A New Spirit for a Renewed People

GOLDEN TEXT: “Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the Lord will do great things.” —Joel 2:21

JOEL 1:15-20; 2:12, 13, 21-23, 28, 29

THE first application of much of Joel’s prophecy was to the severe punishments the Lord was soon to bring upon the people of Israel because of their sins, consisting of drought and a plague of locusts. “The day of the Lord is at hand,” he wrote. This was to be a “day,” or time, in which the Lord would reckon with his people, a time when he would no longer remain silent, or refrain from intervening in their affairs.

There have been many important “days” in the history of the human race when the hand of God was manifested in the affairs of men. One of these was at the time of the Flood. Another was when, through Moses, God visited his people who were enslaved in Egypt, and delivered them. Still another was the first advent of Christ—his birth, his ministry, his crucifixion, and his resurrection from the dead.

So far as the nation of Israel was concerned, important events were pending when Joel wrote his prophecy. However, there is much in his prophecy which cannot be limited to this minor fulfillment. Indeed, there is much in Joel’s prophecy which cannot properly be applied at all to the prophet’s own day, or the period soon to follow.

The Apostle Paul, in writing concerning the time of Christ’s return to establish his kingdom, referred to this period as “the day of the Lord.” Paul wrote that in this “day,” while the people would be saying, “Peace and safety,” sudden destruction would come upon them as “travail upon a woman with child.” (I Thess. 5:1-3) Joel likewise explained that the “day of the Lord” would be one of “destruction from the Almighty.”—ch. 1:15

The important fulfillment of this prophecy is, we believe, at the time of our Lord’s second visit to earth, which the Scriptures and the signs of the time indicate has already begun. The various symbols used by the prophet portray the different aspects of this time when Satan’s empire is overthrown, preparatory to the full manifestation of Christ’s kingdom.

In chapter 2, verse 10 of Joel’s prophecy, referring to the symbolic sun, moon, and stars, he explains that these would be darkened and withdraw their light. Jesus quoted this part of the prophecy and applied it to the time of his return, so we have his authority for believing that Joel’s prophecy has a much wider application than to the events which were of immediate concern to the nation of Israel.—Matt. 24:29,30

The time of Christ’s return and second presence is very appropriately described in the prophecies as “the day of the Lord,” for it is a time when the Lord destroys the “kingdoms of this world,” and when the messianic kingdom is established to bring peace, health, and life to the people. The “destruction” of this particular day is of the Lord, even though he uses various agencies to accomplish it.

The overthrow of humanly constituted authority in the earth entails much “distress of nations.” Daniel describes it as a “time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation.” (Dan. 12:1; Luke 21:25,26; Matt. 24:21,22) The prophecies use earthquakes, storms, clouds, winds, fire, and floods, to illustrate the various aspects of this “time of trouble,” and many have mistakenly supposed that the destruction of the earth was thus predicted, but the literal earth “abideth forever.”—Eccles. 1:4

The prophetic “time of trouble” which destroys Satan’s world also helps to prepare the people for Messiah’s kingdom. None will receive the blessings of that kingdom, Jew or Gentile, without first repenting of sin, and humbly seeking to know and do God’s will.

Verses 21-23 of chapter 2, while an assurance to ancient Israel of God’s blessings if they repented and served him, are in a more important sense one of the prophecies concerning the “times of restitution of all things” referred to by the Apostle Peter in Acts 3:19-21. It is a further prophecy concerning the time of Christ’s second presence and the blessings under his kingdom.

The Apostle Peter quotes verses 28 and 29 of this chapter in his Pentecostal sermon. (Acts 2:16-21) This prophecy, he explained, was being fulfilled by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at that time. In reality, there are two outpourings of the Spirit foretold by Joel. One was to be upon God’s servants and handmaidens, and the other upon “all flesh.”

It was at Pentecost that the Holy Spirit was poured out upon God’s servants, the nucleus of the Gospel church. When this special class of servants have all been called out from the world and united with Christ in the spiritual phase of his kingdom, then the Spirit of God will be poured out upon all flesh, causing the knowledge of the Lord to fill the earth.—Isa. 11:9

QUESTIONS

What is the first application of much that is in the prophecy of Joel?

What is the “day of the Lord,” and has there been more than one of these days?

Are we now in a “day of the Lord,” and what is the significance of what is now taking place?

Explain the two outpourings of the Holy Spirit.

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