Expounds on Joel 1:14-2:2, emphasizing the prophet's call for a solemn fast and assembly in response to the devastating locust plague, which is presented as a judgment from God. The locusts, described as having no king but marching in disciplined ranks, symbolize destructive Gentile armies and typify future, even greater, divine judgments. The cessation of the meal and drink offerings signifies a loss of devotion and joy in God, leading to the urgent call for repentance and a return to spiritual vitality. The message concludes by highlighting the impending "day of the Lord" as a worldwide event of destruction for a Christ-rejecting world, urging believers to maintain their devotion and joy in God amidst impending judgment.
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Our Father, we do thank thee in the precious and the worthy name of the Lord Jesus, for the blessed access that thou hast provided for us, opening the way into the holiest of all in heaven above. We bless thee for that wonderful Son of thy love. We marvel at the grace and the magnitude of thy great love. when we read that God spared not his son, but he freely gave him up for us all. And now we thank thee for the words that are added. How shall he not then with him freely give us all things?
O Father, the floodgates of love and of grace and of power and of blessing, have certainly been opened by the sending of that Son of Thine to this world. We marvel at him tabernacling here amongst men. We look at the beauty and the glory and the purity of his life. We see him outshining the very glory of God in the character of his person and in the deeds of his work. But most and greatest of all, the great display of his glory and of thy love and thy grace and thy mercy and thy peace toward mankind was exhibited at the cross of Calvary.
Father, we can never fathom and never will, the depth of his sufferings and woe, that the Holy One should be made sin for us, the one who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. But we believe it. resting by faith our souls upon what he has done, his own blessed finished work. And now we thank thee, he's no longer on that cross, nor in the tomb, not even on earth. Thou has highly exalted him, giving him a name that is above every name. And we thank thee for who he is and what he is now, the man in the glory, wearing all the glorified humanity that is now in his from his resurrection and ascension and glorification, but still the same, very God, as well as very man.
We worship, Father, we thank thee for him. We know the truth that we often sing, perhaps not always sinking into our hearts as it should. My hope is built. are nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. We thank thee for it. We come into thy presence. Again we thank thee for him above all others. We thank thee for one another. We thank thee for the loved ones. We thank thee for all who may be dear to us even in the tithes of humanity. We thank thee most of all for the bond of Christian family. as believers in the Lord Jesus and children of God in thy family.
We thank thee, Father, for thy family. Earthly life and relationships terminate down here. But, oh, how we praise thee, the relationship with God, and in his family will never terminate. We long for the day and the moment when thy dear Son will come for us and bring us into thy home above. Truly he will say, Father, behold, I and the children whom thou hast given me. And we long for the moment when we shall be presented to the Father in that blessed day. And perhaps today.
And Lord, we like to drop that word perhaps and have it take place today. But until then, we seek thy grace and help to enable us to go on for thee. to live for thy glory and to serve thee faithfully. For one another we pray. We thank thee for all thy word means to us. Thy strength is imparted to us. Thy words of encouragement, of counsel, instruction, even correction, are brought to us from thy precious word. For this we give thee thanks.
And we've gathered again that thou mayest speak to us. We are so grateful it may not be in the New Testament alone, but even in the Old Testament, the old writings of the prophets, and of many in the past, thou art able to speak. And we say, indeed, Lord, speak to us today. And then we would ask thee, too, for the loved ones of our fellow believers who need thy comfort and help, Thy grace and encouragement, and particularly physically, pray for our sister Linda Russ. Strengthen them, we pray, and oh, there are others, Lord.
We could name a number, but for them all, we ask thy comfort and grace, heal whom it's thy will. Give thy grace to them that must bear their trial. And then some may be going home to be with Christ, which will be far better. May thy coveting presence be their portion. And now we ask thee for the Church of God at large, all the members of thy family, the children of God throughout the world. We know not them, all neither could we. Someday we'll meet them and join them in that chorus of worship in the heavens above. But until then we would pray for all saints, and that is, thy word telling us to do so.
Lord, we put them into thy hands. And according to thy perfect knowledge of their need, at the very present moment, bless them all. Now we ask thy teaching from thy word by thy spirit to be given us, as we turn to its pages in Jesus' worthy name, and we ask it for his glory. Amen. Well, we're still in chapter one in the book of Joel and the prophecy of Joel. Make sure if you need a paper, we have some. We'll be covering the last section of Joel chapter one. And we'll be beginning, I believe at verse fifteen, yes, verse fourteen.
