JOEL'S ARMY - "Spare Your People O' LORD"
JOEL’S ARMY – “Spare Your People O’ Lord"
Sunday, November 6, 2016, the Year of our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Joel 2:11: “The Lord shall utter His voice before His army; for His camp is very great…” N.I.V. says, “The Lord thunders at the head of his army.”
We are “His” army, “His” camp. We have ears for “His” voice. The word for “army” in Joel 2:11 is cheyl (Strong’s #2426): “man of valor, host, forces, valiant, strength, riches, wealth, power, substance, might, strong.”
Jehovah’s “camp” (of an armed host) is very great. Joel’s army is the “camp of the saints.”
Last week our exhortation of Joel vividly described Joel’s army, the corporate Overcomer destined for Zion. This new creation Man totally devoted to the Lord.
Joel 2:11: “…for He is strong who executes his word; for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it.”
Dan. 11:32: “But the people who know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.”
He is “strong” that “executes” His Word. The Kingdom of God is a kingdom of His words. Joel’s host is a prophetic army. The creative Word of the Lord is in our hearts and mouths to adjudicate the purposes of God. We declare and decree the Word of the Lord.
We must decree and declare that the United States of America come together and make Donald J. Trump president. We are an army. We are a valiant force of strength, might and authority. Let us step up, join with Michael and the army of Heaven; and win our nation back for the Lord. It is called a battle because we are in a war.
The “Day of the Lord” (Joel 1:15) is “great” and very “terrible. This Day is “great” for the righteous, but “terrible” for the wicked.
This past week after James Comey’s letter to the F.B.I., it has been darkness for the old order. Joel 2:10: “The sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.” This is prophetic imagery that declares “lights out” for the old order.
“But unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings…” (Mal. 4:2)
Dan. 12:3: “They who are wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”
Who can “abide” the Day of the Lord? Only He can! As we allow Jesus Christ to be big in us, as His anointing is “without measure” (Jn. 3:34), we will not only abide, we will be triumphant as His armed host.
Who will stand when He appears? He will! The only reason we are still standing is that He is standing in us.
“If the Lord had not been on my side…”
Zion the high calling is above and beyond the grasp and comprehension of mere men. Those who make up Joel’s great army will do so by His inward empowerment and His anointing (Zech. 4:6). God is bigger than anything that man can image. He has broken out of every man-made theological box. Again, who will abide the Day of the Lord? He will---in His people!
At the time of the prophet Joel, the only answer to the national chaos and desolation of Judah is for the people to make a fresh consecration to the Lord. The only hope for creation is the Lord through His glorious Church, and the only cure for the sins of the Church and our nation is for all of us to fall at His feet.
On Tuesday morning we are teaching on The Priesthood. I spoke two Words of Wisdom concerning our lives and times:
“The royal priesthood is a people who are filled with yearnings to see the power of the life of Jesus Christ transform the creation. Everything that comes out of our mouth will be a cry and call for the revelation of Christ in His people.”
The second Word of wisdom had to do with the broken “system” under the corrupt priesthood of Eli. The Eli system gave support to ideals and goals that were opposite from those of the Lord. The Eli priesthood was a broken and corrupt system. However, under that system a Samuel was born and was pure before the Lord. We can be comforted that even though our government is perpetuating a broken system, the Lord can raise up a Samuel generation in our midst.
Here we have Joel’s army for a model and pattern of radical discipleship and complete surrender. The Lord’s voice is again sounding an alarm. We must call the people of Zion to return to the paths of the Lord.
Joel the courageous trumpeter now tearfully pleads for a fresh consecration before the Lord. He calls his people to a time of national mourning and repentance.
The devastating plague of locusts that ravaged Judah can be likened to the hellish plague of political correctness which has taken over our nation and churches. This submission to the “corrupt system” has caused America to bow their knee to the spirit of antichrist.
We have watched this year as the Lord has overturned and exposed wickedness in every branch of our government. The Day of the Lord has dawned and the Lord is revealing the hearts of men. The lid is coming off everything in the Day of the Lord.
Joel 2:12: “Now, says the Lord, turn to me with all your heart…”
Our church has been through a year of soul searching and soul cleansing. Those with a sin-conscious mindset can be overwhelmed since it is a continual and ongoing process.
1 Pet. 1:9: “Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.”
We can affirm that as a Church Body, we approached our Day of Atonement in 2016, with a year of overcoming stumbling blocks, issues and the renewing of our Mind.
Jesus Christ made a complete, once-for-all atonement, but we have yet to fully appropriate and receive all that His Atonement has provided.
Jesus cleansed the Temple not once, but twice at the beginning and at the end of His public ministry. In the scheme of the Feasts, there is a double cleansing. In the First Day, in Passover, there is an outward washing with blood and water; in the Third Day in Tabernacles, there is an inward purging with fire. God cleansed His Temple at the beginning of this age with the ministry of Jesus. He will again purify His people at the end of this age.
Then and now, God’s people are to turn to Him with “all” (whole, totally, everything) their heart (inner man).
