The Last Joel (Revised Edition)

This book is the seventh of my father's books, written in 2004 (Revised Edition). I hope this will be a blessing to you. All that is written below are my father's words.

Acknowledgments 

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

We are deeply indebted to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for allowing us to experience and understand a small measure of His Truth, as written in the Word and as revealed by the Holy Spirit. NO man can understand the Word of God or the ways of God unless they are revealed to him by His Spirit.  

 

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14

 

I would also like to acknowledge my wife, Linda, who provided me with great encouragement and support. She also gave me her valuable comments for improvement. 
 
All verses quoted herein are taken from the Authorized or King James' version, except as specifically noted at the appropriate places.
 
Permission is freely given to anyone to copy all or parts of this book and to distribute this word in any way that you desire to whomever you desire, PROVIDED that you do so without any monetary remuneration. The word of God is free. "Freely you have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:8). 

The Unfolding: Volume 7

This book represents the seventh in a series of books centered around the unfolding of the word of God and the revelation or manifestation or unfolding of His great grace and glory.

 

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

 

For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Luke 12:2

 

God has revealed more of Himself and His word over the years. But there is coming a time when God is going to roll everything back up into Himself. A possible analogy is that of unrolling a scroll so as to read what is written thereon and then rolling the scroll back up. That was the inspiration for the front and back covers of this book and for those volumes in the series yet to come.

 

And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll ... Isaiah 34:4

 

God's purpose is to manifest His glory. Everything is designed to show forth the glory of God.

 

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. Isaiah 40:5

 

Some verses that clearly show that God has chosen to reveal more of Himself and His word over a period of time are:

 

Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you. 1 Peter 1:20

 

But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets. Romans 3:21

 

The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing. Hebrews 9:8

 

Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. Ephesians 3:5

 

God's revelation, by His Spirit, is not simply TO us, but WITHIN us. The Word of God must become flesh. For example,

 

15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by His grace,

16 To reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood. Galatians 1:15-16

 

26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints:

27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:26-27

 

There is still more that God intends to reveal of His glory.

 

Father, glorify Thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. John 12:28

 

For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. Romans 8:19

 

But there will come a time when God folds everything back up.  Many believers sense the folding up is near at hand.

 

And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed ... 

Hebrews 1:12

 

And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.   

1 Corinthians 15:28

 

"For our God is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:29), and everything shall be consumed by the fire of His Spirit, that God may be all in all.

 

The eleven books in this series so far are:

 

Volume 1:   The Love of a Man for His Wife

Volume 2:   In the Beginning

Volume 3:   A Sure Foundation

Volume 4:   Let Us Go On

Volume 5:   Children Have You Any Meat?

Volume 6:   Discerning Things That Differ

Volume 7:   The Last Joel (Revised Edition)

Volume 8:   Marriage Principles for Christians: A Journey of Love

Volume 9:   Restoration

Volume 10: The He Goats Before the Flocks

Volume 11: Understanding the Times 

Foreword

         

I believe that “The Last Joel” is one of the most timely, most critical words for the Body of Christ in this hour. The Lord made real to me parts of this book some forty-three years ago. But the Lord has gradually been evolving within me the impact of this specific word. After this gestation period, it is time for this word to be re-birthed. This word is primarily, but not exclusively, for all intercessors and those in leadership positions within the Church. The company of believers who make up the last Joel are known only to the Lord. The last Joel has been given an understanding of the ways of the Lord and has had wrought within them a heart of compassion for the Lord’s people. Two characteristics of the last Joel are meekness and humility.

 

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 I allow to control 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 above, 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 degree of humility on his part. Moreover, Amos’ words reflect one small part of the ways of the Lord. For in every age, including these end times, the Lord has chosen to use unknowns ... a group of nobodies.

 

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13

 

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).

 

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

 

As I was meditating on the Last Joel, the Lord brought the above Scriptures to mind. He also 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. And 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. You cannot build or plant on debris. You have probably all heard the saying that “Jesus came to afflict the comfortable and to comfort the afflicted.” There is much truth to that.
 
Chapters 5, 8, and 9 herein are NOT the main thrust of this word. Those Chapters have been added ONLY for the sake of completeness. Indeed we believe that Joel, Chapter 3, which occupies our Chapters 8 and 9, is “down the road” a ways. We have NO word from the Lord as to how far down the road that may be, but the time is short.
 
A few of you may have some difficulty with the types that are used in this book, including those of plants and trees, as above. Many years ago one of the local elders in the New Testament house church of which we were a part said that I spoke in parables. That has never been my intention. That is just the way God has fashioned me. May the Lord bless you as you read and meditate on The Last Joel.  And may the Spirit of God quicken to you the spirit in which this book was written.

Chapter 1: Introduction

 

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

 

Please note that the book of Joel does NOT contain Joel’s word, but the word of the Lord! “Joel” means “the Lord is God,” so the name has the same significance as “Elijah.” There are 14 men mentioned in the Bible 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 (Joel 1:1 and Acts 2:16). Nothing is known of this last Joel except what is stated in Joel 1:1, the opening verse of the book of Joel. 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.” This book contains NO references to datable historical events. In addition, Joel calls almost every class of people to repentance, except for kings or royalty. The only reference to a 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 we believe that the reference to Jehoshaphat is really a reference to the judgment of God upon the nations. Theologians also do not agree as to the exact time of this writing, which is significant because the word of the last 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.”

