The Warnings of Joel
By
Gary Primo
Nov. 24, 2012
The Book of Joel may be one of the shortest books in the Scriptures but it is packed full of information concerning both the trouble in Joel’s day and the Day of Yahuwah. I am sure you will find this study interesting and educational.
Joel 1
1 - The word of Yahuwah that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.
2 - Hear this, you old men, and give ear, all you inhabitants of the land. Has this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?
3 - Tell you your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.
4 - That which the palmerworm has left has the locust eaten; and that which the locust has left has the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm has left has the caterpillar eaten.
5 - Awake, you drunkards, and weep; and howl, all you drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.
Here Joel is warning of a terrible drought that the children of Israel must experience before the invading armies come. We have examples of droughts around the globe today; however, a drought of this magnitude will surpass anything the world has seen so far. The world may blame the Jews because it will be their Elohim that is bringing it upon them. During the Middle Ages the Jews faced the same situation with the Black Plague. The worldly pagans figured that if they killed Yahuwah’s chosen people, they kill Yahuwah also and get rid of the plague. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yet that is the goal of HaSatan too – to kill off all of mankind and throw a wrench into the mechanism of Yahuwah’s great plan for creation. HaSatan thinks he is so perfect that he is already a complete creation and has no need of salvation. He has no idea of the glory that would have a waited him, if he had only waited on Yahuwah to give him his reward, instead of trying to seize it on his own.
Does this pattern of drought-before-invasion repeat itself elsewhere in the Scriptures?
Rev. 11:6 - These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
This verse is speaking of the two end-time witnesses and of what to expect during the 3 ½ years of their prophesying. This is talking of a global drought lasting 3 ½ years! Yet mankind will still refuse to turn to Yahuwah.
6 - For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion.
7 - He has laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he has made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.
The invading armies make the situation even worse for Israel by laying waste whatever is left. The only thing worse than nothing, is less than nothing.
8 - Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.
9 - The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of Yahuwah; the priests, Yahuwah’s ministers, mourn.
10 - The field is wasted, the land mourned; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languishes.
11 - Be you ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O you vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished.
12 - The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languishes; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.
13 - Gird yourselves, and lament, you priests: howl, you ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, you ministers of my Elohim: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withheld from the house of your Elohim.
Through Israel, Yahuwah proved His word to be true time and time again. When they did well in obeying Yahuwah, He brought them bumper crops and multiplied their cattle. They were the envy of the entire world. Yet, they wanted to be just like the Joneses (their neighbours) and have a king over them and a pagan religious system that allowed them to sin and enjoy all the “pleasures” of this life.
Here the people had again fallen away from following after Yahuwah and were reaping the punishment for their treachery. They didn’t like it too much. However, the all-loving Elohim who created all things loves His children and wants them to see the purposed completion of their creation. He gives us chance after chance; but do not be fooled - there is a limit to even Yahuwah’s patience.
14 - Sanctify you a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of Yahuwah your Elohim, and cry unto Yahuwah,
15 - Alas for the day! for the day of Yahuwah is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
Here again, before He brings this destruction upon them, Yahuwah holds out the olive branch and lets them know what it is they must do to avert the coming catastrophe. This is the very same olive branch he is holding out to the world today. Yet, for the most part, the world is not listening. Let it not be so with us, brethren. Let us keep our noses to the grind stone, ever striving to draw out all the things in which we are still deceived and continue to grow in knowledge and wisdom and the grace of Elohim. Let us fast and pray often – for our brethren, for the re-gathering of the sons of Israel, the world (that Yahuwah calls many more into His fold), the return of Yahushua to lead us into our glorious future and for the Father to deem us worthy to advance to the complete creatures we were purposed to be.
16 - Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our Elohim?
17 - The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered.
18 - How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.
How stubborn a people we are – stiffnecked and rebellious. We cannot even tell when Yahuwah is trying to correct us. We fight Him at every turn. Like spoiled children we want it all and are not patient to wait on Yahuwah. Yet, look at the patience that our model, Yahushua, had. He was the firstborn of all creation. He was specially selected and chosen of all Yahuwah’s creation to represent the Father before all the other creatures. And yet, even he had to wait on the Father before he was made complete (at his resurrection) and became the firstborn of the new creation also, so that he might have preeminence in all things. Who are we to dare to be impatient and rebel? Are we greater than Yahushua? I don’t think so. Our perfection has to come as close as possible to that of Yahushua, else we have NOTHING to boast or feel self-righteous about.
What is our spiritual condition like? Is it “rotten”, “laid desolate”, “broken down” or “withered”? Do we groan, and are we perplexed, because Yahuwah seems to be withholding His blessings from us? Whose spiritual condition can we compare it to? If you are comparing your righteousness to other human beings, you are barking up the wrong tree. Our righteousness must always be compared to the only other creature that is true and perfect – Yahushua. Comparing ourselves to any other creature is fruitless and we will fall far short of the mark.
