Gleanings from the Book of Joel: Part 2
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| In loving memory of my father Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023 |
In our previous message we looked at an overview of the Book of Joel. As a brief review from that message ... Joel, Chapter 1 and Verse 1 says, "The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel." No one knows anything about Joel except that he was the son of Pethuel, but no one knows anything about Pethuel either. The Book of Joel gives a panoramic view of the history of God's chosen people and is prophetic of the last days in which we live. That is because human nature has never changed. Joel was the 13th man in the Bible by that name.
However, the Lord is in the process of raising up the Last Joel, the 14th Joel, which is a company of believers who will fulfill Joel 2:17 in these last days. "Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar ..." We will look at that verse in great detail in a later message. The name "Joel" means "the Lord is God;" the name "Pethuel" means "enlarged of God" or "God's vision." It comes from a root word that means "to open the eyes." Just as Pethuel birthed Joel in the natural realm, it is out of a heavenly vision, or God's vision imparted to us that prophetic revelation comes forth. There is a great need today for an enlarged vision of God ... Who He is, His purpose, His plan to bring about His purpose, His will, and His ways. We used the example of Moses and his relationship with the chosen people of God to help us to understand the great need in the church today for that heavenly vision.
At the end of that message last week we asked two questions: (1) How do we receive that heavenly vision? And (2) If we have been counted worthy to receive that heavenly vision, what do we do next? I did not answer either question, but I believe the answers will become quite clear as we journey through the Book of Joel. The same answers are available to us through the example of Moses.
When Paul was on trial in Rome, he said, in
Acts 26:19-20, "Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: But shewed [or declared] first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance."
Most professing Christians have a vision but few have the vision, that heavenly vision. The Lord told the prophet Habakkuk (in Habakkuk 2:2) to write THE vision and make it plain upon tables ... the tables of men's hearts ... that he may run that readeth it. The vision is the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Of course there is a huge message about the heavenly vision. Unfortunately, few ministers have written the vision and even fewer have read it or run with it. We may have read it in the natural sense, but that word has seldom been made flesh within us. But no man should run until he has read that heavenly vision.
That principle is also declared in 2 Samuel 18:19-29, which speaks of Cushi and Ahimaaz, both of whom ran to tell David what had happened with David's son, Absalom. Ahimaaz, the only son of Zadok, ran with news but he had seen nothing; despite Zadok's decree, Ahimaaz ran anyway. Ahimaaz means "brother of closed eyes." He had not yet received that heavenly vision. Zadok told his son, Ahimaaz, that he should not run that day but that he would bear good tidings another day. When is "that day?" Today. Ezekiel 44:15 speaks of the sons, plural, the ministers of the Lord. This is the day when they shall run, because now they have seen something ... they have seen that heavenly vision. That is another message for today. Far too many of those in leadership positions in the church today are like Ahimaaz ... they are running to tell the news but they have seen nothing.
In this message we want to look at Verses 2, 3, and 4 of Joel, Chapter 1. There are at least 10 or 12 messages in those 3 verses. If you have your Bible, please turn to the Book of Joel as we now continue in Joel, Chapter 1 and Verse 2,
"Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?"
"Hear this" is stated as a command! It also carries with it a sense of urgency. In truth, we live in urgent times! The end of the ages is upon us! It is true that God is sovereign and that He has His timetable for all things. But we as believers also have a responsibility! Our responsibility is to hear that which the Spirit is saying and to obey His voice. One of the common words to each of the seven churches in the book of Revelation is:
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
He that hath an ear ... that word is not written to non-Christians. It is written to born-again believers in Christ, God's chosen people. How do we receive a hearing ear? The first step involves repentance ... repentance because we are a human being. That is what happened to the great prophet Isaiah as recorded in Isaiah, Chapter 6.
Unfortunately, even for those who have an ear to hear, far too few of the Lord's people want to take the time to wait before Him to hear what He is saying. That is why so many thousands have flocked to so-called "prophetic conferences" and paid their entry fee. It is much easier and more comfortable just to hear what the Lord is saying through the pastor every Sunday morning. But isn't the Lord amazing? It is the love of God that has allowed this coronavirus to keep us shut in, hoping that we will hear what the Spirit is saying.
The old men represent those who have heard and experienced much in the Lord. Although "old men" does not necessarily signify elders, elders would certainly be included. Even those who have been baptized in the Holy Spirit and have been leaders in the Church for many long years need to hear what the Spirit is saying through the Last Joel.
From Joel 1:2, ALL the inhabitants of the land are exhorted to hear this word. What is the land? the Promised Land. This word applies to every professing Christian. Unfortunately, to repeat, not every professing Christian has an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying. We have too much wax in our ears. Therefore, let those in spiritual Zion hear what the Lord is saying. That which the Zion of today is called to do is beyond the current comprehension and calling of the rest of the Church. A trumpet is sounding in Zion, but those who live outside of Jerusalem are too far away to hear that trumpet call.
