1 In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, 
2 I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land. 
3 They cast lots for my people and traded boys for prostitutes; they sold girls for wine that they might drink. 

(Joel 3:1-3, NIV)

Israel has fought many wars in its relatively short time as a modern state. The world was divided when the UN voted to establish that state in 1948. They were divided again in the military wars of 1956, 1967 and 1973. There has been repeated and continued division in world opinion as Israel has resisted Palestinian terrorist attempts to destroy her and replace the Middle East's only democracy with an Islamic state "from the river to the sea"!

The invasion that took place on October 7th 2023 stands out as not only the worst incursion onto Israel's sovereign territory since 1973 but the worst single act of murder, rape and pillage against Jews since the holocaust, 78 years before. Fostered by modern communication technology and a well-organised network of pro-Islamists worldwide, the October 7th massacre also presaged (within hours of its occurrence) the greatest outcry against Israel and the Jewish people seen for decades. 

In the following weeks and months, we have also seen such a stark drawing of the lines of delineation between supporters and opposers of Israel that I am drawn frighteningly to God's words of judgement in Joel 3.

Verse 1 is typically vague as a prophetic statement, but is clear that when what follows takes place Israel will be back in her land and her fortunes will have been restored. Since the following verse references "all nations", this is not a restoration after the Babylonian exile and its best fit is the situation as it is today: Israel is restored physically to the Land of the Bible and is flourishing as a nation.

Verse 2 is the really scary one! 
The Kidron Valley in Jerusalem is also known as the "valley of Jehoshaphat", but there sure ain't room there for "all nations". However, "Jehoshaphat" means "God judges" and the location is not as important as the intention; God will bring all nations together and will judge (or contend) with them. And what will He "contend" with the nations about? About their treatment of His people - His inheritance -  Israel.

Think back to God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 12. He will so value the descendants of this one man that "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse..." (Genesis 12:3).  Many commentators remark that every nation that has tried to destroy the Jewish people has disappeared, while the Jews are back in their historical and biblical homeland and flourishing. What I find scary in 2024 about this verse is how starkly the divisions are being drawn in world opinion. The current president of Brazil has some out clearly against Israel while the president of next door Argentina has visited the Kotel (Western Wall) and pledged to move his embassy to Jerusalem.

My guess is that the eventual judgement of the nations concerning Israel will take place at or during the second coming and the millennium, but the position of so many of the world's governments is crystallizing right now. When the time of judgement comes, we will be shocked at who stands on which side of God's "contention". Many smaller nations, considered insignificant in work affairs, will be seen to have God's favour while the "movers and shakers" of world events may rue some of their anti-Israel policies and speeches and, as in Revelation  6:16, their leaders will do their utmost to avoid the gaze of the rider of the white horse, whose name is "The Word of God"!