Acts 2:17

"And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams" (Acts 2:17 RSV).

 

Comment:

Thank you for this request! I can hardly believe that this is the first time I've ever been asked about this very beautiful and powerful statement. It is from what might be considered the very first Christian sermon—Peter speaking to the people of Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. What he's saying, I think, is that the message of Jesus Christ—the Truth that death is an illusion and we are all spiritual beings—is a universal message. In other religions with which his listeners might be familiar (it's clear from 2:9-11 that the city is filled with people from many nations and faiths), there is a hierarchy of religious power. What Peter calls 'Spirit' is 'poured out' selectively. This is not so with this new spiritual (and not yet religious) understanding of Truth. Everyone—sons and daughters, young and old—is spiritually powerful. Thus, the first distinctive quality shared by the newly-inspired disciples is universality. Spiritual gifts and spiritual understanding is available to all who embrace the Truth of the Christ.

Blessings!

Rev. Ed