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Such is the hope of the house of Israel and the house of Judah (Jer. 31: 31).
Ezekiel 11: 19, 20 adds further light:
"I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the
stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: that they may walk in
My statutes, and keep My ordinances, and do them, and they shall be My people, and I
will be their God."
This comes after the gathering of the people to the land the Lord has given them
(Ezek. 11: 17-20) and Ezek. 37: 1-14 shows that the two nations, the northern
kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah, these two become one. This
gathering takes place after the return of the Lord to the earth (Matt. 24: 29-31;
Zechariah 12: 9-14).
Joel 2: 28, 29. Ezekiel 11: 17-20 covers, only more briefly, what is written about in
Joel 2: 21-29 and makes clear one point which has perplexed some people. The passage
from Ezekiel makes it clear that "I will put a new spirit within you" (verse 19) comes
after the gathering of the people of Israel into the land (verse 17)--and this gathering we
have seen comes after the Lord's return.
"And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh: and
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your old men shall dream dreams, and
your young men shall see visions. And also upon the servants and upon the handmaidens
in those days will I pour out My spirit" (Joel 2: 28, 29, A.V.).
From these verses alone we may be left asking "afterward"? After what? After the
ravaging of Satan's army in Joel 2: 2-10? After the northern enemy had been destroyed
by the Lord's coming (Joel 2: 20)? After the good bestowed upon the land, the animals
and the people (Joel 2: 21-27)? Yes! After all these had taken place. After the Lord's
return; after the nation had been gathered into the land; after the land had been blessed
with the latter rain; after the good bestowed had begun to be enjoyed--then . . . . . then "I
will pour out My spirit on all flesh" (Joel 2: 28). "In those days will I pour out my spirit"
(Joel 2: 29). Other passages, such as Ezek 37: 1-14 and Zech. 12: 9-14, add details
but from all such passages it is clear that the pouring out of the spirit upon these people
comes after the Lord's return.
Passages such as Joel 2: 28, 29 and Jer. 31: 31-34 etc. bring us to one of the high
water marks of the O.T. God had desired that all the people of Israel would be
mouthpieces and prophets for Him (Numb. 11: 29). His wish was that they would be a
kingdom of Priests (Exod. 19: 26) and as such take the message of His plan and purpose
for mankind to all nations of the world. This desire, this wish shall be realized in the
Millennium when "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters
cover the sea" (Isa. 11: 9). The knowledge He gives to Israel and Judah (Jer. 31: 31-34),
they pass on to all nations so fulfilling their role as a kingdom of priests.
One point in Joel 2: 28, 29 which we might easily pass over is that the spirit was to
be poured out on all flesh. This would be very important to those in the O.T. times. It is
difficult for us who have been sealed with the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption