But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.
Joel's prophecy of the last days was given about 800 years before Christ, somewhat older than the prophecies of Amos and Hosea. Its setting in Judah and Jerusalem is local only by way of illustration, with local conditions serving as a type of the calamities that precede the great day of Jehovah and the time of war and trouble that closes earth's history. The prophecy holds earnest entreaties to the people of God calling them to fasting and prayer to avert calamity.
The verse belongs to a prophecy about the last day, the shaking of the earth, and the coming of the Lord to judgment. It points to the lifetime of its modern readers, describing a call to prepare for war, the bringing of the world to a decisive choice, and the great judgment day that follows. The passage in Joel 3:7-22 belongs to the last days when war and trouble are coming, not to the day of Pentecost, commanding preparation for war and the turning of farming tools into weapons rather than weapons into farming tools, so that smooth preaching of peace at such a time causes the Lord to forsake His people.
Jerusalem and the surrounding country will bear the brunt of the nations' final attack just before Christ comes. The chapter is connected with the great battle at Jerusalem, in the valley of Jehoshaphat, taking place during the last plague and before Christ's coming. The chapter's closing scene to which the verse belongs is associated with Armageddon and the second coming of Christ.
The prophecy gives signs in the political world that precede the second advent, and those signs are being fulfilled in the present age. It refers to modern times and is proved true by modern naval engines of destruction such as wireless torpedoes, mined harbors and invisible fortresses, gas-engine battleships able to meet six Dreadnoughts, and partially submersible ships, with Armageddon and the destruction of the world waiting just beyond. It finds a remarkable fulfillment in the present state of the nations rather than in a coming age of peace, exposing the misapplication of current events by religious teachers who ignore the sure word of prophecy and pointing to the approaching day of the Lord that comes unexpectedly like a thief at night while watchmen sleep and the alarm is feebly sounded, pressing the question of who is on the Lord's side.
Judah dwelling forever and Jerusalem dwelling from generation to generation means that none but saints will dwell in the holy city, the New Jerusalem, applying after the destruction of all the wicked when the New Jerusalem is located on the earth and is safely inhabited with no more utter destruction. The prophecy calls the nation to repent and points to the future of God's people through the final consummation, revealing Heaven's purpose in their experiences.
Joel's prophecy of the last days was given about 800 years before Christ, somewhat older than the prophecies of Amos and Hosea. Its setting in Judah and Jerusalem is local only by way of illustration, with local conditions serving as a type of the calamities that precede the great day of Jehovah and the time of war and trouble that closes earth's history. The prophecy holds earnest entreaties to the people of God calling them to fasting and prayer to avert calamity.
The verse belongs to a prophecy about the last day, the shaking of the earth, and the coming of the Lord to judgment. It points to the lifetime of its modern readers, describing a call to prepare for war, the bringing of the world to a decisive choice, and the great judgment day that follows. The passage in Joel 3:7-22 belongs to the last days when war and trouble are coming, not to the day of Pentecost, commanding preparation for war and the turning of farming tools into weapons rather than weapons into farming tools, so that smooth preaching of peace at such a time causes the Lord to forsake His people.
Jerusalem and the surrounding country will bear the brunt of the nations' final attack just before Christ comes. The chapter is connected with the great battle at Jerusalem, in the valley of Jehoshaphat, taking place during the last plague and before Christ's coming. The chapter's closing scene to which the verse belongs is associated with Armageddon and the second coming of Christ.
The prophecy gives signs in the political world that precede the second advent, and those signs are being fulfilled in the present age. It refers to modern times and is proved true by modern naval engines of destruction such as wireless torpedoes, mined harbors and invisible fortresses, gas-engine battleships able to meet six Dreadnoughts, and partially submersible ships, with Armageddon and the destruction of the world waiting just beyond. It finds a remarkable fulfillment in the present state of the nations rather than in a coming age of peace, exposing the misapplication of current events by religious teachers who ignore the sure word of prophecy and pointing to the approaching day of the Lord that comes unexpectedly like a thief at night while watchmen sleep and the alarm is feebly sounded, pressing the question of who is on the Lord's side.
Judah dwelling forever and Jerusalem dwelling from generation to generation means that none but saints will dwell in the holy city, the New Jerusalem, applying after the destruction of all the wicked when the New Jerusalem is located on the earth and is safely inhabited with no more utter destruction. The prophecy calls the nation to repent and points to the future of God's people through the final consummation, revealing Heaven's purpose in their experiences.