Joel 2:1-32 KJV
1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.
3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
4 The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.
5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.
6 Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.
7 They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:
8 Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.
9 They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.
10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:
11 And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?
12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:
16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.
17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?
18 Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people.
19 Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.
21 Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things.
22 Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength.
23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.
24 And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil.
25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.
26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.
27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.
28 And it shall come to pass afterward, 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:
29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

When did you become a virgin to the word of God. Those raised in church will claim they heard the Bible all their life from nursery up. Those outside the church may have a more specific time in which they recall of the word actually coming known to them. Yet how many can recall even in the church world that are true believers not remember when the word of God actually began to deal with their young heart about faith. You can be 102 when this happens, or even 50, you do not have to be young when the word of God finally pentrates through the tough barriers of the heart and soul.

When does reality hit you that God is real and his word is real. Adam and Eve in the garden knew the word of God was real as he forced them out of the garden with flaming swords lighting behind them the gate in the garden. Exile for Judah would enter a land of desolation as they went south to Babylon through the desert. When you think of it in those terms, and seen the Movie Gone with the Wind, you almost get the image of city of Charleston be burned and destroyed. The image of flames all around the city and people pouring out of it. Those that watch action movie can see the blowing up of building and full destruction of area with fire as their heros escape. God was still with Adam and Eve and the serpent was high tailing it out of the garden of Eden as well. The image of the fall, being abandon and yet not. Just no longer allowed in the place of a beautiful perfect garden. God could go back, but man could not nor the serpent. When Moses was leading the people a cloud lead the people by day and fire by night. Another return flight to the promise land.

The scenes of Juda being force out in Joel is the same image one might get of the gathering of God's people going towards the Holy City once more, yet more peaceful perhaps on the return. People forced from their homes to go into exile, people watching their beloved city burned, and not with the ability to necessarily look back. They knew what was occuring in their world as God had declared it because they had not repented, and yet Joel is saying don't render your garment but your heart. Allow the word of God to pentrate the heart and repent and be forgiven. Being forgiven does not mean exile is not before you, ask an immates if upon salvation did they still serve a sentence in jail, if they got saved before going into the final jail where they serve their sentence. Israel was still facing the punishment of their sin, but going into exile away from their promise land. Still enter for their sentencing and entering in for their nation and city.

Sin are wiped clean upon belief in Jesus, but it does not mean we escape punishment of this world on past sins. Forgiveness from God does not stop punishment from man. Yet what we have to ask is even greater when did God's word become clear to you, with man's punishment or with God's grace and forgiveness.

Now in life our world at time of salvation might seem not so imperfect or sinful, it can be like a morning glory day of pink and purple flowers coming forth to ruin a garden of beauty. It only took one act of disobedience to get Adam and Eve castout of the garden. How many of us know for a fact in our life we disobeyed God more then once and yet still found God's mercy and grace, because of Jesus? That hinkling to help someone, pray for someone, speak to someone and you did not? All disobeying God's Spirit. When do we learn to listen as a believer and obey.

God promised his people a time of restoration and outpouring of his Spirit. Tomorrow starts Chanukkah/Hanukkah. Yet how many realize an outpouring of God occurred in the temple of the Holy Spirit during the time period between Old and New Testament. Why is not revivaled stopped right here with outpouring in relation to Job and not taken to the New Testament in Acts 2 when Peter preached and claimed the book of Joel is happening? God was going to bring forth his promise of a virgin birth. He was fixing to bring forth his Messiah. God is sending hope to his people with the refilling of the oil for the celebration of Chanukkah/Hanukkah. There was not enough oil for a week of cleansing of the temple, but God provied the oil for a full for the entire week without needing to be refilled.

The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit comes when the word of God is received with faith. No not all speak in tongues, not all prophesy as far as foretelling, but all testify in someway by the Spirit. We get caught in the exile but fail to see something happening with the speech from Joel people being gather and taken did not mean repentance could not come as they walked towards Babylon, to Egypt, and beyond. We get this idea that emotional roller coaster experience is the Spirit, and not the actual receiving of Christ and His Spirit,but it can be a testimony of faith and exuberance for the Lord, but the emotions are only emotions. Christ's word can set the believers heart on fire. Fire being metaphoric, not literal. God is a consuming fire the word says, and who went before Adam and Eve consuming a land making it desolate in this passage. Joel is using the metaphor of Adam and Eve story for the exile of Judah. Yet the experience was far greater then perhaps Adam's and Eve story in one since. When Israel seen God's word coming to pass by the prophets no doubt there was some that repented. Revival would of come, but not stop the exile from occuring.

When did the virgins receive the word of God and are no longer virgins? When the reality of God's word is more then just words to the human heart and ears. When it pentrates the heart and one believes and receives it. When one experience their first miracle whether a birth of a baby, a healing, some natural force ceasing and so forth, when did the Spirit of God minister to the human heart of his reality.

I grew up in church and so I perhaps knew God's word but the reality became more so as adult. I might not of understood it as being such as adult always, adults tend to take certain things God does for granted. I knew God's word was real when I receive Christ. I knew about God's creation. However for the unchurch, there may even be an understanding there is a God but no knowledge of who he is. For the Atheist, open your eyes, ask God to open them, have someone pray for you for the experience of knowing there is a God.

We might walk in exile, but we do not have to remain in exile in our hearts. God can restore his people first to him, and then to his place of promise. Talking both spiritually and physically. Perhaps the out pouring the Holy Spirit at the time Chanukkah was only evidence of God was still with them in their journey. A promise to all generation that seek him. When Christ came more outpouring of God's Spirit from Zachariah, Elizabeth, John the Baptist, Joseph and Mary, and Jesus through the testimony of the Gentiles and Jews in Acts and so forth.

When Christ comes to restore the church physically it will come with a shout and trumpets will sound and Christ will appear to gather his people home. We will gather in a crowd flying upward toward heaven to meet him in the sky. Those tall apartment building just gained a new invisible elevator and invisible escalator moving upwards toward heaven. From the basement floor to the pit of a giant hole like the Grand Canyon, to the deepest sea, no one that is saved will miss out on this fast exit out. God's word comes to pass the reality of what has happen will befall those left that saw the exit, and wonder why they were not included. What left is a book about God and His Word. A book that tells them the judgment of God will come and it is now to late. God's word is the only hope, will be people saved during this time? I think not, I think as the preachers preach that God's word is final here. God's word will consume those of unbelief with fire and brimstone.

No most of us do not understand the wrath of God though we witness his wrath in storms, seen destruction and seen his mercy. What then, we understand that God's grace is sufficient. These people that are destroy are totally against God and believe not his word even with his coming. The visible being real and they still can not receive the truth of this knowledge. They become angry at Christ presence and want to make war. When people came to see Christ in the manger they were looking for their Messiah. When Herod came searching he came to destroy. That is who is being destroyed, not the believer that desires peace with God. Christ will live with his people once more in the New Jerusalem.

Dear Heavenly Father, make our hearts so that we are open to receive your word and your testimony in our hearts today. Let us not be virgins to your word, but hearers of your word, In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 KJV
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.