Sun.’s Devo - Weapons of War or Harvest

Read: Joel 1:1-3:21; Revelation 1:1-20; Psalm 128:1-6; Proverbs 29:18
Joel challenges the elders to look around and see where they are. They are right in the middle of judgment of their sins. It was a time to repent, fast, and mourn. The harvest was destroyed as well as the land. When they repent, God will come and restore. Then it will be a time to rejoice and be glad. The land will once again bring forth a harvest and God’s Spirit will be poured out like rain. Then it will be time to turn on their enemies and triumph. Joel told them that they will beat their plowshares into swords and their pruning forks into spears. Their instruments of harvest will become instruments of warfare. They will bring revenge on the enemies of God.
This is all a picture of end time judgement and the last battle of Armegeddon. Isaiah 2:4 and Micah 4:3 both talk about the day after this that we will beat our swords back into plowshares and our spears back into pruning hooks. Their weapons of war will once again become weapons of harvest.
The earth goes through this cycle over and over as God’s people turn from him then turn back. It is important to know the season we are in. I believe we are in the cycle of turning our swords into weapons of harvest. There are multitudes of people in the valley of decision and it is God’s desire that all repent and come to the knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Revelation that John saw was to reveal Jesus to his Church and tell them what was to come. It is what the Old Testament is to the Jews - it is the history of the Church from the day of Pentecost in Acts 2 to the end of time. It is a history book in code. The seven churches are all Greek churches since the Bride is a Gentile Bride full of people from all nations and tribes, not just Jews. Each church stands for a different time period and tells about the problems and successes in the church at that time. The churches are depicted as lamp stands because they are the light of the world in their generation. We are the light of the world in our generation.
Lord, let your light shine through us that we might be instruments of harvest.