Through the Bible - Joel

God, we do thank You that You have given us Your Word and also, Lord, that You have told us the end and the beginning. Lord, You tell us what is going to happen. Just as You spoke to the prophet Isaiah, or through Isaiah to the people of Judah in his day, what other God is there that can tell you what is going to happen before it comes to pass?

As we look at this prophetic passage tonight, would You speak to us and give us insight? We ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

How many of you read the book of Joel this week? Look at that! That's great. When you meet Joel, you can say, "I read your book. It was a good one." It has three chapters and is called a Minor Prophet. We mentioned last week that he is not a minor prophet because he is not quite as professional as Isaiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah, but rather because, as you can tell, his writings are not as long as those of the other major prophets.

This book is packed with some very powerful prophecy. Joel was a prophet to the southern tribe of Judah and Benjamin around 830 B.C., prior to the exile of the children of Israel into Babylon. As he looked upon his nation, there were a lot of horrible things going on, just as there are in our nation today. You can read the corresponding history to this passage in 2 Kings chapters 11 and 12.

As you read through 2 Kings chapters 11 and 12, you will see that there was a queen who had taken over the leadership of the southern tribe of Judah and Benjamin during that time. Her name was Athaliah, and she was a wicked queen. She was actually the niece of King Ahab in the north. Many of you remember the name Ahab because he was the most wicked king the northern tribes in Israel had ever had, and his wife was a woman by the name of Jezebel. So, this woman here in the south was the one who was leading the nation.

When she took over the leadership of the nation, her husband died, and she seized power. In her quest to secure her position, she killed all the royal seed, putting to death all the sons of the king. She did this because she did not want anyone coming in and encroaching on her territory, or so she thought.

At that time, one of the priests in the temple hid one of the sons of the deceased king, Joash. He was just one year old when they concealed him. After six years of wicked leadership by this queen, who was committing all kinds of horrible acts in Judah, they anointed Joash as king of the nation at the age of seven. As they anointed him, the queen ultimately went on the run and was put to death.

It was during that six-year period of wickedness in Judah that it is believed the events we will see in the Book of Joel took place. As you read through the Book of Joel, you will notice that he speaks about an invasion—not of an army of men, but of an army of locusts, an army of insects that came into the nation. It is believed that this invasion occurred at the very time this wicked queen was ruling over the nation.

The locusts came in, and we read about them in verse 4 of Joel chapter 1. It says, "That which the palmer worm hath left, the locust hath eaten; and that which the locust hath left, the canker worm hath eaten; and that which the canker worm hath left, the caterpillar hath eaten." This passage describes the different stages of a locust's life, from birth to full growth. What happened was that these locusts moved into the nation and utterly annihilated everything, destroying all the food supplies.

First, the locusts came, followed by a drought, and then a fire that swept through the land at the end of chapter 1. This series of disasters purged all the food. In chapter 1, verse 5, we read about the cry of the drunkards. The text asks, "Why?" The answer is that the new wine is cut off from their mouths. The locusts had destroyed all the vineyards, leaving the drunkards to weep and mourn.

Then, in verse 8, it says, "Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth." This imagery evokes the sorrow of a woman who is newly married but has just lost her husband. The call to cry out is due to the fact that the meat offering and the drink offering are cut off from the house of the Lord.

The priests, the Lord's ministers, mourn. He first says to the drunkards, "Cry and weep and howl because there's no wine." Then he addresses the priests, urging them to "Cry and weep and howl, lament like a young woman who's just lost her husband," because there is no offering, drink offering, or meat offering for the Lord due to a famine in the land.

As you read through the rest of the chapter, he tells the farmers to cry out, weep, and mourn because their crops are completely devastated. Everything has been taken away as a result of the invasion of locusts. What we need to recognize when we start the book of Joel is that he is not initially describing a future event; he is actually describing a current event that has future prophetic implications. He says, "Look at what is happening in the nation." In fact, he calls the people in Joel chapter 1, verse 2, "Hear this, you old men, and give ear, all you inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days or even in the days of your father? Tell your children of it, and let the children tell their children of it, and their children in another generation."

