The Day is at Hand

Acts 2:17-21

7 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. 21 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' NKJV

20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.

In my previous study we looked at the blood, fire, and smoke that are signs of the times in each generation of the last days that increase in measure until the final Day of the Lord’s return. I don’t think I did a very adequate job because I am moving rather quickly through this prophesy, but have I given a brief summary of the purpose of the signs. In this study we look at verse 20 and the signs that mark the Day of the Lord.

The sun shall be turned into darkness . . .

The debate in eschatology is how to interpret the language of this phrase. Tradition wants to say that it is just figurative and has no literal interpretation. I believe here in the context of Luke that it has a figurative interpretation, but why not look at Luke’s gospel and get a better understanding of what the Holy Spirit and Luke intend by this language. By this I don’t believe that Luke intends to say that the sun will be literally darkened.

Luke 21:25-28

25 "And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near." NKJV

. . . and the moon into blood . . .

In Acts I believe Luke is just giving a brief and, yes, figurative description of what he understood Jesus to say about His second coming. However, when we go back to a more descriptive recording of Luke’s account we see more clearly by what he intends. Remember that the gospel of Luke and Acts are originally written to Theophilus who was some kind of Roman official. Theophilus would have already had the understanding of Luke’s intent through his account of the life of Christ. Luke was a trustworthy doctor who feared God and was in close relation to the Apostles. His account of Jesus’s teaching does not give figurative language, but literal applications of the heavens being shaken. Jesus is not speaking in figurative language here. There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars bringing distress on the world for the clear expectation of what is coming to the earth. Luke is clearly revealing cataclysmic events, not just figurative language to describe what is going on in the heart of man, but literal judgments in the heavens. Sometimes we get so caught up in the poetic styles of the writings of the Reformers who do a marvelous job of preaching on sin that we use them to interpret the Bible instead of using the Bible to interpret them. I love the poetic convictions of the Reformers, but they are not the infallible word of God. They use figurative language to describe sin and such which sometimes does have application, but fails to come even close to the proper interpretation of the purpose of endtime events. I don’t believe that Luke means that the moon will literally be turned to blood, but that these signs that occur in the heavens will increase the blood that will be shed in the earth due to the fear of what is coming upon the world.

. . . before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.

Those who have Christ can rejoice in these truths as Luke brings to our attention, “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near." (v.38) These "things" that begin are to be signs to the church, but for Israel are the "things" that take place, then we know our redemption draws near. The church will not have to endure the "tribulation of those days" (Matt. 24:29), but Israel will (Isa.43:1,2). After these things Christ restores peace to the world through His reign, but it is a forceful peace against man’s will, for He will rule with a rod of iron (Rev.19:15). This is why it is figuratively called the “great and awesome day of the Lord”. He rules with grace in these "last days" through the proclamation of the cross bidding men to come willingly (Rev.22:17), but the Day of the Lord is when His patience has been withdrawn and His anger is activated.

. . . And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'

This phrase is our bid to call on the name of the Lord while He may be found at peace with us through Christ (Isa.55:6); for Christ has come to make peace and bring us to God.

1 Peter 3:18-22

18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, 20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. 21 There is also an antitype which now saves us — baptism(not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him. NKJV

In the same way Noah warned of the impending judgment upon the whole world that was to be destroyed by water, we warn of an impending judgment to those who reject salvation through Christ who will be ruled with a rod of iron and reserved for destruction by fire (Rev.20).

Heb 3:12-15

12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said:

"Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." NKJV

If you hear the inward call of God to repent and believe upon the atonement and righteousness that is only found in the Name of Jesus Christ, who is God’s one and true beloved Son, then call upon His Name alone; for there is no other that can save you.

Acts 4:12

12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." NKJV

This Jesus, who being God, became a man and dwelt among us, and has appointed a time for us to call upon His Name who alone can save; for He exposed and subjected Himself to the cruelty of men to bear the curse and give us a life of righteousness and hope that is not of this present darkness. In Christ God has given us a righteousness that is not our own and a new nature to live for Him and not for ourselves. We live for the Authority that lays us low in the dust of which we were made, but has breathed His very life of love into our debased flesh, that we would rise on "His great and awesome day" to return with Him, and rule over those who have rejected Him, and all who call upon His Name, both in this age and the one to come, will be saved from their sins and the fires of hell.

Matt 12:32

32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. NKJV

Matt 28:19-20

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. NKJV