Joel: A Bible Commentary; Chapter Two

Joel

Chapter 2

By Charles R. Sabo

                                        Introduction

Coming from chapter one, we find Joel calling for the inhabitants of the land to sound the alarm by blowing of the trumpet. Trumpets have been used in Israel for various reasons. They were to blow the trumpet as a signal for the start of certain feast days. The Feast of Pentecost was the “first trump” blown as a remembrance of the Exodus 19 betrothal between God and the children of Israel (Ex. 19:13-19). The “last trump” has been blown every year as the recognition of the first moon of the year, which is in the ninth month called Tishri, which is the Feast of Trumpets (Lev. 23:24). The “great trump” is blown every year on the Feast of Atonement (Lev. 25:9), which is celebrated as the day of the coming divine judgment. 

The Jews also sounded the trumpet as an alarm for their cities to warn them of invasions (1 Sam. 13:3, Ez. 33:3-6), salutation of the anointing of a king (1 Kings 1:39), and the priest’s blowing a trumpet to draw the attention to worship (2 Chron. 13:14, Ezra 3:10).

 My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart makes a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. (Jer. 4:19) 

When Jeremiah had cried the lament of hearing the trumpet as the alarm for war in Jeremiah 4:19, 21, a reader should understand that Jeremiah’s trumpet can be the same warning trumpet being blown here in verse one. One thing to consider is that the Jews will hear the trumpet and fear that it is the great and terrible “day of the Lord” that has come. The stage is set for chapter two with the trumpet being blown and the nearing of the great and terrible “day of the Lord.” Because this call for repentance seems very universal, it can fit to be any of the 3 times before invasion, which Israel had encountered. Because there is warning to the “day of the Lord” being so near, it could be recognized as a universal warning to all of the church of God to repent and come to Him, because He is about to bring forth His promised last days judgment upon the Earth.

Joel begins to speak in prophetic allegory in chapter two, which can confuse some in determining how to take the chapter in correct context. Though there is a lot to understand literally, the reader must be aware of the warning within a spiritually, allegorical context. What people are being warned and when do these people exist, are pertinent questions to answer. The chapter seems to change from the time before the “day of the Lord,” to describe the events of the “day of the Lord.” After describing the great and terrible “day of the Lord,” there is a call for repentance or revival. The innuendos concerning the church and her husband perpetuate a feel as though the revival is right before the harpazo (rapture) of the church. 

Joel 2:1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand; Right away in verse one, I want to point out that Zion is to be understood in a spiritual sense. Zion is God’s Eternal Kingdom, while He situates Zion on His holy mountain. God’s Eternal Kingdom is His people, who are His Zion. The warning for the blowing of this trumpet is sounding of the alarm to God’s people. If God had addressed His inhabitants of the land in chapter one to repent, because they had fallen away from Him, one should understand that not many of them were His children of Zion. Very few were going to repent, even though they were suffering their plagues. In chapter two, Joel calls God’s church to blow the trumpet and sound the alarm, because God is about to bring terrible wrath upon the Earth (day of the Lord).

6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. (Ez. 33:6)

In the spiritual sense of Joel 2:1, the watchman are being commanded by the Lord to sound the alarm or blow the trumpet. If these are the watchman over Zion (God’s people), then they should be aware of this terrible time, in order to recognize its time to sound the alarm. These watchman are God’s pastors and ministers, who should recognize the time of sorrow, so that they can know that it is time to blow the trumpets and sound the alarm. As one can see from Ezekiel 33:6, God has promised judgment against a watchman (shepherd) who fails to warn the people of the coming sword or wrath of God.

The great and terrible “day of the Lord” draws near to us. Israel became a nation again in 1948, which started the clock to tick down to the Seventieth Week of Daniel (day of the Lord). Since 1948, several Bible prophesies have come to pass revealing that the time of Jacob’s Trouble is near.

In Matthew 24, the disciples inquired of Jesus “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matt. 24:3b) This was shortly after He had prophesied of the destruction of the temple in verse 2. The destruction of the temple happened in A.D. 70, which was about forty years after Jesus had foretold of the event.[1] Jesus responded with certain conditions that could be recognized to determine that the times were approaching from verses 4-7; then in verse 8, He states that those were the beginning of sorrows; Jesus implies that the end is not yet in verse 6, then after verse 8, He describes conditions which will occur once the “beginning of sorrows” has come to pass.

4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places. (Matt. 24:4-7)

From what Jesus had disclosed in Matthew 24:4-7, the world has seen many in these last few decades, who come and call themselves as the Christ; many wars and rumors of wars have been proclaimed in our modern world; nations have rose against nation, but it will get worse right before that crucial day; there have been many famines, pestilences (diseases), and earthquakes throughout the world.

Matthew 24:9-12 describes the conditions which occur, then verse 13 is a promise of deliverance from the times described: “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” (Matt. 24:13) The context of verse 13 should be first realized. One must first ask: who was Jesus addressing concerning the persecution mentioned in verses 9-12? Because verse 15 speaks of the Abomination of Desolation “stand in the Holy place,” the people being addressed would be there to witness the event in Jerusalem at the temple. Jesus was addressing the Jewish persecution, which would be happening prior to the Abomination of Desolation.[2] Surely, verse 9 speaks of those Christians who will be persecuted for Jesus’ namesake, but the focus is on Jerusalem, therefore Messianic Jews (Jews who believe Jesus is Messiah) could be the focus, when considering the correlation between verse 9 and verse 15. Those that endure to the end, points to Messianic Israel, who will endure the persecution until the “time of the end.”

The timing of the passages between verses 9-14 cannot be pinned down exactly, based on the information within this text. The Jews and Christians have both faced much persecution throughout the last two millenniums, but this persecution will be intensified between the beginning of sorrows and the Abomination of Desolations in verse 15.

Joel 2:1 implies that the “day of the Lord” is near and at hand. It is so close, that the watchmen (shepherds) are commanded to sound the alarm and blow the trumpet. The desperation can be felt in this passage, while the “all the inhabitants of the land tremble.” Though is it fitting for the people of each scattering to tremble, when they were to hear the trumpet’s sound, this trumpet being blown is that trumpet right before the “day of the Lord” arrives. We know this, because Joel proceeds to describe the great and terrible “day of the Lord” in verses 2-11. 

The Old Testament provides Israel with a picture of the things to come. The Mosaic Covenant was put in place which presented them with God’s laws, but also a set of “holy” days which Israel was required to celebrate each year. Leviticus 23 provides all seven of God’s “holy convocations.” “These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.” (Lev. 23:4) The word “feasts” in the original Hebrew is the word mow`ed. The definition of the word mow`ed is an appointed place, appointed time, meeting. Interestingly, the word “seasons,” in the original Hebrew, is the word mow`ed as well.[3] “These are the "Appointed Times" of the Creator of the Universe--not simply some quaint religious festivals of a religious denomination known as Judaism.”[4] God made these feast days into holy convocations or meetings. He had offerings assigned to each of these feast days. There are four spring feasts and three fall feasts. The four spring feasts are The Feast of Passover, The Feast of Unleavened Bread, The Feast of First Fruits and the Feast of Pentecost (Feast of Weeks), also known as Feast of Shavuot. The three fall feasts are the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah), The Feast of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot).

According to the Gospels of the New Testament, Jesus fulfilled the first four feasts of the Lord on their exact day, in their exact order within the Mosaic Covenant. Jesus died on the cross on the Feast of Passover (Nissan 14); He was buried on the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Nissan 15); one can confirm this time of burial within Matthew 27:57-60; it was in the evening, which was the next day according to Jewish tradition of timekeeping. If one reads the story of creation in Genesis chapter 1, one will notice that it says, "And there was evening, and there was morning, one day." From this, Israel understands that a day begins with the evening; that is at sunset. Sunset is at 6pm, so therefore the day begins at 6pm.

His sinless body (unleavened bread) was then buried, or put in a tomb, on the first day of The Feast of Unleavened Bread. The next feast day on the calendar was The Feast of First Fruits. The Feast of First Fruits fell on the day following the Sabbath (the weekly or seventh day Sabbath), which was after the Feast of Passover. It was the first day of the week (Sunday) and a workday, which was to commence the barley harvest. One can know from Scripture that Jesus rose on the third day, which was Sunday after Passover (John 20:1). The fourth spring feast day is the Feast of Pentecost, which one can confirm its fulfillment on the exact day as well. In Acts 2:1-4, one can read to understand that Pentecost was day that the Holy Spirit fell upon the church. This became the betrothal between Jesus Christ and His bride the church, which reflects the first Pentecost at Mt Sanai, when Israel was betrothed to God (Exodus 19).

The next feast day to be fulfilled is the Feast of Trumpets. If God is consistent and means to fulfill all of His divine appointments, then one can count on this day being the next fulfillment.

