But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day; but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: ‘AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,’ God says, ‘THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND; AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS; EVEN ON MY BONDSLAVES, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, I WILL IN THOSE DAYS POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT And they shall prophesy. AND I WILL GRANT WONDERS IN THE SKY ABOVE AND SIGNS ON THE EARTH BELOW, BLOOD, AND FIRE, AND VAPOR OF SMOKE. ‘THE SUN WILL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD, BEFORE THE GREAT AND GLORIOUS DAY OF THE LORD SHALL COME. ‘AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’
Peter, standing up with the eleven - "This brief statement which introduces Peter's Pentecostal address may at first seem rather unimportant — a mere statement of facts with which to start the story — but in fact it is most important and significant. First of all, God would draw our attention here to a particular group of men — the apostles. To these men had been given authority to act officially in the Lord's absence. To them the Lord Himself had said: 'Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them' (Matt 18:18-20). We realize that the last verse of this passage has so long been used out of its setting that it is difficult for many people to associate it in their minds with its immediate context...Let the reader glance again st the quotation of the passage above and note how the 'For' of Verse 20 connects it with the preceding verse. Our Lord had just promised that if two of them should agree on earth as touching anything that they should ask, His Father would grant them their request because where two or three were gathered in His name, there He was in their midst. This is, thus gathered, they represented Him. Similarly the 'Again' of Verse 19 connects it with Verse 18, which is the beginning of the whole promise that whatever they should bind on earth would be bound in heaven and whatever they should loose on earth should be loosed in heaven. Would any believer, rightly dividing the Word of truth, claim this authority today? How wrong, then to wrench Matt 18:20 from its plain context and impose upon it another meaning...While God's people today, then, are seated with Christ, positionally, and while He will indeed be with them — whether one hundred or one — in their daily experience, that is not the point in Matt 18:20. The 'two or three,' here, takes us back to the Mosaic law, where we read that 'at the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established' (Deut 17:6; 19:15; 2 Cor 13:1). What Matt 18 teaches is simply that the apostles were to have authority to act officially in His absence (Ver 18); that they did not all have to be together to act; that even two would be sufficient (Ver 19) for where but two or three were come together in His name (i.e., representing Him) there He was present. Thus the apostles arose, at Pentecost, as official representatives of the rejected Messiah...
"Our attention is next drawn to the number of the apostles. There were twelve — not eleven, but twelve. Judas' betrayal and suicide had, of course, left only eleven apostles with their risen Lord, but since that time Matthias had been chosen and had been 'numbered with the eleven' (1:26) bringing the number up to twelve again. Hence here we have 'Peter, standing up with the eleven.' The reason for this is not difficult to find, for presently the kingdom was to be offered to Israel and in that kingdom there were to be twelve thrones on which the apostles were to sit, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Besides giving them authority to act officially in His absence, our Lord had, as we have seen, promised them twelve thrones in the kingdom. This is why a successor to Judas had to be chosen before Pentecost, and this is why we here find 'Peter, standing up with the eleven.'
"And this is not all, for it should still further be noted that in this passage the greatest prominence of all is given to one man — Peter. It is not merely twelve men standing up, but 'Peter, standing up with the eleven.' He alone is named. And this is consistently so in early Acts. The reader will recall that in Acts 1:15 it was 'Peter' who 'stood up in the midst of the disciples' and proposed the appointment of a successor to Judas. Here is Acts 2:24, 'Peter, standing up with the eleven,' brings the great Pentecostal address. At the close of that address those who were convicted said to 'Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?' (2:37). And later, when persecuted for Christ, 'Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men' (5:29). Indeed, all of early Acts revolves around Peter. He is the chief actor. This is in close harmony with our Lord's words before His departure, for He had appointed Peter as the leader of the twelve, saying: 'And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thous shalt lose on earth shall be loosed in heaven' (Matt 16:19). Authority in the Messianic Church, then, was centralized in the twelve apostles and personified in Peter himself, whom the Lord had singled out as the chief apostle and the supreme head of the Church of that day (See John 20:22-23; Luke 12:32 and Matt 16:18-19). It is on these passages that the Roman Church bases its claims to apostolic authority and, sad to say, most Protestants, not recognizing the distinctive ministry of Paul and the fact that the kingdom has, for the time being, given way to 'the Church which is His Body,' find it necessary to explain these verse away or get around them somehow." (Stam)
the third hour = 9AM Jews engaged in the exercises of the synagogue on fast days abstained from eating and drinking until 10AM or noon; therefore, this could not be drunkenness.
