day 255 of heart dive 365 I'm your Bible study friend kenoi welcome to the heart dive [Music] podcast well we are opening and finishing an entire book today we are in the Book of Joel reading from the ESV by Crossway translation and for our Facebook friends if you are with us in our Facebook Community Holly has uploaded all of those Graphics of every book of the Old Testament that you can share social media I know a lot of people really like to do that when we do complete a book so the Book of Joel is in there if you want to go and grab that in the Facebook group and if you're saying well now I want to be a part of the Facebook group because these are the kinds of things that we are able to put over there this is why I always tell you guys to come join us it's a good thing it's a positive place to be you can find that link in the description box below and if you are new here and you're completely lost well we just say welcome welcome to Bible study we love the word of God we are making it our goal to finish reading the entire Bible by the end of this year and we are the heart dive Ministry so take a look around the description box or the show notes or our website heart.org for more info about what we do here but if you've been here you know what to do hit that roll call Button the Thumbs Up Button a little token or a gift back into the ministry it does nothing for me it really just tells YouTube this is a good Bible study not because of me but because we know that the spirit of God is alive and well and he is breathing and he is moving on this particular space through his his word but otherwise we want to go ahead and Jump On In I'm excited about today's word I hope you guys are too so let's go ahead and pray and get in there heavenly father thank you for this day we love you we honor you we give you all of the praise honor and Glory we thank you for your Eternal Word and we just ask Lord that it will do something different in us today that you will breathe upon it and that will it will move in us and through us so that we can make an impact in this world the way that you have desired for us to do Lord we want to step away from this Bible study different and change and so we allow you Holy Spirit right now we surrender to you to have your way within us you don't need our permission but you want it you want us to say Lord we want you here you want us to extend that invitation to you and so that's exactly what we are doing thank you for never forcing yourself upon us thank you though for being so kind to invite us in as we draw near to you today we trust that you are drawing near to us as well and so I just pray that we will see that we will recognize that we will feel it our relationship with you is not based on feelings but it is a blessing that you have given to us whenever we are able to have that tangible encounter with your presence and so that I pray that that will happen today forgive us for our sins Lord I pray that you'll clear out any of the junk help us to forgive others and please just let this word make sense today oh God use me as your vessel as your mouthpiece and I pray that you'll use others as well as they comment as they incourage as they help each other out in this living and thriving Community we love you Lord meet everybody where they're at in Jesus name amen all right so I want to start off here because the question has been raised quite a bit lately why are we reading the prophecies after they have been fulfilled if we are truly reading a chronological reading plan okay so let me just clear something up here first of all I didn't write the reading plan I know that most of you all know that because I've said it quite a few times but here is my understanding and the reason why I chose this reading plan to go by now if you have a chronological Bible you will see that that Chronological Bible is probably laid out better in the sense of truly following the chronological order of events as they happened but you may also notice that that requires you to have to skip around from book to another book read a couple verses there and then you come back to this book you read a few verses here and then you have to jump over to another book now you don't have to physically do that because it's laid out for you in your Bible but if we were doing that in a reading plan it would have all kinds of chaos attached to it people already freaked out right in the beginning right remember why are we reading job after Genesis 11 and so the reason why it's done this way is because in order for us to have a reading plan like here's a clear laid out plan chapter by chapter for you to read to get a better understanding of the Bible we read the events first and then we read the Prophecies of those events afterward so that we can see those prophecies have been fulfilled for me it gives us a better understanding when we read it that way because if we were reading all of this that was taking place before we actually read that it happened most of us would probably give up this is why many people don't ever read the prophets because it's just too daunting it is so depressing it is just too much for the human mind to handle without explanation and so another reason why is because in this case Joel We don't know a lot about him we don't know when he prophesied when he re reive these prophecies we don't even know when he lived because it's never stated in the Bible and so whoever created the reading plan had to figure out when and where the best place to put Joel right and so we see the prophecy that has its initial fulfillment in God's judgment upon Judah because we know he's preaching to Judah but we just don't know when because it could be during the reign of joash and if you remember joash he was that young king who was hidden whenever his grandma Adelia was the Queen and she went out killing all her grandkids because she thought they were a threat to her throne or other Scholars say oh no Joel actually preached about 25 years before the fall of Jerusalem by Babylon during the reign of Zephaniah so see what I mean we don't really know and so instead of skipping from verse to verse to verse we have given you a clear rundown of chapter by chapter of what to read and study and then we're following it up with