During this time of Joel’s prophecy here, the Church was in a terrible condition: backslid, just prior the coming of the Lord, the first time. And how that the Spirit come upon this prophet and he—he foresaw things. And he saw the—the condition of the Jews. And he saw the condition of the Church in this day. Now, this prophecy, of course, like all other prophecy, has a compound meaning. A prophecy sometime has a natural meaning. Then it has a spiritual meaning. Now, of course, the natural meaning of that, even Dr. Scofield in his footnotes (I’m not a Scofieldite) but—but however, in his footnotes there, he gives that it meant when the Syrians come over and invaded. That’s true. But it also had a—a meaning of—of the last days, towards the Armageddon, the coming up of the last days, the condition of the Church spiritually in the last days.

Palmerworm, Locust, Cankerworm, Caterpillar, 1953-06-12, Connersville, IN, §37