Salvation in the “Last Days”

Transcript

GR 1581
10/31/10
Salvation in the “Last Days”
Acts 2:19-21
Gil Rugh

Before we turn to the book of Acts let me just read you a couple of comments from different writers dealing with passages from the Old Testament and the New Testament. And there have been divisions and disagreements among believers on the handling of the Old Testament and the New Testament. And I think it comes back to our hermeneutics. If we're going to interpret the scripture literally Old and New Testament alike, we come to one position; if we are not we come to a different position. A man who has had great influence in modern times, he is deceased now, but he continues to impact people through his writings, is a man named George Elton Ladd. One of his students wrote his biography recently, published by Oxford Press in 2008. George Ladd popularized, he didn't originate but he popularized the “already not yet” concept. So we are already in the kingdom but it is not yet all it will be in the future. And he is one of those writers that were convinced that we should reinterpret the Old Testament in light of the New Testament. And as his biographer notes, George Elton Ladd was driven by a desire to be accepted in the scholarly world, not just among evangelicals as a scholar, but among non-evangelicals as a scholar. So his biographer has entitled his biography A Place at the Table because George Elton Ladd wanted to be able to sit at the table with scholars broadly, not just narrowly in the evangelical world. So he is driven to have a theology that will be recognized and honored. The driving passion of his life was to write a book that non-evangelicals would recognize as true scholarship. And his life ends up in a sad state—a depressed drunk for the closing years of his life.

Let me just read you one of his comments, what the biography says about Ladd. The crux of his case, Ladd's case, is that blind literalism produces bad theology. And I would agree. Blind anything produces problems, but blind literalism for him is just literalism. But you put the word blind in front of it because that makes it bad. The crux of his case is that blind literalism produces bad theology. Ladd argues for a more informed hermeneutic, one that allows for some logical freedoms in interpretation. You don't have to be bound by the restriction of interpreting literally. Now you have freedom to interpret outside those bounds. In one of his boldest challenges to dispensationalism he allows the New Testament to set the terms by which the Old Testament is interpreted. That becomes a key thing. Now we don't interpret the Old Testament literally, we have the New Testament; we go back and reinterpret the Old Testament. And you see what t his brings—confusion, uncertainty because the Old Testament now doesn't mean what the prophets meant, for example, when they prophesied. Because the New Testament reveals it means something totally different. If the New Testament could interpret the Old Testament, then the difficulties related to the biblical Israel would be significantly diminished and evangelicalism could take a rather large step toward the world of modern theological thought. So you see his thinking. We can get rid of this focus on a literal Israel and a literal fulfillment of the promises to Israel, and then we have hoped to be accepted among scholars outside the evangelical world. Is that a goal and desire? Can unbelievers, whether they are scholars or not, ever have a true appreciation and acceptance of the followers of Jesus Christ? It led to tragic consequences. The sad thing is he has had a strong, I would say almost overwhelming influence among evangelicals. And he is referred to consistently with highest regards; he is quoted again and again.

In one of his major books they note, it is significant that he, Ladd, does not call on a single conservative author to support or contrast his thesis. He exclusively uses European critical scholars. That's for him an important strategic step in his quest to reach a wider audience with his scholarly work. He has had a great influence. You read any scholarly work by any evangelical today and it is filled with quotes and references to German writers. And reminds me when you had to write papers in school, you have to show that you have done research so if you find one sentence in a man who is off on everything else, but a sentence you agree with, you can quote that sentence and footnote it and it shows that you have referenced his work. I can see that in a school situation perhaps where you are learning to do research, but it's had disastrous results because you know what happens when you read these men. You immerse yourself in these men and pretty soon their thinking influences your thinking. And the scripture is corrupted by the influence of unbelieving men. None of these unbelievers has moved any closer to evangelicalism, but evangelicalism has moved closer to the unbeliever.

A book on hermeneutics, it's called Gospel Centered Hermeneutics by a man named Goldsworthy. I was recommended to read this book by a believer in the city here that is being influenced by it as others are. It's a book I have read several times because quite frankly I didn't understand it the first time. Quite frankly I didn't understand it the second time. I was encouraged, I read a review of it in one of the theological journals I get and the man who was a professor observed, I have read this book closely to write a critical review and I must admit I still don't understand what he means by gospel centered hermeneutics. What is gospel centered hermeneutics? But in a nutshell what it really comes down to be gospel centered hermeneutics are that you reinterpret the Old Testament by the New Testament with the gospel, or the coming of Jesus Christ. Basically the same thing as George Ladd said. We reinterpret the Old Testament by the New Testament.

