We now come to the minor prophet Joel who is mysterious in many ways. The book of Joel is mysterious because we know very little about the author, time in which this book was written, and place from which it was written.

Joel 1:1 – "The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel."

The name "Joel" means Jehovah is God, or Jehovah is my God, (Joel’s name is a combination of the two names of God Yahweh and Elohim). There are about fourteen other characters in the Bible who go by the name Joel, but none of these other characters can be linked to this particular minor prophet. All we know about Joel is that he was "the son of Pethuel." This is the only place where Pethuel is mentioned in the Bible.

The kingdom of Judah (3:1,6,8,18,19,20) and the city of Jerusalem (2:32; 3; 1,6,16,17,20) are frequently mentioned in this book, which leads us to believe that Joel may have resided in or near Jerusalem and that his message was directed to the southern kingdom of Judah.

Because Joel mentions no kings it is very difficult to date this book. Traditionally the book of Joel has been placed as early as the time just after Elijah and Elisha the prophets. The KJV Bible Commentary states of Joel:

"He makes no reference to Nineveh or to Babylon, but does mention the Phoenicians, Philistines, Edomites, and the Egyptians. Thus, his prophecy would date somewhere in the period 837–800 b.c. If one desires a specific date, 836 b.c. would be close enough." (1)

If this dating is accurate then it would make Joel the first of the writing prophets and place his ministry during the time of king Joash (2 Kings 11-12). It’s possible that he was a contemporary of Elijah and Elisha.

As we have learned already, the Minor Prophets are not "minor" because their message is any less important than the other prophetic books. No, they are called "minor" only because they tend to be smaller in size. But as we will continue to see in the book of Joel, the message of these Minor Prophets packs a wallop! What is that message? Let’s see what that message is.

Joel 1:2a – "Hear this, you elders, 1 And give ear, all you inhabitants of the land!"

"Hear this," the prophet says. "Give ear, all you inhabitants of the land!" In other words. "Now hear this! Listen up!" Jesus used to say, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" (Matthew 11:15; 13:9,43; Mark 4:9; Luke 8:8; 14:35). Interestingly, at the end of the Bible when Jesus is delivering His final message to the seven churches of Revelation, (which represent not only seven actual churches, but also seven epochs of church history) He says:

• Revelation 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22 - "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God." ’ . . .11 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death." ’ . . .17 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it." ’ . . . 29 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." ’ . . .6 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." ’ . . 13 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." ’ . . . 22 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." ’ "

Notice that in the gospels Jesus says, "He who has ears." In the gospel He calls to him who has "ears" plural. In Revelation He calls out to those who have, "an ear" singular. Perhaps this is nothing, but maybe the movement from plural to singular testifies that leading up to the End Times the ears of people will be more inclined to close and not hear the message of God. If that is the case, we need to hear the message of Joel, especially in our day!

Joel 1:2b – "Has anything like this happened in your days, Or even in the days of your fathers?"

From the very beginning of this book, through Joel, God is calling us to personalize this message. "Has anything like this happened in your days?" God says through the prophet. We might say it another way, "Has this ever happened to you?" Or, "Have you experienced what I’m about to tell you?" This question will become more important as we get into this book. The message of Joel is major and we need to take it to heart and personalize it. As we study this short book, ask yourself the question, "Have I experienced this?"

Joel 1:3 – "Tell your children about it, Let your children tell their children, And their children another generation."

The prophet says, "Tell your children about it, . . . and their children another generation." The message of Joel is worth passing on. And most importantly, the prophet tells us that it is the family that is the primary means to pass on God’s message. That is so important to grasp. This has always been the case; God has ordained the family as the primary place of ministry and witness. This truth is clearly stated in the Bible. Here are a few verses which testify to this:

• Deuteronomy 6:1-9 - "Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess,2 "that you may fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged.3 "Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you—‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’4 "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!5 "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.6 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.7 "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.8 "You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.9 "You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
• Ephesians 6:4 – "And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord."

Notice that it is the father who is called upon by God to take the primary responsibility for training the children. This is not to diminish the role of mothers, but it is to remind us that the role that has been cast off by fathers to mothers to train the children in the ways of God, (His word), is best accomplished when the father takes the major role in the process.

The major message of this minor prophet is that God can take devastating circumstances that enter our life like a Blitzkrieg and use them to work a blessing in our lives. A New Testament verse that conveys this message is found in the book of Romans:

• Romans 8:28 – "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

It is important to note that the blessing God works by way of such blitzkriegs is a spiritual blessing. The major message of Joel is that God often strips people of self-dependence and self-preoccupation by way of blitzkrieg circumstances in order to prepare them to experience the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. The aim of God is to have the Spirit working in your life. We see this in the following verses of Joel:

• Joel 2:28-29 - "And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days."
• Joel 2:32a – "And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved. . . ."

