Peter Preaching to the Crowd at PentecostBible World
2:19Acts 2:19
And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
Peter quoted this promise from Joel at Pentecost to explain the speaking in other tongues as the outpouring of the Spirit in the last days upon sons and daughters, young and old, servants and handmaidens, with salvation to all who call on the name of the Lord. Only that outpouring of the Spirit was fulfilled then, while the wonders in heaven and signs on earth with blood and fire and smoke were not seen at Pentecost but remain to be fulfilled before the great and notable day of the Lord. In heaven they are the darkening of the sun and the moon turned to blood, seen in the dark day of May 19, 1780, and on earth they are unprecedented upheavals shortly before Christ comes with lightning from heaven joined with fire from the earth, burning mountains, boiling rivers, earthquakes and destruction that destroy the wicked while God preserves His saints. Its fulfillment begun in the apostles' time continues and will be fully manifest in the closing work of the gospel, when the Spirit is again poured out with prophecy, dreams and visions and utterance in other languages to make God's people a light amid moral darkness. Because the judgments of God are not far off, it lays solemn responsibility on God's people to study the experience of the early church, obtain the self-denying life of Christ, and warn those nigh and afar off in unity under the Spirit's guidance.
Quoted at Pentecost
Acts 2:19 belongs to Joel's prophecy that Peter quoted on the day of Pentecost to explain the disciples speaking with other tongues. The manifestation was not drunkenness, for it was only the third hour of the day, but the outpouring of the Spirit in the last days upon all flesh. Then sons and daughters would prophesy, young men would see visions, old men would dream dreams, and servants and handmaidens would prophesy, with wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath — blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke — and the sun turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and notable day of the Lord, when salvation comes to whoever calls on the name of the Lord.
The verse belongs to the record of the promised outpouring when the disciples received the Holy Ghost in Jerusalem at the time of a great religious festival. Jesus had commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem until they received the promise of the Father, to be witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and to the uttermost parts of the earth. After spending several days together confessing sins and praying for the Holy Spirit, there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind filling the house, cloven tongues like fire sat upon each of them, and all were filled and spoke with other tongues. So Jews and proselytes from every nation heard in their own language the wonderful works of God, as God used the disciples to give the assembled multitudes the message of the risen Saviour.
That Pentecostal outpouring was heaven's communication that Christ, received with His angels by all the heavenly intelligences in a coronation service, had completed His inauguration. Peter standing with the eleven declared this to the amazed multitude of Judea and Jerusalem, and the same day about three thousand souls were added, who continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and prayers, together with gladness and praise. In Peter's sermon the mysteries about the Messiah, including the mystery of the cross, were explained. Through the Spirit's work upon hearts bringing blessing and conversion, the disciples went out and preached the Word everywhere, and thousands were converted in a day.
Only the part of Joel's prophecy about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled at Pentecost. The wonders in heaven and signs on earth, including blood, fire, and smoke, and the signs in the sun and moon, were not seen then but belong to the last days and precede the great day of the Lord. Their fulfillment has begun and continues, and they remain to be more fully fulfilled in the last days.
Signs Before Christ Returns
The wonders above and the signs below of blood and fire and vapour of smoke belong to the last days and to the events that come just before the great and notable day of the Lord, pointing to its approach. Only the part of Joel's prophecy about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled at Pentecost, while the wonders in heaven and the signs on earth, including blood and fire and smoke and the signs in the sun and moon, were not seen then but remain to be fulfilled in the last days. The heavenly wonders are the darkening of the sun and the moon appearing as blood, fulfilled in the eighteenth century and especially in the dark day of May 19, 1780. The moon's bloody appearance then was an effect of the darkness, not a literal turning of the moon into blood.
Shortly before Christ comes, people on earth will witness blood and fire and vapour of smoke in upheavals greater than any yet seen. Lightning from heaven will be joined with fire from the earth, with burning mountains, rivers of lava, boiling rivers, violent eruptions and earthquakes, and destruction accompanying His second advent. These extraordinary signs are judgments that destroy the wicked, while God preserves the saints as He preserved Noah during the Flood.
Joel's prophecy was partly fulfilled when the Spirit was poured out in the apostles' time, its fulfillment in the signs has begun and continues, and it will be even more clearly manifest and fully fulfilled later. That fuller fulfillment comes through the manifestation of divine grace in the gospel's closing work, when the Spirit makes God's people a light amid moral darkness. Along with the signs, the last days bring the outpouring of the Spirit and the revival of the spirit of prophecy, so that the church near Christ's appearing receives extraordinary guidance including the testimony of Jesus. That work includes prophecy and dreams and visions and utterance in other languages, given through sons and daughters and young men and old men and servants and handmaidens and young people, matching the apostles' experience.