He is a strong opponent of literal interpretation of the Bible. He calls it literalism. It seems to make sense that we must interpret the Bible literally. And of course if you interpret the Bible literally that puts you with fundamentalists and fundamentalists are not scholarly so it is a double whammy. But if we believe that literalism is the way to go, just what do we mean by it? Some evangelical literalists use what is sometimes referred to as the slippery slope argument. That is a claim that failure to adopt this particular approach will lead to certain disaster. Thus we are told that if we do not interpret the Bible literally, the text can be made to mean anything we want it to mean. Hermeneutic chaos is predicted as the inevitable result. That's right. In fact he used that very argument earlier. I know you are interested in this. When I retire I'm going to have one of my classes through the week just to do book reviews to get them off my chest so Marilyn doesn't have to hear it all the time.

Earlier in the book he was listing some of the hermeneutical principles of Thomas Aquinas and the last statement that he makes about this is the real meaning of the Old Testament is revealed in the New, coming from Aquinas. Thomas Aquinas then has taken the question of the relationship of the Old Testament to the New down a slippery slope. You think that is what is happened there because the real meaning of the Old Testament revealed in the New. But when he comes 100 pages later to talk about interpreting the Bible literally he says that's a fallacious argument, to use a slippery slope argument. So it's only an argument when you are using it for your case.

The reason is these literalists claim to take the promises concerning the restoration of Israel, Jerusalem and the temple at their literal face value. What can be wrong with that? Well for a start determining what the literal meaning is can be problematic. All of a sudden we're starting to go around in a circle. I think he is clear, literalists don't disagree. He says it is problematic, but the promises concerning the restoration of Israel, Jerusalem and the temple at their face value. What can be wrong with that? Well determining what the literal meaning is problematic. He goes on to say what literalists hold. On this basis the literalist asserts that God reveals through the prophets that His kingdom comes with the return of the Jews to Palestine, the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the restoration of the temple along with its Old Testament ministry. Literalists agree on the interpretation of Old Testament prophecy. There is no confusion there.

Then he goes on to say the New Testament clearly does not support such a simplistic hermeneutic as literal fulfillment of prophecy. I think it is just the opposite. How were the prophecies concerning the first coming of Christ fulfilled? He would agree. Literally. Well then how does the New Testament interpret Old Testament prophecies? Well every one that has been fulfilled so far has been fulfilled literally. But that's a simplistic hermeneutic. Or as Ladd said, it's blind literalism. But all these blind literalists come to the same conclusion.

I mention this because this is why some people say, why is there so much disagreement over the interpretation of the Bible? Well if you use different hermeneutical principles you come to a different conclusion. Ladd was driven by the fact that if we can come to a definition of the kingdom that is more in agreement with broad scholarship outside evangelicalism, we have hope for some acceptance as evangelicals among non-evangelicals. Of course, if we change our theology to be more like the theology of unbelievers, they will like us better. But that's not an option.

Ladd was driven to despair like John Carnell who was also a fellow professor at Fuller Seminary. Carnell had the same driving passion, drove him to suicide. Ladd was such a sad case that sometimes he had to be helped up to speak because he was drunk. I mean, you just get off track and it breeds confusion. And yet these become the heroes.

All right we're ready for Acts 2 and we're using the Old Testament. And my understanding is the Old Testament passages mean just what the prophets said when they gave it. Now it doesn't mean they understood everything. For example it means just what they said when they say Christ would come and suffer and die. And Christ would come and rule and reign in glory. Both are literally true. They did not understand how the two fit together, but the facts of their prophecy are as they were literally expressed. We don't have to come up with a new meaning. In the book on hermeneutics the man says, we have to answer new questions for our modern and post modern societies. Different than the old questions asked in scripture. I say it is the same question, it's the Bible interpreted the same way. I read writers from hundreds of years ago that were believers. Their works are still helpful and valid. Why? Because they interpreted the Bible as it should be interpreted.

Peter is preaching a sermon on the Day of Pentecost. And we have the start of the church in Acts 2. Up until this time the focal point of God's work in the world and God's program of salvation was centered in the nation Israel. And in fact up until this time there was no evangelistic outreach in the world. Israel was not to send out evangelists to evangelize Babylon and Egypt and Persia and so on. We're going to see a remarkable change with the message of Jesus Christ being carried beyond the nation Israel.

