Joel 2:28–32, Te Spirit of God, and Prophetic Practices in Nigeria: An Exegetical-Teological Inquiry

References to prophecies, prophetic declarations, prophetic prayer, or a prophetic unction are commonplace in Nigeria, where people claim such utterances as magical gateways to triumphs on many fronts. Joel 2:28–32 is a fundamental text on which the bulk of New Testament and contemporary church disc...

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Main Author: Zwandien Bobai
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: South African Theological Seminary 2025-04-01
Series:Conspectus
Subjects:
Online Access:https://sats.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Joel-2-28%E2%80%9332-The-Spirit-of-God-and-Prophetic-Practices-in-Nigeria-An-Exegetical-Theological-Inquiry.pdf
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author Zwandien Bobai
author_facet Zwandien Bobai
author_sort Zwandien Bobai
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description References to prophecies, prophetic declarations, prophetic prayer, or a prophetic unction are commonplace in Nigeria, where people claim such utterances as magical gateways to triumphs on many fronts. Joel 2:28–32 is a fundamental text on which the bulk of New Testament and contemporary church discourses on the Spirit of God are based. The Apostle Peter first appropriated this text in his address in Acts 2:17–21. Tis reference to God pouring out his Spirit on the people to enable sons and daughters, men and women, and servants to prophesy, dream, and see visions has been and continues to be defining in discussions on the activity of the Holy Spirit today. Using the exegetical-theological approach in analyzing Joel 2:28–32 and Acts 2:17–21, it was discovered that although the prophecy may have been given primarily for the Jews, its implications based upon Peter’s appropriation of the passage indicate that Pentecost was the ripe time for it to begin coming true. Given that prophetic practices in Nigeria today are quite problematic, this article critiques some “prophetic” practices in Nigeria. This article invites practitioners to rethink prophetic practices in the church in general and the Nigerian church specifically.
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spelling doaj-art-2f125ff2bf5c496dbefb19d565e005e42025-08-21T10:43:55ZengSouth African Theological SeminaryConspectus1996-81672025-04-013995970https://doi.org/10.54725/conspectus.2025.1.4Joel 2:28–32, Te Spirit of God, and Prophetic Practices in Nigeria: An Exegetical-Teological InquiryZwandien Bobai0ECWA Theological Seminary, KagoroReferences to prophecies, prophetic declarations, prophetic prayer, or a prophetic unction are commonplace in Nigeria, where people claim such utterances as magical gateways to triumphs on many fronts. Joel 2:28–32 is a fundamental text on which the bulk of New Testament and contemporary church discourses on the Spirit of God are based. The Apostle Peter first appropriated this text in his address in Acts 2:17–21. Tis reference to God pouring out his Spirit on the people to enable sons and daughters, men and women, and servants to prophesy, dream, and see visions has been and continues to be defining in discussions on the activity of the Holy Spirit today. Using the exegetical-theological approach in analyzing Joel 2:28–32 and Acts 2:17–21, it was discovered that although the prophecy may have been given primarily for the Jews, its implications based upon Peter’s appropriation of the passage indicate that Pentecost was the ripe time for it to begin coming true. Given that prophetic practices in Nigeria today are quite problematic, this article critiques some “prophetic” practices in Nigeria. This article invites practitioners to rethink prophetic practices in the church in general and the Nigerian church specifically.https://sats.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Joel-2-28%E2%80%9332-The-Spirit-of-God-and-Prophetic-Practices-in-Nigeria-An-Exegetical-Theological-Inquiry.pdfspirit of godprophecyprophetic practicesforetellingforthtelling
spellingShingle Zwandien Bobai
Joel 2:28–32, Te Spirit of God, and Prophetic Practices in Nigeria: An Exegetical-Teological Inquiry
Conspectus
spirit of god
prophecy
prophetic practices
foretelling
forthtelling
title Joel 2:28–32, Te Spirit of God, and Prophetic Practices in Nigeria: An Exegetical-Teological Inquiry
title_full Joel 2:28–32, Te Spirit of God, and Prophetic Practices in Nigeria: An Exegetical-Teological Inquiry
title_fullStr Joel 2:28–32, Te Spirit of God, and Prophetic Practices in Nigeria: An Exegetical-Teological Inquiry
title_full_unstemmed Joel 2:28–32, Te Spirit of God, and Prophetic Practices in Nigeria: An Exegetical-Teological Inquiry
title_short Joel 2:28–32, Te Spirit of God, and Prophetic Practices in Nigeria: An Exegetical-Teological Inquiry
title_sort joel 2 28 32 te spirit of god and prophetic practices in nigeria an exegetical teological inquiry
topic spirit of god
prophecy
prophetic practices
foretelling
forthtelling
url https://sats.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Joel-2-28%E2%80%9332-The-Spirit-of-God-and-Prophetic-Practices-in-Nigeria-An-Exegetical-Theological-Inquiry.pdf
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