As we delve into the prophetic words of Joel, we uncover God’s merciful heart and willingness to restore what has been lost. This episode not only explores the literal fulfillment of God’s promises in scripture but also reveals how these truths apply spiritually to our own lives. Dr. McGee’s engaging teaching inspires us to reflect on our relationship with God, challenging us to align our lives with His divine purposes. Be encouraged by God’s promise to make ‘all things new’, offering hope amidst uncertainty and struggle.
The foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith.
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Welcome to Through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee. We hear some good news today, good news about how to come to God. I’m Steve Schwetz, welcoming you aboard the Bible bus as Dr. McGee introduces our study in Joel chapter 2 with this great truth. He says, God is waiting and willing for you to come to Him. You just have to come His way. Well, if you’re curious what it means to come God’s way, well, stay with us for the next half hour so that we can learn about that and so much more. Now, this reminds me of a letter that we received from a brother in India. This listener listens to our Malayalam program of Through the Bible, and he writes this. Previous to my time in prison, I never took the Bible seriously. After hearing the messages through Jonah, it became very interesting to me, especially the teaching on repentance. I have tested this and found it very good and useful teaching and have decided for the first time to do life God’s way and to give priority to God’s will in my life. I have found him to be a shelter here in prison and a lifeline to other inmates here. We are praying daily for the program. I’m going to do life God’s way. Isn’t that encouraging? And so if the fact that a community of brothers in India are praying every day for this program to go out and to be effective, I’d call them members of our world prayer team, wouldn’t you? Well, let’s pray for them as well and each other as we dive into God’s word. Heavenly Father, thank you for this encouragement from this brother who’s going to do life your way. That’s what we all want, Lord. So please reward us as we seek you. And thank you for your word. And we ask now that you’d give us ears to hear it. And please reach those who have never heard it before. In Jesus’ name, amen. Now let’s continue our exciting journey in Joel 2 as we make our way through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.
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Now today, friends, we move on in this second chapter, which is a very important chapter. And here again, the word is sent out, blow the trumpet in Zion. Now, we had that blowing of the trumpet in Zion at the very beginning of this chapter, and we went into detail in the meaning of the trumpet. The trumpet was used to call an assembly and to sound an alarm. Now, it was an alarm before. Now, it is a calling of the assembly together. In other words, that they may be brought together, a message given to them that they might have the opportunity to turn to God because he’s gracious and he’s good and he’s willing to accept them. And so the word here in verse 15 is, “…blow the trumpet in Zion.” sanctify a fast called a solemn assembly. Now, you see, in the Mosaic system, God never gave a fast day. They were all feast days. And God says, come before me rejoicing. But now when they are in sin and in rebellion against him and have turned from him, the only way you can come to him is come as a sinner to him and come wanting to turn from your sins. Because the message that we saw last time was repent, repent. A message of turning from your old ways. You’ve been turning from God, not turn to God. And all you’d have to do is call upon him. He’d save you. That’s all you’d have to do today. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved. Now, you don’t add anything to that. You don’t join a church. You don’t go through a ceremony. You don’t promise something. You turn to Christ as a sinner. That’s the way you come. And this is a call. And the trumpet here is over in the New Testament. We find that the word for preaching or evangelizing or heralding the gospel is k-roots. It means trumpets. And now send out the message today. That’s what we’re doing. We’re blowing a trumpet here on radio best we can. Blow the trumpet in Zion. Sanctify a fast. Call a solemn assembly. Now, this is no meeting where you try to get a great many people down front, and many of them come giggling and laughing. This is something solemn. When you turn to God from sin, it’s a pretty serious business, my friends. And you’re not converted until you do. And I don’t care how many times you go down front. I asked a lovely young couple over in Memphis years ago. They came down front in a meeting over there. And I went down and I asked them, I said, is this the first time you’ve come down? They said, oh, no. They said, we come down every Sunday. I said, why do you come down? They said, well, we want all that God has for us. Well, I said, you think just coming down here, you’ll get it? And they said, well, I hope so. Well, I said, let me ask you another question. Have you got it yet? And they said, no. Well, I said, I’d get a little discouraged if I were you. Maybe this isn’t the way it’s to be done. Maybe God has another way. Or maybe God has his way. And this is man’s way. You see, may I say to you, God today wants to be gracious and good to you, wants to save you. But you’ve got to come his way. The Lord Jesus said, no man comes to the Father, but by me. The Lord Jesus is the only door to heaven. I am the