For our Scripture reading tonight, turn with me to Revelation 14. Revelation 14, where we read together verses 14 through 20, the end of the chapter. And then turning back to our text, Joel chapter 3, the first 17 verses of that chapter. Revelation 14, as you know, the revelation given to John. Beginning at verse 14 through 20 as we hear now the Word of God. I looked and there before me was a white cloud and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, take your sickle and reap because the time to reap has come for the harvest of the earth is ripe. So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested. Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. Still another angel who had charge of the fire came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth's vine, because its grapes are ripe. The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes, and threw them into the great winepress of God's wrath. They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horse's bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia. And then turning back to Joel 3, the first 17 verses. In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning My inheritance, My people Israel. For they scattered My people among the nations and divided up My land. They cast lots for My people and traded boys for prostitutes. They sold girls for wine that they might drink. Now what have you against me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all you regions of Philistia? Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done. For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples. You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks that you might send them far from their homeland. See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them. And I will return on your own heads what you have done. I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabians, a nation far away. The Lord has spoken. Proclaim this among the nations. Prepare for war. Rouse the warriors. Let all the fighting men draw near and attack. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weaklings say, I am strong. Come quickly, all you nations from every side, and assemble there. Bring down your warriors, O Lord. Let the nations be roused. Let them advance into the valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the nations on every side. Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full, and the vats overflow, so great is their wickedness. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision. For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem. The earth and the sky will tremble, but the Lord will be a refuge for His people. a stronghold for the people of Israel. 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. Beloved of our Lord Jesus Christ, a phrase that is really quite common in our society is the buck stops here. And of course, that phrase points to finality. Something that's final. It's pointing to the ultimate authority in a given situation. For example, boys and girls, in your family, mom and dad are the ultimate authority. The buck stops with them. In the local church, for example, this church underneath the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the elders are the ultimate authority. The buck stops with the elders. In our consideration of Joel's prophecy and the call to prepare for the coming day of the Lord, this is where Joel now arrives in this third and final chapter of his book. Joel, we know, has pointed to the judgment to come upon the wicked. And as we have considered more recently, he has pointed to the restoration of God's people. He speaks of this restoration in common terms of daily life with agriculture and rain which point to the reversal of some earthly disaster such as the locust invasion, as well the drought. But ultimately, this points to the believer's restoration in Jesus Christ. And now in this particular chapter of Holy Scripture, Joel is speaking about finality. He's talking about where the buck stops, and that's with Almighty God. And in the text for tonight, verses 1-17, we notice that with finality, God will judge the enemies of Zion. And then in verses 18-21, as we hope to consider next week, he makes Zion a source of everlasting blessing, another pointing to finality. We know that as we have considered this prophecy, that Joel has constantly placed before us the only two sides that exist in the world. The antithesis. The truth versus the lie. God versus Satan. And here then in this chapter, he makes a final contrast between those who call upon the name of the Lord and those who will be destroyed. I preach to you tonight this Word of God, restoration through judgment upon the nations. As we consider the restoration of God's people, we must notice that in part that is accomplished through judgment upon the nations. Notice, first of all, the trial of the wicked. Secondly, the call to arms. And then finally, the refuge in the offended God. Now it's true, we find some powerful language in this text. This isn't pleasant stuff. But the promises recorded here, negative promises, really, threats, these promises recorded here are also for God's people. As the restoration of God's people includes judgment upon the wicked. And now of course, as you have noticed, I trust, as we read this portion together, There are many details in this text which include specific names of nations and places and seem