There is victory in Jesus Christ who gives us eternal life in the New Jerusalem

Joel 2:18-27

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

• God has sent us His Word, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
• Through Jesus Christ, the global government and culture of the beast is desolated.
• God gives new life in the new heaven and earth.
  • Do not be afraid, the hand of God is working in the tumultuous world of today.
  • Animals are very much a part of Bible prophecy within a detestable world.
  • Followers of Christ are to rejoice in our future inheritance of eternal life.
  • The new heaven and earth will be filled with Christians and the glory of God.
  • The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.
  • Everything lost in this world will be more than made up for in the New Jerusalem.
  • We will praise God and live bountifully in His wonderful presence.

God has sent us His Word, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. “Then the Lord will be zealous for His land, and pity His people. The Lord will answer and say to His people, “Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, and you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations.” Joel 2:18-19

 The verse above is a continuation from this following verse, “Let the priests, who minister to the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar; Let them say, “Spare Your people, O Lord, and do not give Your heritage to reproach, that the nations should speak a proverb against them.’” Joel 2:17 That verse means that we should cry with remorse to restore our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. When that is done, “Then the Lord will be zealous for His land, and pity His people.”

The Lord’s zeal for His land and His people applies to the State of Israel and every Jewish person. However, they need to reconcile with God by admitting their sin and accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Only then will they enjoy the grain, new wine, and oil and be content. When they make peace with God through Jesus Christ, they will no longer be a reproach.

Through Jesus Christ, God has provided the grain, the new wine, and the oil. The grain represents the New Testament scriptures, the oil signifies the Holy Spirit given by Jesus, and the new wine is expressed in this verse: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 Nevertheless, most Jews and modern Israelis reject Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ” Matthew 23:37-39

As the following quote says, the Lord’s land and His people now include anyone who accepts Jesus Christ, not just the Jewish people. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name…” John 1:12God shows mercy and grace to those who admit that they are sinners and need forgiveness through Jesus Christ. He has given everyone the seed of the Gospel of Christ, the New Wine of Christ’s blood for the remission of sin, and the oil of the Holy Spirit to make us His dwelling place. We who submit to God’s authority by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior are nourished by the Holy Bible and Holy Spirit. We are no longer a reproach and no longer called Gentiles who are excluded from God’s family. “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter, whose whose praise is not from men but from God.” Romans 2:29

Through Jesus Christ the global government of the beast is desolated. “But I will remove far from you the northern army, and will drive him away into a barren and desolate land, with his face toward the eastern sea and his back toward the western sea; His stench will come up, and his foul odor will rise, because he has done monstrous things.” Joel 2:20

The Bible portrays the northern army as a fearsome military power associated with aggression towards the State of Israel. This army is linked to the world government of the beast and participates in the worldwide Battle of Armageddon. (Sixth Plague of Revelation 16:12-17). On the Day of the Lord, the northern army suffers a crushing defeat and is banished to a wasteland. That barren and desolate land is what is left of this present world’s system as described in Revelation 18, the Seventh Plague, and the Seventh Trumpet.

The world’s spirit differs greatly from the sweet, sweet and gentle Spirit of Christ. The current world system is like a foul smell that fills the air because of the monstrous actions of the global government and its culture. The monstrous thing it does is to create a global system and culture on the thing which gives people their feelings, thoughts, words, and actions. It enables the image of the beast to live and speak through people in every city around the world. It replaces human conscience and makes psychopathic traits widespread globally. People around the world conform to the anti-Christian global culture and are groomed to the mark of the beast by their words and deeds.

The global culture has become self-centered as they feel empowered to exalt themselves above the authority of God the Creator. They do not feel guilt or remorse, and they abhor the idea of confessing that they are sinners who need Jesus Christ to forgive their sin. They resist, deceive, manipulate and try to control the Holy Spirit and those who live in Holiness. As a result, the world is full of lawlessness and antisocial behaviors, with no empathy for other human beings.  “It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.” Revelation 13:7 The “him” in the verse above is the beast behind the image and mark of the beast.

God gives new life in the new heaven and earth.

