The Prophet Joel 3:9-16 [NLTse]
9 Say to the nations far and wide: “Get ready for war! Call out your best warriors. Let all your fighting men advance for the attack. 10 Hammer your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Train even your weaklings to be warriors. 11 Come quickly, all you nations everywhere. Gather together in the valley.”
And now, O Lord, call out Your warriors!
12 “Let the nations be called to arms. Let them march to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I, the Lord, will sit to pronounce judgment on them all. 13 Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread the grapes, for the winepress is full. The storage vats are overflowing with the wickedness of these people.”
14 Thousands upon thousands are waiting in the “Valley of Decision”. There the Day of the Lord will soon arrive. 15 The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will no longer shine. 16 The Lord’s voice will roar from Mt. Zion and thunder from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the Earth will shake. But the Lord will be a refuge for His people, a strong fortress for the people of Israel.
Visions, dreams, and prophet’s words across the Old and New Testaments provide glimpses and give details about the End of the World. It’s a hot topic today – whether serious or joking – people are talking a lot about the End of the World, or Judgment Day, or call it what you like… Christians don’t have all the answers about these things, but we do have much to share with a confused and frightened world.
According to our reading, the Prophet Joel makes clear that it is the Lord Himself Who will bring about the End, orchestrating all the nations of the Earth to send their armies against His chosen people, “Jerusalem”. Our Father in Heaven even commands the nations to give training to their most unskilled “weaklings” so that everyone can be a part of the great army coming against His Church.
(I use the term “Church” liberally here, because every writing and prophecy across the Old Testament (as well as the New) is fulfilled in Christ: So those Jews and Israelites who will enjoy God’s “refuge” when the fullness of these events come to pass will be those who’ve finally recognized and received Jesus of Nazareth to be their Messiah! He knows what each person needs to recognize and receive Him, and He is faithful and true to all! Glory to His name! J)
The Revelation to John, like the Prophet Joel, also envisions a worldwide gathering against God’s People (16:14, et al; pg. 973): “The rulers of the world gathered for battle against the Lord on that great Judgment Day of God Almighty.” (And then there’s a parentheses statement reminding Christ’s People not to lose heart when they see these things happening around them, because Jesus has promised He will come unexpectedly to save us! And He promises we will be blessed if we are ready and living for Him, even when everyone seems against us and all seems lost!)
The Revelation goes on: “And they gathered, all the rulers and their armies, to a place called Armageddon in Hebrew. (Ar is Hebrew for “hill” or “mountain”, so Armageddon is “Mt. Megiddo”, a hill in northern Israel where several decisive Old Testament battles took place, as well.]
Through the Prophet Joel, the Lord says: “Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread the grapes, for the winepress is full. The storage vats are overflowing with the wickedness of these people.” And The Revelation pictures this, too (14:19, et al; pg. 973): “So the angel swung his sickle on the Earth and loaded the grapes into the great winepress of God’s wrath. And the grapes were trodden in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress in a stream about 1600 stadia long [that is, 180 miles] and as high as a horse’s bridle.”
Some End-Times scholars believe this will be fulfilled during some future time when all those who’ve trusted in Christ will be living together in Jerusalem and/or Megiddo (though Jerusalem and Megiddo are 50-60 miles apart). And they believe that when that happens, the military power of all the nations will come against God’s People gathered there. And when all seems lost, Christ will come.
Along with many others, I believe this is too literal an interpretation of events that the Bible plainly speaks of as being symbolic. I believe that wherever we are – here in Milford; in Jerusalem; Megiddo; Kenya; Pakistan; Melekhova, Russia – wherever Christians reside, that we will be persecuted, attacked, and/or come against by all the peoples of the Earth. This may take the form of military attack, legal actions, social pressures, etc…
However and whatever, I believe these End-Time images are describing a time of oppression and persecution against Christians that the Church has never known. (And that’s saying something!) But that these End Times will result in many coming to know, love, and follow Christ as they see us standing firm – by His grace – and by our faith overcoming the world’s attacks… And, again, when all seems lost, Christ will come for us!
If you’ll take out the insert from our Bulletins titled, “The Essentials of Our Faith”… Let’s read #3 together.
The Holy Spirit has come to glorify Christ and to apply the saving work of Christ to our hearts. He convicts us of sin and draws us to the Savior. Indwelling our hearts, He gives new life to us, empowers and imparts gifts to us for service. He instructs and guides us into all truth, and seals us for the day of redemption…
These Essentials are set forth in greater detail in the Westminster Confession of Faith.
(The Essentials of Our Faith, #3)
Our reading from the Prophet Joel ends this morning saying, “The Lord’s voice will roar from Mt. Zion and thunder from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the Earth will shake. But the Lord will be a refuge for His people, a strong fortress for the people of Israel.”
[Show “We Will Rebuild” slide]
Even with all the inconveniences many have faced because of the recent storm, what we’re experiencing by way of earth-shakings and roarings from Heaven in Milford these days hardly compares with what we’ve been talking about and just read. Of course, Christians living up and down the East Coast, or in New Orleans or Haiti or Japan might believe these shakings and roarings are going on right in their own backyards!