 

Significance for today:

 

The book of Joel is prophetic of the end times in which we live. In effect, this last Joel was, is, and will be used by God to stir up spiritual Judah, to call those in spiritual 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. Note the “THEN,” below. THEN means AFTER we repent.

 

Then will the Lord be jealous for His land, and pity His people. Joel 1:18

 

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). Joel was and is to be used by God to open the eyes of those in Judah, Jerusalem, and Zion, which represent the “elite” 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. We need to hear what the Spirit is saying to us today from the prophet Joel, the last Joel.

 

The fact that nothing is known of this last 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.” 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.

Chapter 2: A Sense of Urgency 

 

Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Joel 1:2

 

“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 have a responsibility also! Our responsibility is to hear that which the Spirit is saying and to obey His voice. Unfortunately, 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 flock to “prophetic conferences” and pay their entry fee. It is much easier and more comfortable just to hear what the Lord is saying through the pastor every Sunday morning. One of the few 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.

Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29, and 3:6, 13, 22

 

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.

 

The land referenced here is undoubtedly Judah. Judah, which means praise, represents those who are baptized in the Holy Spirit.  That which the Judah of today is called to do is beyond the current comprehension and calling of the rest of the Church.

 
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, 2004, 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 have the same general ministry, also have (apparently) the same physical disability. (See Appendix 2: Prayer and Intercession).

 

The following description of human cells is paraphrased from the book, “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made,” by Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey. I highly recommend reading that book.

 

“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) the One we follow. Although the author of the book referenced above 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.

 

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16

 

And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. Revelation 19:8

 

We have been aware not only of a number of similar ministries who have 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!
 
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 Spirit-filled (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. 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!  Further, the one person who could help the woman was not allowed by the leadership to speak forth the word of God.

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.

 

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 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, as one good brother put it, “There is nothing 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.” Returning to last summer: 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. 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. The world is going from darkness to gross darkness. Those believers within the religious system today (which includes not only the Catholic church and Protestant denominations, but also most non-denominational, even Spirit-filled churches, mega-churches at every level, “Bible” churches, etc.) 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. The manifestation of the glory is still departed from (spiritual) Israel.

 

I heard the Spirit say that the judgment of God will begin to descend upon the modern-day Eli, Hophni, and Phineas in a devastating way. Part of this judgment for the Catholic church most likely will include the death of the pope, which will surprise no one. That in itself will be no semi-death blow to the Catholic church because the cardinals will assemble in the Vatican and go through their same highly politically charged procedure of electing another pope. However, what would happen to the Catholic church if, when the cardinals assemble, an earthquake or a terrorist attack kills all of them? There would be chaos within the Catholic church. (I am NOT saying, thus sayeth the Lord that this will be the specific act of devastation; only a possibility.) A good brother told me that the Vatican has a room which contains on the walls a picture of all of the popes from the very beginning. The brother told me that there is no more room on the walls for the picture of another pope! A sign of the times?

Chapter 3: The Snares of the Adversary

 

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. Joel 1:4

 

The four insects mentioned above are NOT four different insects but rather four stages of one insect ... the locust. 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.

 

Significance for today:

 

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. 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 2:2-3

 

They 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 6:9

 

And 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 says that billions of locusts are now swarming across parts of Australia. In their search for food, the crop-destroying insects have now entered two of the country’s major cities, Melbourne and Adelaide, where most people live. Observers say the infestation could be the most serious since a swarm in 2000, when estimates ran as high as 100 billion.

 

It is also of some significance that the so-called 17-year locusts (actually cicadas) are scheduled to emerge around the middle of May, 2004. The timing of the Lord! Periodical cicadas spend 17 years, 18 to 24 inches deep in the soil, using their piercing mouthparts to 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 recently 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 females will begin to deposit their eggs after scratching incisions into pencil-thin branches.

 

This activity sometimes results in damage to young trees. The males will outroar lawn mowers in their search for a mate. 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. The loud noise of the males reminds me of several gatherings of charismatic “leaders” 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.

Chapter 4: An Exhortation

 

The first part of the word of the Lord through the last Joel is a word of exhortation.

 

Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth. Joel 1:5

 

Awake! If ever there was a word for the Church in this hour it is this word ... AWAKE! The Church in America has been lulled to sleep by our adversary over a period of many years. To awake means to rouse up out of spiritual sleep, by a vigorous exercise of grace, by leaving off all sinful courses and setting about to fulfill the function to which we have been called. On November 4, 1977, the Lord gave me a word that, “It is the fear of man that hinders the body of Christ from functioning, but it is the fear of God that compels us to function.”

 

24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,

25 In meekness instructing those who oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

26 And that they may awake out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. 2 Timothy 2:24-26

 

And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. Romans 13:11

 

Joel 1:5 calls for the drunkards and all drinkers of wine to weep. Although Joel calls for repentance, drunkenness is the only specific sin mentioned in this book. It suggests a self-indulgent lifestyle pursued by those who value material things more than spiritual things of the Lord. Others called to weep are the general population (Joel 1:8), farmers (Joel 1:11), and priests (Joel 1:13). The drunkards and drinkers of wine do not have any new wine. They are old wineskins, into which new wine cannot be poured. They only live on old manna. There is no fresh revelation. They like to talk about what happened in the past.
 
