
Originally Posted by
jayne
Yes, I'm a huge skeptic.
Yes, Joel 2:28-29 says that "“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 vision. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit."
"Afterward". After what? After what God is talking about in the previous verses - a restoration from the year of locusts.
I believe this to have already taken place a long time ago - on the day of Pentecost. Yes, it still takes place today, but many who raise this banner of "dreams and visions" have missed the point in its entirety.
Peter said that this was ushered in on the day of Pentecost. Acts 2:15-17 - "For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 'And in the last days it shall be', God declares, 'that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.....[and he continues to quote several verses from Joel 2'".
The point of Joel is serious, serious judgment on God's people and then serious, serious judgment on the nations. Then repentance and God's restoration after the judgment and a prophetic understanding that one day, [a day already come] God's Spirit will be on all who are true Christians and they - through things such as dreams, vision, and prophecy, will have a deeper and fuller understanding of God.
I find that people - and I've seen a lot on the internet - who claim these dreams, visions, and prophecy - have no interest in the past or future judgment or the cry for repentance NOW. They seem only interested in supernatural side shows and themselves being the mouthpiece of God and having some private knowledge that no one else does. I find it many times to be a boastful thing.
They've missed Joel 2 altogether. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit began 2,000 years ago. So said Peter very explicitly. It continues - yet how many want the dreams and vision and prophecy and have no desire to read the Bible or work in the church for the sake of the kingdom.
Hence, the false dreams, visions, and prophecies come. And we are overrun with them.
I am skeptical of things that seem only to be for an individual's gain.
On the Day of Pentecost, when Peter said this was being fulfilled, great signs and wonder appeared and the main point being that 3,000 souls were saved in one day.
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