Basically, what Joel is saying is that he cries out to the people, urging them to listen. This event that has taken place in their day, the invasion of locusts, is something they will be telling their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren about because it was such a great devastation. Now, we might think, "Come on, an invasion of bugs? An invasion of locusts?" However, you may remember that just last summer, there was a swarm of locusts that moved across northern Africa, completely devastating many nations there by consuming their crops.

The invasion of locusts into Israel at this point in time, particularly affecting the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin, annihilated everything. It devastated the whole country and their finances. Then a drought came, followed by wildfires that burned up all the crops even more. The nation was at its lowest point. What Joel reveals is that this is the hand of God. God has brought this army of locusts into the land because of the wickedness present.

There have been many times in our own history as a nation, in the United States, when we have looked upon events like famine or floods and recognized them as the Lord's doing. These events often prompted a call to repentance, a crying out to the Lord as a result. As you go through chapter one, you see that call to repentance emerge as well.

Joel, like many of the prophets of his day, was one who called the people to repent and to turn. We see that as we go through this passage. Notice what he says in verse 14 of chapter one: "Sanctify a fast and call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God and cry unto the Lord." As a result of the devastation of the locust army coming into the land, he instructs the people to gather together, fast, and come before the Lord to cry out to Him.

"Alas for the day! The day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come." Many times in prophetic passages, we read about the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord is any time when God directly intervenes and deals with man here on earth. It is a time when He pours out judgment and intervenes in some way.

As we go through the entire book of Joel, we see that there is a coming great and terrible day of the Lord, which is at the end of days. Joel looks forward almost further than any other of the prophets. He anticipates a time that is yet to come, a time that has not happened. We believe this is coming on May 14th. We are heading towards a time in history that the Bible speaks about more than any other time. Joel looks forward further than just about any of the other prophets in his day to the end of days.

He was also one of the first prophets to write down his prophecies, as we see in this passage. He describes the consuming event of the locusts coming into the land, stating, "This is the hand of the Almighty. Alas for the day! The day of the Lord is at hand. It is as a destruction from the Almighty, and it shall come."

Typically, the people would not listen to the prophets, but it seems that these people at this time listened to what Joel had to say. Through the prophecy of Joel, he goes on to say that there is a great army of men who are going to overrun and destroy this nation. He speaks about that in chapter 2, where he discusses this coming army and tells the people what they should do as a result of these events in chapter 2, verse 12.

Notice what he says. He uses a current event that was going on in his nation: locusts coming in and consuming everything in the land, followed by a drought and then fires that destroyed all the crops. He uses that event to say there is something bigger coming. He says, "Look at this event and understand what's going on." Just like we read in the Book of Chronicles about the men of Zebulun who understood the times and knew what Israel should do, Joel was one of those men. He understood what was going on. He looked around him and could see the current events and the way that things were going.

As a result, he calls to his people and says, "Listen, recognize there is coming a great and terrible day of the Lord." He speaks about a day of the Lord coming when none should escape this army that would invade the land and take captive the people. He reveals this judgment in Joel chapter 2, verses 6 through 11. He speaks about an army that is going to come, and they will not only consume the crops but will also kill the people. Nothing is going to stop them, he says. They will be a very efficient army. They will not break ranks; they will come through every single city and destroy and purge.

As a result of this, he calls out to the people and says, "You need to turn." The turn that he calls them to is a turn with, notice this, all of their heart. Turn to God with all of your heart. Any time someone turns to the Lord, they need to do it with all their heart. Jeremiah chapter 29, a verse that many of you know, is not just verse 11, which says, "I know the thoughts I think towards you, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." God says in Jeremiah chapter 29, verse 13, "And you shall seek for me and you shall find me when you search for me with all of your heart."

