What the Minors Say About Our Majors Joel 2:12-13 “Even now”, declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.”

Background for Understanding Speaking to Judah; Amos to Israel From his present day to the end of time Appealing to the “priests” The spiritual “caretakers” Responsible for the temple worship

Background for Understanding Under judgment for sin Scourge of locusts and drought There are not four locusts, rather The first came (Fall) laid eggs The second (Spring) are stages of development (hatching, unwinged, winged) The locusts are the four nations Tyre, Sidon, Philistia – followed by Assyria

Joel’s Day Sound the Alarm – two purposes: Give warning The Day of the Lord is coming Call an assembly – repentance Recover what is lost Jesus: Sheep, coin, the son Return to me with all your heart Rend your heart; not your garments

Joel’s Day God’s Character Gracious and compassionate Slow to anger Abounding in loving kindness Relenting of evil

Our Day Need for Spiritual Leadership Call for fasting and a solemn assembly Repentance John the Baptist – Prepare the Way We are the End-of-Time Church

Our Day “Priests” assert their dutiful position “Early” Church “Latter” Church

Our Day Weep between the “porch and the altar” From the point of entry to place of ministry “In Remembrance of Me” – the purpose of the sacrifice is to remember our sin We focus on grace, not His mercy! Therefore, we live as we want, not as we ought.

The End of Time I will send you grain, new wine and oil (2:18-19) “You will be satisfied” “never again . . . reproach among the nations” We need to hear this with all going on in Islam His Church is a glorious church

The End of Time The latter rain I will pour out my Spirit on all mankind Your sons and daughters will prophesy Your old men dream dreams Your young men will see visions Even on servants I will pour out my spirit Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be delivered

The End of Time I will gather the nations to the valley of Jehoshaphat (3:2) God will overthrow the powers of darkness He defeated Satan He overpowered death and grave

The End of Time Spiritual warfare – 3:10 “Beat your plowshares into swords Your pruning hooks into spears”

The End of Time We are a warring Church! Our warfare is not carnal, but spiritual Putting on the full armor of God Having Done all STAND! We must take the kingdom from Satan in Jesus’ Name “the ‘violent’ take it by force”

Application Satan knows our weak spot We cannot win the battle with sin in our lives! God is loving and compassionate – not bent on judgment Let’s return to the Mercy of God! “Be merciful to me a sinner. . .”

Application Let’s do our spiritual battle Believing for the Latter Rain Fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit Let’s look for the “New thing” The outpouring will not look like the past!