door. By me, if any man enters in, he shall be saved. Now, that is very clear. Now, listen to him here. Verse 16 of chapter 2 of Joel, gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children and those that nurse at the breast. That makes it possible for the mothers that have little ones. They say, I can’t come to church. The churches today, thank the Lord, have established nurseries so young mothers can come. But in that day, I have a notion there were a lot of crying babies in the crowd. Now, will you notice, let the bridegroom go forth from his chamber and the bride out of her room. You see, when the man got married in Israel, he was excused one year from going to war. He’s excused from a lot of things. And that was an advantage of getting married, I guess, for some of them in that day. But the thing is, God says, this is so important that you be present, even if you’re on your honeymoon. Now, he says, let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar. Now, we’re in Jerusalem, you see. Joel is definitely a prophet of the southern kingdom. And let them say, spare the people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach that the nation should rule over them. Now, they’ve been scattered throughout the world today. And I admit that they have a nation today, a government and a flag. But they’re pretty well subject to the nations of the world. And right now, they’re in a squeezed place over there. They’ve got caught in the oil slick, by the way. And that is causing them a great deal of trouble. And it will continue because they’re not back there. today in fulfillment of prophecy. When God puts them back there, they’ll have no problem relative to the oil situation. I read a little clipping that Golda Meir, the statement that she had made. She said, in fact, she inferred Moses had made a mistake. She says, imagine he led all of our people around through the wilderness for 40 years and then passed over all that Arabian oil that was there. Or may I say that I doubt very seriously believes the Old Testament, and she did. She’d know there was a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day that was leading those people, and he purposefully kept them away from the Arabian oil. And I think for a very definite reason, by the way, that really would involve them today. And they never would have got that land to begin with, with all that oil there. And the land they’ve gotten is not as attractive as you think it is today if you go over there. And the thing they need is not oil. They need water over there. And they don’t have that right now. And the judgment of God is upon them. Moses made no mistake because God was leading. And somehow or another, God doesn’t make a mistake. Now, will you notice here, let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar and let them say, spare the people. Then they cry out, where is their God? Why should they say among the people, where is their God? In other words, they were wondering what was happening to them. And a young Jewish fellow over there, I met him at the King David Hotel, and he was a sharp young fellow. And he says, if it’s as you say that we are the chosen people and God is with us, then why doesn’t he intervene for us today? And I told him very candidly, I says, because right now you are not with God. And until you come back in repentance to him, you’re not even his chosen people because God today is doing a new thing. He’s calling out of your people and my people, Jews and Gentiles, the people to his name in the church. And I said, you’re just not up to date with God. That is your problem. You’re going way back to a mosaic system that just happens to be outmoded. And the latest thing, the newest model is the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. And by the way, it’s wrecked along the highway today, it seems to me, many, many places. Now, will you notice here? Verse 18, “‘Then the Lord was jealous for his land and pitied his people.'” Now, he’s moving definitely into the future. And you’ll notice the little key word here, time word. We’re going to have that appear several times in this chapter. And here it’s then. And if you’re familiar with the Olivet Discourse that we considered in Matthew, Matthew 24 and 25, and you’ll notice the Lord Jesus used that little word then to advance in time the happenings that are to take place in the great tribulation period. Then the Lord was jealous for his land and pitied his people. That’s going to be during the great tribulation period, right before he comes to the earth. Verse 19, And the Lord answered and said unto his people, Behold, I will send you grain and wine and oil, and ye shall be satisfied with them. And I will no more make you a reproach among the nations. Now, that time has not come. I don’t think anyone, even the most radical radical, would say that this has been fulfilled, because it’s not fulfilled. The largest population of Israel is not in that land. It’s out of that land. They’re more in New York City than they are in that land. And there’s a great company of them even in Russia today. so that this has not been fulfilled. This looks forward to the future. He’s now beginning to speak definitely into the period that’s known as the day of the Lord that begins with the great tribulation period, moves into the millennium out of darkness and dawn, the evening and the morning of the first day, second day, and moves on into the end of the millennium. And past that rebellion, when it’s put down on the earth, and the eternal kingdom begins. Now, we’re bottled into that particular period. And I think from here on out, that is the thing that is primary here in this study. Now, verse 20, he says, “…but