The Coming Witnesses

My Commentary on the Book of Joel

Posted on October 27, 2012 by RobertLeeRE

                         Joel Commentary

       This is my commentary on the book of Joel.  This book’s prophetic meaning is now revealed to the body of Christ.  My comments are not meant to replace the word of God, nor be added to it.  They are meant only as a guide for you to compare my interpretation to what the Holy Spirit leads you. 

       Please comment on areas that you feel are wrong and I will be happy to reconsider it included with the facts you gave.  My only intention is to teach on the book of Joel, subject at hand. 

       Lack of leadership in the body of Christ on prophecy is unending.  Those who are pastors and teachers constantly teach this book out of the context of prophecy and the Day of the Lord and this is just plain wrong. 

       Many of you had already seen my comments and critique on a sermon preached by David Wilkerson and sent out to paying members in the body of Christ.  Think of this maybe as part two of that sermon. 

        All my comments will be in italic and the same color as these words.  By no means is this a complete commentary on the book of Joel, just an addition to other commentaries down through the centuries.  But I do feel this commentary is superior to all others.  This commentary will focus mostly on prophecy and a little more basic information.  Readers are encouraged to read and consult other commentaries and inquiries into other reference manuals and bible dictionaries to add to their personal library of interpretations so they, with great prayer and Holy Spirit can decide which is more truthful and what God is saying.

                                                              Joel 1:1-3:23

The first thing we must start off with is some basic information about the book of Joel.  This information should be looked up on all books of the bible before you read them.  Here is important information. 

       Joel means in hebrew, the books written language, “Jehovah is God.” 

      Unlike most prophetic books in the Old Testament the prophet Joel gives no indication of the date it was written, only hints of possible dates.  By traditional view the book is considered preexilic, or, before the seventy years in Babylon, one of the oldest prophetic books.  We know this by the mentioning of the main enemies, Philistines and Phoenecians, instead of the Babylonians and the Assyrians.  These traditionalists date the book around 837-800B.C, during the reign of the only boy king Joash. We also know this because no kings name or year is mentioned in the first paragraph unlike all the other prophets in the Old Testament.  

       Modern theologians consider Joel 3:5-6, [too accurate], where Joel is talking about taking temple treasures and selling the people of Judah and Jerusalem, specifically the mentioning of the Greeks whom hadn’t yet arrived on the world scene.  They believe this evidence means the book was written as much as 500 years later thus postexhilic as late as 200 B.C.

       This evidence is precarious at best and not taken by any serious theologian.  The proponents of the traditionalist view think it [not] unusual people knew the Greeks before being conquered by Alexander and the Greeks.  They knew who the Greeks were before being conquered by them.  They had already seen and heard of Greek institutions and craftsmanship.

       Besides, if the book had been written postexhilic there would have been more detail here and the book would have stated Babylonians as being the ones who took the temple treasures.  In fact it doesn’t state [who] took the temple treasures, only “you” took the temple treasures.  If written postexhilic evidence would almost indicate the book is fraudulent since it talks of the ones taking the temple treasures without mentioning who they were which were the Babylonians.  This view makes the writer deceptive at best.  To not mention the name of the Babylonians, when talking about something they did, something as horrible as taking the temple treasures would be taking a view that believes there are mistakes in the bible.     

         My view on date is with the majority of theologians and their preexhilic view that the book of Joel was written before Judah was swept away by the Babylonians.  Whether or not preexhilic or postexhilic doesn’t matter [to me] since God did not feel the dating of this book was important.  Otherwise God would have breathed certain clues in verse one through the prophet Joel that would give indication of the date this book was written.  Maybe the important issue is not what the dating of the book is but why God didn’t date it.  Maybe God is saying something by not dating it.

This book concerns prophecy and the coming Day of the Lord anyways.  Joel speaks of a distant future time so important even Christ stated no one knew the day or the hour, only God the Father.  My view is that maybe God is saying something here [by not] clearly stating the date God breathed His words through prophet Joel.

