He Gave Us Prophets: Essential Hermeneutical PerspectivesSample

Application of OT Prophecy: Joel 2:28-31

Now as important as the original meaning of prophecy was to Jesus and the writers of the New Testament, they did not simply repeat the original meaning. Instead, Christ and his followers were committed to applying the prophetic word to the dramatic acts of God that were happening in their day. To see how this application process worked, we need to consider two ideas: First, what kinds of expectations for the future did the prophets present? And then, how did New Testament writers see the fulfillment of these expectations?

Put simply, the prophets knew that sin had wreaked havoc in the world. Even the people of God had become so corrupted that God drove them into exile. But despite these terrible results of sin, the prophets looked forward to a time when God would set things straight. This future would be a time of ultimate judgment against the wicked and eternal blessing for the faithful. The prophets had all kinds of terms they used to describe this climax of human history. They spoke of it as, “The Day of the Lord.” They spoke of it as, “The Latter Days.” This great future would be a time when God intervened into the world and brought all things to their final end.