Christianity is not a religion but a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. We are called to identify with Him in every respect. We must identify with His birth, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glorification. We also must identify with His intercession. “He ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). In addition, we must identify with His weeping. Jesus wept over Lazarus and over Jerusalem. Likewise, we need to weep over the state of the Church today and to pray and intercede that the Church might come forth to His glory.

Chapter 5: The State of the Church

 
As we stated in the Foreword, this Chapter is NOT the main thrust of this word. It is added only for the sake of completeness. In truth, this is NOT a time for “business as usual” or for “don’t rock the boat.” This is also NOT a time to continue to talk about the “problems” in the Church. The Lord requires something from us far greater than simply seeing and talking about the state of the Church today. Nevertheless, we provide below a short synopsis of where we see the Church today.
 
The state of the visible Church today is not well. Some are able to see and expound on the many problems within the Church. (See for example, our sixth book, Discerning Things That Differ: Chapter 1). The Church has been increasingly drawn away from the ways of the Lord because of pride, materialism, an independent and democratic spirit, traditions of men, and on and on.

 

Surely the Church is at a crossroads in this hour. By the “Church” we mean all genuine born-again believers, whether they are in a denominational church, a non-denominational church, a mega-church, or a Bible church, and whether they are evangelicals, fundamentalists, Pentecostal, neo-Pentecostal charismatic, or any other variation of true believers. In addition we include all such believers whether they go to a “church” building made of bricks and stones, a house church, or no “church” at all. The Church at all levels is at a decision point. True believers everywhere and at all spiritual levels must decide whether they want “business as usual” or whether they want a fresh, healing touch from the Lord.

 

The Church is in dire need of healing in this hour. Individual believers need healing, relationships between individuals need healing, local fellowships need healing, and the Body of Christ at large needs healing. This healing is needed in spirit, soul, and body. The Church gets more fragmented every day.

 

Many churches in this hour suffer from a stagnation, a “business as usual” attitude, a “don’t rock the boat” attitude, a tendency to “sugar coat” the word of God so as not to offend anyone, a huge tendency to compromise the ways of the Lord with the ways of the world in order to keep people happy and to keep the money coming in. Those who give large sums of money to the church are given preferential treatment. So the Lord is saying:

 

My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have cause them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place. Jeremiah 50:6

 

Please note that the reason the sheep have gone astray is because of the shepherds!

 

How is the gold become dim! How is the most fine gold changed! The stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street. Lamentations 4:1

 

The “most fine gold” represents those leaders, ministers, who once had an anointing, but have succumbed to the ways of man. The “stones of the sanctuary” represent the “lost sheep” that Jeremiah speaks of in Jeremiah 50:6, above.

 

Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show My People their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. Isaiah 58:1

 

Just as Paul admonished the Church at Corinth many years ago, a multitude of different voices is still causing confusion and uncertainty in the Church today. We see disunity, strife, bitterness, sin, carnality, and division. We have seen, in our own lifetime, a parade of false, out of balance tangents such that literally tens of thousands of genuine believers have been “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (Ephesians 4:13). This parade of false “movements” and false teachings includes submission, discipleship, faith and prosperity, the apostles and prophets “movement,” “networking” (which is the modern-day version of denominations), and a heavy “seeker-friendly” emphasis at the expense of Spirit-led praise, worship, and edification of the Body of Christ. The reason that these false teachings have such an appeal is because they all have a measure of truth. In ALL of these out-of-balance tangents, the major, common error is that they are man-directed and controlled rather than being led by the Spirit. Rat poison is 99% pure wheat ... it is the other 1% that gets you! There are also web sites and prophetic conferences where believers can find a nice consensus of what the Lord is saying through the prophets (?). The only (!) problem with that is,

Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that steal My words every one from his neighbor. Jeremiah 23:30

 

Joel 1:5 also begins the setting forth by Joel of the state of Judah, which is a type of those who are baptized in the Holy Spirit.  The verse says that the new wine is cut off from our mouth. This is a day of a lack of revelation, a lack of anointing, and a lack of manifestation of apostolic authority and power, just as in the days of Samuel.

 

In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes. Judges 21:25

 

The description of the state of Judah continues, as below.

 

6 For a nation is come up upon My land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion.

7 He hath laid My vine waste, and barked My fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.

8 Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.

9 The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the Lord; the priests, the Lord’s ministers, mourn.

10 The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.

11 Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished.

12 The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.

13 Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering is withholden from the house of your God. Joel 1:6-13

 

Note in Verse 11 that the harvest of the field is perished. That signifies that very few new believers are being added to the Church daily. There are many in the Church today who seem to focus on evangelism ... obtaining new converts; but they are using the best methods of the world to try to evangelize, resulting in what might be called “breech births,” i.e., the Head does not come first. The Lord will never allow His fruit to spring from man’s best efforts. Jesus said that He will build His Church. He never said that man, even Christian man, will build His Church.

 

Furthermore, in the “seeker-friendly” churches, non-believers are given a higher priority than believers. The Sunday services are geared toward non-believers; therefore some pastors say there are some things that “we don’t do in my church,” because it might “turn off” those non-believers who are present. If you read the context, Paul addressed that error.