It appears after reading [all] the prophetic books that most of them are  dated by hints from God.  It becomes quite obvious when you read the first paragraph of each of the prophetic books.  Let us try it.  Here are the first paragraphs in the NIV as follows:

                                               Isaiah 1:1
       The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Jeremiah 1:1-3
       The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin.2 The word of the Lord came to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah,3 and through the reign of Jehoikim son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.
Ezekiel 1:1
       In the thirteenth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles among the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.
Daniel 1:1
       In the third year of the reign of Jehoikim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.2 And the Lord delivered Jehoikim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles of the temple of God.  These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god.
Hosea 1:1
       The word of the Lord that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the reign of Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel.
Joel 1:1-2
       The word of the Lord that came to Joel son of Pethuel.
An Invasion of Locusts.
2 Hear this , you elders; listen, all who live in the land.  Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your forefathers? 
Amos 1:1
       The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa–what he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel.
Obadiah 1:1-2
This is what the Sovereign Lord says about Edom— We have heard a message from the Lord: An envoy was sent to the nations to say, “Rise, and let us go against her and battle”— 2  “See, I will make you small among the nations; you will be utterly despised.
Jonah 1:1-2
       The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai:2  “Go to the great city of Ninevah and preach against it, because it’s wickedness has come up before me.”
Micah 1:1
       The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, Kings of Judah—the vision he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
Nahum 1:1
       An oracle concerning Ninevah.  The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
Habakkuk 1:1
       The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet received.
Zephaniah 1:1
       The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, during the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah:
Haggai 1:1
In the second year of king Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest:
Zechariah 1:1
        In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, son of Iddo:
Malachi 1:1
An oracle: The word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi.

       None of this matters since most all of the book is about the last generation and the “Day of the Lord,” with a very small portion that begins at pentecost, Joel 2:28-30. In this context it would not be difficult for the prophet Joel to predict and mention the Greeks as such.  If Joel could predict the coming Day of the Lord almost 2800 and some years later why could Joel not predict the coming Greeks only a couple hundred years later?  Such foolishness comes from the mouths of the modern theiologians and their postexilic view.  Traditionalist theologians also state it is [likely] they still knew the Greeks even though the Greek empire had not been birthed yet.

 .       The traditionalists date the book preexhilic around the rein of the boy king Joash, 837-800B.C.  Traditionalists say this is indicative since the book never mentions any kings name and only mentions elders and priests thus a kingdom reined by a boy.  Also we must consider the book of Amos whose date is known and accepted by theologians to be 786-746B.C.   When comparing Joel 3:16 to Amos 1:2 and Joel 3:18 with Amos 9:13 gives evidence Amos was already familiar  with Joel’s prophecies.

1 The word of the LORD that came to Joel son of Pethuel.

An Invasion of Locusts

2 Hear this, you elders;
listen, all who live in the land.
Has anything like this ever happened in your days
or in the days of your forefathers?

         This book, and the words in it, are for the elders of the different churches in the last generation, the times in which we live now.  The elders are the real power brokers behind the pastors.  They are the reason the church body of Christ is so lost today.  The elders prevent the Pastors from preaching the truth by controlling their paychecks.  The elders do not allow the flow of Holy Spirit for proper interpretation of scripture.  God is telling them to open their ears because they are plugged up, says, “Hear this.”  God is saying something very major is coming, something no one can believe.  Also, there is no mention of king here or the year in the reign of any king like is in most all Old Testament books on prophecy.  The traditionalists claim this indicates the writing of the book of Joel was during the reign of the boy king Joash.  But there is also a duel meaning about elders during our time now as I said.

3 Tell it to your children,
and let your children tell it to their children,
and their children to the next generation.

This means it is a warning for a distant future generation, the last generation, (see chapter 2&3).

