Judgment, The Last Days, & Terms of Surrender (Acts 2:13-36)

Introduction

English Standard Version Chapter 2

12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”

Peter’s Sermon at Pentecost

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

17  “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,

that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

and your young men shall see visions,

and your old men shall dream dreams;

18  even on my male servants and female servants

in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

19  And I will show wonders in the heavens above

and signs on the earth below,

blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;

20  the sun shall be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood,

before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.

21  And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him,

“ ‘I saw the Lord always before me,

for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;

26  therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;

my flesh also will dwell in hope.

27  For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,

or let your Holy One see corruption.

28  You have made known to me the paths of life;

you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at my right hand,

35  until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’

36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

In our last time, we looked specifically at verses 1-13, the significance of Pentecost and the gift of speaking in tongues. That Pentecost was biblically referred to as the Feast of Harvest, celebrating the firstfruits of the wheat harvest each year, and that this was significant because now it would become a day of spiritual harvest, a day of spiritual firstfruits, as “about three thousand souls” would be added to the church that day.

This day was also marked by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, evidenced by the sound of a mighty rushing wind, divided tongues of fire appearing over the disciples, and the disciples declaring the mighty works of God in foreign languages as the Spirit gave them utterance. This gift of speaking in tongues signified a reversal of the curse at Babel, it signified a reunification of the nations under the lordship of Christ in the kingdom of God. Speaking in tongues signified that the promise given to Abraham in Genesis 12:3 was coming to pass, that “in you (i.e. Abraham) all the families of the earth will be blessed.” No longer was the scope of God’s kingdom focused solely upon the nation of Israel, but now the scope of the kingdom included people from every nation, tribe, and tongue.

However, it’s important for us to recognize that, while the gift of speaking in tongues signified blessing to those who heeded the message of the Gospel, tongues was also a sign of judgment to unbelieving Jews. In other words, those who failed to heed Jesus’ words and the words of his disciples, the Lord would speak to them in a language they could not understand, a foreign tongue, as a sign of judgment.

As we saw previously, in 1 Corinthians 14:21-22, Paul connected Israel’s inability to understand a foreign language with falling under the judgement of not hearing God’s word. In other words, if you’re not going to heed my words, then I’ll speak to you in language you don’t understand, as a sign of judgment. This was also why Jesus eventually chose to speak to the Jews exclusively in parables during his earthly ministry. When the disciples asked him why he spoke to them in parables, he said in Matthew 13:13-15,

English Standard Version Chapter 13

13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

“ ‘ “You will indeed hear but never understand,

and you will indeed see but never perceive.”

15  For this people’s heart has grown dull,

and with their ears they can barely hear,

and their eyes they have closed,

lest they should see with their eyes

and hear with their ears

and understand with their heart

and turn, and I would heal them.’

In other words, their refusal to hear and understand resulted in judgment.

Speaking in tongues likewise signified the same kind of judgment, judgment that would ultimately culminate in the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple in their own generation at the hands of the Roman army, just as the judgment Paul referred to, out of Isaiah 28 (in his letter to the church in Corinth), lead to the fall of Israel’s northern kingdom at the hands of the Assyrians.

Sermon explaining what this means

Now, this twofold meaning of the gift of tongues is important for us to keep in mind as we examine Peter’s sermon here in verses 14-36, because he addresses both aspects. That these events signify both blessing and curse. In fact, at the heart of Peter’s sermon is his determination to explain these events to those in Jerusalem. At first, we read there in verse 12, that “all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ But others mocking said, ‘They’re filled with new wine.’” So, apparently, there were those who responded genuinely by asking, “What does this mean?” and those who responded by mocking the disciples, saying, “They are filled with new wine.” They’re just drunk!

Then in verse 14 we read, “But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.” In other words, the accusation that the disciples were drunk is absurd, it’s only 9 in the morning.

