Overview of the Book of Joel

Moore's Corner Church

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The overview of the week for this Sunday is the Book of Joel. The Book of Joel was written sometime in the 8th or 9th century

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BC, and Joel is considered one of the minor prophets, but there's really nothing minor about his prophecy, since he is talking about the great and dreadful day of the

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Lord. The book begins with these words. The word of the Lord that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel.

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Hear this, you elders, and give ear, all you inhabitants of the land. Has anything like this happened in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?

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Tell your children about it. Let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.

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So Joel speaks about this time of trial that is coming upon the children of Israel.

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The land would be devastated first by swarming locusts, and then through severe drought.

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And this would have such an impact, it would affect the offerings at the temple.

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So this was a terrible time for the nation. And his message is, wake up, because the day of the

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Lord is coming. God is going to visit Israel, and in this instance, he is going to visit in judgment.

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Now while there was this initial day of the Lord way back then, this also points ahead to that final eschatological day of the

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Lord, which will occur in what we call the end times. During the time period

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Jesus referred to as the great tribulation. He goes on to describe an invading army, cosmic disturbances in the heavens.

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He says that the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood before the coming of the great and awesome day of the

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Lord. How many of you have ever seen the moon when it turns that blood red?

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Well, that's going to happen, and then some in the future. But then he writes, and it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the

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Lord shall be saved. Because people are going to see this, and they have two choices, continue to rebel against God or call on his name and be saved.

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So Joel, who was a preacher, is really urging people to turn back to God before it's too late.

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He then makes reference to the final battle of the age, which we call the battle of Armageddon.

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He talks about multitudes being in the valley of decision, but the good news that he has for God's people, he said, the

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Lord will be a shelter for his people. The book ends in chapter three with the blessing that will come after the day of the

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Lord in the millennial kingdom. The Lord says, so you shall know that I am the

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Lord, your God, dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy and no aliens shall ever pass through her again.

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And it will come to pass in that day that the mountains shall drip with new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water.

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This is a time of great abundance and prosperity, and he said, a fountain shall flow from the house of the

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Lord. But before that, the day of the Lord is coming. And to those who have an ear, let them hear.