< Joel - Praising God in Discipline
Nov. 28, 2022 version
Today we are going to study two topics Christians do not study often, and they are rather difficult topics: how God disciplines, and how we are to mourn.
The name “Joel” means “Yahweh is God.” However, we do not know if he was born with that name, or given that name later. It was not an unusual name, as around twelve other men in the Old Testament were also named Joel. However, there is nothing to suggest this prophet was any of them. We know nothing about Joel personally, except that his father was named Pethuel.
Uncertain Date: As for the date, we do not know for sure when this locust plague was in Israel. Tyre and Sidon, mentioned together in Joel 3:4, were only united in the early eighth century. The Greeks in Joel 3:6 were not the later Greeks of Athens and Sparta, but the earlier Ionian Greeks, who controlled the trade routes in modern-day Turkey in the early eighth century. There is no reference to either Assyrians or Babylonians. The period in history when both were weak was from the death of Adad-nirari III in 782 B.C. to 745 B.C., when Tiglath-Pileser III started his reign. Judah was strong at this time, and King Uzziah was the head of an anti-Assyrian alliance. The Philistines harassed Israel during this time.
On the other hand, Joel calls the Judean kingdom Israel in Joel 2:27 and 3:16, so this might have been after the exile of the northern kingdom in 722 B.C.
Locusts: The New International Bible Commentary p.887 says that the locusts came from the desert in Sudan. With the wind at their back, they were capable of migrating 1,200 miles in three days. At 400 miles per day, flying 14 hours a day, that would be about 28 miles per hour. Typically they migrated in a straight line. The ancient historian Pliny claims in Natural History 11.35 that a plague of locusts could even gnaw through doors. While this might not be true, it illustrates the terror a plague of locusts would bring.
Outline: Apparently the book of Joel defies a western style of outlining. Seven Bible commentaries and study Bibles give seven very different outlines. But while most of them disagree on the high-level outline, they tend to agree on the smaller parts. Perhaps that is how Joel is to be understood: as many sharp but brief warnings from the heart, rather than a long, highly structured treatise like Lamentations is. Here are the sections I see in chapter 1:
Immediate Discipline of the Locusts and Drought (Joel 1:1-20)
Hear this, O elders - Joel 1:2-4
Wake up, you drunkards - Joel 1:5-7
Priests should mourn like a wife grieving for her husband - Joel 1:8-10
Be dismayed, O farmers - Joel 1:11-12
Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests - Joel 1:13-14
Why all should mourn - Joel 1:15-18
Our proper response: call to the Lord in the midst of disaster - Joel 1:19-20
Symbol of Future Judgment (Joel 2:1-27)
Aside: Outpouring of the Spirit (Joel 2:28-32)
Judgment in the Valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:1-16)
Blessing After the Judgment (Joel 3:17-21)
Joel 1 – Praising God when the Locusts Come
1. People can be troubled that while some sinned and turned away from God, all seemed to suffer consequences. What do you think about this apparent “unfairness” from an eternal perspective?
2. In Joel 1:2, why do you think Joel started off addressing the elders? Were they the only ones affected by the plague of locusts?
3. Christians disagree on whether elders here could mean leaders, or older people, or both. How could both leaders and older people be at fault? Do you think Joel 1:2b-3 answers this?
4. Joel 1:4 mentions four types of locusts. While we are not sure what the differences are between these different Hebrew words, the point is that this punishment is in four waves. What two things can we learn about God’s discipline from this?
5. In Joel 1:4, why would God send these terrible plagues of locusts, if God loved the Israelites? One might start to suspect that the prosperity of God’s people was not God’s highest priority!
6. Chapter 1 addresses various groups: elders, drunkards, priests, farmers, priests again, and all. The only sin mentioned in the book of Joel is drunkenness. Why do you think God would address these specific groups? What corresponding groups are there today?
7. There is one key word in almost every section of Joel: the Hebrew word ki, which can be translated as “because,” “for,” or “surely.” Why does Joel emphasize this word?
8. In Joel 1:5 the drunkards are told to wake up and weep, for (ki) their sweet wine has been cut off from their mouths. Why would God start out with such an elementary, earth-centered message? How does Joel 1:6-7 relate to this?
