Joel Chapter
Two
(Verse Five)
(http://spiritualbiblestudies.com)
“Like the noise of chariots on the tops
of mountains shall they leap,
like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble,
as a strong people set in battle array.”
CHARIOTS
“Like the Noise of Chariots”
(Joel 2:5a)
In continuing our
study we find from the previous verse that God equates the locusts - these
enemies of God - as horses and horsemen in appearance only.
“The
appearance of them is as the appearance of horses;
and as horsemen, so shall they run.”
(Joel 2:4)
Their appearance is
AS horses and horsemen. This is but one of many metaphoric terms that
God utilizes in the book of Joel and throughout scripture in describing this global,
massive end-time army. Yes, in ancient
times there were many instances when the enemies of
2 Corinthians 10:4 - (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty
through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
Ephesians 6:11-14
11 - Put on the whole armour of God, that ye
may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 - For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but
against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of
this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places.
13 - Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able
to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 - Stand therefore, having your loins
girt about with truth, and having on the
breastplate of righteousness;
15 - And your feet shod with the
preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 - Above all, taking the shield of faith,
wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
1 Thessalonians 5:8 - But let us, who are of the day, be
sober, putting on the breastplate
of faith and love; and for an helmet,
the hope of salvation.
The modern day
spiritual warriors who cunningly oppose God’s true Word are symbolized in Joel
2:4 as horses and horsemen. The many Old
Testament weapons or tools of war, such as swords, bucklers, helmets, breastplates,
shields, chariots, etc. are used in teaching spiritual truth, even though all
of the Old Testament battles took place precisely as God explains. This universal symbolism via Old Testament word
pictures and weapon terminology leaves little doubt as to what is being taught
in the historical application along with insight into the then future spiritual
application, yet most people will not dig this deep into Scripture. Much of the Old Testament battles and
violence carry spiritual overtones, many of which appear to be set for
fulfillment at the end of days.
As we move to our
study of verse five we see that God continues to use portraits or likenesses in foretelling and
describing the massive spiritual armies that His elect will encounter during
the Church Age and especially during the final years of this present age. We saw this in chapter one as God used
different descriptive terms when speaking of the true Gospel being cut
off. Chapter one spoke of the false
end-time gospels that would encompass the earth and destroy the truth of God’s
Word. NOTE: Once again we
must emphasize the fact that God’s Word can never be destroyed and will live
forever in the souls of God’s eternal elect. However, scripture does teach that the Word of
God will be destroyed or silenced to the world in the final years of this
present age.
God continues these
allegorical descriptions here in Joel chapter two as well. As we begin to read verse five we can be
confident that God is telling us that the enemies who attack His Word will appear as chariots and as (appear as) the sound or
noise of chariots.
“Like
the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap …”
Chariots -
What Are They?
Chariots are often spoken of in the Old Testament as instruments of war, no doubt.
______________________________
The following definition is from Smith’s
Bible Dictionary:
Chariot. A vehicle used either for warlike or peaceful
purposes, but, most commonly, the former. The Jewish chariots were
patterned after the Egyptian, and consisted of a single pair of wheels on an
axle, upon which was a cart with high front and sides, but open at the back.
The earliest mention of chariots, in Scripture, is in
In this point of view, chariots among some nations of antiquity, as
elephants among others, may be regarded as filling the place of heavy artillery
in modern times, so that the military power of a nation might be estimated by
the number of its chariots. Thus, Pharaoh, in pursuing
The Philistines, in Saul’s time, had 30,000. 1Sa_13:5. David took from
Hadadezer, king of Zobah, 1000 chariots, 2Sa_8:4, and from the Syrians, a
little later, 700, 2Sa_10:18, who in order to recover their ground, collected
32,000 chariots. 1Ch_19:7.
Up to this time, the Israelites possessed few or no chariots. They were
first introduced by David, 2Sa_8:4, who raised and maintained a force of 1400
chariots, 1Ki_10:25, by taxation on certain cities agreeably to eastern custom
in such matters. 1Ki_9:19; 1Ki_10:25.