Joel, Verse 2 asks the question, Hath this been in your days or even in the days of your fathers? The implied answer is "No." The world is going from darkness to gross darkness. The current coronavirus plague is just one more event that signifies the coming of the Lord is near. We have not been this way before. We have not yet experienced the tribulation and persecution that is coming upon the earth.
Sometime in the summer of 2003 the Lord began opening up to me the prophetic significance of 1 Samuel 4. That was a time when "the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision" (1 Samuel 3:1). We live in a similar time today. On February 10, 2004, the Lord woke me up at about 3 a.m. and began to expand upon that word. I knew it was a word for me personally, and I know it is a word for every ministry that has any degree of spiritual discernment. Next, over a period of three days between April 6 and April 8 of 2004, I began to hear the significance of "the Last Joel," a title that the Lord made clear to me.
Then, early on Easter morning, April 11, the Lord began adding some more meat to the same word. The "addition" has to do with the relationship of physical diseases and disabilities within His ministers and spiritual conditions within the Church. I will not go into detail on that addition, other than to say that I was made aware that a number of mature men of God, who had the same general ministry, also apparently had the same physical disability.
The following description of human cells is paraphrased from the book, "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made," by Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey.
In our physical bodies, all of our cells are chemically almost alike. But our cells are visually and functionally as different as the animals in a zoo. Red blood cells voyage through our blood loaded with oxygen to feed the other cells. Muscle cells, which absorb much of that nourishment, are full of coiled energy. Cartilage cells look like bunches of black-eyed peas glued tightly together for strength. Fat cells seem lazy, like bulging white plastic garbage bags jammed together. Bone cells live in rigid structures that exude strength. Skin cells form wavy patterns of softness and texture that give shape and beauty to our bodies. Sex cells in a woman's body are the largest of cells. The nerve cell is the king of all cells, with spider-like axons or wires that carry distant messages to and from the human brain. Our white blood cells are the armed forces of the body which guard against invaders. Like hounds on the scent of a fox, they home in from all directions to the point of attack. In the body's economy, the death of a single white cell is of little consequence. Most only live several days or weeks, and in addition to the fifty billion active ones prowling the adult body, a backup force 100 times as large lies in reserve in the bone marrow.
The Body of Christ is a collection of people as diverse as the cells in the human body. Christ's Body comprises an unlikely assortment of humans, for we are decidedly unlike one another and (to some degree) unlike the One we follow. Although the author of the book I just referenced does not say so, I believe that our white cells represent intercessors in the Body of Christ who do spiritual battle against the forces of darkness. This is perhaps the major word in the Book of Joel, as we will see in Joel 2:17 in a later message.
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16
We have been aware not only of a number of similar ministries who have had the same, potentially life-threatening disease, but also that an unusual number of young men and ministers have gone to be with the Lord. Either the Body of Christ has a deficiency of the number of intercessors or, more likely, too many of the intercessors are asleep and not functioning the way they should. There is absolutely NO question in my mind but what the Church needs today is for more of the white cells to function. There is a sense of urgency! That is why the word "Awake" is such an urgent word to those who have ears to hear.
I went back to sleep around 6 a.m. on April 11 and the Lord gave me a dream. In the end times, "your old men shall dream dreams" (Joel 2:28). In the dream I was sitting in a rather large assembly of charismatic Christians. I did not know anyone at that gathering. At the beginning of the meeting a woman stood up and gave an impassioned, personal plea for spiritual help. I do not know the specifics of her request other than it was a heart-felt cry for someone, anyone to help her in her situation. When she finished, there was silence in the assembly for what seemed like a long time, although in reality it was probably no more than one or two minutes. One or two minutes of silence in a charismatic assembly seems like a very long time! The silence seemed to indicate that either no one knew how to help her or that no one wanted to be bothered. At that point, sensing that I could and should help the woman, I stood up, carrying my Bible, and walked toward the front of the large room where the believers had assembled, looking for whoever was "in charge" of the meeting. Since I did not know any of the believers who were present, I had difficulty locating the "elder in charge," although I believed it was one of three men that I saw. One of those three men then went over to a raised platform where a number of musicians were seated. So I went over to that man and told him that "I have the word of the Lord for this assembly." (The word was directly related to the woman's plea for spiritual help.) The musicians had already started playing so I had difficulty hearing the man's response to me, particularly since he spoke in a rather low voice. So I repeated that "I have the word of the Lord." Again, the man (elder in charge?) said something to me in a low voice. I could hear that he mentioned my name, which was somewhat of a surprise because I had never seen that man before in my life. I believe the essence of what he said to me was, "Mr. Padgett, we cannot allow you to speak." Then I woke up from the dream. When I woke up, I immediately received the interpretation of the dream. The woman who had made the impassioned plea for spiritual help represents the body of Christ. It is significant that in my dream NO ONE actually helped the woman!
