Acts 2:16

Peter’s Sermon

14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words.

15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, ^asince it is only the third hour of the day.

16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 ‘And^a it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
^bThat I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and ^cyour daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.

18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
^aAnd they shall prophesy.

19 ^aI will show wonders in heaven above
And signs in the earth beneath:
Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.

20 ^aThe sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?

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What Does Acts 2:16 Mean?

Acts 2:14-21

It is interesting that Peter does not say that this was the fulfillment of what Joel prophesied. This is because much of Joel's prophecy was not yet fulfilled. It is easily seen that Peter understood this. He knew that it was only the beginning of the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy because God's Spirit was not being poured out on all flesh. The sun and moon had not changed their appearance, and not everybody that "called on the name of the Lord" was being saved. This is something similar to what happened when Jesus quoted Isaiah 61 in Luke 4, as He began His ministry in Nazareth. He left out parts of the prophecy. Likewise, Peter recognized that the events of Acts 2 only began to fulfill Joel's prophecy.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Pentecost and the Holy Spirit

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Peter’s Sermon

What Does Acts 2:16 Mean?

A Verse and a Thought,Every Morning

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning