Joel God's Prophet Of Judgment
Book of Joel Chapters 2 and 3
Joel was a prophet to Judah of the Southern Kingdom and was one of the earliest of the writing prophets.
The name Joel means "Jehovah is God".
Again nothing much is known about this prophet except that he lived in Jerusalem and his father's name was Pethuel. The name Pethuel means "mouth of God".
In other words Our Heavenly Father was also claimed by Joel, just as all those that know the Lord as our Heavenly Father.
Joel's message speaks much of the soon coming "Day of the Lord" and with that, God's judgment of all the nations that have rejected the Scriptures.
We know that the Book of Joel was recognized as the actual Word of God by the Apostle Peter when he quoted from the Book of Joel in his sermon on the Day of Pentecost just a few days after the Lord Jesus had returned to His throne in Heaven.
Peter said:
Act 2:16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
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:
Act 2:19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
Act 2:20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
Act 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Peter believed he was living in a part of fulfilled prophesy in that same day when 3000 people came to know the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior.
We are wrong if we do not have the same faith that Peter had!
The Holy Spirit was poured out on the Church that day and the New Testament Church had it's beginning.
That phrase "the Day of the Lord" can be found 31 times in the Scriptures and there are even more references to this soon coming day, because we are closer than we have ever been to the Day of the Lord!
It is on this day that all sinners will be destroyed!
Isa 13:9 Behold, "the day of the LORD cometh", cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
The Message of Joel:
*****Joe 2:12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
Up until this point in the Book of Joel, he has described a terrible plague of locusts that had come into Judah.
An invasion of locusts is one of the heaviest calamities that can befall any nation.
The Jews said these pests could not be numbered.
The Arabs said there were so many that they could darken the Sun and locusts do not fly at night.
The Italians called them "the little horse".
God said the locusts have no king but they could move as being directed by a supreme leader.
Pro 30:27 The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;
And Joel says when they die their decaying bodies caused a stench that could taint the air for miles.
Joe 2:20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.
The result of such a plague of locusts is total devastation to the land!
Deu 28:42 All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.
And Joel says the on "the Day of the Lord" the circumstances will be the same. The land will be devastated and the armies that come against Israel will lay on the ground and their bodies will stench up the air.
Isa 66:23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.
Isa 66:24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
Our verse says the only way to avoid this "Day of the Lord" is to repent!
The most important word in this verse is "turn"!
True repentance consists of the "immediate" turning away from the things of this world and then a complete "turn" toward the face of God!
We should always seek the face of the Lord before we ever seek the arm of the Lord!
This turning must include a "sincere" deep "sorrow" for sin and that sorrow must come from "within" the heart!
Fasting in this verse is abstaining from the things of this world and seeking the nourishment of God.
God has provided a complete nourishment in the completed Word of God!
Weeping in this verse is the inward conversion of the heart after reviewing the sins of the past and to hate and forsake them!
Mourning here is the confessing of our faults knowing, no one on this Earth can repair that feeling of loneliness!
That repair can only come from above!
And must include the heart:
*****Joe 2:13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
The Jews would rip their garments into pieces as a sign of remorse but God says it will take more than an outward show of remorse, it must be an inward thing.
Psa 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
God will not accept anything less than these all things in true repentance!
True repentance of sin requires a deeper grief, because we must learn to hate sin while maintaining a love for the sinner!
These are the only things that will cause God to repent of the evil that is in store for each unrepentant sinner!
God hates to do evil but He must fulfill the Word of God as it is written!
Even Jonah knew this to be true of the Lord!
Jon 4:2 And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.
We must never forget the wages of sin are still "DEATH"!
True repentance of Sin, brings "LIFE" but only by Jesus Christ!
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
*****Joe 2:14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?
In this day of Joel, God had visited His people and had left behind the curse of the locusts but upon repentance when the Lord returns, God will leave behind a blessing!
Those locust had devastated the land. These Jews were required by the Laws of Moses to offer up a meat offering to the Lord but that was now impossible.
Lev 2:1 And when any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:
These Jews were to offer up a drink offering to the Lord which was also now impossible because of those same locusts.
Lev 23:37 These are the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day:
In that day there was no forgiveness of sin unless these offerings were made and unless they repented of their sins only then would God change a curse into a blessing. They could never be forgiven without such an offering and they clearly understood the outcome of these things.
