Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh" ...... 29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. 30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered" .....
This passage of scripture teaches us that as we near the close of time, there will be a special out-pouring of The Holy Spirit before the work of salvation is forever closed. We need the Holy Spirit to change the current of our secular way of thinking to focus on eternal realities and also on the destiny of our souls, because most of the inhabitants of earth are now focused on survival, or making a living, whilst the enemy of souls is mustering his forces for the final conflict that is soon to be unfurled across the entire globe.
Our passage for today specifically states that The Holy Spirit will be poured out upon all flesh, even though most of earth's inhabitants will be lost, and many people are at a loss to know why this is the case. The fact is that there are many people living presently who have never been exposed to a knowledge of the true God, and very many others who have heard the good news of salvation, have had erroneous teachings and doctrines presented to them, so that they have come to incorrect ideas and conclusions about what faith in God really is.
Many Christians have been fed the doctrines of devils in the theology which teaches its adherents that the law of God has been abolished, or that it was only meant for the Jews. And it is because of the warped misconception about the validity of God's law that has been disseminated, that we often hear on CNN or FOX news of the Christian Sabbath or the Jewish Sabbath, whereas the Bible clearly states that the seventh day Sabbath was made for man, long before there was any Jew or Christian. Let's read:
Genesis 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
Mark 2:27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: 28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
And so it is because of these gross misconceptions of truth and duty that God in His mercy has promised us that just prior to the close of probation, every member of the human family would have been given the golden opportunity to see and accept the truth as it is in Jesus, so that we can all make an intelligent, informed choice to serve God, or conversely to reject His gracious overtures to save us. This is the reason why the Holy Spirit is promised in copious measure in our day, so that every person may be enlightened as to what God requires of us; and this outpouring in the last days will then finish up the gospel commission that was given to all true disciples of Christ. Let's read:
Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
God's work of grace in our hearts, and in behalf of the human family is almost over, and because of this fact we are now living on the very brink of eternity. Thus it behooves every person to make ourselves available for the out-pouring of The Holy Spirit, so that when it is over, we would have been fully aligned with God's kingdom of glory. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to be watchful and ready, so that when this time has past, those whom we have labored for, together with ourselves, may be ministered an abundant entrance into God's eternal kingdom of glory. Let's read:
Romans 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. 13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!