MY TWO WITNESSES
B) THE TWO OLIVE TREES
2) CONSECRATE A FAST (1.13-20)
“What the palmerworm (gazam) has left, the locust (‘arbeh) has eaten; what the locust left, the cankerworm (yeleq) has eaten; and what the cankerworm left, the caterpillar (chaiyl) has eaten” – Joel 1.4.
The reader can readily see from the Hebrew words, that the Johnny-come-lately translations have no justification for inserting “locust” into each name. If all four were locusts, as they claim, then the Hebrew names would have a common component; but they do not have anything in common.
“For a nation has come up against the Earth of [Me] (Samaria) ...” – Joel 1.6.
Many expositors insist that these insects are to be taken literally, but prophecy is usually not like that, and employs symbols freely. Daniel pictured Babylon as a “lion,” and Persia as a “bear,” and Greece as a “leopard” (7.1-6). This nation, of Joel’s, was Assyria, and the four plagues were:
A) Pul, during the reign of Menahem, king of Israel (769-760 BC);
B) Tiglath-Pileser, during the reign of Pekah (756-737 BC);
C) Shalmaneser, during the reign of Hosea II (729 BC);
D) Shalmaneser again (723-21 BC), destroying Israel and capturing Hoshea.
These four plagues are described to be in one generation (769-721 BC); “Has anything like this happened in your days?” (Joel 1.2). The fellows favoring insects say it was “in one year,” and there were many of these fellows. Is this the “traditions of men” that Iesous warned us about?
2) CONSECRATE A FAST (1.13-20).
This command is directed to the nation of Judah after Israel was cut off, in 721 BC. The
inhabitants of Judah were witnesses to this event; having heard the news, if not actually seeing the battles.
Whether they listened or not, we do not know. However, Josiah (r. 640-10 BC) was a reformer, and he restored the Passover in 623 BC. The lost law was found by accident. Most likely, the king and the priests fasted when they restored the Passover. Judah also proclaimed a fast in the days of Jeremiah. Joel could have been speaking to his generation. But king Jehoiakim, in his fifth year (605 BC), cut up the prophecy sent to him by Jeremiah (Jer 36.9, 22-23). Therefore the fast did not bear fruit.
3) THE DAY OF “HE IS” (
hwhy
; 2.1-11).
“For what good is the day of He Is (
hwhy
) to you? It will be darkness, and not light” - Amos 5.18.
Amos sounds serious! “in the day belonging to Lord (Kuriakh)” (Rev 1.10), describes the first
“year/day” of the Jews’ war with Rome. A word-study of the expression, “day of He Is,” will confirm that it is usually the representation of the overthrow of a nation, and the slaughter of many people.
“The Earth (Judah) quakes before them, the Heavens (Governments) tremble; the Sun (King) and Moon (Priesthood) grow dark, and the Stars (Prophets) diminish their brightness” - Joel 2.10.
The Earth (Judah) went captive to Babylon in 588 BC, the Heavens (Sun/King; Moon/Priesthood;
Stars/Prophets) were overthrown, and “a third of the Stars of Heaven fell to Earth” (Rev 12.4). But that is not as bad as it sounds. The third that fell from Heaven “lived” to go into captivity, but the other two-thirds were “cut off and died.” God employs more than one definition to His symbols in the Bible to prevent boredom. In the first quote (Joel 2.10), Heaven was the government, and the earth was the congregation of Israel. However, the next quote (Rev 12.4) pictured Israel as Heaven and the Gentiles as the Earth. Therefore, Israel (Heaven) fell to the Gentiles (Earth). This variance of the symbols is sustained by the verse, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods?”’” (Jn 10.34, Ps 82.6). The Jews were, figuratively speaking, “gods” (Heaven), and the Gentiles were “men” (Earth). But now, returning to the first application of the symbols, Zedekiah (Sun) was taken prisoner with the priesthood (Moon), and even Daniel, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah (Stars) were incarcerated. The first two were carried into Babylon, and Jeremiah into Egypt, as you know. “Woe to the bloody city!” - Eze 24.6. He who rebels against He Is Gods (
myhla hwhy
) pays the price; or, “the soul that sins shall die.” Sometimes death is physical, and immediate, and at other times it is symbolic for the death of the nation, and constitutes a lingering death. Then, the Second Death, at the Judgment Day, is “everlasting fire.”4) REFORMATION OF JEREMIAH (Jeremiah; Chapter 36.6).
We are moving right along in time, from 769 BC to Jeremiah in a few short verses. This is a compacted prophesy. The reforming ministry is now described for the reader.