4 What the locust swarm has left
the great locusts have eaten;
what the great locusts have left
the young locusts have eaten;
what the young locusts have left
other locusts ^[a]have eaten.

Like locusts the things coming will eat everything good up, leaving nothing good left.  Locusts never labor to produce anything, never labor to gather and store up like squirrels or bears.  They never stay in the same place, always striking out into other territory.  They appear overnight all at once.  They attack the stability and goodness human agriculture brings to all mankind.  They attack in swarms that gorge themselves all at the same time.  They especially attack organized agriculture more then fruit that grows in the wild.  Locusts increase the labor of good men in working the soil requiring additional working of the soil for food production. 

5 Wake up, you drunkards, and weep!
Wail, all you drinkers of wine;
wail because of the new wine,
for it has been snatched from your lips.

Wake Up! Wake Up the ten virgins!  Everyone will be eating and drinking unaware of what is coming.  Unaware that judgment is coming.  The new wine is representative to a new dispensation upon God’s people, God’s followers.  God says to wake up!

6 A nation has invaded my land,
powerful and without number;
it has the teeth of a lion,
the fangs of a lioness.

7 It has laid waste my vines
and ruined my fig trees.
It has stripped off their bark
and thrown it away,
leaving their branches white.

Notice locusts and nation are used interchangeably here and there in chapter 1.  Joel says this locust like nation defeats other nations by invading in a way that no one knows they are invading.  Like immigration for instance.  It has laid waste to God’s vines, Christianity, and God’s fig trees, Israel and Judah.  These locusts like lions are predators.  

8 Mourn like a virgin ^[b] in sackcloth
grieving for the husband ^[c]of her youth.

Repent and weep as a God follower and one of the ten virgins with jars of oil for their lamps.  Weep and grieve becoming one of the five with jars of oil.  Grieve everyone of God’s followers for closeness to God.  Weep for a time when you were close to God, for God’s returning presence, change your life now overcoming sin, becoming [like] a person having never turned away from God, like a virgin.

9 Grain offerings and drink offerings
are cut off from the house of the LORD.
The priests are in mourning,
those who minister before the LORD.

10 The fields are ruined,
the ground is dried up ^[d] ;
the grain is destroyed,
the new wine is dried up,
the oil fails.
       Unfortunately, most will not repent in the end times.  The grain offering is an offering made by fire.  It is to be bread cakes made of flour and oil with no yeast or honey.  Only a portion of the grain offering was consumed by the fire, tribulation. This grain represents all of God’s followers in the end of age, final harvest of the souls of the earth.   There is to be no phariseeism, man’s teaching in this offering.  There is to be no Judaisers either.  They are to be pure moist wheat, no dry chaff.  The chaff is to be thrown into the fire.
The drink offering was wine poured out on the alter over the sacrifice.  This would prevent the sacrifice from being too overly consumed by the fire, judgment.  The wine represents the spilled blood of Jesus Christ.  The bread is mankind.  Drink offerings never accompanied sin and guilt offerings.
This will be at a time that the latter day rains will stop, outpouring of Holy Spirit will stop, the successful spreading of the gospel will stop, making of new wine, growth through the Holy Spirit will stop, many people’s hearts within the church will become very dry lacking of Holy Spirit’s presence.  The harvest fields will stop and be ruined because of the locusts.

Their prayers will not be accepted by God.  Their hearts will be dry, their wealth and blessings will be taken away.

11 Despair, you farmers,
wail, you vine growers;
grieve for the wheat and the barley,
because the harvest of the field is destroyed.

12 The vine is dried up
and the fig tree is withered;
the pomegranate, the palm and the apple tree—
all the trees of the field—are dried up.
Surely the joy of mankind
is withered away.

