Gleanings from the Book of Joel: Part 1

Below is but a small measure of revelation that my father had received from the Lord. I hope this will be a blessing to you. All that is written below are the words of my father.

Gleanings from the Book of Joel: Part 1 

In loving memory of my father
Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett
July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023

9/17/20

This is Part 1 of a series of messages in which we will begin to look at the significance of the Book of Joel for us today. If you have your Bible, please turn to the Book of Joel, which contains a panoramic view of all of the history of God's chosen people and is prophetic of the end times in which we live. The reason why this is true is because human nature has never changed and God's purposes, plans, will, and ways have never changed. The Book of Joel, like all of the Bible, is a truly amazing book. We will see many examples of this amazing book as we look at its three chapters and 73 verses. One striking fact about the Book of Joel is that it has no specific indictment listing the offenses of the people.

The Lord made real to me parts of these messages some twenty years ago, but the Lord has gradually been evolving within me the impact of this specific word. The most recent revelation I received from the Lord concerning Joel came to me on the evening of September 9, 2020, just a week ago. I believe that this series of messages is one of the most timely and most critical or important words for the Body of Christ in this hour. I strongly encourage everyone, particularly pastors, to listen to all of these messages on the Book of Joel, which clarifies the pathway to the maturity of the Body of Christ and the soon coming of the Lord. Like any other principle, the Lord has written His truth in many different Scriptures, hoping that we would receive His truth in one way or another.

Before we get into the major part of this word, let us look at a little background of the Book of Joel. Joel calls almost every class of people to repentance, except for kings or royalty. Why? because the overcomers or the remnant have already repented in the same manner that Isaiah did in Isaiah 6 and therefore, they have attained to the spiritual stature of a kingdom of priests or the priests, the ministers of the Lord mentioned in Joel 2:17. The only reference to a natural king is in Chapter 3 when Jehoshaphat is mentioned as a past historical event, and then only with respect to his valley. Jehoshaphat means "the Lord has judged." Therefore, I believe that the reference to Jehoshaphat is really a reference to the judgment of God upon the nations. This book contains NO references to datable historical events. It is no surprise, therefore, that theologians do not agree as to the exact time of this writing, which is significant because the word of the Lord as contained in the Book of Joel is TIMELESS. The word looks forward to the time of the end and to the events that will usher in "the day of the Lord," which speaks of the second coming of the Lord. As such, the exhortations in this book are also TIMELESS, and apply to EVERY generation, not simply the end times in which we live.

By the phrase, the Last Joel, I mean those overcomers in the Church who will fulfill Joel 2:17, which verse we will look at in depth in a later message. We note that the Last Joel will be the fourteenth Joel, because the author of the Book of Joel was the 13th Joel. Here we see the same principle that we find in Matthew 1:12-17. That word says that from the carrying away into Babylon until Christ are 14 generations. But only 13 generations are listed. The 14th generation is the Body of Christ over all of time.

The company of believers who make up the Last Joel are known only by the Lord. In effect, the Last Joel was, is, and will be used by God to stir up spiritual Judah, to call those in Zion to repent, and to weep, pray and intercede, and fast before the Lord that His purposes and plans might be fulfilled in these end times. God's message to us through Joel is a call to repentance (Joel 1:1 - Joel 2:17), the promise of refreshing (Joel 2:18-32), a message of deliverance from the oppression of our enemies (Joel 3:1-17), and the promise of eternal blessing for God's People (Joel 3:18-21). It is important to note that the promise of refreshing is conditioned upon our repentance and intercession. That refreshing depends upon the fulfillment of Joel 2:17, "Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord weep between the porch and the altar...". Note the "THEN," in Joel 2:18, "Then will the Lord be jealous for His land, and pity His people." THEN means AFTER the priests, the ministers of the Lord weep between the porch and the altar. We will go into that truth in much more detail in a later message. It is worth noting that Joel 2:17 is exactly in the middle of the Book of Joel ... 36 verses before and 36 verses afterwards. That is an example of how we are called to co-labor with God. The first 36 verses of Joel are man's responsibility; the last 36 verses describe what God will do. There is absolutely nothing after Joel 2:17 that involves the work of any believer.