the chapter by chapter of the different prophets same reason we don't skip from Prophet to Prophet like we finish the book before we try to go back and forth because it would really create a whole lot of confusion and God's not a god of confusion and I don't want to create confusion and so I'm hoping that brings a little bit of clarity as to why you might see a little bit of flip-flopping in the chronology of this reading plan but for the most part I believe it has been laid out very well to help us to understand the events that took place the people that were involved and the words that God spoke me personally I have never understood the word of God the way that I do in reading and following this reading plan so that's my personal preference you may not feel the same way and that's okay this isn't for everyone you know but for those of us who have committed to it we're going to do so with an open heart and with a grateful heart that God has even given us any sort of order at all to read his word and to try to understand it to the best of our ability so I just wanted to encourage you in that now before we get started it has been brought to my attention that I somehow missed Ezekiel 48: 2-7 yesterday I think I just edited it out because I know that I read it but let's go ahead and read it because we committed to reading every single word in the Bible and since I missed it we're going to go ahead and cover it now uh there isn't a lot of commentary with it but let's go ahead and cover it anyway so turn to Ezekiel 48: 2-9 verse 2 joining the territory of Dan so that was up here in the north from the East side to the west Asher one portion adjoining the territory of Asher from the East side to the west naftali one portion adjoining the territory of naftali from the East side to the west Manassa one portion adjoining to the territory of Manassa from the East side to the west Ephraim one portion adjoining the territory of Ephraim from the East side to the west Reuben one portion and adjoining the territory of Reuben from the East side to the west Judah one portion and so there we see in order all of the divisions of land for each of the tribes and it shows the equality in the way that God laid out the land for all of the different tribes and I believe I picked up in verse 8 so in case you were worried that maybe we missed something there we went ahead and covered it thank you for those of you who brought it to my attention Okay we're going to head on over to the Book of Joel so I've kind of given you this setting we don't really know but we know it is prior to the fall of Jerusalem that's the biggest thing that we know the judgment is yet to come but Joel really looks into the future into the latter days into to the day of the Lord like that's his big Focus which of course is futuristic this is looking toward the end but lots of good stuff in this one today so let's get started we start off here in chapter 1 with a present word so this is not a prophetic word this is Joel explaining what's going on in this time verse one the word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pell hear this you Elders give ear all inhabitants of the land has such a thing happened in your days or in the days of your fathers tell tell your children of it and let your children tell their children and their children to another generation so before we move any further we're about to read of what's going on they're in a state of plague a plague of locust and everybody knows it and so he's like look around guys you need to tell your children what is going on and why now it's been a while since we have read tell your children right we see that a lot in the Old Testament and I know that if you are studying with us in real time a lot of us yesterday to have some conversations with our children pertaining to 911 right and for most of us that horrific day really just seems like yesterday but for this generation of children it's just a page in the history book and so we have to talk to them about it and then whenever you open up that conversation about the past it's amazing because it allows you to explore so many topics both practically and spiritually you know yesterday we were able to talk about terrorism we were able to talk about heroism and faith and forgiveness and what a Memorial Day is and so many other things but the main thing to catch is that talking to your children is so incredibly valuable because when we talk about our lives to them you know when we tell them about our bad choices or our messes we are able to allow that to be a powerful opportunity for a message to come through it to tell them don't do what did don't go down that same road or we can Inspire them you know by telling them our testimonies about how God has been faithful in our lives and some of the choices that we made leading up to that and even if you don't have children or if you on the younger end of the spectrum you can still be a spiritual mother or father by pouring into the future generation or somebody who's younger than you and when I say younger than you this can even mean spiritually younger than you you can speak into the life of a person who might be older than you in age but they might be just starting out on their Journey of Faith and you might have some knowledge and encouragement to offer them you know we all have someone that we can tell these things to so heart Che who are you talking to are you pouring into anyone there's got to be an Outsource because remember it's going to be like the Dead Sea if it's just pouring in and pouring in and pouring in with nowhere to go it's going to become stale all right so here he goes telling them about what is going on verse four what the cutting Locust left the swarming Locust has eaten what the swarming Locust left the hopping Locust has eaten and what the hopping Locust left the destroying Locust has eaten so here he states that there are four at least four types of locust that have come in to destroy the land now if you study Locust you know that there's probably like 90 species of locust but here he names at least four of them and this is a literal plague but it is looking toward a figurative swarm of army invasions which we'll see in Chapter 2 and so this plague has led to famine