52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. (1 Cor. 15:52-53)

One can see that a trumpet is blown, within 1 Thessalonians 4:16; one can see that it is the trumpet blown by God; this in no way can be confused with angels blowing trumpets within the seven trumpet judgments in Revelation 8:2-11:15. Even the “great trumpet” blown within Matthew 24:31 can be connected to God blowing the “great trumpet” (Feast of Atonement) in order to send His angels to gather the elect from the four corners of heaven. According to Leviticus 23:24, the Feast of Trumpets is to be celebrated every year on the first day of the seventh month, which it the month of Tishri. To be consistent, the rapture of the church will happen on the exact day of the Feast of Trumpets; since there is not an event to warn of the exact year of this occurrence, the event will remain eminent.

Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. (Leviticus 23:24)

Since the inhabitants of the land of Israel know and still today celebrate the blowing of the trumpet on Tishri 1, the trumpets will sound as Joel has commanded. Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets) marks the beginning of the “days of awe” or yamim nora’im which, historically in Judaism, the righteous are written in the “Book of Life,” while the unrighteous are written in the “Book of Death.” Most people usually were not written in either and therefore, they spent the next ten days in repentance of their sins, which leads to the Feast of Atonement, also known as Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is the climax of the ten “days of awe” to which everybody’s fate would be sealed in either the “Book of Life” or the “Book of Death.” After the rapture of the church on Tishri 1, the “days of awe” will be felt intensely by Israel. The consecration of fasting and praying will be an intense nine days, after the world has mysteriously lost hundreds of millions of people at the blink of an eye. The Great Trumpet will sound on Tishri 10, which will be nine days after the rapture of the church. That Tishri 10 will be the official start of the Seventieth Week of Daniel (the day of the Lord) (for the day of the Lord comes, for it is near at hand).

Joel 2:2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. Joel begins to tell of the terribleness of the “day of the Lord” from verses 2-11. He begins to describe the setting within the first sentence, then proclaims a concern towards a great and strong people never seen, nor ever again. I have correlated this section of Joel with Isaiah 13:11-16, 24:17-20 and Revelation 9:1-11. The similarities between these four prophesies of the Bible are shockingly close.

“Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.” (Is. 13:13) Isaiah speaks of this same event in Isaiah 24:18-20, when he is addressing the fear of the pit. The Lord shakes the heavens and the Earth, while the windows from on high open.

And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake. (Isaiah 24:18)

The inhabitants of the Earth will experience supernatural events, such as this one. One can spiritualize this and declare that the “pit” is allegorical or figurative, but the windows of heaven are opened; the supernatural is happening. “The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:” (Joel 2:10) In Joel 2:10, the Earth shall quake, just as is stated in Isaiah 13:13 and 24:18. There is a distinct correlation between Isaiah 13:13, 24:18-20, Joel 2:1-12 and Revelation 9:1-11. The heavens will shake, the Earth will be removed and will reel to and fro like a drunkard as indicated in Isaiah 24:20, which correlates with Isaiah 13:13 and Joel 2:10. The pit that these people fall into, or try to escape out of (Isaiah 24:18), correlates with Revelation 9:2 and the Bottomless Pit being opened.

And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. (Revelation 9:1-2)

(A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness) Notice that Revelation 9:2 provides why the sun and the air will be darkened. The smoke rose out of the pit like smoke of a great furnace. In Joel 2:4, the army had: “the appearance of them is as the appearance of horses,” while in Revelation 9:7: “the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle.” (a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it)

“And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man taketh up: they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own land. (Is. 13:14) Looking back to Isaiah 24:18, discussed concerning Isaiah 13:13, it says: “he that flees from the “noise” of the pit, shall fall in the pit.” The noise they are fleeing from is from the Bottomless Pit. In Revelation 9:9, the noise coming from the locusts from the pit is that “their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle,” while in Joel 2:5 it says: “like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap.” They will flee like a chased roe or gazelle and as sheep that are unattended or without shepherd; they will flee to their own land in fear. They are fleeing from the noise coming from the Bottomless Pit, but will end up in the Bottomless Pit, which will be upon their physical death.

Joel 2:3 A fire devours before them; and behind them a flame burns: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. Seeing Joel and John were given similar prophecy of the same events, I will look to what Revelation 9 declares. These great and strong people will be commanded to “not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree;” (Rev. 9:4) they will only torment those who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he strikes a man. (Rev. 9:5)

Those being spoken of are those from verse 4, who did not have the seal of God upon their forehead. The people, who will be like locusts and look as the appearance of horses, are to be commanded to torment those who will not have the seal of God on their forehead; they will torment them five months. Amazingly, “And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.” (Rev. 9:6)

After the five months of torment, the sixth angel will sound his trumpet and God will command the sixth angel to let “loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates” (Rev. 9:14). The four angels will have an army of two hundred million and these horsemen will have fire, smoke, and brimstone, which will kill one third of the people of the Earth.

18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. (Rev. 9:18)

(A fire devours before them; and behind them a flame burns). In Joel 2:3, there will be fire that burns before the described great and strong people in their future, as well as for those who are running from them; those who will be tormented for five months will have nothing but fire in their future, though they deceive themselves, they see themselves escaping to Garden of Eden like conditions. They run from the flame that burns behind them, which is a desolate wilderness.

Joel 2:4 The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. In Revelation 9:7,  “And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.” John described, in Revelation 9:7, that these locusts will have the faces of men (people) and their shapes will be like horses. Then Joel’s description describes the great and strong people from verse 2 as horses and as horsemen. Though there is some ambiguity, the similarities are mentioned. There will be various supernatural events happening during the last seven years before the Lord returns, but one must use what the Lord has given us through His prophets, in order to comprehend what He has in store for the Earth. These horse-like, great, and strong people will be running and they will be running after the heathen, who do not wear the seal of God on their forehead (so shall they run).

Joel 2:5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devours the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. Once again the similarity to what John had been shown in Revelation 9:9 matches very closely to what Joel had been shown. “And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.” (Rev. 9:9) Joel was told that these strong and great people ran like the noise of chariots, while John was shown that the locust people from the pit made the noise of chariots of horses with their wings (Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap). Joel describes the strong people were as though they were set in battle array, while John was shown that they had breastplates like iron upon them (as a strong people set in battle array). Joel implies that their noise was like a flame of fire that devours the stubble, while John said they sounded like the chariots of horses (like the noise of a flame of fire that devours the stubble). The similarities are almost exact in description of these strong and great people, which the world has never seen, nor ever will after.

Joel 2:6 Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. This passage needs a little work. Instead of the expression “before their face,” I will insert “in their presence.” This expression is still referring to the strong and great people. Since the word “their” are the strong and great people, then the

“people” mentioned are those people running from them, who do not have the seal of God on their forehead. The translators have used the word “pained” for the Hebrew word chuwl, which is defined as “twist, travail, to be in anguish.” The translators used the word “blackness” for the Hebrew word pa'ruwr, which is defined as “flush (of anxiety).” All of the people who come into the presence of the great and strong people will have their faces flush (of anxiety) (all faces shall gather blackness).

Joel 2:7 They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march everyone on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: “They” still refers to the great and strong people from verse 2. The description of these people seems to be that of a well-disciplined war machine. Ultimate fighting soldiers, who never break rank, as they march through their conquest. They climb as though they were well trained marines and march one with another, as if they had been seasoned war veterans. God will prepare them for this battle and fighting God’s war is what they will do.

Joel 2:8 Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk everyone in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. Referring back to verse 7, this well-disciplined war machine, will never break rank and will never resort to killing one of their own soldiers (Neither shall one thrust another). They will be ultimately determined to fulfill their mission. They will march in their own path and torment whomever will come before them.

The third clause of this verse is interesting. John mentioned in Revelation 9:6 that men will seek death during that five months and will not find it. God will take physical death away from the Earth for the five months of torment. “And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.” (Rev. 9:6) So even the great and strong people of verse 2 will not be capable of death as Joel has indicated (and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded).

Joel 2:9 They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief. These great and strong people run from city to city seeking to torment the wicked people of the Earth. They will be supernaturally charged and will be able to run and jump upon any and all walls; the wicked will not be able to hide from them. These strong and great people will be able to climb upon the rooftops of the houses, as well as climb through any and all windows; the will enter in like a thief.

Can you imagine…no one can die, and these supernaturally trained and charged fighting machines will be determined to sting each wicked person with a sting like a scorpion sting. The people will be running and hiding in order to allude from being stung again and again.

 5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he strikes a man.

