Acts 2:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.

NIV: The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.

NASB: THE SUN WILL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD, BEFORE THE GREAT AND GLORIOUS DAY OF THE Lord COMES.

CSB: The sun will be turned to darknessand the moon to bloodbefore the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.

NLT: The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives.

KJV: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:

NKJV: 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 the book of Joel, God compares a devastating infestation of locusts to the judgment He will place Judah under if they don't repent and follow Him. He warns that the "day of the LORD" will come upon them like a terrifying army that burns everything in its path (Joel 2:1–11). If they repent, God will forgive (Joel 2:12–17) and bless (Joel 2:18–27) them. Once the people have decided, God will separate them, either giving them the ability to see visions and prophesy (Joel 2:28–29) or exposing them to horrible disaster (Joel 2:30–31).

Peter and other Galilean Jesus-followers have just received the Holy Spirit and the ability to speak in different languages (Acts 2:1–4). Peter equates this ability with God's promise that He will send His Holy Spirit to enable His servants to prophecy (Joel 2:28–29; Acts 2:17–18). The second part of Joel's prophecy, however, doesn't seem to apply to the early church age. In fact, very little prophecy in the Bible applies to the church age. It is often foreshortened so that a comment about the return of the Jews from Babylonian captivity is mixed with promises about the millennial kingdom. The visions, dreams, prophecies, and coming of the Spirit is happening as Peter speaks, while the blood, fire, and darkness will happen during the end times.

In Revelation 6:12, John describes how he witnessed the sixth seal of the tribulation: "the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood." Later, during the fourth trumpet judgment, "the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened" (Revelation 8:12).

These events did not happen in the generation of the people listening to Peter. In biblical prophecy, there is a gap between the fall of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70 (Mark 13:2) and the rapture of the church (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18). But Peter's audience understands the core truth: if they want to escape God's wrath, whether that be in life or after death, they need to repent (Acts 2:21).

Acts 2:14–36 transcribes the first sermon ever given by a Christian. The Holy Spirit that Jesus promised (John 14:16–17) has come upon 120 of His followers in Jerusalem (Acts 1:15; 2:1–4). They immediately start speaking in different languages, shocking a crowd of Jews and proselytes who are in town to celebrate Pentecost (Acts 2:5–11). Some of the crowd dismiss the speech as nonsense; others are very interested (Acts 2:12–13). Peter, combining his natural enthusiasm as spokesman for the group with wisdom from the Spirit, responds by obeying Jesus and being His witness (Acts 1:8).

Acts 2 describes the beginning of the church in three episodes. First, the Holy Spirit comes upon the Jesus-followers in Jerusalem, equipping them with the ability to teach the gospel in different languages (Acts 2:1–13). Second, Peter gives a public declaration using Old Testament prophecy to show Jesus is the long-awaited Jewish Messiah (Acts 2:14–36). Third, people believe. They repent, trust Jesus will forgive their sins, and agree to be baptized as a public sign that they are now Jesus-followers (Acts 2:37–47). That quickly, the church is born.

Acts 2 describes the creation of Jesus' church. Forty days after Jesus' resurrection He ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9). One hundred and twenty disciples obeyed His command to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4, 2–15). In Acts 2, they receive the Holy Spirit and share the gospel with a crowd of people who have come to celebrate Pentecost. Three thousand believe, and the church comes to life. In the following chapters, Jesus-followers fulfill Jesus' promise that they will be His witnesses ''in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth'' (Acts 1:8).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.