       Wheat, a main staple of bread for the gentiles.  Barley, a main staple of bread for the Hebrews.  The invading nation will take all the wealth, all the food, even the spirit they will quench.  The end result of Christianity, (vine) and the fig tree, Israel, will be the same, a failure to place God’s words to mankind on a high pedestal for all to see.  Despair you pastors, farmers, and missionaries, vine growers and grieve for the time of spreading the gospel is almost over and the time for the angels to harvest is almost here.

The joy of mankind and his building of that great city, the best man can do, Babylon the Great, Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the earth, America has withered away never to be regained nor refound.  No more joy, only God’s wrath and judgment left.

A Call to Repentance

13 Put on sackcloth, O priests, and mourn;
wail, you who minister before the altar.
Come, spend the night in sackcloth,
you who minister before my God;
for the grain offerings and drink offerings
are withheld from the house of your God.

14 Declare a holy fast;
call a sacred assembly.
Summon the elders
and all who live in the land
to the house of the LORD your God,
and cry out to the LORD.

       Those who are wise will be weeping, repenting and teaching many.  But they will keep weeping because no one will listen.  They will declare a holy fast and call a sacred assembly to all who follow God but no one will listen.  But God will also call a sacred assembly and summon the true elders and the God followers at the rapture.

15 Alas for that day!
For the day of the LORD is near;
it will come like destruction from the Almighty. ^[e]

       This Day of the Lord, is the day Christ comes back for rapture and last 6-7 years of the twenty year tribulation, judgment and thousand year millennium.  Destruction in the beginning and dwelling with heavenly beings and Jesus Christ in the city God built, New Jerusalem for 980 years. 

16 Has not the food been cut off
before our very eyes—
joy and gladness
from the house of our God?

17 The seeds are shriveled
beneath the clods. ^[f]
The storehouses are in ruins,
the granaries have been broken down,
for the grain has dried up.

The food is teaching from God.  Churches will become illegal for it will be after the rapture and the Antichrist Islamic nations will rule the earth for a short time.  No longer will it be easy to follow God since most all of the godly will disappear in the rapture.  Bibles, food,  will become illegal and it will become difficult to become joyful and glad for all church buildings will be taken over by agents of the Antichrist.  The ones who missed the rapture and realize it will shrivel from lack of being fed by God’s true followers who are gone, raptured.  The storehouses will be in ruins and broken.  These are the church buildings.  The riots after the rapture encouraged by the Antichrist will result in destruction of many church buildings, others used as headquarters for local chapters of christian haters.
18 How the cattle moan!
The herds mill about
because they have no pasture;
even the flocks of sheep are suffering.

19 To you, O LORD, I call,
for fire has devoured the open pastures
and flames have burned up all the trees of the field.

        20 Even the wild animals pant for you;
the streams of water have dried up
and fire has devoured the open pastures.

The next judgment will be by fire, thus verse 19 & 20.  Worldwide famine during Spotted and striped sheep portion of tribulation, thus verse 17.  Everything will quit producing.  

Joel 2

An Army of Locusts

1 Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sound the alarm on my holy hill.
Let all who live in the land tremble,
for the day of the LORD is coming.
It is close at hand-

 2 a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness.
Like dawn spreading across the mountains
a large and mighty army comes,
such as never was of old
nor ever will be in ages to come.

        Blow the trumpet for the world will needs to be warned of the coming locust like army invaders.  This army will take over the world and God says to blow the trumpet in Zion.  Zion is in our hearts.  Rend and tear our hearts.  Blow the trumpet in our heart.  The Locust army is Islam.  The antichrist armies are Islam.  Islam’s desire is to force the world to submit to Islam by force.  The antichrist nations are given authority for 43.66 years or authority for one hour in God’s eyes.  Islam will come about 36 years before the beginning of the last third part of tribulation.  Islam will send warriors all over the world that will spread like a dark cloud of locusts that feed on the nations they consume.  This is a dark sad day for judgment of mankind occurs. 

3 Before them fire devours,
behind them a flame blazes.
Before them the land is like the garden of Eden,
behind them, a desert waste—
nothing escapes them.

