“What was left by the caterpillar, the locust has eaten; and what was left by the locust, the creeping, unwinged locust has eaten; and what the creeping, unwinged locust has left, the cockroach has eaten.”
Joel 1:4
Swarming insects can be one of the most devastating natural forces on earth. A flying army of locusts as thick as a thundercloud can darken the sky and descend upon a ripened field, reducing it to mere stubble in a matter of minutes. In ancient times, and even today, the locust plague is one of the farmer's most dreaded natural phenomenon.
The Bible book of Joel presages not only a locust plague, but also an onslaught by an array of bothersome pests; including the voracious creeping caterpillar, the unwinged locust, and the loathsome cockroach. However, even more disconcerting is that these are not ordinary swarming insects but are a mere representation of a mighty contingent of warriors, resembling lions in their ferocity. The prophecy of Joel foretells that this irresistible military force will sweep the globe, bringing devastation to the entire earth! That is no ordinary insect infestation!
The horrific, unstoppable, insect-like assault is a precursor to the great and fear-inspiring day of Jehovah and initiates the beginning of Judgment Day for the house of God. What, then, does this peculiar insect plague signify?
But first, what do Jehovah’s Witnesses believe the locusts and other creeping creatures of Joel represent?
As far back as the 1930’s, the Watchtower has taught that the pestiferous invaders of Joel represent Jehovah's Witnesses. Even as recently as 1998, the May 1st, Watchtower stated:
“The modern-day locust army is none other than the military force of Jehovah’s anointed locusts, now joined by some 5,600,000 of Jesus’ “other sheep.” Are you not glad to be part of this great throng of Jehovah’s worshipers?”
How does the Watchtower arrive at that conclusion? Professedly, Jehovah’s Witnesses are depicted in the prophecy as an advancing army of locusts because Jehovah’s Witnesses have been unstoppable as they go about bringing devastation upon Christendom's fertile "fields" of operation. True, many of the people Jehovah’s Witnesses meet in the "field ministry” consider us to be little more than irritating pests; but realistically, how can it be said that Christendom has been devastated as a result of the preaching work of Jehovah’s Witnesses?
After all, here is the way Joel describes the work of Jehovah’s “military force”: “There is a people numerous and mighty; one like it has not been made to exist from the indefinite past, and after it there will be none again to the years of generation after generation. Ahead of it a fire has devoured, and behind it a flame consumes. Like the garden of Eden the land is ahead of it; but behind it is a desolate wilderness, and there has also proved to be nothing thereof escaping.”
First, even if the insect army was intended to actually symbolize the ministry of Jehovah’s Witnesses, why would God describe them as being a mighty group “without number”? Quite to the contrary, the Watchtower takes great pride in publishing the exact figures of active Jehovah’s Witnesses. For instance, their media website reports that there were 6,613,829 active Jehovah’s Witnesses in 2005. The spiritual nation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, while relatively large, could hardly be described as being “without number.”
But have Jehovah’s Witnesses really set fire to Christendom’s supposed Eden-like, prosperous condition – turning it into a desolate waste? No, not really. Christendom is just as viable today (if not more so) as when Judge Rutherford so taunted and infuriated the clergy by his vitriolic denunciations many decades ago. It is simply not in the realm of reality that the preaching of Jehovah’s Witnesses has somehow reduced the spiritual realm of Christendom to a “desolate wilderness” with “nothing thereof escaping.”
Even a casual reading of Joel should impress upon the reader that the prophecy presages a visitation of a unique and horrific catastrophe upon the world; and in particular, how that calamity will impact those who are recognized by Jehovah as his people. Couched in oracular vernacular, the book of Joel plainly sets forth that the symbolic insect invasion is a disaster for mankind and especially for Jehovah’s people. That is why Jehovah calls it “my land…my vine…my fig tree”— stating at Joel 1:6-7: "For there is a nation that has come up into my land, mighty and without number. Its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and it has the jawbones of a lion. It has set my vine as an object of astonishment, and my fig tree as a stump. It has positively stripped it bare and thrown it away. The twigs of it have become white."
Apparently, the Watchtower’s interpreters are perplexed due to the fact that the invading insects are called Jehovah’s “military force”; yet paradoxically, the object of the devastation is also described in the prophecy as God’s own possession. That is especially evident at Joel 1:13-14, where God addresses the leading older men and priests who are ministering at the altar, saying to them: “Gird yourselves, and beat your breasts, you priests. Howl, you ministers of the altar. Come in, spend the night in sackcloth, you ministers of my God; for from the house of your God grain offering and drink offering have been withheld. Sanctify a time of fasting. Call together a solemn assembly. Gather together the older men, all the inhabitants of the land, to the house of Jehovah your God, and cry to Jehovah for aid.”