6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. (Rev. 9:5-6)

Joel 2:10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: According to Joel, the earthquakes will be frequent during this five months (The earth shall quake before them); since the time of the events of Revelation 6:12-14, the Earth will most likely be very unstable from that time on. Revelation 9:2 indicates that the smoke will be so great coming from the pit, that the sun and air will be darkened because of the smoke. “And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.” (Rev. 9:2) Therefore, the sun, moon, and stars will be impossible to be seen, because of all of the smoke from the pit (the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining).

Joel 2:11 And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executes his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it? As Joel has indicated, this army is the Lord’s army, ultimately. It is the Lord, who shall utter His voice and His armies will respond to His command (And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great). When referring to what is disclosed in Revelation 9:11 and 15, there are certain field generals assigned to the two different armies of the Lord.

And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. (Rev. 9:11)

Though this Abaddon or Apollyon seems to be of an evil habitat, he is being controlled by the Almighty God of heaven and Earth. It is God’s army, who Abaddon lords over. He and his army are doing God’s work in the punishment of the wicked. The same thing can be said of the four angels who will be loosed from the great river Euphrates (Rev. 9:14). They will lead the army of two hundred million horsemen who will breathe fire, smoke, and brimstone (Rev. 9:16-18) (for he is strong that executes his word).

Joel finished with his example of what the wicked are to expect during the great and very terrible “day of the Lord.” He asked who of the wicked will be able to stand or tolerate being tormented during that time (for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?). It is Joel’s closing to call the children of Israel to repent of their evil ways or they could face the great and very terrible “day of the Lord.”

Joel 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: After revealing a very dismal future for those who are not of God’s Zion (God’s people), Joel comes back to the current state of those reading before the great and very terrible “day of the Lord.” Notice, Joel first states: “Therefore also now;” this provides the readers with the opportunity to repent, since it is not the “day of the Lord” as of yet.

We must consider that the people, who are being spoken to, are the same people from verse one. The inhabitants of the land will tremble when the trumpet sounds in the literal sense, but Israel would never repent and believe in Jesus as their Messiah, just because of another hardship and trumpet; the intent of this verse must be considered.

According to verse one, the trumpet is being blown in Zion (among God’s people) and the alarm is being sounded on God’s holy mountain (Zion). During the times before the “day of the Lord,” God’s people are Christians; while Israel is betrothed to God, they have betrayed Him by rejecting Jesus as their Messiah. Israel, will not repent and believe in Jesus as their Messiah, until they see Him at His Second Coming (Zech. 12:10). The Second Coming of Christ is on the last day of the seven years of tribulation (Seventieth Week of Daniel). Therefore, Zion in this case, does not include non-believing Israel; this is because, it is written that Israel will experience the entire seven years of the “day of the Lord,” while the church of Christ will not experience even one literal day of it.

I can hear all of you post-trib, mid-trib, and non-rapture believers having your hissy fits on the doctrine of the rapture of the church. There is plenty of Scripture to support the removal of the church before the seven years begins. Unfortunately, God has allowed for blinders to be upon your eyes.

 The “rapture” of the Church is a much debated topic. The word “rapio” is Latin for the Greek word “harpazo,” which is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:17.[5] “Harpazo” is translated in English to say “shall be caught up.”[6] In reference to the timing of this event, the Apostle Paul wrote a follow up letter to the Thessalonians, because he had heard that they were uptight, thinking that the Seventieth Week of Daniel had already started and they were there to endure the tribulation of it.[7] In 2 Thessalonians 2:1, Paul addresses the concern for the “harpazo,” when he states: “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him.”[8] He proceeds to comfort them that certain events which need to happen first, “then the wicked be revealed (vv. 2:8),” who Paul describes in verse 8 “whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.” If one recalls in Revelation 19:19-20, it is the “beast” (Antichrist) who is destroyed at the Second Coming by Christ (the brightness of his coming).[9] With this, one can conclude that there will be no physical battle fought, but the Lord will speak judgment upon them. According to Daniel 9:27, the “Wicked” (prince or Antichrist) will be “revealed” upon the signing of the seven year covenant with Israel.  

In 2 Thessalonians 2:5 Paul reminds the Thessalonians that they should already remember what he had told them before; then in verse 6 he reminds them they already know “what” was withholding the revealing of the one (Antichrist) to come. “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now lets will let, until he be taken out of the way.” (2 Thess. 2:7) The translators have used the word “lets” for the Greek word katechō, which is defined as: “restrain, hinder.” The one referred to as “he who now lets” is the One who is restraining the evil from totally overwhelming the world; by restraining the evil, the revealing of Antichrist is restrained as well. This can be determined with either scenario, but the same holds true; the church or Holy Spirit is the restrainer; since the Holy Spirit indwells the church, the restrainer of the “Wicked” will be removed (raptured) before all evil dominates the world and the Antichrist is revealed. The timing of the rapture of the church is before the signing of the covenant with Israel, because upon the signing, the Antichrist will be revealed. The Antichrist will be the one who sets up the covenant or peace treaty.

The Christian church (Jews and Gentiles) are being addressed here in Joel 2:12. There will be those who will have not yet believed, that will come to the Lord, because of this calling for repentance. This calling in Joel 2 is a calling for the biggest revival to have ever happened on the face of the Earth. This is a worldwide call for the church to pray, fast, weep, and mourn to the Lord for forgiveness for not abiding as closely with Him as they should have. Many of the Church of Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-19) will find themselves repenting and coming to the Lord as “hot” and no longer “lukewarm.” This call for repentance is a typical call for any Christian to fall to their knees to weep and pray for the Lord’s forgiveness, when they have sinned against Him. In the case in Joel chapter two, this is a worldwide call for the entire church to fall to their knees and pray, because Biblical “last days” events have fallen upon the whole world. The pastors and ministers (watchmen) will be enlightened by the Lord to sound the alarm and call all of the church to pray, fast, weep, and mourn to the Lord. This is in preparation for the catching up of God’s elect, which is called the rapture (harpazo).

Joel 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 repent him of the evil. The Lord provides a recipe for the best way to repent and come close to Him within this verse. It was Biblical for the Old Testament patriarchs to “rend” or tear apart their garments from their chest and fall to their knees and seek the Lord during a burdensome time (Gen. 37:34, Job 1:18-20, 1 Sam. 4:12-17, 2 Kings 22:8-13). After rending their garments, they usually would put on sackcloth and then pray on their knees to the Lord. In the case within this verse, God provides what He prefers out of his church; He desires them to not rend their garments, but their hearts. “Rending” one’s heart is a difficult thing to do, if one’s heart is not in the right place to begin with (And rend your heart). “The Lord is near unto them that are of a broken heart; and saves such as be of a contrite spirit.” (Ps. 34:18) Being heartbroken over one’s sins against the Lord is what He is looking for. To say that one has not sinned, is a sign of unrighteousness to begin with.

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:8-10)

The church needs repentance now, and will at the time this call becomes a reality. Some will have lived their lives for themselves and falsely call themselves Christians, while others will have lived their lives close to the Lord. It is of no matter to compare, all will be called to repent and rend their hearts at this very troublesome time, which will be right before the rapture of the church (turn unto the Lord your God).

 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at my word. (Is. 66:2)

The second half of this verse begins with the word “for.” “For” is interchangeable with the word “because” (for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness). Because God is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, His people should abide in Him and repent of their sins (and repent him of the evil). God loves His people, as one can see throughout the Old and New Testaments. The prophet Jonah knew of God’s heart for His people, who were of the population in Nineveh. Even though Jonah hated the Assyrians, God had a heart for some of the population, who would repent and be His people as Gentiles in that day. Some of these Assyrians, who lived in Nineveh, most likely became believers in the God of Abraham and He saved them from His eternal wrath.

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 repents thee of the evil. (Jonah. 4:20)

There are many who will be saved in the time right before the rapture of the church. Many who have not believed, will believe when they rend their hearts and fall to their knees in total repentance and plead for their lives with the one true God of heaven.

Joel 2:14 Who knows 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? Joel writes as if the Jewish temple is still in existence (meat offering and a drink offering); His call for repentance is to the priests and ministers to call for the solemn assembly, in order to bring someone back unto the Lord. Since the “day of the Lord” is close upon this current age, the addressees are not Israel. Israel, will not repent and believe in Jesus as their Messiah, until they see Him at His Second Coming (Zech. 12:10). Even Jewish priests in Israel do not believe in Jesus as their Messiah, so therefore, repentance is futile. Therefore, the verse has to be focused upon God’s church, who are Christians in the current age.

