Featured Prophecy according to Peter

I said -
"In the 40 days after Jesus' resurrection, he spent time with his Apostles, teaching about the kingdom of God & eating with them. At Pentecost, Peter preached the risen & ascended Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus' eternal kingdom had begun."

Peter preached to Cornelius -

Act 10:36 The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all
..........
40 Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;
41 Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.
42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.
43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.​

"It is probable that those resurrection meals included wine. Jesus Kingdom had begun - eating & drinking with them would underline that truth, in accordance with his Passover statement.

The Lord's Supper does indeed replace the Passover as we remember our Passover Lamb, sacrificed once for the redemption of Israel & all his people of all nations, crucified, risen & ascended to his heavenly throne."

You have not begun to prove the resumption of animal sacrifices in a future millennium. In writing of the Lord's Supper, Paul wrote -

1Co 11:23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.​

In Hebrews we read -

Heb. 13:9 Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods, which is of no benefit to those who do so.
10 We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat.
11 The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp.
12 And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.
13 Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore.
​

You are teaching "strange doctrines." The whole idea of the resumption of animal sacrifices is repugnant to Scripture. Jesus died with the great, triumphant shout -

FINISHED
And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.
​

What further purpose could animal sacrifices ever have?

 

To continue the discussion/study, please read Psalm 118 & Acts 4.

 

Acts 4, and Peter & John are arrested for questioning.
Meanwhile 5,000 have responded to the Gospel. The church comprising Jews & proselytes continues to expand rapidly.

Remember when Jesus quoted Psalm 118? At the end of his parable of the vineyard, Jesus says -

Mat. 21:
42 Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the Scriptures:

‘“The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvellous in our eyes”?​

43 ‘Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.’

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.​

Peter reminds the chief priests -

Acts 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: ‘Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: it is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 Jesus is

‘“the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the cornerstone.”​

12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.’​

The prophecy of the Psalm is fulfilled by Jesus, and Peter reminds them of Jesus using these words telling a parable against them. As when Jesus preached in the temple, the chief priests were afraid of the people who have witnessed the miracle.

They warn the Apostles & release them. Obviously they need to take the warning seriously - considering the way they treated Jesus by arresting him at night.

The church joins in prayer, again quoting from the Psalms.

24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. ‘Sovereign Lord,’ they said, ‘you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:

‘“Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together
against the Lord
and against his anointed one.”​

27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.’​

They don't pray for protection, but for great boldness in their Gospel preaching. It is becoming apparent that the spiritual war against Jesus is now being waged against them.

A striking feature of the prayer is v. 28 -

28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. ​

Even the rejection & crucixion of the Messiah is according to the will of God & according to prophecy. Jesus had warned them -

John 16:1 ‘All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4 I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them.​

Jesus' own words are prophecy, prophecy being fulfilled as the religious authorities begin the persecution.

Then in 1 Peter 2:4-10, Peter applies the words of Psalm 118 to the church - the Holy Nation - and to those who reject the Messiah & his Gospel.

Note also that the Holy Nation comprises both Jews & Gentiles -

9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.. ​

Peter is here applying to the Church of Jews & Gentiles God's word to Israel after he had delivered them from Egypt -

Exo. 19:5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.’​

It's wonderful that the "IF" of the OC no longer applies, because Jesus himself, for his people, obeyed fully every aspect of the Law. Now we can reread Psa. 118 & see the glorious righteous we possess in our Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Cornerstone.

19 Open for me the gates of the righteous;
I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord
through which the righteous may enter.
21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
you have become my salvation.​

No. We are not waiting for some future millennium for these prophesies to be fulfilled in an earthly kingdom. We enjoy them NOW, in this present millennium as we serve our Saviour God & King & look for his return in glory.

 

Have you read my posts? You're way off topic. I'm not interested in a supposed future millennium but living in the present Gospel age which sees the fulfilment of prophecy, and which Peter is preaching & writing about.

