And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
God promises to pour out His Spirit on all who serve Him, men and women, sons and daughters, of every station, to fit them with power to bear witness to Christ and to speak by the Spirit with freedom and strength, in other tongues and in visions and dreams and in declaring present truth. This was fulfilled when Peter explained Pentecost by Joel's prophecy, and the united disciples were filled and proclaimed the risen Saviour to people from many nations, showing Christ received in heaven and exalted to give repentance and forgiveness, so that about three thousand repented, were baptized, and continued steadfastly in doctrine and fellowship and prayer. That outpouring only began the fulfillment and did not exhaust it, being the former rain to root the gospel, while the full accomplishment belongs to the closing work when the latter rain ripens the harvest in the last days to the very appearing of Christ. The revival of the spirit of prophecy is itself one of the signs before the great day of the Lord, when the gifts are again manifest in the true church which has the testimony of Jesus, not as a new rule of faith apart from Scripture but to comfort, correct, and lead to God and His written word. The gift is therefore to be sought and claimed in prayer as the great hope of God's people, and in the closing scenes it will fall on many humble and unlearned workers and on children and youth, who will leave ordinary ways, hasten everywhere with truth as fire within them, and proclaim the last message of mercy with astonishing spirit and power.
Wording and Immediate Meaning
In the last days God pours out His Spirit on men and women who serve Him, on servants and handmaidens including sons and daughters and people of every station, and the promise extends to all people. At Pentecost this was seen when the united early church received the Spirit and both male and female servants prophesied in fulfillment of Joel's prophecy. The same blessing has been understood to rest on a young girl whose prophetic message directed a group to Toledo, with later events taken as its confirmation.
The outpouring fits men and women with power for a special work of bearing witness to Christ. At Pentecost it empowered the disciples' witness to people gathered in Jerusalem from many nations, proclaiming the risen Savior. It was shown when Peter spoke boldly as a witness, his inspired testimony giving evidence of his restoration.
They shall prophesy means speaking by the Spirit with Spirit-given strength, freedom and power. At Pentecost this included speaking with other tongues, which was not drunkenness but God's work and the power promised through Joel, bringing conviction and salvation. It also includes receiving visions and dreams, which are not a new rule of faith apart from the Bible but comfort God's people, correct those who depart from Bible truth, lead people to God and the written word, and show the past, present and future fulfillment of His word. It includes declaring the message of present truth, the last message of mercy to those in darkness, by those who yield to God even in humble positions, in the common walks of life, among the uneducated, and by children, who constrained by the Spirit with truth as a fire within them hasten hither and thither, leave ordinary employment, cast off binding rules and cautious movements, join the army of the Lord, cooperate with heavenly agencies, spend and be spent sowing gospel seed even in rough places, labor as rapidly as possible for success, and are to be bidden Godspeed with no one authorized to hinder or taunt them.
The verse belongs to the connected account in Acts 2:1-47. There it pictures what God can do when people assemble in trouble or perplexity, pray, and hold fast to His power, so that His glory is revealed.
Pentecost Setting and Results
At Pentecost the united early church received the Holy Spirit and proclaimed the risen Savior to people gathered in Jerusalem from many nations. The Spirit was poured out on servants both men and women, and they prophesied, empowering the disciples' witness. This took place only a few weeks after the crucifixion, when Peter explained the mystery of the cross and other mysteries concerning the Messiah and thousands became converts.
What was seen and heard was God's work, not drunkenness, though those untouched by the Spirit mistook the disciples for drunkards. The disciples spoke with other tongues by the power of the Holy Spirit promised through Joel. The outpouring was heaven's communication that Christ had been received in the heavenly courts with angels and all heavenly intelligences in a coronation service and that His inauguration was complete.
The great subject that brought three thousand souls to repentance in one day was the Spirit unfolding Jesus and glorifying Him before eyes that before saw no beauty in Him to desire Him. The sermon was preached in demonstration of the Spirit and with power, lifting up Jesus as exalted by God to be a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance and forgiveness of sins. The glorious inner beauties of Christ's work and character are not discerned with natural eyes; it is the Spirit that quickens. Peter's bold Spirit-empowered witness gave evidence of his restoration, as he explained the cross and the Messiah to the multitude.
The Spirit-filled witness pricked hearts to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for remission of sins to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. That promise was to them and their children and all afar off whom God calls. About three thousand souls were added in one day, and those sent out preached the Word everywhere with thousands converted in a day, carrying the message of repentance and forgiveness in Christ's name to their homes in many nations.
