Heavenly Crowns

Revelation 4:1-11

Would you like to receive a crown, to have one presented to you to wear?  A little over two years ago, Charles was crowned king of the United Kingdom, and was given the royal crown to wear.  The women in the Royal Family will occasionally wear beautiful gem-encrusted tiaras on special occasions and to certain functions.  If you are a Christian today, then there is coming a day when you could be presented with a crown, and possibly more than one!  Did you know that?  We read of this occasion in our Scripture today.

Today’s New Testament reading comes from the Book of Revelation, and the scene takes place in the divine throne room of God in heaven.  As we read in the first several verses, the Apostle John is taken in a vision to the heavenly throne room of God, and he describes the beauty and majesty of the scene, with the gems, and the thunder and lightning (vs. 1-5).  Along with that, he also tells of all those present, which includes the twenty-four elders and four living creatures which we have met before, being present, and the praises which they bestow upon the Lord (vs. 6-11).  We also read in verse 10 of the crowns that those who are gathered around God’s throne will cast at His feet.  It is these crowns which I want to focus this study on.

As we read through the New Testament and the epistles written by Paul, Peter, and James, we briefly read mentions of various crowns that the believers will receive in heaven as rewards for faithful service and devotion to the Lord Jesus.  Not everyone will get a crown.  This isn’t like modern psychology where every student gets a reward, even if they didn’t put forth any effort, but just warmed a seat throughout the school year.  Unfortunately not every Christian does something for the Lord after they are saved, or faithfully serves Him, but those who do are rewarded.  There are five crowns mentioned in the New Testament.  Let’s briefly look at each.

The first is the Incorruptible or Victor’s Crown, which we read about in I Corinthians 9:24-27.  This is rewarded to those who show self-discipline and perseverance in their Christian life.  Paul frequently describes the Christian life as like a race, and an athlete needs to be disciplined and show endurance.  Likewise, we need spiritual endurance and have mastery over our fleshly desires.  Some Christians look and act no differently than anyone else, as they always give in to their sinful desires.  Their neighbors and co-workers cannot tell that they are a Christian by their actions and speech.  This crown would not be for them.  This crown represents victory over sin and steadfastness in faith.

The second is the Crown of Rejoicing, also known as the Soul-Winner’s Crown.  Paul mentions this in I Thessalonians 2:19 and Philippians 4:1.  This crown is awarded to those who lead others to Christ.  There are many who do not want to specifically tell others about the Lord Jesus, saying that they will “just let my actions speak for the Lord.”  I have never heard of anyone who was saved just by looking at what a good life their neighbor lived.  Romans 10:17 says that faith is acquired by hearing the message of the Gospel.  Hearing, not just seeing an occasional good deed.  Jesus said to preach the Gospel.  There will be joy among believers when they see those they have led to salvation standing before the Lord, and they will receive this crown.

The third crown is the Crown of Righteousness, which we read about in II Timothy 4:8.  This is a crown that is promised to all those who are eagerly awaiting Jesus’ return, and who are living righteously as they await that day.  Paul was nearing the day of his execution when he wrote this letter to Timothy, and he spoke of his longing for the day when Jesus would return, and his life of faithful service showed this.  Those who also have a fervent longing for Jesus to return, and who live a holy life in the meantime will receive this crown.

The fourth crown is the Crown of Life which is mentioned in both James 1:12 and Revelation 2:10.  This is a crown given to those who endure great trials, especially trials for their faith, and to those who are martyred for their faith.  Those who suffer persecution for His Name will be rewarded for their unwavering faith and perseverance.

The fifth and final crown is the Crown of Glory, also sometimes known as the Shepherd’s Crown.  This is spoken of in I Peter 5:4.  In this part of his epistle, Peter is speaking to elders, or leaders of churches.  This crown is awarded to faithful pastors, teachers, and spiritual leaders who serve God’s flock with diligence, humility, and devotion.

