Lesson #02

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Joel

September 21, 2015

Lesson #01

January 7, 2010

Lesson #03

January 7, 2010

RETURN TO THE LIST OF LESSONS

JOEL 1
Lesson #02
THE SYMBOLIC LOCUST PLAGUE

• Memory Verse: Joe 1:15

 

• Joel asks his people to remember the worst disaster they had ever experienced. There are a number of extreme disasters that are familiar to everyone. In our own time period, we could name several:
• The atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II.
• The World Trade Center terrorist attack in New York City that destroyed the two towers.
• The large tsunami flood in Southeast Asia that affected numerous nations and islands.
• Some people think that a plague of locust in Joel’s day prompted his message of a worse disaster to come. Joel seems to indicate that whatever horrible event you can think of, it will not come close to the disaster he is about to tell us will come upon Israel.

• Jesus Christ identified for us this period of time that exceeds all others in tragedy, destruction, and disaster.
  • Read Mat 24:21-22
    • The tribulation period of seven years will be so bad that there will be a danger of a total destruction of all humans on the earth. Jesus called the last three and a half years, the Great Tribulation.

 

• Read Joe 1:1-4
• Various interpretations concerning a plague of locust
  • =1= Joel uses 4 different names of worms or insects to describe this plague. For that there are some theologians that see these worms or insects as representing different armies that have marched across Israel and destroyed some aspect of Israel’s survival as a nation.
    • However, as to which worm or insect represents which army is unclear.
  • =2= There are some theologians that see the different worms or insects as referring to 4 different aspects of the devastation from one plague of locust.
    • They interpret the 4 names describing worms or insects as being descriptive of locust. For example:
      • The palmerworm (gazan) means = a swarm of locust that gnaws. [cutting]
      • The word locust (arbeh) means = a great swarm of locust banded together like a migratory army. [swarming]
      • The cankerworm (yeleg) means = young locust that lick. [hopping]
      • The caterpillar (hasil) means = other locust that devour or consume totally. [destroying]
  • If this is meant to describe one plague of locust, then these other names represent how they come and what they will do.
• The double fulfillment:
  • The first fulfillment:
    • It is possible that the first fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy concerning a plague of locust came shortly after Joel made this prophecy. However, Joel had the Assyrian army in mind.
  • The second fulfillment:
    • The second fulfillment will occur in the tribulation period, in the time period that Joel calls the Day of the Lord.
  • While the first fulfillment may be an actual locust plague in Israel, the second fulfillment in the tribulation period is probably symbolic.
    • Read Rev 9:1-11
      • Both Rev 9 and Joe 1 indicate that this is not an ordinary plague of locust for the usual diet of locust is to eat every green thing in sight.
        • In Rev 9 they are told not to harm the grass. (Rev 9:4)
        • In Joe 1 they are described as an army (Joe 1:6)
      • This is the army of the Antichrist.

 

• Read Joe 1:5-14
• The destruction of grape vines because of the locust
  • Joel tells those addicted to wine to mourn because soon they will have none to drink when the locust devour the grape harvest.
    • There is a spiritual message connected with the destruction of grape vines.
      • Remember that the vineyard is a prophetic symbol of the nation of Israel. (Isa 5:1-7)
        • Therefore, whatever this plague happens to be, there is total destruction for the nation of Israel.
      • Symbolically speaking, to what does the “new wine” refer in verses 5 and 10?
        • Read Mar 2:22

• Jesus’ parable tells us that the old system of Judaism is incompatible with the new system of the indwelling Holy Spirit. In Jesus Christ all things become new (2Cor 5:17) birthed by the Holy Spirit.
  • When a person is born again, his heart is ready to hold the new wine of the Holy Spirit. (Joh 7:37-39)

• Read Act 2:12-13
  • On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came to dwell inside of the believer. On that day people thought the believers were drunk with new wine.
• The message in the mention of the new wine in Joel is that because of sin and a ritualistic religion, there was no room for the moving of the Holy Spirit. God would have to destroy the old before He could bring in the new with Jesus Christ.

 

• “For a nation is come up upon my land…”

 