From this time, chariots were regarded as among the most important arms of war. 1Ki_22:34;
2Ki_9:16; 2Ki_9:21; 2Ki_13:7; 2Ki_13:14; 2Ki_18:24; 2Ki_23:30; Isa_31:1.
Most commonly two persons, and sometimes three, rode in the chariot, of
whom the third was employed to carry the state umbrella. 1Ki_22:34; 2Ki_9:20;
2Ki_9:24; Act_8:38. The prophets allude frequently to chariots as typical of
power. Psa_20:7; Psa_104:3; Jer_51:21; Zec_6:1.
______________________________
As you have read from the above description, biblical chariots often
represented invading foes of
Consider the following passages that speak of the noise of chariots,
all characterizing war:
2 Kings 7:6 - For the Lord had made the host of
the Syrians to hear a noise of
chariots, and a noise
of horses, even the noise
of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath
hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to
come upon us.
<Chariots
or the “noise of chariots” in
this passage is a clear indicator of an invading army, just as we see here in
our study of Joel 2:5.>
Jeremiah 47:3 - At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his strong horses,
at the rushing of his chariots,
and at the rumbling of his wheels, the fathers shall not look back to their
children for feebleness of hands;
Ezekiel 26:7, 10 -
7 - For thus saith the Lord GOD;
Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a king of
kings, from the north, with horses,
and with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies, and much
people.
<God
sent the Babylonian army against Tyrus (
10 - By reason of the abundance of his
horses their dust shall cover thee: thy walls shall shake at the noise of the horsemen,
and of the wheels, and of the chariots,
when he shall enter into thy gates, as men enter into a city wherein is made a
breach.
Nahum 3:2-3 -
2 - The noise
of a whip, and the noise
of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping
chariots.
3 - The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of
carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their
corpses:
<The
destruction of Nineveh helps to give us spiritual insight to passages that
speak not only of these ancient and literal battles, but passages that hint of
the ultimate spiritual battle or battles at the end of days. God foretells of this great global event
through the use of many battles that took place in the days of the ancient
Jews.>
Jeremiah 51:19-21-
19 - The portion of Jacob is not
like them; for he is the former of all things: and
20 - Thou [the LORD of hosts] art my battle
axe and weapons of war:
for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy
kingdoms;
<The
LORD of hosts is our battle axe and our weapons of war. These are spiritual weapons as we are told in
Ephesians chapter six. Even in Old
Testament times God is showing us the future age wherein the weapons of our
warfare are not to be carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of
strong holds, 2 Corinthians 10:4.>
21 - And with thee [the LORD of hosts] will I break in pieces the horse and his
rider; and with thee [the LORD of
hosts] will I break in pieces the chariot
and his rider;
<With
Christ - the Word of God (John 1:14) one can break in pieces (spiritually
speaking) the horse and his rider and the chariot
and his rider. This is one beautiful and metaphorical way of
detailing the enemies of God - they charge and attack the Gospel (the true
Israel) like the noise of Old
Testament chariots as they charged and attacked nations, even ancient Israel (O.T.
portrait of N.T. spiritual Israel)>.
It is extremely
enlightening to read symbolical renderings of these Old Testament battles in
the Book of Revelation. Consider the
following passage that speaks of the fifth trumpet judgment:
Revelation 9:9 - And
they had breastplates, as
it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.
God gives us a great parallel to our study
of Joel here in Revelation chapter nine.
Again, God appears to be paralleling the massive conflict in terms of
the fastness of raging horses and chariots.
These universal symbols of war were never lost throughout the centuries
following the writing of the Book of Joel. God has linked these symbols
together throughout Scripture for our benefit and for our admonition.
