The Book of Joel

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THERestore BOOK OF JOEL

Joel, a prophet and God’s spokesman to proclaim God’s message, was probably the first of the writing prophets, giving us valuable insight into the history of prophecy and particularly of end times, preparing us for our short life on earth and giving us a glance at God’s outline of His total plan.

Joel is the son of Pethuel. His Hebrew name is Yo’el, meaning ‘Yahweh or Jehovah is God’. His father’s name means ‘Vision or Wisdom of God’. Joel prophesies to the southern kingdom, Judah. God impresses upon Joel to speak of an inward change in their heart, not an outward appearance, in order to restore them. God’s mercy is always available and He is ready to forgive true repentance.

Even though there had been terrible judgment for sins, future judgments during the ‘Day of the Lord’ will be worse; yet amazing blessings follow for those who faithfully obey God. Joel was a prophet of hope; and known as ‘the prophet of religious revival’. God’s desire is restoration for His people!

Joel is a short, prophetic book of poems, written possibly around the period of Ezra/Nehemiah. There are no kings mentioned so the exact date is unknown, but possibly during the reign of young Joash (880-796 B.C.), about the time of Elijah and Elisha. Joel seems to be familiar with many other scriptural books, as he quotes from some in the Old Testament.

In these amazing three chapters, Joel speaks about ‘the Day of the Lord’ five times, a key theme throughout this book. He focuses on judgment past (the locusts), judgment at hand (the nation), and a future time when the Lord would intervene in the world and reign as King with His people.

Joel calls on the children of Israel for repentance and to be prepared, as he sets the example. He speaks of the desolation that would come to Judah when nations will be judged; then speaks of future events - of God’s deliverance - when Christ returns to set up His glorious kingdom in the future. Perhaps the oldest prophetic book, it looks forward in time to the last days that have yet to be fulfilled. God sees the end from the beginning, and it all fits into His plan of redemption. J O E L CHAPTER 1

Disaster strikes the southern kingdom of Judah without warning. An ominous black cloud comes on the land. The dreaded locusts ate and destroyed every living thing in just a matter of hours! Even though the plague of locusts had been a terrible judgment for sin, God’s future judgments during the ‘Day of the Lord’ will make that plague seem pale in comparison. In that day, God will destroy His enemies, but bring amazing blessings to those who faithfully obey Him. May God anoint us to see wondrous things in His Word!

MEMORY VERSE “Tell your children about it, let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.” Joel 1:3

1. Read chapter 1 and pray. Ask God to show you personally what He wants to teach you as you start studying the book of Joel. Title this chapter.

2. In reference to the introduction, who is Joel and what does he do?

Joel was the son of Pethuel. His Hebrew name Yo’el means ______.

His father’s name means ______.

3. How did Joel know what to say to the people? Verse 1 DID YOU KNOW? “As Joel was prophesying, the nation of Israel was in a real mess. The people were in 4. What two groups of people did Joel address first? Verse 2 denial about how bad it really was; but God was calling them to pay attention, to learn the lessons that come from the 5. What does he instruct them to do? Verse 3 consequences of failure, and to pass the word on to their children and grandchildren. It is so important to be honest about our failures and to pass on to the next generation what we a. Read Psalm 78:1-8.How do these verses speak to you? have learned from failure, as well as from success. We always want to pass on the victories, and that is good; but it is perhaps even more important to pass on the lessons of our failures.” Pastor Chuck Smith b. How and when can this instruction take place? Deuteronomy 6:6-9

c. Why is it so important to pass on the truth of God’s word from generation to generation?

• Judges 2:10

• Psalm 145:4

To an agricultural society, these vast swarms of locusts that occasionally appeared resulted in famine and death. Joel used this awful plague to call the people back to true faith in God. This was a ‘day of the Lord’ and a still more devastating day was yet to come, with no comparison to the further judgment if they continued in their sinful and rebellious ways.