Joel speaks repeatedly of Zion (six times), the children of Zion (once), Judah and Jerusalem (twice), and the children of Judah and Jerusalem (three times). The Last Joel was and is to be used by God to open the eyes of those in Judah, Jerusalem, and Zion, which represent the "elect" of God's people, or those who have seen or have been allowed to see more light than the rest of Israel. The Lord knows that the Church today needs a fresh vision, a higher vision, for far too many of God's people are floundering in a vast "sea of religious mediocrity" and do not know it. This sea extends to all levels of Christianity.

The fact that nothing is known of Joel signifies that those who will be used and are being used by the Lord in these end times are likewise unknowns, a group of "nobodies." We should be grateful that we are also an unknown. I do not want to have a reputation with men. For if we please men, then we will not be a servant of Christ (Galatians 1:10).

The last Joel will be characterized by genuine meekness and humility as a result of a deep work of God within their spirit and soul. Other Spirit-developed qualities of the last Joel will include an understanding of the ways of the Lord, a genuine compassion for the Lord's people, and a holy boldness to speak His word even in places where they are not invited, not welcome, and not wanted. The Last Joel will get no applause from men ... only the applause from God. 

5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

7 But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men;

8 And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:5-8

Jesus made Himself of no reputation. Do we dare do any differently? Without meekness and humility, none of us will get very far as a minister of the Lord. Those two qualities MUST be wrought within us by the working of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said,

I am meek and lowly [i.e., humble] in heart. Matthew 11:29

Meekness and humility are not the same. Meekness is a quality of spirit. The word meek means gentle, mild, kind, or forbearing. It speaks of a broken spirit. As one good brother put it: "It is a spirit in which all the fight has been taken out - no more retaliation, self-defensiveness, or revenge. We are not born meek. We have to be divinely processed." Meek is not the same as weak. Meekness is the power of God which is under control of my spirit and soul. Humility is a quality of the mind. It requires a (constant) decision on our part. The standard teaching is that our soul consists of our mind (or intellect, which includes our memory, thinking, and reasoning), our emotions (or feelings), and our will (or decision-making capability). Our will MUST be in charge of our mind and emotions. Note, in Philippians 2:8, that Jesus humbled Himself! Peter said the same thing.

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. 1 Peter 5:6

We must do the same. If we want to be used by God, we must humble our self or else God will humble us through His ways, which will be far less comfortable for us.

As soon as we begin to make a name for our self, we are subject to increased pressures from the adversary, which will bring us down, unless there has been a deep work by the Holy Spirit within our spirit and soul. That was why the Lord worked on and within Moses for 40 years in the wilderness before He turned him loose to be used to deliver His people from bondage in Egypt. Look at all of the "great" men in the Bible and you will find the same pattern.

14 Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit:

15 And the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel. Amos 7:14-15

Amos says that he was no prophet, neither was he a prophet's son. Certainly, this reflects a deep humility on his part.

Finally, Jesus said that He will build His Church. He never said that man would build His Church. Of course, we are co-laborers with Him (1 Corinthians 3:9). Paul said,

6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7

The Lord brought to my mind that a few members of the Body of Christ have been designed by the Lord to be like a hand cultivator. My wife has two of them. They are hand garden tools, with 3 sharp prongs that are used to break up hard crusty clods of dirt, remove unwanted debris, and aerate the soil. We believers are very much like trees and like plants in a garden. We like to be planted, we like to be watered with a gentle rain, and we like warm sunshine. We like the pleasant parts of Christianity. Who doesn't like the blessings of God? Unfortunately, we do not like to be disturbed; we like to be comfortable. That is why we tend to surround ourselves with people who see things the same way we do. Very few of us like to be disturbed from our comfortable positions. Jesus came to afflict the comfortable and to comfort the afflicted.