These crowns are not given to these believers for their personal glory, but instead are meant to be offered back to Jesus in worship, as we read in our Scripture passage in Revelation.  These crowns should serve as motivation for us to live faithfully, knowing that our labor in the Lord is not in vain (I Corinthians 15:58).  We will be casting our crowns before Jesus’ throne, declaring that all glory belongs to Christ.  Will you receive a crown, or will you be empty-handed when believers gather around Jesus’ throne to cast their crowns to Him?

The Voice of the Lord

Psalm 29

Did you know that no two voices are the same?  Everyone has a distinct voice.  Some are strong and commanding, while others can be soft and soothing.  In addition to their acting ability, often actors are chosen for their role because of their voice.  Who can forget the voices of the great James Earl Jones and Orson Welles?  There is a voice that stands out above all of the rest, and that is the voice of the Lord.  We read about the voice of the Lord in our psalm for this week.

Psalm 29 was one written by King David, possibly as he remembered some of the storms that he witnessed during his years in the wilderness on the run from King Saul.  This psalm is a powerful declaration of God’s majesty, glory, sovereignty and supreme authority over creation.  This is a hymn of praise that exalts the Lord’s power, particularly through His voice.

Though God speaks to His children through His Word the Bible, in their hearts, and sometimes through what other people may say to us, very few people have actually heard His literal voice.  We don’t know whether David ever did or not, however he described it in very poetic ways, especially how it impacts all creation, particularly through storms (vs. 3-9).

David describes how the voice of the Lord is like thunder, is powerful, and full of majesty.  He even seemingly gives a comparison of God’s voice to being like a bolt of lightning which strikes a tree, breaking it into pieces (vs. 3-5).  Lightning and thunder in the Bible are often symbols of God’s voice (Job 37:4).  To describe God’s voice as being like a bolt of lightning is to compare it with one of the most powerful things in creation.  A bolt of lightning can contain up to one billion volts of electricity.  That bolt of lightning can travel to earth at 200,000 miles per hour, and heats the air to 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun.  Many of the pagan cultures around the world have worshiped storm deities - the Canaanites had Baal, the Babylonians had Marduk, and the Assyrians with Asshur.  The Greeks had Zeus, and the Norse had Thor.  Thunderstorms demonstrate the Lord’s power, and should not be attributed to Baal or any other god.

There are four statements that David makes about the voice of the Lord.  The first is that His voice thunders over the waters (vs. 3).  Storms would often brew over the Mediterranean or the Sea of Galilee, and then move over the land.  Jesus calmed the storms on the Sea of Galilee several times.  Second, the Lord’s voice breaks the cedars of Lebanon (vs. 5).  Even the strongest trees, which sometimes symbolize human pride in the Bible, are shattered by His power.  Third, the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness (vs. 8).  His voice reaches even the most desolate places, places David knew well.  And lastly, His voice causes the deer to give birth (vs. 9).  It is both powerful and life-giving.  It was the voice of Jesus that brought Lazarus back from the dead, calling him out of his tomb (John 11:40-44), and raised Jairus’ daughter to life (Mark 5:35-43).

Continuing on, we read that the Lord is enthroned at the Flood.  This could be a reference to the flood of Noah, which would be emphasizing both God’s judgment and His control over history.  God rules over the floods, both literal and figurative, and over the hard ugly aspects of our lives.  Even when we are overwhelmed, God is not.

As we close, we read that the Lord will bless His followers with a promise of divine empowerment and peace (vs. 11).  We can trust that the Lord rules over all circumstances in our life, and will grant peace to those who follow Him.  He rules over nature, nations, and history.  His voice is powerful, just as His written Word, the Bible, is authoritative.

Holy, Holy, Holy

Isaiah 6:1-8

Today’s Old Testament Scripture passage from this week’s Lectionary from the Book of Common Prayer is a very beautiful and majestic account of both God’s awesome holiness and glory, along with the calling and commission of His servant and prophet Isaiah.  We live in a very casual and informal age today, and even our church and worship services have come to reflect that.  We often forget that the Lord God is the omnipotent and almighty sovereign God, and above all else He is all holy, and should be worshiped as such.  The prophet Isaiah was given a brief vision of God’s holiness and majesty.  Let’s take a look at what his response was.

