What is Joel’s Army?

Answer

Joel’s Army is a charismatic movement closely associated with the Latter Rain Movement that originated in the 1940s. The term “latter rain” comes from Joel 2:23, where it mentions God sending a “latter rain” along with a “former rain” (KJV). Pentecostals understand this not as a physical blessing on Israel but as a pouring out of the Spirit in the “last days.” “Joel’s Army” perceives themselves as soldiers whom God is raising up in the last days to perform miracles, execute judgment, and establish dominion on earth before Christ’s return. This movement highlights the teachings and revelations of present-day “apostles” and “prophets,” as well as the impartation of miraculous gifts. Figures linked to the Joel’s Army movement include William Branham, C. Peter Wagner, Bill Hamon, and Rick Joyner.

There are several theological issues with the Joel’s Army movement. Firstly, there are no modern-day apostles in the true biblical sense. To be an apostle as per the Bible, one must have seen the risen Lord Jesus Christ “Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord?”, (1 Corinthians 9:1), be commissioned by the Holy Spirit “But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:”, (Acts 9:15), and have the ability to perform signs and wonders (Acts 2:43;2 Corinthians 12:12). The Bible records twelve apostles who laid the foundation of the church “and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone;”, (Ephesians 2:20).

Rick Joyner, a popular proponent of the Joel’s Army doctrine, describes a future where “news teams will trail apostles like national leaders, documenting extraordinary miracles. . . . Miracles surpassing even some of the most remarkable Biblical wonders will lead entire nations to acknowledge Jesus. . . . Angelic appearances will become so frequent that they will no longer be considered significant events. The Lord Himself will appear before councils of apostles and elders to provide them with guidance. . . . Young children will expel demons, heal the sick, raise the dead, and redirect raging floods with a single word. Some will even exercise authority over entire hospitals and mental institutions, healing every patient within them by laying hands on the buildings” (The Harvest, 1993, pp. 32–34). This is a daring prophecy—and one that has yet to demonstrate any truth.

Another contentious belief of Joel’s Army is new prophecy. Claiming to receive divine messages directly from God, akin to the biblical prophets, would essentially reopen the canon of Scripture. Joel’s Army’s conviction that numerous Christians are being raised up to perform Spirit-filled miraculous deeds, to take “possession” of vast territories on earth before Christ’s return, and to instill fear in unbelievers directly contradicts explicit biblical teachings. God does not contradict His own Word, nor does He supplement it through the visions of self-proclaimed prophets today.

Remaining true to their Holiness origins, Joel’s Army anticipates achieving complete sinlessness as they carry out God’s mission in the world. The sinless members of Joel’s Army are expected to be the instruments through which God will eradicate all sin from the world. Such teachings are entirely unscriptural. The apostle John could not have been more explicit: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” «If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. »

God nowhere instructs Christians to execute judgment on unbelievers. The kingdom of God will not be brought to earth forcibly by Christians. Instead, we are to share the good news of the gospel and pray that more will come to salvation in Christ (Matthew 28:18-20;2 Peter 3:9). It is God Himself who will execute judgment during the tribulation and at the final resurrection. It is also God who will establish an earthly kingdom during Jesus’ millennial reign. The authority to judge has been given to Jesus, not to “Joel’s Army” «and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. », (John 5:27). Taking political, economic, and cultural dominion on earth is not a task for “Joel’s Army.”

Additionally, some in this movement, such as Rick Joyner, claim to have conversations with dead people such as Adam. The practice of live humans conversing with the deceased is called necromancy and is prohibited in Scripture as a form of divination (Deuteronomy 18:11;Acts 19:19). There is absolutely nothing in Scripture that could lead anyone to think that it’s appropriate for the living to speak to the dead.

Furthermore, the Joel’s Army movement connects spiritual warfare with supernatural healings and miracles beyond the context of Scripture. Ephesians 6:12 notes believers are in a spiritual battle, but nowhere are believers called to march around naming and casting out demons or healing every sickness in their midst. Instead, believers seek the will of God and follow the Spirit of God by focusing on the Word of God. The Bible is full of warnings against false prophets, false teachers, and imposters of Christ (Matthew 7:15;2 Corinthians 11:13-15).

(Matthew 24:1-25; 2 Peter 3:3; Jude 1:17-18). No one should be deceived by the leaders of Joel’s Army, but many are.

First John 4:1 states, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Members of the Joel’s Army movement may genuinely believe that they are carrying out God’s work, but their doctrine is not in line with the Bible. We should pray for the members of this movement to come to an understanding of God’s truth, and we should refrain from any form of involvement in it.