Tonight, we conclude our consideration of Joel's prophecy. We want to read together, first of all, Revelation 22, the first seven verses. Revelation 22, the first seven verses. And then reading Joel 3, verses 17-21, the text for our consideration, the verses 18-21 of Joel 3. So Revelation 22, 1-7, and then Joel 3, 17-21. Hear now the Word of God. Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and His servants will serve Him. They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light, and they will reign forever and ever. The angel said to me, These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show His servants the things that must soon take place. And then Joel chapter 3, beginning at verse 17. Then you will know that I, the Lord your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill. Jerusalem will be holy. Never again will foreigners invade her. Now the words of the text. In that day the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will flow with milk. All the ravines of Judah will run with water. A fountain will flow out of the Lord's house and will water the valley of Acacias. But Egypt will be desolate. Edom, a desert waste because of violence done to the people of Judah in whose land they shed innocent blood. Judah will be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem through all generations. Their blood guilt, which I have not pardoned, I will pardon. The Lord dwells in Zion. Dear congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, when Jesus comes again, He will judge the living and the dead. And all those opposed to Him will be destroyed and it will be final. They will enter hell, the place of God's anger and punishment, and they will never ever get out. Thus will be the end of the wicked. What about God's people? Chapter 3, verse 17 says, Then you will know that I, the Lord your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill. Jerusalem will be holy. Never again will foreigners invade her. Chapter 3, verse 17 is somewhat of a transition verse to what was said before in dealing with the finality of destruction upon the wicked. And now, what we see is the blessing of God's people. What great news for those who are not cast away from God's presence. You see, beloved, there are only two possible outcomes on the day of judgment. Not three, not four, but two. Either the judge will choose in favor of you or he will choose against you. For those still standing after the judgment against the wicked. What an eternal relief! For by the very fact that they, by God's grace, stand in the judgment, they will know that the Lord dwells with them. Do you ever wonder what eternity will be like for believers? Well, Joel gives us a glimpse here at the end of his prophecy. For them, there is the blessing of God's presence. And as we consider this Word of God tonight, Notice the characteristics of God's presence that Joel lays before us. First of all, abundant provision. Secondly, absence of defilement. And then finally, unbroken fellowship. Beloved, as Joel closes his prophecy of the call to prepare for the coming day of the Lord, he ends with a most glorious message. He brings our attention to the prosperity and blessing of paradise. When Adam and Eve sinned, paradise was lost. They were kicked out of the Garden of Eden. the place where they were not in want, but because of the perfect work of Jesus Christ, paradise has been regained and believers will enjoy the completeness of it in that day of the new heavens and the new earth. Paradise is paradise. Heaven is heaven because God is there. And one of the characteristics of God's presence of that paradise is abundant provision. Notice verse 18. In that day, the mountains will drip new wine and the hills will flow with milk. All the ravines of Judah will run with water. You see, the provision of the Lord is complete. It's full. It lacks nothing. Now on the one hand, we could say that wine and milk represent all plant and animal products. Nothing will fail to produce. Just as Adam and Eve except for one tree could eat the fruit of any tree in the garden, Paradise regained will be filled with a variety of God's goodness. His blessings are not limited. All of our needs are met in Him. We can also say that milk points to daily goodness. And wine points to luxury. And the language of the text is the language of abundance. The mountains will drip. The hills will flow. You see, mountains and hills are normally the least productive and the least fruitful when it comes to producing crops. But in that day, they will produce even more than what is needed. That which is the least likely source of sustenance in this life will produce beyond measure in the heavenly kingdom. But Joel also includes another illustration from the daily life of that day and that place to demonstrate that this abundant provision can only come from the hand of God. He says, all the ravines of Judah will run with water. Now, we can understand this a little bit, I think, when we think, for example, of Lake Hodges, which I'm told, from what it is now and what it was before, as I've been told, much land that used to be covered with water is now basically as dry as dust. But here, talking about the ravines, Joel is talking about what we could call seasonal ravines, streams, or wadis, as they are called, that only had water when there was a heavy rain, a very heavy rain, or during the rainy season. The rest of the time, these ravines