As our Scripture opens, we read that this vision of Isaiah’s came the same year that King Uzziah of the Kingdom of Judah died (vs. 1).  Uzziah (also known as Azariah) was king of Judah from 783 - 742 BC, so this event took place in 742 BC.  Uzziah started out being a good king.  He worshiped Yahweh, and did turn to the false, pagan gods that many of the other kings worshiped.  However, in the later years of his reign, his pride and ambition got the better of him, as he felt he had the right to take over some religious ceremonies and duties that only the High Priest was to perform, and God struck him with leprosy, requiring him to spend his last years in seclusion (II Chronicles 26:16-21).

Isaiah had a vision where he was transported to the throne room of Yahweh, where he saw the Lord seated, exalted upon His throne, wearing His majestic, royal robes (vs. 1).  Around the divine royal throne room are the six-winged seraphim, who cry out continually “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.” (vs. 2-3).  Before the sovereign God of the universe, there is nothing we can do but praise and worship our Creator and Redeemer.  He is proclaimed holy three times, in recognition of the Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Seraphim are a type of high-ranking angelic beings, having six wings.  Here they surround God’s throne room, calling out their praise of Him.  This triple declaration of holiness emphasizes God’s absolute purity and separateness from sin.  The word “holy” here means “sacred” and “set apart”.   He is sanctified and hallowed, set apart from all stain of sin.  When the seraphim cried out their praise of Him, the walls and doorways shook, and smoke (possibly the smoke of incense) filled the room.  This symbolizes God’s overwhelming presence and majesty.

As mentioned earlier, this aspect of God’s holiness is now frequently overlooked in favor of the feeling that God is my “buddy”, my “pal”, and many modern churches tend to treat Him like one of the gang.  All too often there is very little sacredness in many churches’ worship.  Yet in this portion of Scripture, and throughout the Book of Revelation, the aspect of God’s holiness is overwhelmingly revealed.  Thrice holy is our Triune God!

As Isaiah has this vision of God and His overwhelming majesty and holiness, his immediate reaction is that of his own sinfulness and unworthiness (vs. 5).  There have been some false charlatan preachers, both now and in the past, who have claimed to have had visions of God.  Their reaction of nonchalance or casualness to the supposed vision exposes their lies.  No one who would have had a vision of the Lord God would do anything other than to fall down upon their face, deploring their own sinfulness and unworthiness.  Even such a great man as Daniel fell down upon his face when he had similar visions (Daniel 10), along with the Apostle John (Revelation 1:17).  Too many church-goers take God for granted, and their hearts are far from Him (Isaiah 29:13).  When the prophet saw God’s holiness, he was filled with fear and an awareness of his own sin.

At that moment, one of the seraphim took a burning coal from the altar before God’s throne and touched Isaiah’s mouth with it, cleansing him (vs. 6-7).  This symbolizes God’s grace and purification, showing that cleansing from sin comes from God alone, and not through any human effort we may put forth.

Afterwards, Isaiah hears the Lord call out, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?”  He immediately accepts the call of God upon his life, saying that he would go, and for the Lord to send him (vs. 8).  After he was cleansed from his sins, Isaiah desired to serve the Lord as His prophet.  He was now prepared to deliver God’s message, even though it would be met with resistance.   The Lord commissioned Isaiah with two questions, “Whom shall I send?  Who will go for Us?”  Later, the resurrected Messiah would commission His followers “Go and make disciples…..I am with you always.” (Matthew 28:19-20).  Also notice, when God spoke to Isaiah, He used the plural “Us”.  God is a Trinity!