To further illustrate the folly of the Watchtower’s out-of-date interpretation, here is what the May 1st, 1998, Watchtower, offered as commentary on the above verses:
“Today, Christendom’s clergy have assumed authority to serve at God’s altar, claiming to be his ministers, his “priests.” However, what is happening now that God’s modern-day locusts are on the move? When the “priests” of Christendom see Jehovah’s people in action and hear their warning of divine judgment, they become frantic. They beat their breasts in vexation and rage at the devastating effect of the Kingdom message. And they howl as their flocks slip away from them. With their pastures being denuded, let them spend the night in sackcloth, mourning over their loss of income. Before long, they will lose their jobs too! In fact, God tells them to mourn all night because their end is near.”
But do the clergy really become “frantic” when Jehovah’s Witnesses call at their homes? Have their pastures really been “denuded”? Do they really beat themselves in rage because the Watchtower’s message is so devastating to their church? That is not reasonable. No doubt some clergymen react with hostility to Jehovah’s Witnesses, but most do not. And it is a gross distortion to claim that the preaching of Jehovah’s Witnesses has had a devastating effec on Christendom.
But consider more closely what the Bible actually says. Contrary to the Watchtower’s hokey exegesis, the prophecy of Joel does not indicate that the priests and ministers merely claim to be the priests and ministers of Jehovah. Joel prophesied from the standpoint of such men actually being the authentic priests officiating at Jehovah’s altar. That’s why the prophet addresses them as “you ministers of my God.” Furthermore, the priests are commanded to gather all the people “to the house of Jehovah your God.” But, following the Watchtower’s line of reasoning, it would appear from the prophecy that Jehovah is appealing to the clergy of Christendom to make supplication in behalf of their millions of parishioners for relief from the preaching of Jehovah’s Witnesses! How ridiculous!
Perhaps the most conspicuous inconsistency in the Watchtower’s commentary on Joel is that God promises to make recompense for the damages caused by the invasionary forces. Joel 2:25 states: "And I will make compensation to you for the years that the locust, the creeping, unwinged locust, and the cockroach and the caterpillar have eaten, my great military force that I have sent among you." Since Jehovah intervenes in the crisis and undoes the damage inflicted by the devouring military force, it is obvious that the invading armies are enemies of God and his people and do not symbolize God's “army” of ministers, as the Watchtower mistakenly imagines.
The book of Malachi contains a similar message from Jehovah; a prophecy intended to call his people to repentance during the time of judgment. Interestingly, at Malachi 3:11, Jehovah says: "And I will rebuke for you the devouring one, and it will not ruin for you the fruit of the ground..." The footnote in the Reference Bible indicates that the “devouring one” literally means "the eater" – in reference to an insect. Malachi's prophecy lends weight to the fact that God's ministers are not the ones doing the devouring; instead, they become the victims of ferocious devourers!
“WAKE UP YOU DRUNKARDS”
The most worrisome aspect of the Watchtower’s interpretation of Joel is that the organization has held such a nonsensical view for over 70 years! In spite of all the Bible study and deep research that Jehovah’s Witnesses have engaged in over the years, what can account for such gross lack of insight into these vital prophetic matters? The very prophecy of Joel sheds light on that question in the opening verses, where we read: “Wake up, you drunkards, and weep; and howl, all you wine drinkers, on account of sweet wine, for it has been cut off from your mouths.”
Elsewhere in prophecy Jehovah describes his leading men—the priests and prophets—as drunkards. No, it is not that they over-indulge in wine or liquor, as is the case of literal drunkards, but they are spiritually drunk. Spiritual knowledge can have an intoxicating affect upon an individual. The apostle Paul condemned the “cocksureness peculiar to boasting” that afflicted some of the Corinthian Christians, and he also warned that knowledge can cause one to become puffed up with self-importance. Just as an intoxicated person lacks clear reasoning ability and good judgment and often is unaware of his impairment, frequently with disastrous consequences, apparently, that is also the case with the leadership of God’s organization at the time of his inspection. Due to their unwarranted confidence in the permanence and righteousness of the organization, they lack discernment into God’s judgments.