Fulfillment of prophecy

Instead, Peter goes on to tell them that these events are a fulfillment of prophecy. In fact, he goes on to quote three OT texts to make his case, Joel 2, Psalm 16, and Psalm 110. He goes on to employ these texts in his sermon to demonstrate how recent events were a fulfillment of OT prophecy, and he begins by quoting Joel 2:28-32. We read there in Acts 2:16,

English Standard Version Chapter 2

16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

17  “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,

that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

and your young men shall see visions,

and your old men shall dream dreams;

18  even on my male servants and female servants

in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

19  And I will show wonders in the heavens above

and signs on the earth below,

blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;

20  the sun shall be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood,

before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.

21  And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

In other words, the disciples declaring the mighty works of God in foreign languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance, was a fulfillment of what the prophet Joel had spoken 900 years earlier. That in the last days the Spirit would be given without measure and without discrimination to all believers, that God would pour our his Spirit on all flesh, that your sons and daughters would prophesy. That the event at Pentecost signified the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, foretold by the prophet Joel. This promise, of course, would have been seen as a blessing, that all the people would receive a portion of God’s Spirit, not just a select few, as it had been under the old covenant. This is why, Peter says, that those who were dwelling Jerusalem, devout Jews from every nation under heaven, were hearing the disciples speak in their own native tongue.

Apocalyptic language

Now, I think most of us have read this passage of Scripture and recognized the correlation Peter is drawing between Joel’s prophecy and the disciples speaking in tongues, that, at Pentecost, under the new covenant, the Holy Spirit is being poured out upon everyone. However, I think many of us struggle with the second half of Joel’s prophecy there in verses 19-21, and fail to recognize its significance. Let me read it again,

English Standard Version Chapter 2

19  And I will show wonders in the heavens above

and signs on the earth below,

blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;

20  the sun shall be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood,

before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.

21  And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

Here’s what we tend to do. We read this passage and assume that Joel is describing the end of the world. Why? Because Joel says things like, “the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood.” Which must be a description of the end of the world, right? Well, if it is, then this part of the prophecy must not yet be fulfilled, because we’re still here, and so we end up putting that portion of the prophecy on the shelf for later, and we determine that it must be describing some future event.

However, the problem with that conclusion is that it seems to disagree with Peter. I want you to notice that Peter doesn’t just quote the first half of Joel’s prophecy about the outpouring of the Spirit, even though he could have. In other words, the natural assumption here is that Peter believes that this prophecy has not been fulfilled in part, but in its entirety. That he quotes the whole passage because he believes the whole passage explains these events at Pentecost.

But if Peter believes the whole passage explains the events of Pentecost, then how are we intended to understand the second half of the prophecy about the sun turning to darkness and the moon to blood? Well, you might be surprised to discover there’s a very easy answer to that question. You see, theologians have often referred to this type of language as de-creation language, or apocalyptic language, and that the same kind of language is used in the OT at least four times. Let me give you an example from Isaiah 13:9-13,

English Standard Version Chapter 13

9  Behold, the day of the LORD comes,

cruel, with wrath and fierce anger,

to make the land a desolation

and to destroy its sinners from it.

10

Notice how the the language is almost identical, “for the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light.” Sound familiar? It sounds just like Joel’s prophecy doesn’t it? Well, this prophesy of judgment in Isaiah 13 is talking about the judgment God carried out against Babylon, therefore it’s clear that this kind of language isn’t necessarily referring to the end of the cosmos. In fact, the other three times this kind of language is used in the OT it always refers to judgment against a city or a nation. In fact, in Matthew 24 Jesus employed the same kind of language when he described the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem, that would later come to pass during his disciple’s own generation.

You see, apocalyptic language, or de-creation language, is a style of writing in the Bible (and in other ancient texts) that uses vivid, symbolic, and often cosmic imagery to describe God’s judgment. It’s no different than when we use idioms in our own language. In fact, this is one of the most difficult aspects of learning a new language. You may grow up in the Philippines and learn English in grade school, but when you move to the United States you find Americans using very strange and confusing phrases that you never learned in school.

