The Extent of Prophecy in the Church

(Essay #6 – God’s Prophetic Spirit)

KINDLE VERSION

In the essays preceding this one, we have seen that in every Old Testament text in which the Holy Spirit is producing an identifiable work in man that work has been one relating to prophecy. From the Holy Spirit’s presence in Joseph allowing him to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams (Genesis 41:38) through the rest of the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit’s power gave man the ability to participate in God’s work of revealing Himself and His will. We have also seen that the underlying promise of the Holy Spirit’s work in the New Testament is found in Joel 2:28-32. In studying this passage we have noted that the promised work of the Spirit is to equip men to “prophesy, dream dreams, and see visions.” In other words the fulfillment of Joel’s promise in the New Testament would produce the same work that introduced His work with man in the life of Joseph and continued to characterize His work for the rest of God’s revelation through the Old Testament.

This realization should bring a question immediately to mind: “What makes Joel’s prophecy unique?” In the days that Joel gave those words to the people of God, they were in need of hope. The threat of invading armies chewing through the nation like a sky-blackening locust plague also obscured God’s love and protection from His people:

Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people; their like has never been before, nor will be again after them through the years of all generations. (Joel 2:1-2)[1]

Part of the hope that God extends to His people is that after the judgments ceased and they have returned their hearts to Him, His kindness would return to them and they would have blessings to such to a degree that they would never be put to shame again:

The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame. (Joel 2:24-27)

In that time, God would pour out His Spirit on His people to a much greater degree. The Spirit’s presence would cause their sons and daughters to prophesy, their old men to dream dreams, and their young men to see visions (Joel 2:28). This grouping of blessings from the Spirit was nothing unique. As an Israelite considered the presence of the Holy Spirit among God’s people, his expectation would be that His presence would produce prophecy, dreams, and visions. It is not the nature of the Holy Spirit’s blessings that would make the Spirit’s work unique in the fulfillment of Joel’s promise. Rather, its unique quality would be found in the extent of the blessings.

Our tendency in reading through Joel’s words is to emphasize the prophetic terms contained within them. However, to do so is to miss the point. The words that need our attention come before the mention of prophecy, dreams, and visions and are repeated afterwards as well. What makes Joel’s prophecy so amazing is that the promised prophetic abilities are guaranteed to “all flesh.” [2] It is this “all flesh” statement that is defined with great specificity in the words that follow in verse 28: “your sons . . . your daughters . . . your old men . . . and your young men.” They are again emphasized in verse 29: “Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.” Joel’s prophecy of prophetic works of the Holy Spirit among God’s people was not new in its actions. Prophecy, dreams, and visions from God had always been a part of their culture. However, the idea that all of God’s people, even down to the lowliest of servants, would be people of prophetic power was a new revelation among the Israelites.

The Limited Prophetic Powers in the Old Testament

The case that the Holy Spirit provided prophetic powers in the Old Testament has been well established in the essays preceding this one. The doctrine is well summarized by Peter’s words: “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). What needs to be addressed at this point is that while the Holy Spirit was working to give prophecy in the Old Testament that work was limited to just a few people throughout the Old Testament. There are a number of indications of the limited number of prophets in the Old Testament.

Abraham

During Abraham’s journey in Canaan he dwelt for a time in the kingdom of Abimelech. In that time the king unwittingly took Abraham’s wife, Sarah, into his harem. Because Abimelech’s mistake was innocent in its nature God provided him an opportunity to correct it. God’s words about Abraham in that moment describe His companion like this: “Now then, return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours” (Genesis 20:7). Abraham had a special place before God and carried a special title: prophet. Abimelech and his men were “very much afraid” that they had committed such an offense to have sinned against a prophet (Genesis 20:8-9). The exaltation of a true prophet by a king shows their rarity and the honor in which they were held.

Joseph (Genesis 41)

Pharaoh’s question in response to Joseph’s ability to interpret dreams is important: “And Pharaoh said to his servants, ‘Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?’”(Genesis 41:38).  His statement is rhetorical in nature. Of course the question is meant to emphasize that no one in all of Egypt had powers like Joseph was able demonstrate. According to Pharaoh, in all of the people of the most powerful nation in the world at the time, the Holy Spirit’s work was present in only one person.

