Joel Chapter One

Beasts and Cattle: What Do They Have In Common With The Gospel Of Jesus Christ?

When we read the above verse we find that the logical conclusion is that the flocks of sheep are dying along with the beasts and herds of cattle: they are vexed because there is no pastures on which to graze upon. We must ask what correlation does this have with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And what era in history and geographical location has this incident transpired? How are we to learn more about the good news of salvation from starving cattle? The truth of the matter is simply that God utilizes various terms throughout scripture in metaphorical ways in which to teach His Word. The above verse, in speaking of beasts, cattle, and sheep, appears to be referencing peoples of the world or perhaps even confessing believers. The era in question is ultimately the end of days in which God’s true Word and His Spirit will be withdrawn from the earth, thus the beasts groan, the herds of cattle will be vexed, and the flocks of sheep will be made desolate.

How Do The Beasts Groan!

The beasts that groan appear nearly without question to encompass the peoples of the world. Scripture uses the word beasts to represent both cattle of the earth and yet it may also symbolize peoples or “confessing” Christians of the world. We must understand that within scripture wherein a particular word, let us use the word beast for example, conveys the meaning of wild animals and yet if only one verse in all of scripture indicates that “beasts” is symbolic for peoples of the world, then we must out of necessity keep that in mind with regard to all other verses that we find the word beasts. God many times uses more than one layer of interpretation.

Micah 5:8 - And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

True believers, i.e. the true Israel of God (remnant) are portrayed in scripture AS a lion among the beasts of the forest and AS a young lion among the flocks of sheep. Here we see that God equates His true children to animals, in this case the children of God are symbolized as lions and Christ of course is spoken in scripture as the LION of the tribe of Juda, Revelation 5:5. We must also realize that Satan and his kingdom are also depicted throughout scripture as lions.

God likens Himself many times in scripture as an animal in order to teach with earthly metaphors.

Hosea 5:14 - For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him.

Hosea 11:10 - They shall walk after the LORD: he shall roar like a lion: when he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west.

Hosea 13:7 - Therefore I will be unto them as a lion: as a leopard by the way will I observe them:

Hosea 13:8 - I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lion: the wild beast shall tear them.

God uses animals in defining those masses that are yet unsaved. In the following verses of Isaiah 35 God once more uses animal terms in describing the masses of mankind. God is telling us that eternal salvation is without the fools and ravenous beastly instincts of fallen and unregenerate man:

Isaiah 35:8-10 -

8 - And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for

those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.

9 - No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:

10 - And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Returning to our study of Joel 1:18 we wonder who these beasts are that groan. “How do the beasts groan! ... ” The Hebrew definition for groan <Strong’s Hebrew # 584> is to sigh <# 584> and to mourn <# 584>.

Isaiah 24:4-7

4 - The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.

5 - The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.

6 - Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

7 - The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merryhearted do sigh <# 584, same as groan.>

Lamentations 1:4 - The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh <# 584, same as groan>, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness.

Lamentations 1:11 - All her people sigh <# 584, same as groan>, they seek bread <Gospel; bread of Christ>; they have given their pleasant things for meat to relieve the soul: see, O LORD, and consider; for I am become vile.

Ezekiel 9:3-4

3 - And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side;

4 - And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city <end-time harlot church?>, through the midst of Jerusalem <end-time harlot church?>, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men <beasts?> that sigh <# 584, same as groan> and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.

<Again, the final and ultimate fulfillment of these passages coincides perfectly with the first chapter of Joel.>

We see more evidence in the following verses that show God’s use of the word beasts is actually defined or compared to earth’s mass humanity.

Psalms 49:12 - Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish.

Psalms 49:20 - Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.

* Ecclesiastes 3:18 - I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

Isaiah 43:18-21 -

18 - Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.

19 - Behold, I will do a new thing <New Covenant; Gospel of Christ>; now it shall spring forth <New Covenant; Gospel of Christ>; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness <New Covenant; Gospel of Christ>; and rivers in the desert <New Covenant; Gospel of Christ>.

20 - The beast <God fearing remnant> of the field shall honour me, the dragons <unclean animal turned clean; God fearing remnant> and the owls <unclean animal turned clean; God fearing remnant>: because I give waters in the wilderness <Gospel of Christ>, and rivers in the desert <Gospel of Christ>, to give drink <Gospel of Christ> to my people <represented by the beasts, owls, and dragons>, my chosen <represented in this verse by the beasts, owls, and dragons>.

21 - This people <represented by the beasts, owls, and dragons> have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.