to speak of specific situations. Tyre and Sidon and Philistia are mentioned. As well, Joel talks about the Greeks and the Sabians and the selling of slaves. And all of these details may very well point to historical events that actually took place. In some respects, they can be tied to historical events and many commentators try to make these details and their fulfillment fit some historical event. Yet in many respects, it cannot be done with certainty. Maybe in a general sense, but not really with certainty as we've said all along. And again, I believe that's because Joel would have us focus on the day of the Lord. Ultimately, that's what these details, even if they are taken from history, that's what these details point to and therefore that will be our focus. In verses 1-8, Joel presents the trial of the wicked. Now verse 1 begins, In those days and at that time, you recall that he's just been talking in chapter 2 about the restoration of God's people and the pouring out of His Holy Spirit. And then as we read in chapter 3, verse 13, he talks about the harvest being ripe, which means ripe for judgment. And you see, the ripening began when Christ came the first time and it will be complete when He comes again. Through the preaching of the Gospel to the nations, the judgment separation has begun. And as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 2, verses 15 and 16, for we, he's talking about preachers of the Gospel and the Gospel message they preach, for we are to God the aroma of Christ. An aroma. Among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. An aroma to both sides. But listen, to the One we are the smell of death. To the other, the fragrance of life. The judgment of separation is taking place through the preaching of the Gospel. And that judgment is taking place throughout history between Christ's two comings. But here in this chapter, Joel is bringing our attention right to the end of the age where the buck stops to the final day of judgment. And what we have in verses 1-8 is like a courtroom setting. Now, the valley of Jehoshaphat is the courtroom where the trial takes place. But here again, is this talking about a particular place? Of course, there are different ideas and suggestions with regard to where this valley is, with reasons for or against these ideas. If there is one that is closest to being correct, it would most likely be the Kidron Valley, which is located between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives. The Garden of Gethsemane is located there. And of course, Jehoshaphat comes from King Jehoshaphat who was in the line of David. And even today, that particular valley is called the Valley of Jehoshaphat. But I believe that the title Valley of Jehoshaphat is significant not because of its geographical location, but it's significant because of what it means. Jehoshaphat means the Lord judges. This is talking about the nations being gathered to the valley where the Lord judges. Verse 12 talks about that. Let the nations be roused. Let them advance into the valley of Jehoshaphat. For there I will sit to judge all the nations on every side. And therefore, as we consider the trial of the wicked in this valley, we notice in verse 2 that the accused are summoned to appear in court. Then in the end of verse 2 and verse 3, we notice that the charges are listed. This is the arraignment process. In verses 4 through 6, an interrogation and a cross-examination takes place. And then in verses 7 and 8, there is an announcement of the sentence, much like we would find in our modern-day court of law. And who are those who are called to appear in this court? The text says, I will gather all nations. This is in contrast to the nation of Israel, specifically spiritual Israel, which is the church. Those on trial are all those who are opposed to Christ and His redeemed people. And notice the charges against them. The last part of verse 2 and verse 3, For they scattered My people among the nations and divided up My land. They cast lots for My people and traded boys for prostitutes. They sold girls for wine that they might drink. And then verses 5 and 6, For you took My silver and My gold and carried off My finest treasures to your temples. You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks that you might send them far from their homeland. Now again, we know that historically speaking, God's people were exiled, sent out into captivity more than once. And the people were scattered abroad, far away into foreign lands. And the idea here is that they were removed so far from the borders of their homeland that there was no hope of returning. And then verse 3 explains the depth of the crimes of the wicked against human life and especially children. Once the adults, those who were useful, were sold as slaves, notice a boy was sold or given for the cost of using a prostitute. And a girl was only worth the price of a drink of wine. But what's amazing here is the fact that the Lord identifies with those we would call the victims. He says, My inheritance, My people, My land, my silver and my gold. Beloved, crimes committed against God's people were also committed against God. We can hear the words of Jesus here, inasmuch as you did or did not do it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did or did not do it unto me. One commentator says, the gravity of the sins of the nations against Judah can only be measured against