Moses (Numbers 11)

As the young nation of Israel left Egypt, it did so under the direction of their greatest prophet of the Old Testament. His prophetic leadership served as the prototype of the ministry of the Messiah to follow:

The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ And the LORD said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. (Deuteronomy 18:15-18)

Yet, what many may not appreciate was that in his time, he was not only Israel’s greatest prophet, but also its only prophet.[3]

In Numbers 11 the solitary nature of the role of leadership possessed by Moses shows its impact upon him. The nation’s predilection for complaining displayed itself again over food that was available to them in the wilderness. In response Moses makes this plea to God: “I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me” (v. 14). God’s reply to Moses’ cry for help makes a clear statement of the scarcity of prophecy among Israel at that time:

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone. (Numbers 11:16-17)

God’s answer was that 70 men would have a portion of the Spirit that rested upon Moses. In other words, after this event was over, 71 men in Israel out of the 600,000 men present (v. 21) would have the prophetic insight needed to make judgments on God’s behalf in Israel.

In the verses that follow, Moses follows the commands of God. Seventy men are selected. Sixty-eight of them gather at the tabernacle and “the Spirit rested upon them” and when he did “they prophesied” (v. 26). However, two men (Eldad and Medad) for some unknown reason did not attend the ceremony and remained in the camp among the people. Yet, when the Spirit came upon the 70, their absence from the group did not prevent the Spirit from empowering them and so they also prophesied among the people (v. 26). Joshua’s response to this shows how unexpected it was for there to be prophets among the camp:

And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.” But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD’s people were prophets, that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!” (Numbers 11:27-29)

Joshua was incredulous that prophecy would be taking place beyond the direct oversight of Moses and pleads with his leader to make the offense cease. However, Moses has a different understanding of the events. He knew the prophetic burden that he was bearing and had petitioned God for help. Surely, he was grateful for the help of 70 divinely-gifted prophets; furthermore, in his mind having the whole nation empowered as God’s prophets would be even more wondrous: “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them” (v. 29).

Little did Moses know, but his words were God’s intentions. As we have seen from Joel there was a day coming when all the sons and daughters, all the young and old, and even all the servants of God’s people would have God’s Spirit put on them.

Joshua (Deuteronomy 34)

Moses’ tenure as the leader of God’s people ended just as they were preparing to enter the Promised Land. In his place, God selected Joshua to lead His people. Part of that process was to make sure that Joshua was equipped to lead Israel. Deuteronomy 34:9 tells how that took place: “And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.” It should be noted that until this transition, even someone as close to Moses as was Joshua was not a part of the prophetically empowered people in Israel. Additionally, once that power was in Joshua it was a clear sign of his right to follow Moses in the leadership of Israel.

The Judges (Judges)

At least seven times in the book of Judges, God’s Spirit is said to come upon a person.[4] In each of those instances the Spirit’s presence empowers one of the judges to accomplish some portion of the mission of deliverance on which God has called him. This distribution of God’s power in the time of the judges appears to be limited to the judges – a total of 15 individuals in all of Israel.

The Kings and Prophets

Even after Israel is established in the Promised Land and kings begin to rule over the people, the same pattern of distribution of prophetic gifts is seen. Their faithful kings are given God’s Spirit to help them rule over the people.[5] Further when they sinned, the sign that God’s endorsement of their kingship over Israel had ended was that the Spirit’s presence would depart from them.[6]

Among the people there existed a clear distinction between the few people identified as prophets and the rest of the people. An instance of unexpected prophecy in the life of Saul shows the people’s understanding of this separation of the prophets from the people. As Saul is pursuing David, God causes Saul to prophesy, which allows David to escape. As the people witness this unusual happening they say,

And he went there to Naioth in Ramah. And the Spirit of God came upon him also, and as he went he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. And he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay naked all that day and all that night. Thus it is said, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” (1 Samuel 19:23-24)

Even as far down as the time of Amos, this distinction remained. Amos said the following about his prophetic ministry:

Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I was no prophet, nor a prophet’s son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. But the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ (Amos 7:14-15)

Before God’s specific call came to Amos he was not numbered among the class of people known as prophets and it appears that neither was any other member of his family.

From the beginning of the Creation through all the time leading up to the preaching of the Gospel, the presence of prophetic gifts was a limited experience. The words of the book of Hebrews provide a clear summary of those days: “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets” (1:1).[7] God did not speak directly to all people. He spoke to the people through prophets. While that prophetic presence was persistent, it was also very rare in terms of the actual number of people empowered to experience it.

