Joel 3:11

"Haste ye, and come, all ye nations round about, and gather yourselves together: cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Jehovah.

The gathering of the nations in their opposition to God, which is prophesied to come at the general hardening of mankind that is prophesied as preceding the Final Judgment is here represented as an act of God Himself, indicating judicial hardening. Thus, in the case of Judas, Jesus commanded him, "What thou doest, do quickly" (John 13:27).

"Thy mighty ones to come down ..." Some expositors are inclined to view the assembled nations as an assembly convened to execute the will of God, but we believe the assembly here is a spiritual thing, referring to the unanimity with which human nations shall oppose God, and that this is a prophecy of their assembly not to execute God's wrath upon others, but as the occasion when God will execute his judgment UPON THEM! The next two verses would appear to make that certain. Keil was of course correct in seeing something here far greater than a few neighboring nations of ancient Israel. He wrote:

"These are not merely the neighboring nations to Judah, but all heathen nations who have come in contact with the kingdom of God, all the nations of the earth without exception, inasmuch as before the last judgment the gospel of the kingdom is to be preached in all the world for a testimony to all nations" (Matthew 24:14; Mark 13:10).[20]