The Holy Spirit Gives Prophecy, Dreams, and Visions

(Essay #5 – God’s Prophetic Spirit)

kindle version

Understanding the work of the Holy Spirit described in the New Testament cannot be accomplished without understanding its roots in the Old Testament. The central Old Testament promise of the Spirit’s work in the New Testament is found in Joel 2:28-32. The work of the Holy Spirit was present at and responsible for the preaching of the first gospel sermon after the ascension of Jesus (Acts 1-2). In that sermon, Peter appealed to Joel’s prophecy to explain the events on that historic day of Pentecost and as evidence of the message of salvation being preached in the name of Jesus (Acts 2:16-21). Joel’s prophecy then stands as the first Old Testament prophecy used by God to justify the gospel of Jesus Christ to His saints of Old Testament heritage.

However, a more telling indication highlighting the far-reaching importance of Joel 2 is that not only was Joel’s prophecy the first Old Testament prophecy used by the apostles in defense of the Holy Spirit’s work, but it is also the only Old Testament prophecy ever appealed to from Acts 2 to the end of the Bible to explain the Spirit’s work. Whatever God meant for the Old Testament to say about what His Spirit would do for Christians, Joel 2:28-32 must have said it all.

Joel’s singular place in promising the work of the Holy Spirit makes understanding the particular work promised and the limits placed upon that work within Joel’s prophecy a critical task for all students of the Holy Spirit. Once Joel 2 is quoted and stated to be fulfilled by the events of the Pentecost of Acts 2, God never again uses the Old Testament in explanation of the work of the Spirit. What that means is either Joel’s word is final and it is sufficient to explain the whole of the Spirit’s work in the New Testament or the Holy Spirit’s non-prophetic work among Christians was never mentioned in Old Testament prophecy.

In other words, if the Spirit’s work in Acts 4 or Acts 5 is explained by the events of Acts 2, it is therefore explained by and contained within the limits of Joel 2. That reasoning will follow throughout the rest of the New Testament. If the “promised Spirit” in Ephesians 1:13 and Galatians 3:14 is explained by the promise of the Spirit in Acts 2, then it is also based on the promise contained in Joel 2.

However, if one holds that the work of the Holy Spirit after Acts 2 is different from and/or additional to the scope of Joel 2, he must be prepared to explain the basis of that thought. Many hold that the “promised Spirit” referenced above has no connection to Joel 2. If that is the case, textual basis must be provided for the promise wherein the Holy Spirit was promised. Acts 2 makes clear the “promise of the Holy Spirit” and the “promise of the Father” was fulfilled by the completion of Joel 2.[1] Can anyone provide a book, chapter, and verse indication as to another “promise of the Holy Spirit” to which Paul could have been referring in Ephesians 1:13 and Galatians 3:14?

The New Testament’s lack of reference to other specific Old Testament prophecies about the Holy Spirit should be of great concern for those seeking to explain the Spirit’s work without a reference to Joel 2. Essentially, they must create a doctrine about the Holy Spirit’s work from a collection of New Testament verses and do so in a way which does not refer back to Acts 2 or Joel 2. Interpreting Acts 3 – Acts 28 without connecting their references to Acts 2 is flawed hermeneutically and practically.

If Acts 3 – Acts 28 is interpreted in light of Acts 2, why would the epistles written to the churches whose planting was described in Acts not also contain the same doctrine about the Holy Spirit prophesied about in Joel 2, begun  in Acts 2, and continued through Acts 3-28?

The formulation of a coherent doctrine about the work of the Holy Spirit must include His work in the Old Testament, the promise of His coming in prophecy, His work in the ministry of Christ, His presence on the day of Pentecost, and the New Testament’s description of His work in the early church. Yet, most views of the Holy Spirit held today separate Joel 2 from the Old Testament and/or isolate the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy from the teachings of the New Testament.[2] In so doing, a division is created between the biblical prophecy and biblical fulfillment. It is in this unnecessary gap that resides much of the confusion, ambiguity, and mysticism present in people’s understandings about the Holy Spirit.