the backdrop of the redemption God had provided for His people. God had brought Israel out of slavery. pointing back to slavery, deliverance out of Egypt. He had brought them into a land given to them in perpetuity. I knew I was going to have trouble with that word. Perpetuity as the inheritance secured in their redemption. The nations, in effect, had set themselves to undo the redemptive work of God. And congregation, that is still Satan's goal, you see, to strip you and me from our redemption in Jesus Christ. And he will try to use any means possible, especially the wicked world in which we live. You see, either Satan tries to make our lives so miserable that we question God and say, God, are you really there? Hello? Can you hear me? God, are you really real? Or Satan tries to get us through friendship with the world, making us comfortable in the world, making us think that the world isn't so bad and therefore thereby leading us into compromise with the world but when he attacks God's people again he is also attacking their God in fact in the interrogation and cross-examination the Lord says in verse 4 now what have you against me oh Tyre and Sidon and all you regions of Philistia are you repaying me for something I have done if you are paying me back I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done. The world of wickedness, you see, treats God as if He has sinned against them. As if He has wronged them and therefore He owes them something. But the truth is, they have sinned against God. They have violated His holiness. They have turned against Him. But as we sometimes say, what goes around comes around. Or if you play with fire, Sooner or later you will get burned. The Lord's promise to the wicked is that their wickedness will come back upon their own heads. It will come back to haunt them. Notice verses 7 and 8 again. See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them and I will return on your own heads what you have done. I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah and they will sell them to the Sabians, a nation far away. The Lord has spoken. Again, in some respects, this may have been literally fulfilled in history. But it points to the suffering, the godless and the wicked will endure. That which they dished out will come back upon them worse than they were even able to dish it out. Beloved, God is the defender of His people. Proverbs 22, verses 22 and 23 tell us, Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court for the Lord will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them. And then with regard to the fatherless, here thinking of the children, regard to the fatherless, Proverbs 23 verse 11 says, For their defender is strong. He will take up their case against you. Beloved, our Lord Jesus Christ defends and preserves the church He redeemed with His precious blood. And He does this through His Holy Spirit. And our comfort is that Satan and his hosts cannot and will not overturn God's declaration with regard to His people. His declaration of not guilty. His declaration of justified. You see, God's people are justified in Christ Jesus. That means that our sins are forgiven. Every one of them. And it means that we stand righteous in the sight of God for the sake of Jesus. We are justified before Him. That's our comfort. But our comfort is also that the wicked will not stand before Him as His verdict of guilty falls hard upon them. Sometimes today we see the godless live in luxury and ease, but beloved, that's only temporary. They're being fooled by that. But when Jesus said, is finished. Not only did that secure our eternal hope of those who believe, but it also sealed the doom of the wicked. God's judgment against His enemies is that they deserve the eternal death sentence, and that is carried out as they hear the call to arms. Notice, beginning at verse 9, Proclaim this among the nations. Prepare for war. Rouse the warriors. Let all the fighting men draw near an attack. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weaklings say, I am strong. Come quickly, all you nations from every side and assemble there. Those who have rejected God in this life, who have said God is dead or He doesn't exist, or who have said I have no need of Him, they are being challenged to a face-off. God is calling them to arms for what seems to be a hand-to-hand combat. The plowshares and the pruning hooks which were farming tools for peaceful agricultural living are to be made into weapons of war. But it's interesting that that's the very opposite of what is called for in Isaiah 2, verse 4 and Micah 4, verse 3. Two verses that echo each other with these words, He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. You see, Isaiah and Micah are talking about the time of messianic peace for God's people. What a contrast with what Joel says here. Those who thought they had peace in the midst of their wickedness will enter into a war they cannot win. Whereas on the other side, those who did battle against our three sworn enemies, the devil, the world, and their own flesh, will enjoy everlasting peace. But you see, the heathen are called here to gather all of their resources and all of their strength, even the weaklings. They're going to need every bit. Gather all of their resources for this war because it will be a decisive one and it will not be decided in their favor. Joel includes in verse 11 the phrase, Bring down your