To have our hard, crusty clods broken up and the debris removed with those long sharp prongs of a cultivator? OUCH! But all three of those functions of a hand cultivator are necessary for the healthy growth of plants. Indeed, the Lord told Jeremiah,

See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

Jeremiah 1:10

Note that the four "negative" functions must be done first. Even Esther was purified with bitter herbs before the sweet herbs (Esther 2:12). In this hour the Last Joel must do the same before the Lord will return the contents to the ark in the form of Aaron's rod that budded and the golden pot that had manna. No one can build or plant on debris. Now let us read 

Joel 1:1, "The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel." 

We need to hear what the Spirit is saying to us today from the prophet Joel and from his father, Pethuel. Please note that the book of Joel does NOT contain Joel's word, but the word of the Lord! We dare not dismiss lightly the word of the Lord. Hopefully, the word of a man is the same as the word of the Lord. We must be able to discern whether or not they are the same.

Note that the word of the Lord CAME to Joel. We see similar statements with other prophets. Scripture says that the word of the Lord came to Micah, to Zephaniah, to Haggai, and in effect to all of the true prophets of the Lord. Unless He comes to us, we cannot go to Him. When the Israelites came out of Egypt, the Lord rained down manna every day except for the Sabbath, the day of rest. It was the responsibility of each man to gather the manna each day for himself and his family. Likewise, it is the responsibility of each Christian father to gather the spiritual food each day that comes down from heaven for himself and his family. Moses did not gather the manna for all of the Israelites. I am sure you see the parallel for us Christians today.

From Job 11:7, "Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?"

Jesus said, in John 6:44, "No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day."

In 1 Samuel 3:1, we read, "And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious [or rare] in those days; there was no open vision." 

We live in a day when the word of the LORD is also precious or rare. Why? because there is no open vision. As we will see shortly, there is a real relationship between vision and the Word of the Lord. Unfortunately, as Jesus said, a prophet has no honor in his own country or in his own house (Matthew 13:57). That, at least partially, explains why many pastors are not open to prophetic ministry in their churches. I have seen that up close a number of times. From my experience, very few churches have any true prophetic ministry in their midst. As we will see shortly, that is one reason for the lack of spiritual development in the visible church.

There are two ways that men can develop or put together a scriptural message for God's chosen people ... by preparation or by inspiration. It is easy to prepare a twenty-minute sermon for every Sunday morning. All it takes is a Bible, a concordance, and perhaps a few hours. Many years ago, a good brother, who had much spiritual understanding and with whom I enjoyed many hours of fellowship, told me about an experience that he once had. He said he was invited to speak or minister to a church in Africa for about five days. He said that he carefully prepared five or six messages that he thought would edify the people. After the five days concluded, the people begged him to stay longer, which he accepted, but he had no more prepared teachings. He said that he actually stayed another two weeks, ministering to the believers in that church.

For those last two weeks he had to depend on the inspiration of the Holy Spirit because he had no time to prepare what he might say. I am certain that the last two weeks produced much more fruit in the lives of those believers. That reminds me of a little saying I heard long ago. How long does it take to prepare a good sermon? about 40 years. When men allow the Lord to work His nature and character within them, the river of life will flow easily to others and produce much fruit. We must minister to others from our experience ... from that which the Lord has made flesh within us. The apostle John said, in 

1 John 1:1-4, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full."

The Lord can teach us more in five minutes than any man can in five days. In Luke 24, after the resurrection of Jesus, He appeared to two disciples on the road to Emmaus. In Verse 27 of Luke 24, we read, 

"And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself." 

In a relatively short period of time Jesus expounded in ALL the scriptures the things concerning Himself. Amazing!

The apostle John also said, in 1 John 2:26-27,

"These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him." 

The apostle Paul said the same thing, in Galatians 1.

11 "But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.

12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

17 Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.

18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.

19 But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother."

Now some might say, "But brother, I am not an apostle like John or Paul." That may be true ... neither am I like John or Paul. We are all unique. But God is no respecter of persons. God certainly desires for all of His chosen people to be taught of or by the Lord. Although I have heard many good teachings in the past 53 years, I am fully aware that only the Lord has taught me.

Isaiah 54:13, "And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children."

"Joel" means "the Lord is God," so the name has the same significance as "Elijah." Thirteen men mentioned in the Bible are named Joel. The first person named Joel in the Bible was the first son of Samuel (1 Samuel 8:2). The last Joel mentioned in the Bible is called the son of Pethuel.