Every individual sinner must realize these same things!
God simply says "I tell you these things that you may know" the truth!
1Jn 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
1Jn 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
1Jn 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; "that ye may know" that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
It is true repentance that restores our relationship with the Lord!
*****Joe 2:18 Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people.
Joe 2:19 Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:
What is he truth of Scripture?
Once God sees true repentance, then and only then, will God be jealous for His land and pity His people!
This is the change in God that repentance brings!
This is best described as "Mercy".
Mercy is best described as compassion for the miserable!
We are all miserable sinners, each and everyone!
In Christ Jesus "Mercy" and "Truth" come together in the only means of salvation for a lost and miserable people!
Jesus teaches us all to be compassionate and show mercy to all others as He has done to those that repent!
Mat 18:33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
We need to clearly understand that God has deep and strong emotions for those that place their trust and their faith in Him!
God becomes a Father to all those that call on His name and He will provide all the things we need and most important, protect us from the coming destruction of this world!
Repentance may not bring healing from the pain of sin.
Repentance may not erase the sad memories of our past.
Repentance may not restore the things we lost in our sinful life.
Repentance "does" restore us to a position of peace with the only One who can do all these things if He so chooses!
And it is God Himself who will take vengeance on all our enemies!
All these things are true for all those that repent and call on the name of the Lord!
*****Joe 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
This prophesy of Joel spans the years this prophesy and was revealed on through the Church Age and on through the Second Coming of the Lord when He will also save that remnant of the Jews!
Paul wrote:
Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
These words had not changed in the nearly 1000 years before Paul and these words will hold true until the return of Christ Jesus!
A call on the Messiah is a call on our Father in Heaven!
Deliverance is a release from captivity!
Deliverance is a release from the slavery to Satan!
Deliverance is a release from the oppression of a sinful life!
Deliverance is a release from the bondage of sin!
Jesus said of His first mission:
Luk 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luk 4:19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
We can see that by the Holy Spirit, it can only be Jesus Christ who can fulfill the prophesy of Joel!
After explaining the means of salvation Joel then takes us to the judgment on the nations and the foolish people who reject the Word of God.
*****Joe 3:2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
The land promised to Abraham, from the Nile River to the Euphrates River has been "parted" by many nations in the more than 4000 years since Abraham.
In 1948 just part of this land was divided between Israel and Jordan by the United Nations.
In fact this passage could be read that God will judge those United Nations, who have done such a thing, all the way back to the Roman league of nations and on through those of Nebuchadnezzar.
All nations, each and everyone, that are united against the nation of Israel will be judged by the Lord!
The name Jehoshaphat means "whom Jehovah judges" and with this meaning this could simply mean the place of God's final judgment on all the foes of Israel!
Isaiah writes these things:
Isa 66:5 Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.
Isa 66:6 A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that rendereth recompence to his enemies.
God says He will just speak and it will happen, much like the first week of creation!
Zechariah writes these things:
Zec 14:1 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
Zec 14:2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
Zec 14:3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
And the Apostle John wrote these things:
Rev 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
Rev 19:12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
Rev 19:13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
Rev 19:14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
Rev 19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
Rev 19:16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
These words are the truth as much as all the Word of God is true!
God will certainly judge all nations that have caused harm to Israel along with all those that reject the truth of the Word of God!
It is this battle that the Lord will end with the "Sword Of His Mouth" that will usher in the 1000 year Millennial Rule of the Lord.
Rev 20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Even King Jehoshaphat knew this truth:
2Ch 20:20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; "Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper".
2Ch 20:21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.
It should also be noted that this judgment is two-fold, those nations that have treated Israel poorly will see the wrath of God but those nations that have treated Israel good will earn God's blessing and be a part of the Millennial Kingdom!
*****Joe 3:11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD.
Joe 3:12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.
It should be very clear to this world that there is coming a judgment!
Because God is holy, He must judge all that is unholy or He would no longer be holy!
Judgment is a necessary expression of God's character!
BUT, God's judgment will be fair and according to the truth of Scripture!
Rom 2:2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
Notice God will judge all the heathen!
We have already established that the heathen are all those that reject the Word of God!
At this time God will judge all the nations from all parts of the Earth and not just the nations that surround Israel!