(6)
• The plague of locust symbolically represents a large army that attacks Israel and destroys everything.
  • The description of this savage army as having teeth like iron is also mentioned in relation to the locust in Rev 9:8.
• The identity of this nation with a savage army:
  • First fulfillment:
    • Many people believe that this is the description of the Assyrian army that destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722-721 BC. This army was extremely brutal.
      • Sometime after the fall of the Northern Kingdom, the Assyrian army attacked and destroyed 46 fortified cities in the Southern Kingdom.
    • Many people believe that this is the description of the Babylonian army that brought total destruction to the Southern Kingdom of Judah in 586 BC. They destroyed the city of Jerusalem; the temple built by Solomon, and took the entire population captive to Babylon. (586 BC)
  • Second fulfillment:
    • The army of the Antichrist described in Rev 9 will seek to destroy all the Jews in the tribulation period.
• The destruction of the vine and the fig tree: (7)
  • These are both prophetic symbols for the nation of Israel.
    • Notice the reference to the deportation of all the people to Babylon with the phrase, “…he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away…” (7)
• In light of the danger that the nation was in, Joel tells his people that there are ten things the people should do:
  • =1= The people should mourn like a young bride that has just lost her husband.
  • =2= The priests should mourn because there will be no more offerings in the temple after the Babylonians destroy it.
    • There would be no corn for food because of the destruction of all crops.
    • There would be no wine to pour over the offerings because of the destruction of the grapes.
    • There would be no olive oil for anointing because of the destruction of the olive trees.
  • =3= The leaders (husbandmen) of the nation should express their shame for letting sin and idolatry increase in the nation that resulted in God’s judgment. (11)
  • =4= The owners (vinedressers) of the nation should cry.
    • These are the business men that have money invested in the productivity of the nation.
  • =5= The people should strengthen themselves (13)
  • =6= The priests should mourn. This is a repetition of point #2 above.
    • In the book of Leviticus, God had given the Israelites the feast days. Their worship before God was supposed to be a joyful experience.
    • However, because of sin God is telling them to mourn.
  • =7= They should sanctify a fast. (14)
    • Because of their sin, God told the Israelites to start a fast instead of having feast days of rejoicing.
  • =8=They should call for a very serious general meeting to consider the danger the nation was experiencing. (14)
  • =9= Gather the elders and the people and bring them to the temple (the house of the Lord). (14)
  • =10= They should call on God to help them. (14)
    • The prophet is confident that if they will do these things, God will hear from heaven and reverse the path of destruction they were now travelling as a nation.

 

• Read Joe 1:15-20 The magnification of the second fulfillment of the plague
• As Bible prophecy frequently does, the focus of the prophet marvelously changes from the local situation that prompted the prophet to write the prophecy to a more distant fulfillment that will occur in the day of the Lord. (The meaning of this time period was introduced in lesson #01 of Joel).
  • The phrase “Day of the Lord” means that God has direct intervention in man’s affairs. More specifically it refers to a time of God’s judgment followed by a glorious promise of restoration.
  • Therefore, the phrase “Day of the Lord” refers to a sequence of events that follow the pattern of the Jewish day.
    • The dimness of light at sunset refers to the beginning of the tribulation period when the Antichrist promises peace, stability, and prosperity. The light is dim because it is not the true light of Jesus Christ but the false promise of the Antichrist.
    • The darkness of the night refers to the last half of the tribulation period when the Antichrist has full power and operates under the power of Satan. It is darkest just before the dawn. This darkest point is the battle of Armageddon at the end of the tribulation period.
    • The dawn is the event of the second coming of Christ when the light of His glorious presence breaks forth on the world scene.
    • The brightness of the day refers to the millennial kingdom of Christ that follows His coming. It is a time that will last for 1000 years and exhibit the fullness of the blessings of Christ on earth.

The day of the Lord in contrast to other Biblical days

THE BIBLICAL DAY	THE SIGNIFICANCE	SCRIPTURES
The day of Man	This is a period of time where man has judgment over the affairs of men, where government is in the hands of man. This is the day in which we are currently living.	1Cor 4:3
The day of Christ	This phrase is used in the New Testament to refer to the rapture of the church when believers are removed from this earth.	1Cor 1:7-8 1Cor 5:5 2Cor 1:14 Phi 1:6, 10 Phi 2:16
The day of the Lord (Jehovah)	This period contains 1007 years of time and includes the tribulation period of 7 years and the millennial reign of Jesus Christ for 1000 years.	Joe 1:15; 2:1-2; 2:10-11; 2:30-31;3:14-16 2The 2:2
The day of God	This day refers to a period of time after the millennium when the heavens pass away and God destroys this earth by fire from heaven before He creates the new heaven and the new earth.	2Pet 3:12

• Joel’s characteristic description of the day of the Lord:
  • It is a judgment directly from God (15)
  • A shortage of food that makes life very difficult. (16-17)
  • Death from hunger includes the suffering by animals. (18)
  • Fire burns large areas of the earth. (19-20)
    • The book of Revelation indicates this is the result of war and supernatural events. (Rev. 8:7 Rev 9:17-18 Rev 13:13 Rev 14:10,18 Rev 16:8 Rev 17:16 Rev 18:8)
  • A severe water shortage. (20) (Rev 11:6 Rev 16:12)

• Summary and application:
  • Throughout man’s history on earth, there have been terrible natural and man-made disasters, all of which are remembered for generations. However, Joel and Jesus Christ tell us that there will be nothing more terrible than the coming tribulation period (the Day of the Lord).
    • What should be our response today to learning about this terrible period of time that will come on earth when the church will not even be present?
      • The believer that has God’s perspective will be motivated to share the gospel with those that do not know God.

HOMEWORK
JOEL 2
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework answers to the teacher forcorrection.

• Application of Joe 1
  • Pray for someone you know that does not have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
  • Pray and ask God to open the door of conversation that you may be able to share the gospel with him or her.
  • Pray and ask to prepare this person’s heart and God to give you words to say.
  • Write about how God answered these prayers.

 

• Preparation for Joe 2
• Read Joe 2:1-27
  • What is Joel’s counsel to the person that lives in the time of the day of the Lord?

• What characteristics do you find concerning life in the Millennial Kingdom of Christ? (21-27)

Memory Verse: Joe 2:21