DAILY TEXT, From today Thursday December 15, 2022, A nation has invaded my country (Joel 1:6).

DAILY TEXT, Thursday December 15, 2022, A nation has invaded my country (Joel 1:6).

Let's Examine the Scriptures Every Day 2022

Thursday December 15

A nation has invaded my country (Joel 1:6).

Joel predicts that a plague of locusts will devastate the land of Israel and devour everything in its path (Joel 1:4). For years, we understood this prophecy to refer to Jehovah's people, who preach like an unstoppable swarm of locusts. We thought that this work has devastating effects on the “country”, that is, on the people who are under the control of the religious leaders. But, looking at the context, we see that we must change our way of explaining this prophecy. Consider what Jehovah promises at Joel 2:20: “The one coming from the north [that is, the plague of locusts] I will take away far away from you.” If the locusts represented Jehovah's Witnesses, who preach and make disciples just as Jesus commanded, why would Jehovah take them away? (Ezek. 33:7-9; Matt. 28:19, 20). Without a doubt, God does not take away his faithful servants, but someone or something that is against them. w20.04 3 pars. 3-5.

What significance does the word “after” have in Joel 2:28, 29?

(Read Joel 2:28, 29.) Third, let's examine the order in which things happen in prophecy. Jehovah says: “Afterward I will pour out my spirit,” that is, after the locusts have finished their mission. If locusts represented those who preach the Kingdom of God, why would Jehovah pour out his spirit on them after they finished his work? Actually, if it were not for the power of God's holy spirit, they would not have been able to continue preaching for so many years despite opposition and even bans from governments.

Who do the locusts in Revelation 9:1-11 represent? (See cover images.)

(Read Revelation 9:1-11). Let's look at the fourth reason. In the past, we said that the plague of locusts that Joel talks about represented our preaching because in the book of Revelation there is a similar prophecy. In it appears a swarm of locusts that have human faces and "on their heads a kind of golden crown" (Rev. 9:7). They torment “people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads”—that is, Jehovah's enemies—for five months, which is how long a locust usually lives.—Rev. 9:4, 5. This does seem to be a description of Jehovah's anointed servants, for they boldly proclaim God's judgments against this wicked world, much to the discomfort of their supporters.

What important differences are there between the locusts that Joel saw and those that John saw?

It is true that the prophecy of Revelation and that of Joel have some points in common. But they also have important differences. For example, the locusts in Joel's prophecy ravaged vegetation, but the locusts in John's vision “were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth” (Joel 1:4, 6, 7; Rev. 9: 4). Those that Joel saw came from the north, but those that John saw came out of an abyss (Joel 2:20; Rev. 9:2, 3). In Joel, Jehovah says that he will take the locusts far away, while in Revelation he allows them to finish their mission. There is nothing to indicate that the latter do not have God's approval (see the sidebar “Locusts of Prophecy: Similar, but Different”).

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