Has anybody seen the following wild articles on Google? I have in mind "Famous Rapture Watchers," "Pretrib Rapture Desperados," and "The Rapture Index (Mad Theology)." Just wonderin.' Marge
Hi, David.
It's really great to read these posts - very helpful. We know of people who don't use the word "dispensation", but still talk about Jesus reigning in Jerusalem for a thousand years given a tenth of an opportunity. I'm not really sufficiently up on my eschatology (being somewhere between amillenial and pan-millenial ["It'll all pan out all right for believers"]) to know whether this means they are in fact dispensationalists - er, in a cheap tuxedo or something ....? Or is there another eschatological position lurking here somewhere? Or will you cover this later on? IAMFI
We must remember that the fact that we are in the last days does not mean that the end of history is near.
Nor does it mean that the end is not near. I surely don't know.
The Hebrew and Greek for Joel 2:28 do not use the phrase last days. Peter does in Acts. Can you be sure that he was not using the phrase in a colloquial sense in contrast to a technical sense? Surely that was the case in the verses in Hebrews 1 and 1 Peter 1 that you quoted. A relatively minor point; but it won't help us set a firm foundation for this discussion if we rest the building on weak stones.
Paul,
I don't expect to discuss other eschatologies in this series--but you never know what rabbit trails are encountered.
David W,
I would say that Peter is summarizing Joel's prophecy as being about the last days, and then using Joel 2:28 to link it to Pentecost. The point being that the link to Pentecost means that Joel was prophesying about the beginning of church age, not the end of it, or some tribulation after the rapture, or about the next dispensation. The link to Pentecost is unmistakable--or if it is mistakable, then Peter missed the boat.
Peter certainly did not miss the boat!
Moreover, we agree that Joel was NOT prophesizing about the end of it (church age), or some tribulation after the rapture, or about the next dispensation. The key to Peter's use of that prophesy is to connect the word this at the beginning of Acts 2:16 to its proper referrent. Get that wrong and one might think Joel or Peter or both were referring to the beginning of the church age. When Joel made the prophesy, he had the ethnic nation of Israel in mind. When Peter quoted Joel, he too was talking to ethnic Jews. AND, as we well know, the church is made of both Jew and gentile.
David W - I'm not sure I understand your second point. I'm not sure we can say what Joel had in mind, but Peter tells us what the Lord had in mind. I don't see how you can say Peter was speaking only to ethnic Jews when he said "I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh".
Larry,
You said "I'm not sure we can say what Joel had in mind, but Peter tells us what the Lord had in mind."
I would hope we can agree that in both cases what they wrote is what God had in mind. As to our knowing what the man, Joel, had in mind you are quite right. We can't really know. What I should have said is that he was speaking to Israelites about Israel. He was telling them that there would be a final restoration of their nation and that after that, there would be an outpouring of God's Spirit on all mankind. I see nothing in the text that leads me to believe that Joel had any insight into the post-cross Church. Naturally, what God may have been layering in the prophesy is another question.
You said "I don't see how you can say Peter was speaking only to ethnic Jews when he said "I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh".
Again, you are technically correct. There were various kinds of people listening to Peter per Acts 2:10-11, ". . .Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs . . ."
What I was trying to communicate was my belief that Peter was aiming his message primarily at the Jews on Pentecost.
Acts 2:5 "Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem . . ."
Acts 2:14 ""Men of Judea, and all you who live in Jerusalem, . . "
Acts 2:22 "Men of Israel, listen to these words: . . ."
Acts 2:23 "you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men . . .
Acts 2:29 "Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David . . ."
Acts 2:36 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ-- this Jesus whom you crucified."
Nowhere in Acts 2 do I see Peter specifically addressing any group other than the Jews.
One last point: Romans 1:16 - " . . . to the Jew first . . . "
Hi,
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I was once pondering the merits of Covenant vs. Dispensational theology. Covenant theology seems to be quite reformed.
Then I asked a deacon in my church (PCA - RPCES) "Dispensational theology was started by Darby, but who started Covenant theology?"
He replied, "God." 
Sal,
A wise man!
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