Charge to Warn World
The verse is part of Joel's prophecy quoted by Peter at Pentecost, that in the last days God will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh so that sons and daughters shall prophesy, young men shall see visions, old men shall dream dreams, and servants and handmaidens shall prophesy, with wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath — blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke — and the sun turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and notable day of the Lord comes, when whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. It has special bearing upon God's people at this time, whose salvation was purchased at infinite cost. It lays solemn responsibility to deny self, to sacrifice, and to warn those nigh and afar off in cities, towns, and villages. The judgments of God upon the earth are certainly not far off and the end of history is near.
The history of the early church during and immediately after Pentecost must be studied by God's people in later days because they will pass through similar experiences. On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, they went out and preached the Word everywhere, and thousands were converted in a day. Sinners are still to be converted, and believers have a part in it by obtaining the self-denying life of Christ. They are to take the Bible from house to house to make people hungry for the Word, to do their whole duty and make covenant with God by sacrifice, to wake from stupor and indifference, and to give the message to a world to save without sleeping in this judgment hour, trusting God to enlarge small efforts to satisfy hungry hearers.
The first and second chapters of Acts teach how the work is to be carried forward in a higher and broader way than ever before. Workers are to have a living connection with God and meet people where they are, appreciating and cherishing the light of heaven given to laborers who know God has given them a message and a sacred responsibility to proclaim it. The message of present truth prepares a people for the coming of the Lord and must go forward solidly in unity, with every soul bearing personal responsibility before God. Workers are to trust the Spirit of God rather than the counsel of men, and men in responsible positions are to counsel, pray, and plan together rather than rule arbitrarily over where others shall go and what they shall do or say. Perilous times are upon them and they must know that the Lord lives and rules and dwells in the hearts of men.
The prophecy marks a period to be manifested among God's people. Revelations from heaven will come through warnings, reproofs, and explanations of the Word. By these people may recognize that they have reached this prophesied period and remain watchful.
Peter quoted this promise from Joel at Pentecost to explain the speaking in other tongues as the outpouring of the Spirit in the last days upon sons and daughters, young and old, servants and handmaidens, with salvation to all who call on the name of the Lord. Only that outpouring of the Spirit was fulfilled then, while the wonders in heaven and signs on earth with blood and fire and smoke were not seen at Pentecost but remain to be fulfilled before the great and notable day of the Lord. In heaven they are the darkening of the sun and the moon turned to blood, seen in the dark day of May 19, 1780, and on earth they are unprecedented upheavals shortly before Christ comes with lightning from heaven joined with fire from the earth, burning mountains, boiling rivers, earthquakes and destruction that destroy the wicked while God preserves His saints. Its fulfillment begun in the apostles' time continues and will be fully manifest in the closing work of the gospel, when the Spirit is again poured out with prophecy, dreams and visions and utterance in other languages to make God's people a light amid moral darkness. Because the judgments of God are not far off, it lays solemn responsibility on God's people to study the experience of the early church, obtain the self-denying life of Christ, and warn those nigh and afar off in unity under the Spirit's guidance.
Quoted at Pentecost
Acts 2:19 belongs to Joel's prophecy that Peter quoted on the day of Pentecost to explain the disciples speaking with other tongues. The manifestation was not drunkenness, for it was only the third hour of the day, but the outpouring of the Spirit in the last days upon all flesh. Then sons and daughters would prophesy, young men would see visions, old men would dream dreams, and servants and handmaidens would prophesy, with wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath — blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke — and the sun turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and notable day of the Lord, when salvation comes to whoever calls on the name of the Lord.
The verse belongs to the record of the promised outpouring when the disciples received the Holy Ghost in Jerusalem at the time of a great religious festival. Jesus had commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem until they received the promise of the Father, to be witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and to the uttermost parts of the earth. After spending several days together confessing sins and praying for the Holy Spirit, there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind filling the house, cloven tongues like fire sat upon each of them, and all were filled and spoke with other tongues. So Jews and proselytes from every nation heard in their own language the wonderful works of God, as God used the disciples to give the assembled multitudes the message of the risen Saviour.
