使徒言行録2:14-21 Acts 2:14-21,
神は言われる。終わりの時に、わたしの霊をすべての人に注ぐ。すると、あなたたちの息子と娘は預言し、若者は幻を見、老人は夢を見る。わたしの僕やはしためにも、そのときには、わたしの霊を注ぐ。すると、彼らは預言する。（使徒2:17-18）
旧約聖書の時代、神の霊を受けて預言するということ、すなわち神の霊の働きによって幻や夢を見た人が神の言葉を語るということは、預言者という特別な賜物を与えられた人に限られたことでした。神は預言者に聖霊を送って、神の意思を啓示し、預言者が神の意思を人々に伝達したのでした。
ところが、終わりの日が近づく今という時代、すなわち、イエス・キリストによって神の愛が最終的にこの世界に啓示された新約聖書の時代においては、「すべての人」が神の霊を受けて神の言葉を語ることができるようになる、というのであります。ここで言う「すべての人」とは、すべての国民ということです。また、男も女も、老いも若きもということです。「すべての人」が神の霊を受けて、神の言葉すなわちイエス・キリストによって啓示された神の愛を語ることができるようになるということです。それは聖書の別の言葉を用いて言うならば、ヨハネによる福音書の3章16節にある「神は、その独り子をお与えになったほどに、世を愛された。独り子を信じる者が一人も滅びないで、永遠の命を得るためである」ということを、「すべての人」が確信を持って語り得る時代が来たということです。神の愛がイスラエルという一つの小さな国の中だけでなく、全世界のあらゆるところで証しされ、宣べ伝えられる時代が来たというのであります。これは何という喜ばしい時代でしょうか。
しかし、この喜ばしい時代も、やがて最後には神の審判を迎えなければならないということが告げられています（19-20節）。（中略）聖書では世の終わり、すなわち最後の審判は、この世のすみずみにまで、キリストの救いの御業が宣べ伝えられた後に起こると教えられています（マタイ24:14）。言い換えれば、聖霊が降り、すべての人々が神の愛とキリストの救いの御業を証言できるようになった今は、最後の審判までの猶予期間であるということです。神は、この猶予期間に神の霊を人々に降し、救い主キリストの御名を証言させ、飢え渇いた魂が、キリストの恵みによって救われるように、配慮し待っていてくださっているのであります。 （6月8日の説教より）
Today is the Pentecost, the day of worship commemorating the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples who believed in Christ. This event occurred on the day of the Feast of Pentecost, which is the 50th day after the Jewish Passover, and is therefore called Pentecost in Greek, meaning “fiftieth.” Today, we would like to reflect together on the meaning of the coming of the Holy Spirit based on the Bible.
Human beings need not only physical nourishment to live, but also spiritual nourishment. The well-known verse of the Bible says, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). To gain the power to live, we must eat daily meals and take in the necessary nutrients into our bodies. These nutrients then become bones and flesh that form our bodies, and energy for our activities. In the same way, in order to gain the power to live truely, our souls must be nourished by the word of God and the Spirit of God. By accepting the word of God and the Spirit of God, a solid framework is formed in our souls, and our souls are ignited, giving us the power to act.
However, throughout history, people have tended to focus only on pursuing material wealth that can be seen with the eyes, forgetting the importance of spiritual nourishment. In the Old Testament, during the 8th century BC, when the Northern Kingdom of Israel was enjoying economic prosperity under the rule of Jeroboam II, the prophet Amos warned of the coming day of God’s judgment and prophesied as follows in Amos 8:11-12.
“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord GOD,
“when I will send a famine on the land—
not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,
but of hearing the words of the LORD.
They shall wander from sea to sea,
and from north to east;
they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the LORD,
but they shall not find it.”
In the time of the prophet Amos, the wealthy used various unjust means to increase their wealth and lived luxurious lives. Amos warned those who had forgotten God’s word and were living such lives, declaring the prophecy which means, “Eventually your nations will be destroied, and when that time comes, even if you seek the spiritual nourishment, that is, God’s word, you will never obtain it.”
The word of God and the Spirit of God are inseparable. It is the Spirit of God that enables the prophet to speak the word of God, and it is the Spirit of God that enables those who hear the word of God to understand its meaning. Without the Spirit, the word cannot be spoken, and without the Spirit, the word cannot be understood. The prophet Amos prophesied that a famine and thirst of hearing the word of the God would come as God’s judgment. In other words, this is also a famine and thirst for the Spirit of God not being given to people. Just as the earth cannot bear fruit without rain from heaven, so too, without the Spirit of God coming from heaven, the word of God cannot be spoken, and people’s souls will be tormented by a famine and thirst.
In the Old Testament, there was a prophet named Joel. Joel’s prophecies are recorded in the Book of Joel, which is placed between the Book of Hosea and the Book of Amos. However, the Book of Joel does not specify when Joel lived, and there is no consensus among scholars on this point. The Book of Joel prophesies the desolation of Israel caused by locusts devouring crops. It goes without saying that locusts are a terrible scourge for crops. However, according to Joel’s prophecies, the locust plague is merely a precursor to God’s judgment, and eventually, the people of Israel will face destruction through God’s Last Judgment. Joel refers to this day of judgment as “the day of the Lord” and prophesies, “Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is near, and as destruction from the Almighty it comes” (Joel 1:15). He calls upon the people to repent before the day of judgment. This is found in Joel 2:12-13 as follows.
“Yet even now,” declares the LORD,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
And Joel prophesies that if you truly repent, God will once again bring the fruits of the earth to Israel and give you a harvest greater than the damage caused by the locusts. Joel 2:25-26 says as follows.
I will restore to you the years
that the swarming locust has eaten,
the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,
my great army, which I sent among you.
