“Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles ; prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all them come up : Beat your ploughshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears ; let the weak say, I am strong.”—Joel 3:9, 10.
Thus the Prophet sets forth the Divine mandate, that shall earmark one of the most perilous times to be experienced in the earth. All the nations of the world are to engage in a preparation for war, unprecedented in world history, which was to be another indication that Gentile times were drawing to a close. Ever since there has been a nation, there have been conflicts and fighting among men to be sure. However, it is apparent that the time of which the Prophet speaks, is to be distinct from all past eras. This war in which all nations are to participate is to bring to an abrupt end all conflicts.
Joel continues his remarks in verse 11, “Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye brethren, and gather yourselves together round about : thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, 0 Lord.” The “mighty ones” which are to swoop down upon the prey as eagles are the saints, glorified and in Divine manifestation. In verse 12, we are told that God is to sit and judge all the nations round about.
There is no doubt as to the time in which this is to take place. The Prophet establishes this beyond all doubt in the opening verse of the chapter. “For behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.” Down through the ages nations have always been engaged in some type of preparation for war. World wide armament, therefore in itself, would not be conclusive as a sign of the near return of Christ. But Joel declares that this event was to be in the same days when He brought again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem.
There is a striking similarity between the words of Joel and those of the greatest prophet of them all, Jesus Christ, as he foretells in graphic language the terrible events that would transpire just previous to his return. Christ, too, begins his prophecy with Israel and their return to the land of Palestine ; “And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations : and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars ; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity ; the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them for fear, and looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. Then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” Luke, 21 :24-27.
The overwhelming distress of all nations, the enveloping perplexity that shall prevail during Israel’s peradventure occupancy of the land covenanted to their fathers, was to serve as a stimulant to His followers. Although the world that knows not God, was to be thrown into the depths of despair for looking after those things coming to pass on the earth, the household of faith is commanded to “look up, and lift up your heads ; for your redemption draweth night.” (Verse 28). what extremes in emotional feelings to be experienced by those living in the days when these prophecies shall come to pass! The world in a state of trepidation, blindly groping for an answer to the terrible crisis facing civilisation, while the followers of Christ, earth. (verse 26). The use of these, figurative. The reference to signs to be seen in the sun, moon and stars, and the shaking of the heavens were descriptive of events I that were to transpire on the eagerly anticipating each turn of events.
The Language employed by Christ is highly, yet appropriate symbols in connection with the other elements such as sea and world. There are many other places in the Bible where figurative language as this is used, and waves, roaring, are meant to convey a period of extreme unrest among the inhabitants of the where no doubt exists as to whom or what they refer. Jude, after bringing forth many examples of rebellious and apostate wickedness set forth in the lives of certain individuals, uses many of the same terms spoken by Jesus, in describing them. “These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear : Clouds they are without water, carried about of winds ; Trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots ; raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame ; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.” (verses 12, 13).
The apostle makes it quite clear to whom he refers, for in verse 16, he continues, “These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts : and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.”
With these examples before us, we can begin to correlate and harmonize the teachings of Jesus and Joel. The symbols employed by both have reference to one and the same thing. “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The Sun and the Moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.” Joel, 3:15, 16. The eclipsing of these stars, the darkening of the sun and moon depict the subjugation of all nations before the Kingdom of God. These are the ruling powers, the governing bodies of the Gentile world. With the erection of God’s Kingdom, and the enthronement of the sun of righteousness, the Gentile’s stars shall be dimmed into oblivion. All kings, governors and rulers will be compelled to lay their crowns at the feet of the Son of God, when He begins his reign in Mount Zion. “Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed when the Lord of Hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.” (Isa. 24 :23).
The extensive armament program now in progress in all nations, in connection with the return of Israel to their land unerringly indicates the times in which we live. In the United States, the budget asked for by the President is the highest peacetime ( ?) budget ever to be formulated — $74 billion. It is estimated that about $40 billion of this will go for defense purposes. The White House budget also allows for a $500 million “contingency” fund to be used at the President’s discretion to fill emergency commitments in weapons research and developments. All this is due to the alarming advancement of America’s potentially greatest enemy, Russia.
The two Sputniks launched in 1957 have become symbols of the Kremlin’s scientific supremacy, and have served as a stimulant for an all-out effort in this country to regain arms superiority. Never before has there been such a fantastic arms race, as is witnessed today. Since 1946, the USA has been spasmodically engaged in the development of a nuclear-powered plane. The cost and complexity of design has stopped the project several times. It is now feared that by the time it is developed it will become obsolete ! Guided missiles, missiles to intercept missiles, nuclear-powered aircraft and submarines, all express the expediency of the times in which we live. Surely men’s hearts are about to fail in what is coming to pass on the earth. This huge build-up of weapons of destruction are intended for but one purpose : to wage war. 1958 might very well be the year that will find the entire world plunged into a full scale atomic war, described by Christ as the powers of heaven being shaken.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One