Peter Preaching to the Crowd at PentecostBible World
2:21Acts 2:21
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved, for salvation is promised freely and universally to anyone and everyone, of every class and nationality. It is the closing assurance of the prophecy of Joel quoted by Peter, concerning the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the last days before the great and notable day of the Lord. At Pentecost it was partly fulfilled as the former rain at the opening of the gospel, when the Spirit empowered the disciples to proclaim the risen Saviour so that hearers from many nations heard in their own tongues. It will be fully fulfilled at the close of the gospel in divine grace and power as the latter rain ripening the harvest and bringing the work to completion. Calling on the Lord means seeking God and claiming His promises personally by faith, praying together amid trouble, and receiving daily converting power to turn from self and sin and live in deeper piety.
Prophecy and Pentecost Fulfillment
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved stands as the closing assurance of Joel's prophecy quoted by Peter, concerning God's outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the last days and the events preceding the great and notable day of the Lord. It belongs to the prophecy of the last days, when God pours out His Spirit before that great day, and it applies to God's people now. The promise was purchased at infinite cost and lays solemn responsibility on all who read it.
The prophecy promises that God will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh, upon men and women, sons and daughters, young and old, servants and handmaidens and upon people of every age and both sexes. Sons and daughters shall prophesy, young men shall see visions, old men shall dream dreams, and servants and handmaidens shall prophesy. With this come wonders in heaven above and signs in earth beneath, blood and fire and vapor of smoke, the sun turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and notable day of the Lord come.
At Pentecost the verse closed Peter's proof that speaking with other tongues was the power of the Holy Spirit and not drunkenness. Those filled with the Spirit spoke, and listeners heard them in their own tongue, as the promised outpouring and Spirit-given speech in other tongues fulfilled the promised blessing, an experience that can also occur in later times. The Spirit empowered the disciples to proclaim the risen Saviour and the mystery of the cross and other truths about the Messiah, and the gospel went to people from many nations and then the message of repentance and forgiveness of sins in Christ's name was carried from Jerusalem to other places.
The Pentecostal outpouring was heaven's communication that Christ had been received with angels in the heavenly courts and His coronation and inauguration were complete. The Spirit unfolded and glorified Jesus before eyes that before saw no beauty in Him to desire Him, lifting Him up as the One God exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance and forgiveness of sins and as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. His glorious inner beauties of work and character are not discerned with natural eyes but only as the Spirit quickens, and the sermon was preached with tremendous effect in demonstration of the Spirit and with power. Peter's bold Spirit-led testimony shows the Holy Spirit had restored him, and complete restoration reaches the depths of the soul and transforms it.
That prophecy was partly fulfilled when the Spirit was poured out at Pentecost as the former rain at the opening of the gospel, a special manifestation of the Holy Spirit. It will be fully fulfilled through divine grace and power accompanying the gospel's closing work as the latter rain ripening the harvest and bringing the gospel work to completion with a manifestation of God's power.
After the descent of the Spirit the disciples went forth to proclaim a risen Saviour with one desire for the salvation of souls. Those pricked in heart were told to repent and be baptized every one in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and to save themselves from the untoward generation, the promise being to them and to their children and to all afar off even as many as the Lord shall call. About three thousand gladly received the word and were baptized and added the same day, and thousands were converted in a day as sinners were converted when the Word was preached everywhere. They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers, with fear and wonders and signs, unity, sharing of goods, daily temple worship, gladness and singleness of heart, praise, and favor with the people, continuing daily with one accord while the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. The same converting work of the Spirit on hearts and the same light given then are still to be done and are needed now.
Universal Call to Salvation
Salvation is freely and universally open to whosoever, to anyone and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord. Jesus was given to the entire world, not to the higher classes alone and not to one nationality to the exclusion of others, and His saving grace encircles the whole world. The comforting promise is to be grasped by faith and valued by actions showing appreciation for God's provision.
Calling on the Lord means seeking God and claiming His promises personally by faith. It means praying together amid trouble and perplexity, holding fast to His power in prayer, and receiving His glory, even while Satan remains active seeking to divert minds from the evidence of truth. This calling belongs to people now who may seek God's converting power, claim His promise personally, and be saved.
That converting power of God is needed in the heart every day to turn from sin and to lead others to conversion. Getting ready now means denying self as Christ denied Himself, putting away self, studying the Scriptures with all one's might to know and carry them out, humbling the heart, and living in deeper piety and the sincere meekness of the Great Teacher. As long as self prevails there will be backward movement instead of forward movement, and each person is to be converted daily.
The promise, purchased at infinite cost, has special bearing upon God's people at this time and lays solemn responsibility upon all who read it. It is to be read and received and presented, with the second chapter of Acts, and earnest work must be done to give the gospel invitation in every place, in cities and surrounding settlements and country districts, to all classes and various nationalities. Believers have part in the same converting work by getting the self-denying life of Christ and taking the Bible from house to house to bring souls to the knowledge of the truth, so those never enlightened can hear, believe, and call and be brought to conversion, because there is a world to save and no time to sleep in the judgment hour. Those who respond enter the promise made to them and to their children and to all afar off, and continue daily with one accord in tender, thoughtful, self-denying love that awakens love in other hearts and magnifies the power of a Saviour who justifies by His righteousness.
Whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved, for salvation is promised freely and universally to anyone and everyone, of every class and nationality. It is the closing assurance of the prophecy of Joel quoted by Peter, concerning the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the last days before the great and notable day of the Lord. At Pentecost it was partly fulfilled as the former rain at the opening of the gospel, when the Spirit empowered the disciples to proclaim the risen Saviour so that hearers from many nations heard in their own tongues. It will be fully fulfilled at the close of the gospel in divine grace and power as the latter rain ripening the harvest and bringing the work to completion. Calling on the Lord means seeking God and claiming His promises personally by faith, praying together amid trouble, and receiving daily converting power to turn from self and sin and live in deeper piety.
Prophecy and Pentecost Fulfillment
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved stands as the closing assurance of Joel's prophecy quoted by Peter, concerning God's outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the last days and the events preceding the great and notable day of the Lord. It belongs to the prophecy of the last days, when God pours out His Spirit before that great day, and it applies to God's people now. The promise was purchased at infinite cost and lays solemn responsibility on all who read it.
The prophecy promises that God will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh, upon men and women, sons and daughters, young and old, servants and handmaidens and upon people of every age and both sexes. Sons and daughters shall prophesy, young men shall see visions, old men shall dream dreams, and servants and handmaidens shall prophesy. With this come wonders in heaven above and signs in earth beneath, blood and fire and vapor of smoke, the sun turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and notable day of the Lord come.
At Pentecost the verse closed Peter's proof that speaking with other tongues was the power of the Holy Spirit and not drunkenness. Those filled with the Spirit spoke, and listeners heard them in their own tongue, as the promised outpouring and Spirit-given speech in other tongues fulfilled the promised blessing, an experience that can also occur in later times. The Spirit empowered the disciples to proclaim the risen Saviour and the mystery of the cross and other truths about the Messiah, and the gospel went to people from many nations and then the message of repentance and forgiveness of sins in Christ's name was carried from Jerusalem to other places.
The Pentecostal outpouring was heaven's communication that Christ had been received with angels in the heavenly courts and His coronation and inauguration were complete. The Spirit unfolded and glorified Jesus before eyes that before saw no beauty in Him to desire Him, lifting Him up as the One God exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance and forgiveness of sins and as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. His glorious inner beauties of work and character are not discerned with natural eyes but only as the Spirit quickens, and the sermon was preached with tremendous effect in demonstration of the Spirit and with power. Peter's bold Spirit-led testimony shows the Holy Spirit had restored him, and complete restoration reaches the depths of the soul and transforms it.
That prophecy was partly fulfilled when the Spirit was poured out at Pentecost as the former rain at the opening of the gospel, a special manifestation of the Holy Spirit. It will be fully fulfilled through divine grace and power accompanying the gospel's closing work as the latter rain ripening the harvest and bringing the gospel work to completion with a manifestation of God's power.
After the descent of the Spirit the disciples went forth to proclaim a risen Saviour with one desire for the salvation of souls. Those pricked in heart were told to repent and be baptized every one in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and to save themselves from the untoward generation, the promise being to them and to their children and to all afar off even as many as the Lord shall call. About three thousand gladly received the word and were baptized and added the same day, and thousands were converted in a day as sinners were converted when the Word was preached everywhere. They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers, with fear and wonders and signs, unity, sharing of goods, daily temple worship, gladness and singleness of heart, praise, and favor with the people, continuing daily with one accord while the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. The same converting work of the Spirit on hearts and the same light given then are still to be done and are needed now.
Universal Call to Salvation
Salvation is freely and universally open to whosoever, to anyone and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord. Jesus was given to the entire world, not to the higher classes alone and not to one nationality to the exclusion of others, and His saving grace encircles the whole world. The comforting promise is to be grasped by faith and valued by actions showing appreciation for God's provision.
Calling on the Lord means seeking God and claiming His promises personally by faith. It means praying together amid trouble and perplexity, holding fast to His power in prayer, and receiving His glory, even while Satan remains active seeking to divert minds from the evidence of truth. This calling belongs to people now who may seek God's converting power, claim His promise personally, and be saved.
That converting power of God is needed in the heart every day to turn from sin and to lead others to conversion. Getting ready now means denying self as Christ denied Himself, putting away self, studying the Scriptures with all one's might to know and carry them out, humbling the heart, and living in deeper piety and the sincere meekness of the Great Teacher. As long as self prevails there will be backward movement instead of forward movement, and each person is to be converted daily.
The promise, purchased at infinite cost, has special bearing upon God's people at this time and lays solemn responsibility upon all who read it. It is to be read and received and presented, with the second chapter of Acts, and earnest work must be done to give the gospel invitation in every place, in cities and surrounding settlements and country districts, to all classes and various nationalities. Believers have part in the same converting work by getting the self-denying life of Christ and taking the Bible from house to house to bring souls to the knowledge of the truth, so those never enlightened can hear, believe, and call and be brought to conversion, because there is a world to save and no time to sleep in the judgment hour. Those who respond enter the promise made to them and to their children and to all afar off, and continue daily with one accord in tender, thoughtful, self-denying love that awakens love in other hearts and magnifies the power of a Saviour who justifies by His righteousness.