Joel’s Prophetic Foresight Fulfilled
The prophet Joel records the words of God to his people. It’s a direct quote. The Lord talks about his intentions for them. He wants to do good things for his children.
Metaphorically, he promises to restore what the locust have eaten (Joel 2:12-32).
After that he will send the Holy Spirit, pledging to give them prophecies, dreams, and visions.
Specifically, God says, “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions” (Joel 2:28).
But are we seeing prophecies, dreams, and visions today? We should.
This is because Joel’s prophecy was fulfilled at Pentecost, 2,000 years ago. Lest you have any doubt, Peter confirmed it. It’s not up for debate. (Unless you want to claim that Peter was wrong.)
On the first Pentecost—fifty days after Jesus’s resurrection and ten days after he returned to heaven—his followers are together. They’re gathered in one place, likely to celebrate the Festival of Weeks (Shavuot).
But it will be a celebration like none other, neither before nor after.
The sound of a mighty wind comes from heaven and fills the house. What looks like tongues of fire disperses through the room, resting on each person. The Holy Spirit fills them, and they begin speaking in other languages under supernatural power.
The people in the area hear the sound, they come to check it out. Each person hears their own language spoken. They’re amazed. Shocked. They wonder what it means. But others mock the disciples, claiming they’re just drunk.
That’s when Peter stands to address the crowd. He assures them they’re not intoxicated.
He explains they’re witnessing the fulfillment of what the prophet Joel predicted, of prophecies, dreams, and visions under the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:14-21).
Let’s break this down.
Prophecies
A prophecy is a prediction about the future, as inspired by God. In the Bible, prophecies occur in both the Old and New Testaments.
In the Old Testament, prophecies usually came from someone who carried the title of prophet or served in that role (such as Isaiah, Daniel, or Joel), but not always.
Other people prophesied too. These prophecies would come to select people, usually for a limited time. King Saul is one example (1 Samuel 10:9–13).
In the New Testament, most of the references to prophecy look back at the Old Testament. This does not mean, however, that it’s restricted to Old Testament times. After all, Joel said people would prophesy under Holy Spirit power.
Paul talks about people having the gift of prophecy (1 Corinthians 12:10), which is a Holy Spirit empowered gift we should all desire (1 Corinthians 14:1).
Specifically, Philip’s four daughters all prophesied (Acts 21:8-9). And John shared his epic prophecy in the book of Revelation (Revelation 1:3 and Revelation 22:7).
Dreams
Next on Joel’s list of Holy Spirit empowered activities is dreams. A dream occurs when we sleep. It can include images, ideas, emotions, or sensations. Often a dream unfolds like a story, resembling a real-life event.
When the Holy Spirit is involved with our dreams, he can reveal supernatural truth to us. Sometimes a dream is just a dream. Other times a dream is God speaking to us. It’s up to us to glean the Lord’s truth from our nighttime experiences.
We need to be poised to listen, to understand, and to obey.
Visions
After prophecies and dreams, come visions. In a spiritual sense, a vision is much like a dream except that we’re awake—or partially so.
Sometimes these visions happen when we seek God’s divine input. Other times, visions materialize as a supernatural download, occurring when we’re most ready to receive them. This can result from prayer or meditation.
Prophecies, Dreams, and Visions Today
Joel foresaw that people would receive prophecies, dreams, and visions. Peter confirmed that the fulfillment of this occurred on Pentecost, through the Holy Spirit.
As followers of Jesus today, we have this same Holy Spirit living within us. Through him we can have prophecies, dreams, and visions.
If you’re not experiencing these supernatural provisions, ask the Holy Spirit to provide them, be open to receive them, and be expectant he’ll provide what you seek.
Receiving prophecies, dreams, and visions are biblical, promised, and available to us today.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.
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