Joel Images and
NotesThe Book of Joel
Joel 2:1-3
- Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy
mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the
day of the LORD cometh, for [it is] nigh at hand; 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. 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
3:9-11 - Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war,
wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let
them come up: Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning
hooks into spears: let the weak say, I [am] strong. Assemble
yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves
together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come
down, O LORD.
The Old Testament - A Brief Overview
Bible Survey - Joel
Hebrew Name - Yo-el "Yahweh is God"
Greek Name - Joel (Greek form of the Hebrew)
Author - Joel (According to Tradition)
Date - 800 BC Approximately
Theme - The Kingdom of Judah
Types and Shadows - In Joel the day of Jesus is at hand!
Summary of The Book of Joel
The prophet Joel showed up in Israel during a time of the most terrible
plague of locusts in the nation's history. Joel came and prophesied to the land
of Judah before the plague came. He warned the people of Judah
that the devastation was going to sweep across the land very
soon. He called for a season of fasting, mourning, and
repentance. He warned them of God's judgment in the
imagery of the impending invasion of locusts. He called the
people of Judah and Jerusalem to weep over the sins, and to fast
and repent because the day of the Lord is approaching. Soon the
plague came and devastated the whole land and its effects were
clearly seen and felt. The locusts came like a storm, they
darkened the skies and every green thing was left barren. There
was no hope of escape and they left utter decimation in their
path. Joel seized upon the imagery of the locusts as a type of
the greater judgement that would come on "the Day of the Lord"
in the last days: Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is
at hand; it shall come as destruction from the Almighty . . .
The LORD gives voice before His army, for His camp is very
great; for strong is the One who executes His word. For the day
of the LORD is great and very terrible; who can endure it? Joel
1:15, 2:11. Joel also gave a message of hope and prophesied of
great blessings that would follow and the glories of the
Messiah's kingdom. - The
above text is © Rusty Russell - Bible History Online and must be
sourced for use on a website.
The name "Joel" means
"Jehovah is God." Other than his name and the fact that he was the son
of Pethuel, there is little known about this man Joel, other
than the fact that he wrote a very powerful book. Although it is
not certain it seems that he prophesied around 800 BC during a
time when Judah was experiencing prosperity and security. God
was kind enough to give ample warning before such a devastating
judgment.
When the plague of locusts came the land of Judah suffer
dramatically, and what followed after was a time of famine
drought. The plague was described by Joel in four stages, and
Joel pointed to the greater judgment that was to swarm upon the
nation if they did not turn from their ways and seek the Lord
with their whole heart. He called them to fast, and to repent,
and to weep over their sins (Joel 2:12). Joel also gave a
promise of hope and spoke of the great blessings that would
follow in the kingdom of the Messiah.
Joel described the coming "day of the Lord." In the New Testament after the
resurrection of Jesus Christ and on the day of Pentecost Peter rose to speak to
the people of Israel regarding the last days. Peter described what they were
seeing as "that which was spoken by the prophet Joel" (Acts 2:16). The church
age has always been seen by Christians as a time to be alert and aware that the
Lord is returning in judgment. Today is the day of salvation, the door is open
and "the fields are white unto harvest." (John 4:35) but one day Jesus will be
taking "vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the Gospel of the Lord
Jesus Christ" (2 Thessalonians 1:8).
The prophet Joel's vivid description of the plague, and the style in which
this short three chapter book was written has made it a powerful classic of
Hebrew literature.
The contents of the book may be analyzed further as follows :
Outline of the Book of Joel
Joel 1 - The terrible plague of locusts
Joel 2:1-27 - The coming day of the Lord, repentance, and
restoration
Joel 2:28-3:21 - The outpouring of the Holy Spirit, judgment
upon the nations.
Joel Resources
The Divided Kingdom
The
Northern Kingdom of Israel
The
Southern Kingdom of Judah
The Assyrian Captivity
The Babylonian Captivity
The Return From Babylon
The Prophets
The Messiah
The Book of Joel
More About the Book of
Joel
Joel in the Picture
Study Bible
Chart of the Prophets of Israel and Judah
Timeline of the Ancient
World
Back to the Old Testament
Back to Bible
History Online