Nothing is known of this 13th Joel except what is stated in Joel 1:1. He has sometimes been called "The Anonymous Prophet." Scripture is silent concerning his birthplace, training, and background, other than the fact that he was the son of Pethuel. But no one knows who Pethuel was either. "Pethuel" means "enlarged of God, or vision of God." The name comes from a root word which means "to open the eyes." The most important word I want to share in this message concerns the relationship between Joel and Pethuel. That relationship is what came to me from the Lord last Wednesday evening. When that word came to me, I became very excited ... perhaps more so than any time this year. It is amazing how much truth is hidden in the written word of God. We Christians cannot see the real significance of the Word of God until the Holy Spirit reveals it to us.

Deuteronomy 29:29, "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law."

Now concerning the relationship between Joel and Pethuel. There is NO secret in the natural realm concerning their relationship. Joel was the son of Pethuel. The Last Joel is a company of mature sons of God. We Christians tend to read Scripture almost like a newspaper or magazine. I dare say that when most Christians read Joel 1:1, and many other such verses in the Bible, we just almost yawn and keep reading, with an attitude of OK, ho-hum. One question we might ask is why that verse does not mention the mother of Joel. Whoever Joel's mother was does not enter the picture concerning the significance of that verse. What I heard last Wednesday evening was that out from God's vision, or the vision of God, is birthed prophetic revelation. Let me repeat that. What is birthed from the spiritual vision of God is prophetic revelation. In other words, where there is no vision the people perish, or the people are made naked (Proverbs 29:18). We might add that where there is little vision the people are weak and sickly and many sleep (1 Corinthians 11:30). Why are many weak and sickly and many sleep? The answer is found in 1 Corinthians 11:29 ... not discerning the Lord's body. My vision is too small. Your vision is too small.

Numbers 11:29, "And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD'S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put His spirit upon them!"

1 Samuel 9:9, "(Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.)" 

Have you ever noticed the first verse in five of the books of the so-called "minor" prophets? Five, of course, symbolizes the grace of God.

The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jereboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. Amos 1:1

The vision of Obadiah ... Obadiah 1:1

The word of the Lord that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. Micah 1:1

The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

Nahum 1:1

The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see. Habakkuk 1:1

Five of these minor prophets were allowed by the Lord to SEE something that the Lord wanted them to convey to His people. In reality, all of the prophets in the Old Testament "saw" something of the Lord. Daniel saw the hand writing on the wall. Isaiah saw the Lord, in Isaiah 6. Ezekiel saw many things concerning the state of the chosen people of God. Job and Zechariah saw that which the Lord wanted them to see.

The fact that Pethuel birthed Joel says that spiritual vision comes before prophetic revelation. About six months ago I shared a word about vision on this website. I mentioned a circular diagram I found myself drawing many long years ago. That diagram gave a simple overview of the steps involved as the Word of God becomes flesh in our lives. The first step is vision, followed by hearing, faith, obedience, righteousness, holiness, and the Word becomes flesh. We can read about all of those steps in the Book of Romans, the first book of right doctrine.

Let us recall what happened with Adam and Eve after they sinned and disobeyed God by partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In the Garden of Eden we see the first example of a lack of spiritual vision. The serpent came to Eve and gave her half-truths and lies, one of which was that if they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, their eyes would be opened. When they ate the fruit of the forbidden tree their eyes were indeed opened. However, they were opened to behold themselves. They exchanged the true spiritual vision for a natural vision. As a result, they saw that they were naked. They had no spiritual covering.

It is vital that we understand that ALL things come from God. No man can see the Lord or the ways of the Lord unless He opens our spiritual eyes. No man can hear unless the Lord gives us spiritual ears to hear. From Deuteronomy 29, Verses 2-4,

2 And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land;

From Verse 2, all Israel had seen glimpses of the glory of God with their natural eyes. They had seen many miracles from the hand of the Lord, not the least of which was their deliverance from their captivity and bondage in Egypt.

3 The great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles:

4 Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.