Actually, we shall begin. And then we'll go on into chapter two as the Lord will. So we might be on page number two as well as page number three in our study this morning. But please let me read in chapter one for our lesson from verse fourteen going down to the end of the chapter. It is a break in the chapter as you find the paragraph marked there symbolizing a very definite break in the original writing where the prophet by the spirit calls upon the people of Judah, to whom he was ministering, sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord, alas, for the day, for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
Is not the meat cut off before our eyes? Ye joy and gladness from the house of our God. The seed is rotten under their clogs. The garners are laid desolate. The barns are broken down for the corn is withered. How do the beasts groan? The herds of cattle are perplexed because they have no pasture. Ye the flocks of sheep are made desolate. 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 beasts of the field cry also unto thee, for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
May God bless the reading and hearing of his word. Look with me on your lesson sheet preach, page number two. Let me briefly review what we have covered in the preceding study of last week, where we began at verse one and went down even through verse thirteen. And on your lesson sheet you have the fact, and may I point it out, there was a devastating, unprecedented, literal plague of locusts that attacked the land, and in their terrible scourge, took all of the vegetation and laid it waste. Now we do know and remember it was God's judgment.
Look at that paragraph letter A very particularly. Let me read it very quickly. The plague of locust was a judgment from the Lord, similar to the one that was sent upon Egypt long ago in Exodus chapter ten. And we noted Moses in Deuteronomy himself prophetically announced that if the people of Israel were disobedient, the Lord would use the locust to punish his people. Incidentally, there's not too much clear connection with it, but incidentally, some of you may remember that in chapter nine of the book of the Revelation, there is one judgment coming upon the world in that day of the Lord that is called a locust judgment.
And it comes, as it were, from the pit of hell. from the abyss, without question of doubt, typifying the power of Satan in that coming day when apostasy will be to the full. Now, don't try to take that judgment in Revelation nine literally, because when you read the description of the locus in that judgment, well, it reminds me of the story that I once read that some students of a certain school... came to the professor of biology, and he had taken three or four different insects apart and put them together to make one strange-looking insect.
And they brought it to the professor and said, Sir, we wonder if you could tell us what kind of a bug this is. Well, the man looked at it very quickly, and he recognized the boys were trying to pull a trick on him, and he looked at it. He said, Yes, boys. He said, I really think it's a humbug. Well, if you interpret Revelation nine, the plague of locusts in that, make it literal locusts. Now, may I say, and I'm not speaking out of place, I sat with one of the professors of a seminary at a Bible conversational reading on the book of Revelation for two weeks, and he made that a literal locust. Now, may I say, There are two principles of application and interpretation.
One can be literal and the other figurative. Now in our prophecy of Joel, it was a literal plague. And it was sent as judgment upon God's people. But it also has, and we shall see it, a typical ministry of suggestion regarding your future judgment. of another character that is more than literal locusts, but that which is even greater. Now please note in the letter B, did we not mention, very briefly, when you've got it there, the locusts are typical of Gentile armies. This we'll see definitely in chapter two. But now then we found in verse five through seven, God calls upon the people of Judah, for to Judah particularly the ministry of Joel was directed.
and he calls upon them to stop their drinking. For, as without question of doubt, the drastic plague was such that it destroyed not only the vegetation, but also the grapes and all. Now there's one thing about a locust. It takes in everything that it devours. And one has said from the description of their physical description, they have jaws like lion's teeth that can come down and I need everything that's in the past. And there's a strange truth about the locust. You have it in Proverbs chapter thirty. The locusts, they have no king, but they walk in rank.
You never find a locust stepping on the other side. But they march like a mighty army. In rank. No king. Now when you look at Revelation nine, they have a king there. And he comes out of the bottomless pit. Well, you can You can justify what kind of a person he is. The devil himself without doubt. But the literal locusts, they have no king. Greece, Psalm thirty, you've got four little animals described, or insects. The ant and the cony and so on. And the locusts is one. And they have no king. But they go forth in bands. And you just can't stop them. They keep going. Until maybe something may destroy them.
Unless they... caps into the sea by a mighty wind from God. But they are destructive. But they typify the coming invasion of an army that will overrun Judah, and indeed overrun also Israel. And yet the drunkards were certainly called, because they existed in, they were drinkers of wine. And then we notice in closing, if you may remember, let me point out, because there's a special reference to it where we begin today. Look at the end of verse thirteen. We had it also in verse ten, or in a preceding verse, we found at the end of verse thirteen the meal offering, now you always find, and please let me give an explanation, you'll find it in the book of Leviticus where the offerings were instituted by Jehovah, and there were seven distinct offerings, the burnt offering and the meal offering and so on.
But you always find it translated meat offering. I don't know why. Because it was a meal. It was flour mingled with oil. But it should be meal offering. It wasn't an animal sacrifice. It was a meal offering. But we noted last week. It was typical when they presented a meal offering to Jehovah. And they could participate in it. The priest could participate in that offering. Partake of it. And it was the expression of their devotion and gratitude to God, to Jehovah. And the meal offering we found had ceased. It meant nothing. Then we found also the drink offering.
You know that at the end of verse thirteen. And the drink offering is withholding in the house of your God. Now, what it suggests the spiritual state was such there was no devotion to Jehovah and there was no joy in Jehovah. And let me repeat again. say Shakespeare never repeats and even though I was born on his birthday I think I'll have to but anyway the meal offering and the drink offering symbolic of devotion and the other of joy doesn't not speak to you and to me who belongs to the house of God in this age of grace we should be devoted to our Lord and the joy of the Lord would be our strength to and could not we suggest our many Christians They've lost their devotion.
They've lost their joy. My fellow believer, may God help you in me. Keep your devotion to the Lord and your joy in the Lord. Now, you please note, as you get the break in verse fourteen now, here you've got a call to lamentation. Sanctify yourself. You had that call in verse thirteen, but you've got in verse fourteen another Say something. Set yourselves apart to have a fast. Call the solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land. Into the house of the Lord your God. And cry unto the Lord. Now if you will please note, look on your lesson sheet under paragraph three.
We have the call to lamentation in the preceding verses of verse thirteen. But we find as we look in verse fourteen that They were now called to lament and to cry to Jehovah and to sanctify, set themselves apart in fasting. And there is no record of this being done. The only call we have upon Jehovah we find at the end of the chapter by the prophet himself. But please note those words. Will you please note something? You've got an object lesson here. We could use today if we would. As God's people. in relation to God and the testimony of the house of God upon the earth, which is the church.
Please note the prophet saying, call a fast, and you can understand, if the condition of coming in repentance and weakness and confession together to seek the Lord and his mercy, and if you please note, call a solemn assembly. Call them all together. And if you want, no particularly, the elders. Now they didn't have church elders like we may have in this age, but they were passed and very similarly they were the spiritual leaders. They were to be the spiritual leaders of Israel. Call the leaders. And then not only the leaders, all the inhabitants of the land, to the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord.
And may I say lovingly, If all the Christians and the professing Christians would get together in that spirit, God would bless. I think of the historic reference that you can find in the history of the past centuries and the past centuries. When a wave of great blessing and power swept over Great Britain, particularly that part of the country called Wales, it was called the Welsh Revival. But it was a movement of the Holy Spirit. It was a movement where the people voluntarily sought the Lord. And strange to say, you know what happened?
Many places. The people would gather in their church buildings. They did not know who would be there. But they were drawn to it, propelled, as it were, by the Spirit to go, waiting. And they sat waiting until maybe God, by His Spirit, in His providence, sent some of those gospel preachers that were seeking to flood the land with the gospel of God's grace. And they'd sit there till somebody came and preach. And the God's spirit was so poured out. Many found the Lord. Now, Mark, it was not an organized crusade, if you please. It was not organized.
It was the movement of the Spirit of God. Men were under the conviction of the Holy Spirit even in the street. What are they under in Charlotte today? But may I point out to you? Talk about ecumenical movements. There's only one true way if we're going to seek the Lord and get his blessing in that direction. Everybody, all the Christians, we've got to get together. In confession. Now you notice something, and I point it out to you, and I need the counsel myself, when you read the prophets, whether Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and Daniel, and all of them, they felt the burden of the condition that prevailed.
They felt it. And unfortunately, quite frequently, as in this case, the nation then. But may I give you this suggestion. As an individual believer, may you and I share the burden. Take, if I may, by way of example, take Elijah, take him on Mount Carmel, see him praying with his head between his knees down on the ground, calling on Jehovah to manifest his power and prove his name. the only man in the whole nation of Israel, calling on God. He proved Jehovah was God, we know.
He didn't have any company with him, though. And he had to flee for his life from wicked Jezebel. But recognize, look, here is the principle, there's no question of doubt. If God's Holy Spirit could move the Christians of this city to do the same thing, from the leaders down, to all the believers. That's what he was. That's what he asked back there. But he never got it. Now please go on. Please note with me. And as we come to verse fifteen now, now look on your lesson sheet as we come to the left or the fourth paragraph there. Now we come to what we have already suggested as being the thesis of our prophecy.
The day of the Lord. Now look, if you please, as the prophet writes, Alas, for the day, the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty, shall it come. Now again, let me remind you, as we had it on our lesson sheet, at the end of paragraph B, the paragraph three on the letter B, there is no record that that the people sanctified a fast and called upon Jehovah. And the result is this, judgment. Judgment. And that judgment, the day of the Lord is in hand and is a destruction from the Almighty.
Let me read paragraph A on the number four on your lesson sheet. For here we have, and we shall see, We'll find two interpretations relative to the day of the Lord and the judgment. One relative to the past history when it was written. But another, which is far greater in its importance to the future, that is yet to be. But let me read the paragraph. The first reference here it is to the day of the Lord. Yom, Jehovah. And the word Yom is the Hebrew word for day. It is an exclamation by the prophet. as he beholds a greater judgment approaching.
And it may be noted that this expression is progressively mentioned in Job. We'll see it again. I believe we find five references to it. And you'll find it in Isaiah. You'll find it in Jeremiah, in Ezekiel, in Ozea, in Amos, in Obadiah, Micah, Nehemiah, and so on, right down to Malachi. And it holds a prominent place in the prophecy of these minor prophets as well as the major prophets in their writings. And surely we can recognize, it's one of importance. Let me repeat again. And I would like particularly, if I can, not only for my sake but for yours, realize the intensity of such a time of judgment that is even yet as we shall see to come upon this world.
All our little we realize the enormity of the judgment that is to come upon this world, upon Christendom as a whole, and upon the world of the nations as a whole, for their departure from God. What we have in the history of Israel and Judah is but a type, as it were, an illustration, though they suffered, and yet we shall see they still will suffer greater still before the end of the age. Yet they are but examples that point out to us the great day of the Lord. For when you think of that day, let me put this thought in your mind. Though it had an application as well as a concentration only in the days of Israel and Judah, when the final fulfillment of this prophecy comes, it's going to be worldwide in its character.
Not just an isolated country as little Israel. Worldwide. Worldwide. The little Israel will be in the center of it, bearing the fire and the torment that it will bring to them as a nation before they're delivered. It is going to have worldwide implications. I want to tell you very first. Well, you remember last week? Did we not mention God needs to take care of the drunkenes, even in our country? Someday he will. Someday he will. All his judgments are going to be poured out. And we can well realize what is there ahead to this world?
Christ rejecting, Bible rejecting, God rejecting, on the whole, an apostasy increasing, and a movement of so many sources that are completing or coming to the completion of the final process. manifestation of the man of sin. And may I give you this thought. The whole movement of Christendom, together with many other movements among paganism, they're all soon to be headed up by that man of sin. And he's going to have religion in his hands in the last days. Do you not remember in studying Daniel? Have we not also noticed in another occasion?
Whether it was Nebuchadnezzar, whether it was the Medo-Persian king, Darius, did we not notice there was one thing Nebuchadnezzar tried to do, and that was to establish his kingdom not only by political and by military might, but by religion. When he set up the image of gold to be worshipped, he had a good... Let me give you this thought. Constantine in the third century of Christianity followed the same idea. After the persecution of the early church had gone on for a couple of centuries, he began to elevate the bishops to political officers.
And corruption came in the church. And I just wouldn't advise anybody to stay out of politics if they're Christians. Don't get very good bedfellas. But he corrupted the church. But his old thought was to establish himself. And he did it. He did it. Though he elevated the so-called Christian religion, even the believers were deceived. They thought, well, they thought. The millennium kingdom was now coming in, some of them. But oh, how it brought the terrible fact of departure from God in the days of the early church. and corruption and the rise of ecclesiasticism in such power, religious power, as well as political power.
And the man of sin in the last day. That's what he's going to do. Let me say this. You can take all your so-called pagan religions today as well as any other cult you want to name. Someday they're coming under the man of sin. They're all bowed beneath him. And the reason that it will be so, everybody wants to think themselves God. And he puts himself up as God in the temple, as we well know from Second Thessalonians too. Religion is on the mark, but it's heading up to the time when he'll take over and be the man of sin.
Oh, beloved, One can understand in that day why God must and will judge. But please go on, please. Look with me at verse fifteen through eighteen. First of all, we see the suffering of...