The Final Chapter Joel 3:1-21

Joel 3:1 NIV “In those days and at that
time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah
and Jerusalem, 2 I will gather all nations
and bring them down to the Valley of
Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into
judgment against them concerning my
inheritance, my people Israel, for they
scattered my people among the nations
and divided up my land. 3 They cast lots
for my people and traded boys for
prostitutes; they sold girls for wine that
they might drink.

4 “Now what have you against me, O Tyre
and Sidon and all you regions of Philistia?
Are you repaying me for something I have
done? If you are paying me back, I will
swiftly and speedily return on your own
heads what you have done. 5 For you
took my silver and my gold and carried off
my finest treasures to your temples.

6 You sold the people of Judah and
Jerusalem to the Greeks, that you might
send them far from their homeland. 7
“See, I am going to rouse them out of the
places to which you sold them, and I will
return on your own heads what you have
done. 8 I will sell your sons and daughters
to the people of Judah, and they will sell
them to the Sabeans, a nation far away.”

The LORD has spoken. 9 Proclaim this
among the nations: Prepare for war!
Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting
men draw near and attack. 10 Beat your
plowshares into swords and your pruning
hooks into spears. Let the weakling say, “I
am strong!” 11 Come quickly, all you
nations from every side, and assemble
there.
Bring down your warriors, O LORD!

12 “Let the nations be roused; let them
advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat,
for there I will sit to judge all the nations
on every side. 13 Swing the sickle, for the
harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes,
for the winepress is full and the vats
overflow—so great is their wickedness!”

14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of
decision! For the day of the LORD is near
in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and
moon will be darkened, and the stars no
longer shine. 16 The LORD will roar from
Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the
earth and the sky will tremble. But the
LORD will be a refuge for his people, a
stronghold for the people of Israel.

17 “Then you will know that I, the LORD
your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill.
Jerusalem will be holy; never again will
foreigners invade her.
18 “In that day the mountains will drip new
wine, and the hills will flow with milk; all
the ravines of Judah will run with water. A
fountain will flow out of the LORD'S house
and will water the valley of acacias.

19 But Egypt will be desolate, Edom a
desert waste, because of violence done to
the people of Judah, in whose land they
shed innocent blood. 20 Judah will be
inhabited forever and Jerusalem through
all generations. 21 Their bloodguilt, which
I have not pardoned, I will pardon.”
The LORD dwells in Zion!

Many movies, albums, & books have
carried the title- “THE FINAL CHAPTER”
These words indicate the conclusion,
closing, ending, finishing, finality, it‟s over!
Our reading time is short when we get to
the final chapter. The complete story has
been told. If there is any kind of „mystery‟ it
will be revealed. Final chapters carry a
sense of mixed emotions.

Having made our way through the
Prophecy of Joel, we not only complete
the book but we also catch a glimpse of
end-time judgment. One of the truths
about God‟s word seems to be that the
teaching on the end of days should serve
not only as a „warning‟ but also an
„encouragement‟ to the people of God. It is
easy to get the sense that the forces of
evil have the upper hand on earth.

While this is not particularly true, it is easy
to be lulled into thinking this. The story of
the end time events serve to remind us
that a great day is coming when evil (I.E.
sin, selfishness, self-economy,
persecution of the saints & more) will be
dealt with by Jehovah God so it serves as
both an encouragement for the child of
God who walks with and lives for God and
it serves as a warning for those who do
not walk with God.

In this text, I see a „reiteration‟ of other
parts of the book of Joel. This “Final
Chapter” gives insight into the “Final
Chapter” of humanity, it divides very easily
into 2 thoughts;

Look at these four words and allow them
to burn into your mind. People usually
don‟t care to hear about this subject
because it can warp our sense of “a loving
God.” Yet, like it or not and ready or not,
God‟s judgment is a truth from which we
cannot escape.

In verse 2 we read, “The Valley of
Jehoshaphat” and some will wonder about
the location of this valley. Well, some say
it is between Jerusalem and the Mount of
Olives while others parallel this to
Zechariah 14:1-4 when Jesus comes in
revelation He will split the Mount of Olives
in two creating a valley between two hills
and this will form
The Valley of Jehoshaphat.

I think the geographic location is not
nearly as important as what this means
and what it is. The word Jehoshaphat
means, “The Lord Judges.” In verse 14
this is referred to as the “Valley of
Decision.” I think this reference is
strategically placed because God
foreknew that the time would come when
people would not believe, that in His love,
He would judge.