The goal of this essay is to highlight the scope of Joel’s promise about the nature of the Holy Spirit’s work in the New Testament.  What we will find is that Joel’s prophecy referenced only that the Holy Spirit would be the means by which the truth was revealed to man and by which man was inspired to communicate the truth to others.

Fulfillment Cannot Go Beyond the Promise

Before moving on to the specifics of Joel’s prophecy, a principle about the fulfillment of prophecy needs to be clear in our minds: Fulfillment of a prophecy is completed in the details, not the scope.

A simple example will help to make this thought clear. Imagine that you are a parent and your children ask you for a drink. At that moment you have no drink to provide. However, you know that your spouse is soon to return from the store and so you make your children a promise their parent will soon return with drinks for each child. What you have done is to make them a promise about an event certain to happen in their future. That is what a prophecy is. Your prophecy is that they will have drinks soon.  Your statement contains nothing else or more than the promise of a drink. You did not specify the exact time the drinks would appear, what kind of drinks they would be, or that the children would receive anything other than drinks. So when your spouse does return with a supply of orange juice in hand your prophecy has been fulfilled. The children now know more detail about the promise. They know the time of their drinks coming and they know the nature of the drink.

From our hypothetical scenario, we can see much about the nature of prophetic words. If your spouse had returned with drinks and a snack, would the snack now be included in the scope of your promise? To answer that question with a question, consider: If your spouse had returned with a snack of apples, but nothing to drink, would your promise (prophecy) have been fulfilled?  No, until the children each have a drink, your promise is not yet kept. No amount of fruit or anything other than a drink can meet the requirements of your promise. Further, your promise could be kept by any drink. Your spouse could have brought home bottled water, soda, or milk. All of those would have fulfilled your promise even if the children would have preferred another drink.

Fulfilled prophecy fills in the details of a promise. The fulfillment of a prophecy cannot change the scope or the nature of the original promise. You promised drinks and only drinks can fulfill the promise. God’s promises work in the same manner. God promised the Messiah would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). The New Testament gives her name as Mary (Matthew 1:18ff). It fills in the details of the prophecy. Knowing that He was born in Bethlehem is irrelevant to the prophecy of the Virgin Birth. It is included in another prophecy (Micah 5:1-2), but that simply makes the point that it takes another prophecy from God to make Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem essential. Just as no house can be built beyond the limit of its foundation, no prophecy can claim fulfillment outside the scope of its words. And no interpreter of the Bible can expand the scope of a prophecy to include a doctrine never envisioned by God or included in the words of his prophet.

The significance of this is that once we know the scope of a prophecy, we know what every verse that speaks of its fulfillment is discussing. In the case of Joel’s prophecy, we will see that his prophecy only speaks that the Spirit’s outpouring would provide prophecy. We will find no other work of the Holy Spirit mentioned or alluded to in Joel’s words. From that we will know that only a direct or miraculous work of the Holy Spirit can be used as the fulfillment of Joel’s words and we will also know that every verse which is founded on Joel’s prophecy is a verse which is speaking only of the direct operation of the Holy Spirit with man.

If you understand this simple truth about prophecy (and Joel’s prophecy in particular) and can rightly identify the verses in the New Testament which are based on Joel’s promise, you will have gone a long way in coming to a sure understanding of the Holy Spirit’s work with Christians.

Joel’s Promise – “Prophecy, Dreams, and Visions”

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls. (Joel 2:28-32)[3]

Joel’s words tell us at least four major features about the Spirit’s work in the New Testament:

• The beginning of the Spirit’s work[4]
• The duration of the Spirit’s work[5]
• The people of the Spirit’s work[6]
• The nature of the Spirit’s work

This essay will focus on the fourth of those items. The key section of Joel’s prophecy in which his promise highlights the nature of the work of the Holy Spirit is verse 28. In that section, he states: “. . . your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams and your young men shall see visions.” The Spirit’s interaction with the individuals listed in that verse produces three related results: prophecy, dreams, and visions.