"The 'third hour', that is, reckoned from sunrise. According to Jewish computation, the day and night were each divided into twelve equal parts called hours. These would vary in length, according to the duration of daylight. But we may say, roughly speaking, that the 'third hour of the day' would be about nine o'clock a.m. It was the earliest of the stated hours of prayer, and the time of offering the morning sacrifice. Men do not, usually, drink to excess in the early morning. It is stated, moreover, that the Jews took wine with flesh only, and that never in the morning but only in the evening; also that they abstained from food till midday on the occasion of their great festivals." (Walker)
vss 16-21 - "See Joel 2:28-32. The fulfillment of this prophecy will be in the last days, immediately preceding the return of Christ, when all the particulars (e.g., v 20 and Rev 6:12) of the prophecy will come to pass. Peter reminded his hearers that, knowing Joel's prophecy, they should have recognized what they were seeing as a work of the Spirit, not a result of drunkenness." (Ryrie)
this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel - "Was Peter correct, then, or mistaken, when he said more than nineteen centuries ago that the last days had come? He was correct. As we have pointed out, he was taught by our Lord (Acts 1:3) and filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4). Moreover, he was Scripturally correct, for in the light of all Old Testament Scripture these were the last days. As we read this story we must not anticipate revelation. We must remember that God's purpose concerning this age was still a secret. The prophets had predicted nothing about the dispensation of grace or the Body of Christ (Read carefully Eph 3:1-11). They had spoken only of the sufferings of Christ and the kingdom glory to follow (See 1 Pet 1:11 and cf Zech 13, 14, etc.). Now that the sufferings were over, the Spirit was being poured out in preparation for the glory to follow (See Joel 2:28-3:17) and presently Peter was to offer to Israel the return of Christ and the long-promised times of refreshing (Acts 3:19-21). Thus, as far as God's revealed plan was concerned, the last days had begun — the days when Israel should at last be ushered into the glorious reign of Christ, her Savior-King." (Stam)
"While the signs of the last days began to appear at Pentecost, they did not all appear. Indeed, after a time those which had appeared began to disappear again. According to Joel's prophecy, as quoted by Peter, the signs of Pentecost were to be followed by signs both in heaven and on earth, and the pouring out of the Spirit was to be followed by the pouring out of God's wrath. Thank God, these latter signs did not appear — have not even yet appeared. God had not altered His plan to judge this wicked world, but in matchless love He interrupted the prophetic program, held off the day of judgment, saved the chief of sinners and ushered in the day of grace. This secret purpose of God's grace was first made known through Paul, from whom Peter later learned of it. Peter writes about it in the closing words of his last epistle, explaining how it was that the Lord, who was to have come to judge and reign, had now delayed His coming. First he cautions his readers not to count the delay 'slackness' — at least not the slackness of indifference — and then he explains just how the delay should be viewed: 'The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is long suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance' (2 Pet 3:9). 'And account that the long suffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you' (2 Pet 3:15)." (Stam)
Peter, standing up with the eleven - "This brief statement which introduces Peter's Pentecostal address may at first seem rather unimportant — a mere statement of facts with which to start the story — but in fact it is most important and significant. First of all, God would draw our attention here to a particular group of men — the apostles. To these men had been given authority to act officially in the Lord's absence. To them the Lord Himself had said: 'Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them' (Matt 18:18-20). We realize that the last verse of this passage has so long been used out of its setting that it is difficult for many people to associate it in their minds with its immediate context...Let the reader glance again st the quotation of the passage above and note how the 'For' of Verse 20 connects it with the preceding verse. Our Lord had just promised that if two of them should agree on earth as touching anything that they should ask, His Father would grant them their request because where two or three were gathered in His name, there He was in their midst. This is, thus gathered, they represented Him. Similarly the 'Again' of Verse 19 connects it with Verse 18, which is the beginning of the whole promise that whatever they should bind on earth would be bound in heaven and whatever they should loose on earth should be loosed in heaven. Would any believer, rightly dividing the Word of truth, claim this authority today? How wrong, then to wrench Matt 18:20 from its plain context and impose upon it another meaning...While God's people today, then, are seated with Christ, positionally, and while He will indeed be with them — whether one hundred or one — in their daily experience, that is not the point in Matt 18:20. The 'two or three,' here, takes us back to the Mosaic law, where we read that 'at the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established' (Deut 17:6; 19:15; 2 Cor 13:1). What Matt 18 teaches is simply that the apostles were to have authority to act officially in His absence (Ver 18); that they did not all have to be together to act; that even two would be sufficient (Ver 19) for where but two or three were come together in His name (i.e., representing Him) there He was present. Thus the apostles arose, at Pentecost, as official representatives of the rejected Messiah...
"Our attention is next drawn to the number of the apostles. There were twelve — not eleven, but twelve. Judas' betrayal and suicide had, of course, left only eleven apostles with their risen Lord, but since that time Matthias had been chosen and had been 'numbered with the eleven' (1:26) bringing the number up to twelve again. Hence here we have 'Peter, standing up with the eleven.' The reason for this is not difficult to find, for presently the kingdom was to be offered to Israel and in that kingdom there were to be twelve thrones on which the apostles were to sit, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Besides giving them authority to act officially in His absence, our Lord had, as we have seen, promised them twelve thrones in the kingdom. This is why a successor to Judas had to be chosen before Pentecost, and this is why we here find 'Peter, standing up with the eleven.'
