“But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, I will pour out My Spirit unto all flesh and your sons and your 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 they shall prophesy—and I will show wonders in Heaven above and signs in the earth beneath. . . And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the Name of the Lord shall be saved’.”
Acts 2:16-19a, 21
We should not covet them or be discouraged when we do not see them; however, neither should we be surprised when God reveals them.
Signs and wonders.
In Old Testament times they were quite commonplace. Moses’ encounter with God through the burning bush. . .His parting of the Red Sea, sending Manna from Heaven and causing water to gush forth from a rock. . .causing a donkey to speak to Baalim. . .using Ezekiel to help turn dry, brittle bones in a valley into a standing army. . .Jesus’ numerous miracles during His earthly ministry. . .the coming of the Holy Spirit in power on the Day of Pentecost, etc. . .all leave us shaking our head in amazement.
But, somehow, we believe the day of such miracles is past.
Or, relegated to a certain few like the early Apostles or a few faith healers holding miracle crusades in large cities.
Yet, today’s Manna—which was part of Peter’s powerful sermon on the Day of Pentecost (vv.14-36)—reminded his listeners (and us) of the prophet Joel’s message to Judah (Joel 2:28-32) during the reign of Joash (835-796 B.C.) after an ominous black cloud of locusts had stripped bare every living, green plant in the land. In reality, he forecast that that terrible judgment would pale in comparison to God’s future judgments during the Day of the Lord; however, for the faithful, it would be a time of unparalleled blessings.
During His earthly ministry, Jesus did many miracles; yet, He warned his followers about longing for “signs and wonders—for only a wicked and adulterous generation does that” (Mt. 12:39; 16:4). He knew then (and now) that such seeking titillates the senses and causes one to crave the miracle more than the One Who performs it (cf. Acts 8:18-23).
Yet, today’s Manna clearly states the Lord will “pour out His Spirit upon all flesh in the last days,” causing His People to “prophesy, see visions and dream dreams.” There’s no doubt that was fulfilled that day when “there came a sound from Heaven as of a rushing, mighty wind and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4).
But, the question is “Did it end there? Or, is God still doing miracles today?”
The answer is simple: We know they weren’t living in “the last days” because it’s been almost 2,000 years since Peter preached that day. Likewise, the Heavenly Father is continuing to “pour out His Spirit upon all who call upon the Name of the Lord.” Thus, we shouldn’t SEEK after signs and wonders to bolster up our faith; but neither should we say “There’s no way” when the Lord be going to do something miraculous right now. Trust Him. Then wait.
By Tom Smith Morning Manna Dated August 28, 2009