The scope of Joel’s prophecy is quite narrow in its focus.  Joel says nothing about communion or fellowship with the Holy Spirit. He says nothing about the Holy Spirit’s involvement in the salvation of the lost or the sanctification of God’s people. All three of the activities that men are promised to accomplish because of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit are actions related to the revelation of God’s word. In both covenants, God inspired men and women to speak by His inspired direction (2 Peter 1:21). That inspired speech is called prophecy. Both the Old and New Testaments speak of God’s revealing Himself to man through dreams and visions.[7] Joel’s prophecy does not extend beyond this work of the Holy Spirit.

Joel’s Promise – An Outpoured Spirit

Prophecy, dreams, and visions describe the effects of the coming of God’s Spirit in fulfillment of Joel’s promise. However, the manner of the coming of the Holy Spirit is also discussed. Twice in his prophecy Joel says that the Holy Spirit would be poured out from God: “. . . I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh . . . Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit” (vs. 28-29). Joel’s promise is of an outpoured Spirit.

What does it mean for God to pour out His Spirit? The language of outpouring is not unique to Joel 2 and Acts 2. Joel’s prophecy is not speaking of some new work of the Holy Spirit. As we have seen both before and after Joel 2, God empowered men to prophesy, dream dreams, and see visions. Joel offers no new powers of the Holy Spirit to men.[8]

In the same way, the language of outpouring is found in a number of other references in scripture. The Spirit of God is said to be poured out on men at least nine times in both the Old and New Testaments. In each occurrence, it is a statement of the coming of God’s blessings upon men. Every time those blessings are specifically enumerated they are tied directly to the revelatory work of God with man – just as in Joel 2.

Consider the use of this language in the rest of the Bible. Below are the references outside of Joel 2 and Acts 2 which speak of the outpouring of the Spirit or a spirit from God:

Proverbs 1:23 (Spirit of Wisdom)

If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.

The case can be made (perhaps rightly so) that Solomon is not speaking of the Holy Spirit in this verse. In verse 20, it is “wisdom” that is said to be crying “aloud in the streets.” The “spirit” referenced here is then specifically the spirit of wisdom. However, this verse does give a great insight into what the Bible means when one’s spirit is poured out. The connection is strong and clear: “I will pour out my spirit . . . I will make my words known . . .” The pouring out of one’s spirit is equated to making one’s words known. The first reference in the Bible to the action of outpouring is tied directly to revelation.

Isaiah 29:10 (False Spirit)

For the LORD has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes (the prophets), and covered your heads (the seers).

In Isaiah’s day false prophets were greatly damaging God’s people. Part of the punishment that God would send on the people was directed at those false prophets. That punishment would be the pouring out, not of the Holy Spirit which every true prophet would need, but of a spirit of deep sleep that would close their eyes and cover their heads so that they could no longer speak against God’s will. The verses that follow make the connection between “outpouring” and “revelation” unbreakable:

And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” And when they give the book to one who cannot read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot read.” (vs. 11-12)

The effect of God’s outpouring action would be to make the open book sealed and the readable unreadable. The outpoured “spirit of deep sleep” would close up revelation just as the outpoured Holy Spirit opens revelation to man.

Isaiah 32:15

Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is deemed a forest.

The pouring out of the Spirit is a promise to multiply the bounty of Israel’s fields. Good would become better and better would become best. However, the fullness of the blessing intended here can be seen by looking at the broader context of Isaiah 32. His prophecy envisions a time when a “king will reign in righteousness” (v. 1). However in verses 2-4, notice the effect of this period of blessing upon the people:

Each will be like a hiding place from the wind, a shelter from the storm, like streams of water in a dry place, like the shade of a great rock in a weary land. Then the eyes of those who see will not be closed, and the ears of those who hear will give attention. The heart of the hasty will understand and know, and the tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak distinctly.