How does God go about bringing these blessings from the blitzkriegs of life? He allows devastation to come into people’s lives as a stripping mechanism. Devastation strips us of all that had distracted us from God, all that we had relied on instead of God. As these false props are stripped away, we fall, (hopefully) at the feet of God in repentance. Once humbled in this way God is able to pour out His blessing upon us in the form of the Holy Spirit. Have you experienced the work of the Holy Spirit in your life? Have you experienced the regeneration and rebirth of the Holy Spirit? Have you been born again? If so, have you experienced the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on your life? Have you experienced the empowerment of the Spirit for service? Those are interesting and personal questions. Let’s dive right into this great book and see the hand of God in life.

The word Blitzkrieg was popularized at the onset of World War II by the German war machine that used the term to describe their lightening quick (German blitz meaning "lightening" or "to flash" and krieg meaning "war") overwhelming war tactics of striking an opponent hard and fast by land and air. Sometimes unexpected devastation comes upon us in a blitzkrieg type fashion. Natural disasters, illnesses, material losses, unexpected changes in various forms can swoop down on us and wreck havoc in our lives. There are times when God allows such devastation to swoop down upon us (see the book of Job).

Joel 1:4-11 – "What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; What the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten; And what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten.5 Awake, you drunkards, and weep; And wail, all you drinkers of wine, Because of the new wine, For it has been cut off from your mouth.6 For a nation has come up against My land, Strong, and without number; His teeth are the teeth of a lion, And he has the fangs of a fierce lion.7 He has laid waste My vine, And ruined My fig tree; He has stripped it bare and thrown it away; Its branches are made white.8 Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth For the husband of her youth.9 The grain offering and the drink offering Have been cut off from the house of the Lord; The priests mourn, who minister to the Lord.10 The field is wasted, The land mourns; For the grain is ruined, The new wine is dried up, The oil fails.11 Be ashamed, you farmers, Wail, you vinedressers, For the wheat and the barley; Because the harvest of the field has perished."

In the book of Joel the first chapter is devoted to an unprecedented plague of locusts and the devastating effects it has on the people (Joel 1:2). The complete devastation of this plague will serve as a wake up call to the "drunkards" (1:4-7). This devastation will lead to lamentation (1:8-10). This devastation will lead to shame (1:11). Why has God allowed all of this to come upon His people? Because they have been asleep and distracted from their relationship with Him. Now in order to wake them up to their need of God as the priority in their lives, God is waking them up and shaking them to their senses. Is this descriptive of your state of being? Are you asleep and in need of a wake up call from the LORD?

Joel 1:12-18 – "The vine has dried up, And the fig tree has withered; The pomegranate tree, The palm tree also, And the apple tree—All the trees of the field are withered; Surely joy has withered away from the sons of men.13 Gird yourselves and lament, you priests; Wail, you who minister before the altar; Come, lie all night in sackcloth, You who minister to my God; For the grain offering and the drink offering Are withheld from the house of your God.14 Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; Gather the elders And all the inhabitants of the land Into the house of the Lord your God, And cry out to the Lord.15 Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is at hand; It shall come as destruction from the Almighty.16 Is not the food cut off before our eyes, Joy and gladness from the house of our God?17 The seed shrivels under the clods, Storehouses are in shambles; Barns are broken down, For the grain has withered.18 How the animals groan! The herds of cattle are restless, Because they have no pasture; Even the flocks of sheep suffer punishment." (2)

Twice Joel says the "joy" has been withered and removed because of this plague that has come upon the people. The term "joy" here is a translation of the Hebrew word SASOWN (Strong’s #8342) which is also translated, "joy; mirth; gladness; rejoicing; exultation." Joy is a sense of well-being and security, stability in life. Joy differs from happiness in that happiness depends on what happens around you; joy transcends circumstances as it depends on and trusts in God. Someone has said, happiness depends on happenings, joy depends on Jesus. That’s the difference. This people has lost its joy because it has lost sight of their God. God has brought this deficit to their attention by way of the locust plague devastation. Is this your experience? Has joy left your life?

Joel 1:19-20 – "O Lord, to You I cry out; For fire has devoured the open pastures, And a flame has burned all the trees of the field.20 The beasts of the field also cry out to You, For the water brooks are dried up, And fire has devoured the open pastures."

God allows devastation to enter people’s lives in order to get them to cry out to Him. God knows fulfillment and completion, harmony in life and being only comes through a saving relationship with Him, therefore, He draws people to Himself often through allowing devastation to hit home. This we see throughout the Bible. The psalmist knew the truth of this when he was inspired to write:

• Psalm 50:15 – "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me."

God allows devastation to hit life to shake people up and wake them up to their need of God. Sometimes we are so distracted or so fast asleep spiritually, that God allows a blitzkrieg to hit us like a rush of cold water on a heavy sleeper. If that is what it takes to get us to turn to God, He will do it. Have you experienced this? Are you at a point where you are crying out to God? If so, God has an awesome plan for your life.

Joel 2:1-2 – "Blow the trumpet in Zion, 1 And sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the Lord is coming, For it is at hand:2 A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, The like of whom has never been; Nor will there ever be any such after them, Even for many successive generations."

