Day Of The Lord

JANUARY 26, 2022 STUDY NOTES JOEL 2:28-29 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES INTRODUCTION In Acts 2, we find the promise of Jesus to send the Holy Spirit after His ascension was fulfilled The disciples of Jesus were waiting in Jerusalem for that promise to be fulfilled, Act 1:4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. Jews from all nations had assembled in Jerusalem to honor the Feast of Pentecost They witnessed the fulfillment of the promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-5) The Jews witnessed the evidence of the coming of the Spirit upon the disciples of Jesus, Act 2:6 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 disciples spoke in every known language at that time) Which was the result of the disciples of Jesus being filled with the Spirit, Act 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. We are told what the Jews were hearing in their own native language, Act 2:11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. Which amazed the Jews, they wanted an explanation, what is the meaning of this, Act 2:12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Some Jews thought they had an answer, Act 2:13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. Peter, being filled with the Holy Spirit, stands before the crowd, and corrects their mistake He preaches a sermon which answers their question and explains what God was doing that day Peter’s sermon also explains what God will continue to do until the return of Christ to the earth Peter begins his sermon by quoting from Joel 2:28-32, a prophecy that goes along with his sermon How powerful was his sermon that Day? As a result of his message 3,000 souls were saved, Act 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. The main theme of Joel is the “Day of the Lord,” Joe 1:15 Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come. Joe 2:1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; Joe 2:2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. Joe 2:10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: Joe 2:11 And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it? Joe 2:31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. Joe 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. Joe 3:15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. Before the Day of the Lord there will be an outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28-29) Before the Day of the Lord there will be the cosmic disturbance (Joel 2:30-31) Page 1 of 6 Before the Day of the Lord there will be deliverance for those who call upon the Lord (Joel 2:32) God’s judgment will fall during the Day of the Lord (Joel 3:1-16) Judah shall experience their glorious future after the Day of the Lord (Joel 3:17-21) We must understand Joel’s emphasis upon the time-period known as the Day of the Lord Joe 2:28 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 it shall come to pass afterward, a reference from the time-period of Joel into the future for Israel I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, when will the pouring out of the Spirit take place? Once it begins it will cover an extended period-of time, which scripture explains Peter interpreted it to begin with the pouring out of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, Act 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: The beginning of God’s pouring out of His Spirit was within the time-period known as the last days Which will continue until the 2nd coming of Christ, which will be before the Day of the Lord begins Just prior to the return of Christ there will be a special time of the outpouring of God’s Spirit There will be a time similar-to that which occurred at Pentecost, Mat 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. At Pentecost every nation was represented and heard the disciples speak the wonderful works of God Act 2:5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Act 2:8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Act 2:11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. At Pentecost, Jewish representatives from throughout the known world heard a message from God The time-period of Matthew 24:14 is within the 70th Week of Daniel, just prior to the 2nd coming The 70th Week of Daniel is one of the most important prophecies in all-of the Bible (Dan 9:24-27) God revealed to Daniel through a vision God’s future-plans for the nation of Israel The vision covered a 490-year time-period, 483 of those years have already been fulfilled Scripture reveals that there is a gap between the years that have been fulfilled and the final 7 years The final 7 years are yet to come, which Jesus is explaining in Matthew 24, the Olivet Discourse Which is a most important passage of scripture related to the return of Christ and Israel’s future The Olivet Discourse is a near/far prophecy, the near was fulfilled in A.D. 70 Which was the destruction of the temple in the city of Jerusalem The far fulfillment will be at the time of the end of the age, which Jesus is explaining in Matthew 24 According to Matthew 24:14, the world is going to hear the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom There is a great debate among theologians today concerning Matthew 24:14 Who is going to preach the gospel of the kingdom at that time? What is the gospel of the kingdom? The gospel of the kingdom is the good news concerning the Kingdom of God, which