 

My post #24 was a consideration of Acts 4, without reference to yourself or any other contributor to the thread. Sorry if my writing caused offence.

This thread is studying the way Peter applies & teaches prophecy. If you wish to discuss the prophecy of Zechariah, particularly beginning at the last chapter, you can open a new thread, which I will contribute to, or we can re-open my thread on Zechariah.

 

I suggest resuming discussion of Zechariah in this thread.

We will build up towards discussion Zec. 14 in the context of the whole prophecy, including those prophecies fulfilled in the life, death & resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

This thread is to concentrate of the prophetic writings & interpretations of Peter. Obviously other OC prophecies can be discussed as appropriate.

 

We will consider Stephen's sermon as it is relevant to the thread.

The charge against him reads -

Acts 6: 13 They produced false witnesses, who testified, ‘This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 14 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.​

Most of the OC prophets faced similar charges. Stephen gives a concise summary of Israel's history, reminding them of their rejection of Joseph & Moses who were to become their God-given deliverers.

He further reminds them of Moses' prophecy of Messiah -

7:37 ‘This is the Moses who told the Israelites, “God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own people.”​

the same Scripture Peter had declared after the lame man was healed -

3:22 For Moses said, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.”​

The Israelites followed Moses out of Egypt, physically, but in the hearts they turned back to Egypt. Stephen quotes Amos, but changes "beyond Damascus" to "beyond Babylon." They returned from Babylon - beyond Damascus - but beyond Babylon sounds like a total scattering.

The tabernacle - temple - in their midst was a sign of God dwelling with his people. Exo. 25:8. Only a sign until Jesus did indeed come & dwell with them. At his death the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom. The sign was no longer needed. God would dwell with his people by his Spirit wherever they were. (John 4, Acts 2)

Stephen concludes his sermon with the most terrible declaration of the absolute end of the OC relationship maintained by the circumcision sign -

51 ‘You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: you always resist the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him – 53 you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.’​

Just as Isaiah (6) saw the LORD Jesus in the temple, & received solemn words of condemnation of Israel, so Stephen sees the LORD Jesus above the Sanhedrin and witnesses to the people accusing him -

55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’​

Those who rejected their Messiah, who condemned Stephen for witnessing that prophetic witness are condemned by the Holy Spirit as "uncircumcised."

So they stone him, as he still prays for their forgiveness -

57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he fell asleep.​

A forgiveness welcomed by at least one of those who condemned him, with wonderful results for the Gospel.

​

 

As we read on into Acts 8, we see the Gospel spreading far & wide.

4 Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. 5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. 6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.​

It seems generally that they preached to fellow Jews (Acts 11:19) though we have specific instances of other peoples hearing the Gospel. Jesus' great commission was to preach to all nations -

1: 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”​

Philip preaches to the Samaritans who welcomed the Gospel. Peter & John were sent to confirm this, & through them the Holy Spirit was poured out on them.

God was thus owning the Samaritans as his people as they were counted into the promise -

38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”​

Following the Samaritans, Philip is directed to the Ethiopean, who, presumably on an official visit to the Jewish leaders did not hear the Gospel. However he has a copy of Isaiah & on reading 53 wonders about the suffering servant. Phlip of course preaches Jesus. The Ethiopean believes & is baptised. We need to note his confession of faith -

34 So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. 36 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”
37 Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.”
And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. 39 Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.​

And Philip preaches the Gospel along the Gaza strip to the Philistines & travels north preaching in all the towns until he settles in Caesarea. (Acts 21:8)

We don't see any new prophecies. Despite intense persecution, & because of it, vast numbers of Jews & others hear the Gospel & believe in the LORD Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

What we see in Acts 8 is not new "last days" prophecy but the fulfilment of prophecy as the good news of the Messiah spreads ever wider around the world.

All according to the promise to Abraham -

Gen. 12:2 I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”​

Acts 3:24 Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. 25 You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ 26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”​