Joel uses the phrase, "the day of the LORD" five times in this book (1:15; 2:1-2,10-11,30-31; 3:14-16). In a general sense The day of the LORD marks God’s intervention in the life and history of people. Therefore, in an individual sense the day of the LORD is a point in life where God reaches out and touches, makes contact with a person to show His presence and involvement in that person’s life.

However, the Bible speaks of the day of the LORD more as a national or world event effecting peoples rather than individuals. The day of the LORD is used to refer to the following actions of God:

• The day of the LORD is used to describe God’s judgment on His people (Lamentations 1:12; 2:1,21-22; Ezekiel 7:19; 13:15; Amos 5:18,20; Zephaniah 2:2-3).
• The day of the LORD is also used to describe God’s judgment on foreign nations (Isaiah 13:6,9; 34:8-9; Jeremiah 46:10; Ezekiel 30:3; 39:8).
• The day of the LORD is characterized by using suffering to bring about purification (Isaiah 61:2; Zechariah 14:1-3; Malachi 4:5).
• Ultimately the day of the LORD is used to describe God’s deliverance of His people (Joel 2:28-32). When the day of the LORD is used in a prophetic sense regarding God’s people we see it as a day of God’s intervening work that will follow the rapture of the church. Prophetically the day of the LORD refers to the seven year Tribulation experienced by Israel (Daniel 12:1; Zephaniah 1:7-18; Zechariah 14:1-2; Matthew 24:21). It also refers to the victory of Jesus over the enemies of God’s people at Christ’s 2^nd Coming (Obadiah 15,21) as well as to the millennial reign of Christ on earth (2 Peter 3:10,12-13).

While this world can sometimes bring swift and complete devastation, God can act with even greater swiftness in the lives of His people. This is actually the meaning of the Day of the Lord. The Bible Knowledge Commentary gives insight to this end when it states:

". . . the expression itself is ultimately derived from the idea, prevalent in the ancient Near East, that a mighty warrior-king could consummate an entire military campaign in a single day (cf. Douglas Stuart, "The Sovereign’s Day of Conquest," Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 220/21. December 1975, February 1976:159-64). So generally speaking, "the day of the Lord" is an idiom used to emphasize the swift and decisive nature of the Lord’s victory over His enemies on any given occasion." (Emphasis added.) (3)

Devastation of various events in life can come upon us very quickly, but we should always remember that God can turn things around, no matter how hopeless they appear, in an even quicker fashion. This is conveyed by a magnificently hopeful verse found in Joel chapter 2, which states:

• Joel 2:25 - "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you."

In the verse the LORD tells us that all the devastation brought about by the blitzkrieg locust plague (or any such devastating trials) can be "restore[d]." The term "restore" is translated from the Hebrew word SHALAM (Strong’s #7999) which has a root meaning of, "to be in a covenant of peace, be at peace." (4) Vines adds that this term is used in numerous ways:

"to finish, complete, repay, reward." The Hebrew root denotes perfection in the sense that a condition or action is "complete." This concept emerges when a concrete object is described. When sufficient building materials were at hand and workmen had enough time to apply them, "the wall [of Jerusalem] was finished" at the time of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 6:15). However, this Hebrew root is also found in words with so many nuances and applications that at times its original and basic intent is all but obscured. In the nasb for example, shalam is represented with such words as: "fulfill, make up, restore, pay, repay, full, whole, wholly, entire, without harm, friendly, peaceably, to be at peace, make peace, safe, reward, retribution, restitution, recompense, vengeance, bribe, peace offering." (5)

From this we see that the choice of words inspired by the Spirit in this verse appears to have the intent of saying that where there once was chaos and devastation God will now bring complete peace through restoration. What a beautiful promise, what a glorious hope God gives us in this verse. Just as a blitz of trouble can swoop down upon us and shake our world to its foundations, when we turn to God with all our heart (2:12), He promises complete restoration and peace. That’s simply fantastic my friend.

Joel 2:3-11 – "A fire devours before them, And behind them a flame burns; The land is like the Garden of Eden before them, And behind them a desolate wilderness; Surely nothing shall escape them.4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; And like swift steeds, so they run.5 With a noise like chariots Over mountaintops they leap, Like the noise of a flaming fire that devours the stubble, Like a strong people set in battle array.6 Before them the people writhe in pain; All faces are drained of color.7 They run like mighty men, They climb the wall like men of war; Every one marches in formation, And they do not break ranks.8 They do not push one another; Every one marches in his own column. Though they lunge between the weapons, They are not cut down.9 They run to and fro in the city, They run on the wall; They climb into the houses, They enter at the windows like a thief.10 The earth quakes before them, The heavens tremble; The sun and moon grow dark, And the stars diminish their brightness.11 The Lord gives voice before His army, For His camp is very great; For strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; Who can endure it?"

