Acts 2:14-36
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 “‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25 David said about him:
“‘I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest in hope,
27 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
you will not let your holy one see decay.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.’
29 “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. 33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
35 until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.”’
36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
The Beginning of the End
On the morning of the day of Pentecost, a crowd of people approached Jesus' followers because an extraordinary event had occurred. The sound of a rushing wind, fire coming down from heaven, and a group of men speaking in various languages about the wonders of God attracted some attention.
One of Jesus' followers known as the apostle Peter stood up with the other apostles and raised his voice to clarify what was going on. To explain what was happening, Peter quoted prophecy from the Old Testament, which those in his audience also knew.
First he quoted the prophet Joel, who had said that in the last days, God would pour out his Spirit on every person without making a distinction between sex or social status.
Then he cited King David, who prophesied that the chosen one of God could not be stopped even by death, and that he would reign at the right hand of God, just as God had promised his people.
These prophecies described the signs of the last days. The first of these was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, second, the coming of the Messiah who would rule Israel forever, and third, salvation for humanity.
This is the essence of what Peter explained. He claimed that Jesus had poured out the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:33), just as the crowd observed. He said Jesus rose from the dead. The corruption of death was not able to stop him (Acts 2:31). And he said that Jesus Christ was the expected Messiah, now ruling at the right hand of God until the day when his enemies are brought to his feet (Acts 2:34-35).
With this explanation Peter told the crowd, “The time has come,” and that the “Great Promise of God for his people has been fulfilled.”
The last days have begun, and now only the final consummation remains. The righteous judgment of God on every human being is the end of human history as we know it.
What Jesus' followers and those who interpreted the prophecies did not imagine was that the Messiah would come and go again. Jesus came and inaugurated this period of history and will return to conclude it.
How should we understand these times? It’s like when a king wins a battle. He is crowned king and begins to rule the nation, but those who oppose him are still alive. The king sends his armies throughout the land, and one way or another, the people will submit.
This period between the first coming of Jesus and his second coming is a period of grace for the nations of the earth. The Holy Spirit was poured out on the followers of Jesus, giving them power to bear witness to the true king who died and rose again.
The Scriptures teach that Jesus not only conquered death, but he also conquered evil. The prince of this world, Satan, has already been judged. So there is no way the battle can be lost in this period. It is a period of forgiveness for anyone who repents.
This period of history has been stretching on for two thousand years. The apostle Peter writes that for God one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow in fulfilling his promise, as some understand slowness. Rather, God is patient with everyone because he does not want anyone to perish, but for everyone to repent (2 Peter 3:8-9).
In these two thousand years of history, through His Spirit, the good news of the gospel has reached almost every corner of the earth. And this is a sign of God's grace. The gospel has remained. Today, the task of the church has not changed. Through the Holy Spirit, we must continue to proclaim the good news of God's love, so that everyone who repents may receive the life of Jesus until the day He returns.
Author Bio
Jorge Vega is the Senior Pastor at Primera Iglesia Alianza Hispana. Learn more about the church at https://www.facebook.com/primeraiglesiaalianzahispanatoronto/
https://piah.ca/
Luke and Acts taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®
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