were just a part of the dry, dusty landscape. And Joel is saying that these ravines would have flowing water all the time. A picture of life. A transformation. And what a picture of a complete reversal of what Joel's congregation had been experiencing. Consider again Joel 1, verses 5 and 12. Wake up, you drunkards, and weep. Wail, all you drinkers of wine. Wail because of the new wine, for it has been snatched from your lips. And then verse 12. The vine is dried up and the fig tree is withered. The pomegranate, the palm, and the apple tree. All the trees of the field are dried up. Surely the joy of mankind is withered away. You see, the lack of wine from these withered vines would be replaced with an overabundant supply. A supply that would never end. And then chapter 1, verse 18. How the cattle moan. The herds mill about because they have no pasture. Without pasture to feed on, cows cannot produce milk. But there would be abundant pasture once again. And once again, the milk would flow freely and heavily. And then verse 20 of chapter 1. Even the wild animals pant for you. The streams of water have dried up and fire has devoured the open pastures. Again, the dried up streams, beloved, would no longer be dry, but would flow with abundance that cannot be measured. Complete reversal. All of this was indeed good news for Joel's audience because all that they could see around them from the locust invasion and the drought was physical destruction and desolation. And of course, we know that Joel is using physical terms and examples of daily life to point to the abundant provision of eternal life in heaven. And therefore, speaking in earthly terms, there will be no more dry up in the hot season of the year. There will be no end to the fruitfulness of the land. That's a characteristic of heaven. And the only explanation, beloved, of this is the presence of God. Where God is, where He dwells with His favor, His blessing is automatic. And it's abundant. Jesus speaks of the abundant provision of eternity in heaven as a great banquet. And now we're not to lick our lips and think only of our physical appetites, but of our spiritual appetites. God's people will enjoy never-ending spiritual satisfaction in the presence of our Lord for eternity. But Joel uses yet another illustration to show that God's grace knows no boundaries. The last phrase of verse 18, a fountain will flow out of the Lord's house and will water the valley of Acacias. Now some versions translate this as Valley of Shittim. Shittim means acacia. Talking about the acacia tree. And this valley was indeed a real place. Numbers 25 and Joshua 2 mention the Valley of Shittim. It's a part of the Kidron Valley and runs through the desert wilderness to the Dead Sea. This is where Israel camped before she crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land. But again, it was a dry desert where the acacia tree grows in dry soil. And there may also be an allusion here to worship and again the presence of God because the wood of the acacia, you may recall, was used for much of the furnishing in the tabernacle including the Ark of the Covenant. But the point here is that God's blessing would flow as far as the desert valleys pointing to life again. Water is a symbol of life. Even spiritual life. Jesus said in John 4, verse 14, But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. Beloved, it's interesting, I believe, that Joel speaks of the Lord's abundant provision in terms of a variety, quantity, and boundary. He speaks of the mountains, the hills, and the deserts. This reminds us of Psalm 24, verse 1. The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world and all who live in it. Nothing can limit the abundant provision of God. And in heaven there will be no end to His blessing. Ezekiel 47 points to what we read in Revelation 22. And the sea of crystal that flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb. Again, the river of life. What a beautiful picture there of the tree of life bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. Life. Abundance. Overflowing. And never-ending. We can sum up Joel's words of the abundant provision of God this way, that God's grace flows far and wide. And as one commentator says, this grace is a fountain overflowing, ever flowing from which we may be continually drawing and yet need not fear its being drawn dry. Congregation, God's eternal provision is exactly that. It's eternal. We can confess even today that His mercies are new every morning. His provision will never run out. It will never rot. It will never spoil. And that's because the blessing of God's presence also includes the absence of defilement. Notice verse 19. But Egypt will be desolate, Edom a desert waste, because of violence done to the people of Judah in whose land they shed innocent blood. Now this is another reminder of what the Lord had said in verse 17. Never again will foreigners invade Jerusalem. And this is also a reminder of what we considered last week in verses 1-17 and the final destruction of God's enemies. God's enemies will be put so far away that they cannot defile God's people. There is a great chasm fixed between heaven and hell so that they cannot escape their eternal hell to come over to the believer's eternal home. You see, Joel is reminding us here in verse 19, once again, of the end of the wicked. You might think, well, it doesn't fit here. We're talking about the blessing of eternity, the