6. From verse 4, describe the progressive destruction of the locusts.

DID YOU KNOW? Locusts are grasshoppers whose form and behavior change when they migrate in large numbers and swarm together. An adult In 1875 our nation was devastated by a swarm of locusts for five locust has a wingspan of 5 inches and can fly 100 days. It was 1800 miles long and 110 miles wide. Read Exodus miles in a day. A locust 10:15 and note the devastation of the 8th plague in Egypt. swarm may number billions of locusts and eat several tons of leaves in a day!

7. Israel had been warned what would happen if they did not obey the Lord and keep His commandments. Read Deuteronomy 28:38-42 and write the results of disobedience.

God wanted to bless the children of Israel. He wanted their hearts to change, to recognize their sin, and through discipline turn back to God; not for them to feel sorry for themselves or become hard-hearted or indifferent, but to see God’s love and mercy toward them—so He could restore them.

8. Who does Joel address next in verse 5? What does he tell them to do and why?

a. Wake up! We need a revival! We need to be continually being filled with the Holy Spirit, not filled with wine. Look up Ephesians 5:18 and write it out.

9. Joel wanted the people of Judah to understand what God was saying to them by using the plague and the drought as a warning. How did he describe the invasion in verse 6?

DIG DEEPER In verse 7 we read the words, “He has laid waste My vine.” Read Isaiah 5:1-7. Who is the Lord’s vineyard? What did God expect from His vineyard? What did it really bring forth? We don’t want to disappoint the Lord and bring forth ‘wild grapes’, but bring forth ‘good grapes’. How can we make sure that we bring glory to the Lord in our life?

10. The prophet Joel doesn’t minimize the suffering when he calls on them to mourn over their sins and to repent. In verse 8 he uses the supreme symbol of grief—‘a virgin girded with sackcloth’—meaning the girl whose fiancé has been killed before her wedding day. From what you read in verse 9, what would cause the priests to mourn?

11. List the specific reasons why they were unable to make offerings and sacrifices to the Lord. Verse 10

Just as the locust stripped the land bare, our sin will strip us, leaving nothing left for us to offer our Lord. It will leave us wasted, ruined, dried up, and our joy gone. 12. List all the different groups of people this destruction affected from verses 2-12:

______verse 2 ______verse 9 ______verse 2 ______verse 11 ______verse 5 ______verse 11 ______verse 5 ______verse 12 ______verse 8 The whole Nation of Israel!

13. Read the following verses on judgment and write what speaks to you personally.

a. Psalm 19:9

b. Romans 11:33

c. 1 Peter 4:17

14. In verses 13-14 Joel calls the religious leaders to lead the nation in seeking God to repent and even instructs them how to prepare to do this work.

a. What does he tell them to do in verse 13?

b. “Consecrate a ______, ______a sacred ______; gather the ______and all the ______of the land ______the ______of the ______your ______, and ______out to the ______.” Verse 14 c. Cry out to God! It starts with us – you and me. Look up 2 Chronicles 7:13-14. Write out verse 14.

“Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is at hand” (verse 15). Here is the first time the prophet Joel addresses this day. God has used an invading army of locusts to get the nation’s attention! There will be a time of severer and heavier judgments than the locusts when there will be destruction of their cities, temples, and nation; and a future worldwide famine and total destruction, found in the book of Revelation.

15. In verses 16-18, we see the desolate condition of the land, but not as serious as their saddened spiritual condition. What happened to the:

a. Food?

b. House of our God?

c. Seed?

d. Storehouses?

e. Barns?

f. Grain?

g. Animals?

16. What does the prophet do in verse 19? Write the phrase here.

17. Read Psalm 130:1-8, jotting down key points that the Lord speaks to you.

Where does your hope lie? Do you find yourself coming to the Lord just in times of need? Take some time and sit quietly, listening to His voice and not the shouts of the world. Rejoice in His goodness and faithfulness to you.

MAKE IT PERSONAL “God didn’t have to send great battalions to Judah to bring the people to their knees. All He needed was a swarm of little insects, and they did the job. Sometimes He uses bacteria or viruses so tiny that you need a special microscope to see them. He is the ‘Lord of hosts,’ the Lord of the armies of heaven and earth. He is ‘the Almighty’ and none can stay His powerful hand.” Warren Wiersbe

Has there been a time when the Lord used something specific to get your attention? What was it? What was He telling you? Did you listen to His voice and obey what He told you to do? Or did you put it off for a later time? If so, ask Him to help you obey right away.

