Verse 1 For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,
Which days and time is the prophet Joel referring to? Since there is no mention of Israel, it would have to be after the Assyrian captivity of the ten northern tribes. But is it after the captivity of Babylon, of Rome, or after the crucifixion of Jesus? Or is it encompassing all three of these historical events? Or is it metaphor for some future time of judgement from the LORD. The Hebrew word translated as “bring again” is “shuwb” and it means to return, turn back, to return unto, to turn away (of God), to repent, to turn back (from evil), to restore, to repair, to lead away, to apostatize, to draw back, to give back, to relinquish, to give in payment, to repel, defeat repulse, hinder, reject, or to refuse, or to bring back to mind. So, you the reader are free to decide how this word was being applied by the prophet Joel, as this writer freely admits confusion!!
Some of the Hebrew captives returned to the land during the reign of king Cyrus of the Medo-Persian empire and so the land was inhabited again, but the people were never free. The Greeks took over the Medo-Persian empire and the Romans took over the Greek empire. Then in 70 A.D. Jerusalem was surrounded and taken by the Roman army under the general, Titus. In order to insure that the Jews would no longer cause trouble for the Romans, those who did not choose to flee or emigrate were dispersed throughout the Roman world. The Temple which was the center for keeping records, including Jewish genealogies, was torn down and burned and all the records destroyed so that no “Jew” today can prove his/her heritage without a DNA test. So, depending on the interpretation of the Hebrew word, shuwb, the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem was eased (return, restore or repair) when a remnant of Hebrews returned as chronicled in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. If the interpretation of the Hebrew word, shuwb, is “to bring back to mind”, then the verse above may be future, including at the judgement seat of the LORD. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:10
Verse 2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
The name, “Jehoshaphat” means “Jehovah has judged”. King Jehoshaphat, the son of king Asa, was a king of Judah for 25 years and was one of the best and most pious kings of Judah. Under his leadership, Judah became prosperous. 2 Chronicles 20:1-29 records how God delivered king Jehoshaphat, Jerusalem, and Judah from the combined forces of the nations Ammon and Moab. Judah’s king was protected by God and two pagan nations were judged by God. But this event took place in a mountainous region and not a valley. So the valley of Jehoshaphat appears to not be a literal place, but to be metaphor or symbolic of the judgement of God and the defense of His people.
Application: There will be a time of final judgement when all the nations and peoples of this Earth will be judged. The basis of this judgement will be the Word of God, whether the LORD Jesus Christ was rejected, and how these peoples and nations treated His Church which today is the spiritual nation of Israel.
Verse 3 And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink.
This is a picture of slavery where children are sold into prostitution and other slave labors, all for financial gain.
Application: Today, for financial gain, children are sold into sex slavery world wide and this “industry” is reported to be more lucrative than the drug trafficking enterprises. Why? Because drugs can only be sold and used one time and then the trafficker has to replenish the supply, but children can be sold and used over and over again for years. This verse above is a similitude of prophecy. And again, these words of the prophet Joel are promising judgement from God to those who have harmed His people and the children. “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” Matthew 18:6
Note – regarding the reference of Matthew 18:6. 6 in Scripture is the number of mankind. The numeric value of the English name Matthew is 54 = 9 sixes. The chapter reference 18 = 3 sixes and the verse reference 6 = 1 six. 9+3+1=13 sixes. The number 13 is a favorite number in witchcraft and in Scripture the number 13 is representative of rebellion. Although the chapter divisions and verse divisions were done long after the books of the Bible were written and compiled, nothing in the KJV is by accident or coincidence or by the design of mankind. God preserves His Word the way He wants it to be preserved. God hates children being used and abused and the chapter and verse numerical representation demonstrates mankind’s rebellion and satanic activities yesterday and today regarding the treatment and merchandising of children. The same verse recorded in Mark 9:42 can be evaluated numerically as follows. The numeric value of the English name Mark is 258. 2+5+8=15 or three fives. The number 5 in Scripture is the number of death. The chapter and verse numbers when added (9+4+2) also equal 15 or three fives, the number of death. Coincidence? Is God reinforcing His judgement of death upon those that offend His little ones? How about the verse in Luke 17:2? The numeric value of the English name Luke is 294. 2+9+4=15 or three fives. The chapter and verse numbers when added (1+7+2) equal 10 or two fives. 3 fives and 2 fives equal 5 fives. All three of these verses numerically add up to the numbers representing mankind and death. Abusing children will lead to death, God’s judgement upon wicked men and women. Of this there can be no doubt.
Verses 4-5 Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head; 5 Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things:
Tyre and Zidon were Phoenician cities on the Mediterranean coast. The name Tyre or Tyrus means “a rock” and the name Zidon means “hunting”. Historically, when the Hebrews settled the land, Tyre and Zidon (also Sidon) were to have been conquered by the tribe of Asher. Joshua 19:29 reports that the children of Asher found the cities to be too well fortified and so they gave up and did not take them as part of their possession in Palestine. As a result, these two pagan cities became stumbling blocks to the Hebrews leading them into idolatry as recorded in Judges 10:6. 1 Kings 16:31 records that Queen Jezebel was a Zidonian princess and her wickedness is well documented in Scripture. The location of these two cities today is in Lebanon. Here the prophet Joel writes that judgement from God is pronounced and both of these cities were invaded by Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome.
Verses 6-8 The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border. 7 Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head: 8 And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off: for the LORD hath spoken it.
