DREAMING DREAMS AND SEEING VISIONS

" And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams." – Acts 2:17

THE DAY of Pentecost was a day of remarkable announcement – a time when the door of salvation was thrown open, and men were granted the privileges of remission and the gift of the Holy Spirit. After tarrying in prayer and expectation, the Holy Spirit filled Peter, and he began to speak with keen spiritual insight. Seeing the truth of it himself, he declared that Joel's prophecy of a great outpouring of the Spirit was being fulfilled right before their eyes: "But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel" (Acts 2:16). The "last days" – the closing period of history – were upon them, and blessing was being lavished upon humanity. It was a singular moment in history!

WHAT A RADICAL THOUGHT! "I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh!" One of our first exposures to the expression "all flesh" is related to the destructive flood – certainly not a blessing for "all flesh." Concerning that occasion, "all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth," and thus "all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man" (Gen 6:12; 7:21). Only Noah and his family survived. Now Peter announces the exact opposite of destruction. Rather than withdrawing His Spirit, as He did in Noah's day, He would pour out his Spirit lavishly upon "all flesh" – all humanity, every kind of person. There would be release from the guilt and power of sin, and reconciliation to the Living God. Glorious announcements, indeed!


PART OF THE BLESSING involved a most unusual thing. "Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams." This is the exact opposite of the course of nature. Ordinarily, old men saw visions, and young men dreamed dreams. Normally, though not confined to them, young men like Joseph "dreamed dreams" (Gen 37:5-10), and old men like Abraham "saw visions" (Gen 15:1-21; ). Too, during the time of the Law, the experience of dreams and visions were reserved for prophets (Num 12;6). Ezekiel had "visions of God," in which his understanding of the Lord was enlarged (Ezek 1:1). You can nearly count on your fingers all of the people who are said to have had dreams and visions from God prior to the day of Pentecost. Such things were rare, indeed.

NOW THE SPIRIT ANNOUNCES that a day has come when such insight and understanding will be common. Old men will have spiritual experiences generally reserved for the younger. Young men will receive understanding generally experienced by the older. The tearing of the Temple veil in two had so opened the heavens that extraordinary spiritual experiences could be enjoyed by both young and old. Reconciliation would bring heaven closer, and open the vast area of spiritual understanding to the redeemed.

LET NOT CHILD OF GOD look upon youth as a handicap. Nor, indeed, should the older among us consider their age a hindrance. This is day of spiritual liberty and opportunity. Let every soul be encouraged to expect great things from God.– Given O. Blakely