In the Last Days
The application of Joel’s prophecy by Peter on the Day of Pentecost links the gift of the Spirit to the onset of the messianic age following Christ’s ascension and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and the latter signals the arrival of the “last days” and the inevitability if not imminence of the “Day of the Lord.”
The gift of the Spirit is the “promise
of Father” based on the covenant of Abraham, and an integral part of the New
Covenant prophesied in the books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
Thus, the arrival of the Spirit among God’s covenant community marks a
fundamental change in eras. The age of fulfillment has arrived.
The activity of the Spirit in the body of
Christ is essential for the entire period that it is on the earth, from Pentecost
until the return of Jesus. It is the necessary element for empowering the
followers of Jesus to proclaim his kingdom and gospel to the nations, to the “uttermost
parts of the earth.”
- (Joel 2:28-32) “And it shall come to pass afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. Moreover, also, upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will set forth wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood before the coming of the great and awful day of Yahweh. And it shall come to pass, whosoever shall call on the name of Yahweh shall be delivered, for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be a delivered remnant, just as Yahweh said, and among the remnant whom Yahweh calls.”
LUKE
In the gospel of Luke, the gift
of the Spirit is called the “promise of the Father,” and the disciples must
receive it before they can become effective “witnesses” for Jesus -
(Luke 1:17, 1:35, 1:41, 2:27, 11:13, Luke 24:45-49).
And in Acts, the Spirit marks
out individuals as disciples and demonstrates God’s acceptance of men and women
into His covenant community, both Jews and Gentiles. The “wonders and signs”
performed by the Spirit are in fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy - (e.g., Acts
2:43, 4:16, 4:30, 5:12, 10:44-48).
Prior to his ascension, Jesus “opened
the understanding of the disciples so they might understand the scriptures.”
What is written in the Hebrew Bible foreshadows the Messiah and his reign.
With his enthronement at the “right hand
of God,” the disciples received the Spirit and began to proclaim the gospel
to all nations, “beginning at Jerusalem,” then in Judea, Samaria, and then
on to the “uttermost parts of the earth” - (Luke
1:1-4, 24:45-49, Acts 1:1-9).
Jesus commanded his disciples to wait in
Jerusalem until “I send the promise of my Father upon you,”
thus equipping them to be his “witnesses” to the ends of the earth -
(Luke 24:45-49, Acts 1:6-11, 2:1-4).
BOOK OF ACTS
When the gift of the Spirit fell on the Day
of Pentecost, it produced a sound like a “rushing of a mighty wind,” and
what looked like “tongues of fire that sat on each of them.”
Hearing the commotion, Jewish pilgrims
around the Temple were confounded. Peter stood up and declared, “This is
that spoken through the prophet Joel.” In Luke’s account, the Greek
emphatic pronoun for “this” is used. THIS event is the
very thing predicted by Joel for the “last days” - (Acts 2:14-21).
And in Acts, Peter deviates from the
original passage in several places. First, “afterward” becomes the “last
days.” Second, he adds “they shall prophesy” after the promise concerning
“servants and handmaidens.”
Third, the term “signs” is added and
paired with “wonders.” Fourth, the “great and awful day of
Yahweh” becomes the “great and manifest day of the Lord.”
And fifth, the last half of Joel 2:32 is omitted from Peter’s
quotation - (“For in mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those that
escape and among the remnant those whom Yahweh calls”).
And according to Peter on that day, God
raised Jesus from the dead and seated him at His “right hand” where he “received
of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, that which you see and hear.”
The last clause refers to what they “saw” - “Tongues of fire that sat on each of them” - And what they “heard” - speaking in tongues and the sound like a rushing mighty wind.
Peter concludes his sermon by summoning his
audience to “repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the
remission of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” The
gift is the promise of God “for you, your children, and for all that are afar off.”
The last phrase reiterates the clause from
the final command of Jesus to the disciples to become his “witnesses, both in Jerusalem and [in] all Judaea and
Samaria and as far as the uttermost
part of the earth.”
The reference to “those
who are afar off” has in view not only geographic distance but also
the passage of time from the commencement of the “last days” until the “Day
of the Lord.”
On Pentecost, about three thousand men were
added to the church. From that point, the book of Acts documents
the progress of the church from Jerusalem to Rome, and the activity of the
Spirit during the process. And the Spirit’s presence is attested by “wonders
and signs.” Thus, as far as Peter is concerned, the presence of the Spirit inaugurates
the final era known in Scripture as the “last days.”
And Peter's application of Joel's prophecy
presents key themes of the book, including the Spirit's manifestation in “signs and wonders,” the universal call of
the gospel, and the commencement of the “last days.”
PAUL’S LETTERS
Paul writes to the churches in Rome that
there is “no difference between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is over all
and rich to all that call upon him; for whoever shall call upon the name
of the Lord shall be saved.” His words allude to the prophecy from Joel -
(Joel 2:32, Romans 10:12-18).
Like Peter, Paul cites only the first half of the verse, also omitting the promise of deliverance for the remnant of Israel. The promised salvation is for all men regardless of national origin.
The Apostle to the Gentiles links the call
for salvation to the proclamation of the gospel. How can anyone exercise faith
in Christ if he or she does not hear the message? (“As it is written, How
beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad
tidings of good things”).
He also alludes to the prophecy in his
first letter to the Corinthians and applies it to the church. The congregation in
Corinth includes many Gentiles, and he reaffirms that all who call on the name
of the Lord will be saved.
Not coincidentally, the same context also declares
that God will confirm the Corinthian believers on the “Day of our Lord Jesus.”
Elsewhere, Paul connects the “Day of Jesus” to the Old Testament “Day
of the Lord,” the day when the Son of Man will return in glory and power to
gather his saints and judge his enemies - (1 Corinthians 1:2-7, 5:5,2
Corinthians 1:14, Philippians 1:10, 2:16, 1 Thessalonians 5:2, 2 Thessalonians
2:2).
An echo of Joel’s prophecy is heard
in his letter to the Ephesians where Paul describes Gentile
believers as persons who were separated from Christ and the covenants of
Israel, but now, in this new “season,” those who once were “afar off are made nigh by the blood of Christ” - (Ephesians 2:11-13).
Thus, Paul sounds a universal note and
indicates the change of eras by his use of the prophecy. The way of salvation is
now open to all, and the final phase of history has begun - the “last days.”
And the presence of the Spirit among believers evidenced by “signs and
wonders” is incontrovertible proof that the final era is underway.
Likewise, the arrival of the Spirit means
that the salvation promised in the Hebrew scriptures is now open to all men and
women regardless of ethnicity, nationality, or gender, and on the same basis,
the “faith of Jesus Christ.”