The Day of Pentecost: The Beginning of the Last Days

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Peter said, “And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh” (Acts 2:17).

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Today, we gather to celebrate a pivotal moment in the history of our faith—the Day of Pentecost.

Make no mistake about it; it had all been for this. To pour out the Spirit, Jesus—first conceived by that same Spirit—had taken flesh from the holy Virgin. To pour out the Spirit, the obedient Son of God had lived a perfect life of love to God and neighbor, had suffered and died, had descended to hell, and had risen in victory on the third day. To pour out the Spirit, He had ascended into Heaven and was seated at the Father’s right hand. It was this day, fifty days after Easter, that Jesus kept His promise to pour out His Holy Spirit, and the Spirit came with a startling suddenness that was impossible to miss.

Imagine the scene: the disciples, filled with anticipation and uncertainty, gathered in one place. Suddenly, a sound like the rush of a mighty wind fills the room, and tongues of fire rest upon each of them. The Holy Spirit promised by Jesus descends, empowering them to speak in different languages and proclaim the wonders of God. This miraculous event marks not only the birth of the Church but also the beginning of the last days, as foretold by the prophet Joel.

Dear friends, you and I are living in the last days, and the end of the world draws near. I don’t say this because of any secret knowledge or interpretation of the events in today’s news, but because of our text from Acts 2.

The disciples are gathered for the festival of Pentecost, the Greek name for the Old Testament feast that God required the Israelites to celebrate seven weeks after the Passover. Thus, it was called the Feast of Weeks because it took place a “week of weeks” after the Paschal Feast. That means the feast was celebrated on the fiftieth day—that is the “Pente” in Pentecost.

The Passover feast commemorated God’s deliverance of His people from Egypt. As the Jews celebrated the Passover meal, they remembered how their ancestors had put the blood of the Passover lamb on their doorposts, and how God had spared their firstborn sons. After they came to Jerusalem for the Passover, they went home to harvest the barley. Fifty days later, they assembled in Jerusalem again to give thanks for God’s abundant provision at Pentecost.

So, the Lord commanded Passover and Pentecost so that His people might remember His deliverance and provision. Every Jewish man, no matter where he lived, was to attend these feasts. That’s why you’d find a crowd of Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and all the rest in Jerusalem in Acts 2. But there was more to it than that. Way back in Exodus, God commanded these feasts to point to Jesus. It is no coincidence that Jesus was crucified at the Passover, because He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. And it’s no coincidence that the Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost; it is time for the apostles to go out and make disciples of all nations. In other words, because Christ has died and is risen from the dead, it is time for the apostles to sow the seed of His Word and get ready for the harvest.

So, the Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost. He is there to do what Jesus said He would do in our Gospel lesson. He is to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He is there to testify of Jesus to all who will hear, by means of His holy Word. The apostles start to preach. It’s the start of the harvest.

It’s also the beginning of the last days.

When we think about Bible texts which speak about the end times, we normally think of Revelation or Daniel or Matthew 24. But we should add Acts 2 to the list. The Holy Spirit comes, the crowds gather, and people ask, “What does this mean?” And Peter replies by quoting from the prophet Joel:

And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (vv. 17-21).

Pentecost is the fulfillment of prophecy. The Spirit of God will be poured out in the last days, says Joel. And the Spirit of God has just been poured. That means they are living in the last days in Acts 2. Not only does God promise to send the Spirit in that time, but He also promises wonders—wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below. Namely: before the day of the Lord when He comes to judge, there will be blood and fire and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood.

We see the Spirit poured out in our text. When do the rest of these signs take place? The sign of blood takes place just fifty days before, as Christ is crucified for the sins of the world. What about fire and vapor of smoke? In the Old Testament, fire and smoke were symbolic of God’s presence on earth. Think of the top of Mt. Sinai when the Lord descended there to give the Ten Commandments or think of Moses and the burning bush. Now, in Acts 2, when has the Lord been most recently present? On the cross. In the tomb. Risen with His disciples. Ascending into heaven. This prophecy is all about Jesus—God present on earth in His life, His death and resurrection, and the arrival of the Holy Spirit. This prophecy is all about that specific Passover and Pentecost nearly 2,000 years ago.

