October 26

Read: Joel 2:27-29

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh (Joel 2:28).

Prophecy Of Pentecost

In most passages from the Old Testament that deal with a second work of grace, the teaching can be only inferred by noting facts that parallel the doctrine. However in this prophecy there is clear New Testament authority for our interpretation. On the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the disciples, Peter declared to the astonished and skeptical crowd: “This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:16).

Did the prophet himself see the meaning of his words as clearly as Peter saw it centuries later? Perhaps not. But it was God who inspired both the message in the spirit of Joel and the fuller realization of its meaning in the mind of Peter. In the Old Testament passage the translators have used a small “s”. In the New Testament that s has been capitalized; spirit has become Spirit. This is the Holy Spirit, whom God pours out upon all who will tarry for His coming; it is the Third Person of the Trinity, whom Jesus promised to His followers.

What time was meant when God declared, “In those days will I pour out my spirit”? Those days are the days of the Messiah and the dispensation of the Holy Spirit. The prophecy referred to the Day of Pentecost, but not to that day only. The timing of this message was for us. Peter declared the glad truth: “The promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call” (Acts 2:39).

Thy sanctifying Spirit pour, To quench my thirst and make me clean; Now, Father, let the gracious shower descend, And make me pure from sin.

— The Salvation Army Tune Book