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NASB | Acts 2:17 'AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,' God says, 'THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND; AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS; |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Acts 2:17 'AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,' says God, 'THAT I WILL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT UPON ALL MANKIND; AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE [divinely prompted] VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM [divinely prompted] DREAMS; |
Bible Question: Friends and colleagues, is this scripture talking about the 'church age?' After reading Peter's sermon explaining their behavior, it seems that his quotes from Joel and David are talking about the 'church age' until the last days. Peter testifies that Joel's prophecy was about then and now, and until the return of thew Lord. Comments? |
Bible Answer: Hey Charis, A couple of thoughts about Peter's statement in Acts 2:17 and the prophecy in Joel that he quotes. First, everything that Joel said would happen in the last days did not happen in Acts 2, I mean the signs in the sky, (Joel 2:30) And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. (Joel 2:31) The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. Unless it refers back to when Christ died on the cross, there was darkness and an earthquake. I think Peter was inspired when he used the prophecy, but it was not completely fulfilled on that day. It is a prophecy with a double fulfillment so to speak. (Some would call it a partial fulfillment, with the complete fulfillment to come at the appointed time) The ultimate fulfillment will come in the last days, which we live in, during the Day of the Lord, all of the signs given by Joel will happen. I talked about this a little in my posting of 3-26-01 to your question on whether prophecy was dead or not, I think that was you. Second, in Joel, he talks about many other things happening that we are (at least I think am) pretty sure that they will not happen until the Day of the Lord, when Christ returns to defeat antichrist and establish His kingdom. I also think the last days to some extent covers what we call the Church age, and that we are nearing the end of time as we know it. Also, maybe just to incite conversation, even though Peter and Paul, esp. Paul, were inspired by the Holy Spirit in their preaching and teaching, I think they were very free with some of their applications of O. T. scripture, I mean sometime I read something of Paul where he refers back to some O.T. teaching and I can't figure out how he arrived at that, except the Lord told him. I hope this not to confusing, sometime the things that I think are clear to me, but I can't get them across to others very clear. later...wdc |