19 - O Yahuwah, to you will I cry: for the fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field.
20 - The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
Who else do we cry to when times are bad? That’s right – we all do it. Why do we not cry out to him when times are good also, thanking Him for all that is good and gracious in our lives – our loved ones and our brethren in the faith? That is the time when we need Yahuwah more than ever, to keep us on the correct path, continually improving our spiritual condition, rather than thinking that we must be alright now that Yahuwah is blessing us and need to strive no more for complete perfection. If that is the case, keep me poor, O Yahuwah, that I might grow in faith and trust in you and you alone.
Let us not wait until our spiritual condition matches that of these Israelites, before we put all our energy towards elevating our spiritual level. All eyes are upon us. The world is looking for a spiritual example to follow. We must make sure ours mirrors that of Yahushua’s; else no one will see anything different about us. They must know that Yahushua really does live in and act through us.
Usually counterfeits are fashioned after what is true. This world is so foolish; they make counterfeits of the counterfeits. In our case we have a counterfeit god (HaSatan) whom we, a counterfeit people, chose to be our counterfeit god over us in this counterfeit world, through a host of counterfeit religions. Are we simply modeling ourselves after one of the counterfeits, or the real McCoy? We must continually introspect and judge ourselves before others (and especially Yahuwah) does.
Joel 2
1 - Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of Yahuwah cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
2 - A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.
3 - A fire devours before them; and behind them a flame burns: the land is as the Garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
4 - The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.
5 - Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devours the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.
6 - Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.
7 - They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march everyone on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:
8 - Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk everyone in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.
9 - They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.
10 - The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:
11 - And Yahuwah shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executes his word: for the day of Yahuwah is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?
We can know that Joel is talking about the end of the age by his reference to the day of Yahuwah. From the sound of this passage, Israel may be spared from the drought and their food supply may be the focus of her enemies. They see a land like the Garden of Eden before them, while behind them (the direction from which they came) lies in waste and ruin (from the drought). This might be a robot army that invades them. They appear to be superhuman. When they fall on the sword, they are not even wounded. Some say the U.S. government already possesses this technology.
Before Yahushua comes he will cause the earth to quake, the heavens to tremble, the sun and moon to be darkened and the stars to withdraw their shinning. Standing behind him will be a mighty host of angels, plus those who will come up in the first resurrection. Together they will conquer the pagan, human hordes. The winner of this conflict is a foregone conclusion. Nothing we know of can withstand the power of Yahuwah.
12 - Therefore also now, says Yahuwah, turn you even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
13 - And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto Yahuwah your Elohim: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repents him of the evil.
14 - Who knows if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto Yahuwah your Elohim?
15 - Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:
16 - Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.
17 - Let the priests, the ministers of Yahuwah, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare your people, O Yahuwah, and give not your heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, 18 - Where is their Elohim?
19 - Then will Yahuwah be jealous for his land, and pity his people.
The above is what we must be doing right now to thwart off this evil – repent, fast and pray. Are we taking this situation seriously enough? Do we believe Yahuwah that this evil is going to befall us? Do we fear Yahuwah enough (more than anything else) to drop whatever we are doing and follow Him? Do we trust in Him enough to have the courage to take on the entire world?
20 - Yea, Yahuwah will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and you shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:
21 - But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he has done great things.
22 - Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for Yahuwah will do great things.
23 - Be not afraid, you beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree bears her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength.
24 - Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in Yahuwah your Elohim: for he has given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.
25 - And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.
26 - And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.
27 - And you shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of Yahuwah your 28 - Elohim, that has dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.
29 - And you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am Yahuwah your Elohim, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.
The events above happen after Yahuwah drives the enemies of Israel out of the Promised Land. It will be a time of great rejoicing among the people of Yahuwah. Yet, be not deceived, all will go through some form of tribulation before all is said and done.
3 0 - And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
31 - And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
32 - And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
33 - The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of Yahuwah come.
34 - And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of Yahuwah shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as Yahuwah has said, and in the remnant whom Yahuwah shall call.
Following Yahuwah’s victory, Yahuwah’s spirit will be poured out on all of mankind that has survived. Immediately before that day Yahuwah will show great wonders upon the earth and in the heavens. Mankind will definitely believe they are on the brink of total destruction, but we know better. Again, there is only one way that anyone will be able to escape this impending destruction, and that is to call upon the Name of Yahuwah. For those who do not even know His name, this may prove difficult.
Joel 3
1 - For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 - I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
3 - And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for a harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink.
4 - Yea, and what have you to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will you render me a recompense? and if you recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompense upon your own head;
transitive verb \ˈre-kəm-ˌpen(t)s\
rec·om·pensedrec·om·pens·ing
Definition of RECOMPENSE
1
a : to give something to by way of compensation (as for a service rendered or damage incurred)
b : to pay for
2
: to return in kind : requite
The time is coming when Israel will once again be taken in captivity. Yahuwah has spoken it; therefore it is guaranteed to come about, save the whole nation repent and turn once more to Yahuwah. Yahuwah will gather all nations against Israel. This movement has already started in the U.N. general assembly this week as they voted unanimously in favour of a Palestinian state. This announcement was intended to be a peace initiative, but will only bring war.
