Grace be unto you all and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ. As we prepare and watch for the coming of the Lord at our gathering together unto him, we deem it necessary to write to you all in a couple of letters concerning the prophecy of Joel regarding the future outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Apostle Peter also wrote concerning the word of this prophecy in the book of Acts that it shall be fulfilled in the last days (Acts 2:17). In those days when all these things were written, Jews understood “the last days” to mean “the days of the Messiah”. It most literally refers to the days immediately preceding the second coming of the Messiah. The term “last days” is also used in the Scriptures of the end of this age preceding the millennial reign of Christ (2 Tim 3:1, James 5:3, 2 Pet 3:3, Jude 18), the future tribulation period (Acts 2:16-21), the days after the first advent of Christ (Heb 1:1-2), and the days of the millennial reign of Christ on the earth (Isa 2:2, Micah 4:1). Now, we have no need to write to you all that we are now in the last days and the time of the end is fast approaching. The grapes of the earth are almost fully ripened that the clusters of her vine may be gathered and cast into the great winepress of the wrath of God. Judgment is coming to the earth for the cup of her iniquity is almost full. Let us as saints remain sanctified unto Him that has called us unto holiness by His truth. Let us depart from every form of sin and abstain from all appearance of evil, for the day of recompense of the earth is at hand.
Today, a number of churches believe that there will be a future outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh that will be unparalleled in history, even greater than Pentecost. Some profess that there will be a future great revival on the earth and that the church will be empowered with wealth and resources to control and rule the affairs of the world in those times. They believe it is only after these things that the Lord could come the second time to the earth. They claim to speak these things in accordance with Joel's prophecy concerning the last days. These beliefs have made some believers to become unprepared for the coming of the Lord, not watching for the Lord's appearing as we have all been commanded, but rather looking out for a future revival. Many have become ignorantly lukewarm by these doctrines, seeking the riches of the world and striving to gain the whole world at the expense of their soul. Is it not written that what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Many have even become so proud and arrogant because of their riches and the seeming material prosperity of their ministries that they have now become blind to plain truth clearly written in God's Word. The Lord will have compassion on those who are weak and ignorant because of what they have been taught by their religious leaders than the proud and arrogant, who reject the truth, thinking they already know because they prosper. There are other religious sects with contrary beliefs proclaiming that this revival movement is an outgrowth of the restoration kingdom now movement claiming to bring restored truth to the earth. They say it is mostly anti-Israel and applies eschatological passages for Israel to the church which involves numerous false teachings such as the manifested Sons of God doctrine that certain believers will not die but be made immortal on the earth in these last days; that there will be an army led by new prophets and apostles into the greatest manifestations of spiritual gifts the church has ever seen. In order to ensure that no saint is shaken in mind or troubled by these doctrines, we have written this epistle to reveal the truth according to the Word of God regarding the prophecy of Joel and the appointed time for its fulfillment.
According to Acts 2:1-47, the first Pentecost was the birth of the Church and marked the event of when the Holy Spirit was first given in baptismal measure to men. At that time, it was directed only towards the Jewish people who were to bring the gospel to the nations of the earth. All the men in the upper room on the day of Pentecost were Jews. No gentile was among them. This we clearly understand from Acts 10:1-48 where we know that Cornelius was the first gentile that heard the gospel since Pentecost. Even the missionaries that were scattered aboard after the persecution of Stephen preached to Jews only, for at that time they have not heard of the preaching of Apostle Peter to the gentiles. This is clearly written in Acts 11:19.