The previously-quoted Watchtower commentary on Joel says of the drunkards:
“Yes, the spiritual drunkards of Judah were told to “wake up,” to sober up. But do not think that this is merely ancient history. Right now, before the great day of Jehovah, Christendom’s clergy are figuratively so full of sweet wine that they are barely conscious of this summons from the Most High. How surprised they will be when they are aroused from their spiritual drunken stupor by the great and fear-inspiring day of Jehovah!”
The Watchtower’s condemnation of Christendom in reality applies more aptly to the Watchtower Society itself. Yes, Bethel’s institutional prophets are the spiritual inebriates! Their stale interpretation of Joel, which defies all reason and common sense, is proof that they are intoxicated with their own understanding—oblivious to Jehovah’s onrushing day of reckoning with his people. Indeed, “how surprised they will be when they are aroused from their spiritual drunken stupor by the great and fear-inspiring day of Jehovah!” (See essay Woe to the Stupid Prophets)
Like many prophecies found in the Bible, the pronouncement of Joel is like a message in a time-capsule. It is addressed, not to the clergy of Christendom as the Watchtower supposes, but it is a rousing wake-up call for Jehovah’s ministers, destined to be issued at a crucial juncture in the outworking of Jehovah’s purpose. It is a final appeal to spiritual sobriety and repentance from a merciful God. Hence, we read at Joel 2:12-13 these words: “The utterance of Jehovah is, ‘come back to me with all your hearts, and with fasting and with weeping and with wailing. And rip apart your hearts, and not your garments; and come back to Jehovah your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness, and he will certainly feel regret on account of the calamity.’”
In the verse quoted above Jehovah says that “he will feel regret on account of the calamity.” What calamity? The calamity wrought by the insect invasion. If the Watchtower’s interpretation is correct, the question thinking Jehovah’s Witnesses ought to consider is why God would refer to the Christian ministry as a calamity. Indeed, why would God feel regret for having sponsored the preaching and ministry of his servants?
Clearly, God is making an impassioned plea to those whom he recognizes as formerly serving him acceptably, but who, for whatever reason, have become estranged from their God. Obviously, that is why God invites his people to “come back to Jehovah your God.” That could hardly apply to the masses of Christendom who do not at all know Jehovah and even refuse to acknowledge his name.
According to the Watchtower’s nonsensical interpretation, the prophecy of Joel is a call for the corrupt clergy of Christendom to repent and become Jehovah’s Witnesses. That’s why the May 1st, 1998, Watchtower comments:
“Can we expect Christendom’s entire clergy class to turn to Jehovah? Of course not! Individuals among them might respond to Jehovah’s warning. But the spiritually famished state of these religious leaders and their parishioners as a class will continue.”
But, again, if Jehovah is really appealing to the clergy to repent, why then does the prophecy speak to the “ministers of Jehovah” and refer to them as Jehovah’s inheritance?
For instance, Joel 2:17 reads: “Between the porch and the altar let the priests, the ministers of Jehovah, weep and say, ‘Do feel sorry, O Jehovah, for your people, and do not make your inheritance a reproach, for nations to rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples: ‘Where is their God?’ And Jehovah will be zealous for his land and will show compassion upon his people.”
The 1st chapter of Joel presents the insect attack as a national emergency—an unprecedented disaster for God’s nation. Take for example the 8th verse, which reads: "Wail, as a virgin girded with sackcloth does over the owner of her youth." Jehovah’s Witnesses ought to wonder why God would portray the harlotrous institutions of Christendom as a virgin bride left standing at the altar. And why would the preaching of Jehovah’s Witnesses be a cause for them to weep and mourn anyway? How reasonable is that?
The virgin of Joel’s prophecy can only symbolize the bride of Christ. Jehovah is their God and they are his people – as the verse above plainly states.
The “insects” eat up, as it were, the produce used by the priests in making sacrificial offerings before God. Joel 1:9 reads: "Grain offering and drink offering have been cut off from the house of Jehovah; the priests, and ministers of Jehovah, have mourned."
According to the writings of Paul, “the house of God” is the organization made up of anointed Christians. The mourning priests in the prophecy of Joel, called the “ministers of Jehovah,” must therefore picture the individual members of the anointed on earth. Just as the literal priests in the temple offered up regular grain and drink offerings, so too, the Bible symbolizes the spiritual offerings of anointed Christians as being priestly sacrifices in the sanctuary of God.
