“But this is that which was spoken by the
prophet Joel;
AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS IN THE LAST DAYS,
SAITH GOD, I WILL POUR OUT OF MY SPIRIT UPON ALL FLESH: AND YOUR SONS AND
DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD
MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS: AND ON MY SERVANTS AND ON MY HANDMAIDENS I WILL POUR
OUT IN THOSE DAYS OF MY SPIRIT; AND SHALL PROPHESY: AND I WILL SHEW WONDERS IN
HEAVEN ABOVE, AND SIGNS IN THE EARTH BENEATH; BLOOD, AND FIRE, AND VAPOUR OF
SMOKE: THE SUN SHALL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS, AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD, BEFORE
THAT GREAT AND NOTABLE DAY OF THE LORD COME: AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS, THAT
WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED.”
Wow! What a time of great sorrow that will
be for those unsaved in the world and a glorious time for the nation of Israel.
What Peter is describing here is the days leading up to the salvation of the
nation of Israel and the final destruction of the armies of the world. Notice
in verse 22 “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; 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:” Notice who Peter is
talking to here. Peter is talking to the men of Israel. The Jews.
Turn to Joel 2:28-32. This is the scripture
Peter is quoting. In both places the scripture is referring to the end times.
It is referring to the time just before the Lord saves the nation of Israel
towards the end of the Great Tribulation Period. Notice Peter and Joel both
say: “Before that great and notable day of the Lord come.” This is referring to
the day when our Lord along with us will descend from Heaven and our Lord will
destroy the armies of the world at the battle of Armageddon.
Notice in verse 32: “And it shall come to
pass, that whosever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for
in the mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said,
and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.” Notice Joel says “in the mount
Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance,”. Not all the earth, but in Zion
and Jerusalem. This prophecy is for the nation of Israel. Not the Gentiles or
the nations as a whole but for Israel. And not just Israel but notice Joel also
says: “And in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.” So not only is this
prophecy for the nation of Israel, but it is for those that the Lord will call
out of the nation of Israel. God's elect nation. Paul said that not all that
say they are Jews are true Jews. So not all that claim to be Israel are of the
true Israel. There are many in the land of Israel and many around the world who
claim to be of Israel who are not truly from Israel. It is only those whom the
Lord has and will call. It is only those chosen few, elect of God that are the
true Israel.
Now all that being said, there is another
misconception about these verses. There are those today who take verse 17 in
Acts 2 and try to say it is for today. But as I have pointed out these verses
have nothing to do with our day and time and are not for the Lord's Churches or
the Gentiles. These passages in Acts and Joel are strictly for the true Jews
that the Lord will call out in the last days of the Great Tribulation Period.
Many have taken verse 17 and claim that this
means the gift of prophecy is alive and well today. Yet in I Corinthians
13:8-10 Paul said: “Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies,
they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be
knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be
done away.”
“ when that which is perfect is come,”
refers to the complete Word of God. Which we have today. Which was complete
when the Apostle John finished writing the book of Revelation. What we have as
Genesis-Revelation, the Old and New Testaments combined are the Perfect,
Complete Word of God. Now with that complete Word we have all the Prophecies
that were told that God intended for us to know. And in His time, He will
reveal those prophecies to us. It may be before the thing happens or it may be
after. That is up to God.
Many today have taken this verse 17 and
claimed it as the reason for women to preach or to teach in the church. But to
take this view is to take the verse out of context and out of it's original
intent. Remember I have already taken the scripture and proven this verse is
not for the church or for Christians today. To say that it is for today is to
totally deny the Word of God. The Holy Scripture is plain on this.
Also to say that this verse gives the okay
for women to speak in the church is to cause a contradiction in the scriptures
themselves. Paul said in I Corinthians 14:34 and 35 “Let your women keep
silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they
are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will
learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for
women to speak in the church.” Now how much plainer can you get than that? I
will say here that there are some who carry this to far in my opinion. There
are those who claim this also means that the women are not to sing in the
church service. I do not believe this is what these verses say at all. These
verses plainly say “speak”. There is a big difference in speaking and singing.
On the other hand there are those who will say these verses came about because
some of the women in the church in Corinth were speaking out and/or asking
questions during the service while the preacher was trying to preach and thus
interrupting the service. Verse 35 does seem to look like that might have been
the case. And I can see where that would be a problem that would need to be
handled in this manner.
I Timothy 2:11-14 “Let the women learn in
silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp
authority over the man but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then
Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the
transgression.” Now if you go back to the first part of chapter 2 you will see
Paul is teaching Timothy on public worship. So Paul is teaching how women are
to conduct themselves in the public worship service. But also notice here in
verse 14: “For Adam was not deceived,”. We can not put all the blame on the
woman. We can not degrade the woman in any way. For Adam, the first man, though
he was not deceived by the serpent, he still knowingly sinned. So Adam or man
has only himself to blame for our sins not the woman.
Now after all this does this mean that men
are not to learn from women? I think not. Remember Paul commended Timothy's
mother and grandmother for teaching Timothy when he was younger. Also in many
places in the scripture the Lord used women to teach men a lesson. Look at Ruth
and Naomi. Look at the women of the first church. They were the last to leave
the Lord at His death on the cross, the first to go to His tomb the third day
to finish the embalming process, the first that the angel spoke to announcing
the Lord's resurrection, and the first to go tell the men of the church of the
good news of His resurrection. So yes the Lord has used women in great ways in
the past and in the present and will in the future. But when it comes to the
public worship service the Word of God is very plain and very strict on the
difference in the roles of the man and of the woman.
In I Corinthians 11:8-12 “ For the man is
not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the
woman; but the woman for the man. For this cause ought the woman to have power
on her head because of the angels. Nevertheless neither is the man without the
woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. For as the woman is of
the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things are of God.” So
we must remember that as far as the Lord
is concerned woman was created as a help-meet for the man and they are to be
inseparable in this life. Notice that no where does the Lord say the woman is
to be the footstool of the man, or his slave. But his helpmeet and partner in
life. The Lord also told us they are to be one flesh and the man is to love his
wife as the Lord loves the church (the Lord's future wife).
As husbands we are to love, cherish, care
for, provide for, and honor our wife. However, just like in the church, men and
women have different roles in the marriage. The husband is to be the primary
caregiver. Does this mean the wife cannot work outside the home? No, read
Proverbs 31. But it is the husbands job as the head of the household to support
his family. Does this mean the wife is to not have a say in important decisions
involving the home and the family? No, both husband and wife must be a part of
any such decisions. All though the husband is to take the lead he should be
seeking godly counsel from his wife on matters that affect the family. This
goes back to God saying in Genesis 2:24 “Therefore shall a man leave his father
and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”
I realize this is a very touchy subject with
some on this list and with most of those out there we know who would consider
themselves Christian today. That is why I challenge each of you before you pass
judgment on anything I have written here that you take a King James Version of
the Bible and study what has been written. There is much more to this topic and
this discussion than I could have written in this short devotion. If you desire
to learn more and want to discuss this please contact me. I am willing to
peaceably discuss this with one.
I pray you all take this with all
seriousness and study to show thyselves approved unto God.
Praise ye the Lord!!!