While the plague mentioned in Joel may refer to a literal plague of locusts, there is evidence that in Joel 2:1-11 locusts are used as imagery to describe an actual future invading army. In support of this view is the fact that the locust army of Joel 2 is described as "the northern army’ (2:20). This is important because locust plagues normally come from the warmer weather of the south and not from the north. It’s interesting that prophetically there are many references to armies that will invade the Land from the north (Jeremiah 6:1,22; 15:12; Ezekiel 26:7; 38:15). Other evidence that supports this view is that in the book of Deuteronomy the imagery of locusts is used to describe invaders (Deuteronomy 28:25,32-33, 36-37,49-52). Even secular pagan people’s used the imagery of locusts to describe the devastation of invading armies. The Bible Knowledge Commentary gives just such an example:

"An Assyrian inscription from the time of Sargon II (722-705 b.c.) vividly illustrates the effects of an invading army on a land: "The city of Aniash-tania . . . together with 17 cities of its neighborhood, I [Sargon] destroyed, I leveled to the ground; the large timbers of their roots I set on fire, their crops [and] their stubble I burned, their filled-up granaries I opened and let my army devour the unmeasured grain. Like swarming locusts I turned the beasts of my camps into its meadows, and they tore up the vegetation on which it [the city] depended; they devastated its plain" (D.D. Luckenbill, Ancient Records of Assyria and Babylonia. 2 vols. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1926-1927, 2:85)." (6)

Whether or not this locust army are actual locusts or an allegorical allusion to a human army, the point we need to see here is that God allows this blitzkrieg attack to get a hold of the hearts of His people. Have you experienced such a blitzkrieg?

Joel 2:12-17 - "Now, therefore," says the Lord, "Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning."13 So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.14 Who knows if He will turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him—A grain offering and a drink offering For the Lord your God?15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly;16 Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, And the bride from her dressing room.17 Let the priests, who minister to the Lord, Weep between the porch and the altar; Let them say, "Spare Your people, O Lord, And do not give Your heritage to reproach, That the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ "

These words state the clear objective of God, He wants our hearts. God isn’t interested in outward displays that cover inward apathy toward the true life changing and altering work of God. The people of Biblical times used to tear their clothes as an outward sign of remorse or sadness, devastation. But God says He’s not looking for any outward display that doesn’t include the heart within the person. He wants our heart. He wants "all your heart" (2:12). He calls people to "rent your heart" 2:13), in other words He is calling us to tear open our hard sleeping hearts and "return to the LORD your God." God substantiates this call by saying, "He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm" (2:13). The LORD is saying, "Come back to Me, I’ve been waiting for you!"

Joel goes on to say that everyone should "gather" and seek the LORD by way of offerings, consecrated fasting, calling a sacred assembly, "weep," come to the LORD! From the youngest to the eldest all should seek out the LORD with sincerity and wholeheartedness. This is the objective of God. He wants us to come to Him with all our heart.

This objective of God is clearly stated by James I. Packer who states:

Grace is God drawing sinners closer and closer to him. How does God in grace prosecute this purpose? Not by shielding us from assault by the work, the flesh, and the devil, nor by protecting us from burdensome and frustrating circumstance, not yet by shielding us from troubles created by our own temperament and psychology, but rather by exposing us to all these things, so as to overwhelm us with a sense of our own inadequacy, and to drive us to cling to him more closely.

This is the ultimate reason, from our standpoint, why God fills our lives with troubles and perplexities of one sort and another -- it is to ensure that we shall learn to hold him fast. The reason why the Bible spends so much of its time reiterating that God is a strong rock, a firm defense, and a sure refuge and help for the weak is that God spends so much of his time showing us that we are weak, both mentally and morally, and dare not trust ourselves to find or follow the right road. When we walk along a clear road feeling fine, and someone takes our arm to help us, likely we would impatiently shake him off; but when we are caught in rough country in the dark, with a storm brewing and our strength spent, and someone takes our arm to help us, we would thankfully lean on him. And God wants us to feel that our way through life is rough and perplexing, so that we may learn to lean on him thankfully. Therefore he takes steps to drive us out of self-confidence to trust in himself, to -- in the classic scriptural phrase for the secret of the godly man's life -- "wait on the Lord." (7)

Does God have a hold on your heart? Does He have your heart, all of it? Are you just playing games of hide and seek with God? Are you distracted by the things of this world? God has a deep desire for you to experience Him through His Holy Spirit.

Joel 2:18-27 – "Then the Lord will be zealous for His land, And pity His people.19 The Lord will answer and say to His people, "Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, And you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations.20 "But I will remove far from you the northern army, And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land, With his face toward the eastern sea And his back toward the western sea; His stench will come up, And his foul odor will rise, Because he has done monstrous things."21 Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice, For the Lord has done marvelous things!22 Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field; For the open pastures are springing up, And the tree bears its fruit; The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.23 Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the Lord your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you—The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month.24 The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.25 "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you.26 You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame.27 Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the Lord your God And there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame."

All God asks is that people come to Him with all their hearts. And He waits zealously to pour out His blessing on those who do come to Him with all their hearts. God gets excited when He sees His people returning to Him with all their hearts. He just can’t wait to bless them. This God of love is excited about the prospects of His blessing on wholehearted people because He knows that what awaits them is so fantastic!

