Questions on the Holy Spirit
(The following questions were submitted by a person that
visits our web site. The questions
are below with my response in bold type.)
Mr. Tucker, where in the Bible does it talk about old
men dreaming dreams and that young shall prophecy?
Originally this is written in Joel 2.28.
Peter on the Day of Pentecost quoted from Joel in Acts 2.17.
The timing of this prophecy is very important.
Joel simply speaks of the events in the future.
“And it shall come to pass afterward” (Joel 2.28a).
Peter quotes the passage a little differently, “And it shall come to
pass in the last days, says God” (Acts 2.17a).
Other prophets in speaking of the Messiah and the establishment of His
kingdom use the term “last days” referring to the last dispensation.
A dispensation does not refer to a time period but the way in which God
deals with men. In the Patriarchal
Dispensation, God spoke directly to the fathers of families when revealing His
will. These Patriarchs acted as
prophets, and priest. They offered
their own sacrifices on altars they erected.
In the Mosaic Dispensation God spoke to man through Moses and the
prophets but the priesthood was from the tribe of Levi.
In order for a person to offer a sacrifice they had to go to a priest.
We are now in the Dispensation where God speaks to us through His Son.
All Christians are priests before God and Jesus has offered Himself as
our sacrifice, see Revelation 1.6; Hebrews 10.10.
Therefore Peter is saying the signs they were witnessing were proofs of
the dispensation prophesied by Joel being established.
“God, who at various times and in various was spoke in time past to the
fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He
has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds”
(Hebrews 1.1-2).
Who
is speaking and who are they speaking to? Good
question because the context helps us understand what Joel is writing about.
Peter is speaking to the Jews at
Jerusalem
on the Day of Pentecost. Recall
that Jesus told the disciples to go to
Jerusalem
and wait for the Holy Spirit to come upon them with power, Acts 1.5.
Since Peter, with the rest of the Apostles, had received the Holy Spirit,
we know he made the right application. How do we know Peter received the
Holy Spirit? Because the sound of wind and tongues of fire.
Jesus during His ministry spoke of His king coming with power, Mark 9.1.
He told the disciples to go to
Jerusalem
and they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit, Acts 1.5.
The tongues of fire were upon each of the Apostles, Acts 2.4.
Hence the apostles were baptized with the Holy Spirit on the Day of
Pentecost at
Jerusalem
. In explanation of Joel 2, Peter
says, "But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel."
As we look at this prophecy and others there are important elements.
They were precise so we would know when they were fulfilled.
The miraculous signs, such as the dreams and visions were to prove
the teaching was from God. Before
His ascension Jesus said, “And these signs will follow those who believe:
In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;
they will take up serpents and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no
means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover…And
they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and
confirming the word through the accompanying sings.” (Mark 16.17-18).
The Hebrew writer makes the same point in Hebrews 2.1-4.
The important part of Joel's prophecy was verse 21 in Acts 2, "And
it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be
saved." The primary reason for
the Holy Spirit coming was not to impart spiritual gifts but for man’s
salvation. Before His death Jesus
said, “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of
righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16.8).
How did the Holy Spirit do this? He
did it through the words spoken by the apostles and the words written in the
Bible. —Dennis Tucker
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