blessing of God's people. What will heaven be like? It fits very well here because one of the characteristics again is the absence of defilement. But the symbolism here is interesting. Egypt and Edom, we know, historically speaking, were enemies of Israel and they often contributed to the suffering of God's people. But whereas, as we just said, the mountains and the hills and the deserts would become productive by God's hand, now that which was normally productive by nature would become a wasteland. Egypt had a state-of-the-art irrigation system utilizing the mighty Nile River. And humanly speaking, it would take a miracle to make that land barren. But that land was fertile and productive because of rich soil and good irrigation. The Edomites, we know, were descendants of Esau, Jacob's brother. And in Numbers 20, verse 17, it appears that the land of Edom was also rich in agriculture and productivity. When the Israelites requested to be able to pass through, they said, Please let us pass through your country. We will not go through any field or vineyard or drink water from any well. The text, verse 19, also speaks of violence done to the people of Judah and the shedding of innocent blood. Now, it's hard to tell exactly what this is talking about. it's hard to know whether this is talking about something that took place in Judah or whether it took place in Egypt or Edom. Again, historically speaking, both are possible. For example, when Moses was born, you recall that Pharaoh had all the Hebrew baby boys, two years old and under, killed? And when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Herod and Edomite had all of the innocent baby boys, also two years old and under, put to death? Ultimately, beloved, Egypt and Edom represent the wicked striking out against God's people throughout history. These point to the cruelty and wickedness of the world trying to snuff out the kingdom of God and God's people. But the truth is, the reverse is true as the wicked are snuffed out. The powers of the world that are hostile toward God and His people will be silenced forever as desolation and desert waste, as the text says. They point to death. The truth is, no strength or wealth of a nation can withstand God's judgment. That's what we rely on in this life. The nations rely on their power, their strength. They rely on their wealth. But no strength or wealth of a nation can withstand God's judgment. They all try. But again, as Psalm 2 says, God laughs at their vanity. In this life, there may be times when it seems that the world has the upper hand as laws. Even the laws within our own country are in place that promote and aid disobedience to God and His will. Remember, something may be lawful for you and I according to our country, but it may not be permissible for us according to the law of God. And the world is working hard through rights activists and civil liberties unions to take away the believer's Christian rights and overpower us with rights that spurn God and support evil. And so often we're tempted to cry out, How long, O Lord? How long will you bear with all of this? When will you rescue your land and your people? But we are given comfort from the very Word of God and this text that God in His time, which is perfect, will avenge the blood of His people. that was made decisive on Calvary. It will be made permanent on Judgment Day. In this world, we are still surrounded by the works of the devil, but nothing, nothing will defile the eternal blessing of God's presence. John says of heaven in Revelation 21, verse 27, as we read, nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful. In Revelation 21, it says here, beginning in verse 7, He who overcomes will inherit all this, talking about the new Jerusalem, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. Beloved, we cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like one day to be in a place where there are absolutely no vestiges of sin. Not even a drop. Not even a little bit. But that's what's in store for God's people. And what a blessing for you and I for as we've considered even in recent weeks. Upon our death to this life we are delivered from all of our sin and all of our sinning. we too shall no longer be defiled. But the blessing of God's presence includes not only abundant provision and the absence of defilement, but also unbroken fellowship. Verses 20 and 21. Judah will be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem through all generations. Their blood guilt, which I have not pardoned, I will pardon. The Lord dwells in Zion. Beloved, why will there be, why can there be nothing that defiles in heaven? Because God is there. The Lord dwells in Zion. He dwells with His people. That which is unholy cannot exist with that which is holy. This being inhabited forever is talking about a continuous existence, an unending future. This is talking about the future of God's people, the church, the bride of Christ. She has a future. One that will never end. Jeremiah was ultimately talking about this when the Lord said through him in Jeremiah 29, verse 11, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future. And of course, Peter speaks of this hope, this inheritance, this future in a most beautiful way when he says in 1 Peter chapter 1, In His great mercy, He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade. Kept in heaven for you who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. The