The following passage tells us how God made them clean; those who are the true remnant of God:

John 15:1-3

1 - ¶I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

2 - Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 - Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

Jeremiah 9:10 - For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone. <Voice of the cattle apparently signifies masses of people?>

Jonah 3:5-8 -

5 - ¶So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them <no talk of animals.>

6 - For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

7 - And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:

8 - But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.

The herds of cattle are perplexed

Isaiah 30:23 - Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread <Word of God> of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures.

Yes, the cattle have fed in large pastures (faithful churches throughout the world?) from the conception of the Church Age until the end of the age wherein the Abomination of Desolation sets in. Joel 1:18 states the herds of cattle are perplexed because they have no pasture. Perplexed is defined in the Hebrew as vexed or entangled. It appears to be a portrait of the end-time global church operating without God’s Holy Spirit. There will be few or no true pastures in which to feed upon.

The Flocks of Sheep Are Made Desolate

Again we see the same message in this verse; that is without the Holy Spirit the church is desolate. The unbelievers within the congregations (flocks of sheep) are made desolate…spiritually desolate! THIS IS THE GREATEST CALAMITY OF ALL TIMES!

Matthew 24:21 - For then shall be great tribulation, SUCH AS WAS NOT SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE WORLD TO THIS TIME, NO, NOR EVER SHALL BE.

The phrase "abomination of desolation" is indeed a biblical phrase. Christ spoke of it in the Gospels.

"When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet,
stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)"
"Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains:" (Matthew 24:15-16)

"But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet,
standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be
in Judea flee to the mountains." (Mark 13:14)

"And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh."
"Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it
depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter there into." (Luke 21:20-21)

Matthew and Mark's accounts are nearly identical. Luke uses somewhat different language, but all are speaking of the same event, and all are contributing information. The Bible declares that "all scripture is given by inspiration of God," therefore we realize that each slightly different account only adds to our information, and nothing in scripture contradicts scripture. The only difference between Matthew and Mark's accounts is that Matthew says the abomination of desolation will stand in the "holy place," while Mark says that it will stand where it "ought not." Mark is actually saying the exact same thing. These books of scripture were written for the New Testament Church. With that in mind, where would the "holy place" be in reference to? It can only be the New Testament spiritual Temple of God; i.e. Christ’s Church. Scripture tells us that Christ is our true Temple, and every born-again believer is a part of that Temple (John 2:21; I Corinthians 3:16, 6:19).

"If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for
the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." (I Corinthians 3:17)

Matthew and Mark's statements tell us that the abomination of desolation will stand in the "holy place" or "where it ought not." We then know immediately that the holy place is the New Testament Temple. The congregations of the earth (the outward manifestation of Christ’s Church) are where the Temple of God is to be found during the Church-Age. Of course we must realize that there will be false believers or non-believers among the true Christians, but nonetheless this is where the Temple of God is found on earth.

In Luke's account we find more information concerning the abomination of desolation. Luke 21:20 differentiates the language somewhat, which only helps to confirm Matthew and Mark's account. Instead of saying "when ye shall see the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place" (or standing where it ought not), Luke says the same thing this way: "When ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, know that the desolation in nigh." The word "Jerusalem" in Luke is substituted for "holy place" or “standing where it ought not.” In addition, the phrase "compassed (encircled) by armies" in Luke is substituted for "standing in the holy place, or where it ought not" in Matthew and Mark. So then God is telling us that Jerusalem is another term for the Temple (holy place) of God. The name Jerusalem means "habitation of peace" and this is where our real peace is to be found. Not in the literal city of Jerusalem, nor in any of the congregations of the world, but in Christ Jesus, who is altogether the Jerusalem of scripture and the chief cornerstone of the New Testament spiritual Temple. Jerusalem is used many times throughout scripture in reference to God's Church; His earthly representation. Jerusalem is also used as the name of the believers' eternal home, the new and heavenly Jerusalem.

When Luke states that Jerusalem will be compassed about with armies, we must realize that these armies are the spiritual forces of Satan, such as the false congregations overtaking the church (the spiritual Jerusalem). It is this spiritual warfare that is in view, although scripture does parallel the spiritual with the physical; thus we see the literal Jerusalem coming into play as it has done for over half of the twentieth century. It is highly possible that God is showing forth spiritual truth through the worldly nation of Israel and the literal city of Jerusalem. We understand this to clearly be saying that Jerusalem (symbolizing the New Testament Temple) is about to be overran. The Temple is about to be defiled! What does this mean? It is an abomination to God to defile His Temple. It is an abomination that will make desolate the Temple of God. It is the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet and referenced by Christ Himself (with warnings!) in three of the gospels. Jesus says: "He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad," Matthew 12:30. There is no middle ground with which to flee and remain neutral. The abomination of desolation is simply when the enemies of Christ (unsaved, but common everyday people) gradually overtake and contaminate, pollute, and defile the congregations of the world with their own versions of what salvation should be. It is their worldly false gospels. This will occur at the time appointed, at the "latter time" when the "transgressors are come to full," Daniel 8:23. It will also be fulfilled by the Beast Empire, the world’s super power who will dictate what the harlot church can and cannot preach.