The zealous acts of God on behalf of those who come to Him wholeheartedly include provision and satisfaction (2:19,26), protection (2:20), joy stemming from seeing the marvelous things of God (2:21), fruitfulness (2:22), refreshing (2:23), and fullness (2:24). But, as we stated earlier, amongst the most encouraging and incredible blessings of God is His willingness and ability to "restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten" (2:25). God will actually make up for lost time so to speak. It bears repeating, this has been a verse of great encouragement. For those who come to know Jesus as their Savior late in life they can be at peace that God can still use them in a significant way. Applied practically to life, God is saying that He is able to compensate for lost time. You may look back and say to yourself, "If only I had come to know Jesus earlier in life, I could have done so much more." Or you might say, "If only I hadn’t used drugs; if only I hadn’t gotten pregnant; if only I hadn’t committed that crime; if only I hadn’t wasted that money; if only I hadn’t made that decision; if only I hadn’t . . ." But to that God says, "If you give Me your whole heart, I’ll make up for that lost time, those sinful decisions by My use of you now." What a blessing and encouraging word that is! Thank You Jesus! Thank You Father! Thank You Holy Spirit! That is reason to praise the LORD! (2:26).

Joel 2:28-29 - "And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days."

In Old Testament pre-Pentecostal times the Spirit only came rarely upon people to help them in performing specific tasks in God’s plan. Some examples of this are:

1. With Bazaleel for artistic and constructive ability - Exodus 31:2
2. With the Seventy Elders for prophetic utterance - Numbers 11:25
3. With Balaam for prophetic ability - Numbers 24:2
4. With Othniel for leadership and military ability - Judges 3:10
5. With Gideon for leadership and encouraging ability - Judges 6:34
6. With Samson for physical empowerment- Judges 13:25; 14:6,19; 15:14
7. With Saul for courageous leadership and prophetic utterance - 1 Samuel 10:10; 11:6
8. With David as anointing for shepherd leadership - 1 Samuel 16:13
9. With Saul's Messengers for prophetic utterance - 1 Samuel 19:20
10. With Azariah for proclaiming the word of warning from the LORD - 2 Chronicles 15:1-7

11. With Simeon to recognize the arrival of Messiah Jesus - Luke 2:24-25

Besides the Holy Spirit coming upon prophets and people in the Old Testament on special occasions, believers did not experience the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives like that found after the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). At Pentecost the Spirit of God was poured out "on all flesh." This hope of Old Testament saints was conveyed elsewhere as well. We find in Isaiah and Ezekiel who state:

• Isaiah 44:3-4 – "For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring;4 They will spring up among the grass Like willows by the watercourses.’"
• Isaiah 59:20-21 - "The Redeemer will come to Zion, And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob," Says the Lord.21 "As for Me," says the Lord, "this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants," says the Lord, "from this time and forevermore."
• Ezekiel 36:27-28 - "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.28 "Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God."
• Ezekiel 37:14 - "I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it," says the Lord.’"
• Ezekiel 39:29 – "‘And I will not hide My face from them anymore; for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,’ says the Lord God."
• Zechariah 12:10 - "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn."

In Joel 2:28-29 and these other verses we see God’s promise concerning the outpouring of His Holy Spirit. This promise was fulfilled at Pentecost and contingent upon the cross work of Christ, the "Redeemer" who would come to Zion (Isaiah 59:20-21).

Jesus opened the door for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on "all flesh" to take place. We see this in His own words alluding to this when He said:

• John 7:37-39 – "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.38 "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified."
• John 16:7 - "Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you."

Before the Holy Spirit could be poured out in fulfillment of Joel 2: 28-29, Jesus had to complete the redemptive work on the cross. Christ’s work in God’s plan must precede the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The main ministry of the Holy Spirit is to testify of Christ (John 14:26). Therefore, the work of Jesus had to be completed before the Spirit was poured out.

At this point we should take a moment to consider the relationship of the Holy Spirit to people.

The Bible uses three prepositions to convey the relationship we have regarding the Holy Spirit. Each of these prepositions correspond to a person’s position regarding the Holy Spirit. We see these prepositions used this way in the following verses:

• John 14:17 - "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."
• Acts 1:8 - "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

It’s important we understand the various relationships people have with the Holy Spirit. In fact, this is so important that your eternal destiny is determined by where you are in terms of your relationship with the Holy Spirit.

The first of these prepositions is "WITH" (Greek: para) as found in John 14:17. The Holy Spirit is "with" a person when He is leading that person toward salvation. It can also be said that until Jesus’ completed work on the cross that the relationship of Old Testament believers to the Holy Spirit was that the Holy Spirit was "with" them. This does not mean that there were no saved persons in the Old Testament, only that their relationship to the Spirit was different.

The Holy Spirit will reason with a person and call a person but will not force Himself upon a person. The Holy Spirit was with the disciples up until Jesus breathed on them and guided them to RECEIVE the Holy Spirit:

• John 20:22 – "And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit."

