When Are the Last Days? - Acts 2

Pastor Dan Walker, PhD, MDiv

Introduction: Understanding the Times We Are Living In

Today we begin a new message series entitled “Understanding the End Times.” We live in perilous and dangerous times, and two thirds of voters in the US think our country is headed in the wrong direction. The last few weeks, we’ve seen headlines about the deadly virus Ebola and continued reports of the Islamic ISIS barbaric practices.

The Middle East seems to be perpetually in the news, with conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, Iran and other players. We are concerned about terrorism coming to our shores by the hand of Islamic violence. In our own country, we are confronted with increasing acceptance of sinful practices such as abortion, homosexual marriage, gambling, pornography, divorce, adultery, violence and racial issues.

Just in the last few weeks, pastors in Houston were ordered to hand over their sermons to the lesbian mayor’s office to see if they made any negative reference to homosexuality. In Idaho, a pastor was being threatened with jail for refusing to marry a homosexual couple. Right here in St Louis, threats of rioting are being made depending on the outcome of the grand jury deliberations on the Ferguson shooting.

Is this just more of the same, or is something unusual going on in our world? If you’re over 30, you have been around long enough to realize that our country is in a downward spiral. Does God’s Word speak to the times that we are living in?

Today, I’ve entitled the first message in this series, “When are the Last Days?” The Bible does speak of what is going to happen in the last days, and if we are living in the last days, then these passages would speak to our situation, here and now. So, the important question that we are going to ask this morning is “Are we living in the last days?”

To answer that question, let’s look at the seven major historical and supernatural events that are given to us in Scripture. The historicity of each of these events is under attack today. Creation – God created the heavens and the earth and people in the beginning by His Word.

Corruption – The fall of mankind into sin through the temptation of Adam & Eve. Catastrophe – God destroyed sinful mankind with a world-wide flood but rescued Noah. Confusion – The nations of the world were created by God confusing the people’s languages at the Tower of Babel.

Christ – God became human in the person of Jesus Christ, who lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, rose from the dead and ascended back into heaven. Consumation – Jesus is going to return to this earth, judge the wicked, bring all believers into His perfect Kingdom in a new heavens and new earth.

So, where are we at in relation to these seven events? We are between the ascension of Jesus Christ to heaven and His return at the consummation of all things. As we’re going to see today, the Bible clearly teaches that we are living in the last days, the time between the first and second coming of Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 3:3-4 (NIV) First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since
this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."

Many do not believe in the return of Christ, and they think that everything will continue just as they’ve experienced in the past. They do not believe in the supernatural intervention of God into history, and this disbelief is one of the defining characteristics of scoffers. These are those who are not true believers in Jesus Christ.

As believers, we believe in the supernatural intervention of God in history, in the past, in the future and in these present last days. Today, we’re going to look at a passage in Acts 2 to answer the question of when the last days began. Immediately before Jesus ascended into heaven, He instructed His disciples.

Acts 1:4-5 (NIV) On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John
baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

So, the disciples, who had already received the Holy Spirit and been born again, were instructed by Jesus to wait and pray for the empowerment of the Spirit through the baptism in the Spirit. I’d encourage you to read the entire second chapter of Acts this week, as we’re going to have to just highlight the main thoughts regarding the last days. As we do, we will see that the last days are clearly marked by the activity of the Holy Spirit.

The Last Days Are Days of the Spirit

Acts 2:33 (NIV) Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.

Peter preaches that when Jesus ascended back into heaven, He received the Holy Spirit that He had promised His disciples and poured Him out upon them. This happened on the day of Pentecost, forty days after Jesus ascended into heaven. The disciples were waiting and praying for the Holy Spirit to come, in obedience to Jesus’ command to them.

Finally, after forty days, the Spirit was poured out in power upon all the disciples gathered in that upper room. As we’ll see with the passage today, the last days which began with Jesus’ ascension are days of the pouring out of the Spirit in an unprecedented manner. In the Old Testament, just a few leaders had been anointed by the Spirit, but now during the last days, every believer is eligible.

The Baptism in the Spirit Is for All

Acts 2:4 (NIV) All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Every person in that upper room who was waiting on God was filled with the Holy Spirit, and this was the baptism in the Holy Spirit that Jesus had promised. It was not just some or most, but all were filled, and the sign of their baptism in the Spirit was that they spoke in other tongues by the enablement of the Spirit. All these disciples were already born again and had received the Spirit in a new birth experience recorded in John 20:22.

This baptism in the Spirit was a separate and subsequent experience of empowerment for the last days. Now, let’s look at something else that the Spirit does in the last days. The outpouring of the Spirit also brings supernatural revelation to God’s people.

The Spirit Brings Revelation in the Last Days

Acts 2:17-18 (NIV) "‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.’"

People were questioning what was going on with all the disciples speaking in other tongues, and some made fun of them while others thought they were drunk. Peter said no, we are not drunk, but what is happening was prophesied hundreds of years ago by the prophet Joel. What the people were seeing with the speaking in tongues was the clear sign that the last days had arrived.

The prophet Joel had looked ahead at things that were going to come on Israel and prophesied in Joel 2, Afterward, God says, I will pour out my Spirit. Peter changed the quote to say, In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit. In other words, the last days were the time in which God would make available the baptism of the Spirit to every believer.

Those who were baptized with the Spirit would prophesy, see visions and dream dreams. In other words, the Spirit would bring supernatural revelation of God’s will to them. This would be a characteristic of the entire last days, not just the day of Pentecost, as we see throughout the entire book of Acts.

Living as People of the Spirit in the Last Days

As people living in the last days, what implications do the days of the Spirit have for us? First, a little bit of history helps us understand where we are today. Many truths of God’s Word were lost by about the 3rd century after the early church we see in the book of Acts.