1 Corinthians 10:11 - Now all these things happened unto
them for ensamples: and they are
written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
Like the Noise of Chariots on the Tops of Mountains shall they Leap
(Joel 2:5a)
We are discovering
that Old Testament chariots, for the most part, were weapons of warfare
commonly used against
Tops of
Mountains
Shall They Leap
(Joel 2:5a)
If these horsemen,
chariots, etc. are indeed symbolical representations of Satan’s end-time
armies, why - we must ask - are they leaping onto the tops of mountains? We first must establish the fact that these
end-time invading locusts, false prophets, false gospels, etc. are not leaping from the tops of mountains, but
rather they are leaping to or
onto the tops of mountains. The English Standard Version has a very good
translation of Joel 2:5:
As with the rumbling of chariots, they leap on the tops of the
mountains, like the crackling of a flame of fire devouring the stubble,
like a powerful army drawn up for battle.
Satan’s forces
of these final days and years are indeed a powerful army drawn up not only for
battle, but for the final battle.
Revelation 9:7 - And
the shapes of the locusts were like
unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as
it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.
Revelation 9:9 - And
they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of
iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.
Revelation
16:14 - For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go
forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to
the battle of that great day of God
Almighty.
Revelation 20:8 - And
shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the
earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
<…the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. This statement defines vastness in all its
sense as does the sound of chariots, horses, and horsemen “set in battle array,” Joel
2:5.>
“On
the tops of mountains shall they
leap.” Satan and his forces are going
out in battle array to deceive the nations of the earth. Why are they leaping onto the tops of the
mountains? Will they have a better
view from the advantage of that height?
Do they suppose that they can stay better hidden in the upper elevations
of high mountains? Perhaps this thought
has taken hold with Al Qaeda, thus the reason they stay well hidden in the tops
of the mountains in
Nahum 3:1-2 -
1 - ¶Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of
lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;
2 - The noise
of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the
wheels, and of the pransing horses,
and of the jumping [same
word as Leap in Joel 2:5] chariots.
< The Babylonians
and the Medes destroyed
As with the
destruction of
The answer is simple
once we allow Scripture to speak for itself.
The term tops of mountains or top
of mountains signify the
places where the true Word of God is to be found.
Isaiah 2:2 - And it
shall come to pass in the last days,
that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall
be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
Micah 4:1 -¶But in the last days it shall come to pass,
that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it
shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.
During Old Testament days God penned His Word
through His prophets who were moved by the Holy Ghost, 2 Peter 1:21. Micah
and Isaiah, among others, spoke of the coming age wherein Messiah would be
revealed unto all people. The Church Age
is indeed spoken of as being the last days of earth, latter days, etc. During this time God’s house (the mountain:
kingdom) would be established in the top of the mountains. This is certainly not a literal place; it is
a highly spiritual place that represents fellowships, churches, congregations,
denominations, etc. any and all places of which God’s true Gospel of salvation
is heard. These areas are the very tops
(utter highest) of spiritual truth found on the earth. All true believers are occupants in these
tops of mountains. It is little wonder
why these mountain tops are targeted for attack by Satan and his fallen hosts at
the end of time.
______________________________
In the
following five verses one will see the magnificence of God’s highly spiritual
Word:
Isaiah 42: 5-11 -
5 - ¶Thus
saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he
that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth
breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:
6 - I the
LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep
thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;
7 - To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison,
and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.
<God opens the spiritual eyes of all believers, thus we are born
again and brought out from the prison of satanic bondage.>
8 - I am
the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my
praise to graven images.
9 - Behold,
the former things are come
to pass, and new
things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.
<God has declared to us the New
Testament during the former Old
Testament days. Before they sprung
forth, God had already prophesied to us of the glories to come.>
10 - Sing
unto the LORD a new song, and
his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that
is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.
<True Christians (Jews and Gentiles alike) indeed have a new song
to sing; it is the song of Jesus Christ and His salvation unto the ends of the
earth. Where might we sing about this, if
not in the congregations of the world, that is to say in the tops of the
mountains.>
11 - Let the
wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar
doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.