It was at this point that the disciples experienced the Holy Spirit "in" them.

Before we continue to see what the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in a person entails, we need to see that there is a negative response to the Holy Spirit who is "with" a person. The negative response to the Holy Spirit when He is "with" a person would be to RESIST the Holy Spirit. When Stephen gave his message to the Jewish leaders in Acts 7 he concluded by saying they had a history of resisting the Holy Spirit. Stephen said:

• Acts 7:51 - "You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you."

To resist the Holy Spirit is to hold Him at arms length, it’s to turn away from His overtures. In Genesis we are told:

• Genesis 6:3 – "And the Lord said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years."

It is a foolish thing for a person to play games with the Holy Spirit when He is striving with that person to bring them to Christ for salvation. Which would you rather have? Guilt, a hole in your heart, emptiness, no direction, an uncertain eternal destiny? Or, no condemnation, freedom from sin, wholeness, purposefulness, a certain assurance of your eternal destiny, a rich inheritance with the saints and an awesome presence of the Holy Spirit in your life?! The only way a person could not opt for the obvious second choice would be if they were blinded by an adversary, and many have been (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).

The second prepositional term used to describe one’s relationship to the Holy Spirit is "IN" – (Greek: en). The "in" experience is our conversion experience when we RECEIVE Jesus as LORD and Savior and the Holy Spirit comes within us as the presence of God. When we accept Jesus as Savior and LORD the Holy Spirit comes to reside in us. This experience was described by Jesus as being born again of the Spirit and entailed the indwelling of the Spirit. We see this in the following verses:

• John 3:5-7 – "Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.7 "Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’"
• John 4:13-14 – "Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,14 "but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

Paul explains this when he likens the believer to a temple of the Holy Spirit:

• 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s."

When the Holy Spirit comes "in" a person, He comes to give life and clean house. It is through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that God works to conform us to the image of His Son Jesus (See Romans 8). The Holy Spirit is "holy" and this expresses His objective, to make that which He touches "holy" too.

The Holy Spirit seeks to bring us into a holy relationship with God. That is one of His primary, if not the primary objective of the Holy Spirit. The term "holy" appears 637 times in 567 verses of the Bible. The term "holiness" appears 32 times in the Bible. The term "holy" in the Old Testament is translated from the Hebrew term QADOSH (Strongs’ # 6918) and means primarily, "pure, devoted, separated to." In the New Testament "holy" is translated from the Greek term HAGIOS (Strong’s #40). This term also has the meaning of "separation, sanctification, pure." The idea here is that a person or object is set apart specifically for God’s use. Interestingly, believers are called "saints" in the Bible which literally means holy ones (95 times in 93 verses.)

The term "holiness" (Strong’s #38 HAGIOSUNE) is derived from "holy" and refers to living a life set apart for God’s use. Below are some verses in this regard:

• 1 Corinthians 3:17 – "If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are."
• 2 Corinthians 7:1 – "Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
• Ephesians 4:20-24 – "But you have not so learned Christ,21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."
• 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13; 4:7 – "And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you,13 so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. . . .7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness."
• 2 Timothy 1:8-9 – "Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God,9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,"
• 1 Peter 1:15-16 – "but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,16 because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."
• 1 Peter 2:5,9 – "you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;"

These verses testify clearly that God desires a holy response from His children. But why should we comply and respond to God in a holy way?

Why live holy lives? Why give ourselves to God in this way? Because the only logical and reasonable response to God is for believers to present themselves as available to God to be used by Him. This is the thought behind Paul’s statement in Romans which reads:

• Romans 12:1-2 – "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

Importantly, when we look at this statement of Paul in Romans it is given in the context of having seen the provision of God’s gospel of grace throughout the first eleven chapters of this book. When Paul comes to the twelfth chapter and finally says, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God" its as though he is saying, "Now that you have seen all of God’s grace and mercy and redemptive plan that brings you peace and new life in Christ, give yourselves to God entirely." Responding to God in a holy way is an act of loving appreciation and thanks. As Paul so ably states under the inspiration of the Spirit:

• 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 – "For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again."

Similarly, in the Paul’s letter of the Ephesians, Paul spends the first three chapters of the letter laying out before the reader all of the riches, "every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3), then he calls us the reader to "walk worthy of the calling with which you are called" (Ephesians 4:1). You see the only logical and reasonable response to God who has given us "every spiritual blessing" is to give ourselves wholly to God to live holy lives for Him.

These are only a few of the verses that pertain to the believer’s call by God to holiness. This is the work of God through the Holy Spirit in us which is made clear by the following verses:

• Acts 15:8-9 - "So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us,9 "and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith."

• Philippians 2:13 – "for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure."
• 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 – " Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it."
• Titus 3:5 – "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,"

Living a holy life is not a set of dos and don’ts, it is not accomplished by intestinal fortitude or hard self-discipline, and it is a work of God in our hearts by His Holy Spirit. The Bible refers to self-effort as "the flesh." Paul once wrote a letter to a group of people in an area called Galatia who were contemplating the pursuit of holiness by keeping the law in their own strength. Read what he said to these Galatians:

• Galatians 3:1-3 – "O, foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?"

