Throughout all the times before Christ, no human being spoke by the Holy Spirit more than Moses. Yet when other men were found prophesying in Israel’s camp, and Joshua asked that Moses silence them, here’s how Moses responded:
Num 11:29 …”Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD’S people were prophets, that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!”
Moses was not jealous, On the contrary, Moses’ wished that all his fellow Israelites could do what he was doing: that is, speak for God.
Centuries after that, the prophet Joel, speaking himself for the Holy Spirit, prophesied:
Joel 2:28 “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.
Joel 2:29 “Even on the male and female servants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
Thus did Joel codify Moses’ wish into a formal promise from God that would one day be fulfilled.
Centuries after Joel, and roughly 1,500 years in total after Moses, the apostle Peter announced the day that God’s promise through Joel began its fulfillment. It was the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem, 50 days after Jesus had risen from the dead, and 10 days after He had ascended into heaven. The Holy Spirit was poured out on the apostles and others, and Peter his explanation of it to the thousands in Jerusalem for the feast as follows:
Acts 2:14 But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words.
Acts 2:15 “For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day;
Acts 2:16 but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:
Acts 2:17 ‘AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,’ God says,
‘THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND;
AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY,
AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS,
AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS;
Acts 2:18 EVEN ON MY BONDSLAVES, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN,
I WILL IN THOSE DAYS POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT
And they shall prophesy.
A couple of decades after this, the apostle Paul made reference to the ongoing fulfillment of this promise in the New Testament church when he wrote to the believers in Corinth about what should happen in their regular gatherings.
1 Cor 14:31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted;
The greatest fulfillment of Moses’ hope and Joel’s promise, however, was to be seen in the kingdom of God where every individual heart could hear the Holy Spirit at any time of day or night. Paul spoke of this hope when he wrote to the church of Rome, saying:
Rom 14:17 …the kingdom of God is…righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Through Christ, through the kingdom of God, the Holy Spirit is for everyone. God has always wanted it that way.
Related articles:
The Kingdom of God Is Here and Now (3 min)
Beer-lahai-roi (3 min)
All Articles
10/19/25
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