The Coming Age

JANUARY 30, 2022 STUDY NOTES ACTS 2:19--21 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES THE COMING AGE INTRODUCTION On the day of Pentecost God fulfilled His promise to send the Holy Spirit Which Peter identified as God pouring out His Spirit in the last days (Acts 2:17) We are still living in the time known as the last days (Hebrews 1:1-2; 1 Peter 1:20) And the Holy Spirit is present today fulfilling His ministry which began in Acts 2 The coming of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost was the beginning of the Church Age All born-again believers from the Day of Pentecost until the rapture are united in Christ In-Christ identifies the “True Church,” which is one body of believers in-Christ (1 Cor 12:12-14) The Church Age is the present ministry of the Holy Spirit in and through all believers in-Christ The Church identified in Acts could not exist, function, or minister without the Spirit’s presence The Church Age will conclude at the 2nd coming of Christ when He will rapture the church 1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. The 2nd coming of Christ will end the Church Age and begin “The Coming Age” Christ will remove the church from the earth before the beginning of the “Day of the Lord” The rapture of the church will occur before the Day of the Lord begins, the day of God’s wrath, 1Th 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. Until the time of the rapture the Church must carry out the “Great Commission” (Matt, 28:19-20) Jesus promised that we can be a witness for Christ (Acts 1:8) why are we failing to do that? Because we are not allowing the Holy Spirit to influence us, guide us, direct us, fill us (Eph 5:18) The present Church Age is the day of God’s Grace, the day of salvation, Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: The Coming Age will be the day of God’s wrath, Rev 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? It is time for us to realize that today is the day of salvation, Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. We are still in the last days, the day to witness to the lost, the day the lost can be saved The last days of the last days will be difficult for the Christian to be a witness for Christ But Jesus promised to be with us as we witness, “even unto the end of the age” (Mt, 28:20) On the Day of Pentecost, Peter preached the truth of “The Coming Age” Act 2:19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: Compare Joe 2:30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke “I will show,” means that God is going to put or place something in the sky above us Identified as, “wonders in heaven above,” a phenomenon displaying God’s powerful hand The word “wonders” was used to describe some of the plagues God placed upon Egypt (Ex. 7:3) In the NT the meaning can refer to an event which will cause terror among those who witness it Which will be true when God reveals His power through the Cosmic Disturbance (Rev 6:12-17) Page 1 of 4 Which will take place at the appointed time of God, Mat 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: (Note “after the tribulation”) False Christs and prophets will have been showing their signs and wonders in the tribulation time, Mat 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. The false Christs and false prophets will attempt to authenticate themselves and their message They will deceive people by their signs and wonders, they will do strange and unusual things False Christs and false prophets will prepare the way for the coming of the Antichrist Satan will work signs and wonders through the Antichrist, 2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, The “Wicked” is a person, he is the Antichrist, he is Satan’s man, Satan’s most evil tool ever “Lying wonders” does not mean that the things Antichrist will be doing are not real The lie is who Antichrist claims to be, he attempts to authenticate his claim through his wonders Antichrist will try to imitate the things that Christ did while He was on the earth Peter tells us that Jesus performed signs and wonders during His earthly life, Act 2:22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Signs and wonders were witnessed in the early church as evidence that the apostles were true followers of Jesus, Act 2:43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. The signs and wonders of Jesus and the Apostles were what God was doing through them It will not be the power of God working in Antichrist, it will be the power of Satan, the evil one It will be something beyond the normal powers of man, it will be the result of demonic activity It will be a strong influence upon people, people will be deceived by the signs of Antichrist The Antichrist will have his day, the day of the most-evil work of Satan ever known Satan’s day, his day of working through the Antichrist is called, the “Great Tribulation,” Mat 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. The cosmic disturbance that Peter is referring to will be “after” the “Great Tribulation,” Mat 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: This verse gives us the time and description of “the wonders in heaven above” (Acts 2:19) Peter adds the word “signs” to Joel’s prophecy, “and signs in the earth beneath” God has an answer to the signs and wonders of Satan, the false Christs, and false prophets God’s signs and wonders will occur in the last days of the last days, preceding Christ return, Mat 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. The word “signs” refers to something that is pointing to something else God’s wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath point to what God is going to do The