Joel 2:1-11
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Joel 2:1-9 portrays Armageddon from the perspective of the Jewish believers
who will be alive at that future time. [1]
There are five specific narratives of Armageddon in Scripture. Each narrative
has a different emphasis. The five are:
1. The Apostle John in Revelation 16:12-16.
2. Daniel in Daniel 11:40-45.
3. Zechariah in Zechariah chapters 12 and 14, the entire chapters.
4. Joel 2:1-9, our passage.
5. Ezekiel 38 and 39, again the entire chapters.
Joel 2:1
"Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let
all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. It
is close at hand --"
The "trumpet", shofar, is a reference to the ram's horn that was
used in Israel to sound the alarm of coming invaders. Just as today we
utilize sirens and flashing lights. "Zion" is Jerusalem, and
specifically the western escarpment. "Holy hill" also refers
to Jerusalem, and is so used in Daniel 11:45. And "those who live
in the land" refers to the Jews in Israel and Judah. And the "day
of the Lord", as we have seen, designates here the Second Advent, that
day upon which our Lord returns to the earth and His feet touch the Mount
of Olives.
Joel 2:2
"A day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like
dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such
as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come."
Here is Joel's description of the Second Advent of our Lord. The day is
one of "darkness;" this term refers to the supernatural darkness
that will engulf the earth just before our Lord's return. "Gloominess"
refers to the utter hopelessness of the situation on that day: beset by
four powerful armies, the remnant of believing Jews stands and fights, but
they will lose without divine intervention. And "clouds" designates
the massive armies of the four invading power-seats of the future, North,
South, East and West; and is so used in Ezekiel 38:9,10, which says in verse
9, "You and all your troops and the many nations advancing with you
will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the
land."
The term "blackness" provides more detail and explanation about
the supernatural darkness of that "day." It is literally black;
this is a darkness in which there is no light at all; no stars, no moon,
no spotlights, no electrically produced light of any type, no reflective
light. This lightless darkness is also described in the following passages:
Isaiah 13:9,10; Zechariah 14:6,7; Ezekiel 32:7,8; Joel 2:10,11; Joel 3:15;
Amos 5:18; Matthew 24:29; Luke 21:25-27; and Revelation 6:12.
Amos 5:18 says, "Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord! Why
do you long for the day of the Lord? That day will be darkness, not light."
And Revelation 6:12 says, "I watched as he opened the sixth seal.
There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made
of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red."
The phrase "like dawn spreading across mountains" is interesting
and very descriptive. Just as the sun rises and quickly illuminates the
mountains, so will the invading armies engulf Palestine during the Tribulation.
But also just as the sun rises across the mountains it does not illuminate
every nook and cranny. There are some areas that remain in darkness because
of irregularities in topography. Just so the invading armies will miss
those believers hiding in the mountains (those that ran when the statue
went up in the Temple in the middle of the Tribulation) as they advance.
The darkness will protect the "remnant according to grace."
[2]
The "dawn," then, is the army of the King of the North during
the Tribulation; and his army is described as the largest and mightiest
in the history of the world. This acknowledgment of size and power projects
an aura of lethality beyond imagination.
Joel 2:3
"Before them fire devours, behind them a flame blazes. Before
them the land is like the garden of Eden, behind them, a desert waste --
nothing escapes them."
The "fire" is a picture of the invading armies (of the locusts;
of the Assyrians; of the King of the North) destroying everything as they
advance. And the analogy "like the Garden of Eden" describes
the Palestine area in the future Tribulation: it is prosperous and beautiful,
and this beauty is totally destroyed by the invasion of the King of the
North. He leaves behind a wasteland. And the final phrase of verse three,
"nothing escapes them," should read, literally, "and also
escape is not to them," [3] with "them" referring to the
invading armies. In other words, although their advance leaves complete
devastation behind them, this advancing army, as invincible as it appears
to be, will not escape the "day of the Lord." At the Second Advent
of our Lord the destroyers will be destroyed.
Joel 2:4,5
"They have the appearance of horses; they gallop along like cavalry.
With a noise like that of chariots they leap over the mountaintops, like
a crackling fire consuming stubble, like a mighty army drawn up for battle."
In verses 4 and 5 Joel describes the invading armies. The use of the terms
"appearance" and "like" indicate that the prophet was
attempting to characterize machines of war with which he was not familiar,
i.e., technological advancements beyond his awareness. The "horses,"
then, would be some type of mobile forces capable of rapid movement. And
the "chariots" would represent some type of armored forces. Zechariah
12:4, Ezekiel 38:4 and Daniel 11:40 also describe the mobile forces as horses;
and Ezekiel 39:20 illustrates the armored forces as chariots.
