Crushing the devourer

The book of Joel is brief—only three chapters in most English translations—

yet it contains one of the most vivid pictures of both judgment and restoration

found anywhere in the prophetic corpus. Its opening verses describe a locust

plague of catastrophic proportions; its closing verses describe a divine

outpouring of the Spirit so significant that the apostle Peter would quote it

directly on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:16-21). Between these two poles, Joel

offers a theological framework this book will explore in careful detail.

This volume is structured in six parts, each building upon the one before it.

Part One, 'The Prophetic Foundation,' establishes the historical, literary, and

theological groundwork necessary for sound interpretation—who Joel was,

when he likely prophesied, and the covenantal framework within which his

message makes sense. Readers eager to move directly into spiritual warfare

application are encouraged not to skip this section; sound application

depends entirely on sound foundation.