Joel 3 – Judgment of the Nations

God Judges the Nations

1 “For behold, in those days and at that time,
When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem,

2
I will also gather all nations,
And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
And I will enter into judgment with them there
On account of My people, My heritage Israel,
Whom they have scattered among the nations;
They have also divided up My land.
3
They have cast lots for My people,
Have given a boy as payment for a harlot,
And sold a girl for wine, that they may drink.

4
“Indeed, what have you to do with Me,
O Tyre and Sidon, and all the coasts of Philistia?
Will you retaliate against Me?
But if you retaliate against Me,
Swiftly and speedily I will return your retaliation upon your own head;
5
Because you have taken My silver and My gold,
And have carried into your temples My prized possessions.
6
Also the people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem
You have sold to the Greeks,
That you may remove them far from their borders. Joel 3:1-6

The book of Joel, chapter 3, talks about the final judgment of God to all the nations that scattered His people & divided His land. But let God do the judgment & let us instead pray for God’s justice, righteousness to be done & protection for the innocents around the world.

The time referred to: ‘In those days, and in that time‘, is the first point to be determined. The book of Joel has only 3 chapters, by reading it you will notice that what is written in this last chapter, happens at the very end, when the day of the Lord or God’s judgment to the nations is about to start ( Joel 2:1) & the Church is already gone.

* Notice it’s also around that time when He brings them back to their land, it is the true restoration of God’s people from their dispersion, not what we see today. When the remnant in Jerusalem declares Christ as Lord, Jesus will restore the Kingdom to Jerusalem.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you, how often I would have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not! 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate. (G2048=deserted/abandoned-c. of a flock deserted by the shepherd). 39 For I tell you, you shall not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’” Matt.23:37-39

If we take into account Joel chapter 2 then this will have to occur after or very close to this big event: “10 . . . the earth quakes, the heavens shake; the sun and moon darken, and the stars withdraw their radiance. (Joel 2:10)”. I believe this is referring to the 6th seal of Revelation. You can also see more at: ‘Return to the Lord! -Joel 2‘.

Many people are waiting for the ‘recognition’ of a Palestinian State (when they have been living there all this time) to say that is the division Joel talks about, but the division was done already many years ago (Nov.29 1947) & has caused so much death & suffering. I recommend you read Micah 3:8-12 so you will understand when something happens there, it won’t take you by surprise, but mainly that you won’t doubt that God’s Word is true.

The Valley of Jehoshaphat (vs.2) is located in modern Israel, a place called Megiddo in English, Armageddon in Hebrew. We find about this battle in the book of Revelation 16:16 & 19:19. This battle happens during the 7 bowls of the wrath of God & His Church wont’ be here, (Rom.1:18, Ephe.5:6 & 2:1-3, Col.3:6).

Tyre and Sidon (Vs. 4), were the main cities of Phoenicia (present-day southern Lebanon) that oppressed God’s people in the time of the judges (Old Testament). Philistia (were also enemies), but they don’t seem to be included w/those nations that divided the land, except that if they retaliate against God they will be punished as well.

Don’t think these are the only cities to be judge in that area, remember what Jesus said about some unrepented cities in Israel: “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.” Mat.11:21-24

Also let us clarify that ‘Philistia’ is not the Gaza strip of today, as some Christians & others like to say. There is a lot of confusion since the entire region that was Israel (or Canaan before them) was named later Palestine, & many people use the same name for different things:

1/ They use it to name the entire country (that at the time of the partition had many Christians, Arabs, etc. living peacefully there).

2/ It’s also used for today’s political division, made by the UK who started the partition & 33 of 57 UN members that approved the division of the land in 1947. (Lebanon was one of the countries that voted against dividing the land, but it seems in the past they helped to scatter God’s people).

3/ It’s used as well to name the ancient ‘Philistia’ coastal region.

Source: Encyclopedia Britannica.

According to history the people that lived in Philistia (called Philistines) where from the Aegean Sea who were closely related to the ancient Greeks, & have come to established themselves in the area toward the end of the Bronze Age c. 1276 BCE.

You can see the yellow area in the map above, their land went from Gaza to Tel Aviv=Joppa/Jaffa & contained five main cities (the Pentapolis) of the Philistine confederacy (Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gath, and Ekron), but only the city of Gaza is still Palestinian territory today, the rest of the cities up to southern Tel Aviv (Joppa/Jaffa [1]) are all located in present-day Israel, in other words most of the ‘Philistia‘ region today is modern Israel.

Along the southern coastal plain of the Eastern Mediterranean seaboard (roughly south of present-day Tel Aviv) were settled the Philistines. They came to that region as a part of the general `Sea Peoples’ migrations at the end of the Bronze Age and inhabited five main cities – Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ekron, Gath, and Gaza. Although historically the Philistines are to be associated specifically with the coastal plain, during Classical Times the name `Philistia’ (“Land of the Philistines”) came to be applied more generally to the whole southern end of the Eastern Mediterranean Seaboard. . . In short, then, the English term `Palestine’ derives ultimately from `Philistia’. – Scholars J Maxwell Miller and John H. Hayes

As some of you do, I also did wonder why God would judge the nations so many years after they divided His land, when most of the people living now there are not the ones who did it & the leaders who did it are already dead. But we know that God is Just & All-knowing, He doesn’t make mistakes. We’ll fully understand later, but there are promises that need to be fulfilled to our Lord: “Sit at My right hand,³⁵ Until I make Your enemies Your footstool.”  Acts 2:34-35, Psalm 110:1). Also we can see that this nations sentiments & their armies, have not changed much, & still today most of them agree with those governments that divided God’s land, & don’t care about killing the innocents, neither follow our Lord’s teachings.

Remember beloved, that God’s Church won’t be here (to receive the wrath of God Rev.16:16), all these people living on earth at this time, were left behind because they reject Him & His Words/teachings. God is judging the nations & restoring the ‘remnant‘ of Israel at this time (Joel 3). The judgment of His Church is done first 1 Peter 4:17. Which is the time we are entering now, the ‘Beginning of sorrows (G5604 =birth pangs) or the ‘Beginning of the birth pangs‘ (Matt. 24:8).

“Look, I am coming as a thief.

Blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments on, lest he walk naked and his shame be exposed.”

Rev. 16:15

Related Articles:

Return to the Lord! -Joel 2

Shall a Nation be Born at Once?