ALWAYS-EVERY-TIME
Everyone loved Mrs. Russell. Ask most students which substitute teacher they preferred (or hoped to have), and Mrs. Russell took the #1 spot. She never questioned whether you actually had to go to the bathroom and was one of the nicest ladies you could meet.
She typically substituted for our math teacher and students of every grade level benefitted from her styles of teaching. Mrs. Russell was quite good in both basic and advanced math, gifted in making advanced math seem so basic. On one memorable occasion, she was recapping a few math rules on the board and said, "Okay, look at this because this is an always-every-time." Duct Tape only wishes it could stick as well as that did with me. Math contains more rules and formulas than you can shake a stick at, but she wanted us to know this rule was consistent, we could count on it (lame math joke); it is an always-every-time.
With 31,102 verses in the entire Bible, consisting of stories, symbols, and layers of (opinionated) meaning at every turn, it's difficult to plant a flag on an always-every-time in scripture.
But in Acts 2, on the Feast Day of Pentecost, Peter announces that a long-dead Prophet had predicted the miraculous events they were witnessing, and uses his own always-every-time phrase to reference what the Prophet said. Peter explains to the crowd:
"This is that."
Before we unpack This, let's look at That!
THE PROPHETS TOLD THE DISTANT FUTURE
The Prophets weren't only speaking to the Israel of their day, they were foretelling deeper things in a far off future. Look at some of these examples (I start in 1 Peter because he says it outright):
(1 Peter) "It was revealed to them [Prophets] that they were not serving themselves, but you [exiles of the Dispersion to whom his letter was written], when they foretold the things now [~AD 64] announced by those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven."
(Daniel 8) "The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been spoken is true. Now you must seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future.”
(Daniel 12) "I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, 'My lord, what will be the outcome of these things?' 'Go on your way, Daniel,' he replied, 'for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end.'"
(Ezekiel 12) “Son of man, take note that the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees is for many years from now; he prophesies about the distant future.'"
Now that we understand Prophets were speaking prophesies that had a greater context, it legitimizes what Peter was trying to tell the crowd. Let's compare This (Acts 2) with THAT (Joel 2)
THIS (Acts 2) IS THAT (Joel 2)
(Acts 2) "Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
"Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, lifted up his voice, and addressed the crowd:
''Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen carefully to my words. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It is only the third hour of the day! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
(Joel 2) ‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out My Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.'"
This excites me!
It's refreshing to recognize there are some established principles of interpretation and meaning where a person can know they stand on solid ground with Scripture, always every time. God's words through the Prophet Joel came to life in Acts 2 just as He said they would, and the mind of God began to be revealed to Peter and to the people who experienced it.
This "revealing" proved that the end of the old way of speaking with His people (through the Prophets), had come, and that God was transitioning into a new and better relationship with His people.
Today, seal in your mind that God WANTED you to know what He was up to so that you could know that you stand on solid ground with God, always every time. And He gave everything so that you can now experience the point of it all: HIS PRESENCE IN YOU!
Best God You've Ever Had.
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