The Prophet Joel
The timeline of God: from the
beginning of the last days to the great
and notable Day of the LORD!
Preview of Joel
• Immediate day of the LORD - Joel 1:15
– Plague of locusts
– Proposed plan of action for revival
• Judgment of Captivity - Joel 2:10,11
– Great and powerful enemy from the north
– Even now return to God
• Final Judgment - Joel 3:14-16
Flow of Joel
• Acts of nature, acts of God
“For a nation has come up against my land, powerful and without number; its teeth are lions’ teeth,
and it has the fangs of a lioness. It has laid waste my vines, and splintered my fig trees; it has stripped
off their bark and thrown it down; their branches are made white.” (Joel 1:6,7 RSV)
• Judgment on a nation
“Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land
tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming, it is near, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and
thick darkness! Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people; their
like has never been from of old, nor will e again after them through the years of all generations.” (Joel
2:1,2 RSV)
• Judgment on the world
“And the LORD roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth
shake. But the LORD is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel.” (Joel 3:16
RSV)
Outline of Joel
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Plague of locusts -- Joel 1:1-12
A Plague Portending Doom -- Joel 1:13-20
Coming Day of the LORD -- Joel 2:1-11
A Call to Repentance -- Joel 2:12-17
The Answer to Prayer -- Joel 2:18-27
Future Blessings -- Joel 2:28-32
The Valley of Judgment -- Joel 3:1-12
Judgment and Promise -- Joel 3:13-21
Plague of locusts
Joel 1:1-12
• A disaster on the land from the locusts.
• A similar plague in 1915, and in 1865
• Solomon was told that God might send
locusts -- II Chronicles 7:12-14
Sudden Disaster can Come !
Joel 1:13-20
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Brushes with disaster are reminders
The whole creation groaneth
The wages of sin is death
Eating, marrying, giving in marriage
Significance of a deeper meaning on two
levels
Coming Day of the LORD Joel
2:1-11
• An Army like locusts will come from the
Northeast: Assyria
• Nineveh and Assyria noted for fierceness
• Assyria took Israel captive in 722 B.C. and
all but Jerusalem in 701 B.C.
• The historical locust plague and the
allegorical one of the army would provide
background for Revelation 9:1-10
Prayer and Repentance Joel
2:12-27
• Only a remnant was left in Judah
• King Hezekiah accepted the call of Joel,
and sent for Isaiah
• An angel of God slew the army of
Sennacherib: Isaiah 37:36-38
• God gave the reason for this rescue in Isaiah
37:35
Was Judah any more Righteous
than Israel?
• Samaria and Israel destroyed 722 B.C. by
Assyria
• Most of Judah taken captive, all except
Jerusalem, by 701 B.C.
• In spite of the warnings from Joel, Amos,
Hosea, and Isaiah, Israel remained
unrepentant.
Future Blessings
Joel 2:28-32
• With the doom was a message of hope that
Peter quotes on the day of Pentecost
• Things are changing for Israel as a chosen
nation of God
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Obviously God chose them initially
Warned them often of the consequence
The covenant broken during Hosea’s time
Peter’s quote of a more individualistic blessing
The Valley of Judgment
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Joel
3:1-12
The valley of Jehosaphat
The destruction of Sennacherib’s army
The valley of Hinon
The valley of decision of Revelation
Judgment and Promise
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Joel
3:13-21
The ultimate Day of the LORD
The shaking of heaven and earth
The sun, moon, and stars darkened
The new heaven and the new earth
The tree of life