Those added continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and prayers. They continued daily with one accord in the temple and from house to house with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. There were wonders and signs with unity and gladness, and the church grew daily while the Lord added such as should be saved.
Prophecy Fulfillment Then and Later
Peter explained what happened at Pentecost by quoting Joel's prophecy of the outpouring of the Spirit, presenting its fulfillment as belonging to the last days in place of Joel's word afterward. Joel's prophecy was fulfilled at Pentecost when the disciples were filled with the Spirit and spoke in other tongues. That empowering came upon men and women who serve God to fit them for a special work of bearing witness, and the manifestation was God's own work.
Pentecost only began the fulfillment and did not exhaust it, for the prophecy as a whole belongs to the last days. It was partly fulfilled in the apostles' time and is to be even more clearly manifested among God's people, and it will be fully accomplished through divine grace attending the closing work of the gospel. It was the former rain given to help the gospel take root among the early believers, while the latter rain will ripen the harvest for God. Those who do not receive and appreciate the early rain will not recognize the value of the latter rain, since unbelief quenches the Spirit and leaves people unready to receive the promised blessing, which is for those who believe.
The last days extend to the very end until Christ appears, so the promise of prophecy, with dreams and visions, extends through that whole period and may still be expected. The revival of the spirit of prophecy is a sign of the approaching end, classed with wonders and signs in the heavens and on the earth before the day of the Lord. The promise of prophecy by servants and handmaidens is part of the signs that precede the great day of the Lord, and those signs show that the time has come.
As at Pentecost, the Spirit's presence should produce similar fruits and awaken a missionary spirit in those upon whom the Spirit is manifestly working. God's people in later times must also pass through the experiences of the early church.
Gift of Prophecy Renewed
The revival of the spirit of prophecy in the last days, when God pours out His Spirit on His servants and handmaidens and they prophesy, is a sign that the end is approaching, classed with wonders and signs in the heavens and on the earth before the day of the Lord. The last days extend to the very end, so the prophecy was not exhausted at Pentecost. The promise belongs to the time just before Christ's second coming, when the gifts of the Spirit are again manifest in the true church as God's glory and the pure truths of the Bible shine in heavenly illumination. It applies to people in the present last days as well as to the events at Pentecost.
The verse points to a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the last days and to His work in the church, including the gift of prophecy. During its closing experience before Christ appears, the church has the testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy. The visions given under this promise are not a new rule of faith apart from the Bible, for Scripture remains the rule by which faith and practice are judged. They are given to comfort God's people and to correct those who depart from Bible truth, leading people to God and the written word and showing the past, present, and future fulfillment of His word.
In the prophesied period revelations from heaven will come as warnings, reproofs, and explanations of the Word, so that people may understand that this period has arrived and may remain watchful. The promised blessing includes women, and has been seen in a young girl whose prophetic message directed the group to Toledo, with later events taken as confirmation of that message. It was also seen when God announced the time of Jesus' coming and the saints received the Spirit, so that their faces shone with God's glory as Moses' face did after meeting with God.
Seeking the Promised Outpouring
The promise is to be sought and claimed in prayer as a gift from heaven that God stands ready to pour out in mighty power. It brings the converting power needed in daily life in the heart each day, and the light that comes through the Spirit's work on hearts is to be sought from God now. In answer to prayer the Spirit is given to learners in Christ's school so they may become ministers of righteousness, equipped for God's work with a powerful influence that leads sinners to conversion. The outpouring enables church members to bear witness to their love for God.
The promised outpouring is the great hope and glory of God's people even in a time of spiritual decline. Its fulfillment belongs to the closing work of the third angel's message, when that message goes forth with a loud voice and the whole earth is lightened with God's glory. Prayers for the Spirit's descent are none of them lost but have each been accumulating as a revenue of glory, ready to overflow. When they pour forth they come as a healing flood of heavenly influence and accumulated heavenly light all over the world.
