Joel 3

The Wrath of God

Pray

Intro

√ The wrath of God

Last week we looked at chapter 2 of Joel’s prophecy in which he looks ahead to a future time of trouble that will come upon Israel in the Last Days…the Day of the Lord!

In that chapter Joel describes the conversion of the Jewish people at the end of the Tribulation in response to the massive attack of the Antichrist and his armies on Israel.

This evening we look at chapter 3, which covers the same the time period, namely the end of the Great Tribulation.

When God judges the nations for their mistreatment of His people.

Brings judgment upon the enemies of Israel.

Ushers in the Millennial Kingdom and the abundant blessings He pours out on Israel and His people.

As such Joel’s prophecy should bring hope to all who trust in God as it reminds us that while God is very patient…

…He is going to judge the wicked and exalt the righteous!

Ap. Be careful how you treat Israel!

Once again we find that Joel’s prophecy has a very contemporary application!

Ex. World leaders proposing a two-state solution

The Court (vs. 1-8)

Joel 3:1 “For behold, in those days and at that time,

When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem,

Joel 3:2 I will also gather all nations,

And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;

And I will enter into judgment with them there

On account of My people, My heritage Israel,

Whom they have scattered among the nations;

They have also divided up My land.

Joel 3:3 They have cast lots for My people,

Have given a boy as payment for a harlot,

And sold a girl for wine, that they may drink.

Joel 3:4 “Indeed, what have you to do with Me,

O Tyre and Sidon, and all the coasts of Philistia?

Will you retaliate against Me?

But if you retaliate against Me,

Swiftly and speedily I will return your retaliation upon your own head;

Joel 3:5 Because you have taken My silver and My gold,

And have carried into your temples My prized possessions.

Joel 3:6 Also the people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem

You have sold to the Greeks,

That you may remove them far from their borders.

Joel 3:7 “Behold, I will raise them

Out of the place to which you have sold them,

And will return your retaliation upon your own head.

Joel 3:8 I will sell your sons and your daughters

Into the hand of the people of Judah,

And they will sell them to the Sabeans,

To a people far off;

For the LORD has spoken.”

√ The court

In this section God describes a future time of judgment, the question is what time and judgment is in view?

“For behold, in those days and at that time,

When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem”

Some Bible students suggest that Joel is describing the time of Nehemiah when he and the captives of Judah returned from Babylon.

As evidence they point to the second part of the verse that talks about the “captives of Judah” returning to Jerusalem.

However, I think it’s better to put the emphasis on the first part of the verse…

“In those days and at that time…”

That is, read in context with the previous section of chapter 2 I believe that God is continuing to describe the end of the Great Tribulation.

The judgment then is that which Jesus speaks of in Matthew 25 where He separates the sheep from the goats…

…the sheep are granted entrance into the Kingdom and the goats are cast out and punished.

That interpretation fits the context of Joel chapters 2 and 3 better than the time of Nehemiah.

√ The criminals

Additional evidence that this is describing the end of the Tribulation is found in the identity of those whom God is judging, and the place of that judgment…

“I will also gather all nations,

And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;

And I will enter into judgment with them there…”

vs. 2a

Notice that God is judging “all nations”, not just Babylon, and that the judgment takes place in the “Valley of Jehoshaphat”.

Brings us an interesting question, where is the Valley of Jehoshaphat?

No such geographical location is mentioned anywhere in the Bible or in any other historical writing!

So, we have to look at the clues available and make some kind of reasonable guess as to where this valley might be!

√ The clues

First of all the literal translation of the “Valley of Jehoshaphat” is…

“The Lord judges” or “Jehovah judges”

A second clue is found in the next section of chapter 3 where we’re told…

Joel 3:12 “Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.

Joel 3:13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.

Come, go down;

For the winepress is full,

The vats overflow—

For their wickedness is great.”

The prophetic language sounds a lot like the description of God’s judgment recorded in the Revelation…

Rev. 14:18 And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.”