Financial ruin Devastation both physically and spiritually and so he describes that here verse 5 awake you drunkards and weep and whail all you drinkers of wine because of the sweet wine for it is cut off from your mouth because all The Vineyards are now gone so this is basically like a free rehab for them like they are going to have to come off of their drink ing their drunkenness no choice of their own but all this time they have been physically and morally dizzy and dull for a nation has come up against my land powerful and Beyond number its teeth are lion's teeth and it has fangs of a lionist it has laid waste my Vine and splintered my fig tree it is stripped off their bark and thrown it down their branches are made white so here we see that alluding to the powerful forces of the nation that is leaving a powder in its way now if you look completely to the Future and we think about nuclear war what's going to be left in the Wake among many other things a white powder right but all this time they have just been oblivious to their own sin they've been living how they wanted to live they assumed that because they had prosperity and an abundance of harvest that this was God's blessing on their life so their Throne or a loop here so we never want to allow those times of peace and prosperity and comfort to to kind of sing a lullabi over our lives which can happen remember I was saying that I tend to hear the Lord more in the valley because on the Mountaintop you're a little bit more Loosey Goosey because you're like oh things are fine you know I don't need to rely on the Lord so much I got this life is good I'm going to wake up late tomorrow instead of reading my Bible right so now he calls them to mourning here in verse 8 lament Like a Virgin wearing sackcloth for the bridegroom of her youth the grain offering and the drink offering are cut off from the house of the Lord now I find it interesting here that if this is indeed during the reign of Adelia who was super Wicked it's interesting that the grain offerings and the drink offerings were still being allowed to be brought to the house of the Lord which just goes to show us that the enemy or the devil doesn't really care about religious things you know I shouldn't say he doesn't care he does care I mean he doesn't want anything bringing glory to God but if he's going to choose between attacking religious practices or actually attacking the hearts of the people like the inward Parts he's going for the inner he knows if he can destroy us from the inside out that's going to be way more effective than physically stopping the ability to worship so you clearly see that here like Adelia allowed for the offerings to continue so the priests mourn the Ministers of the Lord the fields are destroyed the grounds mourn because the grain is destroyed the wine dries up and the oil languishes verse 11 be ashamed oh tillers of the soil wail o Vine dressers for the wheat and The Barley because the Harvest of the field has perished the vine dries up the Fig Tree languishes pomegranate palm and apple all the trees of the field are dried up and gladness dries up from the children of man put on sackcloth and lament o priests whail oh Ministers of the altar go in pass the night in sackcloth oh Ministers of my God because grain offering and drink offering are withheld from the house of your God so the only reason why they're being withheld at this point is is because there ain't no wine left and there's no barley or wheat or anything left to bring the offerings and so he's calling them to repentance here and so how do they go about doing that he gives them a guide book he gives them instructions verse 14 number one consecrate a fast so in other words deny yourself of food and put God first call a solemn assembly get together gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord your God and cry out to the Lord okay so crops are dried which means the joy of the Harvest has been stolen you know this is human instinct right anytime we lose anything if we lose our job if we break up with somebody if we get sick or anything really that is a happening that takes away our happiness ultimately or initially can steal your joy and I love how the Lord allows for that time of morning in verse 13 you know he tells them put on the sackcloth lament right he isn't up there being a Taskmaster saying wipe that sadness off your face and get back to work he acknowledges our feelings and he gives us margin for it he didn't just allow them to mourn he commanded it but of course anytime he gives us margin there is a limit to it right there will come a time where we do have to remove the sackcloth and then keep moving forward it doesn't mean you didn't deny what happened or you forget about what happened but at some point you cannot continue to wallow in the sadness you've got to pick yourself up you got to start marching and Joel gave them the framework for that he called for the fast right he called for the assembling of the Brethren AKA get to church y'all if you are down in the dumps try fasting go to church and then he calls upon the elders or wise counsel that's another thing we can do we can either get professional counseling or we can get wise counsel from somebody who knows God's word who is going to seek the Lord not just tell us what we want to hear and then most importantly he says cry out to the Lord this means pray this is probably the most important part right this is what it means when we say choose Joy we're not just saying get up everybody and choose Joy today I mean it actually takes some effort so heart check do you make the effort to reclaim your joy whenever it's been lost all right verse 15 alas for the day for the day of the Lord is near so here it is he's introducing this day of the Lord now in the Bible the day of the Lord is referred to whenever God somehow intervenes and this can be both in judgment or he intervenes to save and deliver but here obviously this is speaking of judgment and whenever you want to really put a proper name on the day of the Lord that is speaking of the end times right this is speaking of the time from when the tribulation starts to the end of the Millennium right now we are in what is called the day of man Paul refers to that in 1 