DWELL ON THIS “Give up the struggle and the fight; relax in the omnipotence of the Lord Jesus; look up into His lovely face and as you behold Him, He will transform you into His likeness. You do the beholding – He does the transforming. There is no short-cut to holiness.” Alan Redpath

Restore

J O E L CHAPTER 2

The prophet Joel continues to call the nation of Israel to repentance, reminding them that the disaster of the recent plague of locusts will be nothing like the devastating judgment yet to come in the desolation of ‘the day of the Lord’. Thirteen of the sixteen prophets spoke about ‘the day of the Lord’. He exhorts the people to repent, sincerely and humbly; and reminds them of God’s message of hope to those who will return to Him by faith. He speaks of God’s promise to pour out His Spirit upon His people and comforts the godly with promises of future salvation and blessings—Our Savior Reigns!

MEMORY VERSE “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.” Joel 2:13

The Day of the Lord – Joel 2:1-17

1. Start your day in prayer; then read chapter 2, asking the Lord to give you understanding by the power of His Holy Spirit. Write a phrase or two for each section of verses: 1-17 and 18-32.

2. Joel states in verse 1 how close ‘the day of the Lord’ was and to sound an alarm and blow the trumpet. There were several reasons one would blow the trumpet. Look up Numbers 10:2, 9-10 and write them down.

3. Darkness refers to despair and judgment while light is joy and salvation. Turn to Amos 5:18-20. What further description does Amos give us regarding ‘the day of the Lord’ than what we see in verse 2 of Joel?

4. As you read Joel 2:3-5, we see a vivid picture of what would soon happen to the inhabitants of the land. Turn to Revelation 9:7-9 noting the similarities of what this mighty army looks like.

Any invading army would burn and ravage the countryside as it went through the land. The reference to a ‘garden of Eden’ is interesting. Isaiah 51:3 and Ezekiel 36:35-36 have the same metaphor but in reverse, for God will ‘make her wilderness like Eden’. (New Bible Commentary) Look up the above verses for further insight. It’s encouraging to note that the Lord wants to make beauty from ashes.

5. Joel continues describing the discipline and effectiveness of this army in a very poetic yet intense and graphic way. Summarize what the people would see this mighty army do. Verses 6-9

6. The Lord does not want His people to forget that their real power lies in God, no matter how impressive the army was. God is always in charge. What signs did the Lord show them? Verses 10-11

Joel 2:1-11 “A Devastating Military Assault - We have in these verses a description of a military assault that sounds like it could be describing modern warfare, including nuclear attack. It talks about ‘clouds and thick darkness.’ Then we read that ‘a fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns,’ the people are writhing in pain, and the earth is quaking while the sky is darkened. This is perhaps an account of the invasion of Israel by the Moslem nations, as described in Ezekiel 38 and 39. At any rate, this description of ‘the day of the Lord’ is like no war ever conceived in the day it was written. Joel couldn’t have made this up; it was too far-fetched in that day. This was God, looking forward to modern times and passing it on to his prophet Joel.” Pastor Chuck Smith 7. Let’s remember how great our Lord is. Write how these verses speak to you in a personal way, pausing and pondering the greatness of our God!

a. 1 Chronicles 16:25

b. Job 5:8-9

c. Isaiah 12:6

d. Lamentations 3:22-23

From what we’ve studied so far, we see that God is always in control. Why would He allow this devastation to happen to the people He loves? His purpose is that they would turn back to Him.

