Well, thank you for coming this morning. We have been going through the second chapter of this prophecy of Joel, and we've had some genuine blessing, and our lesson study will be on page four of your lesson book, if you're following that. But I would like particularly, if I may, to begin reading, I'd like to begin reading at verse eighteen, and go down, if I may, through verse twenty-seven, and consider this more in detail. as we continue our study. The prophet writing and saying in verse eighteen, Then will the Lord be jealous for his land and pity his people? Yea, the Lord will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn and wine and oil. Ye shall be satisfied therewith. and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen. But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate with his face toward the sea, the east sea, and his hind apart toward the utmost sea. One would be the dead sea and the other the Mediterranean, and his stink shall come up, his ill savor shall come up, because he hath done great things. Fear not, O land, Be glad and rejoice, for the Lord will do great things. Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field. For the pastures of the wilderness do spring. For the tree beareth her fruit, the victory, and the vine do yield their strength. Be glad, then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God. For he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain and the latter rain in the first month. and the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fat shall overflow with wine and oil. And I will restore to you the years that the locusts have eaten, the canker worm and the caterpillar and the palmer worm, my great army which I send among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God that hath dealt wondrously with you. My people shall never be ashamed. Ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God and none else. My people shall never be ashamed. God bless the reading of this word. May the Holy Spirit propel our minds and hearts into the depths that are found within it as we follow the study. By way of recapitulation, as we have noted in the preceding section, beginning at verse fifteen and going down through verse seventeen, we found there is a day coming for the prophetess brothers, as we have noted, into the very last days of the tribulation period, the great and the terrible day of the Lord, when the judgments of God will be poured out, when Israel, and please, in the primary application, don't ever neglect Apply it to Israel. Not to the church. We're studying the prophecies of the Old Testament relating to Israel. And may I give you the distinguishing fact to remember. The Old Testament prophets, they dealt with the great subject of the kingdom. They looked for the kingdom. They prophesied for the kingdom. And for the kingdom of the Messiah. The glorious reign that had been promised by God through the Spirit and through the prophets to his earthly people. They look forward to it. You and I do not belong to that prophetic picture of the kingdom as much as we do. But may I state, the church, though not the direct prophetical application for the church in these prophecies, the church is in the kingdom though. We're in it. But the church is a distinct body. And may I state, listen, I don't know how heavenly you feel. I wish I felt more heavenly. But anyway, you and I who are believers in this day, we're heaven-born, we're heaven-fed, and we're heaven-bound. And heaven is the destination. And as far as the church in its eternal state, as well as in the millennial state, it will be in the heavens above. A heavenly character of people. The bride of the Lord Jesus Christ. Attached to him forever. The faithful bridegroom and the loving bridegroom. And the church. And please let me state this very emphatically. The church will be the dearest object of his affection. Christ loved the church. Gave himself for it. That he might sanctify and cleanse it. by the washing of water, by the word, that he might present it unto himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Please, may I state, it does not imply the lack of love for Israel or any other person upon the earth in any other age. But please, may I state, there is a relationship, and you well know it from Ephesians that God uses in relation to the husband and the wife the dearest relationship of life that can ever be enjoyed. And Christ is revealed in that portion as being the bridegroom and the church's bride. But nevertheless, God has his purposes for Israel. They are earthly and will see more of that as we proceed on. But the church, please remember, heavenly. And then we have noted in verses fifteen through seventeen, there's going to be a gathering together. Let me point out very quickly, note in verse sixteen, well there's a trumpet blown, there's a fast call, there's a solemn assembly, the gathering of the people, separating the congregation toward God, assembling the elders, the children and all, the bridegroom and the bride, the