Corinthians chapter 4 and so this is the present day we're in the day of man and then the day of Christ happens whenever the Rapture of the church takes place and the day of the Lord from the tribulation to the end of the Millennium but here he is speaking about the Judgment coming upon Jerusalem but it is also looking to the future is not the food cut off before our eyes joy and gladness from the house of our God and so now he speaks of the drought that is happening verse 17 the seed shrivel under the clouds the storehouses are desolate the granaries are torn down because the grain has dried up which means they won't even be able to plant for the following year how the beasts Gran the herds of cattle are perplexed because there is no pasture for them even the flocks of sheep suffer to you oh Lord I call which is the best thing to do Joel for fire has devoured the pastures of the Wilderness and Flame has burned all the trees of the field which oh Lord we are seeing the fires that are taking place all Across the Nation Oh God will you protect your people steal the winds that are carrying it in Jesus name verse 20 even the beasts of the fields pant for you because the water books are dried up and fire has devoured the pastures of the Wilderness and while this may be speaking of literal fire Romans actually called Locust burners of the field Because by the time Locust would come in and leave it would look like fire had ravaged the land and this happens in our lives you know sometimes it feels like fire has just come through and taken everything out we feel burned we feel like we are in a pile of Ashes but the good news is is that morning is coming a new day is on the horizon and Joel is about to give them this hope but first he has to tell them you guys think right now is bad the worst is yet to come and he starts off here in Chapter 2 with a prophetic word so we had a present word in chapter 1 Propet word here in chapter 2 verse one blow a trumpet in Zion so remember blowing a trumpet is like sound the alarm pay attention wake up sound an alarm on my Holy Mountain let all the inhabitants of the land tremble for the day of the Lord is coming it is near so in case you are comfortable sitting over there and your little Lazy Boy you might want to get up cuz it's coming a day of darkness and Gloom or misery and distress 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 before nor will be again after them through the years of all generations so the day of the Lord is upon them which you know the day of the Lord is kind of a double-edged sword because if you are right with God you're going to be like oh Jesus come right like you're looking forward to the day of the Lord you're looking forward to the Rapture you're looking forward to the day that Jesus shows up in the clouds but if you are not this is something to fear I mean this is going to be a vision of Darkness of the presence of God's judgment descending upon the land so where you at are you excited about the day of the Lord or not so much right verse three fire devours before them and behind them a flame burns the land is like the Garden of Eden before them but behind them a desolate Wilderness and nothing escapes them their appearance is like the appearance of horses and like war horses they run so remember in chapter 1 we were talking about a literal plague but it was looking toward this figurative swarm of locust so we are actually talking about armies and of course we know that swarms of locust did come upon Jerusalem in waves you know first it was the Assyrians then it's going to be the Babylonians which is what he's speaking to then it's going to be Greece then it's going to be Rome and you can keep on playing that same tape over and over and over until Jesus returns you know you had World War II with Germany against them you look now Iran is starting to threaten them so it's just it's never ending it's biblical and by the way this appearance like the appearance of horses if you look at a locust it does kind of have that horse hoof right like war horses they run as with the rumbling of Chariots they leap on the top of mountains like the crackling of a flame of fire devouring the stubble like a powerful Army drawn up for battle before them peoples are in anguish all faces grow pale like Warriors they charge like soldiers they scale the wall they March each on his way and they do not swerve from their paths they do not jostle one another each marches in his path so they are focused they are on a mission to destroy they burst through the weapons and are not halted they leap upon the city and they run upon the walls they climb up into the houses and they enter Through the Windows like a thief so here we're seeing that military Invasion taking place verse 10 the earth quakes before them and the heavens tremble the sun and the moon are darkened and the Stars withdraw their shining now if there were nuclear weapons that are used this is easy to make sense of in the practical sense the Lord utters his voice before his army for his Camp is exceedingly great so reminder the Lord is behind all of it it isn't the armies that are really doing this he who executes his word is powerful for the day of the Lord is great and very awesome who can endure it now whenever you hear the day of the Lord is great and very awesome remember I was just talking about that double-edged sword yes it can be great and very awesome and the eyes of the believer but in this case in this context we're talking about it is great by way of magnitude and it is awesome meaning it is invoking that Dreadful awe it is full of Terror verse 12 yet even now declares the Lord but now we have this dramatic shift here this call to True repentance verse 12 yet even now declares the Lord return to me with all your heart so he is saying Turn Around about fa it is impossible to face God and your sin at the same time if you are truly facing god with sincerity serving him you are not serving your sin anymore you are not serving your flesh anymore it doesn't mean you're not going to sin because that's just the sin nature that still exists but you are not making that effort you're physically turning yourself away from it and saying no more I'm not doing that I'm not making those choices that I