Paul goes on to write the Galatians concerning how the life of holiness is attained:

• Galatians 5:16-25 – "I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."

Holiness is something the Holy Spirit does in us when we present ourselves to Him.

People do not always open themselves to receive Jesus as Savior and invite the Holy Spirit into their heart. The negative response to this relationship of the Spirit "in" you would be to GRIEVE the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:31). We grieve the Holy Spirit when according to the context of Ephesians 4:25-32 we - lie; let the sun go down on our wrath; give place to the devil; steal; speak with corrupt communication that does not edify or minister grace; are bitter; wrathful; angry; clamorous or disruptive; evil speaking; malicious; anything other than being kind to one another, tenderhearted and forgiving toward one another being mindful of how God has forgiven you in Christ.

When a person has grieved the Holy Spirit, that person’s life becomes grievous. When David saw Bathsheba, sinned with her, covered his sin by orchestrating the murder of her husband Uriah, life became a living hell for him. In Psalm 38 David expresses his feelings during this time of his life by saying he was effected physically with ill health and exhaustion, psychologically with a heart in turmoil and heavily burdened, and spiritually by a deep and abiding sense that he had caused God displeasure and an inability to hear those around him. Listen to the final cries of this psalm:

• Psalm 38:15-22 – "For in You, O Lord, I hope; You will hear, O Lord my God.16 For I said, "Hear me, lest they rejoice over me, Lest, when my foot slips, they exalt themselves against me."17 For I am ready to fall, And my sorrow is continually before me.18 For I will declare my iniquity; I will be in anguish over my sin.19 But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong; And those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied.20 Those also who render evil for good, They are my adversaries, because I follow what is good.21 Do not forsake me, O Lord; O my God, be not far from me!22 Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!"

The only hope for a person who has grieved the Holy Spirit is to go to God with a heart of repentance and God will restore that person.

The third and last prepositional term used to describe our relationship to the Holy Spirit is, "UPON" (Greek: epi). The Holy Spirit comes "upon" the believer to empower that believer for service.

• Acts 1:8 - "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

According to Peter’s sermon at Pentecost, this is the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy in 2:28-29. We see this in Peter’s statement:

• Acts 2:14-21 – "But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words.15 "For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.16 "But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, 1 That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.19 I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.21 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.’"

The "upon" experience of the Holy Spirit is not an experience meant to draw attention to one’s self by weird outward displays. The epi or upon experience of the Holy Spirit is received by faith when a person surrenders to be used by God in ministry of one sort or the other. Upon such surrendering faith God pours out His Spirit. This when the Holy Spirit comes "in" to a person He fills them up to the brim to use a special illustration. But at the epi experience the Holy Spirit overflows the person. Its as though the love that has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5) just cannot be contained and it overflows making itself known to those around the person. This overflowing experience was referred to by Jesus who just as before in our study as here stated:

• John 7:37-39 – " On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.38 "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified."

That the sign of such a "baptism" is God’s agape love working in and through the person more than it is any outward manifestation such as tongues, is evidenced by the association of the work of the Spirit with bringing God’s love into the life of that believer as seen in the following verses:

• Romans 5:5 – "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
• Galatians 5:22a – "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, . . . ,"

But having said that, this experience is frequently linked to the bestowing of spiritual gifts such as tongues and prophecy (Acts 1:5; 2:1-4; 4:31; 10:46; 11:15-16; 19:6). To deny the bestowing of spiritual gifts on a person is to quench the Spirit.

The negative response to the Holy Spirit when He has come "upon" a person would be to QUENCH the Holy Spirit as stated as Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, "Do no quench the Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 5:19- 21). We quench the Spirit when we ignore or deny His giving spiritual gifts to believers. We quench the Spirit when we close the door on Him refusing to accept that He can and does work in and through people TODAY!

Where do you stand with the Holy Spirit? Is He "with" you? Is He "in" you? Is He "upon" you? He cannot be "upon" you unless He has first been invited to come "in" to you. Does the Spirit have all of you? Have you experienced the Holy Spirit in your life?

The remainder of chapter two and the entirety of chapter three deal with a future day of the LORD. This is a time that will occur subsequent to the rapture of the church. This day of the LORD pertains particularly to Israel. This is most likely referring to events that will transpire during the seven year Tribulation period.

Joel 2:30-32 - "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.32 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the Lord has said, Among the remnant whom the Lord calls."

This aspect of Joel’s prophecy was not fulfilled at Pentecost. This speaks of a yet future time and coincides with the great cataclysmic events of the Tribulation. The purpose of the Tribulation is the same as all previous days of the LORD, to shake up and wake up those who have been dosing on the LORD. God is going to rattle some cages and hopefully many will call upon the name of the LORD and be saved. A study of the book of Revelation 6-18 reveals that there will be an unprecedented revival on earth during this shake up of God (See Revelation 7, 11,12 and 19).

