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Judgment
upon all the Nations Fulfilled by the Gospel
By Ward Fenley (info@eschatology.com)
This is a question I received regarding the
fulfillment of certain passages pertaining to the
judgment of nations:
"I am having difficulty interpreting these
chapters... All three chapters refer to God judging
and fighting "all nations" (Joel 3:2,11,12
Zech.12:3,9 14:2,3,12,14). Also, when did Judah sell
Grecians as slaves (Joel 3:4-8), and when did Egypt
become desolate(3:19)? Please point me to articles or
commentaries that may help me, or give me your
interpretation. (I have Matthew Henry's Commentary)
Any help on this is greatly appreciated.
Thanks."
Response:
Joel 3:18 In that day the mountains shall drip
sweet wine, the hills shall flow with milk, and
all the stream beds of Judah shall flow with
water; a fountain shall come forth from the house
of the LORD and water the Wadi Shittim.
Now, compare the fountain with:
Zecariah 13:1 On that day a fountain shall be
opened for the house of David and the inhabitants
of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and
impurity.
Would you agree that they are both referring to
the same fountain? If so, would you agree that the
fountain is Christ, the Living Waters?
Also, consider the phrase in Zech 13 "in that
day." So then, that would certainly lend itself
to the rest of the context being fulfilled at the
time of Christ. Consider how God uses that timeframe
reference:
Zechariah 12:3-4 And in that day will I make
Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all
that burden themselves with it shall be cut in
pieces, though all the people of the earth be
gathered together against it. {4} In that day,
saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with
astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I
will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and
will smite every horse of the people with
blindness.
Zechariah 12:6 In that day will I make the
governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among
the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf;
and they shall devour all the people round about,
on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem
shall be inhabited again in her own place, even
in Jerusalem.
Zechariah 12:8-9 In that day shall the LORD
defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that
is feeble among them at that day shall be as
David; and the house of David shall be as God, as
the angel of the LORD before them. {9} And it
shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek
to destroy all the nations that come against
Jerusalem.
Now watch closely:
Zechariah 12:10-14 And I will pour upon the
house of David, and upon the inhabitants of
Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of
supplications: and they shall look upon me whom
they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him,
as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in
bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness
for his firstborn. {11} In that day shall there
be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning
of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. {12}
And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the
family of the house of David apart, and their
wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan
apart, and their wives apart; {13} The family of
the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart;
the family of Shimei apart, and their wives
apart; {14} All the families that remain, every
family apart, and their wives apart.
Zechariah 13:1 On that day a fountain shall be
opened for the house of David and the inhabitants
of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and
impurity.
"On that day" or "In that day..."
Zechariah 13:2 And it shall come to pass in that
day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the
names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no
more be remembered: and also I will cause the
prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the
land.
Zechariah 13:4 And it shall come to pass in that day,
that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his
vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they
wear a rough garment to deceive:
Zechariah 14:4 On that day his feet shall stand on
the Mount of Olives, which lies before Jerusalem on
the east; and the Mount of Olives shall be split in
two from east to west by a very wide valley; so that
one half of the Mount shall withdraw northward, and
the other half southward.
Now this next part is crucial:
Zechariah 14:6-9 And it shall come to pass in that
day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: {7}
But it shall be one day which shall be known to the
LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass,
that at evening time it shall be light. {8} And it
shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out
from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea,
and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and
in winter shall it be. {9} And the LORD shall be king
over all the earth: in that day shall there be one
LORD, and his name one.
Look at verse 8. That is clearly referring to Christ:
John 4:10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew
the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you,
'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he
would have given you living water."
John 4:14 but those who drink of the water that I
will give them will never be thirsty. The water that
I will give will become in them a spring of water
gushing up to eternal life."
and
John 7:37-39 In the last day, that great day of
the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man
thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. {38} He that
believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of
his belly shall flow rivers of living water. {39}
(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that
believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was
not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet
glorified.)
Clearly declares Christ as the Living waters and the
timing of it.
So then, it is not so much a matter of *whether* Zech
and Joel were fulfilled. It is a matter of the nature of
the fulfillment. Remember what Joel said about the
waters:
Joel 3:18 In that day the mountains shall drip
sweet wine, the hills shall flow with milk, and all
the stream beds of Judah shall flow with water; a
fountain shall come forth from the house of the LORD
and water the Wadi Shittim.
That water is Christ and that sweet wine is Christ.