Zec 12:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Mal 4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
Mal 4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
Mal 4:3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.
And though they hate His name, it is the Lord Jesus Christ who will cause this judgment to take place!
Joh 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
Joh 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
Mat 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
These things were not written to be a threat. These things are simply the truth of the Word of God and not some fable from some old book that is rejected by most of this world!
*****Joe 3:13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.
When the judgment of God comes to this Earth it will be because wickedness has reached the point of it's maturity.
An example is given in the Book of Genesis:
Gen 15:14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
Gen 15:15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.
Gen 15:16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.
And the Amorites no longer exist!
It may surprise many to know but there have been at least 7 nations in the last 100 years that no longer exist as a nation!
We know from the Book of Revelation, that the world in the end times will be spiritually and physically as wicked Babylon!
Jeremiah prophesied of the end times:
Jer 51:33 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; The daughter of Babylon is like a threshingfloor, it is time to thresh her: yet a little while, and the time of her harvest shall come.
And the Apostle John wrote of this day:
Rev 14:18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
Rev 14:19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
Rev 14:20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
God will have extended every opportunity for our world to change but the world will continue to hate the Lord and hate the the New Testament Church.
Joh 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
Joh 15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
*****Joe 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
Sin will have caused the conversion all the instruments of peace into implements of war on this day and most of the world will defy our holy Living God!
All evil will present itself ready for destruction, because sin will have reached the limit that God had placed upon it!
To become a Christian, a decision must be made before the end of our lifetime and the sooner the better!
Many will say they are just not ready to make that decision.
In fact the sadness and the gloom of our world are mainly due to the indecision of it's people!
Abortion continues, because even though most of the world deplores this thing they remain silent and so it continues.
The gay lifestyle continues because even though most of the world deplores such immorality they remain silent and undecided, so it continues.
This is true for most every other immoral act that continues in our world today!
The world simply will not speak out against sin but remains tolerant to sin, saying people have rights to sin.
The Word of God says this is not true!
AND, On the "day of the Lord" no one will emerge until they have made a decision right or wrong!
There will be no indecision from anyone living that day!
As each branch of theology matures during the Church Age, which will end at the Rapture which will take place before the "Day of the Lord" we must come to a decision with regard to Jesus Christ and for those who cannot, they will see the "Day of the Lord" where all decisions are final!
1) It is Jesus Christ who revealed God to this world!
2) It is Jesus Christ who removed all barriers to the throne room of God!
3) It is Jesus Christ who provides the only means of salvation!
The world must accept these truths to find their way out of the valley of decision!
*****Joe 3:15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.
The biggest conversation in our world today has changed from global warming to climate change and nations are beginning to bring lawsuits against other nations who they deem responsible for these things.
Our own President says climate change is our greatest foe in the years to come.
This evil world will find that on and even nearer to the "Day of the Lord" all of nature and all the agencies of our universe will aid in the defeat of all immoral evil and wickedness and that day is closer than it has ever been!
Isa 13:9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
Isa 13:10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
Isa 13:11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
*****Joe 3:16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
Jesus Christ the innocent Lamb of God, will be the mighty Lion of the tribe of Judah and will defiantly roar on this day!
He will be heard far and near and He will strike fear and terror into the hearts of all His enemies!
Jer 25:30 Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.
But those of the nation of Israel will not see terror but only hope!
Because God is a refuge to all those that trust in Him!
There are three things that a Christian has, that most of the world does not have.
1Co 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
Hope is an essential element of Christian life!
The little nation of Israel, on the "Day of the Lord" will realize this same hope that the Church has always had since the time of His resurrection!
Unbelievers live in a world of no hope and this is a very miserable place to be!
It is our hope that keeps us motivated to serve the Lord!
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Rom 5:3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
Rom 5:4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
Rom 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
And where there is hope there is strength!
*****Joe 3:17 So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.
The truth is that when Solomon dedicated the Temple in Jerusalem, the glory of the Lord came down and filled that building.
Mount Zion, where Jerusalem was built, belongs to God and no one on this planet can claim ownership of this place because it is God's!
Psa 87:2 The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
Psa 87:3 Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah.
When the Temple was destroyed, the Scriptures have said that the Temple will be restored and God's glory will return.
Psa 69:35 For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah: that they may dwell there, and have it in possession.