warriors, O Lord. Kind of an inclusion there. Turning to God, bring down your warriors, O Lord. This side is being gathered. Now bring down yours, O Lord. And I believe this is talking about the heavenly warriors of God. That these were the hosts Elisha was talking about to his servant in 2 Kings 6 when he said, those who are with us are more than those who are with them. And then when the servant's eyes were opened, what did he see? And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. As well, Paul speaks of the judgment of God in 2 Thessalonians 1 and says, God is just. He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels. Believe it or not, beloved, this talk of making weapons and getting ready for a war, which is really not pleasant at all, was to be and is to be a comfort for God's people of what He would do. Because the very presence of the Lord's warriors is a preview of the outcome. The nations would be vanquished. They would be destroyed. And of course, we can hear Psalm 2 in this call to arms, That the nations take their stand against the Lord and His anointed. We can hear the angry laughter of the Lord as He scoffs at their vanity. And what's really interesting is that the nations gather together for war in the valley of Jehoshaphat, but the war has already been won. Jesus Christ is victorious over sin, Satan, death, and hell. So the nations are being gathered together really to hear the decision. To hear the outcome. Verse 14 talks about the multitudes. Multitudes. That word is doubled there. And therefore it points to the uncountable number of those gathered in what is now called by Joel the valley of decision. Congregation, there have been and no doubt still are a number of evangelistic preachers who have used these verses to send the wrong message. They tell their audiences that they are the multitudes in the valley of decision and they must decide their fate. They must make a decision either for or against Jesus Christ. But that's not even close to what this text teaches. Joel is not saying that the nations gather together and therefore make a decision as to what they will do. The nations are gathered together to hear a decision. This is the valley of God's judgment upon them and this decision is God's decision with respect to them. And verse 13 is clear what that decision is. Swing the sickle for the harvest is ripe. Come trample the grapes for the winepress is full and the vats overflow. So great is their wickedness. We see the agricultural theme once again. The nations are ripe for what? As we said earlier, judgment. Again, as the verse says, overflowing. The vats are overflowing, not with good wine, mind you, but with rotten wine. On the day of the Lord, the iniquity of the world will have run its course. It will be complete. The judgment will be like harvesting grain. We read about this in Revelation 14, in verses 15 and 16, say again, Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, take your sickle and reap because the time to reap has come for the harvest of the earth is ripe. So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth and the earth was harvested. Now, when we think of harvesting, we think of bringing in the produce. We think of bringing in the good stuff. But here you see, we must think of the bad stuff. That's what Joel wants us to think about. Threshing and sifting took place. We know back then they would gather together the grain that had been harvested and toss it in the air. And we know that the husk or the chaff and the grains of corn or wheat were separated. The chaff would blow away, but the wheat which was heavier would fall to the ground and be gathered into the barn. That's what the psalmist says of the wicked in Psalm 1 after talking about the righteousness of the righteous and the blessing of the righteous. He says, not so the wicked, But they are like the chaff which the wind blows away. They're like garbage. The waste product. But we are also given the picture of trampling the grapes as well. Revelation 14, verses 18 and 19 talk about gathering the grapes and throwing them into the great winepress of God's wrath. We know what happens in a winepress. The grapes get smashed and literally destroyed. Here with the harvesting of the grain and the trampling of the grapes, we are given symbols of the final destruction of the wicked and the finality of that destruction. Again, normally harvest time was a time of rejoicing. The hot summer was past and the fruits of labor would crown one's table for another year. But there will be no rejoicing for the wicked when Jesus Christ comes to tread out God's wrath. What a day of terror that will be. In that valley of decision, God will demonstrate that the buck stops with Him. He has the final say, and what He says, congregation, will be irrevocable and unchangeable. The time is now for those who have not turned to the Lord Jesus Christ to turn to Him in repentance and faith. When the nations are gathered together for God's decision, it will be too late. Only Jesus Christ and His precious work of redemption from sin can and will rescue you and me who believe from being cut out and cast away by the sickle, by that agricultural tool of God's wrath. And that's the believer's comfort in the midst of all of this as Joel also speaks of the refuge in the offended God. Verses 15-17 The sun and moon will be darkened and the stars no longer shine. The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem. The earth and the sky will tremble, but the Lord will be a refuge for His people, a stronghold for the people of Israel. 