The Outpouring Of The Spirit In The Last Days

by G. E. HORNE | Category: The Holy Spirit And His Work | Dec 1952

Much has been written in this magazine with regard to the Holy Spirit, both as to His person and to His work throughout sacred history. We would now say a little as to His activities in the last days, that period between the coming of the Lord for His Bride, the Church which is His Body, and His return to earth to set up His kingdom.

Peter on the day of Pentecost quoted from Joel regarding the outpouring of the Spirit in the last days, and said that what was then taking place was according to what was said in the prophecy (Acts 2.14-21, Joel 2.28-32). It is evident, however, that Joel's prophecy will have a future fulfilment in a time immediately preceding the day of the Lord, the time of His reign on the earth.

After God's purpose during this present dispensation has been completed, and both the dead and the living in Christ have been caught up to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4.13-17), the "gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world for' a testimony unto all the nations". (Matthew 24.14). This is the gospel proclaimed by John the Baptist, and also by the Lord Himself and by His disciples in the early days of their ministry. The burden of this message was, "The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1. 15). In those days it was sent only to Israel (Matthew 10.5, 6). Their long-promised Messiah had come. Alas, they rejected the King. In that future time, of which we are writing, it will be proclaimed world-wide. God's messengers will be sent out into all lands. The return of God's King will then be near at hand.

God says, "I will pour forth of My Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: yea and on My servants and on My handmaidens in those days will I pour forth of My Spirit; and they shall prophesy .... And it shall be, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

In those days, in the city of Jerusalem, God will have also two special witnesses, who will do a Moses-like and an Elijah-like work for three and a half years. They are spoken of as "two olive trees and two lampstands, standing before the Lord 0f the earth" (Revelation 11.4). These symbols undoubtedly mean that they are Spirit-filled men, the lampstand speaking of testimony, and the olive oil, symbolic of the Holy Spirit, giving the power for testimony (Acts 1.8). They will have power to shut the heaven that it rain not during the days of their prophecy: and power to turn water into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague as often as they shall desire. When their work is done they will be killed by the beast, the antichrist: their dead bodies will lie in the street of Jerusalem for three days and a half, when God will raise them up, and they will ascend into heaven in a cloud. There will then be a great earthquake; the tenth part of the city will fall, and seven thousand people will be killed. The rest will give glory to the God of heaven (Revelation 11. 8-18).

Further testimony will be borne by an "angel flying in mid heaven, having an eternal gospel to proclaim unto them that dwell on the earth, and unto every nation and tribe and tongue and people". The terms of this message are-"Fear God, and give Him glory; for the hour of His judgement is come: and worship Him that made the heaven and the earth and sea and fountains of waters This gospel will be proclaimed at the time when the coming antichrist will be demanding universal worship of himself and of his image. In it God's requirements from man will be reduced to their most elementary terms. Men are called upon to acknowledge Him as Creator, and to worship Him accordingly (Revelation 14.6-10).

The results of all this witness-bearing will be tremendous. No doubt many in that day will be instructed by such scriptures as Matthew 24.15-22. When they see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel, standing in the holy place, they will flee unto a place of refuge which God will prepare for them, beyond the mountains in the east of Judea, and there they will be nourished by God during the three and a half years of the great tribulation (Revelation 12.6). This place of refuge, we believe, is in the lands of Edom, Moab and Ammon, which countries shall be delivered out of the hand of the antichrist (Daniel 11.41). How many will be thus preserved unto the coming of the Lord as Son of Man is not disclosed, but the context would seem to suggest a very large company.

In addition to these, "a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation, and of all tribes and peoples and tongues", are seen by John, "standing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands". They ascribe salvation unto God which sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb. John is told "These are they' which come out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Revelation 7.9-14). They will be noble men and women who through faithfulness to God have faced the fiercest persecution that has ever raged upon earth, and have given their lives, rather than to receive the mark of the beast and worship his image.

When we remember that all believers in the Lord Jesus will have been caught up to meet Him in the air at the rapture, it is evident how mightily the Holy Spirit will use these subsequent messengers, and with what great results.

In Ezekiel 37. the prophet tells us he was carried out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set down in the midst of a valley of dry bones.

Then he was asked, "Can these bones live?" Answering, "0 LORD GOD, Thou knowest", he is told to prophesy over the bones:

"0 ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones, Behold I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD."

As he prophesied there was a noise and an earthquake and the bones came together, bone to his bone and there were sinews upon them, and flesh came up and skin covered them above but there was no breath in them Then he is told to prophesy unto the wind, and say to it,

"Thus saith the Lord GOD

Come from the four winds, 0 breath, and breathe upon these slain that they may live"

So he prophesied, and "the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army". It is then revealed to Ezekiel that these bones are the whole house of Israel, who are saying, "Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off".

The time is coming when God will breathe upon Israel; He will sprinkle clean water upon them, and they shall be clean from all their filthiness; when He will give them a new heart, and put a new Spirit within them. He will put His Spirit within them, and cause them to walk in His statutes, and to keep His judgements, and do them. They shall dwell in the land He gave unto their fathers, and be His people, and He will be their God (Ezekiel 36.25-28).

Ships of Tarshish shall bring their sons from far, their silver and their gold with them (Isaiah 60.9). Kings shall be their nursing fathers, and queens their nursing mothers. They shall bow down to them, and lick the dust of their feet (Isaiah 49.28).

The time when God will put His Spirit into this remnant of Israel is evidently when looking upon Him whom they pierced, "they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be ill bitterness for Him, as one is in bitterness for his firstborn". Then will they realize that long ago their fathers crucified their Messiah. There will then be among them a very real, individual, and widespread repentance, "every family apart and their wives apart" (Zechariah 12.10-14). This will take place when the Lord Jesus appears for their deliverance at the battle of Armageddon, and His feet stand upon the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14.1-4).

Of the Lord, during His millennial reign, it is written "And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD". Of that day it is said "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea" (Isaiah 11.2, 9).

G. E. HORNE | Dec 1952
The Holy Spirit And His Work