The Sabeans were an ancient people dwelling in what is today Yemen. Job 1:13-15 records that it was Sabeans who stole all of Job’s livestock and killed his servants. It is thought that the Queen of Sheba who traveled to see King Solomon was a Sabean. Just as these cities warred against the Jews, the Jews warred against them. What is unclear is when these events took place. Did Tyre and Zidon cooperate with the armies of the Greeks? This writer has not done intensive research into the historical events of these two cities to comment here at this time. However the above verses indicate that Jewish captives taken by Tyre and Zidon were sold to the Greeks and that God was going to provide a time when the Jews would sell their captives from these two cities to the Sabeans. Remember that Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers for twenty pieces of silver to Ishmeelites, the story being recorded in Genesis chapters 37-39. This was a common practice in Biblical days and it was a way to get rid of your enemy and profit at the same time.
Verses 9-12 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: 10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. 11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD. 12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.
It appears that there is a change of topics in verse 9 above; proclaim this. What is the “this”? The picture is of preparations for war for a people that have been slumbering in life (wake up) and for a people that are not prepared (plowshares into swords, and pruninghooks into spears). These verses are aimed at the heathen or the Gentiles. Again judgement is prophesied against the heathen for harming the people of God.
Verses 13-14 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. 14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
As is common in Scripture, agricultural references are used as most people farmed the land and so would have understood the picture being presented here. When a crop is ready for harvest, it has to be harvested immediately before it becomes over ripe and loses its value and function and is ruined. The Hebrew word translated as “press” is “gath” and it means a winepress or a wine vat that holds the wine. Wine can be metaphor for blood and for sin or wickedness. Here the natural picture is of vats that have been overfilled and so are dribbling the wine down the sides of the vats. Spiritually the picture is of people overflowing with wickedness. The multitudes representing great numbers of people are in this valley and a decision has to be made.
Application: Bible has to prove Bible. Man cannot make up a scenario to explain the verses in the different prophetic books of the Bible such as what C. I. Scofield did with his doctrine that has permeated and deceived the Christian churches today. Jesus said in Matthew 9:37-38, “Then saith he unto his disciples, the harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” This was in reference to His servants going forth and sowing the Gospel message and reaping converts. Then in Matthew 13:39 Jesus said, “The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.” So there is a general harvest which metaphorically means unsaved people needing to be reached with the truth of the Gospel and brought into the Kingdom of God, and there is a final harvest at the end of the world where the entire Earth will be harvested starting with the wicked and then the righteous. “Let both grow together (the wicked and the righteous) until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares (wicked), and bind them in bundles to burn them (condemned to the Lake of Fire): but gather the wheat (righteous) into my barn (Heaven and God’s kingdom).” The only other verse in the New Testament that speaks of a ripe harvest is found in Revelation 14:15. “And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.“
The “day of the LORD” can reference a time when the LORD has a visitation with mankind such as when He came to Earth and inhabited the body of flesh called Jesus, and it can reference His second coming to Earth to bring judgement upon all wickedness and to end time and usher in eternity. So the picture here is of a harvest at the end of the world that occurs because wickedness is great on the Earth and the unbeliever or heathen is in this metaphorical valley where judgement will be held and yet where there is still given the opportunity to make the decision to repent of sin and accept the LORD’s ruling in their lives.
Verses 15-18 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. 16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. 17 So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more. 18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim.
These physical events in the sky or heavens described in verse 15 above already happened on the day Jesus was crucified but they can happen again at His second coming as they can be a similitude of prophecy. Jesus Christ was and is the hope of his people, both Jew and Gentile as all believers look for His coming again in the Heavens. “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:” 1 Thessalonians 4:16
Zion was the name of the physical city of King David and is another name for earthly Jerusalem. Zion today is the spiritual city of King Jesus located in Heaven. The LORD is not dwelling in physical Israel. There is no holy mountain in physical Israel. The physical city of Jerusalem is not holy but full of wickedness. Strangers pass through Jerusalem every minute of every day as tourists flock there for vacations. It is no longer a land of milk and honey as it was when it was first settled by the 12 tribes of Israel. So common sense reveals that the verses above are speaking of spiritual things located in Heaven. There is a heavenly Jerusalem. “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels.” Hebrews 12:22 “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, comng down from God out of heaven prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” Revelation 21:2 “And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.” Revelation 21:10 So there is a heavenly Zion where the LORD God dwells and where there are mountains. In this heavenly city, only God’s children will dwell and so no strangers can enter in. Like the physical “promised land” this heavenly place is a place with rivers of living water and is a bountiful, unspoiled place where believers will dwell with the LORD Jesus Christ forever.
The shaking of the heavens and the Earth are metaphor for the destruction of the present system: Satan’s realm in the air and man’s realm on the Earth. And the LORD will judge and sentence and restore all things.
Verses 19-21 Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land. 20 But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. 21 For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion. (Joel 3)
Although physical Egypt was destroyed during the ten plagues recorded in the book of Exodus, it rebuilt and remains a nation of influence today. Metaphorically, Egypt represents religious falsehood and idolatry. Edom represents that which is against God. The Edomites were descendants of Esau and they historically were antagonistic towards the people of Israel and Idumea was the name of the land they controlled. King Herod who ordered all the Jewish children two years old or younger to be killed in an effort to destroy the Messiah was an Idumean. So metaphorically false religions, idolatry, and all those who oppose God and His people will be dealt with when judged by God at the return of Jesus Christ who is God, very God. Judah represents the LORD Jesus Christ and therefore His people and when time is no more, they will dwell forever in eternity with the LORD in heavenly Zion.