8. God did not want their customary way of expressing grief or remorse by tearing their garments; this action could be done without true sorrow or repentance. God wanted a deliberate effort of will and an attitude of mind to change, not emotions. How are we to turn to God? Verses 12-13 DID YOU KNOW? “’Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful.’ He just wants to have mercy on you and to forgive your sins. He is chasing you so a. How does the Lord see us? Read 1 Samuel 16:7 He can forgive you. He is pleading for you to just turn back to Him.” Pastor Chuck Smith

b. Verse 13b states some attributes of God –

“For He is ______and ______, ______to anger, and of great ______; and He relents from doing ______.” MAKE IT PERSONAL Read Matthew 15:8 - Not only does this verse remind us of Judah, but it can remind us of ourselves at times. Is there anything that should change in your life? It starts with your heart. Ask the Lord to search your heart and reveal anything that is impure and not of God. Find a verse besides the ones given that speaks to you regarding your heart and what it should be like. (Matthew 6:21, Psalm 51:17, Matthew 5:8)

9. Even though the time was near, God’s judgment was not necessarily a pronouncement of doom but an opportunity for repentance. The best way to secure their future was to get right with God, to repent and submit to His will. Our nation needs this kind of repentance as well. Now another command was given to blow the trumpet. What were the people to do next? Verses 15-17

a. The purpose of fasting is to deny oneself the appetites of the flesh in order to focus ones attention on the Lord and seek Him. Fasting doesn’t change God, it changes us. Have you ever fasted and prayed for a particular situation? What did the Lord reveal to you?

“The position of the priests—between the porch of the temple and the brazen altar outside—is significant: it speaks of approach to God on the ground of that of which the altar speaks—the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Only in His name, and because of His finished work, has the failing saint title to draw near. ‘If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous.’ Thus the priests are directed to take their stand on the temple-side of the altar, as representing a people who, although in failure, are yet the redeemed of the Lord (verses 16, 17).” H. A. Ironside The Promises of God’s Blessing Restored: the Nation’s Reputation, the Land, and God’s Presence – Joel 2:18-32

10. Instead of God’s fiery wrath burning against them, His fiery jealousy will flame for them and His mercy go out toward them. What does God do to show the deep love He has for the land of Israel and His abiding love for His people in verses 18-20?

The Lord will be ______for His land, And ______His people. The Lord will ______and say to His people, Behold, I will send you ______and new ______and ______, And you will be ______by them; I will no longer make you a ______among the ______. But I will ______far from you the northern ______, And will ______him away into a ______and ______land.

In reference to verse 20a, the north was regarded as the direction from which misfortune generally came on Israel. The Lord tells us what He will do for Judah – He will destroy the northern army (possibly the Assyrian army) from the eastern sea (Dead Sea) to the western sea (Mediterranean).

11. What a contrast from verse 20 to verse 21! The foul smell of corpses is all that remains of the great deeds of this enemy.

a. Write down the last phrase of verse 20 referring to the enemy:

because

b. Write down the last phrase of verse 21 referring to the Lord:

for

12. There are 6 things the Lord is telling us to do, starting with ‘fear not’. List the others found in verses 21-24.

a. Why do you think it’s important for us to do these things? 13. What a comfort it is to know that the same God who brings judgment is pleased to restore blessing to those who repent. This doesn’t mean that sin leaves no scar, but that God can restore people to usefulness in spite of past disobedience. Verses 25- 27

a. Write the definition of restore:

b. How will the nation be restored?

c. Will they know it’s the Lord restoring them?

MAKE IT PERSONAL “It will strike you at once that the locusts did not eat the years: the locusts ate the fruits of the years’ labor, the harvests of the fields; so that the meaning of the restoration of the years must be the restoration of those fruits and of those harvests which the locusts consumed. You cannot have back your time; but there is a strange and wonderful way in which God can give back to you the wasted blessings, the unripened fruits of years over which you mourned. The fruits of wasted years may yet be yours.” Spurgeon

We can never go back and reclaim missed opportunities or change poor decisions that we’ve made in the past, but we can take what we do have and give it all to the Lord and allow Him to restore all that was wasted and make all things new! Do you ask for and act upon the opportunities God gives you to live in obedience to Him? What does that look like in your life?

14. “And it shall come to pass afterward” means that some of the things foretold have now been fulfilled and some are still in the future. What was God’s promise in verse 28a? Write it out and then underline it!

a. Who was this promise for?