This verse addresses the pastors and ministers (watchmen), who are being called to sound the alarm and call the church to come together and repent. No one knows but God, who will turn away from their sins and become contrite in their heart. Even the most evil and wicked of a person, can be saved from God’s wrath, if they become contrite and repent of their sins. All it takes is the watchmen to follow their command that God has placed upon them. If the call goes out to the church, there will be those who will be called by the Lord to reach out to wicked people, in order to reveal to them the God who is full of mercy and grace (Who knows if he will return and repent). Who knows if the wicked person will become contrite in their heart, become a new creature in Christ, and become full of the Holy Spirit; who knows if that same person then feels the desire to give back to the church or to others (and leave a blessing behind him)? Anytime someone gives from their heart anything to anyone, being materially or spiritually, it is a gift unto the Lord (even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God?). Meat offerings and drink offerings do not exist in the current age, but the spiritual representation of these offerings are gifts or deeds provided to others, which in turn is unto the Lord. Even the Lord has disclosed this in Matthew 25:31-40. 

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. (Matt. 25:40)

Joel 2:15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: This verse enters a different timeframe. The first fourteen verses called for a revival of the church of Christ (God’s Zion), before the rapture of the church. The “day of the Lord” was near, and people were called out of their wickedness unto repentance. From this point, Israel will be the focus, after the church has been removed from the planet. This blowing of the trumpet in Zion is the literal blowing of the trumpet for the Feast of Trumpets, nine days before the beginning of the seven year Seventieth Week of Daniel (Feast of Atonement). The trumpet is being blown literally for the Feast of Trumpets in Jerusalem, meanwhile the church of Christ will be simultaneously removed from the planet. Verse 2:16 reveals this a little more. The Priests of Israel will feel the same burdens that will be felt by the world, which brought the revival of the church. Unfortunately for Israel, their repentance will not be felt, because they still will reject Jesus as their Messiah. No matter how contrite their hearts, the one unforgiveable sin still will captivate Israel, which is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit brings belief in Jesus, but Israel will still be blinded and reject the Holy Spirit (Rom. 11:7-26), until they see Jesus at His Second Coming (Zech. 12:10). 

The Priests of Israel, during this time, will call for a solemn assembly; this is because of the dreadful events happening upon the planet. They are being called here by Joel to sanctify a fast within the solemn assembly of inhabitants of Israel. At this same time, the Christian church is to be removed. 

Joel 2:16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. Joel’s sense of urgency can be felt here as he calls the priests and ministers to gather Israel, sanctify (set apart) the congregation of the church of Judaism; He calls them to assemble or organize the elders of the church (assemble the elders), which will be to communicate with the elders to acknowledge what will have just happened to the world. Hundreds of millions of people from around the world will have been removed mysteriously from existence. They gather all of the children and babies of Israel, in order to make sure all of them are accounted for (gather the children, and those that suck the breasts). I see this as an indicator that God will leave the babies and children with their parents, when He leads them to safe ground. God is merciful, so it may be a key point that women with children may be of that remnant (Zech. 13:9) that flees to the mountains at the midpoint of the seven years and is fed and protected by God (Rev. 12:14) for three and one half years (3.5 x 360 days).

The Bridegroom, spoken of within this verse, has nothing to do with Israel’s plans for weddings. The Bridegroom is Christ; He goes forth from his chambers in His Father’s house, to gather His bride, who are His church. Joel enlightens Israel that there is to be a wedding, but little does Israel know, this wedding is in heaven. Jesus had said to the disciples of John the Baptist and the Pharisees: “Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.” (Mark 2:19) Notice that Jesus called His disciples “children of the bridechamber;” He also acknowledged Himself as the Bridegroom. The Apostle Paul is quoted: “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present [you as] a chaste virgin to Christ.” (2 Cor. 11:2) The Bride of Christ will be removed from the face of the Earth and brought to heaven to be married to Jesus their Lord and Christ.

7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. (Rev. 19:7-9)

When Jesus prepared His disciples for His departure from them, He explained to them that He had to go to His Father’s house to prepare a place for them. It is Jewish tradition, for the espoused virgin to be left behind by her Groom, because He is to go back to His Father’s house to prepare the place where they will live. She remains in her bride chambers, until some day, the Bridegroom comes as a thief in the night and takes His virgin to His Father’s house for marriage (let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet).

2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.(John 14:2-3)

Joel 2:17 Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? Joel writes this when there is a temple and altar, as he had in chapter one. Because the priests and ministers weep between the porch and the altar, this could be the time after the temple is to be rebuilt, when Antichrist fulfills making his covenant for seven years (Dan. 9:27); we know that the temple will be rebuilt, because the daily sacrifice is to be cut off at the midpoint of the seven years by Antichrist (Dan. 9:27), after he commits the Abomination of Desolation from God’s temple (Dan. 9:27; 11:36, Rev. 13:6).

This prophecy in Joel moves to the mid-point of the seven year seventieth Week of Daniel, because Antichrist will have made the Jews enemies of the world, after they reject him as their god at the Abomination of Desolation. The priests and ministers of the Lord will have remained faithful to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and rejected Antichrist as god. They will weep and hide in fear, between the porch and the altar of the temple (Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar). 

Upon their refusal to acknowledge Antichrist as their god, the seven year treaty is broken and Israel becomes public enemy to the entire Earth. Zechariah writes of this time, which brings forth the fourth scattering of Zechariah 1:18-21.

1Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.

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. (Zech. 14:1-2)

Though the Battle of Armageddon is the climax, the scattering (captivity) first begins three and one half years earlier upon the Abomination of Desolation. “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.” (Rev. 12:6) The priests and ministers of the Lord will weep and hide, while they pray: “Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?” The heathen will be the faithful to Antichrist, who for the second half of the seven years, will be searching out, killing, and imprisoning the people of Israel. They will do terrible things to the people of Israel, while they mock them and say “Where is your God?”

Joel 2:18 Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people. Not during the Assyrian, Babylonian, nor the Roman captivities/scatterings was the Lord ever jealous for His land, nor did He pity His people. It was the Lord who brought those captivities/scatterings as His judgments against them. But, when Israel rejects Antichrist as god, they place their first foot into God’s heart for His mercy. Joel implies that then, when their hearts are in the right place, “will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people.”

Joel 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: This verse brings no doubt that this is after the Seventieth Week of Daniel, after the Lord Jesus returns to rescue Israel. No one can imply this verse to apply to any time between Israel’s first time of existence, until the return of Christ, because Israel has never ceased to be a reproach among the heathen. “Neither will I cause men to hear in thee the shame of the heathen any more, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the people any more, neither shalt thou cause thy nations to fall any more, saith the Lord God.” (Ezek. 36:15) Upon the return of Jesus the Messiah, He will set up His kingdom and He will reverse the curse of Joel 1:10 and it shall never happen to Israel ever again. The main staples of life, being corn, wine, and oil, Jesus will make sure that there will be an abundance.

Joel 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. Joel backs up in time from the Millennial Kingdom in verse 19, to the time during the beginning of the seven year Seventieth Week of Daniel. The northern army spoken of within verse 20 is the army coming from the north, being Gog of Magog (Russia), Persian, Turkey, Libya, and Sudan (northern Ethiopia). I will take some time to break this verse down and explain the timing of it.

Joel uses the Hebrew word nadach for the word “drive,” which is defined as “to impel, to thrust away.” In Ezekiel 38-39, one can find the prophecy of the Battle of Gog of Magog. The armies come from the north of Israel down over their mountains to attack Israel, in order to destroy them from the face of the earth.

2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,

3 And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:

4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:

5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:

6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. (Ezek. 38:2-6)

 The land of Magog is the southern region of Russia; this is where Magog, the son of Japheth (son of Noah), had settled. Gog is to be the king of Magog and chief prince over Meshech and Tubal. Meshech and Tubal had settled in northeastern Turkey and were also sons of Japheth. Persia is current day Iran, while Ethiopia has been divided between Sudan and Ethiopia, since the days of Ezekiel. Ethiopia (Christians) has been persecuted by the military state of Sudan (Muslims) for centuries. Libyan central government has been weak and unable effectively to exert its authority over the country. Gomer was also the son of Japheth and settled in western Turkey, while Togarmah settled into central Turkey. There are five countries coming from the north of Israel: Russia, Persia, Turkey, Sudan, and Libya.

Joel indicates that the Lord will remove this northern army from Israel far off from them; He will thrust (drive) them into a barren and desolate land. While their faces are towards the east sea, their hinder or hind parts will be towards the utmost sea. The Dead Sea, to distinguish it from the Mediterranean Sea, is called the eastern sea; the Mediterranean Sea, also called the great sea westward (Josh. 23:4), is known as the utmost or uttermost sea (with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea).

Joel indicates that his (the northern army) “stink” shall come up and his “savour” (tsachanah) or stench shall come up, because he (the northern army) has done great things. We could go on another few pages on the great things this northern army will do (Dan. 11:40-43), but it is not necessary at this time.  Ezekiel 39:11 indicates that the valley of the passengers of the east sea shall stop their noses and be led to bury the stinking carcasses of the aftermath of this devastation, which the Lord had done to this northern army (Gog and his multitude) (and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up).

