Prophet Joel (est800-400BC?)

Prophet Information:

Joel son of Pethuel, of the tribe of Reuben, according to the Book of the Bee he died in peace in his own land

Mission/Message:

His overall mission was to foretell of punishment upon Israel and all nations, followed by restoration

Documentation:

The book of Joel, is believed to have been either written in the ninth century B.C. or the sixth century B.C., the only importance of the dates is that phrases in his book were used by other prophets, therefore if the early date is true then other prophets certainly read his work, and if the later date, then he had read the works of some of the other prophets

Occupation:

The occupation of Joel is unknown as there is very little mention of him elsewhere (only in the book of Acts) and the non-Biblical legends about him are not convincing, however he was concerned with Judah and Jerusalem so he probably resided in that area

Best known for:

-Not following the general belief that Israel would avoid a day of judgement

Attributes of his personality:

The whole book of Joel is in poetry format in proclamations and prophecies so there is no direct storylines about the man himself, I do not wish to comment on his character based solely upon those words, a more detailed psychoanalysis of the words would be needed.

Supernatural Aspects:

It says that “the word of the Lord came to Joel”, which is very similar to the claims of other prophet’s claims of prophetic authority. There is no mention of dreams or visions.

Examples of prophecies:

-Prediction of a massive locust plague, which some point out to represent empires invading but some believe it was just the plague.

-Prediction that the people of Israel will be scattered across all nations but after a war will return and be given a sanctuary which will never be invaded again

End Times Prophecies:

-The sun will turn to darkness

-The moon will turn the colour of blood

-Blood and fire and billows of smoke