Why did Christ refer us back to Daniel? The abomination of desolation is spoken of in many places throughout the book of Daniel. In chapter nine we read that "...the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy <defile> the city <spiritual Jerusalem> and the sanctuary <the holy place>...," Daniel 9:26. Speaking of this sanctuary, the New Testament Temple of God, Daniel declares in verse 27: "...and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate." The word consummation is defined in the Hebrew as completion and destruction.

This event is also spoken of in II Thessalonians 2:3-4:

"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come except there come a falling away
first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;"
"who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God."

Throughout much of scripture one can read of the desolation of the literal city of Jerusalem during Old Testament days. Ultimately these occurrences pointed to the final and spiritual desecration of the spiritual Jerusalem shortly before Judgment Day. God has given us much insight into this time of great tribulation, in which Satan and his ministers of righteousness (common everyday people) will cunningly cut off the true gospel of salvation and discretely replace it with false gospels that appear much like the real Gospel of Christ. We are even warned by Jesus Himself that this final deception in the church would, if it were possible, deceive even the very elect! That is how awesome and thoroughly deceptive this time will be. Few people will become saved because of this massive onslaught by Satan, in his final attempt to destroy the true Gospel of Christ.

It is the belief and conviction of this study that such an event of this magnitude would not escape an analysis or commentary in the book of Revelation. Secondly, it is suspected that the abomination of desolation is indeed examined in great detail in the seventeenth and especially the eighteenth chapter of the book of Revelation. The customary teachings of the eighteenth chapter have always laid down the same conclusions; that the destruction of Babylon is the physical destruction of a physical city, or a physical country, or even the literal world itself. By comparing scripture's symbolism (of which much of this chapter embraces) with Old Testament scripture, the light begins to dawn on just precisely what this destruction is. This study affirms in all probability that Revelation chapter eighteen is not teaching a literal destruction of any city, country, or even the world, but is particularly emphasizing the defilement and the spiritual destruction of the corporate church worldwide, shortly before the second coming of Christ the Lord.

TIMELY WARNING!

As of today, December 2, 2007 WATCH and pray daily. Things are not what they appear to be. Soon the world will be saying “peace and safely.” God in His grace has given us a gigantic clue as well as a warning that exposes the forces of darkness that parades in today’s world as “light.”

1 Thessalonians 5:3 - For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

We know and can be certain that this verse is an end-time warning for Christ’s church. The previous two verses of 1 Thessalonians 5 introduces us to the days proceeding the catching away of the Church at the last day. Do not fall for the heresy of a pre-tribulation rapture of the church seven years before the end of the age. Scripture is quite clear as to when the rapture will take place; it will take place at the Last Day. Nowhere in all of Holy Scripture do we find a speck of evidence alluding to a rapture before the Last Day.

Those who will believe in the above declaration of worldly peace and safety (1 Thessalonians 5:3) will have a rude awaking to be sure. This coming peace and safety will be masqueraded as God’s peace and safely to the world. This peace and safety will be far from the true peace and safety that Christ offers. The world will pay homage or even worship those responsible for bringing about this false peace. They will believe that God is on their side and has vindicated their cause! Nothing could be farther from the truth. The result: adulation, homage, admiration, amazement, and ultimately worship will spread throughout the world, and especially in the Western World. All fears of a global radical Islamic takeover will have been crushed. What will bring about this sweeping new world order? It appears that a major war in the Middle East will transpire in the very near future with catastrophic results, such as the modern world has never seen. Perhaps the result is foretold in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. When the Western World or the United States alone is victorious in this contrived war on terror, the world will surely shout “Finally! Peace and safety at last!” Of course this is only one scenario of perhaps many, but it is the most probable at this point. As a result of this, the world will more than likely see an unprecedented peace treaty signed between Israel and her Arab neighbors, and most probably an independent Arab state will be formed. The world will appear as though it has a fresh breath of life; but surely troubles will arise as “travail upon a woman with child” and the world will not escape…those who worship the beast system will not escape the judgment of God, Revelation 20:4.

END OF STUDY