Acts 2 has been on my mind. I’ve got questions:
- Verses 17-20 describe signs that will occur “before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.” What is that great and glorious day? Is it the final judgment? Is it the destruction of Jerusalem? Doesn’t seem to be Pentecost itself, in my view, since these things were supposed to happen before that event.
- Do you take verses 19-20 literally? When do you think those happened or will happen?
- Why do we view verses 17-18 as ongoing while viewing verses 19-20 as one-time events? Or do you interpret verses 19-20 in a way that they could be seen as ongoing?
- Verse 39 is a reference back to this quote from Joel. Is verse 40 referring to the day of the Lord when Peter says to “save yourself from this corrupt generation”? That would fit if he’s talking about the destruction of Jerusalem. How else can we read these words?
Years ago, I heard Rick Atchley say that he believed tongues were a sign for the Jews to call them to repentance before the destruction of their nation (their temple and holy city). I’ve never bought into that, but some of these questions are leading me in that direction.
Looking forward to your insights!