A few weeks ago, the Lord again proved my heart in the area of finances. I can say Satan has not been able to intimidate me or put fear in my heart concerning finances for several decades. This faith has nothing to do with the balance in my bank account. It has everything to do with the faithfulness of the Lord’s provision.
During this year’s conference, I shared with you that I received a new sealing and I knew that the rest of my life and ministry had been sealed in heaven with provision, health and destiny.
The devil came to steal the promise. I caught him and kicked him to the street.
If you find yourself being proven in areas where you overcame years ago, count it all joy, you are coming into a marvelous break through.
Joel 2:13: “For the Lord, He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and He relents from doing harm.”
Return to the Lord with confidence. He will bend or stoop in kindness toward His children/sons. Make your petitions known unto Him. He is merciful and slow to anger.
Isa. 54:8: “In a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on you, says the Lord your Redeemer.”
Jer. 26:3: “If they will hearken and turn every man from his evil way, that I may repent of the evil which I purposed to do unto them because of the evil of their doings.”
Joel 2:15: “Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, and call a solemn assembly.”
The prophet repeats Joel 1:14 and 2:1, bringing a threefold witness of the solution to his nation’s desolation. God’s three greatest spokesmen---Moses, Paul and Jesus---all declared by the mouth of two or three witnesses would everything be established (Deut. 19:15, Matt. 18:16, 2 Cor. 13:1).
I have been decreeing and declaring on Facebook, calling in states for Donald J. Trump. I certainly have no delusion that Donald J. Trump is a saint. Quite to the contrary, he is going to require ongoing prayer just to keep him on the path of God if he is elected President. However, only God’s hand could be using this man to overturn everything in his path.
He and his sons as well as his team have run like mighty men. They have marched across this land like men of war, and have not broken ranks.
Joel 2:16: “Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts; let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.”
Joel begins his peal. He is anointed to “gather” the “people.” “Assemble the elders. Once the leaders are in place, the Lord calls for the sons, the young children. Those who suck the breasts (nurse) have undeveloped faith and love, immature righteousness and judgment. Even the babies are called.
Joel then calls for the “bridegroom” to come out of his “chamber”. Likewise, the “bride” is to come forth from her “closet.”
Joel 2:17: “Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare your people, O Lord, and give not your heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them; wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?”
Christians will again stand before the Lord and be asked, why did you give your Christian heritage over to the Heathen? Why did you allow Christianity to become a reproach?
Tonight at my home, we will have fasting and prayer for the election and our nation.
The prayer is a simple one: “Spare” us, O God! God’s heritage is His people, His possession.
Judah had known nothing but desolation and “reproach.” Because of this pitiful condition, then and now, the “heathen” are mocking the people of God. But they are not to “rule” over us, or be able to taunt us with their words, “Where is your God?”
“If My people, who belong to Me, humble themselves and pray and seek My presence, turning from their evil ways, I will listen up in heaven and forgive their sins and heal My land.” (2 Chron. 7:14).
After the real prayer of Joel 2: 12-17, everything now turns. There is a deliverance and blessing for the land, for the beasts, for the children of Zion, for the harvest and most importantly for worship.
Joel 2:18: “Then will the Lord be jealous for His land, and pity His people.”
What a huge word---“then”.
“Then” When? After the repentance and cleansing, after the time of fasting and prayer, we receive the unlimited blessings of the Feast of Tabernacles. God spares His sons, His “jewels.”
When we call upon the Lord, He will “answer” us. Indeed His eye is on the “sparrows”, how much more His chosen. Whenever His people repent and commit themselves afresh to His service, God sends plenty of the “corn” of His Word, the “wine” of His joy, and the “oil” of His Spirit.” We are “satisfied” with His goodness. Nothing in this world can compare with the things of God. Natural blessings will never slake our thirst or fulfill the cry of our hungry hearts.
Once we have received these blessings of His Word and Spirit, the “reproach” (Joel 2:17) of the “heathen” (Joel 1:6) is removed. The world will no longer mock the children of God.
Joel 2:20: “But I will remove far off from you the northern army…”
“As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”(Ps. 103:12).
This “northern army” of locusts had been brought in on the wings of the north wind which was cold, barren and biting (Job. 37:9). On a positive note, the north wind reveals the operation of the Holy Spirit in the conviction of sin. The north wind kills everything except the evergreens, everything except Christ, who is our life.
Joel 2:20: “…and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea and his stink shall come up, and his ill savor shall come up, because he has done great things.”
I will close today declaring the Lord God is about to “drive” these locusts of corruption, political correctness, and spirit of antichrist from our government and churches.
Next Sunday we will know which political platform will guide the government of the United States of America. It is possible it may be a contested election. If Hillary is elected, Obama will dismiss all of the investigations, fire the head of the F.B.I.; and our nation will be in crisis for the next four years.
If Donald J. Trump is elected, the attack on him by the liberal media will be more brutal than anything we have seen to date.
BUT GOD, Joel 2:22: “Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field; for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree bears her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength.”
Even in the corruption of the Eli priesthood system, the Lord raise up a Samuel.
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries Church
Scripture from K.J.V. – I entered into the labors of Sound the Alarm by Kelly Varner (1949-2009). Comments and conclusions are my own and do not reflect the views of Rev. Varner.