God’s Great Army
Joel Chapter Two
Joel 2:1 Blow a trumpet in Zion,
And sound an alarm on My holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
For the day of the Lord is coming;
Surely it is near,
2 A day of darkness and gloom,
A day of clouds and thick darkness.
As the dawn is spread over the mountains,
So there is a great and mighty people;
There has never been anything like it,
Nor will there be again after it
To the years of many generations.
The first part of Joel chapter two is a description of the Day of the Lord. It is a description of a great and mighty army. There has never been an army like this before in the history of the world. This great and mighty army is the Lord’s overcomers who are granted power and authority that has never been seen before on the earth.
Why do so many say this is an evil army? Because God having a great army in the last days does not fit their narrative. They think only evil will prevail. Therefore, the godly must be raptured away. After all, we are not appointed unto wrath, right? This is a false narrative. It promotes a weak and cowardly church. A church that is incapable of standing up to the devil. A church that has no power or authority to do battle against the evil forces of the last days. What a shame. No wonder the church is not preparing for battle. They won’t be here, right? Nonsense.
The real battle of the last days will be the church’s greatest hour. Joel is describing the same great army that John talks about in Revelation chapter nine. It is not an evil army. It is the Lord’s great army preaching the gospel of the kingdom to a lost and dying world, as Jesus said in Matt 24:14. It is the Lord’s great army waging war against the powers of darkness during the tribulation. It is the Lord’s great army consuming all those who come against her. This great army will kill one third of mankind during the three and a half year tribulation. Christians killing people who come against them? Absolutely. Jesus Himself will slaughter tens of millions of people when He returns. The blood will be up to the horses’ bridles.
Verse two says the day of the Lord is a day of darkness and gloom. A day of clouds and thick darkness. This is the condition of the world in the last days. We see it now. We see it getting darker every day. Now, contrast the darkness and gloom against His army. As the dawn is spread over the mountains! Wow! In the very midst of the darkness, His great army is like the dawn spread over the mountains! How can this be an evil and dark army?
I live in the front of dozens of fourteen thousand foot high mountains in Colorado. I have seen the dawn spread across these majestic peaks many times. The peaks glow and shine in the first light of dawn. It is so stunning it will take your breath away. This is His great army. An army of light. Not an army of darkness and gloom.
Joel 2:3 A fire consumes before them
And behind them a flame burns.
The land is like the garden of Eden before them
But a desolate wilderness behind them,
And nothing at all escapes them.
4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses;
And like war horses, so they run.
A fire consumes before them. Their appearance is like horses. Like war horses. This is exactly what John is describing in Revelation chapter 9. The 200 million horsemen who kill one third of mankind. Fire comes out of their mouths and consumes their enemies. This is the second woe. This is the two witness company of overcomers in Revelation chapter 11. They kill all those who try to stop their testifying of the truth. Those who are not killed, still do not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their sexual immorality nor of their thefts. This is God’s army slaughtering the beast’s people during the tribulation. This is why it is called the Great Tribulation. Not appointed unto wrath? God’s army of overcomers is the wrath!
Joel 2:5 With a noise as of chariots
They leap on the tops of the mountains,
Like the crackling of a flame of fire consuming the stubble,
Like a mighty people arranged for battle.
Fire comes out of the mouths of the 200 million horsemen and consumes their enemies. Fire comes out of the mouths of the two witnesses and consumes their enemies. Again, this is God’s mighty army. A mighty people arranged for battle. These are not demons or drones or whatever. Joel says they are people! Do you want to be in this army?
Joel 2:6 Before them the people are in anguish;
All faces turn pale.
The beast’s people are terrified of this army! They are in anguish! This army is the wrath!
Joel 2:7 They run like mighty men,
They climb the wall like soldiers;
And they each march in line,
Nor do they deviate from their paths.
8 They do not crowd each other,
They march everyone in his path;
When they burst through the defenses,
They do not break ranks.
God’s army is like mighty men. They are well trained. They do not deviate from their paths. They do not crowd each other. They do not break ranks. These overcomers are in perfect unity. There’s no show boating, selfishness, strife, or any other works of the flesh. This overcomer army has died to self and is under the complete control of the Holy Spirit!
Joel 2:9 They rush on the city,
They run on the wall;
They climb into the houses,
They enter through the windows like a thief.
They rush on the city. What city? The great city! The great city is the harlot of Babylon. The harlot is the last day, corporate, global, rebellion of mankind against God. This army is attacking the very core of the harlot’s power. The harlot herself. No defenses can stop them. They have been granted power and authority. No wonder the harlot’s people are in anguish before them.
Joel 2:10 Before them the earth quakes,
The heavens tremble,
The sun and the moon grow dark
And the stars lose their brightness.
11 The Lord utters His voice before His army;
Surely His camp is very great,
For strong is he who carries out His word.
The day of the Lord is indeed great and very awesome,
And who can endure it?
This is God’s great last day army. Before them the earth quakes and the heavens tremble! The Lord utters His voice before His army. This army takes its orders only from God Himself. His army is very great. His army is strong. His army carries out His word.
The day of the Lord is great and very awesome! This is talking about His army! Who can endure it?
The day of the Lord is not a time for the church to cower and run away in some pre-tribulation or pre-wrath rapture myth. The day of the Lord is the church’s finest hour! The final battle! Don’t run from it. Embrace it!
Blow the trumpet in Zion. Sound the alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming! Surely it is very near!