The truth of salvation by faith alone was recovered by the Reformation in the 16th century and led to the Protestant denominations of Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists and Baptists. However, the truth about the baptism in the Holy Spirit was only recovered in a revival in Topeka, Kansas in 1901 and subsequently spread around the world. The Assemblies of God, of which Life Church is part, was born in the revival of the Spirit in 1914 and is the largest Spirit-filled denomination in the world, over 60 million strong and rapidly growing.

What should we do in response to this truth? We should seek to be baptized and filled with the Spirit and be open to the supernatural working of God through His Spirit in these last days. We should also understand that many older denominations do not teach the truths about the Spirit and are cessationists, teaching that the days of the Spirit ended with the apostles.

Just the verses that we’ve looked at today, as well as many others, will help you share the truth of the Spirit with them. The last days are days of the Spirit, and God desires His people to live empowered by His presence. This truth prepares us to understand the mission God has given us in these last days.

The Last Days Are Days of Harvest

Acts 1:8 (NIV) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Here we see the main reason that Jesus poured out His Spirit on the early disciples and makes Him available to us today. The power of the Holy Spirit is given so that we can be Jesus’ witnesses to the ends of the earth. The power of the Spirit gives you the boldness, the knowledge, the courage and the words to be an effective witness for Jesus.

The day of Pentecost in the Old Testament was a great festival in which the first fruits of the grain harvest were presented to God. On the day of Pentecost in the New Testament, the Spirit empowered the disciples to see the first fruits of the last days harvest with 3000 people saved. This clearly shows that the last days are days of harvest.

Acts 2:21 (NIV) And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

People from every nation were represented at Pentecost in Jerusalem, and everyone that called on the name of Jesus Christ was saved. So, in the last days in which we live, God is reaching out to people from all nations to be brought into the Kingdom of God. This promise is wide-reaching and applies to all who will respond.

To call on the name of the Lord means to respond to the gospel message with faith and obedience. Peter gives more detail at the end of his message so that no one would misunderstand what it means to be saved. He makes clear that salvation is only found through Jesus Christ.

Acts 2:38-39 (NIV) Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call."

Peter describes three essential steps to becoming a Spirit-empowered believer in the last days. First, we are to repent of our sins and put our faith in Jesus Christ, calling on the name of the Lord Jesus. Secondly, every believer should be water baptized following their belief in Jesus.

Thirdly, every believer should receive the gift or baptism of the Holy Spirit. Peter then makes clear that the promise of the Holy Spirit was not just for the disciples or for those who believed at Pentecost, but for everyone of all time. Jesus is the only way to be saved.

Joining God in the Harvest of the Last Days

The last days are days of harvest when many people will be saved. This harvest will happen through the power of the Holy Spirit working through believers. That is why Jesus made the power of the Spirit available to every believer.

We are to seek God for each person we know who we are not sure is saved. We should ask God how we can be a witness to them and ask Him to empower us by His Spirit to share the Good News. As we do, God will use us to help bring many into the Kingdom.

Be a witness for Jesus in these last days and help bring in the harvest. This calling applies to every believer, not just a select few. God desires to work through ordinary people in extraordinary ways.

The Last Days Are Days of Signs and Wonders

Acts 2:22 (NIV) "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know."

In his message, Peter talked about the ministry of Jesus, which was marked by signs and wonders. After Jesus’ ascension, the ministry of signs and wonders continued through the ministry of the early church. This shows that God’s supernatural power did not end with Jesus’ earthly ministry.

Acts 2:43 (NIV) Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.

The apostles continued the ministry of Jesus through signs and wonders, doing the same types of works that Jesus had done. The two primary signs and wonders they performed were healing the sick and casting out demons. These works demonstrated the power and authority of Jesus Christ.

Signs and wonders were also done by people who were not apostles, such as Philip. Paul later wrote about signs and wonders as gifts of the Spirit available to all believers. Throughout the last days, signs and wonders will continue for those of faith until Jesus returns again.

Acts 2:19-20 (NIV) I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.

Peter also quotes the prophet Joel and speaks of a different kind of signs and wonders. These signs and wonders will be seen in the heavens and on the earth and will signal the beginning of God’s judgment as the day of the Lord draws near. From other prophetic teaching in Scripture, we can expect these signs to increase in frequency and intensity as the second coming approaches.

Expecting God to Work Powerfully in the Last Days

Scripture warns us not to try to predict the exact day of the Lord’s coming. Yet, we can confidently say that the second coming of Jesus is 2000 years closer than it was when the book of Acts was written. The last days will be marked both by the advance of the kingdom of God and by many falling away from the faith.

Even as the kingdom of God advances, there will be fierce resistance from the domain of Satan. We can expect increases in warfare, violence and natural disasters, which Jesus described as birth pangs. Just as birth pangs intensify as birth draws near, so these signs will increase as the end approaches.

We should pray and believe God to do signs and wonders through our prayers and through our church. As God works supernaturally, many more will be drawn to Jesus in these last days. Our faith should be active and expectant.

Conclusion: Living Faithfully in the Last Days

When are the last days? The last days are the time between Jesus’ ascension and His second coming, and we have been living in them for 2000 years. I do not believe it will be another 2000 years before Jesus returns, and the urgency of our mission should reflect that reality.

The last days are days of the Holy Spirit, and we are to seek to be baptized in and continually filled with the Spirit. The last days are days of harvest, and the number one priority of every believer should be to be a witness for Jesus. The last days are days of signs and wonders, and our God is still a supernatural God who has not changed.

As people of faith, we should believe God to do signs and wonders through us. We are to pray for the sick to be healed and for those bound by Satan to be freed. Our best days are before us as we walk with God at the end of the last days.

📘 Continue the Journey

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