The promise is of eyes that see more clearly, ears that hear more sharply, hearts that understand more fully, and tongues that speak more clearly. This prophecy is speaking of a time of clear and knowable revelation.

Isaiah 44:3

For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.

 Isaiah’s prophecy is focused on the coming of new blessings on the house of Jacob (vs. 1-2); the specific blessing that comes from the pouring out of the Spirit on the descendants of Jacob. However, the first action taken by these descendants is one of a proclamation of their relationship with God: “This one will say, ‘I am the LORD’s,’ another will call on the name of Jacob, and another will write on his hand, ‘The LORD’s,’ and name himself by the name of Israel” (Isaiah 44:5).

The coming of the Spirit on God’s people leads to a proclamation of God’s presence with them. The nature of the outpouring is revelatory in its function.

Ezekiel 39:29

“And I will not hide my face anymore from them, when I pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel,” declares the Lord GOD.

 Much like Isaiah’s prophecies above, Ezekiel 39 speaks of a time of the restoration of God’s blessings to Israel (Ezekiel 39:25). In this time Israel would know, when His Spirit was poured out upon them, that the Lord was their God and His face would no longer be hidden from them. While the specific manner of the giving of that knowledge is not contained in this prophecy, the connection is the same as we have seen in the other references. The pouring out of God’s Spirit gives some revelation of God to man.

Acts 10:45

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.

 Beyond Acts 2:33 the Bible speaks of the outpoured Spirit one last time. In the record of Peter’s visit to the house of Cornelius the members of his house had the “gift of the Holy Spirit” poured out on them. What is telling is how Peter and his Jewish companions observed that the pouring out had happened: “For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God . . .” (v. 46). Just as in Acts 2, the evidence that the Holy Spirit had been poured out was the presence of tongue speaking.

In every verse which speaks of God’s pouring out of the Holy Spirit that action is tied to revelation. The use of language is clear and expected. The pouring out of the Spirit of God is an action akin to the pouring out of one’s soul or heart: “But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the LORD” (1 Samuel 1:15). One’s soul or spirit knows what is in one’s mind. This even applies to God: “For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:11). When we pour out our hearts to one another we share our thoughts and inner feelings. Even when applied to God, scripture’s use of the imagery is no different.

When God promises to pour out His Spirit, He promises to give man exactly what Joel said man would have: prophecy, dreams, and visions directly from the mind of God. So then whether we look at the source of the blessings in Joel’s prophecy (the outpouring) or we look at the result of the promise in Joel’s prophecy (prophecy, dreams, and vision) the scope of Joel’s promise is the same. The promise of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament is that the Holy Spirit would empower men and women to proclaim the truth by inspiration.

Joel 2 in the New Testament

So far we have established two things about Joel’s prophecy. First, it is the only Old Testament prophecy directly used in the New Testament to explain the Holy Spirit’s work in the Christian. Second, its scope is strictly limited to the revelatory work of the Holy Spirit. The power of those two conclusions is seen in our approach to verses which speak of the Spirit’s work in the gospel.

Approaching the issue from one side we know that any verse in the New Testament about the Holy Spirit which we know to be based on the prophecy of Joel 2 is about the Spirit’s direct work of revealing the truth to man. For example, the clearest statement of a connection between Joel 2 and any New Testament passage is Acts 2. Peter’s statement that the Holy Spirit’s outpouring was “what was uttered through the prophet” can leave no doubt about that connection. What we know then is that the Spirit in Acts 2 is involved in that act of revealing truth to man. His specific action, to cause the apostles to speak in tongues (Acts 2:4), is the means by which the “prophecy, dreams, and visions” of Joel 2 occurred. The textual connection between Acts 2 and Joel 2 assures us of that.

