Rachel Workman: 14 Then Peter stepped forward with
the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of
you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. 15
These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the
morning is much too early for that. 16 No, what you see was predicted long ago
by the prophet Joel: This was evidence of the arrival of God’s Holy Spirit
to dwell in His people.
17 ‘In the last days,’ God says,
‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your young men will see visions,
and your old men will dream dreams.
18 In those days I will pour out my Spirit
even on my servants—men and women alike—
and they will prophesy.
19 And I will cause wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below—
blood and fire and clouds of smoke. Destruction, I pray that
my children and my children's children all call on the name of the Lord and
will be saved.
20 The sun will become dark,
and the moon will turn blood red
before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives.
21 But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved. It was indeed the dawning of a new age, the
“last days” in which God would bring to completion His plan of salvation for
mankind. Jesus had finished the great work of redemption, and nothing more had
to be done except to share the good news with the world, beginning with the
nation of Israel. The invitation is, “Whosoever shall call on the name of the
Lord shall be saved” In other words not just Jews but you and me.
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John Burnett: 14 But Peter, taking his stand with the other eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, know this, and pay attention to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you assume, since it is only the third hour of the day; 16 but this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel: Peter stands up and declares what had just happened and that it was a fulfillment of prophecy from Joel in 835 BC.
17 ‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says,
‘That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind;
And your sons and your daughters will prophesy,
And your young men will see visions,
And your old men will have dreams;
18 And
even on My male and female servants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days,
And they will prophesy.
19 And I
will display wonders in the sky above
And signs on the earth below,
Blood, fire, and vapor of smoke.
20 The
sun will be turned into darkness
And the moon into blood,
Before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.
21 And
it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved.’ Peter is describing the
very end of the tribulation period as described in Joel, Revelation and by
Jesus in Matthew 24. Verse 21 is one of the most abused verses in the
Bible. To call on the name of the Lord is an acknowledgment of the
Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a confession of Who He is
and what He has done as recorded in the Word of God. It is to appeal to the
sovereign authority of the Lord for our salvation by faith in Christ. It
is not just saying you believe in God or saying His name. Matthew 7 makes
it clear that there will be people who use the right language and say
"Lord Lord" that He does not know and calls evildoers. Many of
those evildoers are on TV telling people to call on the name of the Lord.
You must confess and repent of your sins and put your trust in Jesus Christ as
your savior for your sins.
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Tomorrow’s reading for Acts 2:22-28
22 “People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene[d] by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. 23 But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. 24 But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip. 25 King David said this about him:
‘I see that the Lord is always with me.
I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.
26 No wonder my heart is glad,
and my tongue shouts his praises!
My body rests in hope.
27 For you will not leave my soul among the dead[e]
or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.
28 You have shown me the way of life,
and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.’[f]
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