used to make and he says do it with all your heart and a lot of people get tripped up on this cuz they're like I don't know if I'm seeking God with all my heart I want to and to me that in itself is already saying you're seeking him with all your heart you know that you are giving him your all you're doing everything in your power to be able to live your life for him that's what it means with fasting with weeping and with mourning so this means with action and with emotion if you are going to truly repent both of those things are NE necessary there needs to be an action and there needs to be an emotion behind it I was trying to find this video on my phone of my two kids laying in bed at night and my daughter was maybe 1 and a half and she was just starting to talk and she whacked my son and my son started crying he was only four at the time and so I was explaining to r r you hurt your brother you need to say sorry and so of course she goes sorry and you know there was no emotion behind that she was just doing what she was told because that's the right thing to do that probably was not true repentance and so it's not going to be true repentance for us if we're like sorry Lord but we keep on doing the same thing right true repentance is action plus emotion you have true sorrow over what you have done not just over getting caught and Rend your hearts and not your garments and so this is God saying true repentance takes place in the heart not just with these outward signs of tearing your clothes tearing your clothes shows everybody else that you're sorry but the tearing of your heart is what will show God that you are sorry for he is gracious and merciful well that's a really wonderful motive right there to repent cuz it's not like you are having to say sorry to a god who's about to smack you across the face no it is a God who is gracious and merciful and is welcoming you there with open arms to love on you whenever you come in Repentance slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and he relents over disaster meaning you may have deserved it but he is going to pull back the Reigns on that and he did so with Jesus who knows whether he will not turn and relent and leave a blessing behind him a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God so all the way up to that last moment of judgment there is always hope this is why I'm saying I love this chapter so so much verse 15 blow the trumpet in Zion consecrate a fast so by him repeating this this is rep ition to State urgency like come on guys I've already told you once I'm telling you again call a solemn assembly gather the people consecrate the congregation so we're going a step further now we're consecrating the people assemble the elders gather the children so now all ages need to be summoned no one is excluded here even nursing infants even the babies let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber that kind of seems a little out of place here but this may be implying that we need everybody to get up out of their business as usual true repentance requires a change you cannot repent and then continue living the way you were living yesterday it's not business as usual something's got to be different verse 17 between the vegetable and the altar let the priests the Ministers of the Lord weep and say spare your people oh Lord and make not your heritage a reproach a by word among the Nations why should they say among the peoples where is their God so anytime we say spare your people we are recognizing okay Lord we know we deserve it but please have mercy on us and they're basically saying Lord if you spare us you're going to get all the glory why would you want to allow us to perish in destruction so that people could say they're God obviously couldn't save them so they're appealing to that love and care and to his reputation verse 18 we see a shift here where the Lord has pity then the Lord became jealous for his land and had pity on his people as he always does you know he always is ready to forgive us the Lord answered and said to his people behold I am sending to you grain wine and oil and you will be satisfied and I will no more make you a reproach among the Nations so here we see this future promise of restoration and prosperity and productivity I will remove the northerner far from you and drive him into a parched and desolate land his Vanguard into the Easter sea or the Dead Sea and his rear guard into the Western sea or the Mediterranean Sea the stench and foul smell of him will rise for he has done great things this is not a good great this is a bad great what the northerner has done he has done Terrible Things great things so even though he has done Terrible Things the Lord says in verse 21 fear not o land be glad and rejoice so I need you to take your fear turn it to Joy choose Joy because God's about to intervene for the Lord has has done great things and so see that contrast there the northerner did great terrible things but the Lord has done great wonderful and mighty things fear not you Beasts of the field for the pastures of the Wilderness are green the tree Bears its fruit the Fig Tree and Vine give their full yield be glad oh children of Zion and rejoice in the Lord your God for he has given the early rain for your Vindication he has poured down for you abundant rain the early and the latter rain as before so this early rain are the rains that take place in October and this is the rain that would soften the soil for the planting of the winter Harvest and then the latter rains are the rains that come down in April to allow those summer plantings to now swell and bear fruit and so at this point right here it would probably be impossible for Joel to see fruit physically for at least another year remember I was saying that the seed has dried up so they couldn't even plant for the fall year so what Joel is seeing are faithful Visions he is looking through lenses of faith of what lies ahead and a lot of the time this is going to be what will bring you through those seasons of drought this is why Paul says that he keeps his eyes fixed on the goal pushing toward it to win the prize of the upward call and he tells people don't take my word for it look at everybody else who have done the same thing and do what they did now of course I'm paraphrasing but if if you want to read what Paul said that's in Philippians 3: 14- 21 but the type of lenses that we look through that's going to determine what you see you know if you have ever been to the optometrist you're familiar with one or two A or B you know when they're flipping the different lenses back and forth to see which one is clearer for you so if you were looking through dirty lenses or lenses that aren't the right power or if you're looking through the foggy lenses of the destruction that is going on around you today you probably won't have the hope that you would have if you were looking through lenses of faith that carry the strength of the promises of God you will be able to see the fruit and the hope that lies ahead when you look through lenses of Faith you can see it in the lives of others who have chosen to do so as well so heart check what's your vision right now is it hopeful is it faithful or is it foggy and dim do your lenses need a cleaning told you it was good verse 24 the threshing floors shall be full of grain the Vats shall overflow with wine and oil and I will restore to you the years that the swarming Locust has eaten the hopper the destroyer and the cutter my great Army which I sent among you now while I am a believer that God can do anything and that he could turn time back if he wanted to to restore time the beautiful thing that we see here when he says I will restore to you the years that the swarming Locust has eaten is that God has this way of beautifully restoring time you have wasted gifts that you have wasted talents that you have squandered if you return to him he not only restores it he can bless that exceedingly and abundantly above all that we could ever ask for think or imagine nothing with the Lord will ever go to waste if you feel like you have lost something if you feel like you blew it if you feel like you lost your chance you did not we are not powerful enough for that God is powerful enough to be able to restore what was lost to restore what was wasted he turns all things for our good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose which you are and so he can untangle any mess we just have to be willing to give him that ball of Tangled whatever I mean I'm just looking at something like this right like Tangled mess you could hand it to God and be like you deal with it but if we try to hold on to it and say Lord can you untangle this real quick like he can't do anything he cannot be pulling on any strings and making things straight and right and the way that it's supposed to be if we are holding on to it right this is a wonderful picture of My Life by the way that's just hanging out over there on the side but this is what I mean when I keep saying that he will take our mess and he will turn it into a message he's done it with me and it just keeps getting better let's go verse 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 again be put to shame you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel and that I am the Lord your God and there is none else and my people shall never again be put to shame in case you didn't hear it the first time for the people in the back you will never again be put to shame the shame that the enemy has tried to hold over you for the choices that you have made or for the things that you have done or even Sally over there okay I'm sorry don't use names Sally's are lovely people um character a over there who is trying to hold on to what you used to be the choices that you did make the stupid things that you did they're going to keep trying to say oh I know her she's bad stay away from her don't listen to her do you know what she did she's fake but we can't worry about that stuff you know especially when it comes to living out a life of Faith you got to take that shame and just whip the devil in his face because he is going to try to keep you down with that don't let him God promises that we will not be put to shame he promises that in Christ Jesus there is no condemnation I'm holding that until I go to my grave cuz I know that the presence of God is with me I know because I got peace in my heart I'm not scared anymore to proclaim the word of the Lord so we ain't got time for that let's keep going verse 28 so now we see This Promise of the New Covenant and and it shall come to pass afterward so this is looking to that prophetic future that I will pour out my spirit on All Flesh and when he's saying he's going to pour it out it's going to be abundant he's going to pour it out on Jew he's going to pour it out on Gentile look who else your sons your daughters and they shall prophesy your old men shall dream dreams and your young men shall see Visions even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my spirit and of course this was partially fulfilled at Pentecost in Acts chapter 1 when the Holy Spirit poured out on 120 people they started speaking in languages that they didn't know and everyone was able to hear the good news in their native tongue now the reason why this would be so incredible for the people to hear at this time is because in these days in the Old Testament days the spirit of God was selective it was only given to specific people in a specific time to carry out a specific purpose but here he says he's going to pour it out on all people Sons and Daughters to prophesy to speak the message of God old men young men servants so it doesn't matter your age it doesn't matter your socioeconomic status it doesn't matter your race it doesn't matter it is for all people verse 30 and I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth blood and fire and Columns of smoke now of course we're seeing pictures of the tribulation here the sun shall shall be turned to Darkness and the moon to blood before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes and it shall come to pass that everyone everyone not some not certain no everyone who calls on the name of the Lord so meaning you physically ask the Lord pray to the Lord say to the Lord invite the Lord anyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who Escape as the Lord has said and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls this is looking to the beauty of Salvation in that New