Joel III
But Judah shall be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem to all generations. (Joel 3:20 ESV)
The Church Victorious
Forever is a long time. And the only way that promise could be true is if Judah, and Jerusalem mean something different than a patch of ground in the Middle East.
While folk HAVE lived in what used to be called Judah all along, this promise is clearly meant for God’s people. And God’s people have not owned Judah, or even Jerusalem, for many of the years between Joel and today.
Even if the promise DOES refer primarily to that physical land, the return of a physical nation, “Israel” after World War II does not really keep that promise. Because if the nation ‘returned,’ or was ‘re-established’, that means it was absent for a time. And that would break the promise.
Instead, we get to know that Judah and Jerusalem refer to something better!
The people of God… Christians! The Church! Christ and His Bride!
And THAT Judah and Jerusalem have indeed been inhabited from Joel’s time to today. Because the Church has survived, thrived, and expanded.
And this promise of God through Joel shows that the church will NOT die out. Even if it seems like it. Even if we fear it.
Forever is a long time.