This is not new; this is not a reinterpretation of the Old Testament. The foundational covenant for God's dealing with the nation Israel as we talk about many times is the Abrahamic Covenant. The Abrahamic Covenant clearly and expressly made provision for the coming salvation blessings for non-Jews.

Come back to Genesis 12. And you'll note since we are in a section in our study of the book of Romans in chapters 9-11, we have overlap on the material like we are covering in Acts 2. Genesis 12, the first unfolding of the Abrahamic Covenant, the first three verses. We'll just come down to verse 3; I will bless you and the one who curses you I will curse. In you all the families of the earth will be blessed. That's in addition to what He has promised to Abraham. Verse 2, I will make you a great nation, I will bless you, make your name great. You will be a blessing. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.

Come over to Genesis 18:18, God says that He is going to reveal to Abraham what He is going to do to Sodom and Gomorrah. Why? Since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed. Genesis 22:17, indeed I will greatly bless you, speaking to Abraham again. And I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore, and your seed shall possess the gates of your enemies. And in your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed. So the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant include provisions for Abraham's physical descendants, but it also includes blessings beyond Abraham's physical descendants.

So you come over to Galatians 3:7. Verse 6 is that famous verse taken from Genesis 15:6, Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Therefore be sure that it is those who are of faith who are the sons of Abraham. That does not exclude Israel but the true descendants of Abraham are physically believing Jews. You had not only to be a physical descendant of Abraham, but you had to also have the faith of Abraham to experience the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant as a Jew. But they are beyond just the physical descendants as verse 8 says, the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham saying, all the nations will be blessed in you. How is that interpreted literally? You'll note that is in addition to the physical promises to the physical descendants. It was included originally. It doesn't say this changes all the other and absorbs all the......... No, it was there from the beginning.

So this blessing coming to the Gentiles is not new. We are reminded down in verse 15, brethren, I speak in terms of human relations even though it is only a man's covenant, yet when it has been ratified no one sets it aside or adds conditions to it. That ought to say something. There will be no changes in the covenant. The salvation of the Gentiles is not a change in the Abrahamic Covenant; it's not an addition to the Abrahamic Covenant. It was there from the original giving of the covenant to Abraham in Genesis 12 and reiterated in the passages we saw. We didn't read the provisions that go specifically to Abraham's physical descendants who are believers. That's important. There are no additions, there are no changes, and the covenant has been established. So this idea now that the New Testament has come, Christ has come, we can go back and redo the Old Testament. You can't do that.

Come back to Act 2. The events that are taking place on the Day of Pentecost, they fit with what was prophesied in the Old Testament. And as we noted verses 17-18 are a fulfillment, the pouring out in the last days because the last days as we've talked about are the days of the Messiah. The Old Testament did not see, and I didn't say it's not in the plan of God. It's in the eternal plan of God but it was not revealed in the Old Testament, the period of time between the first coming of Christ and the Second Coming of Christ. We have seen passages where they are just put right together. So when the Old Testament talks about the last days, they are talking about the days of the Messiah. And as the Jews didn't understand and the prophets didn't understand, as Peter mentions in his writing, these last days included the suffering and death and resurrection of the Messiah and the rule and reign in glory of the Messiah and how that all fit together they didn't understand. Both are literally true.

So the last days are Messianic days. In that sense the last days run from the first coming of Christ to the Second Coming of Christ, but include particular events around the first coming and around the Second Coming. And in the last days the Spirit would be poured out on all mankind. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, young men shall see visions, old men shall dream dreams. That will be on all kinds of people—slaves, free, men, women, and so on. And that's what we have seen in Acts 2, the pouring out of the Spirit. And this pouring out of the Spirit takes place around the first coming of Christ. These are all part of events associated with His first coming and the work accomplished at His first coming. So as we move through the book of Acts we will see dreams and visions taking place. We will see prophecies occurring.

Jump over to Acts 9, we don't have time to look at all of these, we'll be coming to them. But in Acts 9:10, there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision. Visions come, they are repeated. In Acts 10:3, the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of the Lord. There is additional revelation and information, visions and prophecies going on. In Acts 21:8-10 Philip has four daughters who prophesy because remember your sons and your daughters will prophesy.