Covenant calling upon the name of the Lord calling Upon Jesus and it isn't just calling upon the written name of Jesus right it is calling upon the name the character the nature of God and the more that you know his nature the more that you know his character the more that you're going to be able to call upon his great name and now moving into chapter 3 the Lord judging the Nations verse one for behold in those days and at that time when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem so when I reather my people into their land I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat now there is no known valley of Jehoshaphat Jehoshaphat actually means the Lord judges so this may just be a symbolic meaning of him Gathering the people for the battle of Armageddon and I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of my people and my Heritage Israel because they have scattered them among the Nations and have divided up my land and have cast lots for my people and have traded a boy for a prostitute and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it so he is going to bring judgment upon those who have mistreated Israel and mistreated his people or even the Christians and what's crazy here is we are even seeing today more and more human trafficking the exploitation of children this is happening all across the internet but God will bring his judgment he will have Vengeance verse 4 what are you to me oy and sidon and all the regions of fisa are you paying me back back for something if you are paying me back I will return your payment on your head swiftly and speedily AKA you treat my people bad you're going to get that payment right back on your head and whenever you look at all of those Roman Empire leaders who came against Israel almost every single one of them died a disgraceful death either by suicide by murder or by some foul disease I mean even look at Hitler you know he died by Suicide and the only reason why I keep going back to Hitler is just because that was what I grew up knowing about Israel and about the Jews and so it's fresh in my head that was my history lesson verse 8 I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the people of Judah and they will sell them to the seans to a nation far away for the Lord has spoken so obviously God takes it very personal whenever people come against his people verse 9 Proclaim this among the Nations consecrate for war stir up the Mighty Men let all the men of War draw near and let them come up now even even though he's calling them to war this is going to be a real feudal attempt to try to war against God there was actually a Broadway play I can't remember the title of it but it was something to the effect of our arms are too short to box God or something like that like if you ever try to fight against God not going to work beat your plow shares into swords and your pruning hooks into Spears and let the weak say I am a warrior this obviously taking place in the tribulation before the millennial Kingdom because remember in the millennial Kingdom all of these things are going to be turned back into actual tools to be used there will be no weapons verse 11 hasten and come all you surrounding Nations and gather yourselves there bring down your warriors oh Lord let the Nations stir themselves up and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding Nations so here we see a picture of Israel versus other nations who have come against them verse 13 put in the sickle for the Harvest is ripe go in tread for the wine press is full the Vats overflow for their evil is great so they are ripe for judgment multitudes multitudes in the valley of decision for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision the sun and the moon are darkened and the Stars withdraw their shining again looking toward the tribulation the Lord Roars from Zion and utters his voice from Jerusalem and the heavens and the earth quake but the Lord is a refuge to his people a stronghold to the people of Israel so you shall know that I am the Lord your God who dwells in Zion my Holy Mountain and Jerusalem shall be holy and strangers shall never again pass through it so strangers will never again be able to pass through to be able to destroy and plunder if they do come it's going to be because they're coming to worship and in that day the mountain shall drip sweet wine so now we have fast forwarded into the millennial Kingdom and The Hills shall flow with milk and all the stream beds of Judah shall flow with water and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord and water the valley of shittam this is that same fountain or river that's going to flow from the southern end of the temple out into the Mediterranean Sea over into the Dead Sea verse 19 and Egypt shall become a desolation and Edom a desolate Wilderness so Egypt and Edom are symbolic of Gentile Nations that are right for judgment for the violence done to the people of Judah because they have shed innocent blood in their land but Judah shall be inhabited forever and Jerusalem to all generations what a stark contrast right for the who came against they are set up for desolation and to be a desolate Wilderness whereas Jerusalem and Judah will be inhabited forever I will avenge their blood blood I have not Avenged for the Lord dwells in Zion so here we see Joel proclaiming in his own words the Lord is there Jehovah sha just as we saw Ezekiel say so as we moved through this book rather quickly just here in one reading one day three chapters we see that it started out with a warning prophetic warning but ended up with a promise of hope a promise for restoration but it's got to come after true repentance like that is the main message here like if you guys want that Redemption if you want that restoration you've got to return to the Lord and that promise is available to us now you know Jesus is here inviting everyone in saying if you come to me if you call upon my name if you repent if you ask for forgiveness I will forgive all sin it isn't just some of your sin it's every from the past to the future but if you ignore him if you reject that invitation then you will be set up for the right judgment that Joel is sitting here warning the people of this isn't just a message that is long past this