9. In Joel 1:11, what are two distinct reasons the farmers are to grieve?
10. In Joel 1:13, why would the farmers’ crop failures affect the offerings?
11. In Joel 1:13, what are two ways “treasures in God’s house” can be squandered?
12. While God brings punishment and discipline, what role do we as Christians have in teaching people why these things came, and how they should respond to God? How can we do so, without appearing self-righteous? (example: New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina)
13. Why is Joel calling to God in Joel 1:19? Is Joel actually asking God to help or to relent here?
14. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says to give thanks in all things. How in the world are we to thank God for the locusts coming? (Hints: Romans 8:28; Hebrews 12:5-8)
Joel 2:1-12 – How Do We Blow the Trumpet in Zion?
If all that the book of Joel taught was about how God disciplines and how we are to respond in difficult times, it would be a valuable book to read today. However, Joel is also a very prophetic book about the end times. Which verse in chapter 1 gives a hint of that?
1. In chapter 1, the people were commanded to wake up, weep, wail, be dismayed, put on sackcloth, and lament. Joel himself simply called to the Lord in Joel 1:19. But what different thing are they commanded to do in Joel 2:1,15? Do you think the order of Joel 2:1,15 after the commands in Joel 1 is significant?
2. In applying Joel 2:1,15 today, what would Zion / the holy mountain represent?
3. Why wouldn’t Zion represent all people, or represent just wherever you lived?
4. Joel 2:1b-2 says, “Let all who dwell in the land tremble, for (ki) the Day of the LORD is coming.” Why should godly believers tremble?
5. In Joel 2:1,15, why exactly were they commanded to “blow the ram’s horn” back then? Why are we to “blow the trumpet” today?
6. Is Joel 2:1-11 talking about regular locusts, an invading army, or the end times?
7. Sometimes people are annoyed when things are not as good as they expect them to be, sometimes people are irritated when things do not go their way, and sometimes they are mad when things seem to be deliberately going against them. But Joel 2:6 does not say any of these. How does Joel 2:6 go beyond all of these?
8. What things today put people in anguish, or make their faces turn pale, versus just being annoyed, irritated, or mad?
9. Could Joel 2:10 be related to Matthew 27:45?
10. Could Joel 2:10 relate to Revelation 8:12? Revelation 16:10?
11. Could Joel 2:1-11 relate to Revelation 9:1-11?
13. In Joel 2:12,15, where are we to blow the trumpet and tell people to turn to God today?
Joel 2:13-32 – When Do We Ask God to Take Pity?
1. In Joel 2:12-15, once God has pronounced a calamity, is there any way for you to escape it? See Jonah 3:9-10; Amos 7:1-6; Jeremiah 18:5-10.
2. In Joel 2:17, what is the significance of weeping between the portico and the altar?
3. In Joel 2:17, what two added reasons are given for blowing the ram’s horn in Zion in Joel 2:15?
4. What two reasons does Joel 2:18 give for why God’s people would want to do these things? How do you think this relates to our being salt in the world?
5. Do you think the large northern army and “the big stench” in Joel 2:20 relate to Ezekiel 39:11-20; Revelation 16:12-16; and/or Revelation 19:17-19?
6. Joel 1:4 showed the thoroughness of God’s discipline and judgment with the four kinds of locusts. The army is mentioned in Joel 2:2. In Joel 2:25, how does the thoroughness of God’s restoration compare with the thoroughness of God’s discipline and judgment?
7. What is amazing about the promise God made to the people of Zion in Joel 2:25-27? Does this refer to a) the Millennium, b) heaven, and/or c) while we are living on earth now? Choose all that apply. (Hint: Joel 2:28 provides a partial clue)
8. In Joel 2:27, how has this been fulfilled? How is this going to be further fulfilled in the future?
9. When did/does Joel 2:28-32 occur? Acts 2:17-21 quotes Joel 2:28-32, so how does Acts 2 relate to this?
10. How does Joel 2:32 relate to Romans 10:13?
11. The false religion called Baha’ism in Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.277-278 teaches that Joel 2:30-32 and Matthew 24:29-30 refer to Moses, Christ, and Mohammed in that their teachings originally were like a sun, but they all were darkened by corruption later on. How would you respond to this?
12. This sounds like a nice, comfortable promise until you read the words at the end: “among the remnant called by the LORD.” Why is it so hard for a person to be one of this remnant (literally, “survivors”) here?
