Joel’s Army is a term used by some Christians to refer to a large “end-time army” that will be raised up by God to advance His kingdom before the return of Jesus Christ. The concept comes primarily from Joel 2 in the Old Testament, where the prophet Joel prophesies about an army that God will bring against Israel as judgment, but also says that afterward God will pour out His Spirit on all people and those who call upon His name will be saved. Some interpret this passage as referring not just to the locust plague described earlier in Joel, but also to a mighty end-time army of believers that God will empower by His Spirit to take the gospel to the ends of the earth prior to Jesus’ second coming.
The name “Joel’s Army” was popularized by the mid-20th century “Latter Rain” movement, which taught that the church would be unified and empowered by a great end-time revival before Christ’s return. This view sees the army in Joel 2 not as a judgment on Israel, but as an end-time generation of fervent, committed Christians who will serve as God’s instruments to establish His kingdom on earth before the parousia (second coming of Christ). This army is described as invincible and completely unified in purpose. Other titles used for this expected end-time army include “Gideon’s Army” and “The Overcomers.”
Those who believe in the concept of Joel’s Army view the army not as a military or political force, but rather a spiritual one. They believe God will anoint this end-time generation with His power to work miracles, prophesy, cast out demons, heal the sick, and boldly declare the gospel, resulting in a great harvest of souls. The army’s weapons are described as spiritual, not carnal. Adherents believe the primary purpose of this army is to prepare the way for Christ’s return through spiritual warfare against the forces of darkness.
Many Pentecostals and charismatics subscribe to the Joel’s Army doctrine, while others have rejected the teaching as unbiblical. Critics argue it relies too heavily on subjective prophecy and allegorizes the book of Joel rather than taking it at face value. They also express concern that the teaching promotes triumphalism and an unbiblical view of the end times, leading potentially to militancy or escapism.
Debate exists within charismatic circles about the nature and function of Joel’s Army. Key questions include: Is the army figurative or literal? Has the army already been manifested or is it still future? What is the relationship between this army and the church? How central is Joel’s Army to God’s end-time plans? Does the “Latter Rain” revival represent the beginnings of this army, or is it yet to come? Will the army be part of a secret end-time revival, or will it be a visible, public display of God’s power?
Despite differences of opinion, believers in Joel’s Army are united by the conviction that God wants to use ordinary Christians in extraordinary ways to advance His purposes in the end times. They expect God to equip His people with supernatural power, unity, and zeal to carry out His will. The Joel’s Army teaching has sparked hope in many Christians that they can be used mightily by God as history draws to a close.
Joel 2:1-11 describes a terrifying locust army that God will send against Israel as judgment for their sins:
“Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand- a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was in ancient times nor ever will be in ages to come. Before them fire devours, behind them a flame blazes. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, behind them, a desert waste-nothing escapes them. They have the appearance of horses; they gallop along like cavalry. With a noise like that of chariots they leap over the mountaintops, like a crackling fire consuming stubble, like a mighty army drawn up for battle. At the sight of them, nations are in anguish; every face turns pale. They charge like warriors; they scale walls like soldiers. They all march in line, not swerving from their course. They do not jostle each other; each marches straight ahead. They plunge through defenses without breaking ranks. They rush upon the city; they run along the wall. They climb into the houses; like thieves they enter through the windows. Before them the earth shakes, the heavens tremble, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The Lord thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty is the army that obeys his command. The day of the Lord is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?” (Joel 2:1-11)
This describes a vast, unstoppable army empowered by God to execute His judgment against sinful Israel. The imagery is apocalyptic in nature, depicting a supernatural, fearsome army.
After warning of this impending judgment, Joel prophesies about God’s response to those who repent:
“Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave behind a blessing….Then the Lord was jealous for his land and took pity on his people. The Lord replied to them: “I am sending you grain, new wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations….I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations. But I will remove from you the northern army far from you, driving it into a parched and barren land, its eastern ranks into the Dead Sea, and its western ranks into the Mediterranean Sea. And its stench will go up; its smell will rise.” Surely he has done great things! Do not be afraid, land of Judah; be glad and rejoice. Surely the Lord has done great things!….You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed. And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.” (Joel 2:12-29 excerpts)
This passage describes God showing mercy to those who repent by restoring their land and driving the northern army away. He then promises to pour out His Spirit on all kinds of people, empowering them supernaturally.
Some key points about Joel’s prophecies:
- He foretells a vast, powerful “northern army” God will send against Israel as judgment.
- This army is described in supernatural, apocalyptic terms.
- God then urges Israel to repent and promises to show them mercy.
- God will drive the army away and restore Israel’s land.
- Afterward, God will pour out His Spirit on all flesh.
- Those who receive the Spirit will prophesy, dream dreams, see visions.
Based on these passages, some believe Joel was seeing far into the future to an end-time army God will raise up, empowered by the Holy Spirit to bring in a great harvest before Jesus’ second coming. Let’s explore the key beliefs behind this view:
Key Beliefs Behind Joel’s End-Time Army
Those who interpret Joel 2 as predicting an end-time “Joel’s Army” share some key beliefs:
- The army described in Joel 1-2 has a double fulfillment: It refers both to the locust plague in Joel’s day and a mighty end-time army.
- The end-time army will appear immediately before Jesus’ return.
- Its purpose is to prepare the way for Christ’s return and establish God’s kingdom on earth.