I Corinthians 11 give instructions even regarding women who would prophesy as well as others who would prophesy. So we have these things going on as a result of the first coming of Christ and what He accomplished and the giving of the Holy Spirit, which is a result of His death, resurrection and ascension to heaven. Literally fulfilling what was said by Joel the prophet. The last days include this and a coming day for Israel as a nation. Some of these promises we experience in Israel as you come to the Second Coming of Christ and the nation of Israel as a nation enters into the salvation of God and experiences the power of God in their lives. They will experience the indwelling presence of the Spirit and the transformation of their heart and so on.

But we have a literal fulfillment I take it, in verses 17-18. Now as we noted verses 19-20, which we haven't looked at yet, you have a break because you have the giving of the Spirit, He is poured out in verses 17-18. That happened on the Day of Pentecost. It has been about 2000 years and verses 19-20 still haven't occurred. But as we noted Peter includes it here. A couple of reasons the Spirit might have included it. It hasn't been revealed yet how big a gap there will be. We see in the first part of Acts there is every reason for these Jewish believers like Peter to be expecting that Christ may be returning very shortly because they are preaching the gospel. There are going to be 3000 converts as a result of Peter's sermon in Acts 2 among the Jews. And then shortly we are going to see it grow to 5000, then more. We have every reason to believe, it is just going to happen quickly here that the nation is going to turn to Christ. But very quickly the nation turns away and the conversions among the Jews shrink to be smaller and the Gentiles become the focal point.

But Peter doesn't know where they are in the plan of God in that sense because it hasn't been revealed yet. As we noted when he gets to chapter 10 he still doesn't understand that the gospel is going to be preached to Gentiles. It takes a special vision from God to do that. And none of the apostles will understand God's plan for the church until it is revealed through the Apostle Paul. In Ephesians 2-3 Paul says the mystery concerning the church was revealed to him. It hadn't been revealed before by God. So we understand they don't have that understanding. Peter does understand, and the Spirit is directing him that when we get to verse 21 that is going to go on in the last days. That will be true on the Day of Pentecost and will be true down to the end of the tribulation when Israel does respond nationally, as we'll get to in Romans 11.

Look at verse 19, and I will grant wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth below. Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness, the moon into blood before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come. Again people say you can't interpret that literally. Now there are those who take the first part of this rather literally, verses 17-18, and then they spiritualize verses 19-20 because they don't believe in a literal interpretation of future prophecy. They come up with their spiritualized idea. Some ridicule the idea of interpreting the Bible literally because they say it didn't happen, there is no indication anything like this happened. And that's true, it didn't happen. As many passages in the Old Testament you have the first coming of Christ and events associated with it and the Second Coming together, as we have noted. And there is no indication of a break. But we've studied the book of Revelation recently together and we've seen verses 19-20 fulfilled. And when it talks about the day of the Lord shall come, verse 20, that's the time of God's judgment on unbelief and God's deliverance of His chosen people, the salvation of Israel. That great statement in Romans 11, thus all Israel will be saved.

So the day of the Lord is a day of judgment but it is a day of blessing as well. It is the day when God is bringing things to climax and His wrath will be poured out on unbelief and His blessings will be poured out on Israel and fulfillment of all His promises.

What will happen in that context? Revelation 6-19. There will be wonders in the sky above, signs on the earth below, blood, fire, vapor of smoke, the sun will be turned to darkness, the moon into blood before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come. We have looked into the book of Revelation and these characteristics are there. Turn over to Revelation for a couple of passages. Now those who don't interpret this in Acts 2 literally don't interpret the book of Revelation literally. And so you end up with confusion because what the prophets understood and meant what they wrote is not to be taken the way they meant it, the way it would have been understood. So you really bring hermeneutical confusion to the Bible because how are you going to interpret it? You end up with you reinterpret everything through Christ. What does that mean? The language doesn't mean anything now. What it meant then is not what it means now.

So you come to Revelation and it is given a totally different significance. But when you come to Revelation you find these things are unfolded as literal events. Look in Revelation 6, you see blood, fire. In fact the only other use, there are thirteen uses of the word smoke. One of them is our passage in Acts quoting from Joel; the other twelve are in the book of Revelation. Blood and fire. Revelation 6:8, I looked and behold an ashen horse and he who sat on it had the name death, and Hades followed. Authority was given to him over a fourth part of the earth to kill with sword, famine, pestilence. I mean, you have death here, bloodshed. Chapter 8 verse 7, the first angel sounded; there came hail and fire mixed with blood. They were thrown to the earth. A third of the earth burned up. The second angel sounded, a great mountain burning with fire thrown into the sea. A third of the sea became blood. Verse 10, the third angel sounded and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch. And it goes on as we have looked at in Revelation. Chapter 9 verse 15, a third of mankind is killed, in addition to a quarter of mankind we saw in the previous judgment in Revelation 6. Chapter 16 verse 3, the second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, it became blood like that of a dead man. So when Joel prophesies blood, fire, vapor of smoke, the signs in the heavens, we're talking literally. These are factual events repeated in the book of Revelation because taken literally. And we noted the book of Revelation the most unoriginal book in the New Testament. Some estimate over 500 references to the Old Testament, no direct quotes but almost in every verse there is an allusion or reference to the Old Testament in drawing it out. Not changing anything but further explanation of it, showing its literal unfolding.