“God here says that in the last days (which is what the Hebrew word for ‘afterward’ means) He would pour out His Spirit on all people. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit would just come on certain people at certain times. Moses had the Holy Spirit come on him, as did David, Samson, Saul, and others. But it wasn’t constant, as it would come and go, and it wasn’t universal, as it was only on select individuals. But after Jesus rose from the dead, and was about to ascend into heaven, He told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for ‘the Promise of the Father’ (Acts 1:4). He was most likely referring to this prophesied promise in Joel 2, because then when the Holy Spirit was given on the Day of Pentecost, Peter said ‘this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel’ (Acts 2:16). Thus, as we are filled with the Spirit, we are fulfilling the promise in Joel 2, as well.” Pastor Chuck Smith

15. Read John 14:16-17 where Jesus promises another Helper. Spirit – A noun related Record what it says. to the verb ‘to breathe’ or ‘to blow’. It can signify breath, wind, breath of life, emotion, evil, or the Spirit of God. The spirit of life is

the gift of God to all a. Now look up John 16:7, & 13-15. What is the work of the creatures. God’s Holy Holy Spirit? Spirit is a special gift to believers, which brings spiritual life, power, wisdom and understanding, and divine revelation which leads to a better b. From the above verses, we read the Holy Spirit dwells with understanding of God’s us and in us. What does Acts 1:8 tell us the Holy Spirit will Word and His perfect do? ways. NKJV Study Bible

c. Turn to Acts 2 and read verses 1-4 and 14-21. When was the Holy Spirit poured out on all flesh?

Let’s just pause a few moments and call upon our Savior. Pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on our lives personally, to be empowered from on High, for lives to be transformed, guilt taken away, the hope of heaven; not just an indwelling of the Holy Spirit but an overflowing fountain of living water. We need a touch from You Lord, a spilling out on our world. Thank you Jesus for sending your Holy Spirit! 16. While the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost ushered in the last days, in the future everything will ultimately come to a climax with great signs and wonders in the heavens. What kind of wonders will be shown in the heavens and in the earth before that “great and awesome day of the Lord”? Verses 30-31

17. We see another prophecy from the book of Joel with both near and future fulfillment. State the awesome promise God gives us in verse 32 and thank Him for this wonderful gift!

a. Now read what you wrote (above) from verse 32a and personalize it by putting your name in place of ‘whoever’.

DIG DEEPER Who quotes Joel 2:32 in the New Testament and where is it found?

DWELL ON THIS Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. “Now, by the word ‘name’ we understand the Person, the character of the Lord. The more, then, you know about the Lord, and the better you know His name, the more intelligently will you call upon that name. If you know His power, you will call upon that power to help you. If you know His mercy, you will call upon Him in His grace to save you. If you know His wisdom, you feel that He knows your difficulties, and can help you through them.” Charles Spurgeon

Restore

J O E L CHAPTER 3

Joel once again was warning the nation of the coming judgment in the Valley of Decision and with that, a promise from God to restore the scattered and mistreated Israel. In the future ‘day of the Lord’ God will confront the evil among all nations, and bring justice to right all the wrongs. The nations that have persecuted Israel will be judged and Israel will be brought into safety and blessing, with a regathering of the Jewish people in their own land. Then, a final day of justice, bringing restoration for the entire world. Isaiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Zephaniah and Zechariah all speak of these events and promises. Joel’s poetic writing ends with God’s forgiveness and mercy on His people.

MEMORY VERSE “So you shall know that I am the Lord your God, dwelling in Zion My holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy, and no aliens shall ever pass through her again.” Joel 3:17

1. Start this lesson spending some time in prayer. Then read chapter 3, summing it up in just one sentence.

2. Joel gives us details when he announces the coming judgment on the nations. “The day” doesn’t necessarily refer to a 24 hour period to the Lord; it refers to an entire period of time that could last many years. From verse 1, what will the Lord do?

a. Read Jeremiah 30:3. What else will happen?

b. Read 2 Peter 3:8-9. How does the Lord view time?