In closing, we see that God has absolute holiness.  He is separate from sin, and demands reverence.  As humans, just like Isaiah, we must recognize our own sinfulness and need for spiritual cleansing.  When we come to Him as a repentant sinner, He will give us His mercy and grace in salvation.  Then we can and should go forth, willing to obey His call to spread His message to others.

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit

John 14:8-17

What does God look like?  Over the ages many people have pondered that.  Does He look like an elderly gentleman with a flowing beard, does He wear a long monk’s robe with a corded rope belt?  Or is He a giant ball of bright light?  In our Gospel Scripture for this week that question is asked, as one of the disciples wanted to see God the Father.  Let’s look into our Scripture passage and see what Jesus answered.

Our Scripture comes from a portion of the Upper Room discourse, where Jesus was instructing and teaching some final lessons the night before He was crucified.  As we begin, one of the disciples, Philip, asked Jesus if He would show them the Father (vs. 8).  Jesus answered him, and it wasn’t with a “Nope, sorry, can’t do that.  You’ll just have to wait until you get to heaven.”  Jesus told Philip and the rest of the group an answer which might have surprised them.  He said that if they have seen Him, then they have seen the Father (vs. 9-11).  Jesus’ response affirms His divine unity with God, that He is indeed God’s Son and One with Him.  Seeing Jesus is seeing the Father.  Everything that Jesus did was an exact representation of His Father.  He is the visible manifestation of God’s nature (Colossians 1:15). Now today we don’t know exactly what Jesus looked like.  We don’t know His eye or hair color, His height or weight.  That is not important.  What is important we have, and that is His words and His actions, which are recorded in the Bible.

In this Scripture passage we see the Doctrine of the Trinity presented.  Philip wanted to see God the Father, and Jesus spoke about Him.  Then Jesus affirms the fact that He, the Son, and God the Father are One.  Jesus is fully God, distinct yet One with the Father.  Then, a little further in the passage as we will read, we see Jesus speak of the Holy Spirit, the Helper, who the Father will send to be with believers.  He is the third Person of the Trinity, again distinct yet One with the Father and the Son.

Jesus continued with His teaching, telling the disciples that if we believe in Him, we can do the works He did, and even greater works, and that whatever we ask in His Name, He will do (vs. 12-14).  These are mighty promises, but we have to be careful that we know what Jesus means with these words.  Jesus promised that believers will do greater works than He did.  This does not mean that our works will surpass His miracles, but rather the expansion of the Gospel through the Holy Spirit’s power.

The Savior also promised that He will answer prayers said in His Name.  With Jesus as our Brother, we have access to the Father, and have authority to make requests to Him.  If we use the Savior’s Name we must agree with God’s purposes.  Our prayers must agree with His character, and we must be living obediently to Him and His will, not our own.  True prayer always aligns with God’s will and is answered accordingly.

Continuing on, we read a very clear to understand verse in verse 15, that if we love Jesus, we will keep His commandments.  In other words, if we love Him, we will obey Him, we will obey what the Bible says.  How many people claim to love Jesus, to be Christians, yet they pick out this or that Bible verse or passage and say that they aren’t going to follow what it says, that it doesn’t fit in with today’s society or progressive thinking.  Jesus said that these people do not love Him, for if they did, they would obey His Words, they would obey the Bible.

Jesus finished this segment of Scripture with the promise that He will send the Holy Spirit to believers (vs. 16-17).  The Father has sent His Spirit to be with us and in us until the day He brings us to heaven.  He is all we need - our advocate, guide, helper, and comforter.  Recognizing His intimate presence gives us confidence in the midst of trials, and He will dwell within believers permanently.  The Holy Spirit is the seal of salvation (Ephesians 1:13-14) and empowers believers to live righteously.

As we close this Scripture, we look back and see how each Person of the Trinity is spoken of here, the God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit.  To deny the Trinity is to deny Scripture.  We also see that true discipleship involves obedience and prayer in alignment with God’s will.  Finally, believers have the gift from the Father of the Holy Spirit, who guides, convicts, and strengthens us in our walk with Jesus.