13. How are we called not just to be a Christian, but to be among the remnant, a true “survivor”?
Joel 3 – Lesser Judgments to the Great Judgment
1. In Joel 3:2,12, where is the Valley of Jehoshaphat and when and what does this refer to?
2. In Joel 3:4, what is the difference between the sin of Philistia and the sin of Tyre and Sidon?
3. In Joel 3:6, does the mention of Jews among the Greek lands indicate a post-exilic date?
4. In Joel 3:10, why will some nations gather to fight against Israel?
5. Joel 3:10 sounds almost the opposite of Micah 4:3. Is the command in Joel 3:10 something that God wants obedient believers to do, or does the command serve another purpose?
6. How does Joel 3:13 relate to Isaiah 63:2-4 and Revelation 14:14-20?
7. When does Joel 3:15 occur?
8. In Joel 3:16, how does the LORD both “roar from Zion” and serve as “a refuge for His people”?
9. In Joel 3:19, what could be some reasons God inflicts punishment in this life on nations?
10. In Joel 3:20-21, when will God cleanse Judah’s blood?
11. In Joel 3:21, how do we share an urgent but negative message in a positive-thinking society?
Joel 1 – Praising God when the Locusts Come – some brief answers
1. In Joel 1, people can be troubled that while some sinned and turned away from God, all seemed to suffer consequences. What do you think about this apparent “unfairness” from an eternal perspective?
A: If you look at this world only, not only is it fallen with evil, it is also unjust. However, God has set aside judgment day to make everything just. Whatever happens to us in the few decades we have to live on this earth is very small compared to the eternal life after we die.
2. In Joel 1:2, why do you think Joel began with addressing the elders? Were they the only ones affected by the plague of locusts?
A: Many times it is the government and religious figures that lead the people into disobedience. When the leaders are disobedient, not only do their followers suffer, but others suffer the consequences too.
However, official leaders are not the only kind of leaders. Just as significantly, parents individually lead (or mislead) their children, and the older generation corporately guides the younger generation. When there is a failure of the entire older generation to lead both by words and example, then the younger generation suffers.
3. In Joel 1:2b-3, Christians disagree on whether elders here could mean leaders, or older people, or both. How could both leaders and older people be at fault? Do you think Joel 1:2b-3 answers this?
A: Certainly the rebuke could refer to both. However, Joel 1:2b-3 mentions not hearing this from their forefathers, and they have the command and responsibility to tell this to their children. This indicates that regardless of whether it refers to political or religious leaders, it also certainly refers to older people, who should have taught the younger generation.
4. Joel 1:4 mentions four types of locusts. While we are not sure what the differences are between these different Hebrew words, the point is that this punishment is in four waves. What two things can we learn about God’s discipline from this?
A: God’s judgment can be both precise and severe. When people do not repent, God’s judgment can come in multiple waves. A person can repent after any wave, but it can be harder for a person to get back to where they were before the successive waves.
5. In Joel 1:4, why would God send these terrible plagues of locusts, if God loved the Israelites?
A: One might start to suspect that the prosperity of God’s people was not God’s highest priority! God might have wanted His chosen people to be materially prosperous, but God valued their obedience and spiritual prosperity much more. For us, a good parent might love their children too much to just sit by passively when the children are going on a path to destruction.
6. Joel 1 addresses various groups: elders, drunkards, priests, farmers, priests again, and all. The only sin mentioned in the book of Joel is drunkenness. Why do you think God would address these specific groups? What corresponding groups are there today?
A: Unlike many other prophets, Joel does not spend much time saying to stop sinning before disaster comes. Instead, he emphasizes how to respond with repentance after the imminent disaster strikes. The elders were asleep (or drunk) in the job of teaching the nation and younger people to follow God. The priests might not have been doing their job of teaching people to follow God, or even worse, teaching people to follow idols. The farmers, preoccupied with wealth, were not giving the financial support they were supposed to for God’s priests and Levites. When a whole society is turning away from God, the political, religious, and financial strands all unravel together.
7. In Joel 1, there is one key word in almost every section: the Hebrew word ki, which can be translated as “because,” “for,” or “surely.” Why does Joel emphasize this word?