priest, the ministers of the Lord. What it is, and may I point out, please, may I state, it will take place as we shall see when the Lord reveals himself to the remnant of Israel. And we well know anyone that has studied the prophets, major or minor, particularly the minor prophets, there's always a call to Israel for repentance. God never... gives the truth regarding the coming events without calling its people to repentance. And that last call will come during and at the end of the Great Tribulation when God's earthly people will gather themselves together as one body, the godly remnant. Not all. Many of the people of Israel will be judged for their evil doings and punished and banished. But the godly remnant, the nucleus that remains, will be a nucleus that will be gathered together in a solemn assembly. Now what you have in those verses is the spiritual return of the heart of the nation to Jehovah. Would it God we could see it in the church? The calling together from the oldest to the youngest, from the leaders, even to the handmaids in the nation. They will be brought together with one confession and in one note of repentance. And then followed as we began reading, verse eighteen. Then, then, will the Lord be jealous for his land and pity his people. And then, as you follow, he says in verse nineteen, I will answer and say unto the people, Behold, I will send you corn, wine, oil, ye shall be satisfied therewith, and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations. Beloved, please let me say this. Enter into the solemn, but also the priceless privilege that is going to be the remnant of Israel. They have been a reproach amongst the nations for centuries. God says no more. The day's coming, no more. If you and I value what we have in Revelation twenty one, when we get into the new creation, the things that will be no more. Think of what Israel is a nation. The remnant will value when God says you'll never be a reproach amongst the nations anymore. What a day that will be. Not only a day of joy for the Lord, but a day of joy for the people of Israel. And the enemy in that last great day of the northern army that comes against them, the Lord will vanish away and give them the judgment they need. Now go to verse twenty-one, please. I want you to note, as we come to verse twenty-one, we have the Lord saying, Fear not, O land! Be glad and rejoice, for the Lord will do great things. What a promise. Fear not. And a promise. Be glad and rejoice, for the Lord will do great things. Now may I point out to you, God cannot do great things unless the people are in the right condition. And may I say frankly, amongst the people of God today, If we were in the right condition, he'd do a lot more great things for us. But when Israel is restored, the remnant confessing and restored to Jehovah and to his heart, there'll be the blessing upon the land, and the Lord will do great things. Now, please note, unusual when you look at verse twenty-two, you find the Lord saying, Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field. And there one can recognize, as you think of the prophecy of Isaiah. When Isaiah tells that the lamb or the lion will lie down with the lamb and the bear with the ox. And please remember, as you read Romans eight, you can find it in verse twenty one through verse nineteen rather going down. You will find in Romans eight, nineteen and on that God tells there through the Apostle Paul of the judgment that came upon nature. And the animal realm, the material realm, the vegetable realm, name it all, the judgment of God upon sin affected the whole natural creation, not only the human race. But when the Lord comes, that will be lifted. And what a difference it will be. And to realize that the little babe, as Isaiah prophesied, will be able to pick up the snake and it won't bite it. Well, don't try it today now. I know I've met one or two people who've tried it. I asked one brother in the Lord, I think he was, what he did when he got a snake bite. Whatever the Holy Spirit told me to do, he said. Well, he didn't tell me what that was. But I warned you, don't do it. Don't try to do it. Now shall not tempt the Lord thy God. But in that coming day, the whole forces of nature... that have been deteriorated by sin. And may I add, with all the rising ecological problems that we have in ecology today and the conditions of this, they'll never settle. All the disposal problems that they're wrestling with around Charlotte and in the whole country, they'll never settle until the Lord comes. Now I want to tell you when the Lord takes charge and the whole convulsion of nature is affected by his coming again. And then may I remind you, when you think of his judgments that are coming upon the whole scene, let me give you this thought. The city of Jerusalem, the old city is about seven layers of strata underneath the present city. It has been so often destroyed and covered up, rebuilt, destroyed, covered up again. And when you read the prophecy of Zechariah in chapter fifth, fourteen, the