I will remove far off from you the northern army.” Now, he’s sure not talking about locusts here. An army’s coming down from the north. Now, that was partially fulfilled when Assyria came down, took the northern kingdom, but God delivered his people miraculously in the southern kingdom. And it was another hundred years before they went into Babylonian captivity. Now, the northern army that’s coming down in the future is in the 38th and 39th of Ezekiel that we saw. That is, Russia will come down. That’ll be during the time of the great tribulation period. And he says, I will drive him into a land barren and desolate with his face toward the eastern sea and his rear toward the western sea. And that just happens to be Armageddon because the Mediterranean’s on one side and the Sea of Galilee’s on the other side. And the Valley of Esdraelon, Armageddon is right between. And he says here, “…and his rear towards the western sea, and his stench shall come up, and his ill savor shall come up, because he hath done great things.” Now, God will intervene. as we have seen in Ezekiel. And he will destroy this enemy that comes down from the north, and he does it to glorify his name. My friend, God is glorified. when He judges sin as much as He is when He saves the sinner. And it’s hard for us today to swallow that pill, because it’s a bitter pill for man to swallow today. But our God’s a holy, righteous God, and He’s going to judge. And every one of the prophets says it. Now, if you don’t believe it, I can say to you very definitely, you don’t believe the Word of God. God makes it too clear. He says more about judgment. Now, He doesn’t like to judge. Why? Because he’s already told us he’s gracious. He’s merciful. He’s slow to anger. And judgment is a strange work. But if you don’t think he’ll judge, well, I know he judges his own children. He’s judged me. I know that. And he’s chastised. And I’d be honest with you, I’m wanting to get pretty close to my Heavenly Father because I don’t enjoy either one of them by any means. Now, will you listen to him here? Verse 21, Fear not, O land, be glad and rejoice, for the Lord will do great things. The tribulation period is going to lead to the coming of Christ to the earth to establish his kingdom. Now, the church is not in this picture. It’s not in the Olivet Discourse. And the church is not in Revelation when you begin chapter 4. You see a group carried to heaven, and the church is no longer on the earth. And somebody says, well, it’s not called a church. Well, when the church gets out of the world and gets to heaven, it’s not a church. You say, what do you mean? Well, church is ecclesia. That’s called out. And God is calling out a people today to his name. When they get to heaven, they’ve already been called out. They’re no longer a church. They’re the bride of Christ. The figure changes in the book of Revelation. Fear not, O land, be glad and rejoice. Now, the land today is under a curse. They may be back in that land, but the curse is not removed from the land. They need water over there. And anybody that’s driven down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and I’ve made that trip, I know a dozen times. My friend, if anybody can call that the Garden of Eden, and anybody can say the desert is blossoming like the rose, that’s not my idea of it. That’s as desolate. as anything that’s in Arizona or California. Our desert is not any more desolate than that. Now, will you notice? Verse 22, “‘Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine that yieldeth spring.'” That day hasn’t come yet. Verse 23, “‘Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord.'” Now, who is he talking to? The church? Please, friends, let God speak to who he wants to speak to. And the interpretation is to the southern kingdom, to the children of Zion. And I may sing lustily, I’m marching to Zion, but I’m not marching to Zion down here on the earth. Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God, for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. Now, let’s look at that for just a moment. I believe that we’re still talking about literal things here. And we’re talking about literal rain is referred to here. Now, Joel will make application of it in the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, which we’ll be coming to. But literal rain is referred to here. The former rain came in October. The latter rain in April. And I heard before I went over to that land that the latter rain was returning to that land. Well, I’ve been over there in April and it rained a little, but gracious, I don’t think you could call that kind of a rain that the Lord’s talking about and that they had in the former days when that entire land, all those rugged hills were covered with trees. Of course, the enemies that have come in have denuded the land. And they’re trying to set out trees. But they’re having trouble to make those trees grow today because there’s not enough of the latter rain. Now, that has not come. And there’s a great many references to the literal rain. And I’m not going to take time today to go into that. You have Leviticus. And in my notes, I give all the references, Leviticus 26, 3 and 4, passage in Deuteronomy, 1 Kings, Jeremiah and Hosea. These references make it clear that this passage, I think, cannot be spiritualized. But it refers to literal rain. Now, you can make application of it, of course, if you want to. But let’s understand that he’s speaking to the children of Zion. And he’s speaking about rain in that country, H2O, aqua, hudor, that comes down from heaven. We call it water. Rain water. That’s what he’s talking about. It’s not coming down today, but it will in the future. Now, will