 

And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage. Galatians 2:4

 

The implication is clear that it is wrong to bring in false brethren to our assemblies. Are non-believers true brethren? The meat offering (along with the drink offering) represents a voluntary act of worship ... a recognition of God’s goodness and provisions. It is symbolic of the worshiper who has committed himself completely to God. The Hebrew word for drink offering means to “pour out.” We are to be poured out before the Lord. Note (Verse 12) that ALL of the trees of the field are withered! Trees, of course, represent the true believers. Verses 16-20 of Joel 1 continue with a description of the state of Judah (those Christians who are baptized in the Holy Spirit).

 

Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God? Joel 2:16

 

Note that Joel says OUR God. Like so many of God’s anointed prophets, Joel not only identifies with the Lord and His ways but also with the Lord’s people! We must have a sincere compassion for His people worked within us. Jesus came to earth and identified with man in every respect so that we can identify with Him in every respect. Likewise, we must identify with each other ... with other believers. This can happen ONLY by the inwrought work of God.

 

The king’s daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold. 

Psalm 45:13

 

We are born of the Spirit (or born from above) and we are sanctified by the Spirit. That which is of God has been wrought within us by His Spirit. Paul addressed this when he said:

 

Are ye so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?  Galatians 3:3

Chapter 6: A Call to Repentance

      

Come and let us return unto the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up. Hosea 6:1

 

That verse in Hosea is current events. Why has the Lord smitten us? because we have strayed from Him and His ways. The prerequisite for healing is to return unto the Lord (repent). It is NOT sufficient just to see the state of the Church; nor is it sufficient just to talk about it with others. The Lord requires something more from those who see what is happening within the Church today.

 

For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required. Luke 12:48

 

There are those who say that “all is well.” There are those who say that the Lord is still in control, so why all the bother? The answer to that question is the same as that given by Mordecai to Esther.

 

For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Esther 4:14

 

Joel clearly states the call of the Lord in this hour for all those who have eyes to see and ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church today. The action required of His priests, the ministers of the Lord, in this hour is very clear and very timely. Please note that there are FOUR specific calls to repentance in the book of Joel. These four calls correspond to the four stages of falling away in Joel 1:4. The first call is in Joel 1:2-20 and begins with the priests.

 

13 Gird yourselves and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God;

14 Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord. Joel 1:13-14

 

The second call is in Joel 2:1 and is to Zion.

 

Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain: let all of the inhabitants of the land tremble. Joel 2:1a

 

Joel 2:1 states that it is time to sound an alarm in Zion, an alarm which those in Israel cannot hear because they are too far removed. The trumpet was used to signal approaching danger. This alarm trumpets the growing apostasy within the Church. “Let all of the inhabitants of the land tremble” speaks of the fear of God, which is sadly lacking within the Church today. For more on the fear of God, see our fourth book, “Let Us Go On,” Chapter 11.

 

1 For the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand;

2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.

3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. Joel 2:1b-3

 

The above verses speak of the judgment of God. No one can seriously doubt that the judgment of God must come to America. This nation has strayed too far from the ways of the Lord. This country has slowly been moving from darkness to gross darkness. Even “one nation, under God” is being severely criticized and questioned at the national level. (As an aside issue, did you know that the state constitutions of EVERY state in the United States ALL include, in one way or another, words that acknowledge God as our Creator, Helper, etc.?)

 

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?    

1 Peter 4:17

 

Since judgment must begin at the house of God, it is also true that judgment must begin with the leadership of charismatic churches. Presumably, those in leadership positions within the Church have received more light than others and are held accountable and responsible.

 

The plea of God to His people through the last Joel is for action, not a passive waiting for the Lord to do something. Let us see what this action includes in the third call to repentance.

 

12 Therefore, also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:

13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God; for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth Him of the evil. Joel 2:12-13

 

Repentance (turning to God) must be genuine, not simply a form or a routine, and must be “with all of our heart.” Verse 13 says “rend your heart, not your garments.” The garments are external; the heart is at the core of our very being. Next, the Lord requires fasting, not feasting. Fasting was always practiced in times of calamity (Judges 20:26; 2 Samuel 12:16; and Jonah 3:4-5).

 

Another requirement is for weeping, which must be born of the Spirit.

 

5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.

6 Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.

7 They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God. Psalm 84:5-7

 

The valley of Baca is the valley of weeping. The road to the fullness of the kingdom of God sooner or later will lead you through the valley of weeping. The prerequisite for passing through the valley of weeping is given in Verse 5: “in whose heart are the ways” of the Lord ... those who understand His ways, not simply His acts. Anyone who identifies with the heart of God MUST weep over the state of Jerusalem, just as did Jeremiah and Jesus. Note in Verse 6 that there are TWO sources of water that fill the pool ... those who pass through the valley of Baca, weeping, and the rain which comes down from heaven (from the Lord Himself). This speaks of our identification with His weeping. Note also that those who understand His ways pass through the valley of weeping. They do not STAY there forever!
 
The fourth call to repentance is to all of the Church.

 

15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:

16 Gather the People, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.

17 Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, “Spare Thy People, O Lord, and give not Thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?” Joel 2:15-17

 

The trumpet call in Joel 2:15 is not the same as the trumpet call in Joel 2:1. This second trumpet call is a call for a spiritual assembly. From Verse 16, no segment of the Christian community is exempt from this assembly. The “children and those that suck the breasts” is representative of those who have not yet matured spiritually in Christ. Even the newly married, who normally would have been exempt, are called forth.

