In his great sermon on Pentecost the Apostle Peter quoted the words of our verse for today from the prophecy of Joel. (Joel 2:28-32). They are words that describe what Peter called “the last days.” (Acts 2:17). By “last days” he means the days when God pours out His Holy Spirit on people, the days between Pentecost and the return of Jesus Christ. During the last days, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” We are living in the last days now. Hence, we will be saved if we call on the name of the Lord.
On the one hand, Peter’s quotation means that we will be saved in a final and ultimate sense. It means that our souls will go to heaven when we die and it means that at the second coming of Jesus and the resurrection of the dead we will spend all of eternity, body and soul, with the Lord. One might summarize all this by saying that our ultimate destiny is assured. Those of us who call on the name of the Lord will escape the flames of hell and will rest secure with the Lord forever.
On the other hand, Peter’s quotation means that we will be saved in the here and now. Salvation, in other words, is more than just a future reality. It applies to us right now as well. Whenever trials, troubles, tribulations, and persecutions come our way we can call on the name of the Lord. Maybe we won’t see salvation in any kind of final or ultimate sense at those times, but we will see it. The Lord will respond to our calls and we will receive what we need to go through all our troubles and even overcome them.
The point of Peter’s quotation, then, is that we should call on the name of the Lord. We should not stay silent. With heartfelt zeal, we should call out to Jesus by name. If we do, we will see salvation in the here and now and we will see it in the future as well.
(Bible League)
On the one hand, Peter’s quotation means that we will be saved in a final and ultimate sense. It means that our souls will go to heaven when we die and it means that at the second coming of Jesus and the resurrection of the dead we will spend all of eternity, body and soul, with the Lord. One might summarize all this by saying that our ultimate destiny is assured. Those of us who call on the name of the Lord will escape the flames of hell and will rest secure with the Lord forever.
On the other hand, Peter’s quotation means that we will be saved in the here and now. Salvation, in other words, is more than just a future reality. It applies to us right now as well. Whenever trials, troubles, tribulations, and persecutions come our way we can call on the name of the Lord. Maybe we won’t see salvation in any kind of final or ultimate sense at those times, but we will see it. The Lord will respond to our calls and we will receive what we need to go through all our troubles and even overcome them.
The point of Peter’s quotation, then, is that we should call on the name of the Lord. We should not stay silent. With heartfelt zeal, we should call out to Jesus by name. If we do, we will see salvation in the here and now and we will see it in the future as well.
(Bible League)