TRIBULATION:
The People Shall Be Much
Pained
(Joel 2:6a)
When we look at the
word pained in the Hebrew we
see that it most often signifies sorrows, grief, fear, travail, tremble,
anguish, etc. Such is the nature of the
Great Tribulation:
Mark 13:8 - For nation shall rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers
places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of
sorrows.
Pained
Pained is # 2342 in the Hebrew dictionary
of Strong’s Concordance. This same word
for pained is also translated as follows:
Isaiah 13:8 - And they shall be afraid: pangs
and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain <2342> as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one
at another; their faces shall be as flames.
<The
thirteenth chapter of Isaiah is known as the Burden of Babylon but indeed it is
saturated with prophesies that will ultimately have their final fulfillments at
the time of the end, that is to say during the end of days. Therefore while we read of this time in the
second chapter of Joel we may still discover additional facts here in Isaiah chapter
thirteen just as we are learning more about this particular time from our study
of the locust infestation of Joel chapters one and two. Isaiah chapter thirteen has much to say
concerning the great tribulation. The
destruction of ancient
Joel 2:6 - Before their face the people shall
be much pained: all faces shall gather
blackness.
Nahum 2:10 - She is empty, and void, and waste:
and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all
loins, and the faces of them all gather
blackness.
Nahum chapter two
appears to be a prelude to the literal destruction of
Hebrews 12:22 - But ye are come unto
Joel 2:6 - Before their face the people shall
be much pained: all faces
shall gather blackness.
Nahum 2:10 - She is empty, and void, and waste:
and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces
of them all gather blackness.
Apostate
Luke 21:26 - Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:
for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Blackness
As we say, it is
rather difficult to obtain a precise meaning to the reference “all faces
shall gather blackness.” One
Hebrew dictionary defines it as “perhaps a little anxiety.” I can guarantee you that when God’s Word
declares that all people shall gather blackness in their faces God is not
speaking of anxiety or a little heart burn.
The people mentioned in Joel 2:6 and Nahum 2:10 are under attack. Let us recall that the main historical
subject of Joel is the Assyrian/Babylonian captivity. Joel warns of the overthrow of
Jude has much to
say concerning those who would turn the grace of God into lasciviousness.
Jude 1:4 - For there are certain men crept in
unawares, who were before of old
ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our
God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Jude continues to
give a list of negative descriptions of these false prophets (simply everyday
common people) who come into the congregations of the world to deny the truth
of God in every way they can. Here are
some metaphorical descriptions of these Christ deniers in one verse of Jude
alone:
Jude 1:13 - Raging waves of the sea, foaming out
their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
Some King James
versions footnotes blackness
in Joel 2:7 as sorrows and indeed the timing of these final fulfillments at
the end of days will indeed be sorrows to the highest degree. Perhaps these sorrows will unfold in both the
spiritual and the physical realm. More
than likely we will see many sorrows in the physical realm, as we are now beginning
to see these sorrows increase in our day.
They
shall run like mighty men (Joel 2:7a)
Let us refresh our
memories with the events of this second chapter before we continue.
Joel 2:1-7 -
1
-¶Blow ye the trumpet in
2
- A day of darkness and
of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread
upon the mountains: a great people
and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any
more after it, even to the years of many generations.
3
- A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land
is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness;
yea, and nothing shall escape them.
4
- The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.
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.
6
- Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.
7
- They shall run like
mighty men; they shall climb the wall
like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:
In our last study
we saw that the attack of these end-time locusts would be fast and furious… Like
the noise of chariots on the tops of
mountains shall they leap. Now we read of these locusts: they shall run like mighty men. It is no doubt a charge in the spiritual
sense. The true Gospel is being deluged
at an alarming rate! We briefly
mentioned the book of Nahum because we found much parallel there to our study
of Joel and the end of days. As for
these locusts leaping onto
the tops of mountains and running
like mighty men, Nahum says:
Nahum 2:4 - The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall
justle one against another in the broad
ways: they shall seem
like torches, they shall run like the lightnings.
It is these false
prophets that Nahum terms as chariots. Recall in our last study that we read in Joel
2:5 - “Like the noise of chariots
on the tops of mountains shall they leap.”
