On the Day of Pentecost, Peter explains what has happened with these words: “this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel”. See Acts 2:16. Verse 17 reads: “It shall come to pass in the last days, says God, I will pour out of MY Spirit upon all flesh. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy. Your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams”. Verse 18 reads: “On MY servants and MY handmaidens, I will pour out in those days of MY Spirit and they shall prophesy”. I choose not to go further in this quotation from Joel as it pertains to signs and wonders in the heavens above and the earth beneath; because, it is far more important for our discussion here to focus on the content of verses 17 and 18. That’s because it is the appropriate explanation for what is happening through the 120 persons speaking in supernatural languages in the languages known to these visitors from other areas of the world. The Galileans only knew the Hebrew/Aramaic language. In order to be able to speak fluently, intelligently, and understandably in the language of each language group represented, it required supernatural assistance to do so. How was this accomplished? Acts 2:4 reads: “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance”. Therefore, the 120 were speaking in these supernatural languages totally dependent upon the Holy Ghost giving them the direction to do so. Now, an utterance of tongues plus the interpretation of it equals prophecy. Prophecy both exhorts strongly the hearers to a divinely designated outcome and predicts the future. In Acts 2:11, the people being spoken to by supernatural languages said that “we hear them speak in our dialects the wonderful works of God”. That means that they were being prophesied to by combination of tongues and interpretation of tongues. Therefore, the Old Testament passage that Peter chose for the explanation of the events of that Day was appropriate. However, it was not entirely in the right time frame as the time frame of Joel. We can see the truth of this last statement by studying the historical context of verses before Joel 2:28-29 and afterwards. Joel 2:20 speaks to the Lord God Almighty removing a northern army away from Israel. In the times that Peter spoke of this prophecy from Joel, the Roman army was an army from the north occupying and oppressing the Israelites in their homeland. Furthermore, the last words of Joel 2:26 and 27 proclaim: ‘and MY people shall never be ashamed”. There has been shame that other nations have directed harshly toward Israel for multi-generations even until today. Yet, the first few words of Joel 2:28 start this way: “And it shall come to pass afterward”. In other words, the total fulfillment of HIS Spirit being poured must happen after what is mentioned to happen takes place. Joel 3:1 reads: “For behold, in those days and in that time, when I will bring Judah and Jerusalem” back to restoration. At the time, it says that HE will gather all nations into a valley of decision so that HE can execute judgment upon them. Egypt shall be a desolation and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness. Has that happened yet? The simple answer is no. Now, was Peter wrong to use the quote “this is that “when referring to Joel 2:28-29? Peter tweaked those first few words of Joel 2:28 to say: “And it shall come to pass in the last days”. Peter recognized that since Jesus the Christ appeared on earth (revealed as God, the Eternal Son clothed in flesh); it became the countdown for the last days. This then was the beginning of the end of an old era of God’s dealings with Israel and the new era of giving supernatural help to live a victorious life of true righteousness through the resurrection power that Jesus imparts to HIS followers. Peter sensed what Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 43:19 reading: “Behold, I will do a new thing. Now, it shall spring forth. Shall you not know it?”. Previous verse 18 reads: “Remember you not the former things, neither consider the things of old”. Peter also sensed what Ezekiel prophesied in Ezekiel 36:26-27, reading: “A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you. I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh so that I can give you a heart of tenderness towards ME. And I will put MY Spirit within you so that I may cause you to walk in MY statutes and keep MY judgments to do them”. Peter nailed it right on as far as what Isaiah and Ezekiel said as recorded in these mentioned passages. What we see in the time frames in Joel chapters 2 and 3 speak to an open time expansion (even to this time today) of receiving the baptism in the Holy Ghost plus the spiritual gifts listed in 1st Corinthians 12:8-10. The possible access to it has never ceased. Peter speaks to this in Acts 2:38-39 in saying this gift or promise is for you, your children, to those far off, and as many as the Lord our God shall call. To God be the glory for making it so.
