A supernatural move of God that we have not seen in our lifetime, so would not know how to describe. Which is similar I think to what Chuck Missler believes to be the Great Tribulation

2. In the earth

3. Blood

4. Fire

5. Pillars of smoke

6. Sun turned into darkness

7. Moon turned into blood

iii. I Will Bring Deliverance 32

1. Whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered.

a. Deliverance In

i. Mount Zion

ii. Jerusalem

iii. And in the called of the Lord remnant

1. I have not been fully convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt of this so don’t fall off of me here, but this is where this doctrine comes from.

2. If verses 30-31 are describing the Great Tribulation, And that is still a big “IF” in my mind, then what we have is people getting saved during the Great Tribulation according to verse 32. Now there is some scripture that I see can go along with this, however I see no scripture for those who have had light, those who have had opportunity or might I say even for gentiles to be saved during this time.

3. Still others (with whom I am in more agreement with) say this is calling to God not only for salvation but from deliverance from the Antichrist.

EVENTS OF THE TERRIBLE DAY OF THE LORD

2. The Background Joel 3:1-17 Vengeance or Judgment on God’s enemies.

a. In that time when I shall bring again the captivity – Or reverse their captivity. I don’t think so, but it is possible that they could be put in bondage again, but I think we are seeing this take place where God is “Bringing again” or ending their captivity. Many have returned home, many more need to. I think we will see this number increase as time goes by.

i. I’m not sure what will take place to make it happen, but I also think that their land will be increased, it will have to be to accommodate the great influx of returning Jews

3. Gathering the nations – Some have thought this battle and Joel 2:1-11 are the same battle. I will not argue with that, but it is also a possibility that chapter 2 is prior to the Millennial Reign and this is Armageddon or the last battle before the final reign of Christ, since all nations are gathered to be judged.

a. He will bring the nations together; (I picture this as God doing to people what he did to the animals who found their way on Noah’s ark. They are compelled to come and so they do. You can find greater descriptions of this in Ezekiel 38 &39 as well as Revelation.

i. This is the last battle, when God will conquer and set up his mighty kingdom here on earth.

ii. It would seem that while the antichrist has his reign that he will have trouble getting everyone to bow to his whims. Some have thought that this is why the armies will gather, some from all over to rebel against the antichrist and while there coming against Jerusalem.

iii. They will be gathered to the valley of Jehoshaphat.

1. Now here is where I am having my trouble if this is the last great battle and it’s all over why is The Valley of Jehoshaphat the location? According to most scholars the Battle of Armageddon which is to be the last battle will be fought at Megiddo.

i. Megiddo is in Jezreel Valleyin the North District

ii. The Valley of Jehoshaphatlays between Mount of Olives and Jerusalem

iii. These are over an hour’s drive apart.[3]

iv. However it can be reconciled as the same battle, because according to Zechariah 14:4 Jesus will stand upon the Mount of Olives which shall split in two, allowing a passage way of deliverance. While Zechariah 14:3 tells us that the LORD will go forth to fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.

1. While it is over an hour by car the Lord can move faster than that.

b. The Lord Fights For His People Joel 3:9-1 (Revelation 19:11-16, 19-21)

b. The Lord Shall roar out of Zion – The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout….And utter his voice from Jerusalem They tell me a lion when it has captured and slain its prey will stand over it and let our a blood curdling roar. We haven’t heard anything yet when the Lord the Lion of the Tribe of Judah lets forth his roar, it’s not going to reverberate off of the trees and rocks around it is going to shake the whole earth. What a roar that is going to be.

i. The heavens and the earth shall shake (Rev, Zechariah, Ezekiel, and Joel all talk about earthquakes in that day, beyond anything we have ever seen.

1. It is interesting that according to a geological study strong fault lines run through the valley of Megiddo, and even through the city of Jerusalem, and what is even more interesting right through the center of the Mount of Olives.

Perhaps there are other ideas or opinions about this

4. The Last piece Joel 3:18-21 we have put the border together, and the background now we are down to one last piece of the puzzle. Let’s put that in and see the picture.

a. In that day

i. The mountains shall drop down new wine

ii. The hills shall flow with milk

iii. All the rivers of Judahshall flow with waters

iv. A fountain shall come forth out of the house of the LORD Ezekiel 47:1-12

1. This will water the valley of Shittim

a. This is going to take a vast amount of water. The source is either supernatural as in coming from the Throne of God as seen in the vision of the New Jerusalem. Or is from an underwater source. It is interesting that Under the Sisters of Zion church there are pools of water. They drain these every once in a while and with in two to three days the water is back. There is a water source somewhere under there.

i. When the Mount of Olives is split the water will begin toward the Dead Sea, it will split in two, which it actually already has in a sense of the word. Healing it from its saltiness.

v. Egypt, & Edomwill be desolate – these are symbols of what will happen to all of Israel’s foes. They will become desolate.

vi. Judah and Jerusalemwill dwell forever

vii. The LORD dwells in Zion(Rev 21:1-2,5) This is a dwelling forever. What a day that is going to be!!!

[1] http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/naturalwonders/ss/Eye-Of-God.htm [2] http://jfb.biblecommenter.com/joel/2.htm [3] Map of Jezreel & Jehoshaphat