Come back to Matthew 24, the Olivet Discourse as it is called because Jesus is on the Mount of Olives, verse 3 says. When the disciples came to Him privately saying, tell us when these things will happen. What has He been telling them? Well He has told them He will be departing and you will not see Me until you say blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, verse 23. The temple will be destroyed, not one stone left upon another, verse 2. So they want to know, when are these things going to be happening? What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? That's what we are talking about. So now we are carried to events regarding the Second Coming and you have unfolded events associated with the 70th week of Daniel. Verse 15, the abomination of desolation which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet. How did Jesus interpret the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place? Literally. That's not just some figurative event about something significantly happening at some time or representing troublesome events. When you see that very thing, just as Daniel said, then verse 21, there will be great tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now nor every will be. Unless those days had been cut short no life would be saved. But for the sake of the elect they will be limited to a seven-year period; particularly the last 3½ years are the time of Israel's greatest persecution.

The return of Christ to the earth, how will it be? Well He has come in the hearts of men and He is here today. That's not what He is talking about. Verse 24 warns of false Christs. Verse 26 says, if they say to you behold He, referring to Christ, is in the wilderness, don't go out; if He is in the inner rooms, don't believe them. For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. A literal Second Coming is not new material to the disciples. This is exactly what the Old Testament would have prophesied.

Verse 29, immediately after the tribulation of those days. What is going to happen? Sounds like what we have been reading in Acts 2 in Peter's sermon, and it is because it comes from Joel 2. The sun will be dark and the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. All the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.

Verse 35, heaven and earth will pass away but My words will not pass away. Verse 42, therefore be on the alert, you do not know the day and so on. Then we move into chapter 25 and the judgments associated with that Second Coming of Christ. These awesome heavenly events, they will be literally fulfilled. Of course no they weren't literally fulfilled, but Peter referred to it. Yes, but only the first part of it is fulfilled, the second part waits.

But we come back to Acts 2 and that glorious day of the Lord. And that becomes its own study, the day of the Lord in the Old Testament and carried into the New Testament. We've talked about that in connection with our study in the book of Revelation. And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Why did the Spirit of God direct Peter to quote the whole passage? Well because verse 21 is especially important and even verses 19-20 are significant and need to be understood because this coming of the Holy Spirit is a reminder of when the Messiah returns it will be a time of judgment and disaster and catastrophe. But it will be a time of salvation. And that time of salvation by God's grace has arrived, and it is there and it is for all people, not just the Jews. But Peter doesn't understand that now. It shall come about that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But at this point Peter is preaching under the inspiration of the Spirit but you understand if you had said to Peter when he got done with his sermon, isn't it wonderful that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved and we're going to see many Gentiles saved. I don't think so because remember you get to chapter 10 and Peter says if God hadn't given him a special vision he wouldn't have gone to preach the gospel to Cornelius and his household. He wouldn't have gone to a Gentile house. It took a special vision from God, it took that significance and it took the explanation of that to the other apostles in Acts 11 for them to accept the fact that Peter had any business going and preaching to Gentiles.

But it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. The Jews would understand that. How was that verse to be taken? Literally because what are they going to be doing at the end of this sermon? Calling on the name of the Lord, turning from their sin in repentance, believing in Christ, acknowledging the truth of who God is and what He has done in His Son. Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

So the last days are days of salvation. The Jews recognized that. The coming of the Messiah will bring not only His judgment but His salvation. What was the message of John the Baptist? Repent, the Messiah is coming and His winnowing fork is in His hand because the Jews recognized the coming of the Messiah was going to be a time of judgment, but a time of salvation. So reminded here the coming of the Holy Spirit brings salvation through the Messiah. There will be judgment but before judgment in its final form there is the offer of salvation. Call upon the name of the Lord and you will be saved.