The Coming of the Holy Spirit

Acts 2:1-11

This past Sunday marked the festival of Pentecost on the Christian calendar, and as I typically do the New Testament reading for the week from the Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer in midweek, we will look at our Scripture from the Book of Acts in the New Testament, which describes the events that happened on that first Pentecost.  Let’s look into our Scripture and see what we can learn about that first Day of Pentecost.

As we begin reading in Acts chapter 2, we see that it is the Jewish festival of Pentecost, which is also known as the Feast of Weeks, or in Hebrew, Shavuot (vs. 1).  This festival took place fifty days after Passover, which is where the Greek word Pentecost came from.  The Jewish festival of Pentecost commemorates the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai.  It is also a celebration of the first fruits of the wheat harvest.   Because of this religious holiday, many faithful Jews from around the Middle East and Mediterranean had come to Jerusalem to worship.

Ten days prior to this, the Lord Jesus had taken His disciples outside of Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives, giving them final instructions before His ascension back into heaven.  One of those instructions was for them to stay in Jerusalem for the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father (Acts 1:4-5).  That is what the disciples were doing as our passage began.  They were gathered in “one accord”, in unity as they obediently waited.  It was now about ten days since Jesus returned to heaven, but they weren’t getting impatient or starting to grumble one against another, but were steadfast in prayer, trusting that God would fulfill His promises.

As morning began on that first day of Pentecost, the disciples were together, and they heard the sound of a rushing, mighty wind, which was the Holy Spirit descending upon them (vs. 2-3).  That sound symbolizes the power that the Holy Spirit has.  I can testify that the sound of very strong wind, like in a tornado, is no small thing!  Then appeared what looked like tongues of fire upon each disciple.  Fire represents purification and also God’s divine presence.

The Greek word for “tongues” used here is “glossa”, and it means both the actual tongue in one’s mouth, and also the language or dialect used by a particular group of people.  This illustrated what happened at that moment, as when the group was filled with the Holy Spirit, they began to speak with other “tongues”, with other languages (vs. 4).  The Holy Spirit would empower them to do the ministry the Lord had for them (Luke 24:49).

The disciples were led to leave the place they had been staying at, and out onto the streets of Jerusalem and the vicinity of the Temple.  There they encountered many pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem for the holy days, many from foreign lands far and near, who spoke languages other than Hebrew or Aramaic.  At that time these followers of Jesus were able to witness to these foreigners in their own language, telling them about the Savior and the Gospel (vs. 5-11). 

One thing about this outpouring of the Holy Spirit, bringing tongues at this time on Pentecost Sunday, was that these were known, spoken languages in that day.  These were languages that the disciples did not previously know or speak, but which were spoken by various pilgrims to Jerusalem for the holy days.  They were languages or dialects spoken in current modern-day Turkey, around the Mediterranean world, Egypt, and areas north and east of the Holy Land.  The Holy Spirit enabled them to speak to these folks, telling them the Gospel so they could believe and be saved.  That way they could return home and tell their families and friends about Jesus, and the Gospel go forth to all nations.  On that day at least 3,000 people were saved (Acts 2:41).

Looking at this Scripture describing the events of Pentecost Sunday, we see that this was the first part of God’s fulfillment of Joel 2:28-32, which demonstrates His faithfulness in keeping His promises.  The Holy Spirit wasn’t given just to be a comfort to us, though He is indeed that, but for empowering us to boldly spread the Gospel throughout the world.  Pentecost Sunday is the birthday of the Church, distinct from Israel, and is God’s instrument for spreading the Gospel.  Just as the disciples waited for the Holy Spirit to come, we, too, need to rely on His power for witnessing, as He will enable us to share the truth with clarity and conviction.