Unlimited Prophetic Powers in the New Testament

The assertion of this essay is that the unique trait of Joel’s prophecy is not in the nature of the Holy Spirit’s work, but in the expansive distribution of that power in the church. Whereas in the Old Testament prophetic powers were given only to a select few, in the early church Joel’s prophecy promises that all people would have access to those abilities. For that understanding of Joel’s prophecy to be true, substantial evidence must exist in the New Testament that access to the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit was the normative experience of those early saints. The remainder of this essay will attempt to show that evidence does exist in the New Testament.

The Apostolic Prerogative: Distribution of the Miraculous Gifts

It has been established in these essays that the only method available to the early church to distribute the miraculous gifts was through an apostle laying his hands on other Christians. If then it is to be argued that the miraculous gifts were widely distributed among the saints to the point of a universal exposure to the saints, it must also be shown that the distribution of those gifts was a focal point of the apostolic ministry. Does the text support that claim?

In the book of Acts, from the first preaching of the gospel onward, the apostles were very much focused on ensuring that the Holy Spirit was given to each Christian. Peter’s statement in Acts 2:38 was that every baptized believer would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. His follow-up comment on the reality of that promise was that the Holy Spirit had been given to all who obeyed (Acts 5:32). Because many people fail to understand the connection among Joel’s prophecy, Acts 2:38, and Acts 5:32, they read through the clear statement that all of the early disciples had received the “visions, dreams, and prophecy” just as Joel had promised.[8] Recognizing, however, that many hold that only after Acts 6:6 did the early Christians beyond the apostles have access to the spiritual gifts of prophecy, for argument’s sake, let us seek our evidence of the needed apostolic focus on the distribution of the gifts beyond that point in Acts 6.

All the Saints in Samaria were “Gifted.”

The first description of the spread of the gospel beyond Jerusalem is recorded in Acts 8. As persecution grew in Jerusalem the early Christians began to spread out among the world and they carried the gospel with them as they went (Acts 8:4). Phillip took the gospel into the villages of the Samaritans and was successful in converting a number of people (Acts 8:12). The gospel’s success in Samaria was reported back to the apostles in Jerusalem and evoked the following response:

Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money (Acts 8:14-18).

Upon hearing of the conversion of new Christians, what was the immediate response of the apostles? They dispatched two of their number to go to Samaria that “they might receive the Holy Spirit.” This “receiving” of the Holy Spirit was accomplished through the laying of the apostles’ hands and resulted in some evidence that Simon was able to see (v. 18). The fact that the Samaritans’ reception of the Spirit was confirmed through visible evidence demands that their reception of the Holy Spirit refers to their prophetic empowerment by Him. If the Spirit’s falling on them or their receiving Him was only a personal and internal event, there would have been no visible manifestation for Simon to witness. It is clear then that the reception of the Spirit in question could only be the prophetic gifts promised by Joel. The consequence is that we learn that the apostles were immediately concerned that this new Christian community would have the same gifts that were present in the church at Jerusalem.

The question is: “On whom did Peter and John lay their hands?” The answer the text provides is on “them” (v. 17). The “them” is those in Samaria that “had received the word of God” (v. 14). The “them” is the whole church in Samaria. Notice that Simon’s sin is not seeking to have prophetic powers, but in wanting the power to distribute those powers: “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit” (v. 19). The “also” power he wants goes beyond prophetic ability. He had no reason to ask for that ability, because as one who had received the word (v. 13), he was among the “them” on whom Peter and John had laid their hands (v. 17). His request went beyond what had been promised to “all flesh” and asked for that which had only been granted to the apostles. What the text then shows is that as Peter and John finished their work in Samaria the number of Christians with prophetic abilities equaled the number of Christians in the new church in Samaria – just as Joel prophesied.

All the Saints in Cornelius’ House were “Gifted”

As one moves forward in the ministry of Peter, he sees this same pattern repeated. Peter’s appearance in the house of the first Gentile convert adds further evidence to the case of the wide distribution of prophetic powers. Notice the extent of the Holy Spirit’s presence in the household of Cornelius at the onset of Peter’s sermon:

While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” (Acts 10:44-47)

As Peter begins his sermon the Holy Spirit falls not just on Cornelius, but also on “all who heard the word” and they received the poured out “gift of the Holy Spirit.” The result of that is they began to prophesy, speaking in tongues. Again, the extent of the Spirit’s work is exactly as Joel promised – “all flesh.” After the members of Cornelius’ household had been baptized (v. 48) the number of Gentile-Christians who possessed the prophetic empowerment of the Holy Spirit equaled the number of Gentiles who were Christians – just as Joel prophesied.