<Christ is our rock, as cited in 1 Corinthians 10:4 among other
places. We are to sing His praises and
shout it from the top of the
mountains.>
______________________________
Psalm chapter
seventy-two is a glorious chapter to explore, as is the entire Word of
God. This chapter speaks of the love and
steadfast surety that is ours in Christ.
Psalms 72:16 - There
shall be an handful of corn
in the earth upon the top of the
mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like
<Corn is wheat
and is often used in Scripture to depict Christians. The above verse tells us that there shall be
a handful of corn in the top of the mountains.
The word handful carries the Hebrew meaning of abundance, fullness,
plenty, etc. Once more we find scripture
assuring us that the phrase “top of mountains” or “top of the mountains” often depicts
the place where the true Word of God is to be found.>
Ezekiel 43:12 - This is
the law of the house; Upon the top of
the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the
law of the house.
For a great
spiritual challenge research Noah’s
Genesis 8:5 - And the
waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the
first day of the month, were the tops
of the mountains seen.
Like the Noise of a Flame of Fire that Devoureth
the Stubble,
(Joel
2:5b)
As we read on in the second portion of Joel
2:5 we see that God continues to speak of these false Christians at the time of
the end, when the Day of the LORD is fast approaching. Here God is exposing the manner in which these
locusts are masquerading. Let us recall
that Satan is the great imposter and whose desire is to be like the most high, Isaiah
14:14. It is no great thing for
Satan and his ministers to be mistaken for true Christ loving Christians.
2 Corinthians 11:13-15:
13
- For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming
themselves into the apostles of Christ.
14
- And no marvel; for Satan
himself is transformed into an angel of
light.
15
- Therefore it is no great thing
if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to
their works.
God is teaching
through Joel that these latter day locusts will appear as true Christians. God states that they will be like or appear (masquerade, pretense) as the noise of a flame of fire as it devours
the stubble. The word noise
… like
the noise of a flame of fire … is actually translated many more times in
the Old Testament as VOICE. What then is the noise or the voice of this flame
of fire? We first must discover what the
flame of fire represents.
Flame
of Fire
Exodus 3:2 - And the
angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame
of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the
bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
<It is a well known fact to Christians that the everlasting Christ
appeared unto Moses from what has been called a burning bush. Within this bush was a flame of fire and yet the bush was not singed. Christ
is represented by this flame
of fire, even though scripture teaches that it was an angel of the LORD
that appeared unto Moses from within this bush.>
Acts 7:30 - ¶And
when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of
Hebrews 1:7 - And of
the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
<Again we must emphasize that this flame of fire is depicting the
one and only God - the CHRIST.>
Revelation 1:14 - His
head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as
a flame of fire;
<In depicting the spiritual nature of Christ, the above verse gives
us further confirmation that the phrase flame of fire can only be
symbolic for Christ Himself, the God of all creation.>
Revelation 2:18 - ¶And
unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of
God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame
of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;
<Further confirmation that Jesus Christ is the one of only God and
the subject and theme of the entire Bible.>
Revelation
19:12 - His eyes were as a flame
of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that
no man knew, but he himself.
Joel 2:5 - Like the noise of chariots on
the tops of mountains shall they leap, like
the noise of a flame of fire that
devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.
Satan’s final
attack during these last days comes with much discretion. In fact, so
much so that he has devised a plan to attack the true Word of Christ not merely
from the outside world, but directly from within the global churches. Satan and his ministers come disguised as the
voice of Christ; yes their attack is so deceitful that Christ says in Matthew 24:24:
“For there shall arise false
Christs, and false prophets,
and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, [thank God it is not] they
shall deceive the very elect.”
Yes, Satan’s
ministers come masquerading like the noise of a flame of fire…that is to say
they come masquerading as the voice
(word) of Christ (flame of fire).
That Devoureth
the Stubble
(Joel 2:5b)
Locusts
symbolize those who destroy God’s Word.