       This Islamic locust like invading army defeats it’s enemies by fire, [nukes] going before them.  This fire is most likely nuclear explosions.  This locust like people group will come from an area of the earth where the garden of eden used to be, Iran & Iraq.  For the Garden of Eden is behind them.  Most theologians agree the original Garden of Eden is somewhere around where modern Iran and Iraq are today.  This also says wherever this locust army goes everything is destroyed and becomes desert.

4 They have the appearance of horses;
they gallop along like cavalry.

       The only war machines Joel knew of in 800B.C. were horses and cavalry.  Any proper army during this time had to have horses dressed with the armor of cavalry.  So he describes it as like things he knows are used in war, horses & cavalry.

5 With a noise like that of chariots
they leap over the mountaintops,
like a crackling fire consuming stubble,
like a mighty army drawn up for battle.

       Noise of chariots are the noise of war!  Leaping over the mountaintops like a crackling fire consuming stubble sounds a lot like nukes on missiles to me!  Army at battle.  These are not locusts but the last army of man people! 

6 At the sight of them, nations are in anguish;
every face turns pale.

        They turned pale because they were not ready, they did not expect to be overthrown.  Only lighter skinned people are capable of turning pale so this seems to indicate caucasians especially.

7 They charge like warriors;
they scale walls like soldiers.
They all march in line,
not swerving from their course.

This sounds to me like fascism, especially Islamic fascism.  They are any generals dream soldier.  Those that jostle or swerve are severely and quickly punished. 

8 They do not jostle each other;
each marches straight ahead.
They plunge through defenses
without breaking ranks.

Suicide bombers plunging through defenses without breaking ranks. They follow their leaders without breaking ranks, without questioning right and wrong.  This questioning and challenging of the truth of leadership is required for nations and leadership to reform.

9 They rush upon the city;
they run along the wall.
They climb into the houses;
like thieves they enter through the windows.

This description here is a perfect description of the same ones that defeat Babylon the Great, America.  Also the coming Islamic antichrist kingdoms.  Verse 7 says they charge like warriors not swerving off course.  This means they do not challenge what their leaders teach or say.  They are the perfect warriors to take over the world.  They are the antichrist nations.  This is Islam pure and simple.  Verse 8 says they do not jostle each other and plunge through defenses and never breaking ranks.  Verse 9 describes them plundering innocent civilians.  They enter the nations they defeat by unlawful means.  They sneak into those they conquer without the awareness of those countries leaders.  They surprise the ones they conquer like a thief does.  These three verses describe with perfect accuracy the islamic antichrist kingdoms. 

10 Before them the earth shakes,
the sky trembles,
the sun and moon are darkened,
and the stars no longer shine.

        As fire goes before them the earth trembles and shakes before them.  This sounds like nukes.  Sun and moon darkened and stars do not shine.  When nukes explode a huge amount of dust is stirred up in the city so that in the day time everything darkens.

11 The LORD thunders
at the head of his army;
his forces are beyond number,
and mighty are those who obey his command.
The day of the LORD is great;
it is dreadful.
Who can endure it?

       The world dictatorship of the Islamic antichrist kingdoms authority will eventually end.  This end will come sometimes around the years 2018-2019.  For who can beat the Lord’s army?  This Day of the Lord is also the 1000 year millennium, also the Day of Rest for mankind and all creation. 

Rend Your Heart

12 “Even now,” declares the LORD,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

Rend means tear your heart.Heart is muscle and muscle grows when torn.  To have a bigger heart you must weep for the lost.  Tear your heart and weep for the people that will be thrown in the lake of fire.  Rend your hearts and weep for the those that are lost.  Weep and rend your hearts and weep more.  Grow your heart by tearing it and fasting for the lost.  Look on the masses as God does and weep for the God followers.  Fasting also includes praying.  Any true return to god involves repentance and weeping.  Weep for what is coming to all people, God’s judgment.

