Disciples Global Network

In the Book of Acts , the application of Joel’s prophecy to the events of the Day of Pentecost links the outpouring of the Spirit on the Church to the start of the “ Last Days .” The activity of the Spirit beginning that day is essential for understanding the rapid spread of the Gospel from Jerusalem to the center of the Roman Empire. That same process must continue until the “ arrival ” or ‘ Parousia ’ of Jesus at the end of the present age.

Во всех четырех Евангелиях один и тот же отрывок из Книги пророка Исаии относится к Иоанну Крестителю, посланнику, который призывал людей покаяться “ для отпущения грехов ”, готовясь к приходу Мессии. В этом отрывке Иоанн назван предтечей, которого ожидали перед “ Днем Господним ” - “ Гласом вопиющего в пустыне: приготовьте путь Господу ” - (Исаия 40:3-5).

The New Testament links the “ Promise of the Spirit ” to the “ Blessings of Abraham ,” the promise that God would bless the nations through the Great Patriarch. The Spirit is the gift believers receive “ through the hearing of faith .” It is part of the covenant promises given to Abraham, and Peter connected this gift to the “ blessings ” for the nations during his sermon on the Day of Pentecost.

The biblical faith is forward-looking . Foundational to it is the resurrection and gathering of the Elect when Jesus returns on the Last Day. Our future resurrection is based on his past resurrection, and our salvation remains incomplete until he raises us from the dead, transforms believers who are still alive when he arrives, and “ gathers ” us all to Himself (“ He will send his angels to assemble his elect from the ends of the Earth to the ends of the heavens ”).

Jesus revealed the proper form and location for worshipping the Father to the woman at the well in Samaria. With the advent of the Messiah, concepts and traditions about holy space and time are now irrelevant. The presence of the Messiah rendered the historical debate over the location of the Temple moot, for the worship of God must be performed in truth and spirit .

Jesus declared, “ The Spirit makes alive. The flesh profits nothing. The words which I have spoken to you, they are spirit, and they are life .” His statement echoed the principle that life and the Spirit of God are inextricably linked. There is no lasting or full life without the Holy Spirit. This principle was demonstrated at the creation, and the same Spirit is essential for the resurrection of believers and everlasting life in the future.