Turn over to Romans 10. We will get to this, we are in the section on Israel, we have just entered into that in our study of Romans. And in Romans 10 Paul uses this same verse. He is unfolding the gospel and his burden. Chapter 10 opens similar to chapter 9, my heart's desire, my prayer to God for them, for Israel, is for their salvation. And then he quotes the scriptures and shows the death and resurrection of Christ. The message of salvation is near them, in your heart and mouth. We'll look into these Old Testament passages. Verse 8, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved. For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness' with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. In other words the two go together, when you believe in your heart you acknowledge it. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, Jesus said. So when His work has been done in a heart that will come bubbling out of the mouth. There is the agreement with God about His Son. For the scripture says, whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed, for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him, Jew and non-Jew alike. For, here is our verse, whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved. Now you see there is fuller understanding of this with Paul’s later revelation. When Peter preached it he couldn't understand the scope of God's grace as the Spirit has been poured out. Israel has been brought under judgment, salvation is offered to the nation Israel but it is offered far beyond the nation Israel to all other nations as well.

So verse 12, there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. Same argument he has used earlier in Romans, salvation is the same for all. It comes through faith in Jesus Christ as Romans 4 unfolds. So whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved, Jew and Greek. But they have to hear the message; there is no salvation apart from hearing the truth, the gospel. So verse 17, faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of Christ. You have to hear the message of Christ to be saved. That's true for the Jew, that's true for the Gentile. So whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Now Peter is going to go on and explain as you come back to Acts 2. Men of Israel, listen to these words. And he's going to review then how Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled the scriptures, what happened to him, His life demonstrated who He was. But He was crucified. But this is all part of the revealed plan of God and he goes on and you see beginning in verse 25 this extensive quote. And how is he going to interpret that scripture? Literally, showing to these Jews there can't be any trickery in twisting the scripture: that no you didn't take that as it was given, that's not what the prophet said, and that’s not what David said. No, here it is exactly as he said it will happen. So we have the glorious truth. Then the invitation will be given when they said, what will we do? The Spirit convicts their hearts and remember what the Spirit would do with unbelief? When the Spirit comes He will convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. And the Spirit of God will do that with these Jews. When they call on the name of the Lord they experience His salvation. Three thousand are saved as a result. Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. Everyone who does call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

So the Spirit has come, we are in the last days, that's a fulfillment of scripture, there is more of this scripture to be fulfilled. It will be fulfilled as the book of Revelation unfolds just as literally as the first part was. But the glorious promise and hope in verse 21, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. These are days of salvation, we are moving toward judgment, the wrath of God being poured out on this earth in a way that has never been poured out before, climaxing in the judgment of the return of Christ and the destruction of His enemies. But these are days of salvation. We're going into Romans 11 in Paul's discussion of Israel.

We don't want to lose sight of that, the Spirit has come; we have the Spirit dwelling in us. These are days of salvation, that's why we want to be about telling men and women. How shall they believe in someone they've not heard? How shall they hear without a preacher, as Romans 10 says? Someone to tell them, not a formal preacher like I'm doing, but someone to carry the message. How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the gospel, the good news so that people can believe. Well they won't believe. No, but no one can believe who doesn't hear the gospel. I'm aware that many we bring the gospel to will not be open to it, will be opposed to it. That's all right. By God's grace some who hear will believe. We are testimonies to that. Look at this, a room filled with dirty, rotten, condemned sinners who have been forgiven, cleansed, made new in Christ. Why? Well one night I just decided, I think I'll get saved. No, you heard the gospel. Not one of us was saved who didn't hear the gospel and by the grace of God the Spirit of God brought conviction to our hearts and we turned from our sin to faith in Christ. So we are one of that group. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Here we are 2000 years later, that's true. I called on the name of the Lord and He saved me; you called on the name of the Lord and He saved you. These are days of God's grace in salvation.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for your grace. Thank you for your salvation, the power of the gospel. How privileged we are to live in these days of your grace, be those who have been the recipients of saving grace, that you in mercy sent messengers to bring the gospel to us, men, women, young people, old people who were instruments of yours to bring the message of life, the message of the Savior that we might hear and by your grace believe. Lord, may we in turn be those kinds of instruments as well to share with others the glorious truth that there is a Savior, He has come, He suffered and died, He was raised from the dead, He ascended to heaven. He is alive, His Spirit is present and dwells in believers and you can have that salvation if you will but call on the name of the Lord. May we have the joy of many others come to that salvation. We pray in Christ's name, amen.