 

Let us now consider again the two times in Joel that speak of blowing the trumpet.

 

Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain. Joel 2:1

 

Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly. Joel 2:15

 

As we noted before, the order is to blow the trumpet in Zion, not in Jerusalem or Judah or Israel. Why? Because only those in natural Zion are close enough to hear the sound of the trumpet with their natural ears. Likewise, only those today in spiritual Zion are close enough to hear the call of the Spirit with their spiritual ears.

 

In addition, a question worth pondering is: “WHO blows the trumpet in Zion?” Only the Lord knows the names of the specific believers involved, but our generic answer is “whosoever has ears to hear, eyes to see, and a heart to respond.” Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Chapter 7: The Result of Repentance 

 

The result of a genuine repentance on the part of the Lord’s people is a new and abundant blessing, a time of great restoration, and a great harvest of souls.

 

18 Then will the Lord be jealous for His land, and pity His People.

19 Yea, the Lord will answer and say unto His People, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:

20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things [or he magnified himself to do great things].

21 Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the Lord will do great things.

. . .

24 And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil.

25 And I will restore unto you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, My great army which I sent among you.

26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, That hath dealt wondrously with you: and My People shall never be ashamed.

27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and My People shall never be ashamed. 

28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out [of] My spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out [of] My spirit.

30 And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.

32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered, for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.   

Joel 2:18-21, 24-32

 

Verses 28-32 were quoted by Peter, in Acts 2, on the day of Pentecost, when Joel 2:28-29 began to be fulfilled. Had the nation of Israel repented at the summons of Peter in Acts 3:18-26, “all things which God had spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets” would have been fulfilled, including Joel 2:30-32. However, Israel did NOT repent and so a further fulfillment of that prophecy still remains for these end times.
 
In a continuation of the prophetic significance of 1 Samuel 4-7, when the ark of God was taken by the Philistines, the ark contained three items: the two tables of the covenant written in stone, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the golden pot that had manna. After the ark was returned to David in Zion, there was nothing in the ark except the two tables which Moses had put therein when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel (2 Chronicles 5:10). Aaron’s rod that budded and the golden pot that had manna had been lost, presumably while the ark was in the hands of the Philistines. Did the Philistines take those two items out of the ark? Perhaps, but I think it was a sovereign work of God. Aaron’s rod that budded signifies apostolic authority and power. The golden pot that had manna represents revelatory, anointed teaching. Although both re-appeared briefly in the time of the book of Acts, they have largely remained missing from the ark. When Zion, Jerusalem, and Judah repent, as outlined by the last Joel, God will bring back apostolic authority and power and a new level of revelation and anointing in teaching. This will be accompanied by a huge harvest of souls for the kingdom of God. I believe that God’s timetable for that to begin to occur is ever present, but it is conditioned upon a true repentance, as initiated through the word of the Lord as given through the last Joel.

Chapter 8: Judgment of the Nations 

  

2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for My People and for My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted My land.

12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.

13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.

14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. Joel 3:2, 12-14

 

“I will gather all nations” speaks of the sovereignty of God. Just as Jesus said that He will build His Church, in like manner, God Himself will gather all nations to judgment. Note that the nations have “parted My land.” After modern-day Israel became a nation, they have slowly but surely been giving back their land (promised to them by God in Genesis 13:14-15 and Genesis 15:18), all in hopes of peace. But there is no peace for those who ignore the promises of God. “Jehoshaphat” means “God Judges.” Therefore the valley of Jehoshaphat is the valley of the judgment of God. The valley of decision is the valley of threshing. This is the same valley as the valley of Jehoshaphat. Here, the Lord will include the Muslims, as well as all of those who persecute His people, in His housecleaning program, although they currently appear to be invulnerable to anything that would have an effect on organized Christianity. One good brother shared with me that the Lord told him that the Muslim religion is typified by the Euphrates River that is dried up to prepare the way of the “kings of the East.”

 

19 Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land. Joel 3:19

Chapter 9: Eternal Blessing for God’s People

                              

18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord, and shall water the valley of Shittim.

20 But Judah shall dwell forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. Joel 3:18, 20

 

The Hebrew word “Shittim” means “acacia trees,” which grow in semi-arid conditions of the wilderness. Acacia trees have scourging thorns. The word comes from a root word meaning to pierce. Was the crown of thorns placed on the head of Jesus before His crucifixion made from the thorns of the acacia tree? If so, then there is much prophetic symbology here. Shittim was the last stop of Israel in the wilderness before crossing the Jordan into the promised land. When the fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord and shall water the valley of Shittim, the last obstacle to entering the fulness of the kingdom of God shall be removed.

 

21 For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the Lord dwelleth in Zion. Joel 3:21

 

Perhaps a better translation is, “For I will clear their blood that I have not cleared.” This speaks the same word as the last verse in Zechariah.

 

Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the Lord of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts. Zechariah 14:21

 

We believe that this represents the removal, by the Lord, of the sin nature itself, which will occur on the fulfillment of the Day of Atonement.

 

“For the Lord dwelleth in Zion.” This book of judgment ends on a promising and encouraging note. This speaks of the sovereignty of God.

