Bruce Baber (10 June 2018)
"I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh... when according to Joel"

Bruce Baber (12 July 2012)
"Prophet Joel says when the Holy Spirit is poured out on those who missed the rapture"

 

We are told that in the last days God will pour out his Spirit and that our sons and daughters will prophecy and our old men will dream dreams.  We are told this in both the Old Testament and in the New Testament.  Compare the two passages.  (emphasis added)
 

1.    Joel 2:28
“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, Your young men shall see visions.

2.    Acts 2:17
‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.

Acts 2:16-18

New King James Version (NKJV)

16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
And they shall prophesy.

 

Joel 2

 

“But I will remove far from you the northern army,
And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land,
With his face toward the eastern sea
And his back toward the western sea;
His stench will come up,
And his foul odor will rise,
Because he has done monstrous things.”

21 Fear not, O land;
Be glad and rejoice,
For the Lord has done marvelous things!
22 Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field;
For the open pastures are springing up,
And the tree bears its fruit;
The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.
23 Be glad then, you children of Zion,
And rejoice in the Lord your God;
For He has given you the former rain faithfully,[d]
And He will cause the rain to come down for you—
The former rain,
And the latter rain in the first month.
24 The threshing floors shall be full of wheat,
And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.

25 “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,
The crawling locust,
The consuming locust,
And the chewing locust,[e]
My great army which I sent among you.
26 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 be put to shame.
27 Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel:
I am the Lord your God
And there is no other.
My people shall never be put to shame.

28 “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,
Your young men shall see visions.
29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

30 “And I will show 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 coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
32 And it shall come to pass
That whoever calls on the name of the Lord
Shall be saved.
For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance,
As the Lord has said,
Among the remnant whom the Lord calls.

 

My take on this passage from Joel is that the pouring out of the Spirit of prophecy occurs after the destruction of the northern army.  After the Gog Magog war.  It will be poured out on the "men servants and maid servants".

Who are these servants?   

 

To find out who the "servants" are, we need to compare them to the virgins who were ready when the bridegroom came at midnight.

 

Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there not be enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying Lord, Lord , open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

 


Now read Luke 12:35-38. The characters are not virgins waiting to be taken to a wedding. They are servants waiting for their master to return for them after he has been to the wedding!

 

35 "Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night.

 

Did you notice that in the parable of the “virgins/brides” that the bridegroom comes at midnight?  But now look at a different scripture.  Luke 12:38 says... “And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.”

 

Here's how it seems to me.  The virgin brides go in the rapture before the Gog Magog war.  The sleeping ones who missed the first rapture will be given the Spirit of prophecy after the Gog Magog war and be taken up later to participate in the banquet.

 

My humble opinion is that there is one rapture for the bride.  Later the formerly sleeping ones (called servants) are caught up. We may not all agree, but we all need to be ready.  I offer my opinions not to stir up dispute.  I respect your beliefs.  I just want some to understand why I believe in two raptures.

 

YBIC

Bruce Baber