Here in Nahum 2:4 the false prophets are being depicted as chariots. We saw that chariots were used as weapons of
war in the Old Testament days. Nahum is depicting
spiritual warfare with earthly terminology of the warfare of his day. According to Nahum (who penned his words from
the Holy Spirit of God), these false prophets will “rage in the streets.”
These are not the literal streets of the world; no that cannot be. These are the streets of one particular city;
that is
Matthew 7:14 - Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which
leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
The phrase “they
shall justle one against
another in the broad ways” tells us that they are eager to run to and fro,
to be eager and greedy, to rush back and forth, Brown-Dryer-Briggs’ Hebrew Definitions. Such is the trait of the many denominations
of the world. It is often a competition
for fame and power; one denomination against another or one congregation
against another. Yes indeed they justle
one against another in the broad ways.
The true believer will quietly read their Bible and meditate upon the
wonders of God’s grace alone. We need
true fellowship, of course, but we see only foolishness in the riches and
masses of numbers that many of the corporate churches seek after.
Nahum goes on in
2:4 to say that these chariots (false prophets) will “seem like torches.” Their appearance is like the light of Christ.
Isaiah 62:1 - ¶For Zion's sake will I not hold my
peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness
thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp <same Hebrew word as torches> that burneth.
Yes, these chariots
will preach Christ mightily, thus appear to be true Christ centered churches,
congregations, denominations, etc.
Again, they are in the broad
ways and only in appearance do they resemble the truth. The end of Nahum 2:4 states “… they shall run like the lightnings.” As we have
stated time and again, the end-time corporate church, consisting of thousands
upon thousands of small, medium, and large fellowships, congregations,
churches, denominations, etc., etc. will all fall into this category. They are running to and fro with their
versions of Christ’s Gospel. Whether we
are at that precise point of time in history is difficult to say and we
certainly do not want to make false accusations against congregations that are
still remaining faithful to the Word of God.
However, a vast majority of these congregations (chariots) are running
to the battle. They are using untempered
morter (see Ezekiel chapter thirteen) for their walls and their foundations, and
they will all pay the consequences.
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Personal Footnote:
Back
in the early 1990s I was involved with a tiny congregation that was a part of a
large national reformed denomination. We
had some wonderful sermons and Bible studies and many times the pastors would
seem to try and dig out spiritual truths from Scripture, which delighted many
of us. However, it seemed rather strange
to me that so many of the pastors from that denomination held a vast
fascination to guns. After Sunday
morning services there were times when the pastors and elders would engage in
conversations concerning guns and rifles and even exchange magazines on the
subject. I simply brushed it off as
sporting enthusiasts until one day.
This
day came when the congregation was asked to devote a Saturday to the cleaning
and maintenance of the small church building.
Later I heard one elder tell members of the church that we needed to
place a bright light in front of the church since there had been reports of
possible burglars on the premises. The
elder flatly stated in a voice of urgency: “We need to get a light out there
before the pastor is forced to kill someone.”
Yes,
truly there are FEW who see
the Gospel of Jesus Christ all the way through to the end. We do not pick and choose what we will or
will not abide by. One’s own physical
well being is where the “rubber meets the road” in regard to the true
Gospel. This is where many stray from
the true and narrow path of salvation.
The same holds true for the thousands of churches in this country that
fly the American flag on the holy pulpit of Christ and yet say it is not an
object of worship. Masses of
congregations preach each and every week the need to support the so-called war
of terror. But as true Christians we
need to flee this harlot and the beast she rides on.
2 Corinthians 6:14 - Be ye not unequally yoked together
with unbelievers: for what fellowship
hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light
with darkness?
After
a bright light was installed in the front of our little church some of the
governing body felt a sense of relief in that any potential burglars from that
point forward would think twice about breaking and entering. But the best relief was the possibility that
our pastor could avoid shooting and/or killing a potential burglar.
How
can people who proclaim a love for God’s Word possibly come up with such a
violent and ungodly justification as this?
We are to be followers and Disciples of Christ and that means NOT loving our lives
Revelation 12:11 - And they overcame him by the blood
of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
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We are studying
Joel 5:7 where God is showing us the future of the true Word of God at the end
of days. Those whom Satan leads to
silence Christ’s Word will run
to this battle like mighty men.
The word mighty depicts warriors in a sense.
