Prophetic Prospective Daily Devotional

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.

I am having you read this passage from Joel's prophecy so that we can think together about the fulfillment of this portion of Joel’s prophecy. The big question is, when was this passage fulfilled or when will it be fulfilled? The partial answer is that this prophecy has not yet been fulfilled, it is yet to be fulfilled.

There are those today who believe that this prophecy was fulfilled on "Pentecost" as recorded in Acts 2. That is not correct for a number of reasons.

Peter never said that Pentecost, almost 2,000 years ago, was the time of the fulfillment of Joel 2. Peter, in Acts 2, never said that this event on Pentecost in Jerusalem was the fulfillment of Joel 2, but he simply said this is that, "which was spoken by the prophet Joel".

Peter was talking about Joel having written this and the Jewish people recognizing it because of their knowledge of the prophecy that they had read - written by Joel.

Peter was reminding the Jews that Joel had spoken of a time, yet future; however, not on Pentecost, when this would happen. The way I know this is correct is by our reading for today.

The passage we are reading today is part of the narrative of what happens in the "Day of the Lord". This is what Joel is revealing in his prophecy, the "Day of the Lord". In fact, the phrase "the day of the Lord" is being introduced in Joel's prophetic book.

The definition of the "Day of the Lord" is any time in history when God intercedes in the affairs of man, personally on the earth. It has a general usage and a specific usage as it relates to the days of the return of Jesus back to earth.

The "Day of the Lord" begins after the rapture, I Thessalonians 5:1-5, and concludes before the Great White Throne Judgment, Revelation 20:11.This is the general usage of the term.

The specific usage is when it refers to the "day" that Jesus steps on the earth at the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. Joel's passage is referring to that time, and leading up to that day. Thus, Joel 2:28-32 could not have been fulfilled on Pentecost, 2,000 years ago.

By the way, in Acts 2 there is no record that there were wonders in the heavens and in earth of blood and fire and pillars of smoke on that day. Also, on that day of Pentecost 2,000 years ago, the sun did not turn to darkness and the moon become like blood.

Please do not misuse scripture for your own purposes. This passage will be fulfilled in the future, and I believe in the not to distant future.

I had you read this passage and then made my comments so that we might together learn to approach our understanding of scripture, especially prophetic passages, in the proper context. This is essential in understanding the Bible and especially Bible Prophecy.


PRAYER THOUGHT: Dear Lord, help me, as I study scripture to do so properly so that I can come to the proper understanding of what you are saying.