fruit of our Lord's work of restoration would not be temporary, only a passing fad, here today, gone tomorrow, but it is permanent. God is the eternal and faithful protector of His people. Why will the church last forever? Because she is the city Abraham was looking for. Hebrews 11 verse 10 says, For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. And we know from practical building practices that the strength and safety of a building begins with a foundation. Paul says in Ephesians 2 verse 20 that God's household is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. Someone has said of the church, the enemy shall not destroy her. Time shall not consume her. She shall never decay. Beloved, in this life we go through cycles of economic inflation and recession. But the security and prosperity of God's people will never be interrupted. again because of God's presence face to face with His people. This is our comfort both for this life and for eternity, for time and eternity. God abides with His people, as the psalmist says in Psalm 73, in an ever abiding present way, now in grace and afterward in glory. How can we as God's people have such confidence of a secure future in the presence of God? Notice verse 21 again. Their blood guilt, which I have not pardoned, I will pardon. The Lord dwells in Zion. Now I must admit that the opinions are varied as to what this says. There are some, of course, who want this to apply to God's enemies and they try to make their case for this that God is talking about pardoning His enemies. I believe this is talking about God's people. Pardoning the blood guilt of His people, the sin of His people. God is saying He will cleanse His church from all pollution. He will blot out all their sins. The late Dr. James Boyce said it well. He says, Israel was not innocent, nor is the church. We are all guilty sinners. If we are saved, it will be not because of our guiltlessness, which does not exist, but because the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior for the guilt and suffered the consequences of sin for us. You see, beloved, God can and will only dwell with a holy people. And to be holy, even as He is holy, we must have, as we said this morning, that justification. Our sins forgiven. And we must be made righteous. That is the only way to unbroken fellowship with God. And that's what we have in Christ Jesus. I heard a preacher say, salvation is not the reward of the righteous. It is the gift of the guilty. If our sin is imputed to us, even in the least, if it's charged against us, God can only be angry with us and we are alienated from Him. That's the only way if even the slightest amount of our sin is charged against us, but with God's pardon for our sin because of Christ's sacrifice and with His righteousness imputed to us, given to us, we rest in God's favor. And He dwells forever with His own, those redeemed by the blood of Jesus. Dr. Boyce also says, the full wrath of God is revealed at two points in history. At the final judgment, described by Joel and other biblical writers and at the cross of Christ where it has already been poured out for those who trust Jesus. Has God's wrath against your sin already been poured out? Or will it still be poured out? For those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you are saved now. Eternal life is your possession now. No, you will enjoy the completeness or the fullness of it in the future after this life. But it's yours now, right now. And therefore your life is to be different right now. As someone said, Christ is the goal. And everything else is just details. You see, Christ and His honor and glory is the goal of all that we say and all that we do. our work, our worship, our giving, our families, our recreation, you fill in the blank. Everything. There are only two ways. If you must face the judge for your sin, the future is God's curse against you and not His blessing of you. But for those who repent of their sins and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, He has been judged in your place. And if Christ has already been judged for your sin then your present and your future is the blessing of God's presence even today through His Holy Spirit God is with His people all the time has God's wrath already been poured out upon Christ for your sin if so beloved praise Him for abiding with you and protecting you today and His promise to preserve you forever thus Joel ends the call to prepare for the coming day of the Lord. Are you prepared? Will you stand with the judge? Or will you stand against him? Amen. Shall we pray? Dear Heavenly Father, we pray, O Lord, that more and more every day you would lift our eyes to the clouds of heaven. As we look for that day when indeed our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the righteous judge, will come again even as He was taken up from this earth to judge the living and the dead. And Father, when the world of wickedness will stand before Him trembling in complete terror, we praise You that we may stand, that we will stand with Him because He is already satisfied for all of our sins. Lord God may we meditate upon the glory of heaven as your word describes the sea of crystal the gates of pearl the streets of gold and may we look forward to that day when all of your people gather together in that place where there is no sin no sickness, no suffering only the glory and honor and praise of God forever and ever Amen Amen.