Joel harmonizes with the prophecy of Daniel, which depicts the king of fierce countenance trampling upon God’s spiritual sanctuary and causing the “constant feature” of sacrifice to cease for a time. So, in harmony with Isaiah and Daniel, and numerous other prophecies as well, the prophecy of Joel is foretelling how the congregation of Christ is laid low during a time of international calamity.
“HAS NOT FOOD ITSELF BEEN CUT OFF BEFORE OUR VERY EYES?”
To further establish that fact, Joel 1:11 reads: "Farmers have felt shame; vinedressers have howled, on account of wheat and on account of barley; for the harvest of the field has perished." Just who might these “farmers” and “vinedressers” symbolize? Isaiah 61:5 mentions farmers and vinedressers in relation to the restored anointed priests of Jehovah and calls them foreigners in relation to spiritual Israel. So, it must be that in relation to the priests of the altar, mentioned in Joel, the farmers and vinedressers represent the non-anointed “other sheep” who serve as publishers and pioneers in the field.
What does it mean that “the harvest of the field has perished”?
Apparently, the prophecy of Joel is describing a catastrophic global calamity that marks the sudden and unanticipated end of the Christian preaching work! Jeremiah 8:20 speaks of a similar calamity that befell the Jews: “The harvest has passed, the summer has come to an end; but as for us, we have not been saved!”
To fully grasp the import of the prophecy of Joel, it is necessary to appreciate the importance of the Watchtower Society in the lives of Jehovah’s Witnesses. It is unquestionably accepted among all of Jehovah’s Witnesses that the Watchtower has provided a reliable prophetic outline of yet-to-occur future events. It is simply out of the question that the future could unfold in any significant way other than what has been envisioned by the organizational seers. Among other things, the common perception among Jehovah’s Witnesses is that the Watchtower will always serve as an unfailing beacon of spiritual light, all the way until the end. The previously-cited Watchtower article on Joel reinforces the assumption that Jehovah’s Witnesses are destined to march on to greater and greater glory, by saying:
“God’s locust army will not stop its work until the great and fear-inspiring day of Jehovah breaks out. The very existence of this unstoppable locust force is remarkable proof that Jehovah’s day is near. Are you not delighted to serve among God’s anointed locusts and their companions in the final onslaught before Jehovah’s great and fear-inspiring day?”
Contributing to that assumption is the fact that the Watchtower has weathered many storms in the past. Indeed, the Watchtower magazine has been in continuous publication since 1879. It has never missed a single issue since it first began publication. That is remarkable considering all the difficulties and hardships the Society has endured; particularly persecutions brought about during the First World War; the internal upheaval resulting from the sudden death of the Watchtower’s Founder in 1916 and the false imprisonment of the leading officers of the Society in 1918. The Watchtower magazine was continuously printed even during the scarcities of the Great Depression and through the persecutions and bannings during the Second World War. All of Jehovah's Witnesses have come to depend upon Watchtower literature as the backbone of the public ministry, as well as the primary means of providing instruction in the congregations. Obviously, there is no provision in our prophetic outlook for Bethel's many presses to ever fall silent. If such were to unexpectedly happen, it would without question be an unparalleled disaster for the organization.
But speaking in the symbolisms of an agrarian culture, Joel 1:15-17 foretells of just such calamitous developments to befall the Christian congregation as a result of God’s denunciation: “Alas for the day; because the day of Jehovah is near, and like a despoiling from the Almighty One it will come! Has not food itself been cut off before our very eyes; from the house of our God, rejoicing and joyfulness? Dried figs have shriveled under their shovels. Storehouses have been laid desolate. Barns have been torn down, for the grain has dried up.”
Just as Joel’s prophecy is not talking about literal locusts, caterpillars and cockroaches, neither is it talking about literal food being “cut off before our very eyes.” It is describing the despoiling of spiritual food! That is apparent because the cutting-off of food is directly connected to rejoicing and joyfulness ceasing at “the house of our God.” What does it portend that “storehouses have been laid desolate” and “barns have been torn down”? Apparently, Joel is foretelling that even the organizational infrastructure, such as assembly halls, kingdom halls and Bethel factories, will fall into disuse or even be destroyed as a result of the ferocious onslaught.
The 74th Psalm projects a similar horrific disaster is in store for the spiritual tabernacle connected with the name of Jehovah. It reads:
“Those showing hostility to you have roared in the middle of your meeting place. They have set their own signs as the signs. One is notorious in being like him that brings up axes on high against a thicket of trees. And now the very engravings of it, one and all, they strike even with hatchet and iron-tipped beams. They have thrust your sanctuary into the fire itself. They have profaned the tabernacle of your name to the very earth. They, even their offspring, have said together in their own heart: ‘All the meeting places of God must be burned in the land. Our signs we have not seen; there is no prophet anymore. And there is no one with us knowing how long.”