is coming Which has always been a most important subject for the nation of Israel The “Kingdom of God” is what the Jews were looking for when Jesus came to the earth the first time Israel longed for the kingdom the prophets spoke of, that is what their mind was set upon At the time of the ascension of Jesus their question was, Act 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? A good question because Jesus had been speaking to them about the “Kingdom of God,” Act 1:3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and Page 2 of 6 speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: “After His passion,” tells us that Jesus spoke to them concerning His death on the cross and his resurrection Without the death of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection there would be no Kingdom of God for us Without the preaching of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus no one would be saved, 1Co 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 1Co 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. The Day of Pentecost was the beginning of the Church Age and people were saved through the preaching of the gospel and the kingdom, Act 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. (John 3:3,5) We find the preaching of the kingdom of God continuing to reach Jews and Gentiles, Act 8:12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. (They were baptized because they had been saved) Throughout the book of Acts and all the way to the end we read of the preaching of the kingdom, Act 28:31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him. (Acts 28:31 is the last verse in Acts) Just before Jesus returns to the earth the message will still be the “Gospel of the Kingdom” (Mat, 24:14) The Good News will be that Jesus is about to come and establish the Kingdom of God on earth But who is going to preach the “gospel of the kingdom” during the 70th week of Daniel? The same ones who have preached it since the ascension of Jesus and the coming of the Spirit (Acts 2) Before the ascension of Jesus, He spoke to His disciples, Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Christians are to teach the world the truth of the salvation gospel, the only way of salvation These are the same disciples that Jesus is speaking to in Matthew 24, in the “Olivet Discourse” The same disciples that were with Jesus when He instituted the Lord’s Supper (Mt. 26) The same disciples that met with Jesus in the “Upper Room Discourse (John 14) He speaks the same message to them and the message they are to speak is the same The gospel is to be preached to the world, to all nations, through all “followers of Christ” Beginning with Pentecost, Christians have received the power to preach the Gospel to the world, Act 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And we have the promise that Jesus will be with us as we go, Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Christians are to preach the salvation gospel until the end of the age and Jesus will be with us as we do The “gospel of the Kingdom” will be preached until the time of the return of Christ and the end of the age According to, Mat 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. In-order for that to happen there must be an outpouring of the Spirit upon those who are preaching The time-period will be the “Great Tribulation,” the most difficult days the church will ever experience But the “True Church” will preach the gospel to the world at that time, how will they be able to do it Through an outpouring of the Spirit, an experience like that on the Day of Pentecost On the Day of Pentecost representatives from the known world “heard” the wonderful works of God At the time of the fulfillment of Matthew 24:14 the world will “see” the wonderful works of God The persecution of Christians will be heard of and seen throughout the world (which is possible today) The witness of those persecuted Christians will be heard of and seen throughout the world Something that Satan is not planning on, but God has “a witness unto all nations” planned And God will pour out His Spirit on those who will carry out God’s plan There was a special pouring out of God’s Spirit at the beginning of the Church Age Page 3 of 6 There will be a special pouring out of God’s Spirit at the end of the Church Age There will be another special pouring out of God’s Spirit following the Day of the Lord Which we will study when we study Joel 2:32, but now back to, Joe 2:28 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: In the previous verses, Joel had encouraged Israel to return to the Lord (Joel 2:12-17) Explaining to them their future if they would turn unto the Lord (Joel 2:18-27) Joel predicts what God will do, “I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh” Which has not yet completely occurred for the nation of Israel, but there has been a partial fulfillment Which is described by Peter in Acts 2:16-18, the complete fulfillment of Joel’s words is yet to come Peter stood before the Jews who had gathered in Jerusalem from every nation, Act 2:5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Peter being filled with the Holy Spirit answered their question and delivered a message to them Their question was, what is the meaning of all that is happening this day, the Day of Pentecost? Peter begins his sermon in Acts 2:14, corrects their mistake in verse 15, and answers their question in, Act 