1 “In those days and at that time, when I
restore the fortunes of Judah and
Jerusalem, 2a I will gather all nations and
bring them down to the Valley of
Jehoshaphat.
In verse 1, the words „in those days and at
that time‟ conveys that He is talking about
a specific event in historical time.

The picture almost resembles a court
room where some are restored while
others are gathered (brought in) and
judgment begins. At that time (the end
time, Judgment day), God‟s people (Judah
& Jerusalem) will be restored.
This is an important encouragement for
God people but let‟s save this thought for
last.

Then God will gather all nations. This will
be a „cattle-call‟ (no disrespect intended)
of all the nations who have used and
abused His people. It is a gathering of
those who have chosen to oppose God,
His righteousness, and His people. The
reason He gathers them is for the purpose
of making them answer for their actions! In
the valley of judgment or decision, they
will face HIM.

2b There I will enter into judgment against
them concerning my inheritance, my
people Israel, for they scattered my
people among the nations and divided up
my land. 3 They cast lots for my people
and traded boys for prostitutes; they sold
girls for wine that they might drink.

6 You sold the people of Judah and
Jerusalem to the Greeks, that you might
send them far from their homeland.
The accusations or indictments of the
unbelievers are many and scary.

Starting at the end of verse 2 through
verse 6 we discover these; abuse of God‟s
people, stealing of God‟s land and temple
treasures, slave trade, & child trafficking.
In God‟s accusations I find something that
is pretty interesting; it seems that God
knows these people are trying to get back
at HIM or „show Him a thing or two.‟ How
amazingly arrogant!

Yet, this is becoming the norm instead of
the exception in the 21st century. There is
a strong delusion among today‟s culture
that we can „stand up‟ to God and I believe
it is spoken to in this section of scripture.
By the way, it carries devastating effects.
To fall under an indictment as dictated by
deity is to be found guilty.

Do you see how God‟s responds to the
arrogant words of His enemies?
7 “See, I am going to rouse them out of
the places to which you sold them, and I
will return on your own heads what you
have done. 8 I will sell your sons and
daughters to the people of Judah, and
they will sell them to the Sabeans, a
nation far away.”

14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of
decision! For the day of the LORD is near
in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and
moon will be darkened, and the stars no
longer shine.
He offers a warning about what lies
ahead. He uses the words which mean „to
deal with‟ or „to give retribution or
recompense.‟ Basically, God‟s words are
like, “You want to try me? Go for it?”

Then God paints a picture of what will
happen. He‟ll treat these people exactly
the way that they have treated HIS
people. And He doesn‟t stop there; He
challenges His enemies to declare war on
Him, gather the people, make weapons to
do battle, and meet Him in the valley of
decision. Make no mistake, at this point,
God has had enough and judgment is at
hand.

16 The LORD will roar from Zion and
thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the
sky will tremble. But the LORD will be a
refuge for his people, a stronghold for the
people of Israel.

Here is the 3:16 verse we‟ve been working
towards & what a verse it is! The first part
of the verse “The Terrible Day of The Lord”
is here! But not for “His people” because
The LORD will be a refuge, a stronghold
for his people.
This one verse shows us both sides of the
valley.
The TERRIBLE &
The TERRIFIC.

One meaning for adjudication is the
concept of „settlement.‟
This is exactly what we see in verse 16;
God‟s settlement on His enemies. He has
them on the battlefield in the Valley of
decision, He raises His trumpet-like voice
to shake heaven & earth, and He protects
His own people. In the process, the divine
sickle will be swing to cut off the arrogant,
evil, and self-centered! It‟ll not be pretty.

( )
As we end verse 16, we see a different
action from on high. While God gathers
His enemies, passes judgment on them in
the valley of decision, and swings the
sickle of judgment; He then demonstrates
His passion for those who are His people.
Look at His actions;

He is both a refuge and stronghold for His
people. Simply put, a „refuge‟ is a place for
refugees. In the USA we are very familiar
with the concept of refugees as they come
here from all over the world. They come
here for sanctuary, protection, and even
shelter. One translation calls this a “safe
hiding place.”

When the Lord both roars and raises His
voice in Judgment, those who are His
(who have received His salvation, walked
in His righteousness, persevered thru the
difficult time, etc) will find God to be a
„safe hiding place.‟ He is and will be our
wall of protection.
He is a stronghold. This is a place where
we can be secure and defended.

