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John the Baptist came in the spirit and power of Elijah, and whose ministry overlapped
the advent of the King the first time, so Mal. 3: and 4: show a similar ministry at the
time of the Lord's Second Coming. When the Redeemer shall come to Zion, when He
establishes with them His covenant, then and then only will it be possible to say:
"Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee"
(Isa. 59: 20, 21; 60: 1).
Any attempt to isolate Isa. 60: 1 from its context must be resisted, the glory of the
Lord will not rise upon Israel until the Lord of glory returns (see Isa. 59: 20, 21). Only
when the Lord's way has been prepared, shall "the glory of the Lord be revealed, and all
flesh shall see it together" (Isa. 40: 3-5).
When the Lord brings again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, Joel declares that
the Lord will also gather all nations, and bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat,
and will plead with them there for "My people and for My heritage Israel, whom they
have scattered among the nations and parted My land" (Joel 3: 2). It should be noted
how explicit the time note is of this prophecy, "For behold in those days and in that time"
refer back to chapter 2: where the words quoted by Peter on the day of Pentecost are
found. In response to the words "I will also gather all nations" we read in verse 11:
"Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen (nations), and gather yourselves
together round about" (Joel 3: 11).
The harvest is come (verse 13), and the same phenomena that is associated with the
coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord, is repeated here.
"The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood" (Joel 2: 31).
"For in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance" (Joel 2: 32).
"The sun and the moon shall be darkened . . . . . the Lord also shall roar out of Zion
. . . . . the Lord your God dwelling in Zion" (Joel 3: 15-17).
This gathering of the nations is comparable with the revelation of Matt. 25: 32 and
this takes place:
"When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then
shall He sit upon the throne of His glory: and before Him shall be gathered all nations"
(Matt. 25: 31, 32),
and just as that is an inquisition into the way in which the nations have treated Israel
(Joel 3: 2-8), so there will be an inquisition as to the way the nations have treated the
Lord's brethren (Matt. 25: 35-44). For as Joel 3: 12 declares "there will I sit to judge
all the heathen round about". The "mighty ones" of Joel 3: 11 referring to the "holy
angels" who come with Him (Matt. 25: 31 and II Thess. 1: 7).
So far we have limited our investigation to those passages which employ either the
word "scatter" or "gather". We must, however take the subject a stage further and
consider the bearing that certain other features have on this great issue. We commence
this second aspect of our study with Isa. 27: 12: