Journal Through the Bible: Week 53 Saturday

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Joel chapter 3

Does God issue any commands?

• God told the Gentiles to prepare for war: beat their plowshares into swords and pruninghooks into spears in preparation to fight against God.
• God called the heathen to the Valley of Jehoshaphat for judgment.
• God commanded the sickle to be put to the harvest because the wickedness of the heathen is ripe.

Does God make any promises?

• God promised that in the days when the remnant of Judah that returned after the captivity He would gather all nations in the Valley of Jehoshaphat and plead for those who are scattered among them.
• God promised to return the people taken by Tyre, Zidon (the people of Jezebel), and Greece. He told them that if they tried to make restitution to Him He would pour it out upon their heads because of the silver and gold that they took as tribute money from God's Temple in Jerusalem. Those nations would see their own sons and daughters taken as captives and sold as slaves.
• God promised that Egypt and Edom would be desolate due to their violence against the children of Judah.
• God promised that Judah shall dwell for ever and so will Jerusalem because Zion is where God dwells.

Does this chapter teach anything about Jesus?

• God does not say who it is that is to thrust in the sickle and reap the harvest but Revelation 14:14 tells us that it is Jesus that the Father commands to lead the reaping of the wicked that are to be thrust into the winepress of God's wrath.
• The Lord in verse 16 that roars out of Zion and is the hope of his people and the strength of Israel is Jesus.

Does this chapter teach anything about yet-future events?

• In Joel 3:13 God told someone to put in the sickle and reap the harvest because the wickedness of the heathen is ripe. In Revelation chapter 14 the Son of Man (Jesus) and an angel had sickles that they thrust into the earth and placed the harvest of the wicked into the winepress of God's wrath while 144, 000 Jews watched.
• Again Joel tells of the sun and moon being darkened. Jesus prophesied this also.
• In verse 17 the Lord will dwell on Zion and no strangers will ever pass through her again. This is because only those who experience everlasting life will be there. They will not be strangers but citizens of Zion.
• Verse 18 tells that there will always be plenty of provisions in the mountains near Zion, perhaps at the time of the Millennium Kingdom: new wine, milk, plenty of fresh water flowing through the valley.  
• Zion is where God dwells forever. It is the place of Emmanuel, God with us. It is why God's people will have free access to it and Him throughout eternity.