The authors of the New Testament recognized that they were in the last days (cf. Heb. 1:2). At the time of the writing, however, there were some things to take place in those days that were yet future. However, these future events were described as taking place soon. We need not read their expectation of future events as unfulfilled events for us to expect to come soon. Yet, this is the most prevalent example of taking New Testament texts out of context. When we make this error, we must take terms like “soon” and “this generation” to be universal terms for every age. Why it is not the most glaring problem for those guilty of doing this is still a mystery to me.
Time statements in Scripture support the conclusion, as already noted in previous blogs, that the events to be fulfilled soon were generational, i.e. the first century. That specific time is the last days of the Mosaic age. Peter fixes the time and nature of the Holy Spirit’s outpouring in Acts 2 when he connects the event with Joel’s prophecy. He said, “This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel.” Peter’s sermon shows the connection between the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the last days (cf. Acts 2:15-ff), declaring that those days to which Joel referred were in his day. They were days that were about to end and the Holy Spirit would be with them until that end (‘the end of the age”). It is in this sense that Jesus would say, “I am with you always, even until the end of the age.”