That Pentecostal outpouring was heaven's communication that Christ, received with His angels by all the heavenly intelligences in a coronation service, had completed His inauguration. Peter standing with the eleven declared this to the amazed multitude of Judea and Jerusalem, and the same day about three thousand souls were added, who continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and prayers, together with gladness and praise. In Peter's sermon the mysteries about the Messiah, including the mystery of the cross, were explained. Through the Spirit's work upon hearts bringing blessing and conversion, the disciples went out and preached the Word everywhere, and thousands were converted in a day.
Only the part of Joel's prophecy about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled at Pentecost. The wonders in heaven and signs on earth, including blood, fire, and smoke, and the signs in the sun and moon, were not seen then but belong to the last days and precede the great day of the Lord. Their fulfillment has begun and continues, and they remain to be more fully fulfilled in the last days.
Signs Before Christ Returns
The wonders above and the signs below of blood and fire and vapour of smoke belong to the last days and to the events that come just before the great and notable day of the Lord, pointing to its approach. Only the part of Joel's prophecy about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled at Pentecost, while the wonders in heaven and the signs on earth, including blood and fire and smoke and the signs in the sun and moon, were not seen then but remain to be fulfilled in the last days. The heavenly wonders are the darkening of the sun and the moon appearing as blood, fulfilled in the eighteenth century and especially in the dark day of May 19, 1780. The moon's bloody appearance then was an effect of the darkness, not a literal turning of the moon into blood.
Shortly before Christ comes, people on earth will witness blood and fire and vapour of smoke in upheavals greater than any yet seen. Lightning from heaven will be joined with fire from the earth, with burning mountains, rivers of lava, boiling rivers, violent eruptions and earthquakes, and destruction accompanying His second advent. These extraordinary signs are judgments that destroy the wicked, while God preserves the saints as He preserved Noah during the Flood.
Joel's prophecy was partly fulfilled when the Spirit was poured out in the apostles' time, its fulfillment in the signs has begun and continues, and it will be even more clearly manifest and fully fulfilled later. That fuller fulfillment comes through the manifestation of divine grace in the gospel's closing work, when the Spirit makes God's people a light amid moral darkness. Along with the signs, the last days bring the outpouring of the Spirit and the revival of the spirit of prophecy, so that the church near Christ's appearing receives extraordinary guidance including the testimony of Jesus. That work includes prophecy and dreams and visions and utterance in other languages, given through sons and daughters and young men and old men and servants and handmaidens and young people, matching the apostles' experience.
Charge to Warn World
The verse is part of Joel's prophecy quoted by Peter at Pentecost, that in the last days God will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh so that sons and daughters shall prophesy, young men shall see visions, old men shall dream dreams, and servants and handmaidens shall prophesy, with wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath — blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke — and the sun turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and notable day of the Lord comes, when whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. It has special bearing upon God's people at this time, whose salvation was purchased at infinite cost. It lays solemn responsibility to deny self, to sacrifice, and to warn those nigh and afar off in cities, towns, and villages. The judgments of God upon the earth are certainly not far off and the end of history is near.
The history of the early church during and immediately after Pentecost must be studied by God's people in later days because they will pass through similar experiences. On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, they went out and preached the Word everywhere, and thousands were converted in a day. Sinners are still to be converted, and believers have a part in it by obtaining the self-denying life of Christ. They are to take the Bible from house to house to make people hungry for the Word, to do their whole duty and make covenant with God by sacrifice, to wake from stupor and indifference, and to give the message to a world to save without sleeping in this judgment hour, trusting God to enlarge small efforts to satisfy hungry hearers.
The first and second chapters of Acts teach how the work is to be carried forward in a higher and broader way than ever before. Workers are to have a living connection with God and meet people where they are, appreciating and cherishing the light of heaven given to laborers who know God has given them a message and a sacred responsibility to proclaim it. The message of present truth prepares a people for the coming of the Lord and must go forward solidly in unity, with every soul bearing personal responsibility before God. Workers are to trust the Spirit of God rather than the counsel of men, and men in responsible positions are to counsel, pray, and plan together rather than rule arbitrarily over where others shall go and what they shall do or say. Perilous times are upon them and they must know that the Lord lives and rules and dwells in the hearts of men.
The prophecy marks a period to be manifested among God's people. Revelations from heaven will come through warnings, reproofs, and explanations of the Word. By these people may recognize that they have reached this prophesied period and remain watchful.