God says, "You shall find me when you search for me with all of your heart." Joel speaks to the people who had just seen a day of the Lord and a minor judgment upon all their crops and finances through these locusts. He tells them that there is a greater day of the Lord coming when these armies are going to come through and destroy. Remember the historical context: they were living at a very wicked time in Judah when this queen was on the throne, pursuing all kinds of wickedness.

There is coming a judgment from God, and so He calls the people to turn to the Lord with all of their heart. There are many people in the midst of trouble and trial who turn to the Lord. We have experienced this with family members. Maybe they have received a diagnosis of some sickness, or perhaps they are going through a very difficult time financially, or their marriage is breaking apart. We share with them and say, "You need to turn to the Lord." There seems to be some sort of a turn in their lives; they turn to the Lord because things are difficult.

A lot of people turn to God when crisis comes and when trials hit them. However, many times they seek God only for a quick fix to their problems. Ultimately, when the problem is resolved and the fix is gone, they return to their regular lives. They start to explain it away, saying, "Well, no, it wasn't really the Lord. It just happened. Things come, things go, and everything's okay."

There are many who seek the Lord for a solution to their problems, but they do not fully turn to Him. Some come to God with a half-hearted approach. It’s almost as if they have one foot in the boat and one foot on the dock. They might say, "I kind of want to get in the boat and follow God, but I really want to keep my foot on the dock, and I don't know if I really want to do it." They are the double-minded people that James speaks about, unstable in all their ways.

There are those who seek the Lord just for a quick fix, and there are others who seek the Lord but are half-hearted in their approach. They have one foot in the world and one foot in following God. However, that will not bring about the restoration that God can provide. If you truly want to find the Lord and the restoration that He offers, Jeremiah and Joel give us the answer: you must seek the Lord with all of your heart.

Jeremiah goes on to reveal what this seeking for God looks like. Notice this in chapter 2, verse 12: "With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." These are external indications of seeking God. They will fast, they will weep, they will mourn. However, these are not the absolute examples of one who is seeking the Lord, because we know that there is one who sought a blessing through repentance. He sought a blessing through tears, yet he did not truly turn.

To God fully. His name was Esau, and Hebrews speaks about him. He wept bitterly because he wanted the blessing, but he would not repent. There are many people who come to God with weeping, mourning, and lamenting over their sin and the things they have done, but they are not turning to God with all of their heart. They have external indications of turning to God, but there is something that is more important.

We find it in verse 13. It says, "Rend your heart and not your garments." It should not be merely an external turning to God. A lot of people go through that. I would suggest to you that when we look at the city of Nineveh, when Jonah went to them, they did all the external rending of their garments. They repented in dust and ashes, from the greatest of them all the way to the least of them. Even the animals had dust and ashes put on them in the field. If ever there was one who had a visible repentance, it was the people of Nineveh.

However, their repentance was short-lived because, 150 years later, they had turned back into a wicked city and were destroyed by the Lord. There are those who turn to God, and it may even appear on the outside that it is with dust and ashes, weeping, and mourning. They are rending their clothes, but their hearts have not been broken before the Lord. They have not turned over their heart to the Lord.

We cannot go merely on the external evidences of someone repenting. There needs to be that inward heart change, and the inward heart change is only seen over time. It takes time for the fruit of the Spirit to be manifest and seen in the life of the believer. That is why there are some people in the church that we look at and think, "I don't know how that person is saved. I just don't see it on the outside." However, over time, you begin to see the fruit of the Spirit being evidenced in their life.

So just the external is not enough. The rending of the clothes, the weeping, the mourning, and the fasting are important as well. We shouldn't just throw them out because we do see that the Lord calls to them, "Turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, with mourning, but rend your hearts and not your garments only. Turn unto the Lord your God."

Why should we turn to the Lord? What is the reason that we should turn to God? Notice what He says: "For He is gracious." I love the fact that He doesn't say, "For He is an angry God and He's ready to destroy you." Although we do know that God is angry.