Joel 3:1-8 - "For behold, in those days and at that time, 1 When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem,2 I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land.3 They have cast lots for My people, Have given a boy as payment for a harlot, And sold a girl for wine, that they may drink.4 "Indeed, what have you to do with Me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the coasts of Philistia? Will you retaliate against Me? But if you retaliate against Me, Swiftly and speedily I will return your retaliation upon your own head;5 Because you have taken My silver and My gold, And have carried into your temples My prized possessions.6 Also the people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem You have sold to the Greeks, That you may remove them far from their borders.7 "Behold, I will raise them Out of the place to which you have sold them, And will return your retaliation upon your own head.8 I will sell your sons and your daughters Into the hand of the people of Judah, And they will sell them to the Sabeans, To a people far off; For the Lord has spoken."

That this is a day yet future is indicated by God’s statement that He will "gather all nations" (3:2). God will first bring back His people to the Land, (which He did on May 14, 1948 when Israel was reborn as a nation). And once His people are back in the Land He will set in motion a sequence of events that will lead to a final showdown with all those who have opposed His people. The enemies who have taken advantage of Israel and opposed God’s people will all be positioned for judgment.

Joel 3:9-17 – "Proclaim this among the nations: "Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, Let all the men of war draw near, Let them come up.10 Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ "11 Assemble and come, all you nations, And gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O Lord.12 "Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; For the winepress is full, The vats overflow—For their wickedness is great."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 grow dark, And the stars will diminish their brightness.16 The Lord also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; But the Lord will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel.17 "So you shall know that I am the Lord your God, Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy, And no aliens shall ever pass through her again."

The judgment of God on all nations will take place in the valley of Jehoshaphat in a battle called Armageddon (Revelation 19:7). This is the battle which will precede Christ’s Second Coming and will serve as the tool of God’s judgment. This speaks of a "valley of decision" where God’s judgment will come upon those who have persisted in rejecting Christ as their Savior and LORD. How about you, have you made your decision to receive Christ as your Savior and LORD? Have you experienced God’s salvation through His Son? This may be your valley of decision right now.

Joel 3:18-21 – "And it will come to pass in that day That the mountains shall drip with new wine, The hills shall flow with milk, And all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water; A fountain shall flow from the house of the Lord And water the Valley of Acacias.19 "Egypt shall be a desolation, And Edom a desolate wilderness, Because of violence against the people of Judah, For they have shed innocent blood in their land.20 But Judah shall abide forever, And Jerusalem from generation to generation.21 "For I will acquit them of the guilt of bloodshed, whom I had not acquitted; For the Lord dwells in Zion."

All God’s enemies will be laid to rest and Jerusalem will become the capitol city of Jesus millennial reign on earth (Revelation 20). In those days God intends to do a "new" thing (3:18). God has a wonderful plan to put in place on His day. During the millennial reign of Christ on earth He will rule with a rod of iron (Psalm 2), there will be no plea-bargaining because Christ’s ruling will be perfect and just in every way. In our present system we make allowance for the limitations of human beings that will not be necessary in the millennium.

God allows blitzkrieg like trials to enter our lives in order to draw us to Himself. God will do whatever it takes to get through to the hard hearted and dozing soul in order to wake it up. A poem by an unknown author conveys this when it states:

When God wants to drill a man,

And thrill a man,

And skill a man,

When God wants to mold a man

To play the noblest part;

When He yearns with all His heart

To create so great and bold a man

That all the world shall be amazed,

Watch His methods, watch His ways!

How He ruthlessly perfects

Whom He royally elects!

How He hammers him and hurts him,

And with mighty blows converts him

Into trial shapes of clay which

Only God understands;

While his tortured heart is crying

And he lifts beseeching hands!

How He bends but never breaks

When his good He undertakes;

How He uses whom He chooses,

And with every purpose fuses him;

By every act induces him

To try His splendor out--

God knows what He's about. (8)

Has a blitzkrieg of devastating proportions swooped down on you? If it has, turn to the LORD with all your heart and He will pour His blessing and Spirit out upon you. If you haven’t experienced a blitzkrieg, are you awake? Or are you dozing on the LORD? Beware; if you don’t come to God with all your heart, He may have to resort to drastic measures to wake you up. One way or another God is zealous to bless you. He just can’t wait to pour out His Holy Spirit upon you and bless you beyond your dreams. Why not seek Him now? If you are a young man or woman, why not ask God to give you a vision of what He desires to do in and through you? If you are older why not ask the LORD to speak to you in a dream? Whatever you do, hear the word of the LORD, "Turn to Me with all your heart, . . . rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm." Listen, " Has anything like this happened in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?" Has it?

(1) Jerry Falwell, executive editor; Edward E. Hinson and Michael Kroll Woodrow, general editors, KJV Bible commentary [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1994.

(2) Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon, (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.) 1995.

(3) Walvoord, John F., and Zuck, Roy B., The Bible Knowledge Commentary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Scripture Press Publications, Inc.) 1983, 1985.

(4) Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon, (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.) 1995.