Dear friends,
Rosh Hashanah begins tonight at sundown. Shanah Tovah and enjoy this week’s notes.
As Joel was transitioning from Chapter 1 into Chapter 2, he began describing the locust plague as a fire. While describing the current local situation with the locusts in his own day, Joel was also prophesying a great deal about the future. The scorched earth that the locusts left behind as they ravaged the land was allegorical of how the earth will be burnt up during the great tribulation period. (Mal 4:1; Rev 8:7) The Bible often takes actual events and uses them as an allegory (eg Gal 4:22-24).
Father, give us understanding as we read your precious and prophetic word, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Joel 2:1-14
1 Blow ye the trumpet [Heb shofar] in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
Last week, we noted that the word gathering was mentioned twice in verse 16 for two different reasons. Likewise, there is a dual meaning for the trumpets mentioned twice in Chapter 2. The first meaning is to prepare for battle. That is the reason given in the book of Numbers to blow the trumpet and sound an alarm (Num 10:9). One of the things that coincides with the day of the LORD is the Magog invasion of Israel. Hence, the alarm. Moscow continues to strengthen alliances with their partners in this endeavor, listed in Ezekiel 38 and 39. Because of the war in Syria, not only do Russia and Iran now have troops on Israel’s doorstep, but Russia has recently deployed a large number of warships off the coast of Syria, just north of Israel. The political intrigue surrounding the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, in particular, bears watching. (Mark 13:37)
The second meaning attached to the trumpets, seen more clearly in verse 15, is the Feast of Trumpets and its prophetic connection to the rapture. (1 Cor 15:52 et al) Both verses indicate a literal trumpet blown in Zion, which is in Jerusalem, but again, the Bible often takes literal events and uses them in an allegorical sense. Joel clearly states that the trumpet and the alarm are connected to the day of the LORD, which follows the rapture. Incidentally, a petition has been circulating in Israel seeking permission from PM Netanyahu to blow a shofar on the Temple Mount this year on the first day of Rosh Hashanah (tomorrow). If Netanyahu grants the request, it will be the first time a shofar has been blown on the Temple Mount since the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. (The Hebrew word used in Numbers 9 for trumpet is chatsotserah, a silver trumpet, but Joel used the word shofar. Both Joel and Moses used the same word for alarm.) I believe that at some point in the not too distant future, that request will eventually be granted. Perhaps when it is, this verse will be literally fulfilled.
2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.
I believe Joel is referring here to the locusts that come out of the fifth trumpet judgment in Revelation 9.
3 A fire devoureth before them [the locusts]; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
The apocalyptic scenes from the West Coast fires are another reminder that the day is approaching, much like the recent locust plagues in India and East Africa.
4 The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.
The face of a locust looks like the face of a horse. (Cf Rev 9:7) The Italian word for locust, cavalletta, even means ‘little horse’. The locusts that come out of the bottomless pit will have the appearance as horses, and they will advance as horsemen running to battle. (Cf Rev 9:9) Joel is using similes to describe the locusts. (A simile is a phrase that uses like or as to make a comparison.)
5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.
6 Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.
7 They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:
8 Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.
The locusts that come out of the fifth trumpet judgment in Revelation 9 come with smoke out of the bottomless pit. The soot from the smoke is what causes the faces of the people to gather blackness (v 6). The same is true when the phrase is used in Nahum 2:10. The filth and fire (Nahum 3:6, 15) blackened the faces of the people of Nineveh in the day of their destruction.
9 They [the locusts] shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.
10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:
This is the result of the smoke that comes out of the bottomless pit as well. (Rev 9:2)
11 And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?
God’s army is the locusts. They come out of the bottomless pit, but for the purpose of executing God’s judgment.
12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?
Joel 2:1-14
There’s that call for a fast again. In the original Hebrew, verses 12-14 are separated within their own paragraph, as if Joel was using a highlighter. If you are not praying and fasting at a time such as this, you are placing yourself in a precarious position. In Ezekiel 9, God had an angel mark people who were sighing and crying for all of the abominations that were taking place in Jerusalem. Those who were marked were spared judgment. Ezekiel 9 may not be written to us, but it’s written for us. (Rom 15:4) The principle applies to us as well, just as it will apply to those who are left behind in the great tribulation period. The locusts that come out of the fifth seal judgment are commanded not to hurt those who have the seal of God in their foreheads. (Rev 7:3; 9:4) As for us, our cities are burned with fire. The West Coast is going up in flames. (Although the lead story on the LA Times website is the wildfires, as one might expect, on Thursday there was no mention of wildfires at elimparcial.com [Tijuana] or at vancouversun.com. The fires seem to magically stop at the borders of Mexico and Canada. Or maybe the multiple arrests that have been made in the US for arson have something to do with it. For years now, people have been noticing how the fires in California bizarrely jump from house to house in areas with no wildfires, while trees remain unaffected. More here.) Lies are celebrated and the truth is banned. Infanticide is a protected religion. Pedophilia is being normalized and satanic ritual abuse (SRA) is covered up. If anyone tries to expose it, their efforts are immediately scrubbed from the Internet everywhere except alternative media like banned.video. People who commit SRA are allowed to keep their social media accounts, while Christians, conservatives, and libertarians have their accounts canceled. These things should cause one to sign or cry and long for heaven. Remember Lot’s wife.
Whether the day of the LORD is upon us or not, a war with China is looking more likely with each passing day. I’m not the only one who thinks so. There are several articles in the news indicating as much. In fact, on China’s border with US ally India, the shooting has already started. The US ambassador to China has resigned and is expected to leave Beijing by October. I found this report indicating the US is (finally) taking steps to prepare for an EMP attack particularly interesting. Last but not least, a rogue Chinese scientist has published research she says proves SARS-COV-2 was created in a Chinese lab. Twitter promptly froze her account. Facebook later censored her interview with Tucker Carlson. Big Tech is clearly running interference for their new world order partners in the CCP, but others in corporate America love the CCP as well. The CCP has concentration camps and the situation is looking similar to the 1930s when American corporate interests were in league with the Nazi Party. A piece of American history that has been forgotten is how these corporate interests tried to recruit Major General Smedley Butler to lead a military coup and end America as we know it. Butler exposed their plans and their coup failed, but it took a world war to rein in the Nazi Party. It appears history is repeating itself. Over the last four years we have seen repeated coup attempts to take down the president we elected. First there was operation Crossfire Hurricane which weaponized the FISA Court before President Trump was even elected. Then there was the fake-news hyping of Russia-gate, which was based on the illegal and false narrative that resulted from Crossfire Hurricane. Then there was the fake impeachment. And now Bob Woodward has exposed that Trump’s own secretary of defense was plotting a coup against him.
How is it then, that is the midst of all this chaos and COVID hysteria, historic peace deals between Israel and their Muslim neighbors are being brokered, with Trump being nominated twice for a Nobel Peace Prize? Well, as a matter of fact, this fits in perfectly with the biblical scenario that precedes the day of the LORD:
….For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
….For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
1 Thessalonians 5:2-3
Father, there is so much pain and suffering in the world. We know that the day of the LORD is darkness and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into a house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. We do not want more suffering, but we do not want the new world order to succeed either. We long to be with You and to see your kingdom come, that your will may be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Let your will be done Father. Should war come in our day give us the courage of David and a hedge of protection. We ask this in Jesus’ name.
