THE PROPHECIES OF JOEL’ - PART 3

Christian Times Magazine issue 64| Monthly Magazine

'The Prophecies of Joel’ - Part 3

By Charles Lingerfelt

And now, we come to Part 3 of my series: ‘The Prophecies of Joel. ’

I first became interested in reading the book of Joel when I was a teenager at 15. A year earlier, I had given my heart and life to God, through repentance and confession of my sins; and the Lord Jesus Christ wonderfully saved me by His grace and mercy. I then began to feel that God had a calling upon my life and sure enough, when I was 15 years of age God called me to minister His word and be a part of propagating the Gospel around the world. In impressing ‘the call of God’ upon my life, God used the scriptural passages of the Great Commission to press upon my young mind the importance of why He wanted me to be obedient to the call and to His word: (Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:15,16; Luke 24:46-49; John 20:20-22).

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I began immediately to study the word of God: reading the books of Saint John, and then reading Matthew, Mark and Luke. After I finished reading those first four books of the New Testament, I purposed within my mind that I was going to read and study prophetic books in the Old and New Testaments. Among those prophetic books that I read and studied were Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah and Micah. I also purposed within my spirit that I was going to read and study the last book of the New Testament: The Revelation As I read and studied the book of Joel and the Prophet himself, God made an impression upon my mind with certain parts of the book itself and some of the distinct elements of Joel’s prophecies. Though it is a small book and considered a minor prophet’s message in the Old Testament, God used the book and its messages to be clearly impressed upon my mind. And to this day, it is one of my most favorite books of the Old Testament. Through the years I have keenly been interested in studying scriptures which relate to biblical prophecies. I have learned by

Christian Times Magazine issue 64| Monthly Magazine

studying The Bible that there are over 300 prophecies in the Bible that speak of Jesus Christ. Specific details given by these prophecies include His tribe (Genesis 49:10), His birthplace (Micah 5:2), the dates of his birth and death (Daniel 9:25, 26), His forerunner John the Baptist (Malachi 3:1; 4:5; Matthew 11:10), His career and ministry (Isaiah 52:13–53:12), His crucifixion (Psalm 22:1–18), His resurrection (Psalm 16:8–11; Acts 2:25–28), His ascension into Heaven (Psalm 2; Acts 13:33), and His exaltation as Priest – King (Psalm 110; Acts 2:34). The kingly magnificence of his second coming is also graphically portrayed. Psalm 2, 45 and 110 focus upon His conquest and dominion over the nations. His kingdom is characterized in Psalm 72. Events leading up to and including the first and second advent of Christ are described in the two burdens of the prophet Zechariah (Zechariah 9 -11, 12 - 14-).

Many Bible scholars and believers in my lifetime have spoken upon biblical passages to support their belief in the national resurrection of Israel. Many of those prophecies have graphically portrayed Israel’s history (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 27, 28; Amos 6–9). Her bounty as a nation is prophesied in Deuteronomy 30 and Isaiah 35. Just as the nation had received a double punishment (Jeremiah 16:18), so also it would receive a “double blessing” (Isaiah 61:7). It has been prophesied that Temple worship would be restored (Ezekiel 40–48); Israel would be the center of world government (Zechariah 1-6; and the Davidic line would be set up as a permanent dynasty (2 Samuel 7:12-16; Luke 1: 32–33).

As a young man with a great desire to read and know the Bible and know more about God, I always had this fascination about Joel’s prophecy when he spoke about the outpouring of God‘s holy spirit in ‘the last days:’ “And it shall come to pass afterword, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, And pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord comes. And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call upon the name of

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Christian Times Magazine issue 64| Monthly Magazine

This prophetic endowment always gave me hope and inspiration when I read it and studied it. When I would be away from my Bible I always had this prophetic pronouncement on my heart and in my mind. I thought about it on a daily basis; and it always prompted me to pray in my own personal prayer life to God asking Him to allow me to be a part of “a mighty movement of His spirit in the last days. “

One such movement of the Holy Spirit was back in the 1970s when my wife and I believed that God “opened a door unto us” to minister to young people involved in the Hippie movement, drugs and alcohol, and kids who were in trouble with ‘The Law. ’ I won’t spend much time here telling about my involvement back in those days, because I’ ve already written about it in my first book: the autobiography of my life,

‘Journey Into Faith and Patriotism. ’ The book is available for purchase from amazon.com But I will tell you that God was gracious unto my wife, my family and me and gave to us the wonderful opportunity of opening a ‘Coffee House-type ministry ’ in central Texas and we ministered to these young people from all over Texas and many other states. The ministry was known as, YOUTHARAMA of Texas, Inc. and it blessed thousands of young people, and many adults while it was open.

But even more so today, I believe there is more work to be done in spreading the Gospel around the world, so that every ear might hear the “good news” about Jesus Christ our savior.

Every time I have either read or studied the book of Joel and his prophecies, I have been amazed at how God used, ‘a Common and ordinary Man’ anointing him with the spirit of God and moving upon him with that same Holy Spirit to give forth his prophetic announcements of what was to come forth in the future.

The prophet Joel prophesied specifically of the three following predictions: 1.) The Blessings of the immediate future (Joel 2:18-27). 2.) The Blessings of the distant future (Joel 2:28-32). 3.) The Ultimate Destruction of All the enemies of God (Joel 3:1-21).

I wish that I had time herewith to go into detail and write about those three predictions which I have listed above; but time will not permit me to do so, nor will space. I do intend someday to write

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a book, a small book on this subject matter, ‘The Prophecies of Joel, ’ if God and His will for my life will permit me to do so.

I will now close this series of writings with the following:

There are some Bible scholars who have attempted to estimate the time of the writings of Joel as being around the eighth century, before Amos; and others have come to the believe that his writings were more closely related to the sixth and early fifth century BC, which was a time that the Temple was standing and the memories of the Babylonian exile were fresh in the minds of the people. It is for that reason that I believe the words of the prophet Joel and his prophecies are entirely and completely relevant for us today. They were entirely given forth under the unction of the Holy Spirit: to God be the glory.

And therefore, I respond to them, even today, in a positive and spiritual way and I ask you to pray, read and study these prophecies and respond to God in the same manner.

May God bless and keep you and may God help us to prepare for the days that are just ahead of us.

In His name and by the power of The Holy Spirit,

I will tell you, however, that Joel‘s prophecies began in his own day and extend unto ‘the Day of the Lord’ – the end-time judgment, and as well the time of Israel’s end-time restoration.

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Charles Lingerfelt Editor-in-Chief CHRISTIAN TIMES MAGAZINE P. O. Box 360722 Dallas, TX 75336 USA