Acts 2 - the big picture
- Acts 2:16 - “this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel”
- Acts 2:22-36 - “This Jesus of Nazareth … Lord and Messiah”
- Acts 2:24 - “God raised Him up”
- Acts 2:25 - “For David says of Him”
- Acts 2:38 - “Repent and be baptized”
- Acts 2:41-47 - “3,000 people … fellowship … meeting … saved”
Acts 2, continued
Acts 2:19-21 - Peter’s connection to Joel
- Acts 2:15 - See I Thessalonians 5:7.
- Acts 2:17 - “in the last days … I will pour out my Spirit on all people”
| BEFORE Pentecost | DURING Pentecost | AFTER Pentecost |
|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth (Luke 1:41-45) | Apostles (Acts 2) | Philip’s daughters (Acts 21:9) |
| Zacharias (Luke 1:67-79) | Whoever the apostles laid hands on (Acts 8:18) | |
| Simeon (Luke 2:25-35) | ||
| Anna (Luke 2:36-38) | ||
| John (Luke 1:15) | ||
| Apostles (Matthew 10:19) |
- Acts 2:19-20 - Compare language in Isaiah 13:6, 9, 10-13; Isaiah 19; Isaiah 34; Jeremiah 4; Ezekiel 30; Ezekiel 32; Joel 2:31. This is common figurative language when there were enormous changes in the world. It should not be taken literally.
- Acts 2:21 - See Matthew 7:21. “Calling on the name of the Lord” involves action - not just words. It is turning oneself to the Lord.
Acts 2:22-36 - Jesus arose as David had prophesied
- Acts 2:23 - The “lawless people” here were the Romans.
- Acts 2:24 - Peter is directly contradicting the false rumors.
- Acts 2:25 - This is a reference to Psalms 16:8-11.
- Acts 2:30 - See II Samuel 7:12-16 - This had dual fulfillment in Solomon and Jesus.
- Acts 2:33 - Translations vary a little here: “promise of the Holy Spirit” vs. “the promised Holy Spirit.” See John 15:26.
- Acts 2:34-35 - This is the same passage Jesus used to stump the Pharisees in Matthew 22.
Acts 2:37-41 - Call to obedience
- Acts 2:38 - The word “for” is from the Greek
eis, which always points forward. Baptism is so that your sins will be forgiven - not because your sins have already been forgiven. Many were baptized, but only the apostles were doing miracles, so the gift of the Holy Spirit could not be referring to the ability to work miracles. - Acts 2:39 - “far off” - In Ephesians 2, this is used to mean Gentiles, which Peter surely did not understand when he said it at Pentecost. He had to be convinced of its full meaning in Acts 10.