Again, in my dream, I had a word from the Lord that would address the woman's sufferings and bondage, but the "religious system" did not allow me to speak. The woman's plea for help and deliverance from her bondage and sufferings reminds me of the time of Moses.
23 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.Exodus 2:23-25
Then God released Moses, whom He had been preparing for 40 years, and sent him to be used as the human deliverer for His people. But God never released Moses until the people cried out to God. Why did it take the Israelites 400 years before they cried out to God? because at least four (new) generations had grown up in bondage and never knew there was a better way! They thought their life of suffering and bondage was "normal" UNTIL the suffering became unbearable. How many years will it take before the Last Joel cries out to God on behalf of the church for deliverance?
The Lord also reminded me of a "Lay Witness Mission" I went to in the mid 1970's in a Methodist Church in Chester, Pennsylvania. On Sunday mornings, instead of a "sermon" the coordinator (leader) of the Lay Witness Mission usually gave his/her personal testimony of how the Lord had apprehended him/her. Everyone was seated that morning as we sang the hymn right before the time for the "sermon." As the congregation sang the second verse of that hymn, a few of the members of that local Methodist Church stood up, raised their hands into the air, and started praising the Lord. More did the same, such that at least half of the people there were standing, arms upraised, and praising the Lord. When the hymn was over, the coordinator, who was a good man who loved the Lord and who was a personal friend of mine, took that service right back into the normal routine. He stood up and gave his personal testimony of how the Lord had apprehended him. I remember that I groaned in my spirit. The Holy Spirit was beginning to move in that Methodist Church but the coordinator quenched the Spirit by going right back into the usual routine. We will never know what we missed that morning!
The same thing happened in my dream Easter morning, April 11, 2004. The Lord wanted to do something in that meeting, but the elder in charge took the meeting right back into the usual routine. The musicians started playing their three fast songs, which is customary in our charismatic meetings. Why? because just like the Israelites in Exodus 2, the people of God don't know there is a better way, a way that is truly led by the Holy Spirit. More specifically, nothing is more scary than the Holy Ghost beginning to take over and the person who has been in charge suddenly not knowing what is happening next. It takes an adjustment, like Peter walking on water. What it takes is ... faith. Structure, organization, and control are much easier, much more manageable, and much more predictable. And, if I may be blunt, much more financially secure.
Eli is a type of the religious system (both man-made and man-controlled). Hannah is a type of the true Church. Samuel is a type of the overcomer or man child which is birthed by the grace of God and from the intercession of Hannah. Hophni and Phineas, the two sons of Eli (the religious system) parallel the Protestant and Catholic churches, respectively. Hophni means "strong." Phineas means "the mouth of a serpent." I believe that Phineas is a type of the Catholic church (with their hierarchical system of the pope, cardinals, bishops, priests, etc.) not only because of the meaning of the name, which is more sinister, but because the judgment that fell on Phineas was more severe than that upon Hophni. There is no record in Scripture as to whether Hophni was married or not; but the wife of Phineas also died the same day that Eli, Hophni, and Phineas died. That was the fulfillment of a prophecy given to Eli by a man of God in 1 Samuel 2:34. The ark of God was also taken by the Philistines. Before the wife of Phineas died she prophesied,
The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken. 1 Samuel 4:22
The wife of Phineas represents those true believers within the Catholic church who have some relationship with the Lord because her prophecy was a true prophecy. However, the wife of Phineas is caught up in a system dominated by authoritarian structure, control by men, fear and bondage. We also need to intercede for the modern-day wife of Phineas.
Those were indeed distressful times for Israel. In like manner, we live today in times of stress and distress, not only in the world, but also within the Church. The verses in 1 Samuel 4, like all other Scripture, are prophetic of the time in which we live. Those believers within the religious system today (which includes not only the Catholic church and Protestant denominations, but also most non-denominational, charismatic churches, mega-churches, "Bible" churches, and house churches) are likewise in great stress and distress, due to many factors, not the least of which is the lack of sight and insight on the part of the "leaders" of those churches. By sight and insight I mean vision and prophetic revelation. The manifestation of the glory is still departed from (spiritual) Israel.
Joel 1:3, "Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation."
Tell your children, what? What is "it?" "It" is what follows in Joel 1:4. "It" is the plagues that will cover the land in which we live if we disobey the Lord.
Deuteronomy 11:18-28, "Therefore shall ye lay up these My words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.