2:16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; Then Peter begins to quote Joel 2:28-32, his beginning words are not an exact quote from Joel The difference is, Peter says, “And it shall come to pass in the last days” And Joel said, “And it shall come to pass afterward” In Acts 2, Peter presents the beginning of Joel’s prophecy within the time-period of the “last days” And having begun, all will continue until all of Joel’s prophecy is fulfilled The beginning of Joel’s prophecy is, I will pour out my Spirit upon “all flesh” Joel predicts that God will pour out His Spirit upon “all flesh,” which does not mean every living person We can find the meaning of “all flesh” in the rest of the verse, “Your” is found 3 times in this verse The reference is to God’s chosen people, the nation of Israel Which is also identified in the next verse, God’s “servants” and God’s “handmaids” The Old Testament believers would see the words of Joel in no other way than referring to Israel Which Joel has been speaking to, Joe 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. Peter sees the “all flesh” applying to all saints within the Church Age, Jews and Gentiles Throughout scripture we find to the Jew first, Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. The title “Greek” was often used to designate the Gentiles, all those who were not Jews Jesus distinguished between the Jew and Gentile, Mat 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: Mat 10:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Mat 10:7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Jesus also said, Joh 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Since the Day of Pentecost, the Spirit has been poured out upon Jew and Gentile believers, Rom 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Since the Day of Pentecost there is but one body of believers, all believers are united together in Christ, 1Co 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. Page 4 of 6 Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. Which is exactly what the prophecy of Joel reveals, I will pour out my Spirit upon “all” flesh The meaning of “all” is regardless of age, male or female, or social status (Joel 2:29) Joel tells us the result of the pouring out of the Spirit, your sons and your daughters shall prophesy To prophecy is not limited to foretelling the future, the word actually means “forth-telling” Speaking forth for God, speaking forth the Word of God, which cannot be done apart from God It was God who spoke through the prophets in the OT Beginning with the Day of Pentecost and the coming of the Spirit, believers can now speak for God By being filled with the Spirit and allowing the Spirit to illuminate the Word of God to us Today all believers have-the ability to speak-forth for God (Acts 1:8) In-order to do that we must keep on being filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) Joel said, your old men shall dream dreams, which God had done before on certain individuals Jacob had a dream (Genesis 28:12-15) in which God revealed to him the future of Israel, Gen 28:15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. Joseph dreamed (Genesis 37:5-10) in which God revealed to him the future of Israel King Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams and wanted them to be interpreted (Daniel 2:1-16) Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams which was a revelation of the future (Daniel 2:17-45) Joel said, your young men shall see visions, Old Testament prophets often experienced visions, Hos 12:10 I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets. Daniel had a vision, Dan 8:1 In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first. (Which concerned the future of Israel) Isaiah had a vision concerning Israel, Isa 1:1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Obadiah had a vision which included the doom of Edom and the deliverance of Israel (Obadiah) What Amos “saw concerning Israel” was through a vision (Amos 1:1) Which not only included their judgment and punishment, but also the future blessings of restored Israel There is no question that the prophecy of Joel deals with the nation of Israel within the last days In Acts 2, Peter agrees, but also sees an application of Joel’s prophecy being fulfilled in the Church Age Peter’s words on the Day of Pentecost had to be shocking to the Jews who were assembled in Jerusalem Peter did not say that the Day of Pentecost fulfilled Joel’s prophecy, but it was within Joel’s prophecy, Act 2:16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; Peter applied what was happening that day to Joel’s prophecy, Act 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: Act 2:18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: Joe 2:29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. The word “servant” identified one who was called as a servant of God, such as Isaiah, Isa 49:5 And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength. His ministry as a servant was to the Jew first, but he was also a light unto the nations, Isa 49:6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the Page 5 of 6 preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. (Isaiah had a message from God concerning the coming Kingdom Age) “Handmaids” refers to the female servants of the Lord In those days, the days described in verse 28, and the days described in Joel 2:30-32 In those days “I will pour out my Spirit” Page 6 of 6