With the wicked every day, we know that God will by no means clear the guilty. The scripture tells us in Exodus chapter 34 that the first thing He describes Himself with, when He reveals His character by His name to Moses, is the Lord, the Lord God, merciful. He goes on to say that He is gracious and long-suffering, holding mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. Then, He talks about the judgment and the wrath of God upon the guilty.

Here, He says to turn to God with all your heart, to rend your hearts and not your garments, for He is gracious. I love that. We should always reveal to someone going through trial or tribulation that God is gracious. He is merciful, and the word "merciful" means compassionate. God is compassionate; He is a loving God. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. One of the first characteristics that God wants to reveal to man is that He is a loving God. He is gracious, merciful, and slow to anger.

Now, God's anger is being revealed upon the people in Judah because of their wickedness. They had been wickedly following false gods for many years before this. God was continually sending them prophets. In fact, He had sent them Elijah before Joel and Elisha before Joel. It is considered that Joel was a contemporary with Elisha. However, they were already serving Baal and all kinds of other false gods and different deities. Yet, God was slow to anger.

Notice what else it says about our God: He is great and shows great kindness. I love the fact that our God shows great kindness to you and me. The King James Version states that He "repenteth him of the evil." Sometimes, when we read that, we wonder what it means. Basically, it is saying that God does not desire to punish people. It is not God's desire to pour out His punishment. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance.

It is not God's desire to punish the people, but He is also a righteous judge. He will not clear the guilty, so He will bring about wrath and punishment upon those who are guilty. This is very clear about our God; there is no shadow or variation.

of turning with God. He's not a respecter of persons; He will judge the guilty and show good and blessing to the righteous. Now, it doesn't mean that we need to try and do what we can, like the Pharisees of Jesus' day, to make ourselves righteous. We can't do that. He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might receive His righteousness. The only way that we can stand before God and not be judged on the day of Christ Jesus is if we're clothed in the righteousness of Christ, the one who took our sin upon Himself and had it judged there on the cross.

So, it's not our own righteousness whereby we've been saved; it's the righteousness of Christ. However, there are those who refuse to receive His righteousness. The Scriptures tell us that they abide under the judgment of God, and it is God's righteous judgment that will be poured out upon them. No one will be able to say on that day, "That's not fair, what you're doing, God." Neither will anybody shed a tear at that point in time for those that are judged because we will recognize that this is God's righteous judgment being poured out.

But God does not desire to pour out His judgment upon sinful man. It's not something that God looks forward to, as if to say, "Oh, I can't wait to consume those people down there." Sometimes we think like that because that's the way our flesh is, isn't it? Someone cuts us off on the freeway, and we might think, "Oh, I would love to just tear them limb from limb." We read David's passionate prayers in the Psalms, where he says, "Just crush their teeth in their mouth." That's the flesh of man, isn't it? But the wrath of man does not accomplish the righteousness of God. It doesn't.

We do see that God does not want to punish, but He will. He will not withhold punishment from those who have sinned, those who are walking in sin and rebellion towards God. He says there, "And repenteth him of the evil." Who knows, verse 14, if He will return and repent and leave a blessing behind Him? The word "repent" in verse 14 should probably be translated as "relent." Who knows if He will return and relent, if He won't pour out His judgment?

So here, in the midst of this verse, as Joel is speaking to these people, he says, "Look at the current events. Look at what's going on around us." This whole event of the locusts coming, then a drought, and then the fires going through—this is the day of the Lord. God is intervening. God is doing something in our day because we've turned from Him. He says that if we don't turn to Him, then He is going to continue to come.

His judgment upon us is more severe. The next thing that is coming, he prophetically speaks, is an army from the north that is going to destroy us if we don't turn to Him. However, if we turn to Him with all of our hearts, with weeping, fasting, and mourning, and we rend our hearts and not our garments, perhaps He will relent. Perhaps He will stay His hand and leave a blessing behind Him.

