Joel 3:19, commentary and pictures

Egypt will be left in ruins and Edom turned into an empty wasteland as punishment for their cruelty to the people of Judah and for shedding innocent blood in their land. Though pictured in those local nations, the ruin illustrates the worldwide calamities that close earth's history before the great day of the Lord. As part of Joel's final chapter it points to the present time and to the last day, when the earth will be shaken and the Lord will come to judge, with the nations summoned to prepare for war and the multitudes brought to decision before the great judgment. It warns of strife, unrest, arming of nations, and destructive warfare stirred by evil spirits gathering the kings to Armageddon, centering in a final assault upon Jerusalem and its surroundings just before Christ comes as the King whose right it is to reign. Therefore its bold denunciation of sin calls God's people to repentance, fasting, and prayer to avert calamity, and to read the state of the nations as a forerunner of the near second advent.

Historical Setting and Meaning

Joel's word came about eight hundred years before Christ, older than the prophecies of Amos and Hosea, and sharing striking coincidences with the predictions of Amos. Its contemporary history widens the horizon and presents the setting for the destiny of the chosen people. That history was not written to exalt man or merely to record human successes and failures, but is directly connected with God's historical revelation culminated in Christ.

Egypt is made a desolation and Edom a desolate wilderness because of violence against the children of Judah and because innocent blood was shed in their land. Edom's ruin in this stands as an example of God judging guilty nations for violating His laws. The judgment on Egypt and Edom is local only in the illustration it uses, while the local condition is typical of the calamities that precede the great day of Jehovah and the time of war and trouble that closes earth's history.

Its meaning and message are found in Christ, the central light shedding illuminating rays through the whole of Scripture and holding together all its parts. He is testified of as the fount of knowledge and wisdom that makes readers wise unto salvation and eternal life. As part of the Bible it is to be respected and searched, its value lying in the precious spiritual lessons gleaned from daily reading.

Last-Day Prophecy and Warning

Joel's final chapter points to the days now present and to the last day, when the earth will be shaken and the Lord will come to judge. That chapter calls for preparation for war and describes the world reaching a decision involving the multitudes of earth, followed by the great judgment day. It prophesied the conditions associated with the times, including strife, unrest, and preparation for war among the nations, with the rise of destructive warfare and the destruction of the world. It declares coming world-wide war and trouble when smooth peace is preached, the exact opposite of the popular saying that nations shall beat their swords into plowshares, and this contrast shows Isaiah 2:3 was not fulfilled on the day of Pentecost.

The spirit of war is the spirit of the devil, aroused and nourished by miracle-working spirits of demons going forth to the kings of the earth to prepare them for the great war of Armageddon. Jerusalem and the surrounding country are identified as the focus of the nations' final attack, with the battle in the valley of Jehoshaphat at Jerusalem placed among the events of the last plague, immediately before Christ comes. After men have demonstrated their utter unworth in ruling the world, world-wide war is followed by the coming of the King of Kings, He whose right it is to reign. The political world presents signs as forerunners of the second advent, whose remarkable fulfillment is seen in the present state of the nations and in the present age with unmistakable force.

The chapter is part of the prophetic picture that shows the world's conditions and the church's backsliding and union with the world leading toward the last days and Christ's near return. It belongs to the Bible's prophecy of the last days and of persecution against those who obey God at the end of the Sunday-sabbath movement. Egypt was made desolate and Edom a desolate wilderness for violence against the children of Judah and the shedding of innocent blood in their land, and Edom's ruin stands as an example of God judging guilty nations for violating His laws. The verse belongs to Joel's bold denunciations of sin, which call the nation to repent, point to the future of God's people through the final consummation, show Heaven's purpose in their varied experiences, and carry earnest entreaty calling the people of God to fasting and prayer to avert calamity, while the local judgment on Egypt and Edom is only local in the illustration it uses and is typical of the calamities that precede the great day of Jehovah and the time of war and trouble that closes earth's history.