cosmic disturbance identified by Peter is God giving warning of His coming wrath At which time God will remove the church from the earth and the Day of the Lord will begin There is nothing secret about what God is going to do, the world will “see” what God is doing Rev 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. Both Joel and Peter speak of “blood, fire, and smoke,” (Joel 2:30; Acts 2:19) Blood is often used in a figurative sense signifying violence and judgment Page 2 of 4 Fire is often used in reference to the anger and judgment of God Joel says, “pillars of smoke,” meaning a column of smoke displaying the wrath of God Peter says, a “vapor of smoke,” meaning a cloud of dense smoke displaying the wrath of God Blood, fire, and smoke are major features in the description of the Day of the Lord THE COSMIC DISTURBANCE Act 2:20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: Compare Joe 2:31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. The word “darkness” has symbolic uses in both the OT and NT, here it is to be taken literally Some commentators apply Peter’s words to the darkness at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion, Luk 23:44 And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. Luk 23:45 And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. (The darkness fell from 12-3 PM on the day of Jesus’ crucifixion) Peter is not describing a past event, such as the crucifixion of Christ Peter is describing a future event preceding the return of Christ to the earth At the time of the crucifixion there is no scripture referring to “the moon into blood,” Joel and Peter identified it as a future event and as “great,” which places a strong emphasis Emphasizing the importance and the significance of the future event Joel called it a “terrible day,” the Hebrew word translated “terrible” must be understood The most common meaning of the word refers to fear, especially the fear of God The whole lost world will be filled with the fear of Christ at the time of the Day of the Lord, Rev 6:15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; Rev 6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: Rev 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? Peter called it a “notable” day, the only time the word translated notable is found in the NT Which refers to an appearance that is visible and a clear manifestation of something Put that thought together with the words of Joel, Joe 2:11 And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it? In contrast to the dark celestial disturbances is the glorious manifestation of the returning Christ When the Day of the Lord comes, the world will know that Christ will be glorified, Mat 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost is informing us of events within the last days And Peter uses Joel 2:28-32 as a text passage, a passage confirming his message A message which also informs us of events related to the last days of the last days And a message that states one of the most important truths found in scripture The truth that states the main purpose of Pentecost is the promise of salvation There is a question related to the time of the Day of the Lord, Rev 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? Peter has the answer for us, Act 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Compare Joe 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the Page 3 of 4 remnant whom the LORD shall call. Habakkuk prayed for his people, Israel, Hab 3:2 O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy. His prayer was first-of all for Israel in that day, but extends into the future of Israel’s troubles Even to the time of the Great Tribulation followed by the salvation of an Israelite remnant Israel will witness the final destruction of all-of her enemies at the time of the return of Christ When all of God’s people will enter-into the blessings of the Millennial Kingdom Peter and Joel both offer the way of deliverance from the coming wrath of God, 1Th 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. But those words also apply to God’s grace which provided for our present salvation (Eph. 2:8-9) Which is what Paul had in mind in, Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. The “call” is a cry for the greatest need that anyone will ever have, the need for forgiveness of sin The need for an eternal relationship with God, which only comes through salvation Salvation is only through the name of Jesus, Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. The total work and ministry of Jesus is within the “name of Jesus” Consider the context of Romans 10:13, there is a present promise, Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. But there is also a present responsibility for those who are saved, read Romans 10:14-17 The “call” upon the name of the Lord must be a sincere desire, a total commitment to Christ It cannot be just a matter of words spoken according to Jesus, Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. You must accept and apply-personally all that the name of the Lord represents The point is, you surrender your life to Jesus because He gave His life for you, 1Pe 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: Peter tells us the desire of the Lord, 2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Pay attention to the next verse, 2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Have you ever put those two verses together before? Joel and Peter’s words are true Therefore, how true, and how important is Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13? Listen to the song, realize how important it is, and pray that it is personally true of you Page 4 of 4