19 And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.20 And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates:21 That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.22 For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to cleave unto Him;
Have Christian fathers fulfilled Verses 18-22? Or have Christian fathers just left the teaching of our children to Sunday School teachers, where the children listen to some nice stores about Noah's ark, Daniel in the Lion's den, and sing "Jesus loves all the little children?" Have Christian fathers, by our actions, said "let the church teach us and our children?" The result of our decision if we walk in those verses in Deuteronomy 11:18-20.
23 Then will the LORD drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves.
Please note the IF-THEN relationship in Verses 22 and 23. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of If-Then verses in the Bible. Many professing Christians are waiting for the Lord to do something. For example, many Christians may have prayed that the Lord would take away this current epidemic. But the Lord is waiting on us to do something. That truth is clearly brought out in Isaiah 30:18-26, which contains another If-Then. We will see that same If-Then later in Joel 2:17 and 18.
24 Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be.25 There shall no man be able to stand before you: for the LORD your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as He hath said unto you.26 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;27 A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day:28 And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known."
Joel 1:4 That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten.
Is Verse 4 a blessing or a curse? The four insects mentioned above are NOT four different insects but rather four stages of one insect ... the locust. Who or what is that locust? The force of our adversary. The palmerworm is the gnawer; the locust is the swarmer; the cankerworm is the devourer; and the caterpillar is the consumer. This clearly states a progression in destruction. But a destruction of what? A destruction of the trees of the field that clap their hands.
Our adversary gradually has been pulling the Church down to the same condition as the world. Many in the Church today have adopted the ways of the world. Many churches look and act like a worldly corporation, with a CEO (senior pastor) at the top of the structure. I attended a church for 18 months that had that type of structure. Rock music and a "be-bop" beat has infiltrated our churches. Far too many pastors beg for money, which is used to satisfy their own fleshy desires to build their church.
2 And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed My voice: why have ye done this?3 Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. Judges 2:2-3They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 1 Timothy 6:9And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken. Isaiah 8:15
The Washington Post, April 16, 2004, had an article titled "A Plague of Locusts Infests Australia." The article said that billions of locusts were swarming across parts of Australia, primarily the country's major cities, Melbourne and Adelaide, where most people live.
It is also of some significance that the so-called 17-year locusts (or cicadas) are scheduled to emerge around the middle of May, 2021. The timing of the Lord! Periodical cicadas feed on sap in tree roots. Over a period of time, many such cicadas could completely suck all of the sap out of a tree. An entomologist at the Smithsonian Institution stated (The Washington Post, page A12, March 28, 2004) that "there will be billions and billions around" the Washington, DC, area. "The emergence will be heaviest in areas with lots of mature trees." Another cicada expert said that "they are more densely numbered in urban areas than out in the woods in many cases, in part because nothing is more appealing to a female cicada than a young tree standing by itself on a lawn."
The males cluster into "chorusing centers" in trees, trying to attract the interest of a female. What prophetic significance is built into these 17-year cicadas! Our adversary likewise tries to suck all of the life (sap) out of the trees of the Lord. The destruction becomes increasingly more severe over each 17-year period. A young tree standing by itself is most vulnerable; young believers, particularly need the support of the body of Christ. What kind of support? They need to hear the pure truth of that heavenly vision, the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ the Gospel or good news.
The loud noise of the males reminds me of several gatherings in charismatic churches I have attended, where many in leadership positions want to be seen and heard, resulting in a work of the flesh, which the Lord will never honor. That loud noise also reminds me of the opposite kind of voice. A still, small voice that came to Elijah, as recorded in 1 Kings 9:9-18. That event came after Elijah had run from the threat of a woman, the false prophetess Jezebel, who vowed to kill Elijah.
9 And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?
Prior to that point in time, Elijah had always only done what the Lord told him to do and had only gone where the Lord told him to go. So the Lord was saying, "What are you doing here, Elijah? I never sent you here."
10 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
That verse is in the process of being repeated in today's church.
11 And He said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?
Although this was the first mistake that Elijah made, he still could recognize the voice of the Lord.
14 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken that the fat of rams.
Although Elijah's motivation was good, he really did not trust the Lord but let his carnal reasoning rule him. Then the Lord said to Elijah, in Verse 18,
18 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.
In our previous message we stated that the name "Joel" means the same thing as the name "Elijah." It means that the Lord Jesus Christ is God.
Now the question arises ... who wants to be part of the 7000 nobodies that we know nothing about? Who desires to receive that heavenly vision? How do we receive that heavenly vision? Who wants to be obedient to that heavenly vision? Who wants to hear that still, small voice? Who wants to be a priest, a minister of the Lord rather than a priest who ministers to the house? What is the Lord looking for the priests, the ministers of the Lord, to do in this hour? These are all questions that we hope to answer as we continue our journey through the Book of Joel. May the Lord give us ears to hear and a heart to obey what the Spirit is saying to us today. Amen.
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