Joel 2 Background Information with Maps and Images (Picture Study Bible - Joel) Free Bible Online

Joel 2

1 - Blow 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 comes,for it is close at hand:

Blow 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 comes,for it is close at hand:

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2 - A day of darkness and gloominess,a day of clouds and thick darkness.As the dawn spreading on the mountains,a great and strong people;there has never been the like,neither will there be any more after them,even to the years of many generations.

3 - A fire devours before them,and behind them, a flame burns.The land is as the garden of Eden before them,and behind them, a desolate wilderness.Yes, and no one has escaped them.

4 - Their appearance is as the appearance of horses,and as horsemen, so do they run.

5 - Like the noise of chariots on the tops of the mountains do they leap,like the noise of a flame of fire that devours the stubble,as a strong people set in battle array.

6 - At their presence the peoples are in anguish.All faces have grown pale.

7 - They run like mighty men.They climb the wall like warriors.They each march in his line, and they don't swerve off course.

8 - Neither does one jostle another;they march everyone in his path,and they burst through the defenses,and don't break ranks.

9 - They rush on the city.They run on the wall.They climb up into the houses.They enter in at the windows like thieves.

10 - The earth quakes before them.The heavens tremble.The sun and the moon are darkened,and the stars withdraw their shining.

11 - The LORD thunders his voice before his army;for his forces are very great;for he is strong who obeys his command;for the day of the LORD is great and very awesome,and who can endure it?

12 - "Yet even now," says The LORD, "turn to me with all your heart,and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning."

13 - Tear your heart, and not your garments,and turn to The LORD, your God;for he is gracious and merciful,slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness,and relents from sending calamity.

14 - Who knows? He may turn and relent,and leave a blessing behind him,even a meal offering and a drink offering to The LORD, your God.

15 - Blow the trumpet in Zion!Sanctify a fast.Call a solemn assembly.

16 - Gather the people.Sanctify the assembly.Assemble the elders.Gather the children, and those who nurse from breasts.Let the bridegroom go out of his room,and the bride out of her room.

17 - Let the priests, the ministers of The LORD, weep between the porch and the altar,and let them say, "Spare your people, The LORD,and don't give your heritage to reproach,that the nations should rule over them.Why should they say among the peoples,'Where is their God?'"

18 - Then the LORD was jealous for his land,And had pity on his people.

19 - The LORD answered his people,"Behold, I will send you grain, new wine, and oil,and you will be satisfied with them;and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations.

20 - But I will remove the northern army far away from you,and will drive it into a barren and desolate land,its front into the eastern sea,and its back into the western sea;and its stench will come up,and its bad smell will rise."Surely he has done great things.

21 - Land, don't be afraid.Be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things.

22 - Don't be afraid, you animals of the field;for the pastures of the wilderness spring up,for the tree bears its fruit.The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.

23 - "Be glad then, you children of Zion,and rejoice in The LORD, your God;for he gives you the former rain in just measure,and he causes the rain to come down for you,the former rain and the latter rain,as before.

24 - The threshing floors will be full of wheat,and the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.

25 - I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,the great locust, the grasshopper, and the caterpillar,my great army, which I sent among you.

26 - You will have plenty to eat, and be satisfied,and will praise the name of The LORD, your God,who has dealt wondrously with you;and my people will never again be disappointed.

27 - You will know that I am among Israel,and that I am The LORD, your God, and there is no one else;and my people will never again be disappointed.

28 - "It will happen afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;and your sons and your daughters will prophesy.Your old men will dream dreams.Your young men will see visions.

29 - And also on the servants and on the handmaids in those days,I will pour out my Spirit.

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

31 - The sun will be turned into darkness,and the moon into blood,before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes.

32 - It will happen that whoever will call on The LORD's name shall be saved;for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape,as the LORD has said,and among the remnant, those whom the LORD calls.

The 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