Lessons # [1]   [2]   [3]   [4]   [5]   [6]   [7]   [8]   [9]
The
American Wisdom Series

Presents
 Lesson 1 "That Fearsome Locust Army" from The Book of Joel

Details of that fearsome locust army from the 9th chapter of Revelation.
Joel 1:3 Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.

Tell your generations and their generations until the last generation (of sons and daughters) is here, which is the generation when all these things He has foretold us shall be fulfilled (Mat. 24:34). And He has foretold us all things, the details of which He told us through His prophets: Mark 13:23 "But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things." By the way, if your father or one of your forefathers has broken this commandment of God in Joel 1:3 to tell your children His words contained herein, then YOU get busy studying His Word and learn the truth and restart the process with your children.  John 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

Locusts, Locusts, Everywhere!

INTRODUCTION

The Book of Joel gives us the details of that fearsome locust army from the 9th chapter of Revelation.

The name JO-EL means "Yahveh is God". This sets the stage and lets us know two important things right away, even before we begin our study of this prophetic and timely book. First and most important of all, it lets us know that only Yahveh, the Great "I AM", is God, for there is no other!In that sense, you could say that JO-EL is the first of the 10 Commandments summed up in one word. Secondly, because JO-EL contains God's personal and covenant name, Yah, which is short for YHVH, it also let's us know that He isn't some remote god or creator out there in the universe somewhere, but that He is our Father, the one who created our very souls. This is so important to keep in mind as we read about the judgment and spiritual destruction contained in this awesome book, for you see, God loves all of His children and is "longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9)". That is His purpose and His will which will be evidenced time and again in Joel by His many calls to repentance. So we are comforted in knowing that God's chastisement, the judgments and plagues He brings upon the land, are part of His overall plan designed to bring His children who have gone astray back to His open and loving arms.

There is no doubt whatsoever that the Book of Joel was written concerning the judgment and events of "the last days" that usher in the "Day of the Lord" and the return of Jesus Christ. In fact, the prophecy of Joel is undated and there is no reference to time (though Peter will set the clock on Pentecost Day) because it speaks of the very same "Day of the Lord" that John was taken to "in the spirit" in the Book of Revelation (Rev. 1:10). Revelation, which means to "uncover" or "reveal", really contains nothing new that isn't explained in detail elsewhere in the Word of God.

Much of it in the book of Joel!
For the sake of your soul, through out eternity, it is of utmost importance that you know and understand the lessons taught by our Lord through His prophet Joel. Perhaps the hardest part for most people to see and understand is that the desolation by Satan and his locust army is a spiritual destruction which causes the "spiritual death" of the soul, not the physical death of the flesh body. That's right, the great tribulation of the spurious messiah is actually a time of peace and prosperity which Daniel documents in Dan. 11:24.To that end, this Book of Joel gives us the details of that fearsome locust army in the 9th chapter of Revelation and also how God's warning, His Word, would be "Trumpeted" in the last days. Furthermore, as we alluded to earlier, the Apostle Peter would let us know with certitude that the Book of Joel was written concerning the events of "the last days" when he stood up on Pentecost Day in Acts chapter two, after witnessing those through whom the Holy Spirit spoke concerning the wonderful works of God, and said "But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel (Acts 2:16)". In other words, Peter said that what they were "seeing" was an example of what Joel described would happen in the last days, i.e. during the final generation.

Also, if you are fortunate enough to have a Companion Bible you should turn to page 1224 and familiarize yourself with the four part structure outlining the simple message of our Father through His servant Joel. That message can also be summarized in one sentence: "Listen closely My children, for though the following unpleasant events described herein must take place, if you will repent and turn to me you shall emerge unharmed and live with Me happily ever after."

Again, the subject of Joel is the "Day of the LORD" declaring that a destruction SHALL COME in the form of devastating and vicious spiritual destruction that will consume like a plague of locusts all those who do not have the "Seal of God" in their foreheads* (Rev. 9:4). Yes, it is coming soon, it is even nigh at hand, so you servants of the Most High need to sound the alarm in His Purple Mountains Majesty and Blow the Trumpet in Zion! These two verses sum up the knowledge and the duty of a servant of God in these last days:

Joel 1:15
Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.

Joel 2:1
Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;

* Note: If you have studied the Word of God through His prophets of old, i.e. in the OT, by the time you get to the Book of Revelation you will know all about locusts and who they actually represent. They are the spiritually deadly army of the false-christ, who is really Satan, Apollyon, the son of perdition, the king of the bottomless pit, their lowlife leader who's claiming to be Jesus. No further introduction is necessary so let's get started.

 Joel chapter 1
 

Joel 1:1
The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.
Our Father lets us know that these are His words, not man's, that He has given us through His servant Joel, the son of Pethuel, whose name means "vision man of God". That's cool, because it is written in this book that in the last days the young men, i.e. the sons and daughters of the prophets, will see (understand) visions, i.e. the visions God gave to their fathers, like the one we are studying now!
[2] Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?