I don’t have firm answers for you about God’s calendar for these things. But I do want to remind you that we Christians know the One Who’s bringing this world to its end. He has revealed His love to us, we have received His love and seek day-by-day to return His love, and we’ve received His Spirit of adoption into His divine family. This One Who’s bringing about the End of the World is our Father: He’s even asked us to call Him, “Abba! Daddy”!
And in calling us and adopting us and giving us His Spirit, He is wanting us to be a part of the shaking and roaring He’s bringing about; to be a part of the End of all things, and of drawing all peoples to Christ.
Now, the Old Testament and New Testament writings are filled with mundane and wonderful deeds God’s People were able to do when they were called and adopted and given His Holy Spirit. The Spirit of the Lord gave a man named Bezalel great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts to lead the craftmen of Israel to build the sacred furnishings of the Tabernacle. (Exodus 35:31) The Elders of Israel were able to preach and prophesy with great power for a time when the Lord gave them His Spirit. (Numbers 11:25)
Othniel, the first Judge of the Tribes of Israel, first showed some ability as a military leader in order to win the right to marry the lovely daughter of Joshua’s friend, Caleb. But after God’s Spirit came upon him he led all Israel to great military victories over vastly superior enemies, and to forty years of peace! (Judges 3:10)
Gideon, too afraid of the Amalekites and Midianites to act publicly, always carried out his acts of sabotage and defiance at night. But then the Spirit of God came upon him and he began a revolution that brought the People back to God and regained Israel her freedom, once again. (Judges 6:34) Jephthah, another Judge, was a social outcast, but the Spirit of the Lord granted him great influence over all the leaders of Israel. (Judges 11:29)
The Spirit of the Lord gave Samson such strength he torn a lion’s jaws apart as if the lion was a baby goat! (Judges 14:6; 15:14) The Holy Spirit gave him matchless strength, uncanny fighting ability, and supernatural protection from his enemies. (Judges 14:19)
2 Chronicles 20:13-15 shows the Spirit of the Lord falling upon a simple family man, giving him courage to speak to a frightened king, and his words encouraged the king and the leaders of the country to trust God and take decisive action for Him.
Bringing good news to the poor, comforting the brokenhearted, proclaiming release to those held captive, … all these acts are enabled only by God’s Spirit. (61:1) And the Bible tells us the Spirit of God takes us places God wants us to see, and shows us things we can’t otherwise be shown. (Ezekiel 3:12, et al)
But maybe you’re just a kid! Or maybe you’re feeling too old. Well, the Prophet Joel in another place from our reading this morning (2:28), shows that the Spirit of God is for male and female, young and old alike. His Spirit enables women to become pregnant without men. (Matthew 1:20) (That’s how Mary got pregnant, by the Holy Spirit.) And the Holy Spirit’s power is what raises people from the dead. (Romans 1:4) No activity is impossible with the Holy Spirit of God!
And if we’re a part of Christ’s family – the Church – then we’ve been given the Holy Spirit, when we responded to God’s call, first believed, and were adopted by Him! But are we using the gifts and talents we’ve been given for Christ’s glory? (The Essential we read says that’s a work of the Holy Spirit in us.) Are you crafty? Or perhaps you’re a great craftsman? (Like Bezalel.) How can you use your talents and abilities and giftedness to draw people’s attention to Jesus? How can what you make, what you do, how can you use your influence to make Jesus look attractive to others?
Or maybe, like Othniel and Gideon, you have some ability that’s made a difference in this or that area of your life, but you sense that God is calling you to expand your influence – from your home to your neighborhood? Or from your workplace to across all Milford? Is the Lord calling you to take your love for Him out from private actions to be more bold?
Maybe you’re not part of the “in” crowd, and so you don’t think you have anything to offer that anyone would want. Well, if you’re in Christ you are God’s “in” crowd! Give your life to Him today! Like Jephthah, let’s see how His Spirit can take those who are last and make them first when we live our lives for Him!
Has God made you a warrior, like Samson? Has the Lord given you great compassion for the poor, the brokenhearted, those captive… Follow your passion! Lift us Jesus in the battle! Lift up Jesus as you care or heal or help. Don’t say, “No.” And don’t take “no” for an answer! If you believe God has given you a passion you have, and you can glorify Jesus in that passion, pursue it: Move wherever you have to move; reorganize your life however you have to reorganize it (seek the Lord’s guidance and the counsel of wise Christians, as you do, of course); but let what He’s put in you by His Spirit be your occasion to raise up His standard – His flag, His cross, His good news, His way of living – and wave it and wave it and wave it!
Living your life for Christ – an offering to God through Christ – may not result in any kind of greatness or glory that the people of this world or our culture might recognize. But our Father recognizes it. And by His grace, those around us in His Church notice, too.
But as the Lord brings about the End, roaring and thundering and shaking Heaven and Earth, drawing near to Him and being a part of these roarings and thundering and shakings with Him… He will always be our refuge, always our strong fortress… That nothing can ever shake… Forever.
Ascription of Praise
Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.
(The Revelation 7:12)