Synopsis: Joel

Synopsis: Joel





The writer

Joel (the prophet’s name) means ‘Jehovah is God’. The time of his writings cannot be determined clearly, but it is likely to be in the 9th century BC, during the time of king Jehoash in Judah. Joel’s message was directed to the people in Judah.

Key verse

Joel 2:13: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

It is most comforting that God is ever gracious and merciful. If you have life today, irrespective of your present state, as long as you are genuine (i.e., your heart and not your garments) in turning to the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness of your sins, your sins will be forgiven  (Rom 3:24-25).

Main Theme
The main theme of the book is the ‘Day of Jehovah’ which is mentioned 5 times (Chapter 1:15; 2:1.11.31; 3:14). The Day of Jehovah is also referred to as the ‘Day of the Lord’. The great locust plague mentioned in Joel 1:2 is a type of the Day of the Lord which will happen before the millennium kingdom is established. In accordance with the Bible revelations, the present age we are living now is the ‘age of Grace’. This age will close when the rapture takes place. At the rapture, Christians living during that time will be taken away from this earth to be with the Lord Jesus. 

The rapture is described as the Day of Christ (1 Cor 1:8, Phil 2:16). At the rapture (Day of Christ), Christians are caught up to be with the Lord (1 Thess 4:16-17). 

After the rapture, the Day of the Lord will commence, which is a period of seven years of severe hardship. The Lord himself describes this Day of the Lord in Matthew 24:21. The severity of the language used in Joel’s description of the locust plague which is a type of the Day of the Lord is similar as in Matthew 24:21. The Lord described it as follows: “…that has not since the beginning of the world”.  Joel described the type of the Day of the Lord in Joel 1:2: “…hath this been in your days or even in the days of your fathers?” We heard of wars and plagues, but during the great tribulation (an event in the Day of the Lord), it will far exceed any of the tribulations the world has encountered. 

After the Day of the Lord, the seven years period, the millennium Kingdom will be established on earth. This kingdom will be governed by the Lord Jesus Christ for a thousand years. 

A brief explanation of the establishment of the millennium Kingdom of Christ

The millennium kingdom is the period when Christ will literally rule the earth as a King and Israel will be the centre of this government with Jerusalem as the capital. This was the earthly promise of God to Israel. The Jews living during the time when the Lord Jesus was on earth were looking forward to the fulfilment of this promise. They were disappointed when they found that the Lord Jesus could not do this for them in His first advent. When Daniel was in exile in Babylon, he prayed for revelation on the establishment of the millennium for Israel and the angel Gabriel revealed the time to him. 

God revealed to Daniel the time period of Israel’s restoration and the establishment of the millennium kingdom in Chapter 9:24-27. Based on biblical interpretation, it teaches a 70-week period which is equivalent to a 490-year period (i.e., one week is equivalent to 7 years. Therefore 70 weeks period is equivalent to 70 X 7 or 490 years). Upon the completion of this period, everlasting righteousness will be established which could only mean the commencement of the millennium kingdom of God.  The starting date of this period is from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem in BC444 (Nehemiah 2:1-8). 

The Lord’s crucifixion was prophesied within this period and it happened on AD 33 (i.e., the completion of the 69th week or the period from BC444 to AD33). Therefore, ‘69 weeks’ of years have elapsed and the last week which is also called the tribulation week or the Day of the Lord is yet to take place. 

Between the 69 and 70 weeks or a seven years period, there is an intermission, called the ‘Age of Grace’. This age was a mystery in the past and later revealed to the Apostle Paul as he explained to us in Ephesians 3:1-5. We are all living in this period of grace where the Lord delays the progress of the 70th week. During the Age of Grace, we can take it simply as God stopping the clock so that the 69th week will not progress to the 70th. The progression will start, when the rapture (Day of Christ) takes place. 


Spiritual and life lessons
Grace means the unmerited favour that God grants to us. All of us who are wise should be using this intermission time to prepare ourselves to enter the Kingdom of God. It is sad that so many people are taking a nonchalant attitude towards the Gospel of Christ. The Bible teaches that the Age of Grace will ends abruptly at the rapture when He takes His people home. Thereafter, the Day of the Lord will commence and it is a dreadful period as described in Joel prophesies below.

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 the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; 

Joel 2:2 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. 

Joel 2:3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.

Knowing the dreadfulness of the Day of the Lord, our first concern is to save ourselves from that day. All believers today who have ‘rent their heart’ as stated in the key verse will be delivered from the Day of the Lord. 

Apart from saving ourselves, we should be diligent in sharing the Gospel of our Lord Jesus to others who have not accepted the Lord Jesus to quickly receive Him as their Lord and be spared from that dreadful Day of the Lord. If we see a person walking on the wrong path, a path to destruction, do we sound the warning? If not, are we such a good person?

With God’s blessings,
CL

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