Before the final judgments on earth a future outpouring will bring a revival of primitive godliness unlike any since apostolic times, with the Spirit and power of God poured upon His children. In the future and in the closing scenes, in the near future, many in humble positions in the common walks of life, even among the uneducated, and children and youth will be endued with the Spirit. They will astonish people by proclaiming the truth in simplicity yet with spirit and power, declaring the message of present truth and the last message of mercy to those in darkness. Because they have been taught the fear of the Lord and their hearts softened by careful and prayerful study of the Bible, they will do a work in proclaiming the truth to the world that at that time cannot well be done by older members of the church, and when people no longer present it simply as Jesus did, children will be moved by the Spirit to proclaim the truth for their time. From Pentecost onward the Spirit is poured out on people of every station, including servants and handmaidens and sons and daughters, raising up humble laborers for God in every region, and even the weakest who exercise faith and use their gifts and submit are refined and perfected in character.
Constrained and impelled by the Spirit with truth as a fire within them and a burning desire to enlighten others, they will hasten hither and thither. They will leave ordinary employment, cast off binding rules and cautious movements, and join the army of the Lord. They cooperate with heavenly agencies, willing to spend and be spent in the Master's service, sowing gospel seed even in the rough places of the earth. They are to be prepared for labor as rapidly as possible so that success may crown their efforts, and no one is authorized to hinder them or speak tauntingly of them, but they are to be bidden Godspeed as they go forth.
The outpouring provides the pattern seen at Pentecost, where the Spirit's presence should produce similar fruits and awaken a missionary spirit in those upon whom the Spirit is manifestly working. That same work is needed now so sinners are converted, equipping believers to bear witness to the gospel and giving the strong public witness needed in influential places. Believers have part in it by obtaining Christ's self-denying life, waking from stupor and indifference, making people hungry to hear the Word, and taking the Bible from house to house to read to them, because there is a world to save and a message to be given in this judgment hour. Many who have never heard the truth can be convicted by the Spirit as they listen to the message.
The Spirit is given to sincere, contrite, penitent, believing disciples whom He can use as channels of light, communicating to them the knowledge they need as they advance in God's work, while the self-sufficient do not receive this inspiration. Unbelief quenches the Spirit and leaves people unready to receive the promised blessing, which is for those who believe. The verse is connected with light given to laborers who recognize the message and their responsibility to proclaim it. That prophecy was partly fulfilled in the apostles' time and is to be even more clearly manifested among God's people, whom the Spirit makes a light amid moral darkness, with that light reaching the world. The Spirit was poured out in measure in the past in large outpouring, but those blessings and privileges were not used well, and departure from God brought darkness and harmful work.
God promises to pour out His Spirit on all who serve Him, men and women, sons and daughters, of every station, to fit them with power to bear witness to Christ and to speak by the Spirit with freedom and strength, in other tongues and in visions and dreams and in declaring present truth. This was fulfilled when Peter explained Pentecost by Joel's prophecy, and the united disciples were filled and proclaimed the risen Saviour to people from many nations, showing Christ received in heaven and exalted to give repentance and forgiveness, so that about three thousand repented, were baptized, and continued steadfastly in doctrine and fellowship and prayer. That outpouring only began the fulfillment and did not exhaust it, being the former rain to root the gospel, while the full accomplishment belongs to the closing work when the latter rain ripens the harvest in the last days to the very appearing of Christ. The revival of the spirit of prophecy is itself one of the signs before the great day of the Lord, when the gifts are again manifest in the true church which has the testimony of Jesus, not as a new rule of faith apart from Scripture but to comfort, correct, and lead to God and His written word. The gift is therefore to be sought and claimed in prayer as the great hope of God's people, and in the closing scenes it will fall on many humble and unlearned workers and on children and youth, who will leave ordinary ways, hasten everywhere with truth as fire within them, and proclaim the last message of mercy with astonishing spirit and power.
Wording and Immediate Meaning
In the last days God pours out His Spirit on men and women who serve Him, on servants and handmaidens including sons and daughters and people of every station, and the promise extends to all people. At Pentecost this was seen when the united early church received the Spirit and both male and female servants prophesied in fulfillment of Joel's prophecy. The same blessing has been understood to rest on a young girl whose prophetic message directed a group to Toledo, with later events taken as its confirmation.
The outpouring fits men and women with power for a special work of bearing witness to Christ. At Pentecost it empowered the disciples' witness to people gathered in Jerusalem from many nations, proclaiming the risen Savior. It was shown when Peter spoke boldly as a witness, his inspired testimony giving evidence of his restoration.