There is the graciousness of God. Here we are, those who deserve punishment. We deserve God's punishment. We've all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But as we turn to Him with our whole hearts, He graciously gives us a blessing. He gives us His mercy, and He does not give us what we deserve. He goes a step further and gives us His grace. Perhaps He will give us a blessing. Notice what He says: even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord. Perhaps He'll leave such a blessing that we will have such great abundance that we can again bring back to Him the fruit of the land. We can bring back to Him what He has given to us.

So, follow the picture of what's going on in this book. There is a current event, a devastating judgment that comes upon them. As a result of that, Joel, a man who understood the times and knew what Israel should do, looks and says to the people, "This is what we've got to do. We've got to turn to God." If we turn to Him with our whole hearts, He is going to hear from heaven. As 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, "If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, then I, God says, will hear from heaven and I will heal their land."

Here, the prophet says, "Perhaps God will hear, and perhaps He'll leave us a blessing." Well, God already promised that if we turn to Him, humble ourselves, and repent, He will hear. He will hear the prayer that we offer in this place there in Jerusalem, and He will heal our land.

We see what we should do: turn to God. We see why we should do it: because He is gracious. And we see what will come if we turn to God: a blessing and not a curse. In chapter 2, verse 18, the prophet speaks about the promised defense. If you turn to the Lord, then He will defend you. From verses 18 to 20, he speaks about this promise.

What God will do for His people if they turn to Him is profound. Right now, at this point, because of their wickedness, God was against them. However, God says, if you turn to Me with your whole heart, not only will I not be against you, but I will defend you and protect you as My people.

Then, He goes a step further in verses 21 through 27, where God says, "I will restore you." When we receive these promises from the Lord, we need to stand upon them. The result of the promise, as stated in verses 21 and 22, is that we can stand without fear. Notice what He says: "Fear not, O land. Be glad and rejoice, for the Lord will do great things. Be not afraid." As a result of the promise of God, we can stand without fear.

Additionally, we can rejoice and be glad, as mentioned in verse 21. In verse 23, He says, "Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God, for He has given you the former rain moderately, and He will also cause to come down for you the latter rain, the former rain and the latter rain in the first month." As we stand upon the promises of God, we can stand without fear. Furthermore, we will experience joy and gladness.

In verses 26 and 27, we see what else we receive: "And you shall eat in plenty and be satisfied." We will be satisfied when we stand in the Lord and the promises He has given to us. "And you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you." He dwells in the presence of His people as they praise Him.

At the end of verse 26 and the beginning of verse 27, it states, "And My people shall never be ashamed." As we stand upon the promises of God, we stand without fear, with joy and rejoicing. We stand as those who are not ashamed and as those who are satisfied in our Lord.

This was the call of Joel. He says, "Listen, turn. Rend your hearts, not your garments. Turn completely to the Lord, and He will come. He'll defend you, restore your land, and bring an end to the drought." In verse 23, He tells them that He will bring the early and the latter rains in the first month. He also promises to give them an abundant harvest.

In verse 24, it is written, "The floor shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and with oil." He tells them that He is going to bring about a total restoration in verse 25. Look at what He says: "And I will restore to you the years that the locusts have eaten, the canker worm, the caterpillar, and the palmer worm, My great army, which I have sent among you." God speaks to His people and says, "I am the one who sent the locusts to you, but if you turn to Me, I will fully restore."

So God will bring about the end of drought. He will bring about an abundant harvest and a total restoration. He satisfies with fullness in verse 26 and provides the assurance of His presence in verse 27, where we read, "And you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel and that I am the Lord, your God."

These are the wonderful things that we receive from God as we turn to Him in repentance. We do not turn to God in repentance because He threatens punishment, although He will punish the wicked. We turn to God because He says, "I am gracious. I am merciful. I am slow to anger. I have great kindness, and I do not want to punish. If you turn to Me, then I will completely restore."

You will stand not ashamed; you will stand with joy and gladness, praising the Lord. You will be satisfied and have an abundant harvest of fruit within your life. You will have the assurance of His presence, and you will know that He is in the midst of you. These are the wonderful things that God promises to His people.

Then He gives us another great promise, a future prophetic vision that the prophet Joel speaks of in verse 28. This passage is likely familiar to you because it is quoted by Peter on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2. It shall come to pass afterward, after these things, after the return and restoration that God was speaking of. He says, "It shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh." Circle the word "all" in your Bibles because it is very important in this passage.

"I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh." As a result of this pouring out, your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. I will also pour out My Spirit upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days.

A promise of the coming latter rain is not just about a mere physical reign; it speaks of the coming of the Holy Spirit. After the restoration that was mentioned, the restoration from the invasion of locusts, God would pour out His Spirit. He would bring a blessing upon the people.

Notice first the origin or the source of this blessing. Who is the one that is going to pour it out? What does it say in verse 28? "It shall come to pass afterwards that I will pour out." So, the origin of this blessing is from God. Where does this blessing come from? It comes out of His Spirit.

I will pour out My Spirit. Notice the focus of this blessing that is going to come: upon all flesh. It is not just upon one group of people or a small remnant. God says, "I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh." This is not just speaking about the Jews or even those in Judah who had the temple. God says, "I’m going to pour out on all flesh."

He also tells us what the result of this blessing will be. The result is that your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. So, the source of the blessing is God. The way through which the blessing is going to come is His Spirit. Upon whom? All flesh. And the result? Prophecy, dreams, and visions shall come.

At the end of verse 29, He closes that section by saying, "In those days I will pour out My Spirit." He begins the section in verse 28 with, "I will pour out My Spirit," and he ends the section like another bookend in verse 29 with, "I will pour out My Spirit."

Then, he goes into the next thing that is going to come after God pours out His Spirit upon all flesh in these last days. "I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord."

The day of the Lord is a time when God deals with man and intervenes in creation here on earth. There are many times in Scripture that are spoken of as the day of the Lord, such as the locusts coming in and invading Judah.

And Jerusalem was a picture of the Day of the Lord, with Him intervening. This great army that was going to come if they would not repent represented the Day of the Lord. However, there is another great and terrible Day of the Lord, which comes with certain heavenly signs. The signs include blood and fire, pillars of smoke, the sun being darkened, and the moon turning to blood. This is what we call a prophetic landmark.

You can see this in many places in Scripture, including Isaiah, Jeremiah, and here in Joel. We will also see it in other passages in the minor prophets. Jesus speaks about it in Matthew chapter 24. The discourse in Matthew chapter 24 is called the Olivet Discourse because it took place on the Mount of Olives. The reason for the Olivet Discourse was that Jesus was asked a few questions by His disciples.

As Jesus was leaving the temple in Matthew chapter 23, His disciples came to Him and said, "Look at how great this temple is. It's beautiful." Jesus replied, "Not one stone is going to be left upon another. All are going to be cast down." After He left, I have a feeling that His disciples stood there in disbelief. They followed Him up to the Mount of Olives and asked, "When shall these things be?" They had two more questions: "What shall be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?"

The disciples wrongly assumed that the destruction of the temple meant the end of the world. To the Jew, that is what it did mean, but they were two separate events. Jesus answers the questions in Matthew chapter 24 regarding the signs of His coming and the end of the age. At the very end of that passage, He mentions the same things that Joel speaks of here: the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall turn to blood before the great and terrible Day of the Lord. This is the day when God pours out His wrath and judgment on a Christ-rejecting and sinful world. That day is yet to come, and when it arrives, there will be certain signs accompanying it.