You asked:
"Also, when did Judah sell Grecians as slaves
(Joel 3:4-8), and when did Egypt become
desolate(3:19)?"
Well, consider these passages in regard to this type
of language:
Isaiah 35:7 And the parched ground shall become a
pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the
habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass
with reeds and rushes.
Again, it speaks of the parched ground becoming a
pool. In other words through faith in Christ they receive
the springs of living water. Through rejection of Jesus
Christ Egypt and all other nations would be wasted or
desolate and without water. Compare:
Zechariah 14:17-21 If any of the families of the
earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King,
the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain upon them.
{18} And if the family of Egypt do not go up and
present themselves, then on them shall come the
plague that the LORD inflicts on the nations that do
not go up to keep the festival of booths. {19} Such
shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment
of all the nations that do not go up to keep the
festival of booths. {20} On that day there shall be
inscribed on the bells of the horses, "Holy to
the LORD." And the cooking pots in the house of
the LORD shall be as holy as the bowls in front of
the altar; {21} and every cooking pot in Jerusalem
and Judah shall be sacred to the LORD of hosts, so
that all who sacrifice may come and use them to boil
the flesh of the sacrifice. And there shall no longer
be traders in the house of the LORD of hosts on that
day.
Zechariah is using metaphorical language to describe
life without Christ-"no rain." But upon those
who worship the Lord would be rain, or Christ Jesus. It
is desolation to be without Christ. It is emptiness and
there is great void. But in Christ we lack nothing and we
are never thirsty:
John 6:35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread
of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry,
and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
But on the contrary, those who do not trust in Christ
are thirsty:
Isaiah 65:13 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: My
servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; my
servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; my
servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to
shame;
Again, without Christ is only shame and desolation.
As far as your question as to when Judah sold Grecians
as slaves, I have an idea about that to which Joel is
referring. It may very well be the Gospel originally
proceeding from the first century Jewish church and
taking captive the Gentiles as slaves of righteousness.
In other words, those Gentiles who previously dominated
the whole kingdom of Israel would now be subject to the
Gospel of Christ under the New Covenant. Here are some
Scriptures that may allude to this:
Psalms 72:8-11 He shall have dominion also from
sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the
earth. {9} They that dwell in the wilderness shall
bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.
{10} The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall
bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall
offer gifts. {11} Yea, all kings shall fall down
before him: all nations shall serve him.
Here is an incredible passage that clearly describes
the New Covenant kingdom of Christ and how it would first
be the glory of Israel and that Gentiles would come to
their Light:
Isaiah 60 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and
the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. {2} For,
behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross
darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon
thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. {3} And
the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to
the brightness of thy rising. {4} Lift up thine eyes
round about, and see: all they gather themselves
together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from
far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.
{5} Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine
heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the
abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee,
the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. {6}
The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the
dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba
shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and
they shall show forth the praises of the LORD. {7}
All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together
unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto
thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine
altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory. {8}
Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves
to their windows? {9} Surely the isles shall wait for
me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy
sons from far, their silver and their gold with them,
unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy
One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee. {10}
And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls,
and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my
wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy
on thee. {11} Therefore thy gates shall be open
continually; they shall not be shut day nor night;
that men may bring unto thee the forces of the
Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. {12}
For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee
shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly
wasted. {13} The glory of Lebanon shall come unto
thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box
together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and
I will make the place of my feet glorious. {14} The
sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come
bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee
shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet;
and they shall call thee, The city of the LORD, The
Zion of the Holy One of Israel. {15} Whereas thou
hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went
through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency,
a joy of many generations. {16} Thou shalt also suck
the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast
of kings: and thou shalt know that I the LORD am thy
Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.
{17} For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will
bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones
iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine
exactors righteousness. {18} Violence shall no more
be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within
thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation,
and thy gates Praise. {19} The sun shall be no more
thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the
moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto
thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.
{20} Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy
moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine
everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall
be ended. {21} Thy people also shall be all
righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the
branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I
may be glorified. {22} A little one shall become a
thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the LORD
will hasten it in his time.
In regard to your question, especially consider these
verses:
Isaiah 60:5 Then thou shalt see, and flow
together, and thine heart shall fear, and be
enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be
converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall
come unto thee.
Isaiah 60:10 And the sons of strangers shall build up
thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee:
for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I
had mercy on thee.