Chapter 10: What Does All of This Mean for Us Today?

 

Everyone likes the part of Joel which speaks of God’s blessings, His love for us, prosperity, His promise to do great things for His People, and His promise to exact judgment on the enemies of Judah. I like those things as much as the next believer. BUT, there is a prerequisite if we want to experience the fullness of what God has for us. That prerequisite comes from the word of the Lord through the last Joel in the form of a strong exhortation to His People to awake, lament, mourn, cry unto the Lord, blow the trumpet in Zion and sound an alarm in His holy mountain. The exhortation also includes: sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly to let all of the people know of the approaching day of the Lord, repent, weep, and pray and intercede for His grace and mercy and for His people with a heart of compassion for those who do not see what you have been allowed to see. None of those things can be a work of the flesh. They must all be a work of grace in the heart of each one who is called to be part of the last Joel.

 

As we stated in Chapter 1, the word of the Lord as contained in the book of Joel is TIMELESS. As such, the exhortations in that book are also TIMELESS, and apply to EVERY generation, not simply the end times in which we live. It is perhaps worth noting that the author of the book of Joel is the fourteenth (and last) Joel mentioned in the

Bible. We also have,

 

So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations. Matthew 1:17

 

Bullinger, in his Companion Bible, says that the number seven denotes spiritual perfection and is the number or hall-mark of the work of the Holy Spirit. He also says that other numbers follow the laws which govern the smaller numbers, as being their factors, sums, products, or multiples; e.g. fourteen is 7 x 2, a higher form of seven.

 

We do not wish to speculate, but it COULD be possible that the final fulfillment of “The Last Joel” would be a generation which is some multiple of fourteen from the time that Jesus walked the face of the earth as a man.

 

Many have noted that only thirteen generations are listed in Matthew from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ. Some have said that the fourteenth generation consists of all those believers who have come to know the Lord since Jesus walked the earth as a man.  Some have perhaps noted that the book of Joel was probably written a few years BEFORE the carrying away of Judah to Babylon.  Obviously, the people of Zion, Jerusalem, and Judah did NOT heed the word of the Lord through Joel. So there remains a fulfillment of Joel 2:17-32. It is VERY clear that Joel 3 has not yet been fulfilled. I can think of no better place to heed and begin to implement the exhortations of “The Last Joel” than at a conference of intercessors and /or Church leaders. One major purpose of any pastor’s conference should be somehow to elevate the vision of those who attend, such that they in turn can go back and elevate the vision of those in their own churches.

 

All of the things spoken of in the book of Joel surely will come to pass. The only question is, who will be a partaker of the last Joel? That requires a decision on our part. Yes, multitudes, multitudes are in the valley of decision. Amen!

Appendix 1: Repentance Re-Visited

 

 This word could not be complete without the following verse.

 

If my people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

 

“Humble themselves” speaks of a quality of the mind. It represents a decision on our part. There is no place in the life of an overcomer for pride. “Seek My face” and “turn from their wicked ways” speak of repentance, a turning TOWARD the Lord and His ways and a turning AWAY from our own pleasure and our own ways. I hope that no one who has read this word has said, “Repent? Repent from what? I have not done anything evil.” Just in case one reader had that thought, let us share one short word about repentance. Repentance is a turning away from our own works, no matter how scriptural and how good they may appear, and entering into His rest. On June 13, 1976, the Lord woke me up about 3 a.m. and told me to get up, go downstairs and read the “restoration” books (Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, etc.)  When I read Ezra 6:14 it was like a sledgehammer hit me. There was no noise, no emotion, no audible voice, just the most powerful word from the Lord I have ever heard.

 

And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. Ezra 6:14a

 

When I read that verse, the Lord said to me, “If you want to see the Body of Christ prosper, then you function in the place where I have called you.” At that point in time I had been a functioning elder in a New Testament house church for seven years. I had “done” about every thing you can think of ... teach, preach, prophesy, counsel, etc. If you had lined up EVERY believer that I knew at that time and they all told me that I was not functioning, I would never have accepted it; but when I heard that word, I knew it was the word of the Lord. “Christ” means “the Anointed of God.” There is an anointing to speak, an anointing to “do,” and an anointing to “become.” Jesus said that He only said those things that He had seen with His Father (John 8:38).

 

If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God. 1 Peter 4:11

 

We charismatic believers have changed the above verse to: “let every man and woman speak.” That is one result of the democratic spirit within the Church. Some charismatic believers actually seem to equate speaking in assemblies with functioning in the Body. If more people speak, then the Body is functioning better (?). Does 1 Corinthians 12 say that everyone is a mouth?

 

Likewise, Jesus only did those works that He saw His Father do (John 8:29). Should we do any differently? Or should we cease from our well-intentioned but fleshy works?

 

Sadly, the greatest anointing is the one that has been the most neglected ... the anointing to become that which the Lord desires ... Christ in you, the hope of glory. That comes only by hearing His voice and obeying.

 

There is no substitute for the presence of the Holy Spirit and hearing that which the Spirit is saying to the Church. Apart from the Holy Ghost, the Church cannot grow or stay alive. The presence of the Spirit in the Church is vital to the work of the Church. There is nothing mechanical or static about Christianity. When we settle for the mechanics, even the mechanics of the Bible, instead of striving for the dynamics of Jesus, we come under the category of being “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” (Revelation 2:17). Lord we ask you for your great grace and mercy!

