The Lord said to me…”I will test my people with a
Plumbline, Amos 7:8 (TLB)
The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.
Acts # 5 Peter
Manifests The Gift Of Prophecy 2:14–40
Joel’s Prophecy Fulfilled 2:14–21
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| Check It Out in the BOOK |
When
Peter and the 11 other apostles (including Matthias) stood to their feet, the
120 immediately ceased speaking in tongues. Then the whole crowd gave their
attention to Peter. Still anointed by the Spirit, he “raised his voice” and
proceeded to address (Gk, “speak out to”) the crowd. The word used for this
speaking is from the same verb used of the speaking in tongues in Acts 2:4. It
suggests that Peter spoke in his own language (Aramaic) as the Spirit enabled
him.52 In other words, what follows is not a sermon in the ordinary
sense of the word. Certainly, Peter did not sit down and figure out three
points. Rather, this was a spontaneous manifestation of the gift of prophecy (1
Cor. 12:10; 14:3).
Peter directed his
address to the Jews and to all who lived in Jerusalem. This was a polite way to
begin and followed their custom. It included both men and women. Even when they
mentioned only men, they were not ruling out the women. This would be true also
of verses 22 and 29. By calling them “fellow Jews” he also recognized that the
Spirit-baptized believers were still true Jews. Their faith in Jesus had not
removed them from the congregation of Israel.
Apparently, as the 120
continued to speak in tongues, the mocking increased until most were making fun
of them. Peter did not draw attention to the fact that some did not understand
the purpose or were perplexed. He answered only those who mocked.
The 120 were not drunk,
as the crowd supposed, for it was only about “nine in the morning” (lit. “the
third hour of the day”). Actually, even fermented wine was not very strong. In
those days they had no way of distilling alcohol or fortifying drinks. Their
strongest drinks were wine and beer, and they made it a practice to dilute the
wine with several parts of water. It would have taken a great deal to get them
drunk that early in the morning. We are sure also that anyone drinking at that
hour would not be in a public place. Thus Peter showed that the words of those
making fun of the 120 were absurd.
Peter then turned to the
Word of God. Peter declared that what they saw and heard (Acts 2:33) was a
fulfillment of Joel 2:28–32 (Joel 3:1–5 in the Heb. Scriptures). Because the
context of Joel goes on to deal with the coming judgment and the end of the
age, some writers today believe that Joel’s prophecy did not have a fulfillment
on the Day of Pentecost. One writer actually says Peter did not really mean
“This is that” (v. 16, KJV) but rather “This is something like that.” In other
words, he thinks the Pentecostal outpouring was only similar to what will
happen when Israel is restored at the end of the age.
Peter, however, did say,
“This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel.” Joel, like the other Old
Testament prophets, did not see the time span between the first and second
comings of Christ. Even Peter himself probably did not see how long it would
be. He did see, however, that the Messianic Age is coming, and probably hoped
it would be soon.
Peter makes one apparent
change in the prophecy. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit he specified
what the word “afterward” in Joel 2:28 means: the outpouring is “in the last
days.” Thus he recognized that the “last days” began with the ascension of
Jesus (Acts 3:19–21). From this we can see that the Holy Spirit recognizes the
entire Church Age as “last days” to be characterized by His powerful working.
We are in the last age before the rapture of the Church, the restoration of
Israel, and Christ’s millennial reign on earth—the last age before Jesus “is
revealed from heaven in blazing fire” to “punish those who do not know God and
do not obey the gospel” (2 Thess. 1:7–10).
Peter’s inclusion of
“God says” in the introduction “identifies the prophecy of Joel as ‘the promise
of the Father’ … (Lk 24:49; Acts 1:4; 2:33).”
The first part of the
quotation from Joel has an obvious application to the 120. The many languages
highlight God’s purpose to keep pouring out His Spirit or to pour out His
Spirit again and again on “all people” (Gk. “all flesh”). In the Hebrew “all
flesh” usually means all humankind, as in Genesis 6:12. “
“All people” (v. 17) is then broken down to
sons and daughters. There is no distinction in the Pentecostal experience with
regard to gender. This is another indication that all the 120 were baptized in
the Spirit, including the women. Later we read of Philip’s daughters who
prophesied (Acts 21:9).
The fact that we read
“my servants” also “highlights what is implicit in the Joel text: The gift of
the Spirit is given only to those who are members of the community of
salvation,” that is, to those who are already born-again believers.
We may also see the gift
of the Spirit as the firstfruits of the age to come (Rom. 8:23). The
unregenerate human heart and mind has no conception of “ ‘what God has
prepared for those who love Him’—but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit”
(1 Cor. 2:9–10). We have already experienced it, at least in a measure. As
Hebrews 6:4–5 points out, all who have “tasted [really experienced] the
heavenly gift” and are “made partakers of the Holy Spirit” (NASB) have already
experienced “the good word [promise] of God” (NASB) and “the powers [mighty
powers, miracles] of the coming age.”
The signs here also
include “blood” and refer to the increasing bloodshed, wars, and smoke from
wars that will cover the sun and make the moon appear red. These things will
happen “before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord”; they are
part of this present age. Peter wants his hearers to understand that the
Pentecostal power of the Spirit will continue to be poured out throughout this
present age. The age of the Church is the age of the Holy Spirit. The gift of
the Spirit will still be available even in the midst of coming wars and
bloodshed.
This verse gives the
purpose of the outpouring. Through this empowering the Holy Spirit will do His
convicting work in the world, not just in the end but throughout the age—right
down to the great Day of the Lord. All during this period, whoever calls on the
name of the Lord for help, that is, for salvation, will be saved. “The Lord” is
Jesus (cf. Rom. 10:9, 13). The Greek also indicates that we can expect many to
respond and be saved. John confirms this, for he saw “a great multitude … from
every nation, tribe, people and language standing before the throne” (Rev.
7:9). These come out of “ ‘the great [long] tribulation’ ” (Rev.
7:14) that Jesus mentioned in John 16:33.[1]
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