13 Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the LORD your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.

Instead of tearing your clothes, tear your heart/fast and repent.  We are not clean by wearing white robes as teachers of the law teach.  It is what are in our hearts that make us clean.  So tear your hearts and clean them with fasting and prayer.  For we must change on the inside not the outside things.  It is our hearts that god wants, our true selves.  For it is your heart that must be torn to become soft.   

14 Who knows? He may turn and have pity
and leave behind a blessing—
grain offerings and drink offerings
for the LORD your God.

The blessing God leaves behind are 1/2 of God’s followers, 1/2 the church to go through the spotted and striped sheep portion of tribulation with the nation of Israel.  The five virgins with no jars of oil will witness first to the Jewish nation of Israel.  They are called by God to be martyrs for truth, the light for the darkness.

15 Blow the trumpet in Zion,
declare a holy fast,
call a sacred assembly.

16 Gather the people,
consecrate the assembly;
bring together the elders,
gather the children,
those nursing at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his room
and the bride her chamber.

Warn your heart.  Wake Up! Wake Up!  These two verses above are the rapture of the five virgins, 50% of the christians of the earth whom have oil in their jars.Gather the people and get ready for God will soon return to you!  The Bridegroom is already on His way so Wake Up!  Wake Up!  Trim the lamps and get your oil jars!  Start looking for God.

17 Let the priests, who minister before the LORD,
weep between the temple porch and the altar.
Let them say, “Spare your people, O LORD.
Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn,
a byword among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’ ”

       Verse 17 speaks to the tribulation saints.  The spotted and striped sheep portion of tribulation involves people all over the world repenting and coming back to God.  This will be the five virgins that do not have jars of oil, left behind in tribulation, and the nation of Israel that gets saved during tribulation.  This also includes the huge amount of people turning back to god and waking up during tribulation.  All of this rending or tearing of hearts, to make them soft so God can enter.  This rending and tearing will result in praying and turning back to follow God.  The tribulation will purify the saints, the five virgins without oil in jars left behind and God’s chosen Israel.

The LORD’s Answer

18 Then the LORD will be jealous for his land
and take pity on his people.

19 The LORD will reply ^[g] to them:
“I am sending you grain, new wine and oil,
enough to satisfy you fully;
never again will I make you
an object of scorn to the nations.

Never again means exactly that.  Never again.  God is speaking of a distant future time of final redemption of his chosen people, Israel.  The grain God is sending to Israel is the five virgins that have no jars of oil and miss the rapture.  The oil they bring is Holy Spirit to Israel to realize they crucified the true Messiah, Jesus Christ.  The new wine is a born again experience for Israel.

20 “I will drive the northern army far from you,
pushing it into a parched and barren land,
with its front columns going into the eastern sea ^[h]
and those in the rear into the western sea. ^[i]
And its stench will go up;
its smell will rise.”
Surely he has done great things. ^[j]

21 Be not afraid, O land;
be glad and rejoice.
Surely the LORD has done great things.

The Islamic and Russian armies supernaturally flee in terror into the Eastern Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Western Sea, Dead Sea.  Many many will die and cause a great stench of death.

 22 Be not afraid, O wild animals,
for the open pastures are becoming green.
The trees are bearing their fruit;
the fig tree and the vine yield their riches.

Soon all the wild animals will no longer eat meat and the lion will play with the sheep without trying to eat it.  Trees everywhere will start soon bearing more larger fruit without man having to work the ground.  The fig tree is God’s chosen people Israel, the vine is Jesus Christ and the church.  God’s purpose will be accomplished soon and great fruit and harvest will come. 

23 Be glad, O people of Zion,
rejoice in the LORD your God,
for he has given you
the autumn rains in righteousness. ^[k]
He sends you abundant showers,
both autumn and spring rains, as before.