In our study we’ve seen that their attack is aimed at the congregations
of the world (tops of mountains),
and thus bringing a false gospel which they teach represents the voice or Word
of Christ (flame of fire). The remainder
of Joel 2:5b may be rather obvious. The
locusts appear only … like
the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble. They appear
like Christ whose Word (flame of fire) devours
the stubble.
Isaiah 5:24 - Therefore
as the fire devoureth the stubble,
and the flame consumeth
the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go
up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts,
and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
The word stubble in the Hebrew represents
chaff; straw; (as dry).
Isaiah 40:24 - Yea, they shall not be planted; yea,
they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and
he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the
whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.
This is the plight
of the unsaved. The Word of God will
devour them as stubble. Job tells us the
same regarding the unsaved:
Job
21:18 - They are
as stubble before the wind,
and as chaff that the storm
carrieth away.
The Word of God
indeed devours the stubble; it separates the saved from the unsaved; it
separates the wheat from the tares, chaff, or stubble. Such is the nature of the Word of God. As Christ readies for His return (the Day of
the LORD) so too has Satan and his ministers prepared for the final battle,
which now seems to be well in progress.
These emissaries pretend to be of the true voice, true noise, or true
Word of God. They disguise themselves
as Christian; that is they
disguise themselves as the flame of fire
that devours the stubble.
As a Strong People Set in
(Joel 2:5c)
The Day of the LORD
is a hand! Satan’s ambassadors leap upon
the congregations of Christ like the noise of chariots in battle. Like the voice of Christ who devours all
stubble, they too want to appear like this flame of fire that His own know as -
The Christ. These hordes of false
ambassadors are a strong people
set in battle array against
the Lord and against His Christ.
Jeremiah 6:23 - They shall lay hold on bow and
spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea; and they ride upon horses, set in array as men for war against thee,
O daughter of
We may see hints of
end-time prophecy being fulfilled in the above verse which speaks of the
invasion of
HABAKKUK 3:17-18
17 - Although the fig tree shall not blossom,
neither shall fruit be in the vines;
the labour of the olive shall
fail, and the fields shall
yield no meat; the flock shall be cut
off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
Sadly, many
ministers throughout their careers have stood upon their pulpits and read this
verse. In their sermons that followed,
they promptly attributed all of this passage to today’s national
Although the fig tree shall not blossom, (Habakkuk 3:17a)
Joel 1:7 - He hath laid my vine waste, and
barked my fig tree: he hath
made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.
Joel 1:12 -The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the
pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of
the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.
… neither shall fruit be in the vines;
(Habakkuk 3:17b)
Joel 1:7 - He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree:
he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made
white.
Joel 1:12 - The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate
tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field,
are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.
…the labour of the olive shall fail,
(Habakkuk 3:17c)
… and the fields shall yield no meat;
(Habakkuk 3:17d)
Joel 1:10 - The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the
new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.
Joel 1:11 - Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen;
howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the
harvest of the field is perished.
Joel 1:12 - The vine is dried up, and the fig
tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree,
even all the trees of the field,
are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.
Joel 1:19 - O LORD, to thee will I cry: for the
fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned
all the trees of the field.
…the flock shall be cut off from the fold,
(Habakkuk 3:17e)
Joel 1:5 - Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and
howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.
Joel 1:9 - The meat offering and the drink offering
is cut off from the house of
the LORD; the priests, the LORD'S ministers, mourn.
Joel 1:16 - Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the
house of our God?
…and there shall be no herd in the stalls
(Habakkuk 3:17f)
Joel 1:18 - How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed,
because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.
The above verse of
Habakkuk 3:17 is a well known verse but has a history of being taken out of
context. It is not only dripping with historical
context, but in addition it is dripping with spiritual connotations to the
great tribulation and the Day of the LORD.
The following verse, Habakkuk 3:18 is what all Christians should focus
on as we see the fellowships and congregations falling into desolation.
Yet, I will rejoice in the
LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
(Habakkuk 3:18)
End of Study