Pour out My Spirit on all mankind

Joel 2:28 (NASB)

It will come about after this
 that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; 
and your sons and daughters will prophesy,
 your old men will dream dreams,
 your young men will see visions.

The book of Joel is one of 12 short prophetic books at the end of the Old Testament called the Minor Prophets.  Major Prophets are the books Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations (written by Jeremiah), Ezekiel, and Daniel.  The most famous, most quoted verse in Joel is verse 2:28 primarily because on the Day of Pentacost Peter quoted Joel 2:28-32 at the beginning of his sermon (Acts 2:14-21). 

Joel 2:28 prophecies about the ministry of the Holy Spirit, brought to earth after Jesus returned to heaven.  Verbs are always the action words in a verse so the key words are “pour out”.  The Hebrew word translated as “pour out” is ‘shaphak’ that is used many times in earlier Old Testament books in reference to blood being shed, e.g. Gen 9:6, Exo 29:12, Lev 4:7, Num 35:33, and Deut 12:16.  The verb is used in Prov 6:17 where one of the abominations of the Lord is “hands that shed (‘shaphak’) innocent blood. 

Just as blood, when shed, seems to splatter everywhere, the Holy Spirit, when poured out upon mankind, spreads throughout the body of Christ (the church, all Christians).  The Holy Spirit serves many roles---convicts people of their sins, gives faith, seals, baptizes, teaches, and helps (John 14:16, 26, 15:26, 16:7). 

What does this prophecy mean when it says “old men will dream dreams, young men will see visions”?  I’ve heard someone say that he has both dreams and visions so he must be middle-aged!  Seriously, this phrase is an example of Hebrew poetic parallelisms where a truth is expressed using different words.  A well-known example of Hebrew parallelism is Psalm 119:11---“Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path”.  Yet, it is also true that old people—men and women—have seen and experienced so much more than young people; thus old people dream of what they have experienced whereas young people have visions of the future rather than dream of the past.  In any case, regardless of age, people filled with the Holy Spirit have access to God Himself.  The Holy Spirit enables you to understand God’s Word and apply it in your life.  Such understanding and application gives you the ability to see what God sees, i.e. have the perspective of God.  Dreams are reminders of what has happened or visions of what will happen.  Visions, of course, are insights into what is possible.  Dreams and visions are a result of spiritual insight into the Word of God.

God impacts our future sometimes by allowing something to happen to cause frustration.  Frustration that leads to reaching “the end of your rope” or at your “wits end”.  Such frustration forces you to put your faith in Him, you reach a point where you have no other option.  Putting faith in Him then causes you to look forward and looking forward enables the Holy Spirit of God to pour out in you!  Has this happened to you?  Will God use you starting right now?