15--GIFT OF PROPHECY

"And it shall come to pass afterward, [that] I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit." – Joel 2:28, 29


Note: This text in the old testament is quoted in the new testament. God’s children in these last days will have the gift of prophecy, as did those in earlier times. In fact, since Jesus is coming soon, we need this gift more than ever. This is not necessarily prophesying future events, it includes messages to help God’s people to get back to the teachings of the Bible and to prepare for Christ’s second coming.

"But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all [ye] that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is [but] the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." --Acts 2:14-21

Note: Here is Peter quoting what we just read before. One thing we must realize though, if what is said by such persons does not agree with the Bible, we cannot believe it. Yet, we need to study earnestly to make sure one way or the other. We can’t go by what anyone says is true unless there is enough Scripture to back it up.

"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by [his] Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of [his] glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;" – Hebrews 1:1-3

Note: Jesus, of course, is behind all true prophecy. In fact, the old testament is full of messianic prophecies about Him. He quoted extensively from some of the prophets.

"And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." – Revelation 12:17


Note: The remnant of God’s people (those living just before His coming) are not only commandment keepers, but they also have the Testimony of Jesus. What is this “testimony of Jesus”?

"And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See [thou do it] not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." – Revelation 19:10


Note: Here we are told the Testimony of Jesus is the “Spirit of Prophecy.” The book of Revelation is especially for God’s people in these last days. We will have the Spirit of Prophecy with us. Later we will learn more about this, but the main thing to remember now is this gift is given to prepare us for Christ’s second coming. The experience of those living when He comes is special. We need special guidance to live through the times ahead of us.

CONCLUSION:

Are you ready for Jesus to come? Those who are ready will have received both the early and latter rain. This is a special experience of the outpouring of God’s Spirit for the finishing of His work on earth. We need God’s “divine power” as mentioned in 2 Peter 1:3, 4 to escape the corruptions in this world and be overcomers.