The God of Creation

Psalm 104

The world around us, all of creation, is a vast and marvelous thing to behold!  We see creatures from the giant whales and elephants to tiny insects, from the massive Sequoia trees to microscopic diatoms.  When we turn our eyes upward we see the wonder of the clouds, and on into outer space, the moon, planets, and stars.  With the advanced space telescopes, we can look deep into the universe.  Modern science will tell us that all of this just came about by some lucky chance, that every living thing randomly evolved from some primordial soup in a giant sea, and that the universe came about by some lucky chance of different elements randomly coming together.  What brought the spark of life to that ancient assortment and mix of cells?  What are the chances of the right elements coming together to create the universe and all of life, and where did those elements come from to begin with?  As scientists still can’t give us a solid, factual answer to that, we can look into God’s Word and find the answer.  Our psalm this week tells of God’s creation of all we see (and can’t see), and His direct involvement in sustaining His creation.  Let’s look at this beautiful psalm.

Psalm 104 is a magnificent hymn of praise that celebrates God’s sovereignty over all of His creation.  One might say that it is a poetic reflection of the account of creation found in Genesis 1.  It highlights all of God’s creative power and His plan in creation.  God’s Word, both here and throughout Scripture, shows that creation was not a product of chance, but the deliberate work of the sovereignty of God.

Our psalm begins with praise for God’s majesty and glory (vs. 1-4).   The psalmist describes Yahweh as clothed with honor and majesty, just like a royal robe.   As we see the beauty and spectacular pictures that have come to us from the space telescopes, imagine them as Yahweh’s divine robes and curtains around His throne, as we read here.  God created light, showing His purity and holiness.  He created the whole universe by His Word, and has supreme authority over it.

Next we read how God is sovereign over all of creation here on earth (vs. 5-9).  The Lord placed our planet, the earth exactly where it should be to sustain life.  A little closer to the sun, or a little further away, life would not be possible.  He also keeps our planet on course, as through His control it doesn’t drift away (vs. 5).  God set the boundaries of the oceans, seas, and lakes.  He directs where the rivers flow, up and down through mountains and valleys (vs. 6-8).  All of this shows that He alone controls nature.

As we continue in our psalm we see that God has made provision for all of His creatures (vs. 10-18).  Yahweh did not create life, and then just sit back and not take care of it, letting us sink or swim on our own.  He lovingly provides what we need.  Animals, including man, need both food and water to survive.  Some animals can go a bit longer without these, like camels or animals in hibernation, but they can’t go indefinitely.  This segment of verses in the psalm show that God provides them with what they need, both food and water, along with places for them to find shelter.  Jesus, Himself, told us of the Father’s love and care for creation when He reminded us of how He feeds the birds of the air (Matthew 6:26).

It was God, not random chance, that set how fast the earth spins on its axis, along with how the moon rotates around the earth, and the earth around the sun (vs. 19-23).  Day and night are regulated by the Lord, along with the various seasons.  He knew that we, both man and beast, needed periods of day and night, periods of wakefulness and work, along with a time for rest and sleep, otherwise we could not remain healthy or even continue to live.

The psalmist gives praise for how wide and diverse God’s creation is, and briefly focuses on the creatures of the sea (vs. 24-26).  The oceans are filled with such a huge variety of fish and other types of sea-life, including some mammals, as we all see whenever we visit an aquarium.  We read of the Leviathan in verse 26, some unspecified large sea creature which could possibly be a type of whale, and is some creature that joyfully plays in the oceans.  God delights in His creation!

All creatures are dependent upon God for life (vs. 27-30).  It is He, alone, which gives us what we need, food, water, the air we breathe.  Without Him and His provisions, we could not survive.  He gives creation its life, and when it is time, He takes it away.  Rather than being so flippant and impertinent about God as so many people are, they should be grateful to Him for every breath they have, as it comes from Him, and He can take it away.

Our Scripture concludes with the psalmist giving a call to worship and to righteousness (vs. 31-35).  He gives God praise, and desires for His glory to endure forever, which it shall.  The psalmist also prays for the removal of sin, which initially caused the fall of creation (vs 35).  When that day comes, when all sin is removed, there will be an ultimate restoration of God’s creation.