“And so now, saying He Is (
hwhy
), ‘Returning him (Jacob) to Me in all of heart of you, and in fasting, and in weeping, and and in mourning. And rending him, heart of you, and not in garments of you ...” – Joel 2.12-13.
Jehoiakim declared a fast (Jer 36.9), and Jeremiah sent Baruch, his scribe, with a letter to the king, to reform. The letter was read to the king, and cast into the fire.
Another “repentance” was declared before the next verse from John of the (tou) “dipping.”
“Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath? … bear fruits of repentances.”
h
5) THE TEACHER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (Joel 2.18-27).
“And He will be jealous, He Is (
hwhy
), to Earth of Him, and He will pity on people of Him. And He will answer, He Is, and He will say to people of Him, ‘The I (ynnh
), sending to you of the Grain (Bread of Life) and the [New] Wine (Iesous’ teaching in new bottles), and the Oil (Holy Spirit), and filling them with him (Jacob) and I will not give with you again reproach in nations” – Joel 2.18-19.Iesous taught that He was the Anointed, the Way, the Truth, the Life, the Resurrection, the Light of the world, the Door, and the great Shepherd. The “Grain” is the Bread of Life (Iesous). The “New Wine” is His new teaching; for Iesous said, “neither do men put New Wine (teaching) into Old Wineskins (Israel).” The “Oil” is for the seven Lamps of the Lampstand of God (see: Zech 4), and represents the seven Spirits of God. The Lord taught that the law would not pass away until Heaven and Earth (Israel) passed away (Mt 5.18). The apostles at Jerusalem explained this fact (Acts 21.17-26).
“And knowing them that I (Iesous) am in the midst of Israel: I in midst of Israel, I and I He Is Gods of you (
mkyhla hwhy
), and no other, and they will not be shamed, people of [Me] to ever” – Joel 2.27.
This only describes the first half of the “one week confirming the covenant with many,” which was accomplished by our Lord Iesous. In other words, the Son is “He Is Gods of you” with the Father.
See: Isa 9.6, Ps 2. “The Father and I are one.” But, “The Father is greater than I.” What this last quote means is that because Iesous was limited by a fleshly body, only for a brief period of time, the Father was greater, for He is present throughout the universe. But, now Iesous is also present everywhere. The next section pictures the second half of the week, when Iesous operated through the Spirit. [Why do some churches honor the Holy Spirit, but not Iesous?] Matthew 18.20 seems to equate to Joel 2.27.
6) DIPPING IN THE HOLY SPIRIT (Joel 2.28-29).
Philip had four virgin daughters who prophesied (Acts 21.8-9), and Stephen saw a vision (Acts 7.56), and possibly, Paul had a dream (2Cor 12.2), and the 120 disciples spoke in tongues and prophesied (Acts 2.4).
“And being (
hyhw
) after of this, I will pour of Spirit of [Me] on all of flesh; sons of you and daughters of you, they will prophesy, and old men of you they will dream them dreams, young men of you, they will see visions” – Joel 2.28.
Bear in mind that this was written about 713 BC, after Israel fell (721), and was fulfilled accurately. Pentecost being in AD 32, the prophecy preceded the fact by 747 years. We are all familiar with the book of the Acts of the Apostles, and so, we will not linger on the subject.
7) DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM AND THE COMING OF HE IS (Joel 2.30-32).
“The Sun (King), he will be turned to darkness, and the Moon (Priesthood) to blood, to face of coming of the great day of He Is (
hwhy
), the ‘he will fear’” – Joel 2.31.
Antipas was the second “Sun darkened.” If you recall, Zedekiah was the first “Sun darkened.”
Antipas was identified by Josephus to be of the royal lineage, and to have been murdered by John of Gischala, in about AD 66. Then Simon, the son of Gioras, killed a great number of the priests (Moon), in about AD 69. The “Son of man on the clouds, with power and great glory” was described to follow
“immediately” after the “Sun is darkened” (Mt 24.29-30). Then, Iesous added,
“Truly, I say to you, this generation (AD 32) will by no means pass away until all of these things (24.30 = resurrection) take place” – Mt 24.34.
The False Prophet exhorts you not to believe the Bible, but to listen to him. This is why Iesous calls him the False Prophet. Good advice is to listen to the Lord. He only, has the “wonderful words of life!” And also, Iesous knows what “immediately” implies. And the meaning is the same in all languages.
8) THE ITALIAN REVOLUTION (Joel 3.1-16).
“... when I bring back the captives of Judah and (New) Jerusalem ... Put in the sickle for the harvest is ripe ... The Sun (Pope) and Moon (Papacy) will grow dark, and the Stars (Priests) will diminish their brightness ...” - 3.1, 13, 15.