For example, if you tell someone who’s just moved here from the Philippines about how happy you are with your new job and you say, “Man, I’m on cloud nine,” they’ll probably look at you with a confused expression. You notice the confusion on their face so you tell them, “You know, I’m over the moon! I’m on top of the world! Waking on air!” But their confusion only worsens. Why? Because they don’t recognize your English idioms. They’re taking your words literally when you intend them to be taken figuratively. This is how we often approach Joel’s prophecy when he says that “the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood,” and we start looking for blood moons and the end of the created cosmos. This is why, for instance, we find the Book of Revelation so difficult, because we take it literally when we’re intended to recognize the figurative language and the symbology.

Last days

So, on one hand, in the last days, God will pour out his Spirit on all flesh, but on the other hand, God will also carry out judgment against those who do not heed his word. Now, one of the perennial, burning questions many Christians often have (and you’ll see this question made into podcast titles all the time) is whether we’re living in the last days? This is often a burning question because many Christians believe the last days is a reference to a time in the future just prior to the second coming of Christ, but Peter’s quotation of Joel 2 very simply answers this question. Yes, we’re living in the last days, otherwise Peter wouldn’t have quoted Joel 2 as the explanation of the events at Pentecost. And the phrase last days is not a reference to some kind of 7 year tribulation period before the return of Christ, but to the days that began at Christ’s first coming, these are the days that Joel was referring to as the last days.

In fact, Peter would later write this in one of his letters, in 1 Peter 1:20,

English Standard Version Chapter 1

20 He [Jesus] was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the

or as the writer of Hebrews would put it, in Hebrews 1:1-2,

English Standard Version Chapter 1

1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these

Judgment of unbelieving Jews

Now, this judgment that Joel was referring to is directed first and primarily to Peter’s Jewish audience, this particular judgment would be carried out against unbelieving Jews, culminating with the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, however, it’s important that we keep in mind that this temporal judgment foreshadows a day of eternal judgment that’s still yet in our future, a day described later in Acts 17:31 like this,

English Standard Version Chapter 17

30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

And so the twofold meaning of the disciples speaking in tongues is made clearer by Joel’s prophecy of blessing and curse, that on one hand God is pouring out his Spirit for those who believe, but on the other hand judgment is coming upon those who will not heed his voice.

Terms of surrender

Now, likely the most powerful component of Joel’s prophecy is the final verse there in verse 21,

English Standard Version Chapter 2

21  And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

In other words, despite tongues being a harbinger of doom and Joel’s prophecy describing a day of coming judgment, everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. As pastor Doug Wilson put it, in these last days, God still offers us terms of surrender, despite our deserving of judgment.

Jesus attested to you by God with miracles

Now, I want you to consider this offer of salvation from judgment in light of their circumstances, and then in light of your own. Look at verses 22-24,

English Standard Version Chapter 2

22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

In other words, men of Israel, Jesus of Nazareth, was attested to you by God with many signs and wonders, as you yourselves knew, yet you crucified and killed him by the hands of lawless men. You delivered Jesus, whom you knew was from God, over to Pilate to be put to death. How did they know? By the mighty works and wonders and signs that God had done through him in their midst.

We must not miss the central significance of miracles performed by Jesus and his Apostles. Attested means “shown to be true, genuine, or real by evidence, testimony, or reliable witness.” For example, the existence of Pontius Pilate is attested by the Pilate Stone inscription found in Caesarea, it bears witness to his existence in history. Or, for example, when you’re required to have certain documents notarized, it’s because a notary’s seal is an attestation that a signature or document is authentic, that an authorized notary was present when you signed the documents. Similarly, Jesus’ miracles attested to his credibility, that you could believe what he said.

When I was sharing the Gospel with a Muslim recently I told him that the fundamental reason that I take Jesus’ word over Muhammed’s is because Jesus of Nazareth was a man attested to us by God with signs and wonders. Likewise, Peter appealed to Jesus’ miracles in order to hold the men in Israel accountable for what they had done (to hold their feet to the fire so to say), because he knew that they knew that Jesus was from God. For instance, we read in John 3:1-2,

English Standard Version Chapter 3

3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi,

The men of Israel had committed a heinous crime, a crime without equal in human history. Yet, despite their wickedness, God offered them terms of surrender, they were reminded through the prophet Joel that in these last days that everyone who called upon the name of the Lord would be saved, even these men. Therefore, if these men can be saved, then there is no one among us who is too far off, there is no one among us too far gone, no sin too great that won’t be forgiven if you call upon the name of the Lord.