Now, it is written in Joel 2:28-32: And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. 30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come. 32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call. According to Joel 2:28 quoted above, God said He will pour out His spirit upon all flesh. All flesh does not mean all men and women on the earth. The meaning of all flesh is in the next verses which mention your sons, your daughters, your old men, your young men. In these scriptures, God was speaking directly to Israel. He was referring to Israel's sons, daughters, old and young men. This is clearly stated in Joel 2:27. The book of Joel is uniquely linked to the national salvation of the Jews at the second coming of Christ. Most of the book refers to Israel during the future tribulation period and the coming millennium. Most of the promises in the book are for the Jews. They do not apply to gentiles. In fact, Joel 3:1-21 speaks of the judgment of the gentiles at the second coming of Christ for their maltreatment of the Jews during the tribulation. The book of Joel speaks of the comfort Israel will receive at the coming of their Messiah. It comforts the Jews in the end saying that the LORD shall dwell in Zion among them (Joel 3:21). This Zion is literal Jerusalem in Israel. In Joel 2:27, Joel the prophet also speaks of the ‘former rain' which fell is October at seed-time, and the 'latter rain' which fell in March-April to cause the grain to mature and ripen. He speaks of both rains occurring in Israel together at the same time in the Millennium during the first month (Nisan). This is bountiful harvest. God will pour out His provisions on their crops, thereby giving Israel abundance and restoring material blessings to their nation which will prove that He is with them again, and that their shame has been removed. This rain is physical rain needed to restore wheat, wine, and oil. It is not a spiritual rain of any kind. From all these things which are written, we understand that Israel has promises of both spiritual outpouring and material blessings in the days to come.
The coming revival spoken of by Joel is directed towards Israel, the Jewish people. Even Apostle Peter who partly quoted Joel's prophecy in Acts 2:17-21 declared plainly in Acts 2:22 that he was speaking to Israel and not gentiles. His prophecy concerned Israel. He was speaking to Jews who have come to Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost. There was no Gentile among them, for Cornelius was the first Gentile to hear the gospel and it was about 8 years after Pentecost. The promise was for the Jews only. So then, when does the prophecy of Joel get fulfilled? Was it already fulfilled on the day of Pentecost? The answer is partly yes, for Apostle Peter declared in Acts 2:16 that the spirit outpouring on Pentecost is that which was spoken by Joel. A careful look at Joel's prophecy in Joel 2:28-32 and what occurred in Acts 2 shows that Joel's prophecy was not fulfilled in a completely literal sense in Acts 2 during Pentecost. Apostle Peter quoted Joel declaring that the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall be turned to blood, and that blood, fire, and vapors of smoke shall appear in the heavens before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. We already know that all these things did not happen at Pentecost and all has not occurred as prophesied even to this day, so this part of the prophecy clearly refers to a specific time and a future event far after Pentecost.
So then, when will these things take place? When is this promised outpouring of the spirit upon Israel? Concerning this, we shall write to you in our next letter. Yet still, we must also acknowledge that in these last days the Lord is indeed blessing many of His saints with prophetic visions and dreams, and outpourings of the Holy Spirit in different measures for the edification of His church, His body. Though in these things we rejoice, these visions and dreams and outpourings have nothing to do with Joel's prophecy. They are not a fulfillment of Joel's prophecy in any form. They are gifts from the Lord which He freely gives to His body and those He has chosen for His own purpose in these last days. This will continue until the day of Christ when the church shall be caught up into heaven to be with the Lord forever. As these outpourings continue within the church till the catching away, so also will evil continue to increase in the world. This shall be so that all the words spoken by the holy prophets might be fulfilled. For judgment shall come to the earth and a time of great trial shall come upon the whole world to try them that dwell on the earth. Many false prophets shall arise and shall deceive many and as the Lord hath said: because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. Nevertheless, he that shall endure to the end shall be saved. But before all these things, the Lord shall come for His own people, a people called out for His name. They shall be taken out of the world that they may not partake of the coming evil which shall come upon the whole earth. These are those that keep the commandments of God and faith in Jesus Christ. They have a heavenly calling, for though they are in the world, they are not of the world. They belong to the Holy city, the New Jerusalem in heaven, the city of God, a city of pure gold, like clear glass wherein lies the mansions which the Lord has prepared for them that love Him and keep His commandments. What then in the whole heaven and earth can compare to this place? The very place where God the Father Himself lives and abides forever? What thing can compare to the great riches and unfathomable glory of God's own house, the house God built, which things have not entered into the hearts of men? Assuredly we say unto you: N-O-T-H-I-N-G! Peace be to you all. Maranatha.