The Nation of Israel has since been restored to that land in 1948 and in 1967 Jerusalem once again came back into the hands of God's people!
Today the people of Israel battle daily just to walk on the Temple Mount but there is no Temple at this time, instead a mosque to a false god sits on the Temple Mount.
God has promised to restore Zion and to dwell there this time in all His glory!
Isa 51:3 For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.
As the Church we know this time as the reign of God during the Millennial Kingdom!
Isa 33:20 Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.
Isa 33:21 But there the glorious LORD will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.
Jer 31:6 For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the LORD our God.
Mic 4:1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.
Zec 1:16 Therefore thus saith the LORD; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the LORD of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.
Many claim these Scriptures refer to the physical city of Jerusalem.
Many claim these Scriptures refer to the spiritual city of New Jerusalem.
The fact is that is both!
The Lord will restore the physical city of Jerusalem and Mount Zion and the throne of David and rule in that place for 1000 years.
It is only after this 1000 years that the New Jerusalem will be occupied by all the children of God!
Jerusalem is called the Holy City many times in the Bible and the word Holy means that Jerusalem belongs to God!
Isa 4:3 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:
Isa 4:4 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.
It is only after this time that things become Spiritual!
*****Joe 3:20 But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.
The lessons from the Book of Joel are these:
1) There will be a time of judgment for this world and it is best known as "The Day Of The Lord"!
The calls for repentance will be over, at least temporarily, and retribution will commence!
2) As Peter stated along with Joel, God is very patient with a disobedient world because His "Mercy Endureth Forever".
3) God's blessings of the Holy Spirit. These blessings are for all people, in all ages. God may have selected one nation as a peculiar people to bring forth His message but "Whosoever Calleth On The Name Of The Lord Shall Be Saved"!
4) God's people will have the final victory! "We Are On The Winning Side"!
It may seem that evil is going to triumph and Jerusalem is trodden down, but the promises of God are sure and a remnant of the Jews will eventually accept the Messiah for who He is!
Until that Day Of The Lord, it is the Church that is God's tool of salvation and we must not remain lax in the work God has given us to do!
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:
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
Questions?
Let's Pray!
Book of Joel Chapters 2 and 3
Joel was a prophet to Judah of the Southern Kingdom and was one of the earliest of the writing prophets.
The name Joel means "Jehovah is God".
Again nothing much is known about this prophet except that he lived in Jerusalem and his father's name was Pethuel. The name Pethuel means "mouth of God".
In other words Our Heavenly Father was also claimed by Joel, just as all those that know the Lord as our Heavenly Father.
Joel's message speaks much of the soon coming "Day of the Lord" and with that, God's judgment of all the nations that have rejected the Scriptures.
We know that the Book of Joel was recognized as the actual Word of God by the Apostle Peter when he quoted from the Book of Joel in his sermon on the Day of Pentecost just a few days after the Lord Jesus had returned to His throne in Heaven.
Peter said:
Act 2:16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
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:
Act 2:19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
Act 2:20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
Act 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Peter believed he was living in a part of fulfilled prophesy in that same day when 3000 people came to know the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior.
We are wrong if we do not have the same faith that Peter had!
The Holy Spirit was poured out on the Church that day and the New Testament Church had it's beginning.
That phrase "the Day of the Lord" can be found 31 times in the Scriptures and there are even more references to this soon coming day, because we are closer than we have ever been to the Day of the Lord!
It is on this day that all sinners will be destroyed!
Isa 13:9 Behold, "the day of the LORD cometh", cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
The Message of Joel:
*****Joe 2:12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
Up until this point in the Book of Joel, he has described a terrible plague of locusts that had come into Judah.
An invasion of locusts is one of the heaviest calamities that can befall any nation.
The Jews said these pests could not be numbered.
The Arabs said there were so many that they could darken the Sun and locusts do not fly at night.
The Italians called them "the little horse".
God said the locusts have no king but they could move as being directed by a supreme leader.
Pro 30:27 The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;
And Joel says when they die their decaying bodies caused a stench that could taint the air for miles.
Joe 2:20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.
The result of such a plague of locusts is total devastation to the land!
Deu 28:42 All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.
And Joel says the on "the Day of the Lord" the circumstances will be the same. The land will be devastated and the armies that come against Israel will lay on the ground and their bodies will stench up the air.
