Joel 2:25
William Branham taught that Joel 2:25 related to the restoration of the church and, specifically, to his ministry.
- What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten. What the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten, and what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten.[1]
- I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.[2]
But is his interpretation valid? He also linked Joel 2:25 with Zechariah 14:7. Is that an appropriate interpretation?
Quotes of William Branham
When the--when the Lutherans said, "We're going to become a organization; we'll be as big as the Catholics." All right, He just pruned off the branch, and Wesley took it right on, raised up another prophet. Then as soon as Wesley did--dwelled--Wesley died, the great prophet, what'd they do? Organized it. On come Pentecost. Soon as she died, He pruned that off. It's raising right on up. See? He's going to restore.
...The evening Lights, the Bible said, would shine in the last day. The evening Light is the same Light in the west, that was the same Light that was in the east. And the same Light that shined in the east, that brought forth the first church that the Romans cut down by their--their pagan worship, and so forth; in the evening Light is the same Light. Now, notice, the same Light...
And what's the evening Light come out for? What is the evening Light for? To restore. Whew. You get it? The evening Light is for the same purpose the morning Light was for: to restore what was cut down by the dark ages through Rome, God is going to restore by shining forth the evening Light. What? Restore the whole Word of God again, the full manifestation of Christ in His church. Everything that He did, just exactly the way He did, would be again in the evening Light. See what I mean? Oh, isn't that wonderful? And to know we're living right here to see It.
Now, the evening Light (exactly according to prophecy), the evening Light come out to restore what? To restore what the bugs had eat up. It started growing, and then what'd it do? It denominated, so God pruned them off, bound them up, laid them back, let them go ahead and organize. Then the next one come up; He bound them up, laid them off; Tree went on. Then He bound them up, laid them off, said, "Now, one of these days they'll be burned." Bind them up in their organizations. But then what? Right in the top of the Tree is where the fruit ripens first (That's right.), right in top of the Tree. So it's the top of the Tree here that sees the evening Light.
...There were four great prophets. One of them, Martin Luther, he begin to shine a Light. It was a little Light, just a very small strength of justification. Along came Wesley, stronger: sanctification. After Wesley come a stronger than him, Pentecostal, the baptism of the Holy Ghost in another great prophet. See? But in the last days of Malachi 4, Elijah is to come with the very Word. The Word of the Lord came to the prophet. In the evening Lights is to come forth to restore and bring back. What? Turn the hearts of the children back to the faith of the fathers: fourth Light.
Four killers took It, four messengers destroyed It. Four messengers of death took It away in dogmas; four messengers of righteousness restore It back again.[3]