11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog. (Ezek. 39:11)

The timing of the devastation this northern army should be determined by what Ezekiel has indicated. Ezekiel 39:9 indicates that all that dwell in Israel will burn the weapons left from this massive army for seven years. This event has to have happened at the beginning of the seven year Seventieth Week of Daniel (day of the Lord). It cannot be a duration of time into the seven years, because they cannot be burning these weapons, once the Lord was to arrive on the last day of the seven years. The Lord will be using the people to renovate Jerusalem and the temple, as He prepares for its rededication for sacrifices during the Feast of Tabernacles (Zech. 14:16, 19). The Battle of Gog of Magog will occur as a response to other attacks.

 While the pot is simmering with the threats to wipe Israel off the map, there has not been any major event to start the war of Psalm 83. There has to be a spark to ignite the flame, or last straw to break the camel’s back. Many believe that spark to be a fulfillment of a very near prophecy: “The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.” (Isaiah 17:1). With the fighting going on in Damascus, while Russia defends Syria, a nuclear event may be very close. It may not even be Israel who sends this nuclear missile, but we know someone will. As we have noticed, within the evil world media, Israel always gets the blame.

To cause the conclusion of the Psalm 83 war, God will perform a supernatural victory over Israel’s enemies, while the surrounding nations involved will lose their entire military. The nations mentioned in the Psalm 83 prophecy consist of the Palestinians or Gaza, Jordon, parts of Saudi Arabia, parts of Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon. Their militaries will be destroyed; meanwhile, there will be some very angry Islamic countries still remaining. I believe that this may be the event, which brings turmoil to the world, which could bring the rapture of the church. After the hundreds of millions of born again Christians are removed from the world, the world will mourn after the unexplained loss of so many people. The middle-east will need an event to stop the attack on Israel; a major battle would be stewing, after the annihilation of so many Muslim brothers. The seven year covenant of Daniel 9:27 will occur as the “prince” (Antichrist) steps in and brings peace.

As the Antichrist has drawn his line (seven year covenant) between the angry Muslim countries and Israel, the king of the south (Egypt) will refuse to abide in the seven year covenant and will push at “him” (Antichrist from Dan. 11:36-39). Revenge will cause Egypt to charge after Israel; the king of the north (Gog of Magog) shall come against him (king of the south) to honor the seven year covenant, while in loyalty to the new world king.

40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. (Daniel 11:40)

Gog of Magog (king of the north) will bring one of the most powerful militaries to go against Egypt and the supporters from the other countries (and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over). Gog of Magog (Russia) will pass over the other countries, in order to stamp out the rebellion and get to those in Egypt.

41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. (Daniel 11:41)

The king of the north (Gog of Magog or Russia) will pass down through Israel (He shall enter also into the glorious land) and will destroy the attackers and overthrow the government regimes except for those of Edom, Moab and Ammon which is, basically, Jordon and Gaza.

42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.

43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps. (Daniel 11:42-43)

The defeat of Egypt, and the other rebellious countries, will bring peace to the lands surrounding Israel. Israel will feel secure for the first time, since they had been brought back to their land in 1948. They will become a land of un-walled villages, which has never been the case (Ezekiel 38:11). Russia will have defeated Egypt and taken booty of the riches, which will still remain in Egypt. Notice in the end of Daniel 11:43, where a very significant statement is prophesied. The Libyans and Ethiopians will be at the steps of Russia (Gog of Magog). With the victories won in battles, one would think that these would not be adversarial, but in alliance. Any adversary of Gog of Magog (king of the north) would have been already defeated (because he hath done great things).

44 But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. (Daniel 11:44)

4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armor, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: (Ezekiel 38:4)

Sometime after the rebellion against the Antichrist has come to pass, there will be “tidings” which will cause Gog of Magog (Russia) to be troubled. It looks as though it is coming from the north and the east. When looking at Scripture, we should note most references pertaining to location has to be in respect to position of Israel as the focus. The tidings from the north and the east are referencing tidings from Turkey to the north and Iran to the east of Israel. Ezekiel 38:4 indicates that Gog of Magog will be “turned back” by God, while He puts hooks into his jaw and brings him back with his army. The tidings that shall trouble the king of the north (Gog of Magog) will be out of Turkey and Iran (Russian and Syrian allies). Could this be the final effort of the Islamic state to rid the world of their arch enemy, Israel? With Iran going to battle against Israel, they will call upon their allies to join them. The troubling thing for Gog of Magog (king of the north) is that he had already defended the seven year covenant of the Antichrist, and now he has to fulfill his responsibility to his alliance with Iran and break the seven year covenant that he had previously enforced. 

Joel 2:21 Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the Lord will do great things. Joel is not speaking to the people of the land, but the land itself with its trees and vegetation. “The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.” (Is. 35:1) Isaiah implies that the wilderness and solitary places will be glad for the animals of Isaiah 34:13-15. God has implied that His entire creation feels emotions as we do. Paul spoke in behalf of God and said: “For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now.” (Rom. 8:22) The entire creation groans and travails waiting for God to make all things as it once was, before the fall in the Garden of Eden. Jesus declared: “And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.” (Luke 19:40) So here even God Himself declared that the stones were holding their peace, while the humans declared Him as Hosanna in the highest. In this verse in Isaiah 35:1, the desert (solitary places) will rejoice and blossom as a rose does. To blossom, the desert will become full of life, as a desert becomes in the spring. Joel implies that the Lord will do great things for the land, while he calls for it to rejoice in the Lord.

Joel 2:22 Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength. Joel now speak to the wildlife of the field. He enlightens them on the promises of God. He had just told the land with its trees and vegetation to rejoice in the Lord in verse 21, followed by this guarantee to the animals. Looking back to Joel 1:7, God had taken away the vine and the fig tree during His wrath upon Israel. This is now a promise for restoration to Israel that God will bring things back in abundance to them during His Millennia Kingdom.

It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God. The desert will blossom abundantly. (Is. 35:2)

 In the photo on the previous page, the desert is blossomed abundantly; how much more will God cause the deserts of the Millennial Kingdom, as well as the deserts of eternity, to blossom? Interesting, the phrase in Isaiah 35:2 also states that the desert will “rejoice even with joy and singing!” Just as Jesus had stated in Luke 19:40, the rocks will cry out with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon, which are its vast forest of cedar trees, will be given to the desert. While Sharon was a rich tract of land with such beautiful flowers, Carmel had its rocky clefts and deep jungles of trees; God declares that the desert will look as these had. “They” is referring to the “wilderness and the solitary place,” which had blossomed as described here; they will see the glory of the Lord Jesus and the excellency of the Triune Godhead. Because they see God’s glory and excellency, they will blossom abundantly and sing. 

Joel 2:23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. After Joel had comforted the land and the beasts of the land, he “then” comforts the children of Zion (Messianic Israel), who will be the remnant of Israel (Zech. 13:9) saved out of the Seventieth Week of Daniel (Be glad then). After they had been left behind, after the rapture of the Bride of Christ, the remnant of Israel had to endure the entire seven years of the most terrible times to ever be experienced in the history of the Earth. The remnant should be glad then, because God had brought His Holy Spirit (the former rain) in a moderate manner at first at Pentecost in Acts 2:1-4. It was brought in a moderate manner, because not all of Israel would believe in Christ at first. The Jews had to endure through two thousand years of the curse of their blinding from the truth of Messiah (Romans 11:7-10, Is. 66:4), until the day they will see their Messiah at His Second Coming (Zech. 12:10).

Yet, in the future from the time of Joel’s prophecy, the former rain will come down moderately at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), then the latter rain will pour down upon them in the former month. Joel uses the Hebrew word ri'shown, which the translators have used the word “first,” to determine what month this latter rain will pour down. The Hebrew word ri'shown also is defined as “primary” or “former.” The month of Tishri, on the Jewish calendar, is the former, first month of the year. The Jewish New Year begins with Tishri each year, and it is considered the first month of creation, while Tishri 1 is considered the day of creation. Tishri 10 is the day of the Feast of Atonement and will be the first day of the Seven Year Seventieth Week of Daniel, as well as the last day of the seven years. Jesus the Messiah will return for His Second Coming on the Feast of Atonement on that last day of the seven years. On that day, the Holy Spirit (latter rain) will fall upon the Jewish remnant (Zech. 12:10) in the former month.