Isa 66:23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.
Isa 66:24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
Our verse says the only way to avoid this "Day of the Lord" is to repent!
The most important word in this verse is "turn"!
True repentance consists of the "immediate" turning away from the things of this world and then a complete "turn" toward the face of God!
We should always seek the face of the Lord before we ever seek the arm of the Lord!
This turning must include a "sincere" deep "sorrow" for sin and that sorrow must come from "within" the heart!
Fasting in this verse is abstaining from the things of this world and seeking the nourishment of God.
God has provided a complete nourishment in the completed Word of God!
Weeping in this verse is the inward conversion of the heart after reviewing the sins of the past and to hate and forsake them!
Mourning here is the confessing of our faults knowing, no one on this Earth can repair that feeling of loneliness!
That repair can only come from above!
And must include the heart:
*****Joe 2:13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
The Jews would rip their garments into pieces as a sign of remorse but God says it will take more than an outward show of remorse, it must be an inward thing.
Psa 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
God will not accept anything less than these all things in true repentance!
True repentance of sin requires a deeper grief, because we must learn to hate sin while maintaining a love for the sinner!
These are the only things that will cause God to repent of the evil that is in store for each unrepentant sinner!
God hates to do evil but He must fulfill the Word of God as it is written!
Even Jonah knew this to be true of the Lord!
Jon 4:2 And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.
We must never forget the wages of sin are still "DEATH"!
True repentance of Sin, brings "LIFE" but only by Jesus Christ!
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
*****Joe 2:14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?
In this day of Joel, God had visited His people and had left behind the curse of the locusts but upon repentance when the Lord returns, God will leave behind a blessing!
Those locust had devastated the land. These Jews were required by the Laws of Moses to offer up a meat offering to the Lord but that was now impossible.
Lev 2:1 And when any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:
These Jews were to offer up a drink offering to the Lord which was also now impossible because of those same locusts.
Lev 23:37 These are the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day:
In that day there was no forgiveness of sin unless these offerings were made and unless they repented of their sins only then would God change a curse into a blessing. They could never be forgiven without such an offering and they clearly understood the outcome of these things.
Every individual sinner must realize these same things!
God simply says "I tell you these things that you may know" the truth!
1Jn 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
1Jn 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
1Jn 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; "that ye may know" that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
It is true repentance that restores our relationship with the Lord!
*****Joe 2:18 Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people.
Joe 2:19 Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:
What is he truth of Scripture?
Once God sees true repentance, then and only then, will God be jealous for His land and pity His people!
This is the change in God that repentance brings!
This is best described as "Mercy".
Mercy is best described as compassion for the miserable!
We are all miserable sinners, each and everyone!
In Christ Jesus "Mercy" and "Truth" come together in the only means of salvation for a lost and miserable people!
Jesus teaches us all to be compassionate and show mercy to all others as He has done to those that repent!
Mat 18:33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
We need to clearly understand that God has deep and strong emotions for those that place their trust and their faith in Him!
God becomes a Father to all those that call on His name and He will provide all the things we need and most important, protect us from the coming destruction of this world!
Repentance may not bring healing from the pain of sin.
Repentance may not erase the sad memories of our past.
Repentance may not restore the things we lost in our sinful life.
Repentance "does" restore us to a position of peace with the only One who can do all these things if He so chooses!
And it is God Himself who will take vengeance on all our enemies!
All these things are true for all those that repent and call on the name of the Lord!
*****Joe 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
This prophesy of Joel spans the years this prophesy and was revealed on through the Church Age and on through the Second Coming of the Lord when He will also save that remnant of the Jews!
Paul wrote:
Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
These words had not changed in the nearly 1000 years before Paul and these words will hold true until the return of Christ Jesus!
A call on the Messiah is a call on our Father in Heaven!
Deliverance is a release from captivity!
Deliverance is a release from the slavery to Satan!
Deliverance is a release from the oppression of a sinful life!
Deliverance is a release from the bondage of sin!
Jesus said of His first mission:
Luk 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luk 4:19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
We can see that by the Holy Spirit, it can only be Jesus Christ who can fulfill the prophesy of Joel!
After explaining the means of salvation Joel then takes us to the judgment on the nations and the foolish people who reject the Word of God.