prophet there tells in that coming day when the Lord touches his feet on the mound of olives, there's going to be a great earthquake and a division. And even there's going to be the rising up and Mount Zion of the tell or the mound that will be even higher. The city of Jerusalem will be built on a higher plane than it is at the present time on a higher level. Now, some of those things are going to happen all over the earth. I didn't know I was downtown yesterday in our city after many months not being down there, and I thought, Lord, there's going to be an awful glass, an awful lot of glass and concrete is going to bust when you get this place. Frankly, frankly, if you read Revelation properly, And let me point out one expression you'll find, I think it's in chapter sixteen, the cities of the nation's cell. And you can recognize God will take care of all the problems, but it's going to be a drastic dealings. But even the beasts, they're going to be blessed to all of nature wills. and the pastures of the wilderness will spring. Tree-bearing fruit, fig-tree, vine-yielding their strength. Now note in verse twenty-three, here's a special portion we want to dwell on. Be glad then, ye children of Zion. Rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the former rain, moderately. He will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. If you have your Bible, I have some references on your lesson sheets. Leviticus chapter twenty-six and verse four. Let's look at some of those Old Testament references. Relative to the rain. Chapter twenty-six in Leviticus and the fourth verse. Might have to read the third verse, but anyway, let's look and see what even Moses, by the Spirit, longer ago said. May I read verse three and four together? Again, let me remind you, I can't do it too often, but I would like to remind you It concerns the earthly blessings for Israel. The earthly blessings for Israel. God, now I know there's spiritual blessings involved. We shall see that too. But note these words in verse three and four. If ye walk in my statutes, keep my commandments and do them, then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase And the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. Now I want you to note something. There's a definite promise, a declaration of God relative to the blessing of the land. But it was dependent upon their obedience to his word. I don't know how many of you acquainted with the fact. All through the centuries that Israel has been out of their land, especially since their... Expulsion by the Romans back in AD seven and all through the centuries. The rain in Israel has been minimum. It has caused it to be an arid, dry wasteland for centuries. And you know, it's only since they got back in the land that the rainfall has proportionately increased. My last recollection, it goes back a few years. Instead of only about an inch or two for the whole year, they were getting forty-two inches every year. And you've got to confess when you see the productiveness of the land in the present times, the rain is beginning to come. But it's not the final fulfillment. But please let me state, the blessing of the land was contingent upon their faithfulness. Now go to another scripture I'd like you to read. Deuteronomy chapter eleven. The next book, after numbers, then Deuteronomy. Chapter eleven. Let me read verse fourteen through seventeen there. I want you to note particularly, now this is literal, the dependence of the rainfall upon the land for their blessing. And chapter eleven and verse fourteen through seventeen. Moses writing. Let me group for thirteen again. You've got to get the condition in verse thirteen. It shall come to pass, if ye shall harken diligently unto my commandments, which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, that I will give you the reign of your land, in his due season, the first reign and the latter reign, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thy oil, and so on. Now there again you can recognize that. Please, there's a definite promise on the condition of obedience. He would give the early in the latter. And when you think of the early in the latter, the first early rain came in the very early spring of the year. And then the latter rain was needed after they planted their crops, cultivated their fields. Then they began to wait for the latter rain. And a latter rain must come before the crops would be fully ripe for harvest. And then they would gather the harvest. If you study the seven feasts of Jehovah, you've got it in that study, which we had many years ago. But that was the promise of God. Go with me if you will, please. Let me just read Jeremiah chapter three and verse three. In first case chapter eight, you've got Solomon declaring the same fact. But if I go to the prophecy of Jeremiah... And read, if I may, chapter three and verse three. And you have even the prophet Jeremiah making a little reference to the same fact too. Jeremiah three and verse three. Therefore the showers have been