- The army will be made up of the last-days church operating in the fullness of the Holy Spirit’s power.
- It will walk in unity, righteousness and purity as Christ’s “called-out ones.”
- They will boldly proclaim the gospel with signs and wonders, resulting in massive harvests of souls.
- The army will be invincible against the forces of darkness before Christ’s return.
This view sees parallels between the supernatural empowering of God’s end-time army and His outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 on the first church at Pentecost. The Spirit came upon them with tongues of fire, and the frightened disciples were transformed into bold witnesses. Peter cited Joel’s prophecy about the outpouring of the Spirit as being fulfilled then (Acts 2:16-21).
Those who hold this “Joel’s Army” view believe the church has not yet seen the complete fulfillment of Joel’s prophecies about the Spirit’s outpouring on all flesh. The end-time army will operate in fullness of power to complete the church’s commission before Jesus returns.
History of the Joel’s Army Doctrine
The concepts behind the Joel’s Army doctrine existed long before the specific term came into use. Early church fathers such as Tertullian and Hippolytus wrote of an end-time army of believers empowered by the Spirit to do great exploits immediately before Christ’s return. This teaching has surfaced throughout church history.
The Joel’s Army label itself originated in the mid-20th century among pioneers of the Latter Rain movement within Pentecostalism. Teachers such as George Warnock and William Branham popularized the phrase. They taught that the “in-gathering harvest” mentioned in Joel was happening in their day in the form of the 1948 Latter Rain revival, and that a unified end-time army was being prepared to reap earth’s final harvest before the return of Christ.
These Latter Rain teachers expected supernatural manifestations of the Holy Spirit within this end-time army rivaling what took place on the day of Pentecost. Believing they were part of Joel’s prophesied army, their followers eagerly embraced their teachings about liberating the Spirit’s gifts and entering realms of spiritual authority, unity and power.
The Latter Rain movement impacted figures such as Pat Robertson, Paul Cain, Rick Joyner and Mike Bickle, laying groundwork for significant aspects of the controversial New Apostolic Reformation. Elements of the Joel’s Army doctrine continue circulating among some charismatic groups.
Criticisms and Concerns About the Joel’s Army Doctrine
While some Pentecostals/charismatics accept the Joel’s Army teaching, others have critiqued it as biblically flawed and dangerous. Concerns include:
- It relies heavily on allegorizing and reading meaning into Scripture rather than taking it at face value.
- It promotes kingdom triumphalism – an exaggerated view of the victory, power and global impact of the end-time church before Christ returns.
- It downplays the future literal fulfillment of passages about Christ’s second coming.
- It divides army members (the enlightened end-time church) from other less committed Christians, promoting elitism.
- Its “manifest sons of God” theology promotes a non-biblical view of believers’ glorification before Christ returns.
- It requires reading current events and personalities into Bible prophecy.
- It could potentially lead to militancy, pride, escapism and disillusionment if prophecies and expectations fail.
Critics argue that while Joel does seem to point forward to a future outpouring of God’s Spirit, there is no solid exegetical basis for the elaborate multi-layered theology built up around the passages by “Joel’s Army” advocates. They encourage interpreting Joel’s prophecies in context rather than infusing them with layers of speculative modern meaning.
Due to concerns like these, traditional Pentecostal denominations distanced themselves from the teachings of the Latter Rain movement by 1949. The Assemblies of God critiqued the doctrine as promoting a post-denominational militancy inconsistent with Scripture. Critics felt the emphasis placed on new prophetic words shifted focus away from Jesus and the Scriptures themselves.
Most Pentecostals and charismatics affirm that the church will experience unprecedented unity and fresh anointings of God’s Spirit in the last days. But cautions remain about putting too much weight on aggregated prophecies or doctrines focused more on end-time events than on Christ.
Different Views on the Nature of Joel’s Army
Pentecostals and charismatics holding to the basic Joel’s Army doctrine have a diversity of perspectives on the nature and function of this foretold mighty end-time army. These different emphases lead to disagreements.
Is the army literal or metaphorical? Some see the army as a literal group, while others interpret it metaphorically as the sum of end-time believers operating in unity and power.
Has it already appeared or is it still future? Some believe we are already in the days of Joel’s Army, equating it with the impact of the mid-20th century Latter Rain revival or the wider charismatic renewal. Others view the army as a future corps to be raised up before Christ returns.
How central is Joel’s Army to God’s plans? Those in the New Apostolic Reformation see the unified Joel’s Army as key to transforming society and establishing God’s kingdom on earth before Jesus returns. Critics say this over-inflates its significance beyond what Scripture teaches.
How visible will the army be? Some see it as a behind-the-scenes grassroots network transforming society through acts of love and service. Others expect a very visible offensive against the powers of darkness displaying undeniable miraculous power.
These disagreements boil down to hermeneutics, timing and the level of importance accorded to the army. While differences exist, all sides believe God will equip a mighty, dedicated force of believers in the end times to reap the final harvest.
Conclusion
The doctrine of Joel’s Army has sparked debate within Pentecostal/charismatic Christianity. While not all agree on the details, at its heart is an expectation that God will powerfully anoint His church in the last days for the greatest spiritual harvest in history before Jesus’ return. Rather than obsessing over the nuances of various viewpoints, believers are encouraged to focus their attention on Christ and being filled with the Holy Spirit to fulfill their calling of advancing God’s kingdom today.