“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit" (ESV).The coming of the promised Holy Spirit at Pentecost was clearly a fulfillment of this prophecy. Acts 2:16-18 - "But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy" (ESV).
From this prophecy two truths seem abundantly clear:
1. The most significant manifestation of the Holy Spirit's presence in the New Covenant is prophecy, which also comes through dreams and visions. This is why Paul said what he did to the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 14. He wanted them all to eagerly pursue spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy (vv. 1, 4; cf. v. 24, 31, 39).
2. The manifestation of the Holy Spirit through prophecy would be poured out upon ALL kinds of people. Notice the emphasis on "all flesh" in verse 28, later described as "sons and daughters...old men...young men...male and female servants..." The Holy Spirit is the inheritance of the saints of the New Covenant (2 Corinthians 5:5). And when He comes prophecy is poured out on the saints. This makes prophecy an inheritance of the saints.
- It is their right as sons and daughters of the New Covenant. Whoever believes in Jesus is given the right to be called a child of God (John 1:12-13). John later says that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Rev. 19:10). Receiving Jesus is receiving His testimony which is receiving the spirit of prophecy. It is a total package deal: receiving Jesus, receiving the Spirit, and receiving prophecy.
- It is an expectation of the sons and daughters of the New Covenant. If the Spirit is poured out in the form of prophecy, then we ought to expect that a primary manifestation of the Spirit's presence is prophecy among all kinds of people in the church today.
If you are a son or daughter of God, this is your blessing, your gift, your treasure, and your right. It is the responsibility ever believer should exercise and a gift every believer should use to impart blessing to one another. Are you walking in, enjoying, and making use of this new covenant promise in order to know God, obey Jesus, make disciples, plant churches, and love one another?
About the Author: Rob is a follower of Jesus at Jubilee Church. From there he pursues Jesus' mission at Revive Consignment as the Business & Operations Development Director, as well as at Jubilee Church of Atlanta, in Woodstock, GA. From there he envisions and pursues missional-shaped business for the kingdom. He and his wife Sherri have been married for 20 years and together have three sons and a daughter. Rob believes the mission of the gospel is summed up in four simple phrases: know God, obey Jesus, make disciples, and plant churches. This is the pursuit of his life, as well as the point of his blog.