All the Saints in Ephesus were “Gifted”

This same focus is present in the work of Paul. When he entered the city of Ephesus he found twelve disciples. His first recorded question to them was “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” (Acts 19:2). This obviously implies the possibility that they had not “received the Holy Spirit” at the point of their conversion.[9] His question is intended to find out if these disciples were in the same condition as the disciples in Samaria prior to the arrival of Peter and John: “For he [the Holy Spirit – jj] had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 8:16).[10] When those disciples expressed that they had no understanding of the Holy Spirit, Paul immediately questioned their baptism and upon finding out they had not yet been instructed fully in the gospel, he corrected their understanding and baptized them properly in the name of the Lord (Acts 19:3-5). Paul’s actions after their baptism are important: “And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. There were about twelve men in all” (Acts 19:5-6). In this encounter Paul preached the gospel to about twelve men and after their conversion he laid his hands on all of them. At that point, the church in Ephesus had twelve members in all and every one of them was a prophet – just as Joel had prophesied.

All the Saints in Rome were “Gifted”

Certainly as the church grew and spread among the nations, it would have become more difficult for twelve men (eleven after the death of James) to keep pace with that expansion. Further as “gifted” saints moved around from city to city, one would have encountered churches which possessed a mixture of both “gifted” and “non-gifted” saints. When Paul writes his letter to the church in Rome this appears to be the case in that church. He makes reference to the fact that some in the church had been given a distribution of the faith in prophecy and other gifts and exhorts them to make good use of them:

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12:6-8)

Yet, we also know that some in the church at Rome were still in need of receiving those gifts. One of the reasons Paul was desirous of travelling to Rome was to ensure that the church in Rome had full access to those gifts: “For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you” (1:11).

It is tempting to read those comments without connecting them to the other evidence presented in this essay. The apostles’ first desire for the church in Samaria was to ensure they had the gifts. Paul’s first question, to what he believed was a new church in Ephesus, was about whether or not they had those gifts. In Romans, his desire for the first recorded apostolic visit to Rome is precisely the same: to impart the spiritual gifts to the church. His focus for the church at Rome is what we have seen elsewhere and that is to make sure that the number of gifted Christians in Rome equaled the number of Christians Paul found there – just as Joel had prophesied.

The Apostolic Impact: “All” Saints had Miraculous Gifts

Were the apostles successful in their mission to keep pace with the growing number of converts? Obviously, on an individual basis there would be a delay in receiving the gifts anytime a person obeyed the gospel outside the instruction or presence of an apostle. Even in the case of the Samaritans in Acts 8 that was true. Once the gospel left Jerusalem there would always be pockets of saints with limited access to the miraculous gifts. However, does the text of the New Testament indicate that the apostles’ focus on distributing the gifts to as many people as possible was able to maintain its pacing in relation to the growth of Christianity as a whole? Was it possible for twelve men to distribute the gifts widely enough for it to be considered the normative state that Christians were people who had prophetic abilities?

There are a surprising number of verses that indicate that the apostles were very successful in their efforts. Consider a sampling of the verses in the New Testament that state that “each,” “every,” or “all” of the saints had received access to the Spirit’s prophetic powers:[11]

1. And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” (Acts 2:38-39)
2. And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. . . . And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. (Acts 4:31-33)
3. While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. (Acts 10:44)
4. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. There were about twelve men in all. (Acts 19:6-7)
5. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. (Romans 8:14)
6. I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you—so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:4-7)
7. Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. (1 Corinthians 8:1)
8. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:7)
9. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. (1 Corinthians 12:11)
10. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:13)
11. But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. (1 Corinthians 12:18)
12. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? (1 Corinthians 12:29-30)
13. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up. (1 Corinthians 14:5)
14. I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. (1 Corinthians 14:18)
15. If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? (1 Corinthians 14:23)
16. What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. (1 Corinthians 14:26-28)
17. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. (1 Corinthians 14:31-32)
18. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. (Ephesians 4:7)
19. From whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:16)
20. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:10-11)

The language which permeates the New Testament is that “each,” “every,” and “all” the saints had access to the miraculous powers. Surely, no member of the church in Jerusalem or Ephesus or Corinth would have been shocked to see another member of their congregation begin to prophesy. None would have asked in amazement, “Is _________ also among the prophets?”