is a message that still stands today now I know most people here have taken that invitation and have run with it but we're going to give an opportunity at the end of this video If you haven't if you are questioning whether or not you're saved if you question whether or not you've called upon the Lord if you question whether or not you are going to be judged we say a Salvation prayer the prayer doesn't save you it's the grace that God gives to us through Jesus that saves Us in calling upon Him speaking that prayer out that's that first step you need to take it's just acknowledging that you need a savior acknowledging that he is it he's the only one who can save so stick around for that if that is something that you are wanting to do but for now we're going to take a look at some of our Deep dive questions does our land or environment show signs of mourning what practical ways can we issue a call to repentance how can we Rend our hearts and knot our garments what does the day of the Lord mean to you personally what does the pouring out of the spirit on All Flesh imply about God's heart for all people and how might this shape your prejudices how would you explain this prophecy to someone who is just beginning their faith Journey so Heavenly Father we seek your mercy and your Grace today this is the same mercy and Grace that has been poured out for thousands of years continual calls for repentance and continued delays in judgment show just how merciful you are you are still breathing Upon This land today willing anyone who will open their ears to hear your voice to heed the call oh Lord we pray for a response today we pray for Revival we pray that our Nations will get to their knees before they have to be forced by some sort of Devastation we pray for the restoration of biblical values in our homes and in our communities and in our schools and while many of us mourn the days of old God we will not stay stuck in what once was we will keep forging ahead working with you to pick up the broken pieces wherever we can so show us how Lord to be your hands and feet show us how to rebuild what's been destroyed or to stop the destruction before it happens may we be the jeels of today declaring your words of warning but also words of hope I pray that we never become complacent in our seasons of peace or prosperity and may we not turn a blind eye or ignore the Injustice division hatred or lack of repentance I pray that we will always be watchful readying ourselves and our families for the day of the Lord it isn't something that we fear but it is something we will be expectant of because your word has declared it so in the meantime we will keep telling others of your goodness and your mercy and your grace we will be the carriers of the good news torching the darkness with the light of the Gospel but we first Ren our hearts and we return to you we plead for mercy and ask that you spare your people you are so gracious and merciful you are slow to anger you are abounding and steadfast love it is your kindness that leads us to repentance so may your people see your kindness today and turn with sincerity to you I pray that in that moment of calling upon your Holy Name the name that bears hope and grace and mercy and power that all Darkness will flee as your spirit invades let your fire devour all that is Unholy leaving behind a blessing of Purity we will be glad and rejoice today Lord for the way that you have abundantly poured out your spirit upon us you have washed over us with that abundant rain that has nourished our souls and born fruit you have taken the time and the gifts that we wasted and have turned them for good you are the the restorer of all things and now we are able to eat in plenty and be satisfied so we praise the name of the Lord Our God for you have dealt wondrously with us thank you for never allowing us to bear this shame that we once carried because your presence dwells within us we are free to live in peace so will you continue to pour out your spirit on all your sons and daughters open up our mouths God and loose our tongues so that we will prophesy the dreams and the visions that you were giving to us continue to show us the wonders in the heavens and on the earth so that we have a better understanding of what is Yet to Come and as long as we have breath in our lungs we will call upon the name of the Lord for all things thank you for saving us thank you for your unwavering commitment to us and thank you for restoring and redeeming Our Lives we love you we pray these things in Jesus name amen heaven and salvation is a Divine gift that is given to us by Grace none of us deserve it in fact the Bible says that the wages of sin is death and every single one of us have fallen short and then we desperately need someone to pay that price and Jesus did it he didn't do it because we are righteous on our own Merit he did it because he loves us and he wants to spend eternity with us but it won't happen if we don't receive him before we leave this earth as Lord and Savior hell is a very real thing and there is no no second chance after we take our last breath here so I want to be able to give someone the opportunity today who is saying I'm ready I've never given my life to Christ I don't know where I'm going to end up after I die but I don't want to live another day without knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt where I am going to end up I see now that this is real and I want to believe so if that is you we're going to say a prayer and I'm going to put the words on the screen so that you can say them audibly with your mouth because the Bible says that when you believe and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and that he died and rose again then you will be saved so we're going to say this prayer together believe it in your heart speak it with your mouth and know that this is indeed the day of your salvation dear heavenly father thank you for Jesus Jesus thank you for dying for me I believe that you came you died and you Rose again I confess my sins to to you today and I turn from them and I now live my life for you I know that I am forgiven of all my sins so I receive you now as Lord and Savior and I Belong To You Jesus I pray these things in Jesus name amen [Music]