Why did the Lord not give all Israel a heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear? because of their hard heart, their murmuring and complaining, because they were idolaters, because they tempted Christ, because they lusted after evil things, because they committed fornication ... in other words because they no longer trusted the Lord but were only self-seeking.

However, one man was the exception to the failures of the rest of the Israelites. His name was Moses. Later, two more men were exceptions. Their names were Joshua and Caleb, both of whom were young boys when the Israelites came out of Egypt. Moses was the man of vision. He also is considered the greatest prophet in Judaism. I have believed for many long years that the greatest function of a prophet is not to prophesy but rather to help to elevate the vision of God's chosen people.

Exodus 19:3-8, "And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;

4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto Myself.

5 Now therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people: for all the earth is Mine:

6 And ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

7 And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him.

8 And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD."

We must emphasize the "if" in Verse 5. AFTER we are born again (Verse 4) all of our further spiritual development depends upon "IF we obey the Lord's voice and keep His covenant" THEN we shall become a kingdom of priests ... priests after the order of Melchizedek. "If we obey His voice." How many times must we obey His voice? every time. That, of course, requires us to hear His voice, not the voice of men. However, even though all of the people said they would do ALL that the Lord speaks, we know that was just idle words which came forth from their natural emotions. In reality, the people murmured and complained in the wilderness for 40 years. Why? because they had no vision ... because they simply relied on the vision that Moses received. In effect they did not believe or trust God. But it all started because they did not have their own, personal vision of God.

Later, in Exodus 20:19, "And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die." 

Then in Exodus 24:18 we read, "And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights." 

Moses was communing with God and received the two tables of Testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.

The downward spiral of the Israelites then reached its lowest ebb, as recorded in Exodus 32. On the evening of the 40th day when Moses received the Ten Commandments, all of the Israelites committed their worst possible sin. They lost their patience. They said, "we don't know what has happened with Moses." So they told Aaron "make us gods, which shall go before us." So Aaron submitted to the will of the people (a democratic spirit) and fashioned a golden calf. Aaron told the people, "These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt." Not only did they make a golden calf but they worshipped it and sacrificed unto it. Then, in

Exodus 32:9-10, "And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: Now therefore let Me alone, that My wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation."

However, because of the intercession of Moses, the Lord repented of the evil which He thought to do unto His people.

All of that scenario is being repeated within the visible church today. Today the pastors of too many churches do not have God's vision. There are only a few Pethuels, therefore there are only a few Joels, and little prophetic revelation. The word of the Lord is precious or rare today. Some pastors seem to believe that all they need to do is to teach the word of God and that will result in the maturity of the flock. Scripture shows us that is not true. Just consider Paul, perhaps the best teacher over all of time, except for Jesus of course. He taught the church at Ephesus for three years and did not shun to declare all the counsel of God. But less than one generation later that church was on the verge of having their candlestick removed because they had left their first love. Paul, of course was not disobedient to the heavenly vision which he had received. Paul said, in 

Acts 20:29-31, "For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears."

I have seen that same thing happen in my lifetime. How did Paul know that? because the believers at Ephesus had been trusting in Paul, the only man who had a heavenly vision. The rest of the church could only agree with a doctrine. Therefore, their house was built on sand. When the only man with a vision departs for a season, the house crumbles.

Is it possible that today's church is even more apostate that the Israelites when they came out of Egypt? Today, many churches pay their pastor a comfortable salary to tell them what the Lord is saying. Many pastors and teachers have become multi-millionaires from their salaries, offerings, and from selling their wares. One such "name-it-and-claim-it" teacher is reportedly worth 760 million dollars. A number of them have their own private jets and million-dollar houses. Are these golden calves? gods of gold? What was the salary of Moses?

But now the real question is ... how do we receive that heavenly vision? The same way that we receive anything from the Lord. Further, if we have been granted the privilege to see and walk in God's vision, what do we do next? The answers are given to us by the example of Moses.

The answers are also in the Book of Joel, which we will see in our next messages. Lord, open our eyes that we may see You! Lord, we need Your heavenly vision. Amen.