DID YOU KNOW? God dwells in eternity c. Why is He waiting? but time dwells in God. A. W. Tozer

d. Now read 2 Peter 3:10-12a. Write what will happen in ‘the day of the Lord’ and what we should be doing?

3. The Valley of Jehoshaphat means ‘the Lord judges’ and is probably referring to the Battle of Armageddon when the Lord gathers the nations for judgment. List the reasons why this will take place. Verses 2-3

a. The nations treated God’s people with contempt and had no sense of their worth. Tragedy continues today with human trafficking, as the statistics are staggering! God’s justice will deal with them. Look up Matthew 18:6 and write the warning of Jesus.

The coastline of Palestine was crucially important for the political and economic balance of power in the Near East. Tyre and Sidon were important for providing fleets for trade and fighting the Greeks. When the Jews returned to Jerusalem during the Persian period, Tyre and Sidon were wealthy with political power, whereas Judah, a small Persian province, was poor and had little political power, and often taken advantage of when trading with coastal cities.(vs.4) Judah was being drained economically of their precious metals and other resources, which was God’s silver and gold.(vs.5) Because they lacked goods to pay their debts, the Judeans would have been forced to trade in the one and only commodity they possessed—their own sons and daughters! The coastal traders would have sold them to the Greeks, and the Greeks would ‘remove them far from their borders’ (vs.6) into Greece or Asia Minor. Because of such exploitation of God’s people, the prophet Joel announced God’s judgment against “Tyre and Sidon and all the coasts of Philistia.” What they had done to the Judeans would soon happen to them. (vs.7,8) (The Chronological Study Bible)

4. God will repay Israel’s enemies with the contempt they put upon His people. How will God deal with this rebellious response? Verse 4

a. What was robbed of God that was His? Verses 5-6

My ______My ______My ______Also sold the people of ______and ______and removed them far from their borders.

He is a personal God! You belong to Him and He takes a personal interest in you! 5. God will do to their enemies what they did to His people. What will happen? Verses 7-8

6. It’s a natural law, both physically and spiritually, that what you sow you will reap. Find Galatians 6:7-8 and write what God’s Word says about sowing.

MAKE IT PERSONAL Turn to John 15:5 and Galatians 5:22-23.

What kind of spiritual harvest are you producing?

What changes need to occur in your life to produce more healthy fruit?

How can you encourage others to throw away the rotten fruit and have only sweet fruit?

7. Proclaim! Prepare! Wake up! God issues a call to battle. It’s hard to imagine that mortal men would dare rise up against Almighty God, and yet scripture tells us it will happen. Verses 9-12

a. Verse 10 suggests the weapons of the nations will be insufficient to protect them, what are they exhorted to do?

b. Read what John writes hundreds of years later in Revelation 16:12-16, with the demonic spirits going out to convince and deceive the nations to fight against God Almighty! Where are the three unclean spirits coming from?

CHALLENGE The identity of one of these creatures is given, who do the other two represent?

c. Now turn to Psalm 2:1-4 and read how this speaks of the folly of the nations and beautifully expresses the triumph of the Lord. What is the Lord’s response found in verse 4 of Psalm 2?

8. When God comes to judge it’s like a farmer taking grapes and squashing them; the harvest will be ready. Joel uses another farm tool, a sickle, to describe God’s judgment. Why will this happen? Verse 13

For their is .

DIG DEEPER Read Revelation 14:14-20 of the final battle at Armageddon, and write what will take place with the angels and their sickles. What a radical picture of Jesus coming to judge the earth, “for the day of the Lord is near.” Note that 1,600 furlongs (Rev. 14:20) equals 200 miles!

9. The Valley of Decision (verse 14) can be understood as “the valley of verdict”. God has already decided He will judge the nations for their wickedness. The nations have already decided to fight against Almighty God. It’s too late at this point to change their mind. It is sobering to picture “multitudes, multitudes” standing in this valley of decision, facing their eternal fate. Read Psalm 95:6-8.

a. What should be our posture towards God? Why?

b. When should we make this decision and respond to His voice?