24 The threshing floors will be filled with grain;
the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.

The grain are the God followers.  The vats will overflow with God’s presence.  The showers are Holy Spirit upon Tribulation Saints, Messianic Jews and the five virgins with no jars.

25 “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—
the great locust and the young locust,
the other locusts and the locust swarm ^[l]—
my great army that I sent among you.

26 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,
and you will praise the name of the LORD your God,
who has worked wonders for you;
never again will my people be shamed.

27 Then you will know that I am in Israel,
that I am the LORD your God,
and that there is no other;
never again will my people be shamed.

       Islam has eaten the years of Israel since 1975 and God says Israel will be repaid for this torment for it was God’s will.  During this last third of tribulation Israel will have plenty to eat, food and spiritual manna, until full.  They will get this probably from christians. 

Then Israel will know Christ was God. This is all toward the very end of tribulation when God starts to restore everything in creation.

The Day of the LORD

28 “And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.

29 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

Verse 28-29,  When these verses are compared to Acts 2:16-21 we notice that Peter adds six words of prefactory interpretation, verses 28-32, “In the last days, ‘God says.’ ” So who am I to contend with Peter’s interpretation?  So according to Peter, these verses cover the last two days, an approximate two thousand year period till a period when all prophecy ends, 2018-2019, the end of “The Time of Jacob’s Trouble,” see serman: Time Of Jacob’s Trouble  at the second ressurrection, also the beginning of the 1000 year millenium Sabbath day of rest for man and heavenly beings.  All tribulation saints during tribulation will be like superman preachers, like great witnsses to all the people of the world.  Verse 28 is the most difficult verse in Joel I have ever had to interpret.  On the one hand verse 28-32 is quoted by the Apostle Peter at 9am on the Day of Pentecost right after the 3000 were filled with the Holy Spirit, Acts 2:16-21.  I must admit I was stuck on this quite some time for there seemed to always be a contradiction there.  Holy Spirit revealed to me that Peter used the words, [In the last days & in those days], in both verses seventeen and eighteen.  The words Peter used are plural meaning more then one day.  When we compare this to Peter’s teaching in 2nd Peter 3:8-9 we realize that Peter is talking about what I call the 1000 years equals one day in God’s eyes prophecy.  God teaches mankind through history and fulfillment of literal prophecy.  No prophecy has ever been fulfilled symbolically which is why we should always attempt to avoid symbolic interpretations.  Scripture should always reveal scripture.  This always results in a superior translation.  Remember a literal translation is always a superior one and that is the case here.  

       So according to Peter the Apostle the last days are the last 2000 years, last days in God’s eyes, last days are not the same as the End Time mentioned by the angel to the prophet Daniel.  This prophet was told by the angel to seal up the meaning of the book until the [End of time].  The end of time began with fulfillment of the Fig Tree Prophecy when Israel returned and became a nation in 1948.  This is approximately when the 70 year prophecy stopwatch started ticking.  

30 I will show wonders in the heavens
and on the earth,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.

31 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.

Appears to be nuclear annihilation in verse 31-32 with 1/3 of the world killed by the plagues of fire, (Revelation 9:14-16).  The wonders will be the fulfillment of scripture, and wonders in creation. The darkening of sun and moon from Nuclear war and judgement of God.

32 And everyone who calls
on the name of the LORD will be saved;
for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
there will be deliverance,
as the LORD has said,
among the survivors
whom the LORD calls.

       During the Spotted and Striped Sheep portion of tribulation.  Everyone means everyone, including those left behind that missed the mark; scripture seems to indicate this anyways.  Possibly those who took the mark on the hand might be saved if they chop their hand off and repent.Those who have the mark on their head and are beheaded for their testimony of Jes-s Chr-st might be saved upon being beheaded as a martyr for G-d as witness.

Joel 3

The Nations Judged

1 “In those days and at that time,
when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,

Those swept to Babylon whom later became known as Israel today.