“You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
and praise the name of the LORD your God,
who has dealt wondrously with you.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.
Thus, if crops once again bear fruit on the desolate land, people’s lives will return to normal, and everything will be fine. However, Joel prophesied not only that food, that is, physical nourishment, would be provided, but also that spiritual nourishment would be provided. This is because if people do not receive spiritual nourishment, renew their hearts, and live in obedience to God, they will eventually commit the same sins as before and be destroyed by God’s judgment. This is the prophecy of the coming of the Holy Spirit, recorded in Joel 3:1-5. And in today’s Bible passage, the Apostle Peter quoted this prophecy of Joel 3:1-5 from the Old Testament to explain the coming of the Holy Spirit that occurred in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost.
The events that took place in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost were roughly as follows. Believing in the promise of Christ: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:8), the disciples of Christ were gathered in a room on the second floor of a house in Jerusalem, praying with one heart. Suddenly, there was a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and tongues as of fire appeared and rested on each of them who were praying. Then, those who were there were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues. Some people from foreign countries who heard them were amazed and said, “They are telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” However, others who did not understand what they were telling mocked them, saying, “They are filled with new wine.” The events that occurred on the day of Pentecost were so mysterious and supernatural that no one had ever seen anything like them before, so it was not surprising that some people could not understand their meaning.
However, the Apostle Peter powerfully explained that this mysterious event was nothing other than what had been prophesied long ago in the Old Testament. Please look at verses 14-16 of today’s passage. “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel.”
The Apostle Peter understood the meaning of what was happening among them with the eyes of faith. After stating that it was not the custom of Jews to drink wine in the morning, Peter powerfully testified that this was the fulfillment of what the prophet Joel had prophesied long ago—the gracious event of the Holy Spirit being given to those who repent. Verses 17–18 of today’s passage read as follows.
“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.
In the Old Testament time, receiving the Spirit of God and prophesying, that is, seeing visions and dreams through the work of the Spirit of God and speaking the word of God, was limited to those who had been given the special gift of prophecy. God sent the Holy Spirit to the prophets to reveal his will, and the prophets conveyed God’s will to the people.
However, in this present time, the time of the New Testament, when the love of God has been finally revealed to the world through Jesus Christ, it is said that “all flesh” will be able to receive the Spirit of God and speak the word of God. The phrase “all flesh” here refers to all nations. It also refers to both men and women, young and old. It means that “all flesh” will receive the Spirit of God and be able to speak the word of God, that is, the love of God revealed through Jesus Christ. In other words, using the another passage of the Bible, it means that the time has come when “all flesh” can confidently say what is written in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” It is the time when God’s love is not only witnessed and proclaimed within the small nation of Israel but throughout the entire world. What a joyful time this is!
However, it is also prophesied that this joyful time will eventually come to an end and face God’s judgment. Verses 19-20 of today’s passage state as follows.
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.
“The great and magnificent day” refers to the Last Day of the Last Judgment when God will judge all things at the end of the world. “Wonders in the heavens” likely refers to the celestial anomalies mentioned in verse 20, such as the sun turning dark and the moon turning red like blood. Christ also speaks of celestial anomalies appearing just before the Last Judgment in Luke 21:25, saying, “There will be signs in sun and moon and stars.” Furthermore, “signs on the earth” likely refers to “blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke” mentioned next. “Blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke” likely refer to the bloodshed and destruction caused by war. However, it is important to note that, according to Christ’s teachings, war is not the Last Judgment itself, but merely a precursor to it. That is, Christ teaches in Luke 21:9, “And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.”
The Bible teaches that the end of the world, or the Last Judgment, will occur after the gospel of Christ’s salvation has been preached throughout the whole world (Matthew 24:14). In other words, now that the Holy Spirit has come and all people can testify to God’s love and Christ’s work of salvation, we are in a grace period until the Last Judgment. God is patiently waiting during this grace period, sending his Spirit to people, enabling them to testify to the name of Christ the Saviour, and providing for the salvation of hungry and thirsty souls by Christ’s grace.
The prophecy of Joel quoted here is concluded with the short but important words in verse 21 of today’s passage: “Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” In the context of the Acts of the Apostles, “the name of the Lord” refers to the name of Jesus Christ. Therefore, those who call upon the name of Jesus Christ and seek his grace, that is, the forgiveness of sins and eternal life, will be saved even when the day of the Last Judgment comes. To be saved even in the Last Judgment means that we will be saved even in the midst of various trials and disasters in this world, such as sickness, poverty, persecution, and conspiracy. Moreover, it means that even in the midst of the seemingly final event of our physical death, our souls will be saved. By believing that Christ died on the cross and was resurrected, our souls are freed from sin and death.
In Romans 10:9, the Apostle Paul says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” He then cites Joel 3:5 in Romans 10:13 as the reason, saying, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Then, in verses 14-15, he asks, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’” In other words, being sent by Christ to proclaim salvation and receiving salvation through Christ are inseparably connected.
You gather at church on Sundays to be nourished by Christ’s word and the Holy Spirit. And you are sent by Christ to live in this world as witnesses of Christ. Some people bear witness to Christ in a special and direct way, that is, by serving in the church or in Christian organisations. Others bear witness to Christ in a more general and indirect way, that is, by remembering Christ’s will in their workplaces, schools, and homes and fulfilling their respective duties. Whether these witnesses are direct or indirect, the driving power behind it is the word of God and the Spirit of God, the word of Christ and the Spirit of Christ. The coming of the Holy Spirit means that the Spirit of God, i.e., the Spirit of Christ, is given to those who believe. Christians are given the mission to bear witness to Christ and the gifts to fulfil that mission. That mission and those gifts show us the direction in which we should live and give us the power to live.