withholding. There hath been no Adorain. Thou hast a horse forehead. And you refuse to be ashamed. Now, you remember our study in Ozea. Did we not find Ozea coming? condemning the nation, the land of Israel, for being untrue to Jehovah, did not Hosea pass through a crucial testing, literally himself, to have an unfaithful wife. Why? To be the illustration, the living illustration, to the people of Israel as he spoke. They were unfaithful to Jehovah. And here you have Jeremiah saying, and God saying through him, That, the reason for their judgment of withholding the rain, their spiritual state. Please let me state it. Look, I want to say it again. Let's apply it to ourselves, not only collectively, but individually. For may I add, and you got it in the history of Israel, though we have noted that for the larger part, the nation, the people, were away from Jehovah. God always had a little remnant. Please remember that. Go down to the end of Malachi. And when you come to the last stage of the Old Testament history of Israel, as Malachi wrote it, in chapter three and verse sixteen, then they that feared the Lord, spake after one to another. And the Lord heard and hearkened. And a book of remembrance was written before him. And then the thought upon his name. There was a little remnant. And beloved, look. Collectively. Now please let me say this. Now look. Let me please state. You will never see a worldwide revival in the church. Don't expect it. The word of God doesn't teach it. It tells you the opposite. The church has failed. Israel failed in its larger testimony. But, though collectively there may be failure, individually, here's the responsibility for you and for me to thus realize I can walk with the Lord. Oh, beloved, please let me say this. I say it very honestly. I am finding it more difficult. to walk along with the Lord today in happy fellowship because of the outward conditions that prevail. But oh, how precious it is if we will do that. Because there's no question that there's the only blessing. They that feared the Lord spoke often one to another. And may I give you the thought and the encouragement how we need to encourage one another in these latter days that we may walk faithfully and individually with the Lord. Please may I stay. Let me repeat again. You may not agree with me. That doesn't matter. But may I repeat it? Look, your individual walk is more important today than your corporate walk. I think you have the old hymn stand up from Jesus. Remember one part of that verse was one of those hymns? Mighty men around are falling. And please let me say, don't you for one moment believe the church is getting better. The old Dr. Nihon many years ago when I met him, the old doctor, he looked at me and he said, Brother Paramount, he said, We have a preacher in this city, meaning Grand Rapids, that's saying there's going to be a wide church revival before Jesus comes. What's your opinion? I said, Brother Dehan? I said, I'm convinced that the words of the dear old servant of God are true, though he was despised because he said it. He said, the church, outwardly in its outward testimony, we go from ruins to glory. But then I said, Brother... In your teaching of Second Timothy, Second Peter, all the second epistles that refer to the closing days of the church age, you don't have one suggestion of revival. You've got only the opposite. And I know the old brother agreed with me. But individually, or may I say, individually, keep close to the Lord and walk with him. And thus we can recognize. When Israel's restored, then God says, I'm going to give you the ring. Note your lesson sheet, please. I want you to know something. Nowhere in the Bible is there any, and here's something I want to mention particularly, nowhere in the Bible is there any authority to believe that the early and the latter rain is spiritual. Some claim that it is spiritual in the following way from which we should say, I want you to know this. Oh, and you see, because you face it, your Pentecostal people believe that the early and the latter rain is for the church. Now read the paragraph. Some deluded Christians tell us that he means another Pentecost, and teach that a restoration of Pentecostal gifts is now given, especially evidenced by the speaking in tongues and making strange sounds. This unscriptural teaching has led to fanaticism and often worse things than that. Oh, beloved, may I just say that I do it in kindness, but I do it bluntly. The so-called unscriptural teaching of the baptism of the Holy Spirit as they teach it. These dear people need the baptism of common sense. The Word of God doesn't teach it. Let me read a paragraph that follows. It's just the substance of what I've already said. Let us remember that our New Testament teaches us That the present church age ends in apostasy. Not Pentecostal blessing repeated. Complete departure from God is taught in the Word. And you've got the scriptures you can study for yourself. Oh, beloved, please let me say. I don't know how you feel about it. I want