JOEL 2:30

The Bible says in Joel 2:30-32, “And I will shew 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 2:30 tells us that a time is coming when things will change. God will get our attention. Right now there is a certain constancy from one day to the next, especially as far as daylight and night-time are concerned. That will change. The sun going dark has always gotten people’s attention. In other centuries this has happened with eclipses, but in this event of the last days, it appears that it will be much more long-lasting than an eclipse. Perhaps the smoke from the fires and wars will fill the atmosphere as never before. It does mention “fires, and pillars of smoke” in Joel 2:30. The phrase “moon into blood” is undoubtedly symbolic of what the moon will look like when it is seen through the smoke-filled atmosphere.

Joel 2:32 tells that no matter how bad things get in the last days, there will still be the opportunity to be saved. And people will be saved just like they get saved today: by calling on the name of the Lord. It says in Joel 2:32, “whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered.” This verse is quoted in Romans 10:13 that is translated, “whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” There is an interesting observation to make about this verse. Its Old Testament occurrence speaks of the “LORD.” That is translated from the Hebrew word for “Jehovah,” the eternally existent one, the great I AM. The New Testament occurrence of the verse speaks of the “Lord.” That is translated from the Greek word for lord or master and refers to the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, this great salvation verse not only tells us how to get saved, it also tells us that Jesus and Jehovah are one and the same. Jehovah in the Old Testament was Jesus as He manifested Himself in that age.

God has given us a very simple step to take in order to be saved from our sins. It is said very clearly in Joel 2:32 and Romans 10:13. Simply call out to the Lord Jesus and ask Him to save you. Of course, this is a very profound decision to ask such a thing of Christ. It must be asked with true sorrow for sin and with a desire to start following Jesus. That is why it says in Romans 10:10, “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” But even so, the individual does one thing to be saved: call out to Jesus. The reason that the individual gets saved simply by calling out to Jesus is that Jesus paid it all on the cross of Calvary. The righteousness of Christ is then credited to the account of whoever believes on Jesus. There are no righteous deeds that you can do to obtain salvation. You obtain salvation by calling on the name of Jesus.

Notice the last phrase of Joel 2:32, “in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.” It tells us two important details about this great salvation. First it speaks of a remnant who shall be saved. A “remnant” is a small number compared to the multitudes who could have been saved. It is called a remnant in regards to Israel because at the end of the age of grace and at the end of the tribulation only a “remnant” will be left after the persecutions and attacks from the Gentile nations. In regards to the Gentiles during this age of grace in which we live, only a “remnant” gets saved because so few make the decision to turn to the Lord Jesus and call upon Him. As Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:[14] Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” The second important detail is the fact that Joel 2:32 ends with the phrase “whom the LORD shall call.” No one gets saved unless the Lord calls them. The Lord does call each person at the time and place when the Lord decides. The point is that no gets saved until He calls. So when someone comes to the Lord Jesus and asks for salvation, that can only happen when Jesus calls them. The lesson is this: if Jesus calls you, it is imperative that you respond positively to His calling. Jesus called Peter and Andrew when they were fishing. It says in Mark 1:17-19, “Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.[17] And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.[18] And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.” Jesus appeared to Saul and called him when Saul was on the road to Damascus. It says in Acts 9:3-6, “And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:[4] And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?[5] And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.[6] And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.”

The Bible says in Joel 3:1-2, “For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,[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.” God is still talking about the last days, but He is talking about the very last part of the last days, especially when He mentions gathering all nations “into the valley of Jehoshaphat.” We know from other scriptures on the same subject that this is the Battle of Armageddon. For example, it says in Zecharia 12:11, “In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.” It also says in Revelation 16:12-19, “And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.[13] And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.[14] For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.[15] Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.[16] And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.[17] And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.[18] And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.[19] And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.”

Notice that when God mentions the Battle of Armageddon in Joel 3:2, God does not talk about the battle or the fighting or the death that will ensue. God does mention just what He has against these Gentile nations. God said that the Gentile nations had concerning Israel “scattered among the nations, and parted my land.” God does not like what the Gentile nations did to Israel and the Jewish people nor what they will yet do to them. Finally, God comes on behalf of Israel to deliver them. Notice that God does not say that He comes to fight and destroy the Gentile nations, although that is what will happen. But first God gathers them all together in the Valley of Jehoshaphat in order to “plead” with them. So just before the Battle of Armageddon, the Lord gives the nations of the world one final chance to repent and fins forgiveness. Evidently, their hearts are so hard that even in that situation facing Almighty God in imminent battle, they will not repent.

The Bible says in Joel 3:3-8, “And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink.[4] Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompence me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head;[5] Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things:[6] The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border.[7] Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head:[8] And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off: for the LORD hath spoken it.” Joel 3:3 starts with the word “and.” In other words this is a continuation of a description of how sinful and wicked the people of the world would become. Not only would their sins hurt themselves and other adults, but they would also hurt the children. One of the sad truths about a society when it goes down, the innocent suffer, and among the innocent are the children. Every child deserves to grow up with a loving mother and a loving father who protect them, provide for them, and teach them until each child grows up and becomes a productive member of society and a servant of Jesus. God loves children, and God wants every child to be loved and taught properly. Jesus showed is love for children. We see that in Mark 10:13-16, “And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.[14] But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.[15] Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.[16] And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.” Jesus gave the most severe of warnings about those who would harm children. It says in Matthew 18:1-8, “At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?[2] And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,[3] And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.[4] Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.[5] And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.[6] But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.[7] Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh![8] Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.”

The Lord certainly has children on His mind and what the nations have done to them when He had Joel write chapter three. God entions boys and girls in Joel 3:2, God mentions “children” twice in Joel 3:6, and He mentions “sons and daughters” in Joel 3:8. Every child has such great potential. And God loves every child so very much. No wonder when God thinks of the sins of the nations of the world and the judgment that they deserve, God will be thinking of the children who have been harmed and corrupted.

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