a close by His return. Thus Joel 2: 30-32 takes us back in time to before Joel 2: 28, 29;

to before the events described in Joel 2: 21-27. It takes us back to those days described

in Joel 2: 2-11 and possibly 2: 20.

Reading again Joel 2: 30, 31, and other passages like Matt. 24: 29, one wonders

how can these things be? How is it possible? How will it happen? What will be the

mechanics? We don't know! We are not told! Even if we were told we probably

wouldn't (couldn't) understand! Also, as we read such passages again, we may well ask

"what exactly is described in Joel 2: 30, 31?". Again we cannot be definite but those

people who will be alive at this future time will have no trouble at all in seeing exactly

what these words depict. Matt. 24: 21 describes those days as a "great tribulation such

as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be". Joel's

prophecy, to such as know it, will be a great comfort to those who are alive during that

Remembering that we are now back into "the great and terrible Day of the Lord" we

ask what is this deliverance which will be provided in Jerusalem and the surrounding

country? Deliverance is peletah which is translate elsewhere "escape". Remnant is not

the usual word (sheeriyth) but is sariyd, a derivative of sarad which means a "survivor".

Thus sariyd means "those left" or "that which remains".  Matt. 24: 15-21 exhorts

those who are alive in Judea to flee into the mountains and Rev. 12: states that there

they shall be fed (verses 6 and 14) and protected (verse 16) by God. This is the

deliverance of Joel 2: 32.

In Joel 2: 15-17 there is recorded the call to blow the trumpet and there is the

exhortation for the priests to pray to the Lord so that the heathen would not rule over

Israel and the nations would not sneer "where is their God?". The rest, Joel 2: 18-3: 21,

deals with the consequences of this action and its structure is: