“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will PROPHECY, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will PROPHECY….before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.” Acts 2:17-21
This prophecy is given in the book of Joel and also in the book of Acts. It speaks of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit before the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord, which is the 2nd Coming.
There are 9 gifts of the Spirit but its interesting to note that the gift of prophecy is the predominant one mentioned here. Prophecy is the gift used in the build up before the Lord’s return.
The question is; ‘Why Prophecy?’
If it were up to me I would have chosen a gift like Healing, Faith or Miracles to catch people’s attention and warn them of the Lord’s Coming.
God knows that Prophecy is the key to preparing the Church, His Bride for the return of the Lord. It also says in this verse that our sons and daughters will prophesy. We have a long way to go for this to happen. Even mature Christians aren't prophesying, let alone our children today.
We need to lift our sights and believe for a bigger vision. Let us pray that we and our children will prophesy.
A significant key to understanding God’s End Time plan is found in the Prophecy of the Dry Bones.
“The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. ” Ezekiel 37:1-3
Ezekiel was taken out to a remote battlefield in the Spirit. It was not in a Church setting but outside in a Valley where Ezekiel prophesied to the dry bones and no one was listening. Many today would think this a pointless exercise but this type of prophecy produced an amazing miracle and raised up God’s End Time Army. Now days through a lack of faith and the need to be noticed, we lose an opportunity to minister prophetically like this.
“Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and ‘say’ to them,
Ezekiel’s was given the actual words to say. It was like .. “Repeat after me.” He was obedient to God and this Great Army was raised up, all through him speaking out the word of God.
Prophecy is not always spontaneous, for here Ezekiel was told what to say - ‘parrot fashion.’ This type of prophecy can be exercised by any believer at any time but it requires faith. When its operated in consistently and in faith it will change your life and the world around you.
Today the world is in a mess, and the curse is spreading fast through the nations. The book of Malachi says that we, the Spirit filled Church are the answer to this problem. The curse can be pushed back, by the use of prophecy.
“For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble….But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” Malachi 4:1-6
In Malachi chapter 4 it speaks of God’s Elijah coming to save the day. This is none other than the Spirit of God coming on the Church accompanied by healings and miracles and the turning of many to the Lord.
Arise Church; speak out the word of God over your family, neighbourhood, city and nation. Put God’s word in your mouth and heart and Prophesy to the dry bones no matter how dry they are as it’s God’s answer for the crisis we are in right now.
“The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion (The Church). Rule in the midst of Your enemies.” Psalm 110:2