The Day of the Lord

Q: What is Peter talking about in Acts 2:17-21, is it for end time?

A: The passage in question takes place during the Day of Pentecost. This is the beginning of the Church Age that we are still experiencing to this day. The Holy Spirit had just come upon the disciples and they, in front of “God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven (Acts 2:5),” were preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ in other languages to all those present. Because of the uniqueness of this event the scripture records that many were “Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, ‘What does this mean (Acts 2:12)?’” Peter, therefore, takes the opportunity to address the crowd in an effort to show to them that what they were witnessing was the onset of the fulfillment of prophecy mentioned by the prophet Joel (Joel 2:28-32) some one thousand years earlier in the 9th Century B.C. One has to sympathize with the Jews who experienced this tremendous act of God. It is human nature to dismiss that you are experiencing history in the making much less the being involved in prophecy. Hence, you can understand why some in attendance “made fun of them and said, ‘They have had too much wine (Acts 2:13).’” With that said, what Peter was talking about was him trying to bring attention to the fact that what was going on was the beginning of the last days which, ultimately, will culminate in the Day of the Lord.

The Day of the Lord, as later described by Peter, will come like a thief. “The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare (2 Peter 3:10).” This description, obviously, does not describe the events of the Day of Pentecost. The events of the Day of Pentecost were a sign that the age of grace leading up to the Day of the Lord was upon the world. In the verses in question from Acts 2, Peter begins by saying, “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people (Acts 2:17).” Remember, prior to Jesus’ death, He was trying to comfort His disciples by explaining to them why He had to die on the cross. “But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you (John 16:7).” The Day of Pentecost was the moment God poured out His Spirit on all people. The restoration of the Holy Spirit is what salvation is all about. God desired to indwell mankind again as He did in the Garden of Eden prior to the Fall of Man. By pouring out His Spirit He was offering His life as a free gift to all who accept Jesus Christ by faith. God’s desire that all men should come to repentance is seen in the fact that God has done everything for mankind to be saved, as the Day of the Lord approaches, except to force mankind to accept Christ.

In Acts 2:18-20, you’d be hard pressed to see many of the events described here as having taken place at the Day of Pentecost or since then. In verse 18 it says, “I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.” This is something that has been ongoing since the Day of Pentecost. Christians have the Holy Spirit and what we are called to do is prophesy, declare the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to the ends of the earth. Verse 19 talks about the wonders in heaven and signs on earth below. These signs and wonders are described as “blood and fire and billows of smoke.” In Verse 20 the signs and wonders are further described as being evident when the “sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood.” The blood, fire, smoke, the darkness of the sun and the moon turning to blood are things that we have yet to see in prophetic detail. However, the evidence of the coming Day of the Lord is also said to be preceded by other events. Jesus said, “There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven (Luke 21:11).” Unfortunately, we can hardly remember a time when there weren’t earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places. However, there has been a recent rash of great earthquakes. Just in the past few days we have seen large earthquakes in Southern California and Indonesia. And nobody will forget what happened to the island of Haiti and then Chile earlier this year. There hasn’t been a moment in my lifetime were famine of some kind hasn’t been an issue in some of the less fortunate parts of the world. Add to that diseases like AIDS, malaria, cancer and the various strains of the flu virus and we can see that the Day of the Lord is coming soon.

If you go back to Luke 21 we touch on the conclusion of all these terrible signs and wonders spoken of in Acts, Joel, Peter and other places within the pages of scripture, in reference to the Day of the Lord. Jesus encourages His disciples with what all of this means. “At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near (Luke 21:27-28).” The Day of the Lord is something to desire for Christians. It is the time when the Lord will come back to establish His Kingdom here on earth. That is why all these events prophesied by Joel and reiterated by Peter are so important. They remind believers of our coming redemption. While at the same time show unbelievers that while God is still patient with them their time to repent is coming to an end. All these signs and wonders accompanying the end time and the coming Day of the Lord can be used by Christians to witness to the unbelievers about the salvation being offered them in Christ. It is this knowledge and understanding of it that led Peter to say “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Acts 2:21).” The Day of the Lord, while defined in terms that would terrify most, is actually a wonderful event. And it all started to unfold on the Day of Pentecost and when Peter addressed the crowd of Jews.