Prophetic Framework for the Bestowal of the Spirit
March 3, 2009
The bestowal of the Spirit in the 1c. is set within a prophetic framework taken from (at least) Joel, Isaiah and Ezekiel. This framework is Israel focused and for their “last days”. There is nothing in the prophetic framework that suggests an enduring bestowal of the Spirit for the last 2000 years. Christian churches therefore make a structural mistake when they affirm the ongoing bestowal of the Spirit in these days. They assume that everything in the NT writings about the Spirit is relevant today and fail to see that much of the language is bound in time to that era. In short, the NT writers expect readers of whatever age to know the Prophets and how to position their writings in a prophetic framework. Neglect of the OT has led to massive error in this area of doctrine comparable to the error of the doctrine of the Trinity.
