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, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
This is God's promise spoken through the prophet Joel, looking forward to a new era when God's Spirit won't belong only to prophets and priests. "All people" means men and women, old and young, from every background. Prophesying, dreaming dreams, and seeing visions are ways ordinary people will hear from God and speak for God. It's a radical expansion of who gets to participate in God's work.
God who dreams through grandmothers and teenagers, pour your Spirit on all my assumptions. Surprise me through the people I overlook and the dreams I’ve shelved. Make my life part of your wild, inclusive future. Amen.
Your grandmother's dream about the neighbor's kid is suddenly scripture-worthy. The teenager's wild idea for helping classmates isn't just hormones—it's a vision. This is Joel's mic-drop moment: the Spirit isn't rationed to professionals anymore. God is done with VIP sections. You probably know someone who thinks they’re too young, too old, too ordinary for God to use. That someone might be you. But the Spirit Joel describes specializes in unlikely candidates—farmers, kids, retirees with insomnia. The question isn't whether God wants to pour out his Spirit on you; it's whether you've created space to receive it. Not by trying harder, but by getting honest about your actual dreams (even the weird ones) and asking God to sort the holy from the just-hungry. Your subconscious might be more prophetic than your preach voice.
What does "all people" actually include—who might feel excluded from this promise?
When have you experienced God speaking through an unlikely person or source?
What’s the difference between a God-dream and just wishful thinking?
How might your community change if everyone believed the Spirit spoke through them?
What’s one dream or idea you’ve dismissed that you could re-examine with God this week?
But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
Acts 2:16
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Jeremiah 29:11
For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off , even as many as the Lord our God shall call .
Acts 2:39
Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.
Isaiah 32:15
And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out 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:
Acts 2:17
For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:
Isaiah 44:3
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Acts 2:21
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
Acts 2:2
"It shall come about after this That I shall pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and your daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions.
AMP
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.
ESV
'It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions.
NASB
The Day of the Lord “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
NIV
“And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.
NKJV
“Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions.
NLT
"And that's just the beginning: After that— "I will pour out my Spirit on every kind of people: Your sons will prophesy, also your daughters. Your old men will dream, your young men will see visions.
MSG