However we can also approach the issue from the other side. Since the only Old Testament prophecy mentioned in the New Testament of the direct operation of the Holy Spirit in the Christian is Joel 2, we know that every passage which speaks of that direct operation must be able to be explained by Joel 2. No other possible textual basis exists from prophecy. For example, we know from Acts 2 that tongue-speaking was a means through which the Spirit’s revelation came to man. Tongue-speaking is therefore included in Joel 2. What that passage tells us is that tongue-speaking is one of the direct operations that the Holy Spirit would work on man in fulfillment of Joel 2. From that we know that any other time that tongue-speaking appears in the New Testament it is still based on the prophecy of Joel 2. So when Acts 10 or Acts 19 or 1 Corinthians 12 references tongue-speaking, even without a direct textual connection (like the “this is that” statement of Acts 2:16-17) we know that Joel 2 is the foundation of these texts. What that tells us is that the work of the Holy Spirit in those passages is limited to the scope of Joel’s prophecy. Remember, prophecies are fulfilled in explaining the details, not expanding the scope.

The concrete foundation of the clear focus of the words of Joel 2 is a powerful tool in simplifying a number of New Testament statements about the Holy Spirit. Consider a couple of examples:

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5)

And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

The baptism of the Holy Spirit causes people far more trouble than it ought. Once we can see its close tie to Joel’s prophecy much of the doubt we may have about what the baptism of the Holy Spirit did will disappear. This essay will not seek to answer every question about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but even within our limited discussion of Joel 2, we can establish that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is about the direct revelation of truth promised in Joel 2.[9] From that we can know that the Spirit’s baptism is not about salvation, sanctification, communion, or any other work of God because it comes from Joel’s promise and so is limited to the scope of the prophecy upon which the doctrine itself rests.

How can we know that the doctrine of the “baptism of the Holy Spirit” rests on the limits of Joel’s “prophecy, dreams, and visions?” Jesus makes the connection for us. He calls the baptism of the Holy Spirit the “promise of the Father” (the same language is in Luke 24:49). In Acts 2:33, Peter says that Jesus received from the Father “the promise of the Holy Spirit.” From that Jesus “poured out” the power that led to the events of Acts 2. The event “seen and heard” on that day was the tongue-speaking of the apostles given by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4). It was the coming of the baptism of the Holy Spirit on the apostles that gave them access to God’s power “from on high” (Acts 1:8). The sequential order of events was then as follows:

• The Father’s promise was given to the exalted Christ in His reception of the “promise of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:33).
• Jesus took that promise and “poured out” the Spirit on the apostles (Acts 2:33).
• The same were “immersed” or “baptized” in the Spirit (Acts 1:5).
• In that action they received His power from on high (Acts 1:8).
• That power from the Spirit caused the apostles to speak in tongues (Acts 2:4).
• In Peter’s sermon it is revealed that this coming of power upon them in the baptism of the Holy Spirit was the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy (Acts 2:16-17).

Since we know that all that Joel promised was that men would “prophesy, dream dreams, and see visions” we know that the baptism of the Holy Spirit must be limited to that scope. Acts 1:4-5 is then promising the coming fulfillment of Joel 2. It provides us detail in that we now know to call the outpouring of the Holy Spirit “baptism.” Yet, Acts 1:4-5 cannot re-write Joel 2. The truth is this: If the baptism of the Holy Spirit comes in fulfillment of Joel 2, it cannot be about more than “prophecy, dreams, and visions.” That knowledge may not by itself answer every question about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but it most certainly excludes many of the teachings that men attribute to that baptism.

The “Falling” of the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:45-46/Acts 11:15-16)

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.

