seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Joel 3:1 [a]“In those days and at that time,
when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will gather all nations
and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.[b]
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.
3 They cast lots for my people
and traded boys for prostitutes;
they sold girls for wine to drink.
when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will gather all nations
and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.[b]
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.
3 They cast lots for my people
and traded boys for prostitutes;
they sold girls for wine to drink.
4 “Now what have you against me, Tyre and Sidon and all you regions of Philistia? Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done. 5 For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples.[c] 6 You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, that you might send them far from their homeland.
7 “See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them, and I will return on your own heads what you have done. 8 I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, a nation far away.” The Lord has spoken.
9 Proclaim this among the nations:
Prepare for war!
Rouse the warriors!
Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.
10 Beat your plowshares into swords
and your pruning hooks into spears.
Let the weakling say,
“I am strong!”
11 Come quickly, all you nations from every side,
and assemble there.
Prepare for war!
Rouse the warriors!
Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.
10 Beat your plowshares into swords
and your pruning hooks into spears.
Let the weakling say,
“I am strong!”
11 Come quickly, all you nations from every side,
and assemble there.
Bring down your warriors, Lord!
12 “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.
13 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!”
let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat,
for there I will sit
to judge all the nations on every side.
13 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!”
14 Multitudes, multitudes
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near
in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and moon will be darkened,
and the stars no longer shine.
16 The Lord will roar from Zion
and thunder from Jerusalem;
the earth and the heavens will tremble.
But the Lord will be a refuge for his people,
a stronghold for the people of Israel.
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near
in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and moon will be darkened,
and the stars no longer shine.
16 The Lord will roar from Zion
and thunder from Jerusalem;
the earth and the heavens will tremble.
But the Lord will be a refuge for his people,
a stronghold for the people of Israel.
17 “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.
dwell in Zion, my holy hill.
Jerusalem will be holy;
never again will foreigners invade her.
18 “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.[d]
19 But Egypt will be desolate,
Edom a desert waste,
because of violence done to the people of Judah,
in whose land they shed innocent blood.
20 Judah will be inhabited forever
and Jerusalem through all generations.
21 Shall I leave their innocent blood unavenged?
No, I will not.”
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.[d]
19 But Egypt will be desolate,
Edom a desert waste,
because of violence done to the people of Judah,
in whose land they shed innocent blood.
20 Judah will be inhabited forever
and Jerusalem through all generations.
21 Shall I leave their innocent blood unavenged?
No, I will not.”
The Lord dwells in Zion!
a. Joel 3:1 In Hebrew texts 3:1-21 is numbered 4:1-21.
b. Joel 3:2 Jehoshaphat means the Lord judges; also in verse 12.
c. Joel 3:5 Or palaces
d. Joel 3:18 Or Valley of Shittim
This is from the easy English site.
The Philistines and the people in Sidon did not love the true God. And they did not obey him. They also did bad things to God’s people. But now they have to learn that God loves his people. He will punish anyone who fights against his people.
In verses 4 and 5, God speaks like a human person. He wants to help us to understand. But God does not need silver and gold. He has made all the silver and gold. His silver and gold are not for false gods.
Verse 8: This did happen later. An army from Persia was fighting against the Philistines then. And an army from Greece was fighting against the people in Tyre.
The Valley of Decision (verse 14) is a special name for the valley called Jehoshaphat . In this valley, God will carry out his decision.
God is ready to be kind to his people now because they have changed their attitude. And they have started to obey him again. He will protect Jerusalem. And he will protect the people who live there.
There will be many places on the mountains where they grow grapes. From those grapes, people will be able to make a lot of wine. On the hills, there will be cows and goats that produce a lot of milk.
At that time, God will send to his people all that they need. He will send water to make things grow. He will even send water to the Valley of Acacias and other such places. That valley was a dry valley where trees called acacias grew. It was right on the edge of the country called Judah. In this way, the writer is saying that plants will be able to grow everywhere in Judah.
Judah’s people had done nothing wrong to Egypt’s people or Edom’s people. But people from Egypt and Edom had killed many people who lived in Judah.
Joel mentions ‘innocent people’. The people in Judah had done wrong things against God’s law. But they had not done wrong things against the people in Egypt and Edom.
This is from Bibletrack.org.The prophetic events of chapter 3 must be assigned to the judgment of the Battle of Armageddon at the end of the tribulation and the restoration of Israel at the beginning of the millennium. The wording regarding Jerusalem in verses 20-21 cannot be plausibly fulfilled any other way. We see the judgment of the nations which Christ addressed in Matthew 25:31-46 in that passage as well. Israel will be restored in Joel's prophecy, just as will take place immediately following the Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 19:11-21) leading into the millennium where Joel's prophecy will find complete fulfillment.
Notice the river in verse 18. It extends from the millennium temple all the way to the Dead Sea through the "valley of Shittim." Ezekiel also mentions this river in Ezekiel 47:1-12 .
Incidentally, "Palestine" in verse 4 is translated from the Hebrew word "Plesheth" and should be understood as "Philistines." The KJV also translates this word as "Palestina" in Exodus 15:14 and Isaiah 14:29 & 31. In the other four usages, all found in the Psalms (60:8, 83:7, 87:4 and 108:9), the word is appropriately translated Philistines or Philistia. The actual name of "Palestine" to describe the region of today's Israel was a late designation of the second century ascribed to it by the Romans in an attempt to prevent the Jews from laying claim to the land after the Bar-Kokhba revolt of the early second century A.D. Today, "Palestine" is still used as a universally accepted designation for the whole region of the "Holy Land" which is deemed to be politically correct in that it conveys no God-given rights of ownership to the Jewish people. You'll pardon me if I continue to refer to that region as "The Holy Land." During the millennium, that designation will be indisputable.
Yesterday.... the story was about the locusts.... and I looked up the connection between locusts and volcanoes. I thought that mountain had a cloud of locusts come out of it.... like the bugs were a warning that the volcano was about to blow. But I didn't find that.... I found another bug.... a bug I think shows metaphorically what is going to happen at the Battle of Armageddon. Apparently there is a cricket that only lives on lava. Yep... it's a lava cricket and they are now studying it in Hawaii. The big deal about this cricket is ..... birds love to eat lava crickets..... and when the birds arrive to eat all the lava crickets... they leave seed behind [undigested seed from another area is in bird poop]. The seed then germinates and plants take over in the cracks.
The commentaries say this is about Armageddon.... which it might well be.... but to me.... I see Joel giving us a little light at the end of the tunnel. God's people will survive. Even though there will be a judgement battle.... that will happen right where all the arguing is going on in the Middle East right now.... it's also about new growth. When the locusts have eaten everything.... after a fire destroys what tiny little sprouts that follow the locust..... and the earthquake rips the region.... leaving humans unsure of their footing..... there will be new growth.... there will be clean water and fresh air..... and life will be most excellent.....
But first.... the Greeks and the Romans have to invade..... Jesus has to hang on a cross..... lay in a tomb.... have a fish dinner with His friends.... and ascend in front of witnesses..... and then Jesus has to return and fight this battle that Joel is talking about. Part of this has happened as I read his book. The Greeks and the Romans have already enslaved God's people. Jesus has been here.... and He has ascended..... according to Joel.... the next step is the return of the Messiah..... when that happens..... humans will fight with any tool or weapon they can find.... but it won't be enough..... God will sort us out.