They shall prophesy means speaking by the Spirit with Spirit-given strength, freedom and power. At Pentecost this included speaking with other tongues, which was not drunkenness but God's work and the power promised through Joel, bringing conviction and salvation. It also includes receiving visions and dreams, which are not a new rule of faith apart from the Bible but comfort God's people, correct those who depart from Bible truth, lead people to God and the written word, and show the past, present and future fulfillment of His word. It includes declaring the message of present truth, the last message of mercy to those in darkness, by those who yield to God even in humble positions, in the common walks of life, among the uneducated, and by children, who constrained by the Spirit with truth as a fire within them hasten hither and thither, leave ordinary employment, cast off binding rules and cautious movements, join the army of the Lord, cooperate with heavenly agencies, spend and be spent sowing gospel seed even in rough places, labor as rapidly as possible for success, and are to be bidden Godspeed with no one authorized to hinder or taunt them.
The verse belongs to the connected account in Acts 2:1-47. There it pictures what God can do when people assemble in trouble or perplexity, pray, and hold fast to His power, so that His glory is revealed.
Pentecost Setting and Results
At Pentecost the united early church received the Holy Spirit and proclaimed the risen Savior to people gathered in Jerusalem from many nations. The Spirit was poured out on servants both men and women, and they prophesied, empowering the disciples' witness. This took place only a few weeks after the crucifixion, when Peter explained the mystery of the cross and other mysteries concerning the Messiah and thousands became converts.
What was seen and heard was God's work, not drunkenness, though those untouched by the Spirit mistook the disciples for drunkards. The disciples spoke with other tongues by the power of the Holy Spirit promised through Joel. The outpouring was heaven's communication that Christ had been received in the heavenly courts with angels and all heavenly intelligences in a coronation service and that His inauguration was complete.
The great subject that brought three thousand souls to repentance in one day was the Spirit unfolding Jesus and glorifying Him before eyes that before saw no beauty in Him to desire Him. The sermon was preached in demonstration of the Spirit and with power, lifting up Jesus as exalted by God to be a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance and forgiveness of sins. The glorious inner beauties of Christ's work and character are not discerned with natural eyes; it is the Spirit that quickens. Peter's bold Spirit-empowered witness gave evidence of his restoration, as he explained the cross and the Messiah to the multitude.
The Spirit-filled witness pricked hearts to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for remission of sins to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. That promise was to them and their children and all afar off whom God calls. About three thousand souls were added in one day, and those sent out preached the Word everywhere with thousands converted in a day, carrying the message of repentance and forgiveness in Christ's name to their homes in many nations.
Those added continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and prayers. They continued daily with one accord in the temple and from house to house with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. There were wonders and signs with unity and gladness, and the church grew daily while the Lord added such as should be saved.
Prophecy Fulfillment Then and Later
Peter explained what happened at Pentecost by quoting Joel's prophecy of the outpouring of the Spirit, presenting its fulfillment as belonging to the last days in place of Joel's word afterward. Joel's prophecy was fulfilled at Pentecost when the disciples were filled with the Spirit and spoke in other tongues. That empowering came upon men and women who serve God to fit them for a special work of bearing witness, and the manifestation was God's own work.
Pentecost only began the fulfillment and did not exhaust it, for the prophecy as a whole belongs to the last days. It was partly fulfilled in the apostles' time and is to be even more clearly manifested among God's people, and it will be fully accomplished through divine grace attending the closing work of the gospel. It was the former rain given to help the gospel take root among the early believers, while the latter rain will ripen the harvest for God. Those who do not receive and appreciate the early rain will not recognize the value of the latter rain, since unbelief quenches the Spirit and leaves people unready to receive the promised blessing, which is for those who believe.
The last days extend to the very end until Christ appears, so the promise of prophecy, with dreams and visions, extends through that whole period and may still be expected. The revival of the spirit of prophecy is a sign of the approaching end, classed with wonders and signs in the heavens and on the earth before the day of the Lord. The promise of prophecy by servants and handmaidens is part of the signs that precede the great day of the Lord, and those signs show that the time has come.
As at Pentecost, the Spirit's presence should produce similar fruits and awaken a missionary spirit in those upon whom the Spirit is manifestly working. God's people in later times must also pass through the experiences of the early church.
Gift of Prophecy Renewed
The revival of the spirit of prophecy in the last days, when God pours out His Spirit on His servants and handmaidens and they prophesy, is a sign that the end is approaching, classed with wonders and signs in the heavens and on the earth before the day of the Lord. The last days extend to the very end, so the prophecy was not exhausted at Pentecost. The promise belongs to the time just before Christ's second coming, when the gifts of the Spirit are again manifest in the true church as God's glory and the pure truths of the Bible shine in heavenly illumination. It applies to people in the present last days as well as to the events at Pentecost.