In saying “our signs we have not seen; there is no prophet any more”—the Psalm reveals that the false expectations presently entertained by Jehovah’s Witnesses will be shattered. The organizational prophets and seers will be humiliated due to their lack of insight. It will even initially appear as if the worship of Jehovah had been a sham religion and that Jehovah is an impotent deity.
No wonder, then, that Joel’s prophecy goes on to say: "O how the domestic animal has sighed! How the droves of cattle have wandered in confusion! For there is no pasturage for them. Also, the droves of the sheep have been the ones made to bear guilt."
Plainly, Joel is not foretelling that literal cattle and sheep are going to become confused because of the despoiling of the Almighty. Surely literal sheep are not made to bear the guilt of men. Of course, many places in scripture God's congregated people are likened to a flock of sheep or cattle. What causes God's people to wander in confusion? As Joel 1:16 foretells, it is because food is suddenly cut off from the house of God—spiritual food that is. And since all of Jehovah's Witnesses have presented to the public the Watchtower's faulty prophetic message, and have also unwittingly participated in an information campaign in behalf of the United Nations, for example, the rank-and-file publishers shall also bear the Watchtower’s reproach. Thus, the droves of Jehovah's other sheep will be “the ones made to bear guilt.”
The Watchtower inadvertently predicts the very thing that Joel long ago prophesied would befall Jehovah’s people. Here is what the June 1st, 1965, Watchtower had to say in regards to itself being the vital channel of Jehovah’s communication:
This “slave” class serves as an earthly channel of communication for God’s people, providing them with an understanding of Jehovah’s purposes and giving them direction in the doing of his will. With such direction they are enlightened, strengthened and are united in their worship of the only true and living God. Without this means of communication they would be scattered and lost.”
Essentially the prophets foretell the very thing that the Watchtower only states hypothetically in regards to individuals being “scattered and lost” should they ever be without “this means of communication.” The fact is the Watchtower does not merely claim to be the channel of communication to God’s true congregation; the evidence abounds that it has actually served as a vital channel for truth-thirsty Christians. That being the case, the last verse of the 1st chapter of Joel does not bode well for Jehovah’s earthly channel: “The beasts of the field also keep longing for you, because the channels of water have dried up, and fire itself has devoured the pasture grounds of the wilderness.”
In view of the obvious inadequacies of the Watchtower’s commentary on Joel, it is past time to consider what the military invasion actually portends and what sort of calamity might the locusts and company bring upon the world and Jehovah’s earthly organization?
“SUN AND MOON THEMSELVES HAVE BECOME DARK”
Throughout the prophetic Scriptures are found numerous apocalyptic symbolisms denoting terrifying heavenly and earthly phenomenon. Joel is no exception. In three different places in Joel, the prophet foretells of awe-inspiring and foreboding heavenly phenomenon in connection with the day of the locust attack.
Accompanying the onrushing army, the prophet foretells that the very heavens will rock. Joel 1:10 says: "Before it the land has become agitated, the heavens have rocked. Sun and moon themselves have become dark, and the very stars have withdrawn their brightness."
Joel 2:30-31 also reads: “And I will give portents in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun itself will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and fear-inspiring day of Jehovah.” [Footnote]
Joel 3:15-16 similarly says: “Sun and moon themselves will certainly become dark, and the very stars will actually withdraw their brightness. And out of Zion Jehovah himself will roar, and out of Jerusalem he will give forth his voice. And heaven and earth certainly will rock; but Jehovah will be a refuge for his people, and a fortress for the sons of Israel.”
The 13th chapter of Isaiah describes the fall of Babylon using similar imagery, saying: “For the very stars of the heavens and their constellations of Kesil will not flash forth their light; the sun will actually grow dark at its going forth, and the moon itself will not cause its light to shine.”
The 32nd chapter of Ezekiel uses the same symbolism in connection with the fall of Egypt. “‘And when you get extinguished I will cover the heavens and darken their stars. As for the sun, with clouds I shall cover it, and the moon itself will not let its light shine. All the luminaries of light in the heavens—I shall darken them on your account, and I will put darkness upon your land,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.”