to tell you. Every day I have a heavy heart over the general conditions. And I mean amongst the people of God. Let me challenge you. I don't know how old you are. But look, how far back can you go and remember the spiritual conditions were better? I'm sure partly every one of us in this audience can look back. My, when I think, fifty years ago and sixty years ago, I could put up a ten anywhere. and get a crowd of people to come and hear the gospel. If I put a tent up in the sea or Shalom, I don't know what would happen. And may I also state, I think of fifty years ago in the place where I live, I had as many as twenty Bible classes every week. People were hungry. I didn't represent a denomination either. I just went where the Lord opened doors. And I want to tell you I got more doors than I could get into. Today, there's not that hunger. There's not that hunger. And so we can recognize. Let me follow the thought through reading the last paragraph there. All the harm done by the enemies of Israel will be over as God judges his people and restores the land. But now I want you to note something in verse twenty-six and twenty-seven. As you read, you go on through verse twenty-four and twenty-five. God tells he's going to restore what the locust took away and so on. And you can see the beautiful picture. And in verse twenty-six and twenty-seven, note them together. And he shall eat in planting. and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that he has dealt wondrously with you. My, oh, what a breadbasket. You know, I don't know. Over there, as I mentioned before, once in Israel, overlooking over the valley of Jehoshaphat, that great valley of Jezreel, and see its productiveness. You know what they call it? They call it the breadbasket of Israel. And it is that today for that. But as we have noted in our study, The day is coming when the enemy is going to destroy it. But when they're restored, note the words, you'll eat in plenty. You'll be satisfied. You'll praise the name of the Lord your God. And may I point out to you, these are the temporal blessings they're going to enjoy, acknowledging that God has dealt wondrously with them. And may I say, well, I can give you the similar thought. You know the book of the Psalms. You know how it begins in chapter one, the blessed man, the ungodly man. And all through the whole book of Psalms, you trace the godly and the ungodly together through life. And when you come to the end of the book of the Psalms, the last five books in the last chapter particularly, you've got nothing but the praises of Jehovah. Closing with that last verse, As you had in the hundred and fifty a psalm, let everything in that breath, praise the Lord. For in that day of millennial blessings, the praying, I forget who it was. He would not let any of his subjects, those who were close to him in the authority of his kingdom, sit down at his table without, they gave thanks to God. Oh, beloved, we've come a long way when you realize the lack of thankfulness, even for temporal blessings, until you find here they'll eat plenty, they'll be satisfied, they'll be praising the name. And note the end of verse twenty-six, and my people shall never be ashamed. Oh, beloved, please let me say lovingly and sadly, How many of the dear people of Israel have been made ashamed? It's God's judgment upon them, we know. But outside, I think of a dear brother. In the day and the days of Hitler, just before Hitler came to power, and as he was coming to power before the war began, and persecution of the Jews had already begun, to some degree, And in every locality, every city, every village, every hamlet, the authorities were requested by the powers that be to watch the Jews and keep track of them. And he said, he told me, he said, I met him in New York. I knew my brother up in New York City where we lived. And he said, one day he said, I was sent for by the police to go to the station. And he said, The police was questioning me, but all the time he was asking me the questions. He had a paper on the desk that I could see and read, and the contents of the paper told me I'd better leave in a hurry. The policeman himself was kind enough not to tell him the gist of the words upon the paper of authorization once was going to be done. He said he was kind enough to do that. But he'd put it where I could read it. He said, I got out of the country. Or he said, I wouldn't be here. Never again. They will never be ashamed. But look at verse twenty-six, twenty-seven rather. There's not only temporal blessing, please, in verse twenty-six. There's spiritual benefits in verse twenty-seven. and ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and none else, and my people shall never be ashamed. Oh, no, what it is. I wonder if I am many of us as Christians. Please let me say it. Let me quote one verse. Matthew chapter, as I think of the word, Matthew, eighteen, twenty, when the Lord Jesus said, For where, two, or three, or gather together in my name, there am I in the midst? The Santa? When I think of