Let us recall that Joel also speaks of them as a great people and a
strong, Joel 2:2.
They Shall Climb the Wall Like Men of War (Joel 2:7b)
In the historical
sense
588 BC Nebuchadnezzar Takes
In 588 Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian army breached the wall of
Yes, that is the
historic fulfillment of Joel and as such we find that when Joel spoke of
locusts he was merely using symbolical terms in describing the massive force of
the Babylonian army. The fundamental or
underlying teachings of Joel are hidden to those who have spiritual ears to
hear. This is not a boast, we say this
in meekness. The invasion of
The above picture shows the Wailing Wall in
Our only question is how will these
locusts climb this wall? This appears to
be the only “wall” that the world knows of when considering
At this point we need to get back into
God’s Word and attempt to search for any such “wall” in these final days.
Isaiah 5:5 - And now go to; I will tell you
what I will do to my vineyard: I
will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:
Now we are getting somewhere by going
back to God’s word. Yes, during the Old
Testament days, as long as
Isaiah 56:5 - Even unto them will I give in mine
house and within my walls a
place and a name better than
of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.
That Name is Christ-ians.
Acts 11:26 - And when he had found him, he
brought him unto
We as true
believers in Jesus the Christ are members of His unseen household. We live within God’s unseen walls of safety. Our personal world is His vineyard. While we sojourn through this life, there are
those of the outside world who desire to kill God’s people in both soul and
body. These are Satan’s ambassadors who
come disguised as angels of light, but in truth they come to destroy or kill
Christ’s Word. In doing so they will
attack the vineyard, even the walls
of our safety.
Isaiah 26:1- ¶In that day shall this song be sung
in the
<The
going forth of the Gospel of salvation is what appears to be in view here.>
Isaiah 60:18 - Violence shall no more be heard in
thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call
thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.
Yes, all true
believers are members of God’s eternal city and as such we can claim salvation
as our walls. Can you possibly think of anything better
or more marvelous in life than this I ask?
Nonetheless, while we remain on this sin-cursed earth we can expect
wickedness to abound and tribulation as a way of life. When the prophet Joel penned his words in
scrolls he did so not by his own choosing, but he did so by the commands of
God.
2 Peter 1:21 - For the prophecy came not in old
time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
When Joel stated
that the enemies of God will climb the wall like men of war he was no doubt
prophesying of the literal invasion of
Acts 4:12 - Neither is there salvation in any
other: for there is none other name
under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
They shall march every one on his ways (Joel 2:7c)
When we examine the
Hebrew phrase “his ways” we
find the meaning in the BDB Hebrew to be as follows:
1) way, road, distance, journey, manner
1a) road, way, path
1b) journey
1c) direction
1d) manner, habit, way
1e) of course of life (figuratively)
1f) of moral character (figuratively)
Of course there
is no argument here and this is a sound definition. The final attack on the Christian faith has
and will come in waves from masses of humanity who have their own agenda
and their own way of life in opposition to the narrow way of the Cross
of Christ.
John 14:6 - Jesus
saith unto him, I am the way, the
truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
The way of the
cross actually became a Christian phrase in the early church known as “That Way.”
Acts 19:9 - But
when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude,
he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the
school of one Tyrannus.
Acts 19:23 - And the
same time there arose no small stir about that
way.
Acts 24:22 - ¶And
when Felix heard these things, having more perfect knowledge of that way, he deferred them, and
said, When Lysias the chief captain shall come down, I will know the uttermost
of your matter.
Satan, as a
fallen angel, obviously detests the Cross of Christ and has always been in
opposition against the Christ.
2 Corthians
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.
These are the
locusts of the end of days who are now attacking and will continue their attack
upon the
And They Shall Not Break Their Ranks (Joel 2:7d)
From the BDB
Hebrew we read the following definition for the word “Ranks”:
1) way, path
1a) path, road
1b) the path, way, passing of life (figuratively)
1c) way of living (figuratively)
1d) traveller, wayfarer (metonymy)
As you can see this definition sounds a bit like that of the phrase
“his ways” as in “they shall march every one on his ways.”
In our next study we shall see (Lord willing) that when these invaders
fall upon their own swords they shall not be wounded. Anti piercing armament?
End of Study