Peter declares that the people are living in the last days. Why? Because all that is necessary for salvation has been accomplished. Because Christ has died and is risen again, and because the Holy Spirit has come. God’s plan for man’s redemption is complete. The world could end at any time. It only remains because the Lord patiently waits for more to hear, believe, and be saved.

Now, if those people in Acts 2 were living in the last days of this world, it is much truer for you. You are living in the last days, and the end is getting even nearer. That makes this a matter of urgency. What do you do to make sure that you are ready for the great and magnificent day of the Lord when He comes again to judge the living and the dead?

The crowd will ask this later in Acts 2, once Peter is done preaching. His sermon cuts them to the heart. After he quotes Joel, he goes on to declare, “You know that Messiah you’ve been waiting for, for centuries? He has come. His name is Jesus… and you killed Him just seven weeks ago.” Convicted of their sin, they’ll ask Peter, “What shall we do?” How can they make up for what they’ve done? How can they be ready for the great and magnificent day of the Lord?

 Peter will tell them in Acts 2:38-39: “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. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself.”

There’s Gospel for you. What must they do to make up for their sin? The truth is that there is nothing they can do that could make up for it. So instead, says Peter, repent. Turn from sin and works-righteousness and acknowledge your need for grace. Be baptized, because that is where Jesus Christ gives you the forgiveness He has won on the cross. That’s where you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit comes that morning in wind and flame, enabling the apostles to proclaim God’s mighty works in languages they’d never learned. But as Peter preaches, he invites the people not to wait for a similar miracle. Rather, he points them to where they (and every generation since) may receive the Holy Spirit no less powerfully than the apostles had: Repent and be baptized.

This is not just for the grown-ups in the crowd that day. It’s for their children. It’s for those who are far off, both Jews and Gentiles. It’s even for young children, far away in space and time. In Baptism, the Lord promises forgiveness and His Spirit by water and the Word; and where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.

Not just for them, but for you. Scripture declares again and again that we cannot make up for our sins by what we do. One passage among many is Romans 3:20, which begins, “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in His sight.” Ephesians 2:8-9 adds, “For by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” It is all gift, that you might be sure that you are pleasing to God even now, that you are ready for the Last Day.

That’s what Baptism does: it gives forgiveness of sins. It gives life. In Acts 2, three thousand men who heard Peter’s sermon were baptized. An astounding miracle! But no greater than your own rebirth of water and the Spirit. Of course, life must be nurtured, so Christianity doesn’t end there. What did those newly baptized do? The next verse tells you that “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” They continued to nurture the life they’d received by hearing the Word, gathering for the Divine Service, for God gives life in His Word. And they devoted themselves to the fellowship, the breaking of the bread—for in that Holy Communion, Jesus gives His own body and blood for the forgiveness of sins, the strengthening of their bodies and souls unto life everlasting.

What will the last days be like? Just like the present day, because Peter declares that we are in the last days, all that must happen before the end of the world has happened. The Lord could return at any time.

Even if He waits, your last day draws near. How can you be sure that you’re ready for Judgment? Simple: “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. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself.”

This is the glad confidence given to you by grace. You’re ready for the end because God so loves that world (you) that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him has eternal life. Jesus Christ has died in your place, for your sin. The price is paid, and in Christ you are righteous before God, even now. Risen from the dead and ascended to Heaven, He sends the Holy Spirit, who called you by the Gospel, enlightened you with His gifts, sanctifies and keeps you in the true faith. For Jesus’ sake, you live in these last days with the assurance and joy that, born again of the water and the Spirit, you are forgiven for all your sins.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.