These signs are spoken of here and serve as landmarks that point to that day. We will discuss this in detail on May 14th, focusing on the different signs that lead up to it, as Scripture clearly outlines what those signs are. We should not be ignorant of these things. Jesus told us that we need to pay attention to current events.

Just like Joel, take note of the current events that are going on around you and know what the Lord is saying. Realize what's happening; it has prophetic implications about what God is doing in our time. He is intervening. The day of the Lord is coming. The great and terrible day of the Lord is approaching. I would submit to you that September 11, 2001, was a day of the Lord, but it wasn't the great and terrible day of the Lord. That day is coming.

The scripture tells us that it is like birth pains. Those of you who have had children know that these birth pains come closer together and become more intense before the birth occurs. We are seeing that the signs of the times are closer together and more intense until the end, until we see the actual signs of the sun being darkened and the moon being turned to blood. They shall come. It is after this period of time that God pours out His Spirit upon all flesh. God has promised us that He will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh, and that will be a great time of evangelism.

He told His disciples in Acts chapter 1, verse 8, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost part." We are living during a time, a period in history where God says this is the time for the preaching of the gospel.

We need to turn to Matthew chapter 24 to look at this quickly. I don't know if you noticed, but I am excited about these things, and you should be too. Focus in on verse 14 of Matthew chapter 24. "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."

Now, by whose power do we preach the gospel? By the power of the Holy Spirit. Joel prophesied that God would pour out His Spirit upon all flesh and that there would be prophecy, dreams, and visions, but it would be to equip and enable the people of God to witness of God. Then, at the end of Joel chapter 2, verse 29, he concludes that period of time by saying God will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh. He then talks about the signs that shall come. Thus, this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world.

For a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come. I'm going to leave you hanging there until the 14th of May.

But back to Joel. We are living during this period of time, and the example of Joel holds true for you and me. He looked at the invasion of locusts that took place in his day and recognized that God was speaking through the current events. God still works like He did in the Old Testament. He spoke in the Old Testament, and He still speaks today.

If you go to lineuponline.com, the website where we are keeping all these audio messages, you'll see one of the things we put up there: God is still speaking. Are we listening? God is speaking in our day. Are we listening to what He is saying? There are great cataclysmic events happening in our time, and through them, God is saying, "Wake up."

What is the call that He gives to His people to share with the world when these events happen? Turn to God with all of your heart, because if you do, we see the result in chapter 2. God will pour out a blessing instead of a curse if you turn to Him with all of your heart. If you don't, you will abide under the wrath of God. There is a coming day of wrath.

In 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, verse 9 tells us that we are not appointed to God's wrath. Praise God! We should thank the Lord that we are not appointed to that wrath. However, there is a great, dreadful, and terrible day of the Lord coming. There are signs that lead up to it and signs that occur while it is happening.

There have been times in history when people said, "This is the great and terrible day of the Lord." Some people claim it happened in A.D. 70. Well, I'm sorry, but the moon was not turned to blood, the sun was not darkened, and there were not the signs of the day of the Lord at that point in time.

What does it mean that the moon is turned to blood and the sun is darkened? I don't know at all. I can't even begin to tell you. I really believe, though, it is an earthly perspective of what God is doing. It's not a scientific explanation for what is going on; it's an earthly perspective of what man sees.

Unless those days were shortened, there should no flesh be saved. What does it mean unless those days be shortened? Listen, to this point, as we look at a biblical worldview, there has been about 10,000 years of human history—10,000 years. The day of the wrath...

The wrath of God will only be a three-and-a-half-year period, the great and terrible day of the Lord. When you break it down, the wrath of God is really going to be poured out in whole in one cataclysmic event in the Valley of Megiddo, Armageddon, there at the last day. After 10,000 years of human history, with man rebelling against God, He pours out His wrath for a very short period of time. God is gracious. He is a good God. This book reveals these things to you and me so that we would be ready and call upon the Lord.

