Pouring

On September 5, 2019   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

“I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind.” Joel 2: 28

“And I will pour out … the Spirit of grace and of supplication.” Zechariah 12: 10

“I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel.” Ezekiel 39: 29

Until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on High. Isaiah 32: 15

I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring. Isaiah 44: 3

Father God started promising the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon us long, long ago. Here are some quotes from the Old Testament where God made this promise to us. The people of the Old Testament did not really know a lot about the Holy Spirit. In fact, there are only about twenty-nine references to Him in the Old Testament. Of these twenty-nine, a fair number of them dealt with the day that God would pour out His Spirit on all mankind. Previously, the Spirit would come upon someone and he or she would enjoy anointed success from the Lord or they would prophesy in the Lord’s name.

But God was looking forward into the future to a time when He would pour out His Spirit upon all of us and the Spirit would stay with us rather than just resting with us for a short time. He knew when this pouring out would occur for it was fixed in time. Father promised to send us His son and He did. He also promised to send to us the third person of the trinity, the Holy Spirit, and God is not a man that He should lie (Numbers 23: 19).

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The Promise of the Spirit

On January 18, 2018   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Joel 2: 28 – 29

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. Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

This is the leading Old Testament verse which told about the coming of the Holy Spirit. Here God promises to, not only send the Spirit, but to pour out the Spirit on all humanity, even those of no rank or position. Even the servants and those of the lowliest station are entitled to this special gift from God.

There is so much rich text and meaning in this verse that we could mine from it for a week. However, there is one word in it that I want to bring to your attention. It is the word “pour.” God has promised not a trickle, not a drip but rather a continuous pouring out of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is represented in Scripture as a river or flowing waters. John 7: 37 – 39 is a good example of this, “Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” But this He spoke of the Spirit.’” The flowing river of living water is the Holy Spirit. Thus, it is apropos that God should pour out this living water upon us.”

The anointing in the Holy Spirit is reflective of the Old Testament anointing which was accompanied by oil being poured over the anointed. Again, this spiritual gifting is represented by a pouring out.
The Old Testament saints did not know the Spirit as the poured out one as New Testament believers do. They knew him as a promise. In fact, few people knew anything about him other than him being a promise from God. Interestingly, of the 248 or so scriptures about the Holy Spirit, only about 44 are from the Old Testament. However, God was speaking to His prophets about this pouring out. It may interest you to discover that there are six more Old Testament scriptures which specifically address the pouring out of the Holy Spirit (See list below).

The significance of this pouring is distinguishable from a onetime gift or offering. God doesn’t just give us the Spirit one time. He continually pours out to those who continually seek Him. Don’t forget too, that we can seek more of the Spirit just as we seek the Father because they are both God.

Every person has a measure of the Spirit of God. When God breathed life into us, a piece of His Spirit was deposited within us. We are able to receive much more than that now, however. The Spirit is no longer a promise. He has been poured out. What the Old Testament prophets foretold, we now behold. The initial pouring out is described in Acts 2: 1 – 4, “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.” This is the fulfillment of that which was promised in Joel 2: 28 -29. Everyone who wishes can now be filled by the never ending pouring out. It can be compared to a water fall. The water continually pours over and onto anyone who chooses to stand in the flow. You can stay in that flow just as long as you wish. It is God’s delight to give you more and more. He is pouring. Are you receiving?

See Also: Isaiah 32: 15, Isaiah 44: 3, Ezekiel 36: 27, Ezekiel 39: 29, Proverb 1: 23, Zechariah 12: 10).

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Said and Done

On September 17, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Zechariah 12: 10

And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of Grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him, like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.


My, how powerful; so much contained in one verse. First we see the promise of the Holy Spirit, the promise of the New Covenant sealed in the giving of the Holy Spirit. Of course, through Jesus we have all been adopted into the family of David so don’t get hung up on the vernacular. The Holy Spirit has been poured out on all who will receive. He is the Holy Spirit of Grace and grace is certainly the hallmark of the new covenant. Jesus ushered in the age of grace through his atoning blood so that we are no longer slaves to the law. We have been freed from all shackles through the victory of Jesus.

It is impossible, though, not to appreciate the prophetic truths contained in this verse. Long before Jesus was born Zechariah wrote about the one who would be pierced. Are you ever amazed by prophecy? I am. God has always wished to reveal Himself and His knowledge to His people. He has given prophetic utterance throughout the ages and even continues to do so today. The glory of these prophecies is best appreciated in retrospect. Our hearts are moved when we read about the firstborn who is pierced. We know who this person is. Think about the people of Zechariah’s day. They didn’t know Jesus. Were they equally amazed by this prophecy? I somehow doubt it. Hopefully they did appreciate what the Lord told them through Zechariah.

Fulfilled prophecy certainly ministers to us today. Our faith in unfulfilled prophecies is bolstered by seeing fulfilled prophecies like the one in today’s selection. It is amazing in its own right but equally so in the way it points to other prophecy. If this one was so eloquently delivered then what does that mean for other Bible prophecy?

The Son has been pierced, the Spirit poured out. This is the last age before the climatic end of the Biblical story. We can watch the blood moons, the signs in the heavens and actually experience prophecy being fulfilled within our seeing. These are days of which the prophets spoke. It is a time of great triumph and joy as we glory in the victory of our Lord Jesus. The time is at hand for all people to turn their faces toward the light. There is a great looming darkness but greater is the light. We will jump with joy like young gazelles at the coming of our Lord and we will see His light shining brightly. We know the end of the story so fear not. The end is nigh but great is the victory of the Lord Jesus and upon His wings you will ride. Take joy. These are the promised days.

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