What did Joel and John see?PDFPrintE-mail
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Saturday, 12 January 2008 20:56

There are some interesting connections between Joel 2. (~ 800 B.C.) and Revelation 9. (~96 A.D.).

Joel 2:7-19: "They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief."

Kaarlo O. Syväntö, known Finnish scholar and professional in Hebrew told already in the 70's: "When we study this passage carefully, it shows that in these battles, machine-like men, robots, are used!"

The Finnish Bible uses subtitles, and this particular passage starts with "Plague of Locusts". Some commentators have understood these rumbling hosts mentioned in Joel as being tanks with flame throwers - and some have even seen helicopters in them; "Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap". With a tank it is possible to penetrate many places - but leaping on the tops of the mountains is a different case. On the other hand, the helicopters of today are somewhat flying tanks, that can "jump". However, in Joel's time, nothing but birds were flying.

But what is interesting is the fact, that these invaders are compared to locusts - not horses - thus some smaller things are in the picture. In Rev. 9, from the bottomless pit, hosts of this kind arose; if it is a host of helicopters, the bottomless pit is strange a hangar.

Have you ever heard about a thing called SUGV? A Russian website gives a very good picture of it. Which insect comes immediately in mind?

Let's read Joel again - and try to look at the view with Joel's eyes: if Joel indeed saw unmanned vehicles, war robots, which at their largest fit under your arm and smallest are as big as butterflies, isn't the Bible awesome in its details: "Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array" (verse 5).

That SUGV- war robot has chain tracks and armory. "Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded" (SUGV's are remote controlled, are "afraid of nothing" and can survive even with heavy explosions). And, "They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses (SUGV can even climb stairs); they shall enter in at the windows like a thief ".

Quote: "But soldiers in the future, the Army hopes, will be able to pull SUGVs from their backpacks and drop the robots through the windows of buildings where enemies may be hiding ... Robot vision systems have serious limitations, and the risk that a robot might kill an innocent civilian is too great, said iRobot CEO Colin Angle. But Angle did not rule out the eventual use of weapons on robots, and noted that Raytheon is developing a targeting system for the SUGV. "We're not using these robots to hand out flowers," Angle said."

Bruce Cottrill said well: "That such robots could be in use (in these end time events) is certainly not far fetched, as even air drones are being used now- all just applications of available technology. I'm sorry, but I have nothing to offer otherwise, but in the event, their use will certainly be of limited duration, as far as the future of mankind - "we look for a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness", and I don't expect to be living on it, but rather "over it", and enjoying the harmony, harmlessness and sinlessness of the new universe, which our Lord Jesus will have rendered up to the Father for evermore."

William MacDonald comments Joel 2:1-11 well: "The people are called to battle by a trumpet sounding the alarm, for the day of the Lord... is at hand. The immediate reference was to the Babylonian captivity, but the complete fulfillment is still future. Before the invaders come, the land of Judah is like the Garden of Eden; afterwards it is a desolate wilderness. The comparison of the locusts to swift steeds, climbing the wall like men of war marching in formation, entering everywhere like a thief and blackening the skies with their immense numbers, constitutes some of the most graphic, poetic description in the prophets. This unendurable invasion is all at the beck and call of the Lord, whose camp is very great". 

Even in the end of Revelation, after all the horrible judgments have fallen upon the wicked, the Lord is still not forcing anything: "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still." (Rev. 22:11)

For, "The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the LORD." (Proverbs 19:3)

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