A: It seems God is big on teaching people lessons about reasons to mourn. People need to learn a cause-and-effect relationship of disobeying God and then the consequences. Today we need to be effective at warning people of the cause-and-effect of turning away from God.
8. In Joel 1:5 the drunkards are told to wake up and weep, for (ki) their sweet wine has been cut off from their mouths. Why would God start out with such an elementary, earth-centered message? How does Joel 1:6-7 relate to this?
A: God deals with people where they are. Drunkards are not necessarily concerned with much except where they are going to get more to drink. Rather than initially talking to them about long-term, spiritual issues, God points out the immediate, short-term consequence, that they will not have the drink that they crave. In fact, anyone is in bad shape who rests their hope of pleasure and fulfillment on alcohol.
9. In Joel 1:11, what are two distinct reasons the farmers are to grieve?
A: Short-term, this would be a bad year. Joel 1:11 says “because” (ki) the grapes, wheat, and barley harvest would be destroyed.
Long-term, even if the locusts left and never came back, their trees and vines would be destroyed. Olive trees can live for 1,000 years. Destroy an old olive tree, and you have to wait centuries for a new tree to replace it. It was not just that their immediate production output was destroyed, but their means of production was destroyed, affecting them for many years to come. Joel 1:12f even says, “Surely (ki) the joy of mankind has dried up” (BSB).
10. In Joel 1:13, why would the farmers’ crop failures affect the offerings?
A: If there are no crops, there is no source for the grain offerings. If there are no sheep and cattle due to no food to support them, there will be no offerings of those either. The priests and Levites were supported both by being allowed to eat of the offerings, and by other financial support from the people. If both of these are gone, what are the priests supposed to do?
11. In Joel 1:13, what are two ways “treasures in God’s house” can be squandered?
A: People can fail to spend them on what they should. When people are starving, either physically or for the gospel, while there are extremely beautiful buildings, the wealth is being hoarded instead of spent. For example, Viking raids especially targeted monasteries, because they found a lot of gold there. If more gold had been freely spent on the poor and teaching the gospel, the monasteries might have been less of a target. Many monks lived on islands off western Ireland, hiding from the Vikings. But even though Dublin in Ireland was a key base of operations for the Vikings, they mainly left these Irish monks alone, because there was no gold to be gained by raiding them.
Second, God’s money can appear insufficient because it is misspent on wrong things or too much spent on things of secondary importance. For example, if the strategy is to attract people to the church with its lavish building more than by preaching the gospel, is that how people are touched by the Spirit and come to God? No! Without thinking about it, it is easy to spend money on local things that have high visibility and make us feel good, versus sending money to places farther away that have the greater need.
12. In Joel 1:14, while God brings punishment and discipline, what role do we as Christians have in teaching people why these things came, and how they should respond to God? How can we do so, without appearing self-righteous?
A: Ezekiel 33:1-20 and Jeremiah 6:17 give the example of a watchman. If disaster comes and the watchman fails to warn the city, the watchman is at fault. But if the watchman warns but no one listens to him or her, then the people are at fault for disregarding the watchman, who was doing his job.
We should not compare others to ourselves, but rather show that they fall short of God’s standard. We should not try to claim that those who suffered were more guilty than those who escaped, but that all will suffer worse, if they do not repent and come to God.
As an example, we can point out that Hurricane Katrina, which flooded New Orleans, came a few days before the annual homosexual festival, called Southern Decadence, was scheduled. It does not mean that homosexuals who came to New Orleans were worse than other sinners who did not come. But all sinners, homosexual and heterosexual, will ultimately face even worse judgment unless they repent and come to God.
13. Why is Joel calling to God in Joel 1:19? Is Joel actually asking God to help or to relent here?
A: One might mistakenly guess that Joel is asking God to help, relent, or not send the discipline, but Joel is doing no such thing. Joel is not questioning God’s discipline here; he is merely calling out to God in the midst of this great distress.
14. In Joel 1, how are we to thank God for the locusts coming, since 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says to give thanks in all things?
A: Romans 8:28 says that all things (not just good things) can work together for good for those who love God. Hebrews 12:5-8 says that God disciplines believers for their good, though it is unpleasant at the time.
Joel 2:1-12 – How Do We Blow the Trumpet in Zion? – some brief answers
If all that the book of Joel taught was about how God disciplines and how we are to respond in difficult times, it would be a valuable book to read today. However, Joel is also a very prophetic book about the end times. Which verse in chapter 1 gives a hint of that?