Our library has many commentaries on Joel, and they all agree to a man, that the first two chapters begin about 800 BC, and are strictly chronological to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.
Then they all agree that we jump back to the Jewish Age when we begin Chapter Three. They continue Jewish considerations until they get to, “the hills flow with milk” (Joel 3.18). This is recognized by all to picture the New Covenant Age. But not a one of them explained how they got to the New Covenant Age!
No other book of prophecy is strictly Linear Prophecy for two-thirds of the book, and then the last third of the book is Grab-bag Prophecy! As you can see, this is irresponsible behavior, despite our respect for them. Therefore we will continue the Linear Prophecy right through to the end. This makes more sense.
We cannot be switching between Grab-bag prophecy and Linear prophecy at will. God is not the author of confusion.
The Ten Horns, or the Ten Papal States, gave their power to the Pope for 1260 years. Then it is recorded, “they will eat her flesh (Babylon), and burn her with fire.” They declared war on the Pope; and they won! Babylon was Papal Rome ruling Italy with the sword, and introducing the Dark Ages. One writer calls the Pope “Father Darkness.” 1260 years of wholesale murder, torture, excommunications, seizing property, exiling citizens, subverting the reigns of rightful kings, declaring Holy Wars to exterminate “heretics,” and idol-worship was brought to an end (AD 600-1860). This was the death of the kingdom in “One Day” (Jun 4, 1859 - May 1860). Then the “great city” fell in “One Hour,” on September 20, 1870. Pope Pius IX was the “Sun” that was darkened.
The “Three Suns Darkened” were:
A) Zedekiah - 588 BC, B) Antipas - AD 66, C) Pope Pius IX - AD 1870.
9) MILLENNIUM (Joel 3.17-21).
“... the Mountains will drip with [New] Wine, the Hills will flow with Milk, and all the Brooks of Judah will be flooded with Water ...” – Joel 3.18.
“Mountains” are kingdoms in prophecy, or in this case, “the house of God,” or New Jerusalem.
The “New Wine” was the Protestant return to the Bible, forsaking the papal blasphemies. “Hills” were lesser Mountains, or satrapies. The history of the Millennium records some weaker congregations being dependent on stronger ones for teaching and financial aide. These were properly called “missions.” The Millennium was: 1859 - 1959. The “Milk” was the “Milk of the word” (Heb 5.13). The “floods of Water” represent the “Living Water,” or the Holy Spirit. (See: Jn 7.38.) Many men, in the United States, had independently recognized this awful fact: “That every church in the country is apostate!” [The same is true today, but we do not have any intelligent men.] The Bible was newly translated, purging out many of the Pope’s corruptions. Some congregations only met once, or twice, a month because they considered it improper to meet without an ordained minister, created by the laying on of hands. But, weekly assemble, and weekly communion, were re-instated. “Dipping for the forgiveness of sins” was rediscovered, and practiced.
The Bible was declared to be the only source of authority in the Body. A monthly Christian magazine was published, with the goal of free speech. “Everyone will have the right to be heard.”
There you have it! The Bible story in a nutshell. “The mystery of God was finished” when Papal Rome fell. (See: Rev 10.7, 11.15.) Men have known this story for hundreds of years, even before the mystery was finished some had figured it out. Many predicted when the 42 Months would end. The best two examples are the Matthew Poole* Commentary and Robert Fleming. Poole’s end was in 1866, and Fleming’s in 1848. They both began in AD 606, but Fleming converted 1260 lunar years into 1242 solar years. But God did not intend for it to be that hard to understand. The catholic literature has the Primacy of the Pope to begin in AD 600. The encyclopedias all describe the “fall in one day” to have ended in AD 1860. This event was the battle of the Two Sicilies in May of 1860. Therefore, the 42 Months was: AD 600-1860. [* Poole also had an alternate date: AD 600-1860.]
Seeing that men have understood this for hundreds of years, how is it that everyone is in the dark today?
“Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan (Pope) will be released from his prison (Rev 18.20) and will go out to deceive the Nations (Churches) in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog.(Ecumenical Movement) ..” - Rev 20.7-8.
None would dare to say that Iesous’ Revelation is not true in our youth! Today each and all joins in the blasphemous chorus. Only the papists, and a select few Protestants, believed in the Preterist doctrine. Protestantism was alive and popery was dead. Today popery is alive and Protestantism is dead.
But then, Praise the Lord, Iesous said that this would happen! God is even glorified by atheism. The more perfect way, as you know, is that pure hearts and sound speech would be more pleasing to God. We should learn from the men who fought the battles for the Lord. They were the men of God!
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