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A different type of prophecy is found in Isa. 7: 10-16 where King Ahaz is told:
". . . . . the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear
a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may
know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. For before the child shall know to refuse
the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her
kings."
The word translated virgin in Isa. 7: 14 is almah and can be translated maiden or
young woman. Behtulah is the Hebrew for virgin. In Isa. 7: 14, however, we have
ha-almah, the maiden, that is some specific maiden known to Ahaz, and The Companion
Bible suggests:
"Behold the maiden is pregnant and beareth a son . . . . ."
Ahaz is told that before this son shall know right and wrong the kingdom of Judah
shall be relieved of the two kings who oppress it (Isa. 7: 1, 16).
This event, however does not exhaust this prophecy which is taken up by the Holy
Spirit in Matt. 1: 23 and used of the miraculous birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. There the
Greek word parthenos does mean virgin and the Holy Spirit can take Isa. 7: and use it
in this way because every bethulah is an almah. Thus we have here an example of a
`double' fulfillment of a prophecy. In such the first may be a partial fulfillment and the
second total or the first may be total and the second a repeat. Is Joel 2: 28, 29 an
example of a prophecy which is to have a "double" fulfillment? Some would maintain
that the Acts period was only a partial fulfillment and that there is to be a future total
fulfillment. Is that view correct?
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A very common view is that held by many Pentecostalists and Charismatics who, like
Mrs. McPherson, claim that these movements are the fulfillments of the latter rain of
Joel's prophecy. The assertion here is that Joel's prophecy of 2: 28, 29 has a double
fulfillment because of the mention of former rain and latter rain in Joel 2: 23. The
former rain was the fulfillment during the Acts period and the latter rain is the
phenomena now seen in many parts of the world. Is this a valid interpretation of
Joel.ii.23, 28 and 29?
From our study of Joel we have seen that the verse which deals with the former and
latter rain comes in the section dealing with temporal blessings bestowed upon the land,
the animals and the people, Joel 2: 21-27. The setting is very agricultural and, as we
have seen, the former rain and the latter rain are just that! It is exactly what it says it is!
It is the literal rain. The former rain falls in October and November and the latter rain is
to fall in March and April. Is it right to take part of a verse out of its setting and context
and "spiritualize" it as Mrs. McPherson and company have done? Is this rightly dividing
the Word of Truth? Is this correctly handling the Word of God? We think not but . . . . .