Outpouring

Joel 2:28-32

“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. (Joel 2:28-29)

Joel’s prophecy is one of the most dramatic and hopeful promises for the whole world that’s found in the Old Testament.  When Joel wrote these words, they painted a picture of a future reality so radical and transformative that it would redefine the very relationship between God and humanity.

The Promise: A Universal Outpouring (Joel 2:28-29)

Originally, God’s Holy Spirit was given selectively to His chosen people, and even more specifically to prophets, kings, and judges for specific tasks of leadership and revelation. But then comes Joel, and his prophecy shatters this mould, because here God promises:

"And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days."

The promise is characterised by its inclusivity "on all people," "sons and daughters," "servants, both men and women" and its universal nature. The gift of Holy Spirit would no longer be reserved for a select few but would be freely available to everyone, regardless of age, gender, or social status. And the evidence of the Holy Spirits indwelling would be evidenced through prophetic activity, dreams, visions, and prophecy. All of which, signifies direct communication and revelation from God to every believer!

Cosmic Signs: (Joel 2:30-31)

God’s promise is immediately followed up by another promise, 'ominous cosmic signs':

I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

Now, these signs aren’t separate from the promise but are integral to it. Because they frame the outpouring of the Holy Spirit within the overarching narrative of God's ultimate judgment and salvation. (the sorting of the wheat from the chaff!) The gift of the Holy Spirit is not given in a vacuum; it is the divine provision for God’s people to navigate and survive what’s coming in the "great and dreadful day of the LORD." And so for us, the Holy Spirit is both our comfort and our means of endurance!

The Pathway to Salvation (Joel 2:32)

And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls

The prophecy ends with a universal call that is intensely personal, because this verse tells everyone the way to receive salvation! As such, the ‘poured-out Spirit’ works within people, creating people who can genuinely "call on the name of the LORD," in a personal plea of faith. Salvation is promised to "everyone," but that salvation only happens when we personally respond to God's promise and call on Him!

The Fulfilment: Pentecost (Acts 2:1-21)

Thankfully, Joel’s prophecy was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2: 1-21 when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples and anointed them with power.  Tongues of fire hovered above their heads as they spoke in other languages. Peter stood up to explain the bewildering event to the crowd, preaching the good news of Jesus, with his sermon concluding in these words:

"This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people...’" (Acts 2:16-17).

Peter proclaimed that "the last days" that the prophet Joel foresaw had begun! The promised, universal outpouring was happening now and the church was born. Initially comprising just a few ordinary Jewish fishermen and a tax collector, it would soon spread to Gentiles from every nation, becoming a global church community of the Spirit, where sons and daughters, slaves and freemen, all had equal access to God’s presence and power!

An Ongoing Reality:

The day of Pentecost was not the end of the fulfilment of Joel’s prophecy, but rather it was its beginning. Today, the Holy Spirit, promised to "all people," continues to be poured out on all who call on the name of the Lord. Joel’s prophecy assures us of that.

The Holy Spirit’s presence is God’s gift to all believers, not just to some exclusive elite class. The Holy Spirit empowers every member of God’s church for witness, service, and understanding of Holy Scripture. This divine empowerment is given for a purpose: to navigate the challenges of the world and to call others to the salvation that’s found only in the name of Jesus.

Until the ‘great and dreadful day of the Lord’ comes. Joel’s prophecy is both fulfilled and continually fulfilling, because the Holy Spirit is actively working in the lives of every believer, the church and the world today!

Have a great week, and God bless,

Trev.