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. We don't need to say much here because this introduces us to the final verses of chapter 3, which again we hope to consider next week, the Lord willing. But again, as we have considered before, previously in our study of Joel, there will be cosmic changes in that day, which can only take place by the hand of the Creator of that cosmos. With regard to the darkened sun and moon, someone has said, God's glory makes even the sun and moon seem dark. But as the text says, creation will tremble at the sound of the voice of God, And if creation trembles, the heavens and the earth, what will the wicked do? Those who have offended God, they will not be able to stand in the judgment, as Psalm 1 says. Those who despise the voice of God and His Word up until that day will have no choice but to bow before the roar, the Lord Almighty. They will have no decision. But while God visits destruction and judgment on His enemies, at the very same time, congregation, He is a refuge for His people. That's the wonderful theme that runs throughout Scripture, especially the Psalms. Psalm 46, verse 1 says, God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble. And then as we sang in preparation for the sermon from Psalm 62, the first two verses, My soul finds rest in God alone. My salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation. He is my fortress. I will never be shaken. Then verses 5-7. Find rest, O my soul, in God alone. My hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation. He is my fortress. I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God. He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Some powerful language. Comforting language. God is our refuge. and our strength, our fortress. Nothing can topple that fortress over. Satan will not, cannot take away our redemption, which we have in Jesus Christ. God's violence against the wicked is for His glory and honor, but it is also for the sake of His people. Again, that may seem hard to believe, but it's true. The restoration of His people in Jesus Christ includes putting away forever all that which Christ has defeated. So that by the grace of God, His people will enjoy that place of never-ending peace and prosperity where there is no sin or sickness or sorrow or tears. And that's our comfort and assurance because indeed God dwells with His church. And He will not allow anything to defile His bride in glory. One commentator writes, Damned sinners in hell will not be allowed the light of the sun and moon, and glorified saints in heaven will not need their light, because God Himself will be their everlasting light. Of course, that's what Isaiah says in Isaiah 60, verse 19. People of God, this is indeed a scary message for those who do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, but instead reject the only God of salvation. Yet this is the message that must be preached. Not in order to try to scare people into heaven. That's impossible. That's impossible. But this message must be preached with the hope that the Spirit of God will cause unbelievers to sit up and take notice of what will happen on that day to those who reject Christ and despise God in their hearts. With our prayer as well that the Holy Spirit of God will work in these hearts powerfully and effectively to turn them from their wicked ways. That they would understand their sin and misery, their violation against the holiness of God and be led to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. That they too might have that refuge and that strength. And as believers, this very same message which sounds so terrible and scary for the wicked is for your comfort and my comfort to remind us of what Jesus Christ has already done for us. He has taken away our guilt. He has fought the battle and won in our place. And He is our refuge, beloved, and the foundation of the church upon which we will not be shaken. The buck stops with Him because He is the highest authority. He is the one who has said of His sheep, I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. No one can snatch them out of my hands. Amen. Shall we pray? Father, once again, we come before you and we come only in the name of Jesus Christ. For in who else can we come before you? No one but Him. And Father, we pray that indeed as we have considered this Your Word tonight. A Word which is difficult for so many to hear as it talks about destruction of the wicked. We pray indeed that as Your people we might find comfort because we know that that too is a part of the process of restoring Your people forever and ever. And Father, we pray that You would continue to have Your Word go forth, have Your Word to be preached to ears that have never heard. And Father, we indeed pray that You would work in the hearts and lives of those who have never turned to the Lord Jesus Christ, those who despise You. Our prayer is indeed that You would work in those hearts and lives to bring them to a knowledge of their sin and misery and their need for salvation. Soften their hearts, O Lord, and turn them to Yourself. Father, we pray that you would continue to build your church. Prepare the bride for her bridegroom on that day. Hear our prayer, O Lord, for Jesus' sake and in His name alone. Amen.