Joel 2:20
Got a great question from a good friend and thought it might be helpful for others:
Question:
Hi, so I was reading the book of Joel, and I don't understand Joel 2:20... could you explain it to me if you have time?
_______________________________
Answer:
Joel 2:20 "But I will remove far from you the northern army, And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land, With his face toward the eastern sea And his back toward the western sea; His stench will come up, And his foul odor will rise, Because he has done monstrous things."
This passage is describing what God will do if we agree with Him about the plan for dealing with the end time antichrist army. The point of Joel 2 (the whole chapter) is to show us that we can do something about the rising up of the antichrist and political instability that will lead to the last world war, called the "Great Tribulation" between Gog and Antichrist.
________________________________
Here's a quick breakdown of Joel 2:1-27:
Vs. 1-10 describe the antichirst army
Joel 2:1-10 Blow 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 is coming, For it is at hand: (2) A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, The like of whom has never been; Nor will there ever be any such after them, Even for many successive generations. (3) A fire devours before them, And behind them a flame burns; The land is like the Garden of Eden before them, And behind them a desolate wilderness; Surely nothing shall escape them. (4) Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; And like swift steeds, so they run. (5) With a noise like chariots Over mountaintops they leap, Like the noise of a flaming fire that devours the stubble, Like a strong people set in battle array. (6) Before them the people writhe in pain; All faces are drained of color. (7) They run like mighty men, They climb the wall like men of war; Every one marches in formation, And they do not break ranks. (8) They do not push one another; Every one marches in his own column. Though they lunge between the weapons, They are not cut down. (9) They run to and fro in the city, They run on the wall; They climb into the houses, They enter at the windows like a thief. (10) The earth quakes before them, The heavens tremble; The sun and moon grow dark, And the stars diminish their brightness.
Vs. 11 asks the question "who can stand?" knowing that this army is allowed to rise up by Jesus:
Joel 2:11 The LORD gives voice before His army, For His camp is very great; For strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; Who can endure it?
Vs. 12-17 answer the question and describing people gathering together to pray day and night and explains how a whole community of people is required.
Joel 2:12-17 "Now, therefore," says the LORD, "Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." (13) So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm. (14) Who knows if He will turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him—A grain offering and a drink offering For the LORD your God? (15) Blow the trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; (16) Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, And the bride from her dressing room. (17) Let the priests, who minister to the LORD, Weep between the porch and the altar; Let them say, "Spare Your people, O LORD, And do not give Your heritage to reproach, That the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?' "
Vs. 18-27 describe what God will do to the geography, or land, where the people who respond and do the prayer, live.
Joel 2:18-27 Then the LORD will be zealous for His land, And pity His people. (19) The LORD will answer and say to His people, "Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, And you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations. (20) "But I will remove far from you the northern army, And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land, With his face toward the eastern sea And his back toward the western sea; His stench will come up, And his foul odor will rise, Because he has done monstrous things." (21) Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice, For the LORD has done marvelous things! (22) Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field; For the open pastures are springing up, And the tree bears its fruit; The fig tree and the vine yield their strength. (23) Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the LORD your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you—The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month. (24) The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. (25) "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. (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 be put to shame. (27) Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the LORD your God And there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame.
________________________________________
In this light, this is the answer to the question:
So, vs. 20 is a promise from God that He will turn away the "northern army" from the place that responds in prayer. The northern army refers to the invading armies of Babylon (antichrist army, which I believe is America, including, in our case, even an "invasion" against her own people for their "protection") and Gog (Russian/Iranian army). God will turn both of these armies into desolate land from the bountiful, or alive, land where the people have repsonded in prayer in advance. God promises that people that don't pray will have desolation, which is the opposite of habitation. This is because they chose desolation by doing nothing to respond to the clear political signs given in vs. 1-11. God will inhabit places that want him and leave places that don't. This will have a direct effect on how able earthly armies are to take over geography...as it always has.
For example, (just an example for the sake of familiar geography) if Kalamazoo responds and prays, and Battle Creek doesn't, then God will inhabit and protect Kalamazoo, and leave, which will leave vulnerable, Battle Creek (just as an example).
The phrasing of the antichrist with "his face toward the eastern and western sea" is a reference to politics...eastern sea would be the Gog/Magog political coalition described in Ezekiel 38 and 39 led by Russia and Iran, the Western Sea is the antichrist Coalition described in Daniel 7 and Revelation 17 as 11 nations including end time babylon and the "ten horns."
This same concept is described in Daniel 11:40-45, which describes what leads to the end time world war (Great Tribulation):
Daniel 11:40-45 "At the time of the end the king of the South (Egypt, in this passage) shall attack him (antichrist); and the king of the North (Syria, in this passage) shall come against him (antichrist) like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he (antichrist) shall enter the countries (Egypt and Syria), overwhelm them, and pass through. (41) He shall also enter the Glorious Land (Israel) , and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon (All three of these refer to Jordan). (42) He (antichrist, who has the largest army in the end times) shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. (43) He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels (part of the Gog coalition described in Ezekiel 38 and 39). (44) But news from the east and the north (Gog, or Russia,/Persia, or Iran, from Ezekiel 38 and 39) shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. (45) And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.