"And this is not all, for it should still further be noted that in this passage the greatest prominence of all is given to one man — Peter. It is not merely twelve men standing up, but 'Peter, standing up with the eleven.' He alone is named. And this is consistently so in early Acts. The reader will recall that in Acts 1:15 it was 'Peter' who 'stood up in the midst of the disciples' and proposed the appointment of a successor to Judas. Here is Acts 2:24, 'Peter, standing up with the eleven,' brings the great Pentecostal address. At the close of that address those who were convicted said to 'Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?' (2:37). And later, when persecuted for Christ, 'Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men' (5:29). Indeed, all of early Acts revolves around Peter. He is the chief actor. This is in close harmony with our Lord's words before His departure, for He had appointed Peter as the leader of the twelve, saying: 'And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thous shalt lose on earth shall be loosed in heaven' (Matt 16:19). Authority in the Messianic Church, then, was centralized in the twelve apostles and personified in Peter himself, whom the Lord had singled out as the chief apostle and the supreme head of the Church of that day (See John 20:22-23; Luke 12:32 and Matt 16:18-19). It is on these passages that the Roman Church bases its claims to apostolic authority and, sad to say, most Protestants, not recognizing the distinctive ministry of Paul and the fact that the kingdom has, for the time being, given way to 'the Church which is His Body,' find it necessary to explain these verse away or get around them somehow." (Stam)
the third hour = 9AM Jews engaged in the exercises of the synagogue on fast days abstained from eating and drinking until 10AM or noon; therefore, this could not be drunkenness.
"The 'third hour', that is, reckoned from sunrise. According to Jewish computation, the day and night were each divided into twelve equal parts called hours. These would vary in length, according to the duration of daylight. But we may say, roughly speaking, that the 'third hour of the day' would be about nine o'clock a.m. It was the earliest of the stated hours of prayer, and the time of offering the morning sacrifice. Men do not, usually, drink to excess in the early morning. It is stated, moreover, that the Jews took wine with flesh only, and that never in the morning but only in the evening; also that they abstained from food till midday on the occasion of their great festivals." (Walker)
vss 16-21 - "See Joel 2:28-32. The fulfillment of this prophecy will be in the last days, immediately preceding the return of Christ, when all the particulars (e.g., v 20 and Rev 6:12) of the prophecy will come to pass. Peter reminded his hearers that, knowing Joel's prophecy, they should have recognized what they were seeing as a work of the Spirit, not a result of drunkenness." (Ryrie)
this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel - "Was Peter correct, then, or mistaken, when he said more than nineteen centuries ago that the last days had come? He was correct. As we have pointed out, he was taught by our Lord (Acts 1:3) and filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4). Moreover, he was Scripturally correct, for in the light of all Old Testament Scripture these were the last days. As we read this story we must not anticipate revelation. We must remember that God's purpose concerning this age was still a secret. The prophets had predicted nothing about the dispensation of grace or the Body of Christ (Read carefully Eph 3:1-11). They had spoken only of the sufferings of Christ and the kingdom glory to follow (See 1 Pet 1:11 and cf Zech 13, 14, etc.). Now that the sufferings were over, the Spirit was being poured out in preparation for the glory to follow (See Joel 2:28-3:17) and presently Peter was to offer to Israel the return of Christ and the long-promised times of refreshing (Acts 3:19-21). Thus, as far as God's revealed plan was concerned, the last days had begun — the days when Israel should at last be ushered into the glorious reign of Christ, her Savior-King." (Stam)
"While the signs of the last days began to appear at Pentecost, they did not all appear. Indeed, after a time those which had appeared began to disappear again. According to Joel's prophecy, as quoted by Peter, the signs of Pentecost were to be followed by signs both in heaven and on earth, and the pouring out of the Spirit was to be followed by the pouring out of God's wrath. Thank God, these latter signs did not appear — have not even yet appeared. God had not altered His plan to judge this wicked world, but in matchless love He interrupted the prophetic program, held off the day of judgment, saved the chief of sinners and ushered in the day of grace. This secret purpose of God's grace was first made known through Paul, from whom Peter later learned of it. Peter writes about it in the closing words of his last epistle, explaining how it was that the Lord, who was to have come to judge and reign, had now delayed His coming. First he cautions his readers not to count the delay 'slackness' — at least not the slackness of indifference — and then he explains just how the delay should be viewed: 'The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is long suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance' (2 Pet 3:9). 'And account that the long suffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you' (2 Pet 3:15)." (Stam)
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