Rev. 14:19 So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

Rev. 14:20 And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs.

This is describing the destruction of the armies of the Antichrist in the valley of Jezreel more commonly know as…

…Armageddon.

The large valley to the north of Jerusalem.

So, based on the clues before us it seems reasonable to suggest that Valley of Jehoshaphat is simply another name for the valley of Jezreel where Jesus judges the wicked.

√ The crime

The crime for which God will judge the nations is found in vs. 2-6 where we find that God is upset with the nations because…

They have scattered “My” people

They have persecuted “My” people

They have stolen “My” treasures

And, perhaps most interesting…

“They have also divided up My land. “ ~ vs. 2

That is, throughout the history of the Jewish people the Gentile nations have sought to destroy the Jews and to possess the land that God gave to them.

It could be argued that the Jews are the most hated and persecuted people in history.

Why?

Because anti-Semitism has it’s origins in the heart of Satan himself!

From the moment that God promised to send a Messiah to crush Satan’s head the enemy has made it his priority to destroy the people through whom the Messiah would come.

Ex. Results of anti-Semitism

Benjamin Netanyahu poignantly noted that the extent of the persecution of the Jews can be seen by comparing the current populations of the three most ancient people groups…

The Chinese are about 1.1 billion people, India has about 1.1 billion people, and the Jews…

…about 20 million people!

That persecution hasn’t escaped God’s attention and according to Joel and many other prophets in the Bible He’s going to bring a harsh judgment on those responsible.

Ap. The present peace solution

What makes vs. 2 so contemporary is that every peace offer that is currently being promoted on the international scene involves the dividing up of the Promised Land!

Everyone from Bush, to Blair, to Obama is saying that the only solution that will bring peace to the Middle East is a two-state solution…

…in which the tiny nation of Israel gets divided up between the Jewish people and the Arabs who call themselves “Palestinians”.

From a purely secular point of view it makes total sense. But, in view of what God says here I’d suggest that we don’t want to be a party to that agreement!

The Harvest (vs. 9-13)

Joel 3:9 Proclaim this among the nations:

“Prepare for war!

Wake up the mighty men,

Let all the men of war draw near,

Let them come up.

Joel 3:10 Beat your plowshares into swords

And your pruning hooks into spears;

Let the weak say, “I am strong.’ ”

Joel 3:11 Assemble and come, all you nations,

And gather together all around.

Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O LORD.

Joel 3:12 “Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.

Joel 3:13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.

Come, go down;

For the winepress is full,

The vats overflow—

For their wickedness is great.”

√ The harvest

In these verses the Lord describes the great battle of Armageddon where the Lord harvests the wicked for their sin is ripe!

1. Call to the battle ~ vs. 9-11

Notice that the Lord invites the nations of the world to come and fight!

To wake up!

To prepare for war!

To beat their farm tools into weapons!

While the messenger who calls the nations to war is not identified for us here…

…if as we suggested Joel 3 describes the battle of Armageddon then we can make the case that the messengers are demons!

Rev. 16:12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared.

Rev. 16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

Rev. 16:14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

So, we find in this parallel description of the last battle that Satan is playing right into God’s plans to harvest the wicked of the world…

…as it is the Devil’s demons who go out to call the nations to war against God and the Jewish people.

Ex. God’s judgment on Ahab ~ 1 Kings 22

The account in Kings, the Revelation and here in Joel remind us that while Satan and his fallen angels are in rebellion against God…

…they often find themselves unwittingly working to accomplish God’s plans!

Ap. The Screwtape letters

Good read! Reminds us that what Satan means for evil God is able to turn for good.

2) Declaration of the Lord ~ vs. 12-13

As we’ve already seen these two verses employ the same prophetic language found in Revelation 14 to describe God’s judgment on the wicked.

The symbolic picture of harvest time communicates that the sin of mankind has reached its limit and must be “harvested”.

The gathering of grapes to be crushed by the workers in the vineyard speaks of God’s total destruction of the wicked in the “winepress” of His fury.

Just as grapes are crushed and the juice flows out of the winepress so in the battle of Armageddon we’re told in Rev. 14 that the blood of the wicked will flow as high as a horses bridle!

The Valley (vs. 14-17)

Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!

For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

Joel 3:15 The sun and moon will grow dark,

And the stars will diminish their brightness.

Joel 3:16 The LORD also will roar from Zion,

And utter His voice from Jerusalem;

The heavens and earth will shake;

But the LORD will be a shelter for His people,

And the strength of the children of Israel.

Joel 3:17 “So you shall know that I am the LORD your God,

Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain.

Then Jerusalem shall be holy,

And no aliens shall ever pass through her again.”

√ The valley

At the end of the Great Tribulation Jesus returns to the Mount of Olives.

When He lands we’re told in Zechariah 14:4 that there will be a massive earthquake that splits the mountain in half east to west with half the mountain moving north and half south.

A new valley is formed that provides an escape route for the Jewish people who are under attack by the armies of the antichrist.

Joel adds to this preview that Jesus will then attack the armies of the Antichrist from His position in Jerusalem…

“The LORD also will roar from Zion,

And utter His voice from Jerusalem;

The heavens and earth will shake” ~ vs. 16

Amos adds…

“The LORD roars from Zion,

And utters His voice from Jerusalem;

The pastures of the shepherds mourn,

And the top of Carmel withers.” ~ Amos 1:2

Interesting because the Mount Carmel range are the mountains between Jerusalem and the valley of Armageddon, or as Joel names it…

“The valley of decision” ~ vs. 14

We’re told that multitudes will come to their end in the “valley of decision”.

Ap. Everyone makes a decision!

Everyone has to make a decision about what they’re going to do with Jesus Christ.

Will they receive Him or reject Him?

Will they serve Him or serve their own flesh?

Will they worship Him or will they worship the Antichrist?

The multitudes destroyed in the valley of decision are those who have made the choice to reject Jesus and to follow the Antichrist.

It’s a reminder of where every person ends up who rejects the Lord.

The time to make the decision to follow Jesus is now!

Because once He returns it will be too late.

If you haven’t already made the decision to follow Jesus tonight is the time to do so!

We’re living at the end of time.

The harvest of the wicked is coming.

A time of Great Tribulation in which God’s wrath is poured out on a Christ-rejecting planet.

There’s only one way out and that’s through Jesus! Jesus promised that those who trust in Him would not have to face His wrath…

“Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:36

I don’t know about you but I do not want to be here when God pours out His wrath on the world!

I would much rather stand before Jesus in heaven by His Grace…

…than stand before Him in the Valley of Decision in His wrath!

The time to make your decision is now!

The Garden (vs. 18-21)

Joel 3:18 And it will come to pass in that day

That the mountains shall drip with new wine,

The hills shall flow with milk,

And all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water;

A fountain shall flow from the house of the LORD

And water the Valley of Acacias.

Joel 3:19 “Egypt shall be a desolation,

And Edom a desolate wilderness,

Because of violence against the people of Judah,

For they have shed innocent blood in their land.

Joel 3:20 But Judah shall abide forever,

And Jerusalem from generation to generation.

Joel 3:21 For I will acquit them of the guilt of bloodshed, whom I had not acquitted;

For the LORD dwells in Zion.”

√ The Garden

Remember how the prophecy of Joel began?

The land was devastated by locusts and drought.

Now at the end of the prophecy we find him describing Israel as a land flowing with milk and honey!

Close

√ The wrath of God

Chapter 3 closes with a picture of the future Millennial Kingdom…

An Eden-like environment

Overflowing with abundance

Beauty beyond description

Peace, joy and contentment

God restores in the Kingdom Age what Man destroyed by sin in the Garden of Eden.

Ap. Your future

What the future holds for you depends on the choice you make today in your “valley of decision”.