As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

As noted above, the presence of tongue-speaking connects a passage to the promise of Joel 2. Both of these accounts of Peter’s sermon to Cornelius specifically mention that tongue-speaking was the evidence that Peter and his companions saw that informed them that the Holy Spirit had “fallen” on the Gentiles in Cornelius’ house. Again the power of Joel’s prophecy should be seen. If the Spirit’s “falling” on a person produces tongue-speaking in that person, then the Spirit’s falling on a person must be a portion of the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy.[10] If the “falling” of the Spirit on a man is part of Joel’s prophecy, you can know that whenever He falls on a man, that man becomes a prophet.

Those are just two examples of the power of understanding the limits of Joel’s prophecy. Other essays will examine this tie more fully.

Conclusion

Never allow the fulfillment of a prophecy to change the nature of the original statement or expand its scope. If either of those is allowed, nearly anything can be called a prophecy and nearly any event could be called its fulfillment. It is in the fixed and clear statements of Bible prophecy that its power is found. We understand that in confronting skeptics with the powerful and rigid predictions God made about the Christ. We should be no less yielding about prophecies concerning the work of the Holy Spirit. The only quoted prophecy about the Holy Spirit supporting the work of the Spirit in the church speaks solely of “prophecy, dreams, and visions” that He would bring. Once we can connect a passage to the fulfillment of the promise in Joel 2, we are bound by the limits of Joel 2. No passage with Joel 2 in its background can say more than Joel 2 promises about the work of the Holy Spirit. Once we understand that thought fully, we will see how simple and singular is the work of the Spirit in the New Testament. We will see that from the creation to now, God’s Spirit has been responsible for inspiring men to be prophets. He is the Revealer of truth.  His work is “prophecy, dreams, and visions.”

[1] Please reference Essay #4: “Joel 2 and the Promise of the Holy Spirit” in this series for a full discussion of that topic.

[2] For a discussion of the work of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, please see: Essay #1:”The Holy Spirit in Old Testament History” and Essay #2:”The Holy Spirit in Old Testament Prophecy” in this series.

[3] All scripture quotations taken from the ESV unless otherwise noted.

[4] Discussed in this series in Essay #4: “Joel 2:28-32: The Promise of the Holy Spirit” and Essay #8: “The End of Prophecy.”

[5] Discussed in this series in Essay #8: “The End of Prophecy.”

[6] Discussed in this series in Essay #6: “The Extent of Prophecy in the Church” and Essay #22: “How Does the Holy Spirit Indwell the Christian Today?”

[7] Dreams – (Genesis 37:1-10; Genesis 41; Daniel 2; Matthew 1:18-20; Matthew 2:12-13); Visions – (Genesis 15:1; Genesis 46:2; Acts 16:10; Acts 18:9). There are many other examples of both forms of revelation. Understanding a clear distinction between a dream and vision is less important in this case than it is in understanding the function of both. They are both methods by which God revealed Himself to men.

[8] What is unique about Joel’s prophecy is the people who would prophesy, dream and see visions. Instead of their being a limited number of prophets (cf. 1 Samuel 19:24), Joel promises a time when “all flesh” – male and female, old and young, rich and poor would be able to prophesy. The nature of the Spirit’s work in Joel 2 is not unique, but the wide reaching extent of the Spirit’s power was unique. See Essay #6: “The Extent of Prophecy in the Church” for more discussion of this thought.

[9] Please see Essay #12: “The Work of the Holy Spirit in Acts” for a discussion on the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

[10] Consider the consistent imagery. If God “pours out” His Spirit from above onto men below would not that action cause the Holy Spirit to “fall” upon men. That action of being covered in an outpouring Spirit could be called “baptism” or perhaps even “anointing.” We can see the same couplets in the idea that God “gives” His Spirit and men “receive” his Spirit. If all of these are connected back to Joel 2 there is nothing mystical about them. They are metaphorical, yet simple, descriptions of God’s granting men the power of inspiration. Each couplet simply views the action either from God’s side or man’s side. One gives, one receives. One falls. One is anointed. For a further discussion of this thought, please see in this series Essay #20: “Related Word Pictures about the Holy Spirit.”