Concurrence

And, despite their wickedness (and yours), Jesus was delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God. In other words, while these men intended to do evil, God intended to do good. This is what theologians call the doctrine of concurrence, that while God ordains everything that comes to pass, and nothing happens to anyone by chance or outside of His providence, yet by that same providence God works in and through the real decisions of men. That he ordains both the means and the ends.

The doctrine of concurrence describes how God’s sovereignty relates to human responsibility. Often Christians will say that “God has turned something bad around for good,” but this isn’t accurate, rather what one intended for evil God intended for good. This is how the Bible speaks. God is never reacting to the decisions of men, but works in and through their free decisions to accomplish his will. Therefore, when these men delivered Jesus over to be crucified they were completely culpable for their wickedness, yet while they meant it for evil, God meant it for good. That even in their wickedness their was still hope for them, and still hope for you.

You will not abandon my soul to Hades (resurrection)

In fact, Peter points out that Jesus’ resurrection had been prophesied a thousand years earlier by David in Psalm 16:8-11, he says there in Acts 2:24-32,

English Standard Version Chapter 2

24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him,

“ ‘I saw the Lord always before me,

for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;

26  therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;

my flesh also will dwell in hope.

27  For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,

or let your Holy One see corruption.

28  You have made known to me the paths of life;

you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.

Psalm 16 is a short psalm that describes David’s confidence that God would preserve him and not abandon him, but then at the end of the Psalm David begins describing someone else who clearly transcends him. And as I’ve pointed out before, since the Messiah was expected to be the Son of David, many of the the Jews read David’s writings expectantly through a messianic lens, therefore Peter recognized that David was speaking prophetically of Christ at the end of Psalm 16 when David wrote, “For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption.” That David was obviously not talking about himself, because David had died and his tomb was still with them. In other words, David had foreseen and spoke about the resurrection of Christ, not himself, in Psalm 16.

Sit at my right hand (the ascension)

Then, Peter goes on to quote Psalm 110 to point out that even Jesus’ ascension had been prophesied a thousand years earlier by David. And that it’s due to Jesus’ exaltation to the right hand of God that they have received the promise of the Holy Spirit. In fact, the disciples viewed this Psalm as so significant that it’s quoted at least 20 times in the NT, more than any other Psalm, by far. Peter says there in Acts 2:33-35,

English Standard Version Chapter 2

33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at my right hand,

35  until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’

Jesus had famously put this verse to the Pharisees back in Matthew 22:41-46, saying,

English Standard Version Chapter 22

41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,

44  “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at my right hand,

until I put your enemies under your feet” ’?

45 If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” 46 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Jesus revealed that Psalm 110 was in part a mystery to the Jews, that they did not know how David’s son could also be David’s Lord, but after Jesus’ resurrection and his ascension into heaven it became clear to the disciples, that Jesus was not only a bodily descendent of David (David’s son), but was also the Son of God (David’s Lord) who had ascended to sit at God’s right hand in heaven, just as Psalm 110 had described. That Jesus was now seated on the throne of David in heaven, over the whole world, the eschatological scope of David’s reign.

Conclusion

So, just as John the Baptist had taught that the one who came after him would baptize them with the Holy Spirit, and just as Jesus had taught them that after he ascended into heaven that he would pour out the Holy Spirit upon them. This was what all this means, Peter says, when he speaks to the men of Judea and all who were dwelling in Jerusalem. It’s because of Jesus’ death, resurrection, ascension, that have led up to Pentecost, that resulted in the Holy Spirit being poured out on the disciples and the speaking in tongues. That the last days according Joel had finally come.

Therefore Peter concludes there in verse 36 and says, “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” As Peter explained what these things meant, he was building to this point, for them to understand what had happened, what they had done, and now what they must do (what we must do) - to call upon the name of the Lord to be saved.

Prayer