As we look back over Psalm 104, we see how it is Yahweh, the Lord God, who is the Divine Creator of all, not just some theory of evolution or randomness.  We also see through His Word, that God is continually involved with His creation, and not some distant, uninvolved deity as some religions suppose.  All of His creation testifies to the glory of God!

A Precious Gift

Joel 2:28-32

Have you ever received a very nice present from someone, something that you really treasure?  Perhaps it might be a very nice piece of jewelry.  Maybe an item that you add to a treasured collection that you have.  Maybe the gift is not anything material, but something of great value, like the gift of one’s friendship.  On this Sunday we commemorate a great gift that God gave to all believers in His Son, Jesus Christ, and that is the gift of the Holy Spirit, which indwells all Christians.  Today’s Scripture is from the Old Testament Book of Joel, and speaks of that gift which God gave to all Christians on that date, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, along with speaking of coming signs in the heavens, and a call to salvation.  Let’s look at what message the prophet Joel had for us from God.

This Sunday marks the Day of Pentecost, which follows a little over a week after Ascension Day, the day when the Lord Jesus ascended back into heaven.  Ascension Day is forty days after Easter.  Prior to that first day of Pentecost, during all of the days of the Old Testament, and throughout the days of the earthly life of Jesus, no one had the Holy Spirit permanently indwelling them.  This included great and godly people like Moses, Elijah, or Isaiah.  The Holy Spirit would temporarily come upon various people, but would not stay permanently.

Joel brought us a prophecy, a promise from God that He was going to pour out His Holy Spirit upon believers, men and women who have a saving relationship with Jesus (vs. 28-29).  The fulfillment of this prophecy came on the Day of Pentecost, approximately fifty days following Jesus’ resurrection, and which we read of in Acts 2:1-21.  From that day onward the Holy Spirit has indwelt believers from the moment of their salvation.

The phrase “all flesh” in verse 28 does not mean that the Holy Spirit comes upon everyone, regardless of whether they have a saving relationship with Jesus or not.  It means that those who are saved will receive the Holy Spirit whether they are male or female, whether they are rich, poor, slave or free.  They will receive the Holy Spirit whether they are a priest or minister, or whether they are a lay person in the congregation, and no matter what country or nationality they are from.  God’s gift of the Holy Spirit is for everyone who has asked Jesus to be their Savior.  And as we read through the New Testament, particularly the Epistles, we see just how precious a gift the Holy Spirit is for believers in their life and daily walk with the Lord.

As we continue on in our Scripture passage from Joel, we read of some disturbing signs and wonders in the sky and heavens (vs. 30-31).  Since those did not happen on that Day of Pentecost in Acts, we can understand that Joel’s prophecy has a 2-part fulfillment, part on that Day of Pentecost with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and another part at a later time, which Joel indicates will be right prior to the coming of the Day of the Lord.  The Day of the Lord is a time of God’s judgment on the earth and unbelievers, culminating with the return of the Lord Jesus.  Joel indicates that, among other things, there will be blood, fire, smoke, and celestial disturbances.  We see many of these fulfilled in the events described in the Book of Revelation, again describing events prior to the Second Coming of Jesus.

Our Scripture concludes with a call to salvation (vs. 32).  God gives a promise that whoever calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved.  This promise is given to all of mankind.  It doesn’t matter who you are, salvation is offered to you if you will call upon the Lord and ask Him to save you in the Name and through the Blood of His Son, Jesus.  Anyone, male or female, young or old, rich or poor, prisoner or free, Jew or Gentile, all are welcome and will be accepted, if only they call upon the Lord.  Salvation is available to all who turn to Jesus Christ (Romans 10:13).

What about you?  Have you called upon the Name of the Lord and received salvation?  If you have, then along with receiving eternal life, you also have God’s precious gift of the Holy Spirit indwelling you.  If not, do not hesitate another day, as you do not want to face God’s judgment and the Day of the Lord without having asked the Lord Jesus to be your Savior.