Do not be afraid, the hand of God is working in the tumultuous world of today. “Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done marvelous things!” Joel 2:21 Global warming has become so severe that the United Nations now calls it global boiling. This is a distressing situation for every nation on Earth. However, as followers of Jesus Christ, we can rejoice in knowing that God is alive and active in this world as Global warming is the Fourth Plague as mentioned in Revelation 16:8-9. The events of the Seven Seals, the Seven Trumpets, and the Seven Plagues unfold on this land called planet earth. As Christians, we should rejoice and not fear, for the Lord is performing wonders before our eyes. What a joyful day it will be when we all get to Heaven.

Animals are very much a part of Bible prophecy within a detestable world. “Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field; For the open pastures are springing up, and the tree bears its fruit; The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.” Joel 2:22 Every animal on earth and every bird in the sky is part of Bible prophecy, as it says, “‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’ She has become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.” Revelation 18:2 NIV This planet will be so corrupted and spiritually polluted before Jesus Christ returns that it will be unable to sustain animal life. Animals and birds will be afflicted by a vile, unclean, foul, and abominable spirit. Joel, inspired by the Holy Spirit, tells us that a better world will come after this world falls into utter ruin. There will be a new heaven and earth when the current heaven and earth are destroyed. as described in Revelation 21 and also Revelation 22.

Followers of Christ are to rejoice in our future inheritance of eternal life. “Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, and He will cause the rain to come down for you—The former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.” Joel 2:23 We are all the Children of Zion who inherit eternal life by reconciling with God through Jesus Christ. This planet will face terrible destruction and eventually be annihilated, but we should rejoice in the Lord our God. He will triumph over the beast, its global government, and its global culture. Whatever we lose in this world, God will compensate us abundantly when our Lord Jesus Christ comes back to grant us our inheritance of eternal life, as described in Revelation 21 and also Revelation 22.

The new heaven and earth will be filled with Christians and the glory of God. “The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.” Joel 2:21-24 We who live for God through Jesus Christ face hostility from the threshing floors today. The threshing floor is where the whole plant is broken apart to separate the wheat from the chaff. It symbolizes the trials, difficulties, and hardships that strengthen us Christians and distinguish us from those who reject God when they face tribulation. When this world ends and Jesus Christ returns, the new heaven and earth will be full of wheat (Christians), new wine (Jesus Christ), and oil (Holy Spirit).

Today, the threshing floor is a hostile place because the global culture wants to eradicate Jesus Christ and Christianity. People are living for the thing that dictates their actions, words, emotions, and thoughts. It hates Christianity because it allows the image of the beast to live and speak through people in every city around the world. People everywhere are conformed to the anti-Christian global culture and groomed to the mark of the beast by their speech and behavior.

People’s feelings and thoughts are influenced by something that replaces their human conscience. This allows psychopathic traits to spread worldwide. They act very egocentrically, as if they have more authority than God, our Creator. They do not feel remorse or guilt for harming others, and they hate to admit that they are sinners who need Jesus Christ to forgive their sins. They resist, deceive, manipulate, and try to control the Holy Spirit and those who follow His Holiness. They lack empathy as the world is fills with lawlessness and anti-social behavior.

The New Jerusalem in the new heaven and earth will consist of wheat, which represents those who are faithful to Jesus Christ. The Holy City will have the New Wine, which is our Lord Jesus Christ who secured our salvation and eternal life by shedding His blood on the Cross to pay for sin. The New Jerusalem will also have the oil, which is the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of God. “But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.” Revelation 21:22-23

Everything lost in this world will be more than made up for in the New Jerusalem. “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you.” Joel 2:25

The text portrays the swarming locusts as devouring God’s mighty army. This army is composed of those who live for God through Jesus Christ. The locusts symbolize the global culture of the beast that follows the entity that gives them their thoughts, words, actions, and emotions, “It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.” Revelation 13:7 This verse refers to the beast that is associated with the image and the mark of the beast.

Joel 1:4 refers to the swarming and crawling locusts.

The years of restoration represent our eternal life in the new heaven and earth that will replace the current ones. This inheritance is reserved for those who do not follow the beast, “All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Revelation 13:8

We will praise God and live bountifully in His wonderful presence. “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame. Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the Lord your God and there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame.” Joel 2:26-27

A simple way to understand who God’s people are is to say that we are those who come to Jesus Christ. This is quoted in the following scripture,

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name
And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise…
Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham…

For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.

…let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:10-12

And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

John 1:12, Galatians 3:29, Galatians 3:7, Romans 2:28-29, Acts 4:10-12, Matthew 8:11-12

---

“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:1