you notice, we come to verse 25, and I will restore to you the years that the locusts have eaten, the canker worm, the caterpillar, and the palmerum, my great army, which I sent among you. Now, God uses a locust plague. He said, you think this land can’t be restored? Well, it can be. And God says, that which the locust has destroyed, I will restore it. Now, there have been a great many sermons preached from this, spiritualizing this passage. Well, I don’t mind using it as an application because there is stated here a great principle, and you find it again in the book of Revelation. When he speaks of the new Jerusalem, And those in the church, the sinners that have trusted Christ, are going to be there. Now, he tells about many wonderful things. He’s going to wipe away all tears. A lot of change that’ll be because a lot of tears in this world. And then he says, behold, I make all things new. And I love that. I do not know about you, but… I’m not satisfied with my life down here. I have never preached the sermon I’ve wanted to preach. I wish I could do it. I’ve had it in my heart and my mind, but just somehow I’ve never been able to preach that sermon. And I have never been the husband that I’ve really wanted to be. I wish I could have been a much better husband to my wife when I was sick. She and I, we went back over the days of how we met and how we courted and all that sort of thing. And boy, I tell you, it was wonderful going over those. But I told her, I said, oh, if I could change so many things, it would have been lots more wonderful than it was. And I’ve never really been the father that I wanted to be. And I haven’t been really the man that I wanted to be. And I love that passage in Revelation where He says in Revelation 21, behold, I make all things new. He says, Vernon McGee, you didn’t quite make it down there on earth, did you? You never really accomplished your goal. You were frustrated. You were hindered. You were limited. You were down there with that old sinful nature. Now he says, I’m going to make all things new and I’m going to give you a new scratch pad. And now there’s no racer on this pencil I’m giving you. And you can write it all out now, and you can accomplish what you wanted to accomplish. And friends, I believe that’s what is going to make heaven heaven for so many people, is the fact that they’re going to be able there to do the thing and to be the person. that they wanted to be down here, but they’ve been hindered by circumstances, by sin, and by environment, and so many things, and even heredity. What a glorious thing it’ll be to be in his presence. And this can be applied to that. This is a principle I’ll restore to you the years the locusts have eaten. What a day that’s going to be. I have to leave off there, but as I leave off, let me warn my very wonderful Pentecostal friends that I’m coming to the passage that you know, pouring out of the Spirit here on the day of Pentecost. And you’re going to disagree with me. And I don’t want us to fall out because we agree as a Pentecostal preacher here in Southern California said to me, says, McGee, you and I agree on too many things to fall out on these few things where you were wrong. Well, I’m going to be dealing with one of these where I’m wrong next time. Until then, may God richly bless you, my beloved.
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Well, we’ve been warned. We’re heading into teaching that godly people disagree on. And you know, that’s okay. As long as we all come to this passage with an open mind, letting God reveal his truth. He uses his servants like Dr. McGee to lay it out before us. But in the final analysis, it’s the Holy Spirit who teaches us. So let’s be sure that we’re listening to him. You know, Joel is an amazing book that has so much to teach us about the day of the Lord. To spend a little more time in this section of God’s Word yourself, why don’t you download Dr. McGee’s booklet titled, Darkness and Light, The Day of the Lord. It’s available for free download at ttb.org. And while you’re there, also check out Dr. McGee’s digital booklet, Why Do God’s Children Suffer? In it, he gives us seven reasons Scripture says that we suffer, and then he also suggests four benefits of suffering for the believer. Why Do God’s Children Suffer? is one of the most popular booklets, and it’s also a great one to share with anyone that you know who’s struggling to make sense of their heartaches and disappointments. As Dr. McGee says, the most important thing to do in our suffering is to draw near to God, and when we do that, he promises to draw near to us. Again, these booklets, Darkness and Light, The Day of the Lord, and Why Do God’s Children Suffer, as well as all of our notes and outlines and more than 100 other free booklet downloads by Dr. McGee can be found at ttb.org or call us at 1-800-65-BIBLE if we can help you find them. And when you contact us, be sure to let us know how you listen to Through the Bible. Is it online, through one of our apps, Alexa, maybe your favorite Christian radio station? Well, there are so many options. And you know, your feedback really helps us to be good stewards of the resources that God has entrusted to us through faithful friends like you. Again, our number is 1-865-BIBLE, or send your note to Box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109. In Canada, Box 25325. London, Ontario, N6C 6B1. Now join us next time as we continue studying the Word of God and praying for it to reach the whole world. I’m Steve Schwetz. For all of us here at Through the Bible, we’re praying that you sense God’s peace and joy as you walk with Him today.
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