Yahuwah will plead with the nations through His prophets but it will avail nothing. The nations will cast lots for Yahuwah’s people, each taking a piece of Israel for themselves.
One crime that has been plaguing our nations of late is that of child abduction for the purposes of human trafficking. Both boys and girls are being sold into the sex trade. Soon it will be fashionable for our global elite to make sport of possessing such slaves and taking them everywhere with them. They will not heed the warnings of Yahuwah’s prophets, who will be scorned and killed for “hate crimes” which now have come under a broad umbrella. When the 7 Noahide Laws come into full effect, violators will be beheaded (see article “The 7 Noahide Laws”). This is nothing more than following the commandments of Emperor Constantine (making him our god in place of Yahuwah)– not to Judaise or keep the Jewish Sabbaths. Violators, again, will be beheaded. The good news is that Yahuwah will exact like revenge on all who condemn and execute His people.
5 - Because you have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things:
6 - The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have you sold unto the Grecians, that you might remove them far from their border.
7 - Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither you have sold them, and will return your recompense upon your own head:
8 - And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off: for Yahuwah has spoken it.
The children of Israel will first be sold to the Greeks, who will in turn sell them to the Arabs. Those who make Israel to suffer so, will, themselves, be punished in like manner.
9 - Proclaim you this among the Gentiles; Prepare 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 yourselves, and come, all you heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause your mighty ones to come down, O Yahuwah.
12 - Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.
Yahuwah issues this challenge to the entire heathen world, daring them to challenge His authority and tricking them into gathering all in one place to be judged, condemned and executed.
13 - Put you in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the vats overflow; for their wickedness is great.
14 - Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of Yahuwah is near in the valley of decision.
15 - The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.
16 – Yahuwah also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but Yahuwah will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
Like the roar of an advancing forest fire, Yahuwah will roar out of Jerusalem, bringing swift destruction to those who would destroy His people. The earth will be enveloped in darkness; much like it was in ancient Egypt during the days of Moses. One will not be able to see a lighted candle an inch before their eyes. Both the heavens and the earth will shake terribly and all will think the end of the earth and all human existence has come. At long last they will cry out to Yahuwah. All hope of saving the earth and themselves by their own power will have vanished – like turning off a light switch. Their hearts will fail them because of their great fear.
17 - So shall you know that I am Yahuwah your Elohim dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.
18 - And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of Yahuwah, and shall water the valley of Shittim.
Jerusalem will at last be holy. It may be called the holy city now but there is nothing holy about Jerusalem under its current regime. The Jews still deny Yahushua and; therefore, reject Yahuwah their Elohim also. They will be made to pay for their treachery. Following Yahuwah’s salvation of Jerusalem, will be many wondrous blessings; the greatest of which will be his out-flowing spirit.
19 - Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.
20 - But Judah shall dwell forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.
For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for Yahuwah dwells in Zion.
Immediately following Yahuwah’s victory, all but Jerusalem will lay in ruins. Life on Earth will flourish only out of Jerusalem and will eventually spread to the entire Earth; but before that happens all who remain alive will be made to make the trip to Jerusalem to at last worship the One True Elohim. The Earth will be transformed and Yahuwah will rule over His people.
Conclusion
Who else but a wise and knowing Creator could possibly know the end from the beginning? These verses were written approximately 2500 years ago concerning this very time. No human could possibly possess such foresight. No one could make this up. The final stages of this prophesy are in the works today. Yet, only those who truly serve Yahuwah have the vision to see them. While the rest of the world scoffs at our warnings, the history books are already being written. Everything will happen just as Yahuwah has foretold. The nay-sayers will be brought to their knees and repent out of great fear. At last the full and awesome power of Yahuwah will be realized. There will be no place to hide.
Are even we, the servants of Yahuwah, demonstrating the fear of Yahuwah in our lives; or are we also living like there is no Elohim? This is a time for great and constant introspection, to ensure that we are, indeed, on the right path and heading toward our desired reward. Do not take this calling lightly. Get on fire for Yahuwah. Place His plan for mankind first and foremost in our lives. Live like we really do have the Messiah dwelling in and working through us.
Yahushua asked the question, “Will the Son of Man find faith on the earth when he returns?” It is lack of faith that is the foremost disease of mankind. This spiritual disease is what will bring about the destruction of the unrighteous – not any physical disease. If the disease is a spiritual one, then so also must the cure be a spiritual one. The key is to turn to Yahuwah our Elohim with ALL our heart, mind and soul, leaving nothing standing between ourselves and salvation. Let us all step forward boldly, absent of fear of what the world may do to us, but fearing the Almighty Elohim and possessing full confidence in His promised blessings for doing so.