Joel Explained | The Lord Has Done Great ThingsSample

Day 3 | Joel 3

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Pastor Jonathan here, and Joel chapter 3 on Through the Word. Armegeddon. Ragnarök. Yom Adoni. Whatever you call it, the end of the world is coming; are you ready for it? Let’s jump in, at verse 1:

“In those days and at that time,

    when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,

I will gather all nations

    and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. 

There I will put them on trial

    for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel,

because they scattered my people among the nations

    and divided up my land.” (Joel 3:1-2).

Joel prophesied immediately after the plague of locusts had brought the judgment of God upon Judah. And at times like that, it is easy to think, “God, we’re your people! Sure we have sinned, but what about the wicked nations? We may be bad, but they’re worse.” God’s message through Joel 3 is that he will judge the wicked as well. This same thought is found in the book of Habakkuk, where God tells the prophet that he would send Babylon to judge Judah. When Habakkuk cries out about the wickedness of Babylon, God tells the prophet that they would be judged as well. Peter also brings this up in 1 Peter 4:

“For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17).

So Joel spoke of the plague in chapter 1, and in chapter 2 warned the people  of the coming judgment. When the people responded, God relented from his judgment, and instead poured out blessings of mercy and grace upon his people. And he spoke of a period of time called the "Last Days", the period between the resurrection of Christ until his future return. Now in chapter 3, Joel jumps ahead to the days after the Last Days.

In those days, the Lord promises to restore the fortunes of Israel, and all the nations of the world will be judged in the Valley of Jehoshaphat. Now, if you pull out your Bible atlas, you would look in vain for the Valley of Jehoshaphat, because it’s not there! So is this a Bible error? No. Jehoshaphat means the "Lord judges", so this is the valley of the Lord’s judgment. Whether this is the valley of Megiddo, where Armageddon takes place, or some other location, the idea is that God is calling all the nations together for the day of judgment. And on that day, the Lord declares the judgement will be based on how the nations treated the people of God, the people of Israel.

Now it’s important at this point to make a distinction between the modern nation-state of Israel and the people of Israel. Israel today is a nation comprising Jews, Christians, Muslims, and atheists alike. It is a geopolitical entity and it is not the same as the covenant people of Israel. The covenant people of Israel are the Jewish people, the descendants of the twelve tribes of Israel. In addition, Romans 11 speaks of the church being grafted into the people of God. So this verse speaks of how the nations of the world will be judged according to how they treated the Jewish people and Christian believers. 

“Proclaim this among the nations:

    Prepare for war!

Rouse the warriors!

    Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.

Beat your plowshares into swords

    and your pruning hooks into spears.

Let the weakling say,

    ‘I am strong!’

Come quickly, all you nations from every side,

    and assemble there.

Bring down your warriors, Lord!” (Joel 3:9-11).

Joel tells the nations of the world to prepare for a battle, but a battle that they will lose. Every nation is to rouse its fighters, even the weakest are called to gather with the strong. Farmers are told to beat their plowshares into swords and prepare to fight. But it really won’t be much of a fight. 

“Let the nations be roused;

    let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat,

for there I will sit

    to judge all the nations on every side.

Swing the sickle,

    for the harvest is ripe.

Come, trample the grapes,

    for the winepress is full

    and the vats overflow—

so great is their wickedness!” (Joel 3:12-13).

So the nations gather again, in the valley of the judgment of the Lord. The Lord himself will sit in judgment of these nations, and the justice will be swift and righteous. 

One of the most common statements I hear from non-believers is that they don’t feel that God is judgmental. People want to focus on God as a God of love, and don’t want to hear about sin and God’s wrath against it. But let’s be honest, judgment is about the only aspect of God’s plan of salvation that makes sense. Grace and mercy are not logical. God's love for people who are in open rebellion against him? Not logical. But judgment? If God is just, then He will give everyone exactly what they deserve. If we reject the free offer of salvation through the forgiveness of Jesus Christ, then it only makes sense that God will give us the very thing we deserve, and that is judgment for our sins.

The battle here, which is no real battle at all, is shown in the book of Revelation in chapters 16 and 19. The nations are brought together to do battle against the Lord. Chapter 19 says:

“Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh” (Revelation 19:19-21).

Not an appealing sight, but it is a picture of justice. These are the people who have gathered to try to stop the Lord from setting up his kingdom. These are those who actively remain in rebellion against the King who offered them grace and forgiveness, which they rejected. And so, they will be judged on the Great Day of the Lord. But The Day of the Lord is not just a day of judgment. Back in Joel 3:

“‘Then you will know that I, the Lord your God,

    dwell in Zion, my holy hill.

Jerusalem will be holy;

    never again will foreigners invade her.’

In that day the mountains will drip new wine,

    and the hills will flow with milk;

    all the ravines of Judah will run with water.

A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house

    and will water the valley of acacias” (Joel 3:17-18). 

Judgment will be poured out on the enemies of God and his people, but blessings will be poured out on the faithful. The land will be prosperous, and the city of Jerusalem will retain its special place in the heart of God, and will never be invaded again.

Think about what a blessing these verses would be to the first listeners of Joel’s prophecy. They had been judged, and it was severe. But the faithfulness of God meant that He would not leave them in that state, but would relent from punishing them and pour out his blessings, if they would return to Him. When the people obeyed, God richly bestowed his grace, and the people of God were promised that the judgment coming would not be poured out on them, but on their enemies. Their task was to remain faithful to the Lord.

And that is Joel’s message to us today. God is faithful to his word, and He has promised us that he will forgive our sins if we will repent. One day, the world is going to be divided into two camps, those of Jerusalem, and those of the world. One will be blessed, and the other, destroyed. Which camp will you be in?

That’s the book of Joel, thanks for joining us on this quick journey. Join us again tomorrow on Through the Word.

Read Joel 3

All verses are quoted from the NIV unless otherwise noted.