The verse points to a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the last days and to His work in the church, including the gift of prophecy. During its closing experience before Christ appears, the church has the testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy. The visions given under this promise are not a new rule of faith apart from the Bible, for Scripture remains the rule by which faith and practice are judged. They are given to comfort God's people and to correct those who depart from Bible truth, leading people to God and the written word and showing the past, present, and future fulfillment of His word.
In the prophesied period revelations from heaven will come as warnings, reproofs, and explanations of the Word, so that people may understand that this period has arrived and may remain watchful. The promised blessing includes women, and has been seen in a young girl whose prophetic message directed the group to Toledo, with later events taken as confirmation of that message. It was also seen when God announced the time of Jesus' coming and the saints received the Spirit, so that their faces shone with God's glory as Moses' face did after meeting with God.
Seeking the Promised Outpouring
The promise is to be sought and claimed in prayer as a gift from heaven that God stands ready to pour out in mighty power. It brings the converting power needed in daily life in the heart each day, and the light that comes through the Spirit's work on hearts is to be sought from God now. In answer to prayer the Spirit is given to learners in Christ's school so they may become ministers of righteousness, equipped for God's work with a powerful influence that leads sinners to conversion. The outpouring enables church members to bear witness to their love for God.
The promised outpouring is the great hope and glory of God's people even in a time of spiritual decline. Its fulfillment belongs to the closing work of the third angel's message, when that message goes forth with a loud voice and the whole earth is lightened with God's glory. Prayers for the Spirit's descent are none of them lost but have each been accumulating as a revenue of glory, ready to overflow. When they pour forth they come as a healing flood of heavenly influence and accumulated heavenly light all over the world.
Before the final judgments on earth a future outpouring will bring a revival of primitive godliness unlike any since apostolic times, with the Spirit and power of God poured upon His children. In the future and in the closing scenes, in the near future, many in humble positions in the common walks of life, even among the uneducated, and children and youth will be endued with the Spirit. They will astonish people by proclaiming the truth in simplicity yet with spirit and power, declaring the message of present truth and the last message of mercy to those in darkness. Because they have been taught the fear of the Lord and their hearts softened by careful and prayerful study of the Bible, they will do a work in proclaiming the truth to the world that at that time cannot well be done by older members of the church, and when people no longer present it simply as Jesus did, children will be moved by the Spirit to proclaim the truth for their time. From Pentecost onward the Spirit is poured out on people of every station, including servants and handmaidens and sons and daughters, raising up humble laborers for God in every region, and even the weakest who exercise faith and use their gifts and submit are refined and perfected in character.
Constrained and impelled by the Spirit with truth as a fire within them and a burning desire to enlighten others, they will hasten hither and thither. They will leave ordinary employment, cast off binding rules and cautious movements, and join the army of the Lord. They cooperate with heavenly agencies, willing to spend and be spent in the Master's service, sowing gospel seed even in the rough places of the earth. They are to be prepared for labor as rapidly as possible so that success may crown their efforts, and no one is authorized to hinder them or speak tauntingly of them, but they are to be bidden Godspeed as they go forth.
The outpouring provides the pattern seen at Pentecost, where the Spirit's presence should produce similar fruits and awaken a missionary spirit in those upon whom the Spirit is manifestly working. That same work is needed now so sinners are converted, equipping believers to bear witness to the gospel and giving the strong public witness needed in influential places. Believers have part in it by obtaining Christ's self-denying life, waking from stupor and indifference, making people hungry to hear the Word, and taking the Bible from house to house to read to them, because there is a world to save and a message to be given in this judgment hour. Many who have never heard the truth can be convicted by the Spirit as they listen to the message.
The Spirit is given to sincere, contrite, penitent, believing disciples whom He can use as channels of light, communicating to them the knowledge they need as they advance in God's work, while the self-sufficient do not receive this inspiration. Unbelief quenches the Spirit and leaves people unready to receive the promised blessing, which is for those who believe. The verse is connected with light given to laborers who recognize the message and their responsibility to proclaim it. That prophecy was partly fulfilled in the apostles' time and is to be even more clearly manifested among God's people, whom the Spirit makes a light amid moral darkness, with that light reaching the world. The Spirit was poured out in measure in the past in large outpouring, but those blessings and privileges were not used well, and departure from God brought darkness and harmful work.