him coming in the upper room, in chapter twenty of John's Gospel, as well as in Luke twenty-four, after his resurrection, Jesus himself stood in the midst, and the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Think of Revelation chapter five. that great scene in heaven when we shall be around the throne and there in the midst of the throne and in the midst of the living creatures and the midst of the elders there stood a lamb as it had been freshly slain the lamb of God in the midst of his redeemed people what a change is going to be for you and for me well we get where he is and he's the attraction the central attraction holding us together forever with Jesus in our midst. What will it be for Israel? The Lord their God in the midst of that. They know what the prophet writes. And ye shall know that I'm the Lord your God. And none of them. None of them in that day. Oh, beloved, what a revelation that's going to be. Well, may I put it bluntly, it's got to be the conversion of the nation. Converted, restored, and their Messiah, the Lord their God himself, standing in the midst. Oh, beloved Lord, let me tell you something. If the Lord's not in the midst, well, you're distracted some other way. But when you know he's the Santa figure, and I want to give you this thought, John chapter one, did you ever notice how many disciples the Lord had when he began? Just two. John the Baptist, looking at Jesus as he walked, said, behold the Lamb of God. Two disciples, Andrew and John, heard it, and they left John the Baptist to follow Jesus. And the Lord heard them. and turned around and said, Who seek ye? Master, Rabbi, where dwellers now? Come and see. And they went and came and stayed with him that day. Two disciples. The greatest preacher that ever lived on the earth started with two men. Not many preachers like to start with two. They'd like to start with two thousand. And even at the end of his life, what failed is those who followed him showed themselves to be. But as soon as he rose again from the dead, he went looking for those scattered sheep. He brought them back. How many more he had. He even found some in Shores, believe it or not. They belonged to him. And oh, that joy, he'll be in the midst of his people. And what a difference it will be in that day for them. Now shall we go to verse twenty-eight. Now we come through verse twenty-eight through thirty-one, as well as through the rest of the chapter. And here we have some, and this is something very precious to emphasize, and we must emphasize it. And it shall come to pass afterward. Now will you please note that word afterward? Underscore it in your Bible. It's the time in which this will happen. after the restoration, after the Lord is in their midst, afterward it shall come to pass. I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh. Now may I point out something? Yeah, let me look at your lesson sheet just for a brief moment. And I want to follow that lesson sheet, please, on number six on page four. The outpouring of the Spirit on all flesh. This prophetic portion has generally been interpreted as the day of Pentecost in Acts two. Here it is declared in verse twenty-eight and twenty-nine, but the difficulty of assigning it to the day of Pentecost is that which follows in verses thirty and thirty-one. And these words were not fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. May I point out again, please let me say, one of the great errors, and I've already mentioned it in the preceding paragraph on your lesson sheet, One of the great errors has been the Pentecostal theory of another Pentecost, or even the baptism of the Spirit so-called, and that it was the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy. Listen, from what we have studied, the afterward isn't here yet. Chronologically, after the restoration, and at the day of Pentecost, Israel was not restored. Thank God, three thousand were saved on that one day of Pentecost. And their offer to the nation was given again to come back to their Messiah, whom they had crucified, and they rejected the invitation by the Spirit. And when Pentecost took place, and the Spirit was poured out upon not all flesh, I beg your pardon, not all flesh. just on the specific disciples in baptizing them into the one body and energizing them with power to be his witnesses. So Pentecost, so-called, you could call it, if you want to use the language, the expression, a pre-fulfillment. Well, we'll see. Let me read on, please. Learn the letter B. It must be noted that Peter in Acts two did not refer to Joel's prophecy being fulfilled. but this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel." As you quotation, Acts two sixteen. And Peter calls attention to the fact something like that which took place on the day of Pentecost had been predicted by Joel, but he does not claim that Joel's prophecy has been fulfilled. Now read number C on your lesson sheet. The word afterward In verse twenty eight, which introduces this section of prophecy, refers to the same period of time as the phrase, in the latter days, the days when the Lord will redeem his earthly people and be merciful to their land. Oh, what a day it will be. Let me read that twenty eight verse through. And two verse twenty nine. It shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh. Your son, your daughter, shall prophesy. Your old men shall dream dreams. Your young men shall see visions. Now let me pause for just a moment. Don't apply that today. You're making nightmares instead of visions. This is not, look, this is not the time for visions, for dreams in the work of the Lord. I know some Pentecostal brethren claim the Lord gave him a dream. I hope it's not a tight dream. But may I say frankly, you and I, look, you and I have what Israel never had, the complete revelation of God's truth all the way from one end of the Bible to the other. When, many years ago I recall, maybe sixty years ago or more up north, Some dear sister was saying that what she had a dream and what she saw. I looked at it as a sister. When I fully understood everything in my Bible, I'll ask the Lord to give me some dreams. Not before. It doesn't belong to this age. But no. And he goes to verse twenty. Also on my servants upon the handmaids in those days will I pour my spirit. Now I want you to go back with me to the book of Numbers, please. Numbers chapter eleven and verse twenty-nine. Numbers chapter eleven and verse twenty-nine. Here's Moses long ago. Now you can find a lot in the writings of Moses relative to the last day. But chapter eleven and numbers and verse twenty-nine. There's an incident. Let me read in verse twenty-seven. A young man... ran to Moses and said, Oh, Dad, and me, Dad, do prophesy in the camp. Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men answered and said, My Lord Moses, forbid them. Moses said unto them, Enviest thou, for my sake, would God, that all the Lord's people would profit, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them. Now here was an exceptional thing. You may have known it in your reading of the past in this scripture. Moses put the tabernacle outside the camp because of the sin of the people. And those that sought the Lord, they had to go outside the camp, where Moses had picked the tent. And Joshua went with them, with him, and so on. And then a young man comes and says, Well, there's two men that are prophesying in the midst of the camp. Why don't you forbid them, Joshua? No, Moses. I wish all the people who have gone with prophets. Now go to chapter fifteen, please. of numbers. Chapter twelve, please. Chapter twelve. Please note. Let me note these words in verse five. When Moses, when the sister of Moses and a brother, Miriam and Aaron rather, when they insulted Moses and deported him, he answered not because he was living it with the Lord. In verse five and six, The Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, stood in the door of the tabernacle, called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forth. He said, Here now my words. If there be a prophet among you, I, the Lord, will make myself known unto him in the vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. Now, I want you to know some. Here's a principle. I read it because it's going to be linked. to that prophetic day when Israel will be restored. Note in verse six here. Here's a prophet speaking. Here's a vision given to him. Here's a dream given unto him. Now go back to Joel where we were, please. And note in Joel in reverse. And you have it here. You have it here in verse twenty-eight. You have the fact. When he pours out his spirit upon all flesh, Your sons and your daughters prophesy, meaning they'll tell forth the word and the word of God. Your old men shall dream dreams. Your young men shall see vision. And there you have the blessed fact that upon the people. Now, let me give a little qualification perhaps will be necessary. The spirit is going to be poured out upon all flesh. Let's remember, I think, perhaps it would be better to say, not every individual person, but let me point out, all the nations are going to come under the blessing of it. All the races of people, whether old, whether young, whether male, whether female, whether they're servants or whatever they are, in that millennial day, the Spirit is going to be poured out upon all people. place please let me say when it comes to worldwide conversion this is how it's going to happen Israel the restored nation is going to be the channel by the pouring out of the spirit of God upon not just the nation of Israel but upon all flesh doesn't mean that all will be saved Now we'll see as we go down the chapter, we'll see something about that. But one can... Can I say something that I wish I could enter into? Pentecost didn't last very long in Acts chapter two with all of its blessed results. Did it. And you and I are living at the end of the age of the church's history in declension and decline. And may I say, the world has never yet seen a worldwide revival. I said worldwide revival. Please let me say