*****Joe 3:2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
The land promised to Abraham, from the Nile River to the Euphrates River has been "parted" by many nations in the more than 4000 years since Abraham.
In 1948 just part of this land was divided between Israel and Jordan by the United Nations.
In fact this passage could be read that God will judge those United Nations, who have done such a thing, all the way back to the Roman league of nations and on through those of Nebuchadnezzar.
All nations, each and everyone, that are united against the nation of Israel will be judged by the Lord!
The name Jehoshaphat means "whom Jehovah judges" and with this meaning this could simply mean the place of God's final judgment on all the foes of Israel!
Isaiah writes these things:
Isa 66:5 Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.
Isa 66:6 A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that rendereth recompence to his enemies.
God says He will just speak and it will happen, much like the first week of creation!
Zechariah writes these things:
Zec 14:1 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
Zec 14:2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
Zec 14:3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
And the Apostle John wrote these things:
Rev 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
Rev 19:12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
Rev 19:13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
Rev 19:14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
Rev 19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
Rev 19:16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
These words are the truth as much as all the Word of God is true!
God will certainly judge all nations that have caused harm to Israel along with all those that reject the truth of the Word of God!
It is this battle that the Lord will end with the "Sword Of His Mouth" that will usher in the 1000 year Millennial Rule of the Lord.
Rev 20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Even King Jehoshaphat knew this truth:
2Ch 20:20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; "Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper".
2Ch 20:21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.
It should also be noted that this judgment is two-fold, those nations that have treated Israel poorly will see the wrath of God but those nations that have treated Israel good will earn God's blessing and be a part of the Millennial Kingdom!
*****Joe 3:11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD.
Joe 3:12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.
It should be very clear to this world that there is coming a judgment!
Because God is holy, He must judge all that is unholy or He would no longer be holy!
Judgment is a necessary expression of God's character!
BUT, God's judgment will be fair and according to the truth of Scripture!
Rom 2:2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
Notice God will judge all the heathen!
We have already established that the heathen are all those that reject the Word of God!
At this time God will judge all the nations from all parts of the Earth and not just the nations that surround Israel!
Zec 12:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Mal 4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
Mal 4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
Mal 4:3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.
And though they hate His name, it is the Lord Jesus Christ who will cause this judgment to take place!
Joh 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
Joh 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
Mat 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
These things were not written to be a threat. These things are simply the truth of the Word of God and not some fable from some old book that is rejected by most of this world!
*****Joe 3:13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.
When the judgment of God comes to this Earth it will be because wickedness has reached the point of it's maturity.
An example is given in the Book of Genesis:
Gen 15:14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
Gen 15:15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.
Gen 15:16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.
And the Amorites no longer exist!
It may surprise many to know but there have been at least 7 nations in the last 100 years that no longer exist as a nation!
We know from the Book of Revelation, that the world in the end times will be spiritually and physically as wicked Babylon!
Jeremiah prophesied of the end times:
Jer 51:33 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; The daughter of Babylon is like a threshingfloor, it is time to thresh her: yet a little while, and the time of her harvest shall come.
And the Apostle John wrote of this day:
Rev 14:18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
Rev 14:19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
Rev 14:20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
God will have extended every opportunity for our world to change but the world will continue to hate the Lord and hate the the New Testament Church.
Joh 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
Joh 15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
*****Joe 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
Sin will have caused the conversion all the instruments of peace into implements of war on this day and most of the world will defy our holy Living God!
All evil will present itself ready for destruction, because sin will have reached the limit that God had placed upon it!
To become a Christian, a decision must be made before the end of our lifetime and the sooner the better!
Many will say they are just not ready to make that decision.
In fact the sadness and the gloom of our world are mainly due to the indecision of it's people!
Abortion continues, because even though most of the world deplores this thing they remain silent and so it continues.
The gay lifestyle continues because even though most of the world deplores such immorality they remain silent and undecided, so it continues.
This is true for most every other immoral act that continues in our world today!
The world simply will not speak out against sin but remains tolerant to sin, saying people have rights to sin.
The Word of God says this is not true!
AND, On the "day of the Lord" no one will emerge until they have made a decision right or wrong!
There will be no indecision from anyone living that day!
