JOEL's ARMY and GIDEON's ARMY - A Vision
Posted by: prophetic <prophetic@...>
1996 when this vision was first published. So it was pretty
controversial. But definitely worth a look - even 25 years later.
JOEL'S ARMY and GIDEON'S ARMY - A Vision
by Robert I. Holmes
In late October 1996 I had a startling vision. I was looking down from
a high place and I saw a mighty army. It was marching in a long line,
like a great column snaking through the jungle. It looked for all the
world like a serpent. At it's head was a banner, which read "Joel's
army". Behind them they left a swath of destruction, a road of sorts
cut through the jungle. I was made aware that this army was 'now
marching' or had already mobilised.
I also saw off to one side, hidden in dense undergrowth, a battalion.
This group stood quietly, waiting in the jungle. They were assembled
in a square, and they were awaiting instructions. At the head of this
smaller group was a banner which read "Gideon's army".
Then I looked and saw a single platoon, off to the side of the bat-
talion. It stood divided. I looked carefully at this group, feeling at
first that it represented the local body of believers I belonged to at
the time. They were standing in mud, in two ranks facing each other.
The Spirit expressly said, "Many have passed through their ranks" and
I began to realise they were (are) the prophets. These troops were
stuck in the mud, and had not moved on for some time.
JOEL'S Army.
Joel's army has been promoted widely as being a good army, an army of
the church. Many songs, sung in Pentecostal and mainline Evangelical
churches even quote the warrior Scriptures as relating to the church.
However I do not hold to that understanding. To me, Joel's army is one
of terrible locusts, "a great and powerful army... before them is like
Eden, after them is desolate" (Joel 2:2,3). This is similar to the
picture I had. Joel says they are "a powerful army, drawn up for
battle, before them the nations are in anguish" (5,6). Why are the
nations terrified of this army? Because they are an instrument of
judgement.
Note that the Scripture does not say, "God's enemies are in anguish
before them." Nor does it imply that the devil is afraid of them. It
is the nations who are afraid. This army is made up of "the cutting
locust... the swarming locust... the hopping locust... the destroying
locust" (Joel 1:4). This is not a picture of the Bride of Christ.
Evidently the army first destroys or bring judgement against God's own
people because later in the book of Joel, God consoles His people
saying, "I will repay YOU for the years the swarming locust has eaten,
the hopper, the destroyer and the cutter, that great army I sent
against you" (Joel 2:25).
This is clearly God's instrument of judgement against both his church
and the nations (peoples), not a great or good army in the church! The
passages relating to Joel's army confuse some, because it is said that
the Lord is at the head of HIS army. He is in control of them. But
that no more makes them the church than it made Babylon or Assyria the
church! Jeremiah depicts Babylon as God's own instrument, his servant
(Jer 25:9), just as Isaiah depicts Assyria as being a weapon in God's
hand (Isa 7:20). God used them, as He uses the army depicted by Joel,
to berate and scold an unrepentant Israel. In the same way, Joel's
army is marching in the end times, to scold and rebuke, to consume and
devour the unregenerate church.
GIDEON'S Army.
The second army I saw however, portrays an altogether different
picture. Here is an army fully prepared, awaiting instruction. It is
not yet mobile. The battalion (in military terms about 10,000 men) was
labelled Gideon's army. It represents the refined, the chosen, the
remnant church. This second army is not yet marching. They are stable,
focused, balanced and awaiting instruction. They have NOT been given
their marching orders! Gideon and his men were exhorted: "Go in this
might of yours and deliver Israel... I will be with you and you shall
strike down the Midianites" (Judg 6:14,15). Note there is an explicit
command to strike down the enemies of Israel, or for the church, the
devil and his powers- not the church!
As I read through the account of Gideon in Judges 6-8 several things
strike me about them. If this army is a picture of the remnant, then
it will help to see what they had, and what they did. Firstly, they
were twice refined. At first a great number of men gathered to fight
(32,000 in all). During the first purging the Lord removed those who
had the fear of man. This took their number down to 10,000. In my
vision I saw the battalion (10,000 men) labelled as Gideon's army.
This seems to indicate that the assembling battalion has already been
refined of the fear of man. The second purging Gideon's army underwent
was to remove those who trusted in their own strength. This took their
number down to 300. The present Gideon's army (the one of my vision)
may expect this second purging next.
The next thing we notice about Gideon's army (and from now on these
things are to come to the Gideon army gathered today) is that they
were fewer in number than would be expected. Their number was so few
in fact, that the move of God could not be blamed on them! The glory
could only go to God and Israel would not be able to boast about the
strength of her right arm. This fits well with my vision, as the
assembled crowd represented only one battalion, not a whole army. The
mighty triumphs and victories destined for this group can only be laid
at the feet of Jesus.
In their first battle, Gideon moved only according to God's command.
It was at God's initiative, at His request and by His plan only. It
was interesting that as an army, they carried no swords! How could
they possibly win the battle without weapons? Their battle cry was "a
sword for the Lord and Gideon" (7:20) and the enemy "feared the sword
of Gideon"(7:13). Yet in actual fact their hands were full. They went
into battle with a shofar in one hand (trumpet) and fire in jars in
the other.
The shofar symbolises the prophetic clarion or the watchmen, used to
sound the alarm and awaken the city. The fire in jars may well speak
of this very great treasure we have within us, this precious truth
about Christ which shall demonstrate his very great power: "we have
this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this
extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us." (2 Cor
4:7). Likewise the secret to our warfare is also that the weapons of
our battle are not merely carnal, they are divine to the tearing down
of strongholds (2 Cor 10:4).
The SONS of EPHRAIM.
After winning an amazing victory in their first battle, Gideon's army
pressed the defeated enemy far into the Northern region. They passed
through into the land of Ephraim, toward Penuel. The inhabitants of
this region - the sons of Ephraim, were accomplished soldiers. Over
the years they had managed successive enlargements of their territory,
and were powerful enough by Isaiahs time for him to even call them the
Northern Kingdom! (Isa 7:28,29). They had defeated the princes of
Midian, Oreb and Zeeb (Jud 8:3) and were furious that Gideon had left
them out of the battle!
Gideon must have considered taking such fine fighting men along to
rout the enemy, yet we read that he proceeded on without them (v 4).
Whilst Gideon acknowledges their superior strength in battle (Judg
8:2), he in fact uses this as a way of diplomatically declining their
implied offer of help. He proceeds without the prestigious fighters.
It would have been tempting to take them along in his battle.
There were, and are many good reasons to bring along people who seem
to have a fruitful ministry (the name Ephraim means "fruitful place"
in Hebrew). They may have prestige, they may have power, they may be
experienced in battle and spiritual warfare, they may have ruled in
the previous moves of God, yet we like Gideon should deny their aide.
Gideon did not choose their help at all. They do indeed have a special
place in God's heart and plan, but not in His present plan for the
army of Gideon. They are to route the enemy with the help of Jehovah
alone!
In CONCLUSION.
My vision, lastly, is a warning that we must clean up, and move on.
We must not pretend we are clean when in fact we are dirty. The
call of the hour for those who call themselves prophetic is 'holiness
unto the Lord'. Holy so that we may prepare and join the gathering,
training, waiting army of Gideon in battle.