Notice what happens here. These heavenly signs come, and this great and terrible day of the Lord arrives. In verse 31, we see the significance of this event, but notice what we read in verse 32: "And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered, shall be saved." There will still be salvation for those who call upon the name of the Lord at that time before His wrath is poured out. For in the Mount of Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord has said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call, there will still be a remnant that God will deal with.

We know from the book of Revelation that there shall be 144,000 from the Jewish remnant who shall come. God will still be saving; He will still be doing great works of mercy, kindness, and love during that point in time. However, He is also going to pour out His wrath. Joel chapter 3 tells us in verses 1-3 that God is going to work a work once again with the people of Israel. He still has a plan for the children of Israel. Paul tells us the same thing in Romans chapter 11. Do not be ignorant of this, church: God is not done with the children of Israel.

I believe when the scripture tells us that, God is speaking about those who are the remnant of Israel because Romans 9 tells us not all Israel are Israel. It's a wordplay because Israel means "governed of God." Paul says not all those who are born of Abraham are truly governed of God. But God is not finished with them. Verses 1-3 of chapter 3 tell us that God still has a plan for Israel. Verses 4-8 indicate that God is going to judge those who mistreated Israel. He will judge that group of people who mistreat Israel.

We also see in chapter 3, verses 9-14, that the nations will be addressed.

We are going to gather together for this great war in the Valley of Megiddo. It's going to take place in the Jezreel Valley, known as Armageddon. Verses 9-14 speak about this great gathering of the nations. In verse 14, we read, "Multitudes, multitudes in the Valley of Decision. The day of the Lord is near in the Valley of Decision." Notice again the prophetic landmark: the sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The Lord shall roar out of Zion and utter His voice from Jerusalem. The heavens and the earth shall be shaken, but the Lord will be the hope of His people and the strength of the children of Israel.

As we combine other scriptures from the Bible that point to this day of the Lord, we see that when the sun is dark and the moon is turned to blood, the heavens will shake. What that means, I don't know. Earthquakes are scary, but the heavens quaking is even scarier. God will utter His voice, and He is going to destroy the armies that gather against Him with the word that goes forth from His mouth.

Multitudes, multitudes in the Valley of Decision, as verses 14 through 17 speak about Armageddon. Then, in verses 18 through 21, the concluding portion of the book of Joel deals with the blessing that God will pour out upon the righteous. Remember, the righteous are those who are in Christ. God will pour out a blessing upon the righteous, but He will bring desolation and destruction upon the wicked in verses 18 through 21.

We know that this day is coming when God will separate the sheep from the goats. He will place on the right hand those who know Him and follow Him, and on the left, those who will be cast into the lake that burns with fire. The scripture is very clear about these things, and they are coming to pass. Just as Joel spoke 2,800 years ago, he said that these things would come to pass, and we are witnessing them unfold.

However, you and I are still living during this time when the gospel is being preached in all the world for a witness. We are living in a time when the Holy Spirit is still being poured out, equipping and empowering us to go out and preach the word. What is the word that we bring? Look at the world around you. Recognize what current events are saying to us: that God is on the move and that God is doing a work.

In light of these things, we say to the people, "Turn to God with all of your heart, with weeping, with mourning, with fasting. Rend your hearts and not your garments." Because God is gracious.

And merciful. If you turn to Him, although you've rebelled against Him, He will leave a blessing and not a curse. This is what God is doing. Amen?

Let's stand and pray. God, we do thank You that You have revealed to us what You are doing in these last days. The prophetic passages of the Bible, Lord, are the divine fingerprint that tells us this is of You.

Lord, help us to look around and see what You are doing and to be bold in preaching the Word. We need to be instant in season and out of season, to convince, rebuke, and exhort with all longsuffering and teaching. God, may we be those who are calling to our friends and family, who currently are abiding under the wrath that is to come. We will call to them and say, "Rend your heart and not your garment," because God is gracious. He doesn't want to punish you, but He will.

Lord, give us boldness as we prepare to go from here tonight, for we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.