As each branch of theology matures during the Church Age, which will end at the Rapture which will take place before the "Day of the Lord" we must come to a decision with regard to Jesus Christ and for those who cannot, they will see the "Day of the Lord" where all decisions are final!
1) It is Jesus Christ who revealed God to this world!
2) It is Jesus Christ who removed all barriers to the throne room of God!
3) It is Jesus Christ who provides the only means of salvation!
The world must accept these truths to find their way out of the valley of decision!
*****Joe 3:15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.
The biggest conversation in our world today has changed from global warming to climate change and nations are beginning to bring lawsuits against other nations who they deem responsible for these things.
Our own President says climate change is our greatest foe in the years to come.
This evil world will find that on and even nearer to the "Day of the Lord" all of nature and all the agencies of our universe will aid in the defeat of all immoral evil and wickedness and that day is closer than it has ever been!
Isa 13:9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
Isa 13:10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
Isa 13:11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
*****Joe 3:16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
Jesus Christ the innocent Lamb of God, will be the mighty Lion of the tribe of Judah and will defiantly roar on this day!
He will be heard far and near and He will strike fear and terror into the hearts of all His enemies!
Jer 25:30 Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.
But those of the nation of Israel will not see terror but only hope!
Because God is a refuge to all those that trust in Him!
There are three things that a Christian has, that most of the world does not have.
1Co 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
Hope is an essential element of Christian life!
The little nation of Israel, on the "Day of the Lord" will realize this same hope that the Church has always had since the time of His resurrection!
Unbelievers live in a world of no hope and this is a very miserable place to be!
It is our hope that keeps us motivated to serve the Lord!
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Rom 5:3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
Rom 5:4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
Rom 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
And where there is hope there is strength!
*****Joe 3:17 So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.
The truth is that when Solomon dedicated the Temple in Jerusalem, the glory of the Lord came down and filled that building.
Mount Zion, where Jerusalem was built, belongs to God and no one on this planet can claim ownership of this place because it is God's!
Psa 87:2 The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
Psa 87:3 Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah.
When the Temple was destroyed, the Scriptures have said that the Temple will be restored and God's glory will return.
Psa 69:35 For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah: that they may dwell there, and have it in possession.
The Nation of Israel has since been restored to that land in 1948 and in 1967 Jerusalem once again came back into the hands of God's people!
Today the people of Israel battle daily just to walk on the Temple Mount but there is no Temple at this time, instead a mosque to a false god sits on the Temple Mount.
God has promised to restore Zion and to dwell there this time in all His glory!
Isa 51:3 For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.
As the Church we know this time as the reign of God during the Millennial Kingdom!
Isa 33:20 Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.
Isa 33:21 But there the glorious LORD will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.
Jer 31:6 For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the LORD our God.
Mic 4:1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.
Zec 1:16 Therefore thus saith the LORD; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the LORD of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.
Many claim these Scriptures refer to the physical city of Jerusalem.
Many claim these Scriptures refer to the spiritual city of New Jerusalem.
The fact is that is both!
The Lord will restore the physical city of Jerusalem and Mount Zion and the throne of David and rule in that place for 1000 years.
It is only after this 1000 years that the New Jerusalem will be occupied by all the children of God!
Jerusalem is called the Holy City many times in the Bible and the word Holy means that Jerusalem belongs to God!
Isa 4:3 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:
Isa 4:4 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.
It is only after this time that things become Spiritual!
*****Joe 3:20 But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.
The lessons from the Book of Joel are these:
1) There will be a time of judgment for this world and it is best known as "The Day Of The Lord"!
The calls for repentance will be over, at least temporarily, and retribution will commence!
2) As Peter stated along with Joel, God is very patient with a disobedient world because His "Mercy Endureth Forever".
3) God's blessings of the Holy Spirit. These blessings are for all people, in all ages. God may have selected one nation as a peculiar people to bring forth His message but "Whosoever Calleth On The Name Of The Lord Shall Be Saved"!
4) God's people will have the final victory! "We Are On The Winning Side"!
It may seem that evil is going to triumph and Jerusalem is trodden down, but the promises of God are sure and a remnant of the Jews will eventually accept the Messiah for who He is!
Until that Day Of The Lord, it is the Church that is God's tool of salvation and we must not remain lax in the work God has given us to do!
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:
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
Questions?
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