10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. (Zech. 12:10) 

Joel 2:24 And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. Within the Scriptures, grain has represented financial or material blessing (Luke 12:18, 2 Cor. 9:10, 1 Tim. 5:18), wine represents the joy of life (Ps. 4:7, Jer. 48:33, Eccl. 9:7) and oil represents the anointing of the Holy Spirit (1 Sam. 16:13, Is. 61:1). When Jesus sits on His throne in Jerusalem, the essentials of life will be in abundance. Joel comforts Israel with this promise from God, to the Jewish remnant that all will be good.

 Joel 2:25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. Through the last twenty-seven hundred years, the Lord has sent many armies of locust, worms, and military foe upon Israel to take away their essentials of life, as well as their ability to sacrifice unto Him for spiritual righteousness. The Lord has promised the messianic remnant of Israel that He will restore to them the years of harvests back to them, once he has taken His throne in Jerusalem. 

21 And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.

22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

23 They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them. (Is. 65:21-23)

 Joel 2:26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. The Lord had promised these same blessings to Israel when they first came into the land (Deut. 28:2-6), but they turned from Him and He has taken their blessings away from them on multiple occasions.

 2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.

3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.

4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.

6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comes in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goes out. (Deut. 28:2-6)

God had promised a curse to fall upon them, if they should turn away from following His covenant (Deut. 28:15-68). In Joel 1:3-12, God had fulfilled His curse upon unfaithful Israel. He brought them to shame, when they were carried away into captivity and scattered. But, here the Lord has promised great blessings to return, where they will no longer feel the shame that they have felt. God’s people will praise His name, while He continuously brings blessings upon them.

14 And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the Lord shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies. (Is. 66:14)

Joel 2:27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed. Joel closes this section of the prophecy confirming who is actually making the promises to messianic Israel. Jesus the Messiah is the Lord, who will be in the midst of Israel; He will be fulfilling His promises to the land and its vegetation, to the beasts of the field, and to the believing remnant of Israel; He will poor His Spirit as the latter rain upon them upon His arrival; He will restore their wheat, wine, and oil, even as back payment from what they had lost in the past; they will “eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God.” When He fulfills all of His promises, they shall know that He is the Lord their God. As Israel has been put to shame all throughout their history, when they had betrayed the Lord, they shall never be ashamed ever again. They will be called “the holy people” and “the redeemed of the Lord.” “And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.” (Is. 62:12)

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From Joel 2:28-32, I will separate from chapter two and include it into Joel chapter 3. The reason for this is obvious, because the following verses have nothing to do with the prophecy of the Millennial reign of Christ and seems to begin a new prophecy. Joel 3:1 is connected to the previous verses with the word “For,” which is an interchangeable word with the word “because.” The word “for” is presenting a reason for what was stated in Joel 2:32. It seems that the second century Jewish scribes may have not understood Joel’s prophesies well enough to accurately separate verses 28-32 from chapter two, when they should have included it with chapter three.

The second century Jewish scribes separated the Old Testament into what are called parashot. These then were eventually broken down into smaller sections called sedarim. The Mishnah then broke those sedarim into smaller pieces called pasuqim. The Masoretic Text was then transposed into what is commonly seen in the modern world as chapters and verses; Stephen Langton, who served as Archbishop of Canterbury in the early 1200s, has been credited with the modern chapter and verse system used today.

Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: Verses 28-32 represent what many will call an ongoing church age prophecy. The Apostle Peter brought this into realization or perspective, when he quoted Joel 2:28-32 within Acts 2:17-21, after the Holy Spirit had poured Himself onto the believing disciples of Christ at Pentecost. The first clause of verse 28 is the first day of the church age, while verses 30-32 could be reflective of the last days before the church is taken up in the rapture. The second clause of verse 28, as well as verse 29, has been coming to pass over the last two thousand years of the church age. I will break down these verses a little bit more.

 “And it shall come to pass afterward,” Obviously, this concludes that what will happen will come to pass after a certain event. It cannot be what will come to pass after what Joel has described in Joel 2:21-27, since those verses were promises made to the messianic Jewish remnant who would survive the seven year, Seventieth Week of Daniel. The Holy Spirit filled Apostle Peter was very confident that this verse was prophecy of after the Lord Jesus had made His first visit and had left (afterward). The Lord visited Israel and then ascended to heaven, afterward, He poured out His Spirit upon all of His disciples (Acts 2:1-4).

(that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh) Another word that can be troubling to readers is the word “all” when it comes to pouring His Spirit upon “all flesh.” We could say that He will pour His Spirit upon all of His disciples that day in Acts 2:1-4; it cannot be all flesh of the entire human race, therefore, it is best to say that He will pour out His Spirit upon His entire church over the next two thousand years. In that case, this is an ongoing two thousand year prophecy.

(and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy)  The church, over the last two thousand years, have ignorantly read the word of God; it has been that nearly the entire church is misinterpreting the power of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul found it necessary to scold and address the church at Corinth on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The church has been empowered with the Holy Spirit, while each Christian has been gifted by the Holy Spirit with a special gift to edify the church. While some misuse the gift provided them, others will deny the gifts even exist, just so they do not have to deal with having to separate out the fakers from the authentic; these people are known as the cessationists. Clearly, the spiritual gift of prophecy is a gift provided to a small limb of the church body. Just as in the Bible within Old Testament Israel, there are false prophets and there are authentic Holy Spirit filled saints who have the gift of prophecy. “To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:” (1 Cor. 12:10) In the Old Testament, prophesying was speaking the word of God, under the influence of the Holy Spirit (1 Sam. 10:13, 19:20). The Apostle Paul made it clear that the Christian, who prophesies, is to do it for the edification of the church and not the non-believer. “Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serves not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.” (1 Cor. 14:22)

Non-charismatic or cessationists believe that the gift of prophecy had ceased upon the completion of the New Testament. The gift of prophecy included the receiving of messages directly from God to proclaim in the presence of others, in order to guide the early church, because they did not have any written doctrines to abide in.[10] These messages from God would be such things as telling the future, or providing spiritual advice from God on a specific topic. Speaking in tongues was also considered a “sign gift” that God had used in the early church to bring Himself glory, in order to cause others to see His power so that they would believe in Him. 

The Apostle Paul explains the spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12, while he explains the diversity of the gifts and how God has given these gifts to edify the church.[11] The cessationists refer to a passage in 1 Corinthians 13:8-10 to argue the continuance of the spiritual gifts. This passage is thought to state that Paul the Apostle was referring to the word “perfect” as being the word of God. If one reads this passage, one can see that Paul is referring to the “sign gifts” in this passage, but it is not very clear in this passage what Paul means by the word “perfect.”

8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.  10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. (1 Corinthians 13:8-10)

Paul the Apostle was referring to the “sign gifts” being “done away” when that which is “perfect” (teleion) has come. The Greek word teleion is defined as: “brought to its end, finished; perfect; or that which is perfect.” Though the cessationists want to instead use the definition of teleion to be “brought to its end,” this is not consistent with what Paul has implied elsewhere in his letters to the church. It would be necessary to attempt to realize which definition Paul was referring to as being teleion. A person should always find supporting Scripture elsewhere, which will support or explain further what is meant by the passage, when a conclusion of interpretation is being brought forth. A certain passage in Scripture can be found in Ephesians, which Paul speaks of concerning the same gifts given by God and even uses the word “teleion” in the same context as he uses in 1 Corinthians 13:10.  Ephesians 4:8 explains how the Lord ascended to heaven with the Old Testament Saints, upon His resurrection; Paul states that the Lord also gave gifts unto men. Then as one reads thru to Ephesians 4:13, Paul used the word “perfect” (teleion) once again, just as He did back in 1 Corinthians 13:8.

11And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13)

One can clearly see in Ephesians 4:11-13, that Paul was speaking of the spiritual gifts being given to edify the church, until “all” come in unity unto a “perfect” (teleion) man.  The context is obviously referring to the rapture of the church, when the church takes on the body incorruptible and immortal (1 Cor. 15:52-57). It is clear that Paul used the word “perfect” (teleion) in the same context, between 1 Corinthians 13:8-10 and Ephesians 4:11-13. Therefore, the spiritual gifts are meant for the church, until the church does not have a need for them, upon their resurrection as perfect immortals.

     (your old men shall dream dreams) All of humanity has had dreams throughout their lives; sometimes even non-believing people will dream dreams, which the Lord has sent to them to communicate with them (Gen. 20:3; 28:10-17; 40:8; 41:1-34, Dan. 2:1-49; 4:5-16). In the Old and New Testament, we can read of different times when God has communicated with the righteous in dreams, in order to declare or warn them of important information that they would need to know (Gen. 37:5-13, Dan. 7:1-3, Matt. 2:19-20). Though it seems like there were many dreams spoken of within the Scriptures, there really were not many. We must not confuse dreams with visions, because a dream is while one is sleeping and visions are while one is awake.

