Now the Spirit came upon Samson and performed mighty feats of strength. (read Judges 14:19) He came upon Moses and Elijah and Elisha, enabling them to do great signs and miracles. He came upon Gideon, who then defeated an army of thousands with 300 men. The Spirit came upon King Saul, who prophesied with the prophets. In each case, however, the Spirit came for a brief season and then departed, because none of them were yet fit vessels for His abiding presence. None of them were able to execute the administration of God's Kingdom on an every day basis.
Such was the situation until Jesus came on the scene. Although none of the old testament prophets experienced the Holy Spirit as an indwelling presence, some of them did receive glimpses of this future relationship. One of them was the prophet Joel. He wrote: 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. 29) And also on My men servants and on My maidenservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. (Joel 2:28-29)
After Malachi, the last prophet in the Old Testament, there was a period of 400 years known as the silent years, when no prophetic voice was heard in Israel.
This prophetic silence came to an end when John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a message of repentance and proclaiming that the messiah was coming soon. Although John appears in the four Gospels of the New Testament, He was in fact the last of the Old Testament prophets. His death at the command of Herod Antipas and the initiation of Jesus' "public ministry" marked the end of the one era and the beginning of another. More specifically, the baptism of Jesus by John was the point of transference. From this point forward, a new order, the Kingdom of God, would be established. Read what Jesus had to say: The law of the prophets was until John. Since that time the Kingdom of God has been preached and everyone is pressing into it. (Luke 16:16)
Such was the situation until Jesus came on the scene. Although none of the old testament prophets experienced the Holy Spirit as an indwelling presence, some of them did receive glimpses of this future relationship. One of them was the prophet Joel. He wrote: 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. 29) And also on My men servants and on My maidenservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. (Joel 2:28-29)
After Malachi, the last prophet in the Old Testament, there was a period of 400 years known as the silent years, when no prophetic voice was heard in Israel.
This prophetic silence came to an end when John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a message of repentance and proclaiming that the messiah was coming soon. Although John appears in the four Gospels of the New Testament, He was in fact the last of the Old Testament prophets. His death at the command of Herod Antipas and the initiation of Jesus' "public ministry" marked the end of the one era and the beginning of another. More specifically, the baptism of Jesus by John was the point of transference. From this point forward, a new order, the Kingdom of God, would be established. Read what Jesus had to say: The law of the prophets was until John. Since that time the Kingdom of God has been preached and everyone is pressing into it. (Luke 16:16)