It should be apparent from the above that this sort of symbolism in Scripture is reserved to signify a judgment from God. It does not, however, necessarily mean that God will cause literal heavenly phenomenon – as Jehovah’s Witnesses presently expect. Surely, the literal sun, moon and stars did not grow dim at the fall of Babylon and Egypt.
According to the way Jesus used such terms, the blackening of the symbolic heavens occurs as a result of the tribulation. Matthew 24:29 reads: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken."
As in the case of the fall of Babylon and Egypt, the heavenly luminaries suddenly going into eclipse symbolizes that the present, presumptively permanent, political governments and related institutions will experience a catastrophic upheaval and collapse; no longer standing as beacons of light, hope, and security for mankind.
Since the 6th chapter of Revelation also foretells the sun, moon and stars will fail at the coming of Christ, we may be certain that the crash of the present system will be of such a magnitude it will provoke a reaction on earth as if the actual luminaries in the sky have been extinguished.
And what fitting symbolism the Bible uses. If the governments of the leading nations of the world were to collapse modern civilization would most certainly be brought to the brink of a terrifying new dark age.
“THE NORTHERNER I SHALL PUT FAR AWAY FROM UPON YOU”
Another interesting interconnection between the prophecies is the fact that Joel 2:20 refers to Jehovah’s military force as “the northerner.” That verse reads: "And the northerner I shall put far away from upon you, and I will actually disperse him to a waterless land and desolated waste, with his face to the eastern sea and his rear section to the western sea. And the stink from him will certainly keep ascending; for He will actually do a great thing in what He does."
It is noteworthy that Jehovah's putting the northerner to flight is because of his intense love for his people. That's why we read in the 18th verse: "And Jehovah will be zealous for his land and will show compassion upon his people." Jehovah makes recompense by giving fresh supplies of new wine and grain and removing the reproach from off his people.
But just what is the "northerner"? What does the Society say? The Watchtower is conspicuously silent on that question. In fact, other than a brief reference to the verse in the Insight volume, the Watchtower has never even quoted, cited or offered one word of commentary on Joel 2:20. That is remarkable since the Watchtower has on several occasions ostensibly presented a verse-by-verse explanation of Joel.
Clearly, though, the “northerner” is the designation given to Jehovah’s insect “military force.” Just as strong winds might blow a swarm of insects away, Jehovah illustrates the grand salvation he will provide; promising to disperse the swarms of the “northerner” into a waterless region, where their carcasses are left to rot. (It should be noted that even though God used the Babylonian army as his armed force he afterwards destroyed them. In the same manner, after the insect “military force” plays a vital role in the outworking of God’s purpose, it too will be destroyed.)
Although the Watchtower evidently does not think so, it is significant that Joel refers to the insect invaders as “the northerner.” Students of prophecy likely recognize that other prophets of God—namely, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, as well as Daniel—all make mention of an avenging imperial tyrant from out of the symbolic north. A common thread woven through all prophecy is that God's agent for wrecking the world is depicted as coming out of the north. For example, Nebuchadnezzar was repeatedly referred to as coming out of the north. For instance Jeremiah 4:6 says: "Raise a signal toward Zion. Make provision for shelter. Do not stand still. For there is a calamity that I am bringing in from the north, even a great crash."
And again at Jeremiah 6:22: “Look! A people is coming from the land of the north, and there is a great nation that will be awakened from the remotest parts of the earth.”
Similarly, the prophetic Gog of Magog is said to "come up from the remotest parts of the north." And, of course, there is the king of the north, who comes all the way to his end during the finale.
Just as the ancient nations of Assyria and Babylon were punishing agents in the hands of the Almighty, as they swept down upon Israel and surrounding nations from out of the literal north, so too, there is a modern day tyrant that Jehovah is yet to unleash upon an unsuspecting world – the symbolic northerner.
Interestingly, God's word also refers to the armies of both of his ancient imperial agents as locusts. For example, Jeremiah 46:23 says of the Chaldeans: "For they have become more numerous than the locust, and they are without number."
Likewise, Nahum say of the Assyrians: "Make yourself heavy in number like the locust species; make yourself heavy in number like the locust...Your guardsmen are like the locust, and your recruiting officers like the locust swarm."
THROUGH THE WINDOWS THEY GO IN LIKE THE THIEF
What might the following verse of Joel presage? “Into the city they rush. On the wall they run. On the houses they go up. Through the windows they go in like the thief.” – Joel 2:9
It is noteworthy that Jehovah chose to portray his executionary armies as swarming locusts; because literal armies and locusts both accomplish the same thing: They pillage, destroy and devour. However, the same results may also be accomplished by more sophisticated means. How so?
In recent years a truly global financial system has evolved. Facilitated by the development of instantaneous communications and complex computerized systems, along with the liberalization of economic policies, vast amounts of speculative money swirl through the system, unimpeded by national borders or the dizzying array of global currencies or their fluctuating exchange rates.
International finance has become so complex and some financial “products” so exotic that even many persons in the field do not fully understand how it all works. What is becoming apparent to many, though, is that financial globalization can be destructive – as destructive as a pillaging swarm of locusts. Without the capital controls that used to exist national economies can be wrecked overnight by sudden capital flight. Such was the case for numerous Asian countries back in 1998.
Since 1998, the global financial system has only become more unbalanced and the speculative bets placed on the table are many times larger. For example, the derivatives market has grown from a reported $20 trillion 10 years ago to over $300 trillion in 2006.
One outgrowth of modern finance is what is known as hedge funds, many of which are merely extensions of investment banks. While the City in London is the center of the global financial system, many large banks and their hedge fund partners are headquartered offshore, on islands. British held territories being the preferred haven. The purpose of this is to skirt international scrutiny since many of the hedge funds are involved in illegal money laundering. The hedge funds and private equity funds control enormous pools of money – over one trillion dollars, not including the considerable leverage used in speculation.
Due to the emphasis on short term profits, as opposed to productive investments, and the rapacious manner in which certain funds are managed, hedge funds can have a devastating effect upon industry and jobs. Hedge fund strategies target productive businesses for takeover then gut the company, slashing jobs and wages, and rake in the loot – leaving behind a husk. For this reason they have appropriately been called the “locusts funds”.
In the United States the entire domestic auto industry is in danger of being destroyed by predatory hedge funds. Not only are thousands of well paying jobs in jeopardy, but large numbers of retirees are facing the very real prospect of losing their pensions. No wonder calls for the hedge funds to be regulated have grown louder in recent months.
What is becoming apparent by these recent trends is that private banking interests and their associate hedge funds, along with numerous corporate cartels, have the power and disposition to dispossess the average citizen more effectively than an army of looters. And because the global financial system is in the finale stages of collapse, the so-called smart money is moving into tangible things such as precious metals, oil, commodities, food, water, and infrastructure, such as toll roads and pipelines. Establishing control over these and other vital resources now will allow a financial elite to have complete control of the post crash world.
It would appear that globalization and cartelization (PDF link) has nearly accomplished its intended goal of destroying the sovereignty of independent nations. The end result must inevitably be the destruction of the middle class and the impoverishment of entire nations, just as effectively as if they had been dispossessed by an invading army. In the event of a systemic financial collapse and the governments do not take appropriate action to protect the general welfare, individuals and organizations will find that their private wealth will have been confiscated just as surely as if a thief had quietly slipped over a protective wall and through an opened window and robbed them.
We should not imagine that the Watchtower’s financial assets will be miraculously protected either. After all, the reason Jehovah brings the “northerner” into judgment is because the locusts are destined to also pillage the very treasures that have been dedicated to God. Joel 3:5 says: “Because you men have taken my own silver and my own gold, and you have brought my own desirable good things into your temples…”
However, the predatory nature of private financial interests notwithstanding, the insect hordes of Joel may manifest themselves in another way too. Another recent development may shed light upon how the symbolic insect swarm may cause the land to become agitated and the heavens to rock.
Armies are usually associated with specific nations. However, there exist other military forces on earth that do not answer to any national government. These are called irregular armies. They use terrorism and asymmetrical warfare to accomplish their objectives. An unofficial report by a military specialists states that asymmetrical nuclear warfare is the single greatest threat facing the United States today.
But, while terrorism and terrorist groups are front page news, what is less well understood is that many of the commonly known terrorist groups are actually indirect creations of private bankers. Historians are well aware of the fact that the British Empire was the undisputed master of the Great Game of geo-politics. And even though the formal British Empire no longer exists as such, the lessons learned are still applied by the successors of the colonial empire.
Not surprisingly then, just as London is still the financial brain center of the world, the London-based financial oligarchy is also the sponsor of world terrorism. As the earthly throne of Satan, London has been the promoter of global terrorism. The purpose being: to undermine and ultimately destroy the nation-states and establish a world government – a global empire.
In view of the above, the locust-like onslaught may well include the coordinated attack from numerous terrorists and sleeper cells and the use of weapons of mass destruction.