Because the subconscious can dream dreams of many fantastic things from ones imagination, one cannot make assumptions that their dream was God sent. It is best that one keep their dreams pinpointed to their own lives and not make a public spectacle of their dreams, because of it cannot be assumed sent from God. If a dreams comes to a person, being a believer or not, they can communicate to a loved one their dreams; but is should not ever assumed to be God sent, nor of extra sensory perception (ESP) phenomenon. If God of heaven wanted to communicate to anyone through a dream, He will find a way for it to be taken seriously from Him. Prophetic dreams are as conscience prophesy and for a specific purpose to edify a church member or their immediate church. A person will know if they have such a spiritual gift, because God will have given them dreams, within their past, to alert them of their gift. Non-believers can never have the spiritual gift of prophesy, so therefore, prophetic dreams are limited to believers. Though someone declares themselves as a believer, only God knows for sure if they truly are His. There is a chance that a nonbeliever has been seduced by a familiar spirit, who communicates through dreams to them, in order to deceive and do harm.

(your young men shall see visions) Within the context of what Joel has implied, “old” men shall dream prophetic dreams, while young men shall have prophetic visions. Dreams are experienced while someone is sleeping, while visions are experienced while someone is awake. Most of the Old and New Testament prophets saw visions instead of dreams. This, in itself, is a clear indicator that God knows that we should really only take visions seriously, rather than dreams; it is uncertain of whether it is our wild imagination dreaming the dreams or not. Old men will have their own wisdom, to discern whether their dream is from God, while a younger man will need the reality of being awake to see the vision as really from God.

A vision is a supernatural sighting of an unusual scene, which warns or enlightens the young person of an event or scenario that God desires that person to know; it is to edify someone of the church, or of the immediate church to the person seeing the vision. A vision should not be for the benefit of a nonbeliever, because the nonbeliever will either think that the person is insane, or that the vision can be interpreted in other ways. God provides all interpretations to either the one seeing the vision, or to another believer. The visions and dreams should not be written down, not publicized to the world or the world wide church; it is for a specific person or group of believers for edification. 

7 For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God. (Eccl. 5:7)

 Joel 2:29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. This verse provides the diversity of the church age. God’s Holy Spirit will pour out upon not only men, but women (handmaids) also. The servants are to be considered the Gentiles. Israel would keep Gentiles slaves or servants within their households, within the Old Testament years (Josh. 9:25-27). Joel implies that even the Gentiles will be given God’s Holy Spirit.

Joel 2:30-31 30And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. Verses 30-31 should be read together as a set; the two verses describe the condition of the Earth, right before the rapture of the church. Just as verses 28-29 reveal the church age that has been ongoing for nearly two thousand years, the next two verses reveal the ending of the church age. Verse 31 implies that the conditions being proclaimed within verses 30-31 are “before” the great and terrible “day of the Lord.” As I have explained from verse one, the “day of the Lord” consists of seven years of God’s judgment and wrath, which He will inflict upon the entire Earth. The church age will end, upon the “catching up” of the church to heaven (1 Thess. 4:16-18), by the Lord; this is called the rapture of the church. As I have also indicated within my explanation of Joel 2:1, the rapture of the church will happen before the great and terrible “day of the Lord.”

God will “show wonders in the heavens” before the “day of the Lord.” Jesus provided His disciples with clues to the timing of the rapture, when He discussed with them the coming of the time of the end. Within Luke 21:25, Jesus spoke of the “signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;” In Luke 21:27, Jesus spoke of His Second Coming, which would be on the last day of the seven year “day of the Lord.” Within Luke 21:28, Jesus exclaimed that when you “begin” to see these things come to pass, to look up, for your redemption draws near. When the church “begins’ to see the signs in the sun, the moon, the stars and distress of nations, that is when the church is to look up, because their redemption draws near. Through the resurrection of the saints or rapture, the church will have experienced their redemption, which was paid in full by Christ (Eph. 1:7).

God will also show “in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke,” before the rapture of the church. With earthquakes and volcanic eruptions upon the face of the Earth, there will be much blood and death suffered by the unfortunate victims. Cities will be in flames, while war, quakes, and volcanoes bring smoke, ash, and fire. “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places.” (Matt. 24:7) Jesus provided the beginning of sorrows to His disciples to want of the times, before the end of the world (Matt. 24:5-8).  31The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come. Many will want to declare this to be a typical blood moon upon Israel, which will trigger the rapture of the church, or just the beginning of the “day of the Lord.” That very well may be the case, or it could be as a result of all of the smoke from the fire and smoke from verse 30. As the Earth experiences so much destruction from wars, earthquakes, and volcanoes, the smoke could smitten the sun from being seen, as well as cause the moon to look red as a typical blood moon. In either case, these are the conditions to be seen by Israel and the world, right before the great and terrible “day of the Lord” come.

Joel 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 passage reveals the purpose for the two thousand year church age, which has given God’s church an allotted time for it to grow. It also provides a theological outlook to predestination of the chosen church of God. The passage declares that whomever shall call upon God, shall be saved from His wrath. But in the second half of the passage, the deliverance from His wrath depends on them being called by the Lord first (the remnant whom the Lord shall call). This passage supports the doctrines of John Calvin, rather than the doctrines of Jacobus Arminius.

Predestination can be best defined as “the predetermination of a person to a specific end.”[12] In reference to the Bible, the New Testament presents the doctrine of predestination as being salvific and Christological.[13] Predestination should be understood as God’s will and perfect plan, in order to achieve His ultimate goal; this ultimate goal should be understood as His eternal kingdom, which includes His children, who are created in His image.

29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. (Romans 8:29-30)

In Romans 8:29-30, a person can read and understand the doctrine of predestination, but there are those that see God’s initiative as threatening to human freedom (free will). If these people studied the Scriptures, they would find that to have a 100% omnipotent and Sovereign God, they will have to discard the free will of humanity. Most will find it too upsetting to believe that a loving God, would predestine people to hell and then the lake of fire; they will choose to twist the Scriptures to fit within their own comfortable doctrine of “human free will” to rule over God’s omnipotence and Sovereignty. Humanity having free will to choose to believe in God, without His first involvement in their decision, always presents God to be less than 100% sovereign; this also presents mankind to have control of the outcomes of events in this world, which makes them more powerful than God Himself. I will present rebuttal against the arguments opposing predestination, with solid Scriptural explanations, which can be concluded that God is 100% sovereign over His creation.

Romans 8:29 says quite clearly, that who God “did foreknow” (past tense), He “also” predestined or predetermined an outcome. The word “also” links the two phrases together. He “foreknew” or knew beforehand each person whom He had created; He “also” predestined that person, at the same time that He foreknew them, to a future outcome. Finishing the phrase, He predestined that person to be “conformed to the image of His Son.” Most will be ok with that statement, until they analyze it and understand that this means that there is the rest of humanity, who are not predestined to be “conformed to the image of His Son;” this would mean that God predestines the rest of humanity to damnation; it hurts their sensitive hearts to realize that their loved ones, who have died, were predestined to hellfire, because they were not believers in the gospel of Jesus Christ. People leave church congregations, after hearing the truth of this message, and move on to a church who will tickle their ears with the opposite doctrine of “human free will.”

  There are two sides of the camp concerning the doctrine of salvation and free will. Through the last 2,000 years, theologians have debated one another such as: Augustine verses Pelagius, Luther verses Erasmus, Calvin verses Arminius and Whitefield verses Wesley. In the current day, the two camps are known as Calvinism and Arminianism. Some will attempt to stand in the middle of the two camps, but will break down when confronted and weakly go against God’s sovereignty, towards the Arminian’s “human free will” position; this is all for the same reason, because they do not want to accept that their loving God would predestine anyone to damnation. Calvinism holds strong to the doctrine of God’s 100% sovereignty, who does predestine souls to damnation. 

Human Free Will

The doctrine of “human free will” is the ultimate position, which those against the doctrine of predestination will use, in order to comfort themselves and also use for their theological position. Though the Scriptures do not support this doctrine very soundly, they grab ahold of this, rather than to accept that God would predestine souls to damnation.

Though stereotypes can tend to distort the opinions of one sect against the other, one should realize that both Arminianism and Calvinism are of the reformed theology. A person needs to understand the basic disagreements between Arminianism and Calvinism, to realize what their own position is concerning these two positions on Protestant Christianity.