Appendix 2: Prayer And Intercession

 

The words “pray,” “intercede,” and “repent” (from man’s perspective) do not appear (but are certainly implied) in the book of Joel. “Cry unto the Lord,” for example, seems to imply prayer, intercession, and repentance. This Appendix is NOT a teaching on prayer and intercession. As we stated before, we believe that the ONLY path for the return of the glory of God must begin with our repentance, change of heart, and prayer and intercession. The result of this action on our part will be the return of the two missing items of the ark: Aaron’s rod that budded and the golden pot that had manna, which are symbolic of apostolic authority and power and a new level of revelatory, anointed teaching. As we stated in Chapter 2, there is a critical need for more of the white cells (the prayer warriors and intercessors) to function today. Although some members of the Body of Christ seem to have a special anointing to pray and intercede, each of us has this responsibility. Prayer and intercession must be led by the Spirit, with a humility and intensity of our spirit. In addition, we must pray much in the heavenly languages that we have been given by the Spirit. A few appropriate Scriptures concerning prayer and intercession are:

 

How do we pray?

 

5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou has shut the door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

8 Be ye not therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him.

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. Matthew 6:5-13

 

Prayer must be led by the Holy Spirit. Prayer must always be that the will of the Father be done. That implies that we need to understand what is the will of the Father. We need to pray for whoever and whatever the Holy Spirit quickens to us. “Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it” (John 2:5).

 

Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17

 

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Romans 8:26

 

What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also. 1 Corinthians 14:15

 

Finally, prayer and intercession must be in earnest! Lukewarm or routine prayers usually never get past the ceiling.

 

13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? Let him sing psalms.

14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. James 5:13-18

 

Note that Elijah prayed earnestly! Many years ago, the Lord quickened an “addition” to two verses in Psalm 18.

 

25 With the merciful Thou wilt shew Thyself merciful; with an upright man Thou wilt shew Thyself upright;

26 With the pure Thou wilt shew Thyself pure; and with the froward Thou wilt shew Thyself froward. Psalm 18:25-26

 

When a read those verses a long time ago, I heard, “with the intense, Thou will show Thyself intensely. Paul certainly was an intense man. So was Elijah. The Lord knows our heart. He knows if we are simply going through the motions or if we are intensely seeking His face. Just before His crucifixion, as Jesus was praying at the mount of Olives,

 

And being in agony He prayed more earnestly: and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Luke 22:44

 

Who do we pray for?

 

1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;

4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-4

 

The word translated “men” in Verses 1 and 4 speaks of human beings, rather than males.

 

I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. 1 Timothy 2:8

 

The word translated “men” in Verse 8 speaks of males, not human beings. It is interesting that Paul exhorts males, not females, to pray every where. In reality, we suspect that more females than males are attuned to prayer and intercession. Peter says the same thing.

 

Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. 1 Peter 3:7

 

Paul tells us to pray for kings, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. Since our country, and many others, do not have a natural-level king, this verse would have to refer to the President of the United States and those who make laws. Paul also tells us to pray for all that are in authority, which includes husbands as well as those ministers in leadership positions in various churches. To expound on wives praying and interceding for their husbands is beyond the scope of this word and would take an enormous amount of time. (This topic is covered more thoroughly in our eighth book, “Marriage Principles For Christians: A Journey Of Love,” which we hope to publish this year.) As a minimum, wives need to pray that their husband will come into the fullness of that which the Lord desires for him. We certainly need to pray for our families, because the family, the basic cell unit in the Church, has been under increasing attack from the enemy.

 

We need to pray that the Lord will raise up the priests, the sons of Zadok, who have not yet fulfilled the following task, because discernment within the Church appears to be at a low ebb. (See our sixth book, “Discerning Things That Differ.”)

 

And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. Ezekiel 44:23

 

Although there are many within the Church today who are good teachers, a fresher, more revelatory, and more anointed level of teaching is yet to come forth as well as the moving of apostolic ministry in the power and authority of the Holy Ghost.

 

We desperately need to pray and intercede for those ministers who are in leadership positions in various churches. Far too many senior pastors are caught up, possibly unknowingly, with building their own church. We also need to pray for all those genuine believers who are caught up in the bondage of churches like the Catholic church, that they might be set free.

 

The Church is in dire need of healing in this hour.

 

To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 1 Corinthians 12:9

 

Jesus said,

 

17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. Mark 16:17-18

 

“And these signs shall follow them that believe.” Believe what? Believe that in the name of Jesus we shall cast out devils; believe that we shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. Intercessors need to pray that the Lord will raise up those within the Church who have an increased measure of faith to believe that which Jesus spoke in Mark 16. I, for one, am praying that the Lord will raise up those in the Body of Christ who will ask for and receive gifts of healing, including dominion over all forms of cancer. Jesus said,

 

12 Verily, verily [double for emphasis] I say unto you, He that BELIEVETH on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father.

13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. John 14:12-13

 

May those who have ears to hear and a heart to respond, heed the admonition of The Last Joel.

 

Appendix 3:  Always More

 

 Two days after taking this book to the printer I began to hear much more of great significance concerning the word, “The Last Joel.”  This is always the case.  After writing any book related to Christianity, at some point in time the author usually says, “Oh, I wish I had added this and that.” We believe that revelation is progressive. The Holy Spirit is always imparting new light to His word.