1. In chapter 1, the people were commanded to wake up, weep, wail, be dismayed, put on sackcloth, and lament. Joel himself simply called to the Lord in Joel 1:19. But what different thing are they commanded to do in Joel 2:1,15? Do you think the order of Joel 2:1,15 after the commands in Joel 1 is significant?
A: The people were commanded to “blow the ram’s horn in Zion” (the ram’s horn, or shofar, was Israel’s trumpet), in other words, to “sound the alarm.” In Joel 2:1-10 they were to do so to announce the coming disaster. In Joel 2:15-17 they were to do so for a different reason: to gather for a sacred assembly to repent and ask God to spare them.
We should blow the trumpet today for the same reasons they were to blow the ram’s horn back then. We should publicize God’s judgment, both to believers and unbelievers. We should also call people together to repent, both individually and corporately, that God would be merciful to us.
2. In applying Joel 2:1,15 today, what would Zion / the holy mountain represent?
A: Zion represents the dwelling place of God’s people, which is in the churches today.
3. Why wouldn’t Zion represent all people, or represent just wherever you lived?
A: It does not just represent telling it wherever you live, or it would have said “in the land” or something similar. The emphasis is to tell God’s people in the church.
It does not merely mean any high mountain where all could hear, because it emphasizes sounding the alarm on God’s “holy mountain.” Also, in Palestine, Mount Carmel was higher than Mount Zion, but Zion was the holy mountain where the alarm was to be sounded.
Today there can be ways to get the message out that can have a larger impact, but at the cost of compromise of the integrity of the message (or of us). That is no excuse to give up getting the message out, or to use compromising means, but we are to get the message out through all holy or righteous means.
4. Joel 2:1b-2 says, “Let all who dwell in the land tremble, for (ki) the Day of the LORD is coming.” Why should godly believers tremble?
A: Obedient believers do not need to tremble for themselves, because God will take care of them. This does not mean they will never suffer or die, but that they will only die when God, who knows what is best, allows for them to die. However, believers can tremble for a number of other reasons.
For non-Christian friends: While believers should not fear Hell for themselves, they can fear Hell for unbelieving friends.
In a disobedient place: Revelation 18:4 commands believers to come out of Babylon, an evil system with a city on seven hills, for two reasons: a) so that they will not share in Babylon’s sins, and b) otherwise believers, in the wrong place, will receive the plagues intended for unbelievers. While scholars today disagree on where or what this future Babylon will be (Babylon itself, Rome, or something else), we can all agree that anything that looks as evil as this Babylon is not a place where believers should be.
A: The city watchman had the job to blow the trumpet if an enemy was approaching so the soldiers could get their armor and weapons, everyone could get inside the city, and they could shut the city gates. Metaphorically, they are told to blow the ram’s horn here because an enemy is coming and their only hope is to turn back to God. Likewise today we are to “blow the trumpet” to tell people that calamity will come, and they need to turn to God and repent of their sins.
6. Is Joel 2:1-11 talking about regular locusts, an invading army, or the end times?
A: While Joel 1:4 talked about a local locust plague, Joel 2:2 expands this picture to something else. It describes “a great and strong army … such as never was of old, nor will ever be in ages to come.”
7. In Joel 2:6, sometimes people are annoyed when things are not as good as they expect them to be, sometimes people are irritated when things do not go their way, and sometimes they are mad when things seem to be deliberately going against them. But Joel 2:6 does not say any of these. How does Joel 2:6 go beyond all of these?
A: People would turn pale with shock at seeing what was about to happen. They would be in anguish as their rich supplies of food would be gone in only an hour or two.
When a person is in shock, there is less blood in the face, and the face of lighter-complexioned people is whiter.
8. In Joel 2:6, what things today put people in anguish, or make their faces turn pale, versus just being annoyed, irritated, or mad?
A: War and terrorism cause anguish today, but drastic shifts in the stock market can also make people feel like “this is the end of the world.” In the 1930s, as the stock market plummeted, some foolishly committed suicide.