“The day of the Lord usually identifies events that take place at the end of history, where God intervenes and accomplishes His plan and purpose…It’s a time of judgment upon a Christ-rejecting world. It is also a time when the Lord delivers believing Israel from her enemies, and where the nations of the earth gather to fight against God and are defeated…. Many today don’t realize there is a day of reckoning coming. It will be a day when man will be held accountable before a Holy and Just God…Knowing that the ‘day of the Lord’ is coming should motivate us to share the gospel with the uninformed and unprepared. The way to escape the ‘day of the Lord’ is to respond to the Lord ‘today’.” Pastor John Randall 10. Several places in scripture speak of what will happen in reference to Joel 3:15-16. Write what further description the following cross-references give us, noting the similarities about the sun, moon, stars, heavens and earth.

a. Isaiah 13:9-10

b. Matthew 24:29

c. Revelation 6:12-14

11. Write out Joel 3:16b and be encouraged!

12. Joel now tells us what will take place after ‘the day of the Lord’, after the tribulation. Describe the restoration and renewal of:

a. Jerusalem (Verse 17) “Most laws condemn the soul and pronounce sentence. The result of the law of my God is perfect. It condemns but forgives. It restores b. The Land (Verse 18) more than abundantly what it takes away.”

Jim Elliot

13. Look up Ezekiel 47:9, 12 and Zechariah 14:8. What kind of waters are they and what will happen wherever the rivers flow?

14. When God restores His people and their land, it will be in contrast to the land of their enemies, Egypt and Edom. What will it be like for their enemies and why? Verse 19

15. What is the promise given for Judah and Jerusalem? Verse 20

16. How glorious to know that when this judgment ‘day of the Lord’ has ended, when the wrath of the Lamb has been poured out and rebellious Israel will be brought back to her Messiah, all things will be made new. There will be a new heaven, a new earth, and a new Jerusalem, and the Lord promises to abide, with an ever-abiding presence; the unchangeable, eternal, infinite-in-power God will abide. Where will He dwell? Verse 21

a. It is wonderful to know we can escape the terrible judgment that Joel wrote about. Before this happens, Jesus Christ will come for all believers (the Rapture) and we will escape the wrath of God. He has appointed us not unto wrath but unto salvation. If you don’t know you are saved, you can have assurance of your salvation. If you believe Jesus died and rose again, ask Him into your heart right now, to forgive your sins, and to help you live your life for Him by the power of the Holy Spirit. Then thank Him for this eternal gift of salvation! Please share this great news with your leader.

b. Turn to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. How does this comfort you today?

17. If you were asked what the book of Joel is all about, what would you say?

God will show mercy to His people and grant them forgiveness. This prophecy of Joel began with the awful plague of locusts and ends with a beautiful promise of restoration and redemption, and the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords will reign triumphant throughout all eternity!

DWELL ON THIS “Our Father, we love Thee for Thy justice. We acknowledge that Thy judgments are true and righteous altogether. Thy justice upholds the order of the universe and guarantees the safety of all who put their trust in Thee. We live because Thou are just—and merciful. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, righteous in all Thy ways and holy in all Thy works. Amen.” A. W. Tozer JOEL CHAPTER 3

7 8

10 11

14 15

Down: Across:

1. God desires to bring back into relationship, 4. People taken captive-sold-scattered - vs.1 and 6 return to orginal 5. What our Lord God is - (see Isaiah 6:3) 2. What God gave Isreal when they didn't 7. The place of the Judge's decision - vs. 14 deserve it - vs. 18 (see Joel 2:14) 10. A commitment, future expecation, God keeps His word 3. God will judge them - vs. 12 11. A prophet 6. It will become 'the Holy City' - vs. 17 13. Tell your children about the Lord - vs. 20 8. Near and future events of judgment - vs. 14 14. Where the Lord dwells - vs. 21 9. The Almighty - vs. 17 15. What we have in Christ - (see 1 Peter 1:3) 12. Judah will do this forever - vs. 20 16. What God will enter into with the nations - vs. 2 Restore