There are those that want to hover in between the two camps of theology; these are better known as moderate Calvinists. For Jacobus Arminius, inclusion in the covenant of grace is not determined exclusively by God, but by the free agency response of a person to God’s initiative in Christ and through the Holy Spirit. The Calvinist view regards inclusion as complete and unconditional; the chosen may feel that faith is their own achievement, but in truth, it is through the grace of God which they are not able to reject (Irresistible Grace).[14]

Jacobus Arminius, a disciple of Beza (a follower of Calvin), took a more moderate position regarding the original sin and became persuaded of the doctrine of free will and universal grace. He and his followers presented the Five Articles of the Remonstrance, which focused on man’s free agency and that God has decreed to save all humanity.[15]

1.     Conditional election (only those that choose to be of the elect)

2.   Unlimited atonement (all can be saved)

3.   Total depravity of mankind (all mankind runs from God)

4.   Free will of man (mankind can choose God on their own)

5.    Conditional perseverance (saints can lose their salvation)

In 1618, The Synod of Dort rebuked Arminius and his Five Articles of the Remonstrance and adopted the five points of Calvinism known as TULIP:[16]

1.     T-total depravity (all mankind runs from God)

2.   U-unconditional election (God chooses His elect)

3.   L-limited atonement (only those of the elect can be saved)

4.   I-irresistible grace ( the elect cannot resist God’s grace)

5.    P-perseverance of the saints (a saint cannot lose their salvation)

Arminians do not agree with TULIP, because they believe that Christ died for the “whole world” and would not predestine people to hell, while they use verses like 1 John 2:2 and John 3:16.[17] A.W. Pink reminds his readers that God never said that He loved the “whole world.” “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him” (John 14:21). If God the Father loves everyone, than why would Jesus give a condition for Father God’s love being for the ones that keeps His commandments and loves His Son? Psalms 5:5 says that God hates all workers of inequity. “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36). Can God love the one’s of whom His wrath abides in? Romans 9:13 says God hated Esau; how can one say that John 3:16 means the “whole world?” A person should only conclude that God loves all of His elect of the “whole world.”[18]

Those that sway between the two positions (Ariminian vs Calvinism) will grasp a passage in Hebrews 6:4-6, which they will say that one can lose their salvation; this would support Conditional Perseverance in the Five Articles of the Remonstrance. If one were to break this down exegetically, they would understand it to not present a doctrine of Conditional Perseverance.

4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,

5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. (Hebrews 6:4-6)

The word “enlightened” in verse 4 is translated from the Greek word phōtizō; it is defined as “to bring to light, render evident.” These people have heard the gospel and the promises of the Kingdom of God. The word “tasted” is translated from the Greek word geuomai; it is defined as “to feel, make trial of, experience.” The words “heavenly gift” come from the two Greek words epouranios and dōrea; with dorius meaning “gift” and epouranios interpreted as “things that take place in heaven,” we put them together to mean “experience the gifts that take place in heaven.” The word “partakers” is translated from the Greek word metochos; it is defined as “sharing in, partaking.” Verse 4 does not imply that these are saved Christians, but implies that these are people that are rendering evident the gospel and sharing in the heavenly gifts. If one goes to any church service, they will talk with people who have been going to that church for many years; as they get to know them, they will find that they enjoy the fellowship with the other members and go to the various activities to enjoy it, as if it were a country club social affair; they do not like the idea of being separated from this scene, because the rest of the world walks in such horrid darkness. Yet, some of these people have not trusted their life to Christ; their relationship is not with Him, but rather the church family. They know the gospel; they enjoy the many activities of singing and praying, yet do not know the Lord; they partake in the communion and clap at the baptisms, but do not know the Lord themselves.

Verse 5 moves on to say that these people experience (geuomai) the preaching of the word of God during the church services, and enjoy hearing about the future Kingdom of God, which is to come. Once again, this does not imply that they are saints (saved believers). 

Verse 6 implies that if they “fall away” (parapiptō = to deviate from the right path, turn aside, wander), they could not be renewed back into the church again. This is where the misinterpretation comes into play. If this were believers, “falling away” would be only until they come back to God; this is guaranteed by Jesus to happen for all believers (John 6:37, 39; 10:28); the “prodigal son” will always come back to Jesus (Luke 15:11-32); God will always make sure of this. The “luke warm” Christians (Revelation 3:15-16) described in verse 4-5, when they leave the church environment to seek the world, cannot be renewed back or turn away (repentance) from the world and the sins they commit. The second half of verse 6 provides the reason why they cannot enter back into the church and would be accursed; they openly walked as though they had accepted Christ, when they had not; they bear a bad witness to others, when they “fall away” or stray away and sin like the devil. This does not mean that all people that this happens to are accursed and cannot be saved; remember, that there are the prodigals of Luke 15:11-32. All we can do is pray for them.

Arminians will use 2 Peter 3:9 to confront Calvinism: “…not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” This is done by those not taking the verse into context. In 2 Peter 3:8, Peter addresses his readers as “beloved.” Would he be calling a non-believer “beloved?” This is a letter to the church. Common sense tells a person that he is addressing his brothers and sisters in Christ. When one then reads verse 9, he reminds his beloved that God is longsuffering and not willing that any of his elect will perish. Surely, if God is the complete Sovereign and if God meant for “any” being “all people,” then God has already failed to save all.

So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. (Romans 9:16)

As stated earlier, Arminius did not approve of God’s Sovereignty to include the origination of evil or sin. “Arminians are well aware of Calvinist arguments based on the Genesis narrative, where Joseph’s brothers meant his captivity for evil but God meant it for good (Gen 50:20). They simply do not believe this proves that God ordains evil that good may come of it. Arminians believe God permits evil and brings good out of it. Otherwise, who is the real sinner?”[19] Ignoring the Scriptures, which proclaims that God is completely sovereign over His creation, is something the Arminians fall guilty of. Charles Spurgeon suggests to these Arminians that it is their duty to bow down before God and meekly acknowledge what they do not understand and to receive it as the truth even though they cannot understand its meaning.[20] This would be implementing Isaiah 55:8-9 once again.

19Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?

20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?

21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:

23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, (Romans 9:19-23 [KJV])

Breaking down the above passage, I will start with verse 19; Paul repeats a question, which was commonly asked of him, when he explained predestination to those of his day. The question asks why God would cast anyone into hell who had no choice in the matter.

In verse 20, Paul asks all of mankind, what right do they think that they have in questioning the Creator for His choices. 

In verse 21, Paul describes God as the potter, who is making pots. God can choose to make each pot as He wishes. One pot can be a pot of honor (righteousness), while the other a pot of dishonor (unrighteousness). The “same lump” of clay can be in view of coming from the same tribe, family, or nation.

In verse 22, Paul proposes that God has chosen to endure the evil sins of the pots of dishonor with longsuffering (patience), so that he will eventually reveal His wrath upon those pots of unrighteousness to bring Himself glory. 

Then Paul concludes in verse 23, because God is glorified from that wrath mentioned in verse 22, that the pots of mercy (the righteous elect) may see His glory. Paul finished that verse with the impression that God had predestined those vessels of mercy to glory (which he had afore prepared unto glory). 

Romans 9:22-23, implies that God does choose to create evil people, who He will not call unto Him for salvation, and He uses them to perform evil works in order to show His elect His magnificence and glory. This is the passage that people, such as Erasmus and all other Arminians, have a problem with. They fail to see that God’s light shines brighter in darkness than it does in the light. The evil that men do magnifies God’s light so bright, that God is glorified perfectly as He has planned. He draws His elect to Himself and calls them to believe in Him, because they have seen the evil darkness. Romans 8:28-30 shows that God does actually have an effectual call to His elect. Romans 9:16, clearly indicates that man had no will, when it came time to respond to God’s call, because it was the will of God that shows mercy through His grace.

    [1] Matt Woodley, Leonard Sweet and Skye Jethani, The Gospel of Matthew: God with Us (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2011), 225.

    [2]Tim Lahaye and Ed Hindson, The Popular Encyclopedia of Bible Prophecy (Eugene: Harvest Home Publishers , 2004), 252.

    [3] James Strong, New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, 74, 85.

    [4] Harris, Richard H. Harris III. Holy Days or Holidays??? (Accessed 3/11/2018 https://www.elijahscry.org: Elijah's Cry, 1994-1998), 5.

    [5] Walter A. Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology 2nd Edition (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001), 983.

    [6] James Strong, New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, 3.

    [7] Stanley N. Gundry and Alan Hultberg, Three Views on The Rapture; Pretribulation, Prewrath, Postribulation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), 54.

    [8] Ibid.

    [9] Ibid., 55.

[10] (Farnell 1992, p. 277-278)

[11] (Koenig 1978, p. 30)

    [12] Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary, 950.

    [13] Ibid.

    [14] Roger E. Olson, Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2009), 53-54.

    [15] Erwin Lutzer, The Doctrines That Divide (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1998), 178.

    [16] Ibid., 179.

    [17] Ibid,. 186.

   [18] Pink, The Sovereignty of God, 160-161.

   [19] Lutzer, The Doctrines That Divide, 100.

   [20] Spurgeon, The Essential Works, 1008.