9. Could Joel 2:10 be related to Matthew 27:45?
A: No. There will be darkness in the end times, and the darkness during the crucifixion was a foreshadowing of that. However, in Matthew 27:45 the LORD was not raising His voice in the presence of His army (Joel 2:11). In general, when trying to find if two passages refer to the same thing, if part of it sounds the same and part is very different, then the passages are referring to different things.
10. Could Joel 2:10 relate to Revelation 8:12? Revelation 16:10?
A: No. Revelation 8:12 speaks of when a third of the heavenly lights are struck, and Revelation 16:10 speaks of when the beast’s kingdom is in total darkness. However, Joel 2:10 refers to a darkening due to the locust-like creatures, not darkening the heavens.
11. Could Joel 2:1-11 relate to Revelation 9:1-11?
A: Both refer to a singular occurrence of special things looking like locusts. However, they are different because the locusts in Joel 2:1-11 leave nothing green. The locusts in Revelation 9:1-11 refer to creatures, perhaps demons, robots, planes, drones, or other flying machines, that do not harm any plant but painfully sting people without killing them.
A: This is an army with evil intent that surrounds Jerusalem. This might have one fulfillment prior to the millennium (Revelation 16:12-16; 19:19), and a second fulfillment after the millennium (Revelation 20:7-10).
13. In Joel 2:12,15, where are we to blow the trumpet and tell people to turn to God today?
A: The obvious answer is that we are to blow it where those who need to hear it can hear it. Many people will never hear it if we only blow the trumpet in our churches and Bible studies. Radio (both Christian and non-Christian), TV, Christian websites, blog posts and comments, and social media are some ways to widely spread the word. But many people also need a more personal message too. Talk with your friends and co-workers as the situation allows, so that they will hear.
Joel 2:13-32 – When Do We Ask God to Take Pity? – some brief answers
1. In Joel 2:12-15, once God has pronounced a calamity, is there any way for you to escape it?
A: Yes. Not only in this passage, but also Jonah 3:9-10, Amos 7:1-6, and Jeremiah 18:5-10 show that while God does not change, His revealed will toward people changes when people repent.
2. In Joel 2:17, what is the significance of weeping between the portico and the altar?
A: This is where the priests ministered in sacrificing the animals people brought. Also, when the people brought the sacrifices, the priests were permitted to take part of the sacrifice for their families. The priests went between the portico and the altar, so this would refer to weeping by the priests.
3. In Joel 2:17-18, what two additional reasons are given for blowing the ram’s horn in Zion?
A: Two reasons are a) to spare God’s people, and b) for God’s glory. In other words, so that God’s heritage would not become “a reproach, an object of scorn among the nations.”
This relates to our being salt and light in the world: we should not hide our light under a bushel but let it shine. Shining includes showing the truth and righteousness, and contrasting it with error and wickedness.
A: Verse 18 gives the two reasons, and verse 19 explains them.
God is jealous for His land; God does not want His people to be a reproach.
God spares His people, and He will send grain, new wine, and oil to satisfy them.
5. In Joel 2:20, do the large northern army and “the big stench” relate to Ezekiel 39:11-20; Revelation 16:12-16; and/or Revelation 19:17-19?
A: It does not relate to Revelation 16:12-19 because that is before the Millennium. Rather, it refers to the battle of Gog and Magog after the Millennium, which is also described in Ezekiel 39:11-20 and Revelation 20:8-10.
6. In Joel 2:25, how does the thoroughness of God’s restoration compare with the thoroughness of God’s discipline and judgment?
A: Joel 1:4 shows the thoroughness of God’s discipline and judgment with the four kinds of locust. Joel 2:25 shows equal thoroughness in restoring what each of the four kinds of locust has eaten.
A: By mentioning “your sons and daughters,” this passage implies this is on earth, not in heaven. Joel 2:28 provides a partial clue. It begins, “And afterward,” and refers to something that was fulfilled in Acts 2:17-21. Thus, it must refer to something on earth prior to the Millennium. This happened as a sign of the Holy Spirit moving in a new way.
In addition to disciplining, through locusts or other means, God can also restore, even for things that we think God could not. God can bring prosperity to make up for the lean years, and/or give longer life. Of course, more important than longer life on earth, is eternal life in heaven.
9. In Joel 2:28-32, was this fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:16?
A: Yes, but this also has a dual fulfillment. This happens on the Day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord came when Jesus came to earth, and Acts 2:17-21 specifically quotes from Joel 2:28-32. The Day of the Lord is also a future time when Jesus comes again.