Editor's Note: When God says, "ye old men", He is not necessarily referring to your flesh age, but rather your amount of Biblical knowledge! 
Listen closely and take heed ye elders, all you who are in charge of your families (vs. 3). Ask yourselves if you have ever seen anything like this before in your life that is even anywhere close to what I'm about to tell you? So pay attention, listen and learn, and then pass it on!
[3] Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.
Tell your generations and their generations until the last generation (of sons and daughters) is here, which is the generation when all these things He has foretold us shall be fulfilled (Mat. 24:34). And He has foretold us all things, the details of which He told us through His prophets: Mark 13:23 "But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things."
Editors Note: (If you have studied the Parable of the Fig Tree which Christ commanded us to do in Mat. 24 and Mark 13, then you are one of those who know that "final generation", the one which would not pass away before Christ returns, began on May 15, 1948, when the fig tree was planted in the land of Judea when the UN gave sanction to the State of Israel! Yes, there will be Baby Boomers who shall see all these things fulfilled!) Live Link to- Fig Tree

By the way, if your father or one of your forefathers has broken this commandment of God in Joel 1:3 to tell your children His words contained herein, then YOU get busy studying His Word and learn the truth and restart the process with your children. John 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

Joel 1:4
That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten.
When our Father uses an analogy of a person, or an animal, or a place, or a thing, we are supposed to understand the characteristics of that person, place, or thing in order to gain a more in-depth understanding of that which He would have us know. Therefore we need to know at least the basics of what locusts are and how they behave and especially how they eat since that is what verse four describes them doing in Four Different Stages. You can learn about locusts from an encyclopedia or by going to credible websites such as: http://daff.gov.au/animal-plant-health/locust/about/australia/biology

Below are some excerpts from the websites listed above:

"What are locusts?

Locusts are insects belonging to the order Orthoptera. They are identical in appearance to grasshoppers with which they share the family Acrididae. The only difference between the two types of insects is that locusts can exist in two different behavioural states (solitary and gregarious) whereas grasshoppers do not. When the population density is low locusts behave as individuals, much like grasshoppers. However, when the population density is high locusts form highly mobile gregariously behaving bands of nymphs or swarms of adults. It is this change from one behavioural state to another, known as phase change, that makes locusts such devastating pests. Phase change may be accompanied by changes in body shape and colour, and in fertility, survival and migratory behaviour. These changes are so dramatic in many species that the swarming and non-swarming forms were once considered to be different species."

Those of you with eyes to see and ears to hear, who understand about the latter day rain, might find the following information of great interest:
"What causes a locust plague? In general, locust plagues occur when widespread areas of inland Australia receive good rainfall in successive seasons. High rainfall stimulates good growth of grass rendering the habitat ideal for locust breeding."
It is the gentle rain that falls from heaven, from God's Word, that gives "life" and makes things "green" as was declared long ago in that great "Song of Moses" which the overcomers of Satan and his locust army will be singing at the victory celebration in Rev. 15:3.
Deut. 32:2
My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass.
Yes, our Father pours out the rain to make the earth bring forth abundantly, but the locusts swarm to consume everything that is "green" before them, leaving nothing but desolation and waste behind them.

Also, you will find the four stages of the locust noted in your Companion Bible which are as follows:

The Gnawer
The Swarmer
The Devourer
The Consumer

These four stages describe the complete and total destruction by Satan's locust army. "4" is also the number which denotes "earth" (see appendix 10 in your Companion Bible) for the whole earth is consumed in the wake of the locusts. They also describe their MO, their method of operation as to how they enter in and the stages by which the locusts, through the Four Hidden Dynasties, devour the earth. You might also find it interesting to trace recent locust plagues from a website courtesy of the UN at http://www.fao.org/NEWS/GLOBAL/locusts/Plagues.htm. Just remember that the locusts spoken of here in Joel and in Revelation are symbolic of MEN, not insects, for they make up the "nation" we shall read of in verse 6!

But first, lets pause with another warning and wake up call to those Christians who are spiritually drunk from sipping the wine from the cup held to their lips by the religious harlot of Rev. 17, which is churchianity following after the traditions of men.

Joel 1:5
Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.
The new wine is the truth of God's Word which never reaches their lips because these "drinkers of wine" who think they obey God's commands (though they have never studied His Word enough to know what they are and therefore do not do them, i.e. are not doers of the Word) drink from the golden cup of idolatry held in the hand of the great religious whore described in Rev. 17!
Rev. 17:4
And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Purple and scarlet are the colors of royalty and the priesthood. Those who have studied the Book of Hosea know that adultery and fornication are symbolic terms for religious idolatry, which is a form of worship made to appear to the spiritually "drunk" as Christianity, when in fact it is only churchianity where "the new wine" is not found. It is even written that if you try to put new wine (truth) into those old brittle "wine skins" they will burst asunder from the fermentation, which is the purification process of His Word (Mark 2:22).

