"Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy."

This verse (Acts 2:18) is often quoted to show that prophecy is for today. But is this a valid way to read the verse? I believe there are several things wrong with this interpretation:

1. It requires a secondary meaning for two of the terms in the verse ("those days" and "prophesy"). The other meanings of those words should at least be kept in mind as possibilities.

2. It takes the verse above out of context (which we will examine below; Acts 2:14 - 24).

Those Days

"Those days" are understood to be the last days. I have no argument with that. There are several "last days" passages in the Bible. These mentioned here in Acts 2 are the last days of the Jewish system. Hebrews 1:1 - 2, written about thirty years later, speaks of the closing of these particular "last days. Peter is not speaking of our last days of these modern times, but he is explaining to the Jews what they were seeing that day and experiencing. Consider the context: He quotes the verse in Joel, referring it to what was happening right then and in the previous couple of months (Crucifixion, Resurrection and these events here in Acts 1 and 2). Why would he even need to mention what was going to happen in Our time? That would be irrelevant to the needs of the moment. Rather he used Joel to validate what had been happening and then - this is the important part - he tied it all in to having faith in the One that they just crucified. Here is the passage, Acts 2:14 - 24:

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd:  �Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.

"These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It�s only nine in the morning!

No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

 ��In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.

Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.

The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.

And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.� "

[Notice Peter's application. Not the distant future - our day - but the very recent past, the time of the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, the very One they just crucified less than two months previously.]
 

�Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.

This man was handed over to you by God�s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.

But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. "

By studying this passage carefully it should be obvious that this just isn't proof that there will be future-telling prophecy in our time, long after the canon of Scripture has been closed.

Prophesy and Prophesy
There are two kinds of Biblically accepted prophesying.

1. First we have those who foretell the future by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, in essence providing new information that wasn't previously available to believers. Isaiah, Elijah, Moses , Daniel, John the Baptizer and Agabus are just a few examples.

2. Then we have those who use their gift from God to build up, instruct, rebuke and exhort the believers. This is the second kind of prophesying. Many who prophesied in this way never foretold the future, yet theirs was true prophesying as well. Here we can put, besides every inspired prophet from the first group, Barnabas, Titus, Timothy, etc. Today all we think about, it seems, is the more flashy kind of prophet, but according to Paul in 1st Corinthians 14: 5 and 31, the second kind was more important:

"I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified."

"For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged."
 

In the second sense, there will always be prophesying in this age. One of the best proofs that there are two types of prophesying is found by reading Paul's writing on the subject. After he admits that not all are prophets (in speaking about the particular gifts we all have in the body of Christ), he turns around and says the verse above! ("you can all prophesy"). Contradiction? No. All Christians can prophesy in the other sense of the word - "speaking out" as opposed to "speaking beforehand" - the things of God. In that sense every Christian that comments scripturally on God's Word is prophesying.

But what about the other kind of prophesying? Is it for today?

Face it, if someone gets a message from God in the way that many of the "prophets" today say they do, there are only two ways to receive it. I am talking about those who are getting new information (dates, places, new "truths"). We either need to call them deluded or liars (option 1) , or we need to write everything they say down and then go to Kinko's, Qwikcopy or someplace, print it out and add it to the ends of our Bible. Better yet, we should perhaps get loose-leaf Bibles because who knows when it will end? That may sound sarcastic but that is not my intention. I just want to drive home a point that either something is inspired by God or not. There is no room for "God sort-of said this".

God also said this in no uncertain terms (Rev. 22:18):
 

" I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. "

The claim is often made that the verse above, and other similar verses, were written when the canon wasn't even finished. True. But how could it be otherwise? There would be no logical or inspired way for the Word of God to speak authoritatively on this issue if it did so with a verse written After the canon. If the canon of the inspired Word of God closed at a certain time (and it did) then other words written/spoken afterwards are less than the inspired Word of God. Like I said above, there can be no semi-inspired Word of God. Just like there is no semi-pregnant lady, there is no
semi-inspired prophet today. The Word that we have is to be defended and proclaimed to the end of This age (not speaking of the next).

Many people have an emotional attachment to the mere idea of modern day prophecy and modern day "super-prophets" and go to the Scripture on this topic, not looking for answers, but for justification for their beliefs. The Israelites likewise grew tired of the daily bread that followed them for forty years in the wilderness. Jesus tells the Jews in John 6 that the bread that fed them was Himself, the Word of God. We do not need to be looking for new words from God. We need to go back to what God has already written - and to what the Holy Spirit is trying to teach us about the living Word of God.

The onlookers at Pentecost were at a loss to understand what was happening before their very eyes. Some were even willing to explain it all away as public drunkenness! Notice Peter's answer: "This is that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel." He goes on to equate the miraculous outpouring of preaching with what Joel had foretold. But notice this - and this is where I differ with Daniel, presumably - Peter then goes on to describe the rest of what Joel foretold. And this is all part of Peter's explanation of what is happening, or had just recently happened. Consider: what would be the purpose of Peter, after he had explained what was happening as being fulfillment of Joel's prophecy, if he again muddies the waters by describing what would happen 2000 years in the future! It wouldn't make sense. Also, it would needlessly complicate his message.

Reading the passage, the whole passage, a different picture emerges.

Keying in on Peter's mention of "miracles", "signs" and "wonders". These three were all prophesied by Joel. And - according to Peter - they were all fulfilled by the time of Pentecost. Don't take my word. Read the passage yourself.

Notice that there is no time gap between the events of 18 and 19. They happen in the same period. They are all part of the witness that this is now the "day of salvation". So what are these signs? They are - along with the miraculous outpouring at Pentecost -
the death, burial and resurrection of Christ;
the darkness when it should have been light,
the temple veil being torn in two, top to bottom,
the empty tomb,
great earthquake,
people coming out of their graves and wandering through Jerusalem (Matt. 27:51- 53).

These are tremendous signs, miracles and wonders! It is to these that Peter appeals:

"Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know" v. 22 Why did Peter quote this passage, a passage that is, according to some today, primarily future in application? What was Peter thinking? The crowd wanted information on current events .. and he gave them a prophecy seminar! (Not really!) Instead of trying to go into Peter's mind and surmising what he was thinking, why not just got to his actual words - this passage. I believe an impartial reading of it would lead us to assume that Peter sees this prophecy of Joel's as being fulfilled at the time of Christ's life, death, resurrection and Pentecost - but no later.

Some say that this passage in Acts ties in to Rev. 6:12, and is thus (supposedly) future. But this needlessly complicates the passage. Revelation was written over half a century afterward.

So how should we understand Acts 2? An outpouring of the Spirit? Yes, in that time of Pentecost. He is the same Spirit who is given to all who believe. That part is for us today. But the rest, the signs, the wonders, darkness of the sun, etc. that was all fulfilled in that time as types of Christ's astounding saving work on the Cross.

Don't lose sight of that emphasis on Christ.