Many prophecies, including this one, have a dual fulfillment. They were fulfilled at Jesus’ first coming, and they will be fulfilled again at the Second Coming of Christ.
See The Complete Book of Bible Answers p.90 for more info.
10. How does Joel 2:32 relate to Romans 10:13?
A: Romans 10:13 quotes Joel 2:32 and shows that all who call on the name of the Lord, even Gentiles, will be saved. Joel 2:31 refers to both the sun being darkened during Jesus’ crucifixion and the darkening that will occur during the end times. Joel 2:32 is at the same time as these.
11. In Joel 2:30-32, the false religion called Baha’ism in Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.277-278 teaches that Joel 2:30-32 and Matthew 24:29-30 refer to Moses, Christ, and Mohammed in that their teachings originally were like a sun, but they all were darkened by corruption later on. How would you respond to this?
A: It is only imagination that claims a darkened sun and moon refer to spiritual corruption. Not only will Christ come in the literal clouds, as Acts 1:9-11 shows, but God Almighty can darken the sun and moon and He will do so. You do not have the luxury of just calling anything figurative that you do not want to be true.
12. In Joel 2:32, this sounds like a nice, comfortable promise until you read the words at the end: “among the remnant called by the LORD.” Why is it so hard for a person to be one of this remnant (literally, “survivors”) here?
A: Only about 50,000 Jews came back from exile. In the time of Christ, only a minority of Jews accepted Christ. After the rapture, people will still come to Christ, but they will die for their faith. Revelation 6:9 speaks of those violently killed for their faith out of the great tribulation.
13. In Joel 2:32, how are we called not just to be a Christian, but to be among the remnant, a true “survivor”?
A: Spiritually speaking, regardless of whether we suffer persecution or martyrdom or not, we have a responsibility to endure to the end.
Joel 3 – Lesser Judgments to the Great Judgment – some brief answers
1. In Joel 3:1-12, when will the judgment in the Valley of Jehoshaphat occur?
A: This will happen prior to the Millennium at the end of the seven-year Great Tribulation. For a sequence of events, see the discussion on the book of Revelation. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament p.1319-1322 has a very extensive chart harmonizing the scriptures relating to the end times.
2. In Joel 3:4, what is the difference between the sin of Philistia and the sin of Tyre and Sidon?
A: The Phoenicians were merchants, and they would buy and resell anybody as a slave. Sidon was neither an enemy nor a friend of Israel. The wicked queen Jezebel was from Sidon (1 Kings 16:31).
However, the Phoenicians of Tyre and Israel had been close allies in David and Solomon’s time and had helped each other out before. If you treat your friends like you don’t know them when they fall on hard times, then what kind of friend are you?
When the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem, Tyre and Sidon profited from the trade in treasures and Israelite slaves. God punished both cities in the same manner as Joel prophesied. The citizens of Tyre were killed or enslaved by Alexander of Macedon in 332 B.C. He killed 8,000 people when he took the city, 2,000 more later, and enslaved 30,000. The citizens of Sidon were later enslaved by the Seleucid Antiochus III in 203 B.C.
3. In Joel 3:6, does the mention of Jews among the Greek lands indicate a post-exilic date?
A: No. Arvid S. Kapelrud mentions that there was an active slave trade in the 6th and 7th centuries B.C. (Joel Studies p.154-158). The Mycenaean Greeks came to Greece a little before Moses’ time.
Old Testament scholar Gleason Archer in Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties p.296 mentions that Greek coins from the late 6th century were found in Palestine from the issues of Peisistratus, which would be prior to the exile. After listing numerous references to Greek mercenaries in Neo-Babylonian documents, he concludes, “In light of such data as these, it is nothing short of naïve to suppose that a late ninth-century Joel could not have known anything about the Greeks, or to imagine that no slave-traders ever went to Greek ports with captives from Near Eastern slave raids.”
This wording, of the people of Tyre, Sidon, and Philistia selling Jews to the Greeks “to send them far from their homeland,” actually shows a date prior to Alexander the Great. As When Critics Ask p.301 points out, in Alexander’s time the Greeks already controlled the Mideast, so they would not be going far away. All of the people of Tyre were sold into slavery by Alexander, so they were in no position to sell slaves to the Greeks themselves.
See The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament for more info. See the discussion on Joel 1:1 for the date.
4. In Joel 3:10, why will some nations gather to fight against Israel?
A: This happens two times: prior to the Millennium (Armageddon) and after the Millennium (Gog and Magog). Because these battles happen before and after, some Christians, called amillennialists, believe the 1,000-year millennium is symbolic and taking place in Heaven right now, and the two “battles” are simply two descriptions of the same great battle.
5. Joel 3:10 sounds almost the opposite of Micah 4:3. Is the command in Joel 3:10 something that God wants obedient believers to do, or does the command serve another purpose?
A: This is not a command for believers; rather it was a proclamation among the nations in Joel 3:9. The purpose of rousing the nations was so that they would choose to go to the Valley of Jehoshaphat to be judged by God in Joel 3:12-13.
6. How does Joel 3:13 relate to Isaiah 63:2-4 and Revelation 14:14-20?
A: All of these refer to the same event, except that Revelation 14:14-20 has the most detail. In Revelation 14:14-16 the Son of Man [Jesus] harvests the believers from the earth. Then in verses 18-20 the clusters of grapes are harvested to throw into the winepress of God’s wrath. In Isaiah 63:2-4 Jesus’ robe is stained with blood from treading the winepress of wrath.
God’s wrath towards mankind does not come from nowhere, or from some stellar nebula. Rather it comes from the earth, or more specifically, the sin-filled lives people have on earth, symbolized by the grapes. The juice is the end product of the sinful lives, which will come back to the earth as wrath.
7. When does Joel 3:15 occur?
A: A darkened sun occurred at Christ’s crucifixion, and the sun and moon will both be darkened during the tribulation. However, Joel 3:15 refers to the battle of the Valley of Jehoshaphat right before the Millennium.
8. In Joel 3:16, how does the LORD both “roar from Zion” and serve as “a refuge for His people”?
A: On earth, a policeman or marine can also be a tender father. How much more can God, who is Almighty, be tender as well as a protector!
9. In Joel 3:19, what could be some reasons God inflicts punishment in this life on nations?
A: When a nation attacks another nation, God can punish the first nation. However, Joel 3:19 specifically refers to other nations that attacked Israel being dealt judgment. Edom would become “a desert wasteland”; it would no longer exist, either as a country or as a people.
10. In Joel 3:20-21, when will God cleanse Judah’s blood?
A: This happens in the end times, when Judah returns to God. This is probably the same event as Zechariah 12:10-13:1.
11. In Joel 3:21, how do we share an urgent but negative message in a positive-thinking society?
A: Three things can happen: they won’t listen because they don’t think it is important; they won’t listen because they think you are being extreme, and again, that it is not as important as you say; and they don’t hear because you are discouraged and don’t tell them in the first place. But we do need to share, and even if most people won’t listen, still some will. It is not your fault if they choose not to listen, but it is your fault if you have an opportunity to tell them and you don’t.
In a western society that values “positivity” and does not want to take warning, correction, or rebuke, you can try to spin things in a positive way, but that can only go so far. It is hard to be true to the gospel and share how they are lost, sinful, alienated from God, and going to Hell and then to the Lake of Fire unless they repent and ask God to transform their failed life. Just as we should “say no to drugs,” and just as you have to tell a loved one who is doing drugs that they need help and need to turn their life around, people need to hear that they need God and need Him to turn their life around.
How do we get the message through to them? First of all, pray, not so much for yourself or the delivery of your message, but for them and their receiving the message. Always be looking for an opportune time, preferably without interruptions, when they might be receptive. Perhaps start with common ground, something that you and they both agree on. Stephen tried this (though unsuccessfully) in Acts 7:1-50, and Paul did this in Acts 17:22-27, Acts 23:6, and Acts 24:10-15. Be willing to share your testimony, as Paul did in Acts 22:3-21. Share the message of the gospel, but don’t forget to also share the urgency of the message of the gospel.
If you do all these things, it still is not necessarily going to be easy. Do you think that you can share as well as Jesus, Paul, and the other apostles? Probably not. But in some people’s ears, even the words of Jesus, Paul, and the others were not good enough for them. But realize that we are commanded to do a task that from the start will be unsuccessful for many, in order that some who hear will be saved.