Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Joel -Prophet of the Latter Rain SERIES: Armageddon

Chapter III.

"Verse 9: Here is brought to view the greatest exhibition of brute force the world has ever seen.

a. "Prepare war "literally, "hal­low war." "Whosoever killeth you," said Christ, "will think that he doeth God service." John 16: 2. Religious passions will cause Armageddon.
b. "Wake up the mighty men"—arouse all brute might!


Verse 10: "Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears."
a. Plowshares are to be beaten into swords. ...The boys and girls ...prefer the cities, with their "movies " and pleasures. When the spirit of sensationalism takes hold, it is impossible to get down to good hard work.
b. The weak say, " I am strong." This is the hour of universal mental delusion. It is, as stated by Dr. E. B. Pusey, "the closing scene of man's re­bellion against God. It is their one universal gathering, . . ."
Verses 11 and 12: "Assemble, your­selves, and come, all ye heathen: . . .thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord." This is the hour for the huge heathen upheaval.

Armageddon will witness four great gatherings:
(1) The angel armies from the skies, as in Joel 2: 1-10;
(2) all the nations of the earth to battle;
(3) all the fowls of heaven to eat their flesh;
(4) all the righteous dead, raised at Christ's appearing, to immortality.

Verse 13: "Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: . . for their wick­edness is great,"
a. " The harvest is the end of the world," as Jesus said. Matt. 13: 39.
b.  "The harvest is ripe."
c.  "Wickedness is great." Earth's inhabitants have filled up the measure of their iniquity. (See Gen. 15: 16.)

Verse 14: "Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of de­cision."
a. Multitudes from the Orient. "That the way of the kings of the east might be prepared." Rev. 16: 12.
b. Multitudes from the Occident. "And he [Balaam] took up his par­able, and said, Alas, who shall live when God doeth this! And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim [the west]," Num. 24: 23, 24.
c. Throngs upon throngs, throngs upon throngs, are in the valley of Jehoshaphat. "Jehoshaphat" means "the judgment of God." This is Arma­geddon; this is " the day of the Lord."
Verse 15: By the immense numbers of the glorious, angelic host, " the sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shin­ing."
B.G.Wilkinson/1928