lovingly, I know some good men in the work of the Lord. They're trying to bring about a worldwide revival. They're just a little too early. God said, I'm going to do it when my earthly people are right with me. and I'll pull out my spirit. Now, Jerusalem. Now, just a few. All over the world. Sometimes I wish I could be a preacher in that time. Well, I think I'll have something better to do, so I'm not going to worry. But the joy of realizing the result, what it will be. Observe it, Lord Paul, please note. Before it takes place, and this is what you should note in verse twenty-nine, verse thirty rather, and thirty-one, And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood and fire and pillars and smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, the moon into blood, before that great and terrible day of the Lord come. And I want you to note this principle. Look, God never can and will pour out his spirit until the time is right. And before he will be right, the world's got to be cleaned up. Judgment. judgment. And the verses imply that even before that outpouring of the Spirit, the days of the Great Tribulation will be poured out in judgment upon this world. The context of all prophetic scripture assures that fact. And then, if you please, in verse thirty-two, during that awful period, Then it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered. You find it quoted in Romans ten and verse thirteen. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Beloved, let me say something. Let me say something. If you read Revelation, we haven't time to turn to it. Revelation chapter seven. Read the end of Matthew twenty five, thirty one through forty six. the judgment of the nation, a living nation. Revelation chapter seven. And when you come, let me just explain particularly, Revelation chapter seven. And God shows that in that awful time when the moon will be turned into blood and darkness will rain and blood and smoke and fire. Please let me say, these words are literally to be fulfilled. Blood, fire, smoke. Let me say it lovingly. I say it frankly. This world is facing blood, fire, smoke. Great destruction. Great destruction. There is never, did not the Lord Jesus say, such as shall not be on the earth that no nor ever shall be. Let me say lovingly, earnestly, this dear world is facing a terrible judgment. And blood and fire. When you read the book of Revelation, when you get to chapter six and on through chapter nine, you see, blood, blood, blood, blood, destruction. In other words, look, God never does a work until he's prepared the condition for it. Until he's prepared the condition for it. And he will not pour out his spirit over the world until the condition comes. that has been done according to his word in judgment. And during that time even, you read of the witnesses, Jehovah's Witnesses in chapter seven of Revelation, and you come to the end of the chapter, John says, I saw a multitude. And John is asked, Where did they come from, John? And he says to the elder thou knowest. These are day which came out of the great, and literally, it's the great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. There are many people that have never yet heard the gospel. May I go even further to say there'll be many people living there never will hear the gospel until someone may hear it from the Jews. The witnesses of Jehovah in that coming day. So there'll be a multitude brought out. The judgment of the living nation, he separates them from the sheep and the goats. They enter into the kingdom. Why? Whosoever believeth on him, whosoever shall call on the name of Jehovah shall be delivered. And may I tell you, very frankly, there's going to be an awful lot of scared people in that day. And praise God some of them. And I cannot promise that any person today who has heard the gospel and refused it may have the opportunity. Second Thessalonians two, you've got to be careful. If they have denied the Lord, if they have refused the Lord, and they would not obey the gospel, God shall send them strong delusion because they believe not the truth. And they'll listen to the lie of the Antichrist. But there'll be many others that God's going to save in that day. Oh, what a great day it will be. But right now I wish he'd come for you and me. meeting in the air, shall we pray. Blessed Father, in the precious name of the Lord Jesus, so much is in this wonderful word. But oh, help us to see clearly the day is coming when the whole world will be visited by thy judgment, cleansed from all its iniquity, thy dear people restored, the saved amongst the nations brought to enter the kingdom. But oh, how we bless thee today. We thy people, we're waiting for thee to come. We say, Even so come, Lord Jesus, even so come today. Even so come, Lord Jesus, taking thy bride away. Oh, how my heart is yearning, longing for thy returning. Even so come, Lord Jesus, even so come today. Amen. Praise the Lord. I'm now going through the great tribulations. I let my dear brethren who say we are. I hope they enjoy it.