 

And therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for Him. Isaiah 30:18

 

In the beginning of the above verse, the Lord waits; at the end of the verse we are exhorted to wait for Him. We need discernment in most specific situations to determine who is waiting for whom. We do not want to get ahead of the Lord; neither do we want to lag behind if He has already given His word. In Joel 1:1-2:17, the Lord is waiting for US! From Joel 2:18 through the end of time, we have little part in what happens. It is all the work of our sovereign God! Check it out in the book of Joel.

 

The book of Joel is a panoramic view of all of the history of man. Verses 2:18 through the end of the book have not yet been fulfilled and are therefore prophetic of the end times in which we live. EXACTLY in the middle of the book of Joel, we find:

 

Then will the Lord be jealous for His land, and pity His people. Joel 2:18

 

The blessing and prosperity that follows is conditioned upon our repentance ... no genuine repentance ... no blessing. God’s blessings and prosperity await for those who hear and obey His word.

 

For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. 1 Corinthians 3:9

 

What is our part in this co-laboring? To hear His word and obey ... to repent from our dead works, which is the first basic foundation in the principles of the doctrine of Christ.

 

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works ... Hebrews 6:1

 

What are dead works? Any work that is not led by the Spirit of God. It seems that many of the Lord’s people today are waiting for the Lord to do something. In the mean time, those believers are content to feed on old manna, talk about the past, and give more nice teachings, none of which lays the axe to the root of the tree. However, the Lord is waiting for us to repent from our dead works, lament, mourn, cry unto Him, wail, weep, pray, intercede, fast, blow the trumpet in Zion, call a solemn assembly, etc. We have earlier touched briefly on most of those aspects associated with repentance ... except for fasting, which is stated three times in Joel 1:1-2:17. Fasting is a key activity required on our part. However, fasting is not limited to going without natural food for some period of time. Fasting in general means denying self. Jesus said that if any man would come unto him, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Him. Let us look at the fast which the Lord has chosen from Isaiah 58.

 

1  Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.

2  Yet they seek Me daily, and delight to know My ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of Me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.

3  Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and Thou seest not? Wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and Thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, and exact all your labours.

4  Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: Ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.

5  Is it such a fast that I have chosen? A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord?

6  Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

7  Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

8  Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shalt spring forth speedily: And thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward.

9  Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; Thou shalt cry, and He shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;

10  And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:

11  And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: And thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

12  And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: Thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; And thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in.

13  If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:

14  Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; And I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. Isaiah 58:1-14

 

Please note the great similarity between Isaiah 58 and Joel 1:1-2:17.  In Verse 1, “Cry aloud ... lift up thy voice like a trumpet.”  Note also the four “then’s,” which speak of a condition required on our part, just as in Joel 2:18.

 

Also, note what constitutes the fast that the Lord has chosen, in Verses 6, 7, 9, 10, and 13. A fast is a time of self-denial and humbling our self. It may perhaps include repentance from sin and/or dead works. Does that mean that a fast excludes abstaining from food and perhaps water? Not at all! Jesus fasted 40 days and nights (abstaining from food), as did Moses and Elijah. The Pharisees also fasted, but for all of the wrong reasons, as indicated in Verses 3 and 4. Jesus called the Pharisees “hypocrites.” Jesus said,

 

16  Moreover when ye fast, be not as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

17  But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face.

18  That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:16-18

 

We want to call attention to two of the characteristics of the fast which the Lord has chosen: (1) hide not thyself from thine own flesh (Verse 7); and (2) take away from the midst of thee the putting forth of the finger (Verse 9). It is very easy and natural to see the faults of others.   We are all experts at that! It is not so easy to see our own lacks. Isaiah 58:7 says that we should cover our brother and expose our own faults.

 

Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another, that ye may be healed. James 5:16

 

1  Judge not, that ye be not judged.

2  For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye.

4  Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye. Matthew 7:1-5

 

“Take away from the midst of thee the putting forth of the finger” (Isaiah 58:9). A few months ago I was talking with another good brother in the Lord. I related to him the blindness on the part of an otherwise solid believer with respect to church government and organization. Actually, that specific blindness is quite common within many senior pastors, who see themselves as responsible for everything that goes on within “their” church. As we were talking, I told the other brother that I never had any ill feeling toward the man. How can I feel ill will toward someone who is partially blind in that area?

 

For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. Romans 11:25

 

For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 1 Corinthians 13:9

 

8  For if these things [faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love] be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9  But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see far off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 2 Peter 1:8-9

 

Instead of talking about the partial blindness in others, why not just pray and intercede for them before the throne of grace and mercy? That is what Daniel did (Daniel 9); and that is what Nehemiah did (Nehemiah 1). Moses said,

 

Yet now, if Thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book which Thou hast written. Exodus 32:32

 

Paul said a similar thing.

 

For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh. Romans 9:3

 

Finally, if we can heed the exhortation in Joel 1:1-Joel 2:17, then we will soon see the fulfillment of the following verse.

 

Who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. Isaiah 66:8

 

Evidently Zion has not yet travailed! I can not convey in words the utmost urgency that I sense in my spirit about this word concerning “The Last Joel!” May God have mercy on all of us!