From the Pulpit...

The Valley of Jehoshaphat, an extended area east of Jerusalem, is where God will judge all nations based on how they treated His people. As the Lord issues a call to war, the nations are told to prepare for a great battle by beating their plowshares into swords and their pruning books into spears - the opposite of what happens when God reigns. When the nations assemble in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, fully equipped for battle, they will find the Judge of all the nations awaiting them, and in their hands will be the incriminating evidence of their own violent history. God will judge the nations for scattering His covenant people and for dividing up His land. It is better understood as "the valley of the verdict," as it will be too late for any of those people to make a decision: judgement has come. Today, there are many people in a valley of decision. Each one needs to earnestly pray that he might make the right decision and choose Christ before it is too late. The Lord also will roar from Zion, pictures the Lord as the mighty judge, but even in the midst of judgement, God is mindful of His people. The same power that destroys His enemies shelters His people from harm. Joel later speaks of the blessings that Israel (and all who believe) will attain in the end. The similar vision in Amos 9:11-15 relates this time of blessing to the restoration of the Davidic kingdom in fulfillment of God's promise to David. Jesus is the One through whom this promise will be realized.