The Valley of Decision
Bob Yandian
Jesus Christ wins every battle. When we study the coming of Jesus Christ, the establishment of His kingdom on this earth, and the rebellion of the world toward Him, we come back to that truth. In the end, Jesus Christ wins. Aren’t you glad you’re on His side? Joel chapter three brings us to the closing of the Tribulation and the Battle of Armageddon, but before we look at that battle, we need to see what God says will follow it.
The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
Joel 2:28 says, “It shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh.” This is after Armageddon. How can God pour out His Spirit on all flesh, on all human beings around the world? They have to be saved first. He will separate the sheep from the goats, the believers from the unbelievers. The unbelievers will be removed, and the believers will be left on the earth. The Millennium will begin with believers only.
God says sons and daughters will prophesy, old men will dream dreams, and young men will see visions. These sons and daughters do not have to be called prophets or evangelists. Anybody can have the Holy Spirit poured out on them. He also mentions His menservants and maidservants. There is no social distinction. You do not have to have a great education or a great position in society. You can be a servant who works around the house. God says, “I will pour out My Spirit in those days.”
Peter quoted this passage on the Day of Pentecost in Acts chapter two. Where Joel said “afterward,” Peter spoke of “the last days.” The beginning of the last days was the beginning of the Church age on the Day of Pentecost. When the Church age began, we entered into the last days, and that phrase is used throughout the New Testament. You and I are living at the end, the last of the last days.
There will be people born during the thousand years of the Millennium, and those children will have to receive Jesus too. Those who came through the Tribulation and enter the Millennium with natural bodies will have children. Those children will enter a perfect earth, with perfect environment, perfect weather, no devil, no demons, and Jesus Christ personally ruling on the throne. Yet some will resist and reject Him. Even through a thousand years of perfect environment, there will be those who reject Jesus as Lord and Savior.
One More Day to Receive Jesus
People often ask, “Why does Jesus take so long? Why doesn’t He just come back and wipe out all these problems on the earth?” There is so much evil, and we wonder why He does not put an end to it. It is because He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Every single day, even though horrible things are going on, is one more day for a person to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior.
One day He will rectify the terrible things we see happening. In the meantime, someone is going to get saved today, and that is eternal. If you die without accepting Jesus Christ, you are eternally separated from God. If you accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you are eternally a child of God and will be with Him forever and forever. Eternity is attached to that one decision to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.
God Will Gather the Nations
Joel 3:1 begins, “For behold, in those days and at that time, when I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem.” Those days are the closing days of the Tribulation. Israel is under attack, Jerusalem is under attack, and armies are coming against the city. Satan wants his Antichrist to rule from the throne instead of the Christ. But God keeps His Word. Even when it comes down to the last seconds, He will still be looking for people to receive Jesus before He comes back to establish His throne on the earth.
The Lord continues, “I will also gather all nations, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.” The military from the nations will come under satanic control to destroy one nation, Israel. Even if the whole world comes against Israel, they cannot defend themselves against Jesus Christ alone. Only one person is going to fight against them. His name is Jesus. He will open His mouth, and out will come a sharp, two edged sword. He will slay the nations in that day.
God says He will enter into judgment with them on account of His people, His heritage, Israel. They have scattered His people among the nations, divided His land, and sold His people into slavery. They have taken His silver, His gold, and His prized possessions into their temples. The Lord says He will return their retaliation upon their own heads. What they have sown, they are going to reap. He spoke it in His Word and by His prophets. For years they said this day was coming, and now it has come.
The Antichrist and God’s Protection
The Tribulation starts out worldwide, but more and more it centralizes toward Israel. The main battle will be in Israel. There will be armies from around the world and centralized world government, but what Satan is after is that little nation. During the first three and a half years, Antichrist will present himself as a man of peace. When war and terrible oppression are going on, the world will look to him to deliver them. Behind him, however, is the power of Satan.
At the beginning of the Tribulation, he draws up a peace treaty with Israel. In the middle of the Tribulation, he breaks that treaty and moves his throne to Jerusalem, into the temple. At that point, he shows himself for who he truly is, a messenger of Satan, out to destroy Israel and kill its people. But God makes provision for His people to escape. Jesus tells them to flee to the mountains. Things will keep getting worse during the last three and a half years, but there is still divine protection for those who obey the Word of God.
Darkness in the Valley of Decision
The armies of the world will gather for one major battle, the Battle of Armageddon. Antichrist and the forces of the globe will fight against Jesus Christ. They will have the finest machinery and weapons. In one day, they will take half the city of Jerusalem. They will go to bed that night expecting to wake up the next morning and take the second half. But when they wake up, there will be no sunrise. Supernatural darkness will cover the earth.
For one full day, they will not be able to see. No natural light can penetrate that supernatural darkness. They can turn on a flashlight, strike a match, or turn on their military searchlights, but they still cannot see. What do you do for twenty four hours when the world is in darkness and you cannot do anything? You think. That is why it is called the Valley of Decision. During that time, people will be confronted with the fact that this is supernatural darkness. Many will accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, yet many others will still rise up in rebellion against Him.
The Light of His Coming
Your nationality does not matter to God. Your color and the nation you come from may matter to people, but there is only one thing that matters to Him. Are you a child of God, or are you not? He will separate believers from unbelievers, those who have accepted the Lord as Savior from those who have rejected Him. Joel 2:32 says, “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Even at the end, God is looking for people to receive Jesus Christ.
The only light that can penetrate supernatural darkness is supernatural light. Jesus Christ Himself will come back, split the skies open, and reveal the light. He will come as lightning from the east to the west. Every eye will see Him, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess. The armies of the world cannot stop Him, and Satan cannot keep Him from establishing His kingdom. Jesus Christ wins every battle, and He will keep His Word.
The first 50 copies sold will be autographed by Pastor Bob.
Are you confused about end-times prophecy, the rapture, and the second coming of Christ?
Do headlines stir fear instead of faith? Have you wondered how the book of Joel connects to your life today —and what the "day of the Lord" really means for you?
The answers are not hidden in speculation or sensationalism. They are found in God's unchanging Word.
Through careful, Scripture-by-Scripture teaching, Bob Yandian unveils the prophetic timeline revealed in Joel-clarifying the difference between the rapture and the second coming, the Tribulation and the Millennium, judgment and restoration. With pastoral insight and unwavering confidence in biblical truth, he shows you that prophecy is not meant to frighten you-but to anchor you in faith.
In these pages, you'll discover how to:
Distinguish clearly between the rapture of the Church and Christ's visible return to rule.
Understand the purpose of the Tribulation and God's mercy even in judgment.
Recognize the signs and sequence of Armageddon and the Valley of Decision.
Replace fear of the end times with faith in the faithfulness of God's Word
Live today in the power of the Holy Spirit-the "latter rain" already poured out.
You were never meant to dread the future. The same Jesus who rescues, restores, and reigns is your shelter and strength. Satan's rebellion has an expiration date. God's promises do not. The Day of the Lord is not the triumph of darkness —it is the ultimate revelation of Christ's glory.