There are many, many different analogies used throughout the scriptures to describe the deception of these last days. The one we are learning here in the Book of Joel is that the truth has already been cut off from the mouths of the spiritually drunk for it has been consumed away by the unholy nation of locusts! Yes, a nation!

Joel 1:6
For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion.
Again, by the time you read about the locust army in Rev. 9 you will already know that the harmless looking little locusts, which by themselves seem like such nice people, do rip and tear like the great cheek teeth of a lion when they "swarm" upon the land.
Rev. 9:7
And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.
Horses are symbolic of power and these locusts (men) are like the horses prepared for the great endtime battle when the trumpets blow! In this prophetic sense it refers to the Four Horses of Rev. 6, those first Four Seals which are the Four Hidden Dynasties of Religion/doctrine of many of our Christian churches, (The Man on a White Horse), Politics/political direction of our country, (The Man on a Red Horse), Economics/economic direction our country has taken, (The Man on a Black Horse) and Education/teachings of our schools and media. (The Man on a Pale Horse), i.e. "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" 

You see, "on their heads were as it were crowns like gold", which means they control the kings (crowns) of the earth, behind the scene so to speak, and "their faces were as the faces of men" because although you do not see many of those who actually wear the crowns, i.e. are in charge, they are MEN, not insects!


Note: There is a time coming soon when the leader of the locusts, Apollyon, who is Satan himself, is cast out of heaven (Rev. 12:7-9) along with his angels, and the final stage of the locust army swarms the earth. We shall cover more of that later, but if a person isn't familiar with ground troops who have been marching and chomping away, he or she will not recognize the air support when it arrives as belonging to the enemy. (If you do not understand that at this point, just chill out and we'll explain it in detail at a later time.)

[8] And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.
They appear to be gentle as a woman, which is what the figure of speech "had hair as the hair of a women" means. In other words, their "covering" of hair is just a disguise, a cover-up, because when they open their mouths, they rip and shred and tear like the "biters" of a lion. This is no different than the analogy used of false preachers described as "wolves in sheep clothing"!

Let's identify what "nation" Joel is speaking of in verse 6 who will be so strong and burdensome to our people. We will find the answer in the Book of Amos, whose name means "burden"! This is the same book that details what the great famine of the end time is that Christ told us in Mat. 24 and Mark 13 would be a SIGN of the times before He returns. The famine is not for bread but for the "hearing of the Word of God" (Amos 8:11-13). Neither are the locusts insects, but men of great deception!

Amos 6:14
But, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, saith the LORD the God of hosts; and they shall afflict you from the entering in of Hemath unto the river of the wilderness.
First, "unto the river of the wilderness" is also a figure of speech which simply means "to the end of the river" or in other words, "until the end of time", meaning the end of this earth age. So from the time Hemath enters into the true House of Israel, even into this great nation of America, our people would be afflicted until Jesus Christ returns.

The only thing left to know is "Who is Hemath?" That's a no-brainer if you seek the answer in God's Word. You will find in the Book of Chronicles that Hemath is the father of the Kenites of the house of Rechab who were not of Israel but had affixed themselves to the tribes of Israel and became their scribes.

1 Chron. 2:55
And the families of the scribes which dwelt at Jabez; the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and Suchathites. These are the Kenites that came of Hemath, the father of the house of Rechab.
The next question is: "Do you know who the Kenites are?" The word "kenite" is a "transliteration", which is simply when you convert the letters of one language into the letters of another. That differs from a "translation" where you convert a word to its meaning. The meaning of "kenite" comes from the Hebrew word "Qayin" or "Kayin" who is known to us English speaking peoples as "Cain". You see, the letter "Koph", ÷, in Hebrew, the first letter in the name Kayin, Qayin, Cain, has the sound of a "K" or a "Q" or a hard "C", just like the names Kathy and Cathy are pronounced exactly the same way in English. A Cainite, or Kenite, is therefore a son of, or descendent of Cain (not to be confused with a Canaanite).

Here is Strong's definition:

ïP÷­ qayin kah'-yin #7014
The same as H7013 (with a play upon the affinity to H7069); Kajin, the name of the first child, also of a place in Palestine, and of an Oriental tribe:—Cain, Kenite (-s).
We will discuss more of these locusts and even give the date when they entered into the "storehouse" of United States of America and began gnawing away! Hint: It was about the same time as the 1st of the Four Stages of Zionism. Oh, here is the Hebrew definition of "storehouse".
øöÈBà �oòtsaòro-tsaw' #214
From H686; a depository:—armory, cellar, garner, store(-house), treasure (-house) (-y).
OK, I too hate it when someone keeps me in suspense. It was 1913! More on this latter.

Lessons # [1]   [2]   [3]   [4]   [5]   [6]   [7]   [8]   [9]

To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.
We pray that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you accomplish both.



The "American Wisdom Series"

is

Published by:

Rhine Publishing Co.
E-mail - americanwisdomseries@verizon.net