Joel 3:1-8
1 “For behold, in those days and at that time,
When I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will gather all the nations
And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
Then I will enter into judgment with them there
On behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel,
Whom they have scattered among the nations;
And they have divided up My land.
3 They have also cast lots for My people,
Traded a boy for a prostitute,
And sold a girl for wine so that they may drink.
4 Moreover, what are you to Me, Tyre, Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia?
Are you repaying Me with retribution?
But if you are showing Me retribution,
Swiftly and speedily I will return your retribution on your head!
5 Since you have taken My silver and My gold,
Brought My precious treasures to your temples,
6 And sold the sons of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks
In order to remove them far from their territory,
7 Behold, I am going to stir them up from the place where you have sold them,
And return your retribution on your head.
8 I will also sell your sons and your daughters
Into the hand of the sons of Judah,
And they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a distant nation,”
For the Lord has spoken.
The Judgement of the Gentiles
Before the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom
Chapter 3 of the Book of Joel in the English Bible corresponds to chapter 4 in the Hebrew Bible. In today’s passage, the judgment of the Gentile nations is prophesied. (1) The time when that judgment will take place is “In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem.” That is, the judgment of the Gentiles will occur between the end of the Great Tribulation and the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom (the Millennial Kingdom). Daniel chapter 12 prophesies that there will be a 75-day interval between the Great Tribulation and the Messianic Kingdom. The judgment of the Gentiles will take place during that interval. (2) All the nations will be gathered to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, and there they will be judged. The Valley of Jehoshaphat refers to a portion of the Kidron Valley, which lies between the Old City of Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives. (3) The criterion by which the Gentiles will be judged is how they treated the people of Israel during the Great Tribulation. Matthew 25:31-46 prophesies this judgment: “And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left” (Matt. 25:32-33). (4) Pro-Jewish Gentiles will be placed on the Messiah’s right as sheep, and anti-Jewish Gentiles will be placed on the left as goats. The Gentiles, who are sheep, will enter the prepared Messianic Kingdom. The Gentiles, who are goats, will be cast into the eternal fire.
The reason of the judgement
Three reasons are given for why anti-Jewish Gentiles will be judged. (1) They will be judged because they scattered the people of Israel among the nations (Matt. 24:15-16 and Rev. 12:6 prophesy that the people of Israel will flee). (2) They will be judged because they divided among themselves the land that the Lord gave to Israel. (3) Furthermore, they will be judged because they sold the people of Israel as slaves. Verse 3 prophesies how the Israelites will be sold cheaply as slaves. Verses 4-8 prophesy the Lord’s judgment that will come upon anti-Jewish Gentiles. The Lord will judge the Gentiles and will bring back to the land of Israel the Israelites who had been sold far away. Even now, God is seeking to accomplish His plan through the people of Israel. Anti-Semitism is, ultimately, a denial of God’s plan and rebellion against God. Let us pray for the day to come when the people of Israel will receive Jesus as the Messiah.
Today's prayer
God of Israel, thank You for teaching me once again the greatness of Your plan for the salvation of humanity. Please guide me so that I may pray in accordance with Your plan. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.