Notice that the Gentiles would "build" up
the walls. In other words they would be servants helping
build the kingdom of Christ, and, Isaiah describes, is in
subjection to the original Jewish church or what we might
remember as the tree (first century Jewish church) in
which the fowls of the air (Gentiles) lodged. Consider
this verse in Isaiah:
Isaiah 60:14 The sons also of them that afflicted
thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that
despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles
of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of
the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
So that, indeed, slavery is can be observed as
something optimistic rather than pessimistic:
Romans 6:17-19 But thanks be to God that you,
having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient
from the heart to the form of teaching to which you
were entrusted, {18} and that you, having been set
free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.
{19} I am speaking in human terms because of your
natural limitations. For just as you once presented
your members as slaves to impurity and to greater and
greater iniquity, so now present your members as
slaves to righteousness for sanctification.
However, the context in Joel does seem to suggest a
larger context of judgment, though it is clear from the
above passages that God uses this type of language in a
metaphoric manner. I think the spiritual nature can be
seen by this verse:
Joel 3:10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and
your pruning hooks into spears; let the weakling say,
"I am a warrior."
Consider the opposite stated by those who would be
called Gods people:
Isaiah 2:4 He shall judge between the nations, and
shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat
their swords into plowshares, and their spears into
pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against
nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
You see, one is speaking of those who bow to the king
and taking their carnal weapons and gaining the strength
of the Gospel which would produce fruit but produce death
through its sword-like characteristics against those who
would rebel:
2 Corinthians 2:14-17 Now thanks be unto God,
which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and
maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in
every place. {15} For we are unto God a sweet savour
of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that
perish: {16} To the one we are the savour of death
unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto
life. And who is sufficient for these things? {17}
For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of
God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight
of God speak we in Christ.
Also, very important:
Psalms 149:5-9 Let the saints be joyful in glory:
let them sing aloud upon their beds. {6} Let the high
praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged
sword in their hand; {7} To execute vengeance upon
the heathen, and punishments upon the people; {8} To
bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with
fetters of iron; {9} To execute upon them the
judgment written: this honour have all his saints.
Praise ye the LORD.
That is clear that the Gospel would slay the enemies
of God. This is precisely what takes place through the
preaching of the Gospel to those who rebel against Jesus
Christ. He slays them with the sword of His mouth.
Through the Gospel, they are "bound" with
chains. Hence, the idea of slavery. Kings and nobles
represent the haughty in the pride of their countenance
in hatred of Christ. We get to execute judgment. It is
our honor because of Christ and His power to make us holy
by the Gospel. Originally John wept because only Christ
was worthy to open the seals of judgment. But since the
parousia we are all worthy because of Christs
presence and word. Therefore, when we preach the Gospel,
we are truly judging the world as Paul predicted:
1 Corinthians 6:2 Do you not know that the saints
will judge the world? And if the world is to be
judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial
cases?
So then this selling into slavery makes perfect
spiritual sense. Through the Gospel they are proven to be
bound in sin and slaves to unrighteousness. They are made
aware of their unbelief. They are made conscious of their
rebellion against Christ. Thus they perish and are wasted
and made an utter desolation. Surely the passage you
quote has its origin with the first century church. But
the Gospel is the everlasting Gospel the be proclaimed
throughout eternity:
Revelation 14:6-7 Then I saw another angel flying
in midheaven, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to
those who live on the earth--to every nation and
tribe and language and people. {7} He said in a loud
voice, "Fear God and give him glory, for the
hour of his judgment has come; and worship him who
made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of
water."
But I would again refer back to Psalms to convey more
powerfully the idea of binding the heathen with the power
of the word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Hence,
the nations would be sold into slavery. So either way I
believe their is an abundance of Scripture to show the
vast usage of metaphorical language to convey this idea
of the judgment that was to come.
And finally, in regard to your statement:
"I am having difficulty interpreting these
chapters.... All three chapters refer to God judging and
fighting "all nations" (Joel 3:2,11,12
Zech.12:3,9 14:2,3,12,14)."
I would say that the Scriptures I have used would also
answer this issue. God fights and judges the nations with
the sword of His mouth. Why?
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 For though we walk in the
flesh, we do not war after the flesh: {4} (For the
weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty
through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) {5}
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that
exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and
bringing into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ; {6} And having in a readiness to
revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is
fulfilled.
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