17 “Then you will know that I, the LORD
your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill.
Jerusalem will be holy; never again will
foreigners invade her.
In that day God‟s people will KNOW what
it is like to be in the presence of Almighty
God.

When I read verse 17 my mind
immediately goes to Revelations when
John wrote,
And I heard a loud voice from the throne
saying: "Look! The residence of God is
among human beings. He will live among
them, and they will be his people, and
God himself will be with them. Revelation
21:3 NET

“God‟s dwelling place is with men.”
Everything God has done is pointed to this
one truth, “He wants to be with His crown
creation!” This is why He created man &
woman to begin with, that He could spend
time with them and have fellowship
together. In the Old Testament we see
clues in the lives of Abraham, Jacob,
Enoch, and others that God wants to dwell
with us.

Then Jesus, God incarnate, came to offer
us the presence of God in the first person.
When Jesus ascended to sit at the right
hand of the Father, God the Holy Spirit
has come to be with us. Yet one day the
redeemed will spend eternity with the
“Triune God” (Father, Son, & Holy Spirit)—
He will dwell with us, we will be with Him,
and He will be our God, not in abstract but
in presence.

18 “In that day the mountains will drip new
wine, and the hills will flow with milk; all
the ravines of Judah will run with water. A
fountain will flow out of the LORD'S house
and will water the valley of acacias. 19 But
Egypt will be desolate, Edom a desert
waste, because of violence done to the
people of Judah, in whose land they shed
innocent blood.

Verses 18 and 19 give us a contrast
between those without the Father‟s
salvation and those with it. Egypt and
Edom, symbols of a land or a life without
God will be desolate and a wasteland. We
can picture the land without the obvious
blessings of God.

The picture that comes to mind is a
„desert,‟ where there is little green
vegetation or growth. A life can be viewed
this way. Absent the protection and
presence of God in a life, there is nothing
of any consequence growing. Temporal
things may take center stage, but of the
eternal there is little seen without Christ in
the life.

But look at what happens in verse 18
when God is present; the mountains drip,
the hills flow, and A fountain will flow out
of the LORD'S house. The picture is a
spring bursting forth from the Lord‟s house
and household.
Compare this to the glimpse John was
given into Heaven.

Revelation 22:1 NET Then the angel
showed me the river of the water of life —
water as clear as crystal — pouring out
from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2
flowing down the middle of the city's main
street. On each side of the river is the tree
of life producing twelve kinds of fruit,
yielding its fruit every month of the year.
Its leaves are for the healing of the
nations.

Verses 20-21 gives great promises to
God‟s people.
20 Judah will be inhabited forever and
Jerusalem through all generations. 21
Their bloodguilt, which I have not
pardoned, I will pardon.”

When God says, “I will”, you can trust Him!
He is as good as His word. Judah &
Jerusalem can be seen symbolically;
historically, prophetically, and/or
personally. Historically it speaks to the
nation that sinned & was carried into
bondage.

Prophetically we remember that one day
the NEW Jerusalem will come down from
the Father.
Personally we can be encouraged
because God‟s people, His redeemed, will
be pardoned and will reside for all eternity
in the land of Zion!
Guess who lives in Zion?
What an encouraging promise~!

When you read the „final chapter‟ of any
book or see the final seen from any movie,
all the suspense is removed.
Have you ever read a book or watched a
movie that was so good you didn‟t want it
to end?
God has given us the ending, we have
been given the final chapter, and all we
have to do is to be ready.

What does the Lord require? Micah 6:8
NIV He has showed you, O man, what is
good. And what does the LORD require of
you? To act justly and to love mercy and
to walk humbly with your God. These
characteristics do not come naturally or
easily to us because of our sinful nature.
This world will pull at us until we „miss the
mark‟ which is called sin. Yet, God is a
„very present help in times of trouble.‟ He
stands ready to make you ready for the
final chapter.

A little boy went with his father for his first
fishing trip on a lake. Fear gripped his little
heart, and he held on so tight his little
knuckles were white. "Is the water over my
head?" he asked. "Yes, son," said the
father. "Is it over your head?" The boy
asked as the land grew farther and farther
away.

"Yes, son, I'm afraid it is," replied the
father. Tears rolled down the boy's cheeks,
and then he asked, "Is the water over
God's head?" The father grew very
sympathetic and told him that it was not
over God's head!
Our troubles may seem to be above our
heads, but God is able to help. Will you be
ready?

The Final Chapter Joel 3:1-21

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The Final Chapter Joel 3:1-21