Stephen Jones — Pneumatology
b1 — Creation’s Jubilee
Outpouring of the Spirit — three historical sendings
Jones uses the three times Noah sent out the dove (Gen. 8:8-12) as a typological framework for three historical sendings of the Holy Spirit:
“This dove represents the Holy Spirit. The fact that Noah sent the dove out three times speaks of the three times that the Holy Spirit was to be sent into the earth in history.”
— Jones, Creation’s Jubilee, Appendix 2 — The Return of the Holy Spirit
First sending — Sinai (Old Covenant):
“The Holy Spirit was sent, but the people fled in fear (Ex. 20:18, 19). They did not want to hear the voice of God directly. The ‘dove found no rest’ amidst the sea of people. Another ark had to be built to house His presence, the Ark of the Covenant.”
Second sending — Pentecost in Acts 2:
“The ‘dove’ in this case had found a single olive sprout in the person of Jesus. At His baptism (Matt. 3:16) it lighted upon His head; later at Pentecost it lighted upon His body to complete the fulfillment of that occasion. Yet this was only a tiny portion of the promise, even as an olive sprout was only a little piece of the olive tree.”
Third sending — future universal outpouring:
“The third occasion speaks of the unlimited fulfillment, when the Spirit shall be poured out upon all flesh. It shall be the greater outpouring, of which the previous one was only an ‘earnest.’ Once sent, the dove shall not return to the ark, which had limited its movements. His glory shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2:14).”
Interpretation: Jones positions Acts 2 Pentecost as only a partial fulfillment — the true fullness of the Spirit lies in a future third outpouring upon all flesh. This is an implicitly continuationist position.
Pentecost as ‘earnest’ of the Spirit — not the fullness
In chapter 6 Jones develops the threefold harvest structure pneumatologically. On the personal level:
“Passover signifies our Justification from the bondage of sin (‘Egypt’). Pentecost signifies our Sanctification by the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Tabernacles signifies our Glorification at ‘the redemption of our body’ (Romans 8:23), when we inherit our ‘Promised Land.‘”
— Jones, Creation’s Jubilee, chapter 6 — God’s Three Harvest Festivals
Jones cites Eph. 1:13-14 to establish that the Spirit at Pentecost was given only as a ‘pledge’:
“who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”
And concludes:
“Pentecost gave us only an ‘earnest’ of the Spirit, a downpayment, rather than the fullness. […] We cannot inherit the perfected kingdom on the basis of a mere earnest of the Spirit. Only those with the fullness of His Spirit can fully inherit the promise.”
Interpretation: Jones regards the present church period (Pentecostal Age) as structurally incomplete pneumatologically. Pentecost sanctifies but does not complete.
Sanctification — Pentecost as a phase of divine indwelling
Jones describes the pneumatological shift at Pentecost as a transition: the Spirit was in the Old Covenant with the people, but in the New Covenant within them:
“The second Church is the Pentecostal-Age Church, which began seven weeks after Jesus’ resurrection, when the Spirit of God was sent on the day of Pentecost. On this day God renewed the Kingdom by giving it greater power and placing the Holy Spirit within the people. No longer was the temple an external house made of wood and stone. Now the people themselves were the temple of God (1 Cor. 3:16).”
But Pentecost does not bring completion:
“Pentecost cannot bring perfection to any individual, nor can its Church bring righteousness into the earth. That promise awaits the third and final feast and its Church, or Kingdom.”
Tabernacles — fullness of the Spirit and restoration of all things
Jones directly connects the Tabernacles Age to the outpouring of the fullness of the Spirit:
“Level Three: The third Church is the Tabernacles Age Church. At the beginning of this age God will pour out the fullness of His Spirit upon the overcomers. They will rule with power in the earth and bring all things under the feet of Jesus Christ. Their ministry will bring righteousness and the fullness of truth into the earth. It will signal the greatest revival the world has ever seen, as the prophets foretell so often.”
And cites Hab. 2:14 as the promise of universal fulfillment:
“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea.”
Interpretation: The Spirit and the restoration of all things (apokatastasis) are closely intertwined in Jones. The fullness of the Spirit is not an individual but a cosmic and eschatological event.
Three harvest groups and three resurrection moments (1 Cor. 15)
Jones links the three harvest festivals to three categories of people raised at different points in history:
“Paul deals with our own resurrections and tells us that there are three classes of people, three ‘squadrons,’ who shall be raised at different times in history. These three categories correspond specifically to the three main feast days.”
— Jones, Creation’s Jubilee, chapter 6
- Barley company → first resurrection → Tabernacles (overcomers, quick to respond to the wind of the Spirit)
- Wheat company → Pentecost → the Church in general
- Grapes → judgment → unbelievers (cleansed through judgment as winepress)
Interpretation: The pneumatological significance: “barley people” immediately respond to “the wind of the Spirit” and are the first to ripen through the Spirit.