Conclusion

Joel had promised that in the time of the gospel’s beginning “all flesh” would prophesy, dream dreams, and see visions. It should not surprise us then that is exactly what God caused to happen. The first century church existed in an environment in which not only did a great man like Phillip have prophetic powers, but all four of his believing daughters did as well: “On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied” (Acts 21:8-9) – just as Joel prophesied.

[1] All scripture quotations taken from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise noted.

[2] It is the contention of many that the phrase “all flesh” is a reference to the Gentiles also receiving the Holy Spirit. It is true that the promise of Joel 2 does include the Gentiles as is stated in Acts 2:39. Yet, the phrase “all flesh” does not intrinsically mean “Jew and Gentile.” It appears over 40 times in the Bible and is used in a variety of ways, even several times including animal life (Genesis 6:17, 19; 7:15, 16, 21; 9:11; Numbers 18:15). In Joel 2 it seems the specific meaning of “all flesh” is explained. In the words following the specific groups of people listed are children, the elderly, the youth, and even the servants. Each of those is said to belong to “your.” The “your” of Joel 2 is speaking of the people of God – the nation of Israel. Joel’s promise is that all groups of God’s people would become prophets. In Acts 1-2 when Joel’s prophecy is fulfilled, it is fulfilled without the inclusion of the Gentiles because they are not specifically mentioned within it. However, when the Gentiles do become “the people of God” the benefit of this promise was extended to them as well (Acts 11:15-18).

[3] Moses’ siblings could be counted as exceptions to this statement. God stated that He would use Aaron as a spokesman for Moses (Exodus 4:14-16). Specifically, He states that “I will help both of you speak, and I will teach both of you what to do” (v. 15). That strongly suggests that Aaron did speak under the direct influence of God. While the Holy Spirit is not specifically mentioned, the teaching of the whole of scripture would suggest that the Holy Spirit would have been the member of the Godhead to carry out that function. However, it should be noted that Aaron is referred to as Moses’ prophet, not the Lord’s (Exodus 7:1). Miriam is explicitly called a “prophet” when she led the chorus of Israel’s women in her celebratory song at the crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 15:20). There is no indication that this prophetic role of Miriam was an enduring state of her role in Israel. In fact, God drew a clear distinction between Moses and his siblings (Numbers 12:1-16).

[4] Judges 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 13:25; 14:6; 14:19; 15:14

[5] Saul (1 Samuel 10:6-10); David (1 Samuel 16:13-14)

[6] Saul (1 Samuel 16:13-14); David (Psalm 51:11).

[7] The view held by many that God spoke individually to the father of each family prior to the institution of the Law of Moses has sparse textual support. The Hebrews’ writer states that God spoke to the fathers by the prophets indicates that divine communication has always come through recognized prophets. Even in this “Patriarchal Age,” there were clearly recognized prophets such as Enoch (Jude 14), Noah (2 Peter 2:5), Abraham (Genesis 20:7), and Joseph (Genesis 41:38). Establishing that there were widespread divinely-given visions/encounters is, at best, a difficult expositional challenge.

[8] The reader is encouraged to read Essay #12: “The Work of the Holy Spirit in Acts” for comments establishing that Acts 2:38 and 5:32 are indeed statements of specific fulfillment of Joel 2.

[9] As Paul had not yet been introduced to the modern “Faith-only” doctrine, his question would not have sought to place a division between belief and baptism. To him, all believers had been baptized as is evidenced in his follow-up question in verse 3: “Into what then were you baptized?”

[10] That Paul’s question is the first recorded action in his interaction with these disciples illustrates the importance of the distribution of the gifts in the apostolic mission. As soon as Paul was introduced to disciples his response was to offer the prophetic empowerment of the Spirit to them. His actions here are in harmony with that which was just noted in Acts 8 and Samaria. The passing on of the spiritual gifts was not an occasional or incidental function of the apostles. Insuring that “all flesh” in the church experienced the fulfillment of Joel’s promise was a critical element in their mission.

[11] It should be remembered that this work is using the word “prophetic” in a generic sense. The Introduction to this series of essays (Volume #1) contains an explanation of that approach.