Joel 2:6
"At the sight of them, nations are in anguish; every face turns
pale."
Here, the term "nations" refers to the Jews of Jerusalem and Judah;
and the term "anguish" designates the great pain that is associated
with child-birth. And the faces "that turn pale" is an indication
of notable worry and anxiety on the part of the Jews as the massive army
advances. The Jews are scared almost to the point of shock by the power
and fierceness of the King of the North's advance.
Joel 2:7-9
"They charge like warriors; they scale walls like soldiers. They
all march in line, not swerving from their course. They do not jostle each
other; each marches straight ahead. They plunge through defenses without
breaking ranks. They rush upon the city; they run along the wall. They
climb into the houses; like thieves they enter through the windows."
Joel notes in these three verses the initial success of the enemy armies.
The "walls" are the walls of Jerusalem in the future. The phrase
"march in line" indicates that this army is disciplined and well-trained;
indeed, remember that this army is composed of unbelievers and therefore
they have no spiritual dynamics to motivate them. Yet they are unbelievably,
astonishingly triumphant. What is their secret? Training and discipline.
And there is a lesson here for both believers and unbelievers. [4]
The term "jostle" means that the soldiers all know exactly what
to do and when to do it -- every man does his job. The term also implies
that there are no accidents due to human error, ignorance or sloppiness,
i.e., they do not accidentally shoot each other.
Verse 9 describes the army's entry into the city of Jerusalem. The walls
do not hinder them. They easily enter private homes, kicking in doors,
smashing in windows. Zechariah 14:1,2 provides more detailed information
on this 'break into the city.' "A day of the Lord is coming when your
plunder will be divided among you. I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem
to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and
the women raped. half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the
people (the believing remnant) will not be taken from the city."
All these advancing armies, and especially that of the King of the north
utilize and understand only one thing: raw force. They are impressed only
by force and power. It is difficult to illustrate just how powerful, dynamic,
disciplined, professional, and ferocious these armies are. The Hebrew provides
an almost palpable energy to these armies. As a foe the King of the North
is redoubtable; his lusts are intractable; his armies exhibit no humane
refinements, no mercy, no compassion. They are harsh, they smash, they
destroy, they kill, they rape, they overwhelm through brute force. The
implication is that the person (the King of the North and his troops) involved
is of such potency that all obstacles, all difficulties, dwindle to contemptible
triviality.
Joel's narration is one of pressure, sound and chill: the pressure of a
massive army of rigid discipline whose only function is to kill; the sound
of war-machines, explosions, gun-fire, rapidity; and the chill is the chill
of passionless rape and death. It is no wonder that the faces of the Jews
"turn pale."
Joel 2:10
"Before them the earth shakes, the sky trembles, the sun and moon
are darkened, and the stars no longer shine."
Here, then, is the great earthquake as our Lord arrives at the Second Advent;
Matthew 24:29, Jeremiah 10:10, Luke 21:25-27, Zechariah 14:4 and Isaiah
13:13 all describe this earthquake which splits the Mount of Olives as His
feet touch it. And again we have the supernatural darkness that accompanies
His return, just as supernatural darkness covered the earth as He hung on
the Cross and bore our sins.
Joel 2:11
"The Lord thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond
number, and mighty are those who obey his command. The day of the Lord
is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?"
The word "thunder" refers to the voice of our Lord as He speaks.
This voice is described in Revelation 19:15, "Out of his mouth comes
a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations." This sharp sword
is His word of power -- His voice. Note also that our Lord is at the "head"
or front of His army. This is an unusual place for a military leader to
be. This signifies that our Lord does the fighting, and that His army,
those believers in their resurrection bodies, stand and watch. "And
mighty are those who obey His command" is a direct reference to the
power of any and all believers present at the Second Advent, for they have
obeyed His Word by believing unto salvation and knowing Scripture.
"Who can endure it?" None, except the believer will endure the
judgment of our Lord at the Second Advent.
Notes:
[1] Thieme, Robert. Joel; from notes.
[2] Thieme, Robert. Joel Wolff, Hans Walter. Joel and Amos.
[3] Owens, John Joseph. Analytical Key to the Old Testament; page 792,
Volume 4.
[4] Thieme, Robert. Joel; from notes.
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