What Is About to Hit Us, from the Book of Joel--Post 3

By David Hobbs

(This is a segment of a string of posts that all flow together. Keep reading from the posts above)

We all hope for massive revival and I believe it is coming. But how is it going to get here? The Book of Joel tells the whole story: Joel, the only prophetic book in the Bible that has never been fulfilled in real time except for 2:28-29 on the Day of Pentecost.

 It starts with terrible times for the people of God—first a drought/famine befalls them, then a mighty army attacks them. What’s puzzling about this army is that it’s sent by God against His own people (2:11 & 26). But it all becomes plain when you consider what I said in my last post: God’s judgment, when it begins, must start with the house of God. And that’s what this is. God sends this terrible army against His own people with the intent of calling them back to Himself. But it’s a high stakes game: the army is real and will destroy His people unless God intervenes to save them, but that will only happen if they repent. It's important to note that because the judgments are sent by God against His people, they can't be prayed away by the intercessors. All the intercessors can do is cry out to God that the church will repent

Chapter 1 starts off making it plain that this is a worse disaster than they have ever seen in their lifetimes or for many generations. Verse 5 has the first wakeup call: to the drunkards (those intoxicated with the riches and sensual pleasures of this life?). The call goes out to mourn because of the dearth upon the land. The call intensifies in verse 11: call a fast and a sacred assembly, gather the elders, lie all night in sackcloth, bring all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord and cry out to Him. The creation itself feels the effects of the dearth and cries out.

We don’t know how well they followed these instructions but things got worse. In chapter 2 they lurch from the frying pan into the fire. What started as a series of natural disasters in chapter 1 now becomes an attack by a vicious army like had never been seen before.

³A 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….

⁶Before them the people writhe in pain;

All faces are drained of color.

            In verse 12 the call to turn back to God goes out a second time. Apparently they didn’t take it seriously enough before, which is exactly where the church is at today. We’re concerned about things but not desperate. The emphasis this time is on turning to God with all their heart, not just going through the motions of fasting and prayer (“rend your hearts and not your garments”). Again the nation is called together to pray and fast and cry out to the Lord. But this time it is made total: even the nursing babes are to be there; even the bride and groom are called from their wedding to be there. In other words, the whole nation is shut down and commanded to cry out to God with all their might. “Business-as-usual” is finally abandoned. Either we break through to God right now or the nation will be destroyed--it finally becomes true desperation! And it works! This is what God has been waiting for! This is what God is waiting for today. No more half-hearted, limp-wristed, “when-will-this-be-over-so-I-can-go-to-Dennys?” church services. They finally get the compromise out.

            Look what happens next. After the people of God finally give God their full attention and full heart, in verse 18 God hears from heaven and the whole situation starts to change. He deals with the immediate threat but He doesn’t stop there. He also promises abundant blessing and restoration for all they lost during the dearth. But He goes still farther. In verse 18 he speaks the familiar passage about pouring out His Spirit upon all flesh, which sparks the great revival we’ve all been waiting for.

            Then, in chapter 3, after He is done judging His people and reaping the saved of the earth through great revival, God turns to the world and deals with them (verse 2). He actually goes to war against the nations (verse 9 +) which ends with the terrible judgment of the wicked. Then the story continues right on into the Millennium (verse 18 to the end) and the happy state of the victorious people of God.

            There you have it—the whole end-times scenario played out in the Book of Joel. But to get through to final victory, the church must go through her own tribulation where she finally gets right with God. Judgment must start with the house of God.  It’s a “win big” or “lose big” scenario, there’s no in-between. It’s going to take all hands on deck, battle-station ready. Those who are not willing to give it their all will walk away, never to be heard from again. God told me, “Call the church to a war footing.”

(Keep reading down to next post, where the thread continues. To get there click on "older posts")