Question:
Hi, so I was reading the book of Joel, and I don't understand Joel 2:20... could you explain it to me if you have time?
_______________________________
Answer:
Joel 2:20 "But I will remove far from you the northern army, And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land, With his face toward the eastern sea And his back toward the western sea; His stench will come up, And his foul odor will rise, Because he has done monstrous things."
This passage is describing what God will do if we agree with Him about the plan for dealing with the end time antichrist army. The point of Joel 2 (the whole chapter) is to show us that we can do something about the rising up of the antichrist and political instability that will lead to the last world war, called the "Great Tribulation" between Gog and Antichrist.
________________________________
Here's a quick breakdown of Joel 2:1-27:
Vs. 1-10 describe the antichirst army
Joel 2:1-10 Blow 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 is coming, For it is at hand: (2) A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, The like of whom has never been; Nor will there ever be any such after them, Even for many successive generations. (3) A fire devours before them, And behind them a flame burns; The land is like the Garden of Eden before them, And behind them a desolate wilderness; Surely nothing shall escape them. (4) Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; And like swift steeds, so they run. (5) With a noise like chariots Over mountaintops they leap, Like the noise of a flaming fire that devours the stubble, Like a strong people set in battle array. (6) Before them the people writhe in pain; All faces are drained of color. (7) They run like mighty men, They climb the wall like men of war; Every one marches in formation, And they do not break ranks. (8) They do not push one another; Every one marches in his own column. Though they lunge between the weapons, They are not cut down. (9) They run to and fro in the city, They run on the wall; They climb into the houses, They enter at the windows like a thief. (10) The earth quakes before them, The heavens tremble; The sun and moon grow dark, And the stars diminish their brightness.
Vs. 11 asks the question "who can stand?" knowing that this army is allowed to rise up by Jesus:
Joel 2:11 The LORD gives voice before His army, For His camp is very great; For strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; Who can endure it?
Vs. 12-17 answer the question and describing people gathering together to pray day and night and explains how a whole community of people is required.
Joel 2:12-17 "Now, therefore," says the LORD, "Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." (13) So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm. (14) Who knows if He will turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him—A grain offering and a drink offering For the LORD your God? (15) Blow the trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; (16) Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, And the bride from her dressing room. (17) Let the priests, who minister to the LORD, Weep between the porch and the altar; Let them say, "Spare Your people, O LORD, And do not give Your heritage to reproach, That the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?' "
Vs. 18-27 describe what God will do to the geography, or land, where the people who respond and do the prayer, live.
Joel 2:18-27 Then the LORD will be zealous for His land, And pity His people. (19) The LORD will answer and say to His people, "Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, And you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations. (20) "But I will remove far from you the northern army, And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land, With his face toward the eastern sea And his back toward the western sea; His stench will come up, And his foul odor will rise, Because he has done monstrous things." (21) Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice, For the LORD has done marvelous things! (22) Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field; For the open pastures are springing up, And the tree bears its fruit; The fig tree and the vine yield their strength. (23) Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the LORD your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you—The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month. (24) The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. (25) "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. (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 be put to shame. (27) Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the LORD your God And there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame.
________________________________________
In this light, this is the answer to the question:
So, vs. 20 is a promise from God that He will turn away the "northern army" from the place that responds in prayer. The northern army refers to the invading armies of Babylon (antichrist army, which I believe is America, including, in our case, even an "invasion" against her own people for their "protection") and Gog (Russian/Iranian army). God will turn both of these armies into desolate land from the bountiful, or alive, land where the people have repsonded in prayer in advance. God promises that people that don't pray will have desolation, which is the opposite of habitation. This is because they chose desolation by doing nothing to respond to the clear political signs given in vs. 1-11. God will inhabit places that want him and leave places that don't. This will have a direct effect on how able earthly armies are to take over geography...as it always has.
For example, (just an example for the sake of familiar geography) if Kalamazoo responds and prays, and Battle Creek doesn't, then God will inhabit and protect Kalamazoo, and leave, which will leave vulnerable, Battle Creek (just as an example).
The phrasing of the antichrist with "his face toward the eastern and western sea" is a reference to politics...eastern sea would be the Gog/Magog political coalition described in Ezekiel 38 and 39 led by Russia and Iran, the Western Sea is the antichrist Coalition described in Daniel 7 and Revelation 17 as 11 nations including end time babylon and the "ten horns."
This same concept is described in Daniel 11:40-45, which describes what leads to the end time world war (Great Tribulation):
Daniel 11:40-45 "At the time of the end the king of the South (Egypt, in this passage) shall attack him (antichrist); and the king of the North (Syria, in this passage) shall come against him (antichrist) like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he (antichrist) shall enter the countries (Egypt and Syria), overwhelm them, and pass through. (41) He shall also enter the Glorious Land (Israel) , and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon (All three of these refer to Jordan). (42) He (antichrist, who has the largest army in the end times) shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. (43) He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels (part of the Gog coalition described in Ezekiel 38 and 39). (44) But news from the east and the north (Gog, or Russia,/Persia, or Iran, from Ezekiel 38 and 39) shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. (45) And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.
Comments
Post a Comment
I appreciate your comments.