2 I will gather all nations
and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. ^[m]
There I will enter into judgment against them
concerning my inheritance, my people Israel,
for they scattered my people among the nations
and divided up my land.

3 They cast lots for my people
and traded boys for prostitutes;
they sold girls for wine
that they might drink.

This is The Valley of Judgement of mankind.  All nations will be brought to the valley for world war, the valley of Armageddon. 

4 “Now what have you against me, O Tyre and Sidon and all you regions of Philistia? Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done. 5 For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples. 6You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, that you might send them far from their homeland.

7 “See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them, and I will return on your own heads what you have done. 8 I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, a nation far away.” The LORD has spoken.

This is judgment by God of all the people that did not choose to follow God.  World War 3 will occur in the middle east Islamic nations in the valley of Armegeddon.

9 Proclaim this among the nations:
Prepare for war!
Rouse the warriors!
Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.

10 Beat your plowshares into swords
and your pruning hooks into spears.
Let the weakling say,
“I am strong!”

11 Come quickly, all you nations from every side,
and assemble there.
Bring down your warriors, O LORD!

12 “Let the nations be roused;
let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat,
for there I will sit
to judge all the nations on every side.
All nations will come to the Valley of Armageddon.  Suicide bombers everywhere and blood to the horse’s bridle!

13 Swing the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe.
Come, trample the grapes,
for the winepress is full
and the vats overflow—
so great is their wickedness!”

The separation of the chafe and wheat!  The chafe will be thrown in the fire that will never quench!  trample the grapes you angels!  The threshing floor is here!  Throw the wicked into the fire!

14 Multitudes, multitudes
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the LORD is near
in the valley of decision.

So decide, will you follow God or reject Jesus Christ?

15 The sun and moon will be darkened,
and the stars no longer shine.

16 The LORD will roar from Zion
and thunder from Jerusalem;
the earth and the sky will tremble.
But the LORD will be a refuge for his people,
a stronghold for the people of Israel.

The sun and moon and stars cannot be seen because of all the nukes being blown up, or, from God’s will.  Probably both. 

Blessings for God’s People

17 “Then you will know that I, the LORD your God,
dwell in Zion, my holy hill.
Jerusalem will be holy;
never again will foreigners invade her.

18 “In that day the mountains will drip new wine,
and the hills will flow with milk;
all the ravines of Judah will run with water.
A fountain will flow out of the LORD’s house
and will water the valley of acacias. ^[n]

19 But Egypt will be desolate,
Edom a desert waste,
because of violence done to the people of Judah,
in whose land they shed innocent blood.

20 Judah will be inhabited forever
and Jerusalem through all generations.

21 Their bloodguilt, which I have not pardoned,
I will pardon.”
The LORD dwells in Zion!

New Jerusalem will come down from heaven to earth.  The Thousand year millennium will start.  Rein on earth with Christ for 1000 years.  The Lion will play with the lamb and land will bear fruit without toil again.  This fruit will have super nutrients that will change the desire for meat.  No longer will we eat meat.  No longer the desire.  The fruit will give enough energy without meat.  Praise God!
Footnotes:

1. Joel 1:4 The precise meaning of the four Hebrew words used here for locusts is uncertain.
2. Joel 1:8 Or young woman
3. Joel 1:8 Or betrothed
4. Joel 1:10 Or ground mourns
5. Joel 1:15 Hebrew Shaddai
6. Joel 1:17 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
7. Joel 2:19 Or LORD was jealous ? / and took pity ? / 19 The LORD replied
8. Joel 2:20 That is, the Dead Sea
9. Joel 2:20 That is, the Mediterranean
10. Joel 2:20 Or rise. / Surely it has done great things.”
11. Joel 2:23 Or / the teacher for righteousness:
12. Joel 2:25 The precise meaning of the four Hebrew words used here for locusts is uncertain.
13. Joel 3:2 Jehoshaphat means the LORD judges ; also in verse 12.
14. Joel 3:18 Or Valley of Shittim