The destruction of the nation-state system will likely see the United Nations transformed into a world government. In Christ's multi-faceted prophecy of the conclusion of the system of things, Jesus foretold that a disgusting thing would desolate God's holy place. In the 1st century, the disgusting thing was the Roman Empire, which at the time was the king of the north. The modern parallel to that will likely be when the United Nations takes on the role of the 8th king, and thereby becomes the final manifestation of king of the north, or “the northerner,” as it is called in Joel.
Joel is in harmony with the other prophets in foretelling that an unparalleled attack from the symbolic “northerner” will devastate God's holy place. If there is any doubt, Joel 3:17 confirms that Jehovah's organization is victimized of the locust attack and not the other way around. It reads: "And you people will have to know that I am Jehovah your God, residing in Zion my holy mountain. And Jerusalem must become a holy place; and as regards strangers, they will no more pass through her."
Just as the Lord Jesus prophesied that a political disgusting thing would trample upon God’s holy place for an appointed time, it is evident that the military forces of “the northerner” are the "strangers" that violate the sanctity of God’s holy residence, which is the spiritual temple of the holy ones while they are on earth.
The imposition of a fascist world government, along with the desolation of the organization associated with the holy name of God, will be the dire circumstances that initiate Jehovah’s direct intervention – beginning with the outpouring of his spirit. It is to be expected that during the world’s bleakest period the illuminating spirit of Jehovah should be poured out upon both the anointed sons and daughters and the non-anointed menservants and maidservants, as foretold in the second chapter of Joel. Under the enlightening power of the holy spirit God’s servants will prophesy, dream dreams and see visions in the sense that they will at last fully comprehend the sacred secrets long concealed in Christ and sealed in the prophecies in the form of recorded dreams and visions. The final outpouring will coincide with the sealing and revealing of the sons of God, as they begin to “shine as brightly as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.”
During the tribulation, as men become faint with fear and trepidation in expectation of the horrors yet to come upon the world, Jehovah promises to provide security for those who do not fall away in fright during that critical hour. In harmony with Isaiah and Ezekiel, the prophecy of Joel foretells that God’s wonderful blessing in the aftermath of the desolation of his holy place will bring about the true spiritual paradise, the vindication of his sovereignty and the sanctification of his name. That is how Joel 2:21-27 should be understood. That span reads:
“Do not be fearful, O ground. Be joyful and rejoice; for Jehovah will actually do a great thing in what He does. Do not be fearful, you beasts of the open field, for the pasture grounds of the wilderness will certainly grow green. For the tree will actually give its fruitage. The fig tree and the vine must give their vital energy. And, you sons of Zion, be joyful and rejoice in Jehovah your God; for he will be bound to give you the autumn rain in right measure, and he will bring down upon you people a downpour, autumn rain and spring rain, as at the first.
And the threshing floors must be full of cleansed grain, and the press vats must overflow with new wine and oil. And I will make compensation to you for the years that the locust, the creeping, unwinged locust, and the cockroach and the caterpillar have eaten, my great military force that I have sent among you. And you will certainly eat, eating and becoming satisfied, and you will be bound to praise the name of Jehovah your God, who has done with you so wonderfully; and my people will not be ashamed to time indefinite. And you people will have to know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am Jehovah your God and there is no other. And my people will not be ashamed to time indefinite.”
1. On the day of Pentecost the apostle Peter quoted from the prophecy of Joel to explain the outpouring of the holy spirit that had just occurred then. Although the prophecy of Joel does not use the expression “last days,” the inspired apostle did. Evidently, then, the Jewish system entered its last days when Jesus pronounced woe upon Jerusalem a few days before his death. But in what sense did God give portents in the heavens and on earth as a prelude to Jerusalem’s destruction at the great and fear-inspiring day of Jehovah? One possibility is that Jesus’ death itself was the portent. The pouring out of his blood for mankind was indeed accompanied by powerful signs in heaven and on earth. For one thing the heavens literally grew dark – the sun being obscured for about three hours during Jesus’ agonizing death. Also, immediately upon Jesus’ death the massive curtain in the temple sanctuary was ripped in half. A great earthquake also occurred of such magnitude that apparently corpses were violently exhumed from their tombs. That could certainly be considered as a great sign on the earth. Too, there may well have been other phenomenon not recorded in the Scriptures but which Peter’s 1st century audience would have been aware of.
Copyright © 2002, 2006, by Robert King
All Rights Reserved.