Joel 3:1

The prophecy of this chapter is one of the most remarkable in the whole Bible; and, for centuries, interpreters have found no agreement in what to make of it. More than 150 years ago, Adam Clarke wrote that, "This is a part of the prophecy which is difficult to understand; all interpreters are at variance upon it,'" himself leaning toward the view that it referred to certain victories or changes in the fortunes of the secular state of Israel. It is our conviction that most of the failure to understand Joel 3 derives from a misunderstanding of the secular state and fleshly nation of the Jews as the principal, or even the sole, subject of God's concern and of his prophetic word, a confusion of the two Israel's of God, the one of the flesh alone, the other of the spirit and mind of Abraham. It is of this latter Israel, the true Israel alone, that the great prophecies of the O.T. are speaking, some notable exceptions occurring at a time when the two were commingled with a secular state which the fleshly Israel had injected into God's plans by their rebellion against him and their insistence upon having a king. As during the subsequent centuries the true Israel was necessarily mingled with the secular, and indeed confused with it, there were indeed many prophecies and references to "Israel" which applied to them both.

But in this chapter, one should forget all about the secular Israel, the Jewish state, the Hebrew nation, the fleshly Israel, the old Israel, etc. All of the references to Judah, Jerusalem, Zion, "my heritage Israel," etc. are used in a spiritual sense of the church and kingdom of Jesus Christ our Lord. The very first verse of this chapter dates everything in it subsequently to the Day of Pentecost; and that leaves the secular Israel completely out of it.

The first section of the chapter, in highly metaphorical language, speaks of the "true Israel" receiving the forgiveness of sins, and of the judgments of God upon the nations which opposed his purpose (Joel 3:1-7). Section two (Joel 3:9-13) has the same meaning as the gathering of the nations for the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16); and it also has the summoning of all nations to the Final Judgment, presented under the figure of the sickle and the harvest as is also the case in Revelation 14. The reign of Christ is depicted in section three (Joel 3:14-17), during which time, the Lord "roars from Jerusalem" (in the N.T. which originated there), and also during which time the "people of Israel" (the church of Jesus Christ) will find their refuge in Jehovah (not in literal Jerusalem). All men during this phase of divine history will be caught up in "the valley of decision," where will be determined their destiny as servants either of Christ, or of the devil.

The final section of this chapter (Joel 3:18-21) is a figurative presentation of the wonderful spiritual blessings available in the kingdom of heaven.

Joel 3:1

"For behold in those days, and at that time, when I shall bring back the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem.

"In those days, and at that time ..." Cole said that this "points to the distant and vague future";[2] and, although that might be true as it seemed to the people of Joel's day, it is not so for us. What is clearly meant is that "in the times of the pouring out of God's Spirit upon all flesh," as prophesied immediately before these words, the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem will be "brought back." And of course, we know exactly when that time began, namely, on the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Christ. As Keil noted, "All of the views which refer these words to events before the Christian era are irreconcilable with the context."[3] Everything in this chapter is to occur after the outpouring of God's Spirit upon all flesh. Hailey correctly identified the time-frame of this chapter with "the dispensation following Pentecost."[4] All applications of these words to some future millennium, or to pre-Christian episodes, are incorrect.

"I shall bring back the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem ..." One is at once aware of variations from this rendition, "The RSV (and a number of translations) rendering it in the more general sense of restore the fortunes."[5] This change was evidently made in order to accommodate the interpretation of this place as pertaining to secular Israel, an interpretation denied by the literal meaning of the words, because "even after the returns of the sixth and fifth centuries, many Jews still remained in exile."[6] However, the ASV and all of the ancient versions harmonize with the KJV in this place, "bring again the captivity of Judah"; and "this is the literal translation."[7] It is therefore a very general and widespread captivity which is the subject of the prophecy. What is it? Jesus mentioned it in the first public sermon he ever preached:

"He hath sent me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovering of sight to the blind, To set at liberty them that are bruised, To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:18).

This is the only release of captives that can properly be identified with the dispensation of the Spirit of God; and it is clearly a release from bondage and servitude of sin that is meant. "It is the deliverance from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the Son of God."[8] The terrible captivity of the Jews (in the general sense) is to Satan, whose servants they chose to become when they cried, "We have no king but Caesar," and "his blood be upon us and upon our children." Likewise, the vast majority of the whole Gentile world as well are engaged in the very same servitude of the evil one. It is that captivity, preeminently, and above all others, with which God has always been concerned. In speaking of Jews and Gentiles, let it ever be remembered that all alike, both Jews and Gentiles, are invited by the gospel of Christ to receive the turn of their captivity. Whosoever will may come! This sublime truth makes it impossible to suppose that God has in any manner wronged Israel by his refusal to accommodate to their carnal view of God's kingdom which identified it with their state! The fact that Amos "spoke of `an entire captivity' (Amos 1:6,9),"[9] at a period long before either the Assyrian or Babylonian captivities occurred, shows the ancient prophets did not restrict this to a physical captivity. Then, as now, the problem was sin and rebellion against God.

"Turning again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem" thus refers to the times of regeneration in the kingdom of Christ, that is, to this present dispensation of the gospel when all men, of every race and nation, if they so desire, may receive the forgiveness of their sins and the restoration of their broken fellowship with the Father.