The Lord's Anointed

Acts 3:17-24

17 "Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. 22 For Moses truly said to the fathers, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. 23 And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.' NKJV

In summary of our previous study we discussed Israel’s sin and rejection of her King. Israel would not have Christ rule over them, because they hated rebuke at the gate.

Amos 5:10-15 They hate the one who rebukes in the gate, and they abhor the one who speaks uprightly. 11 Therefore, because you tread down the poor and take grain taxes from him, though you have built houses of hewn stone, yet you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink wine from them. 12 For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: Afflicting the just and taking bribes; diverting the poor from justice at the gate. 13 Therefore the prudent keep silent at that time, for it is an evil time. 14 Seek good and not evil, that you may live; so the Lord God of hosts will be with you, as you have spoken. 15 Hate evil, love good; establish justice in the gate. It may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. NKJV

The miracle of the lame man at the gate called Beautiful is a sign of judgment and warning to those who abused their power over the poor. The religious leaders crucified the Lord for defending the cause of the poor; and now, because of God’s covenantal love for His chosen nation, He sends again another prophet - Peter, to call them to repentance. Peter explained to them from the Scriptures what they did to Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of God’s promise to their fathers and all who would believe. God is coming to them again for the love of His great name and calling His chosen people to Himself.

Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, . . .

The problem with Israel was that they thought salvation came through them, and to some degree that was true, but once the promise has been fulfilled, Israel needed to turn from trusting in herself to trusting in Jesus Christ. Israel’s leaders failed to see the suffering of her people that God called her to protect. In fact, they leeched off of the people to only protect themselves from the cruelty of Rome. The people of Israel were weak and weary from the oppression of Rome and the burden of carrying the elite of Israel. Peter’s call to repentance comes with a promise of refreshing and rest. If Israel would repent, their sin would be forgiven, the Holy Spirit would restore their dignity, and become a true example to the surrounding nations. Therefore a promise comes with a condition upon their repentance:

Amos 9:11-15 Israel Will Be Restored (cf. Acts 15:16, 17)

"On that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, and repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old; that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name," says the Lord who does this thing. "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord, "When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; the mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; they shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them," Says the Lord your God. NKJV

It is important to note that God always makes a distinction between “the remnant of Edom”, also known as the Gentiles, and who the Holy Spirit calls, “My people Israel”. God is not promising to rebuild the wasted cities of the Gentiles or to bring back Gentile captives who will never be pulled up from their land again; but promised only as it was written, “My people Israel”. None of the other promises to Israel about being brought back from captivity are like this one, in that; the promise extends to never being pulled up again. But notice what it does say about the Gentiles, that when the “tabernacle of David” is rebuilt, the Gentiles will be Israel’s possession; because the Lord will be her God and the gospel will go forth in full victory (Rev.19:21). This particular prophesy was also quoted later at the Jerusalem counsel to liberate the Gentiles from the burden of trying to keep the heavy yoke of the Mosaic Law for salvation. (Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? Acts 15:10-11 NKJV) The rest of Amos’s prophesy is referring to Israel.

Many believe that a ‘temple’ will be rebuilt, but this is not a promise of God. God does not promise to rebuild “Solomon’s temple”, but David’s tabernacle. The tabernacle was a portable tent that contained all the elements for proper worship in Israel, but because David and the previous Judges were constantly at war, it needed to be portable. It also needed to be portable during Moses leadership, because they had not yet entered the Promised Land. God promises to rebuild a tabernacle that He Himself will dwell in, because He Himself will be like David, ruling with a rod of iron over the Gentile nations during His future millennial reign (Rev.19:5;20:4-6). We also established in a previous study that this millennial reign cannot be referred to only as a metaphor, but a literal one thousand years. The Lord will always rule the nations from His throne, but we established that His throne is in heaven and the Holy Spirit now rules in the earth through the body of Christ – the church.

Ps 2 Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, 3 "Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us." 4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision. 5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure: 6 "Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion." 7 "I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.'" 10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings; be instructed, you judges of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him. NKJV

Therefore, if Israel continues in her rejection of God’s chosen Messiah as the Scriptures testify, then they will have to endure the great tribulation and the outpouring of His wrath. ("Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened. Matt 24:15-16; 21-22 NKJV)

The sad truth is that Israel doesn’t repent at Peter’s call. Israel will continue in her rebellion until God gives her eyes to see and ears to hear the message. The times of refreshing and or the times of restoration will not come to the land of Israel until she repents and then The Lord Jesus Christ shall return.

. . . so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, . . .

Because the word “times” is in the plural it brings in the idea of sanctification. But the subject is the national people of Israel, therefore their repentance will come in stages. Israel has already been ‘restored’ to a nation again, but the people as a whole have not crowned Jesus Christ as King. When they do look upon Him as their King these times will be consummated into one final season. John MacArthur in his commentary puts it this way:

Repentance would not only bring the individual blessing of forgiveness of sin, but ultimately collective blessing also. The phrase times of refreshing refers to the millennial kingdom. For generations, Israel had waited anxiously for that kingdom. They longed to see Messiah reign personally on the earth and to have their enemies vanquished. The prophets had spoken of a glorious period of rest for the people who had known little peace over the centuries. Tragically, when the King came to offer that kingdom, they rejected Him. And, as Peter points out, it is impossible to have the kingdom without accepting the King.

Kairos (times) points to a fixed, set, or predetermined time. Jesus used it in Acts 1:7 to answer the disciples’ query about the restoration of the kingdom. He told them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.” God’s sovereign determination of the time of the kingdom encompasses Israel’s repentance. It is only when “all Israel [is] saved” that “the Deliverer will come from Zion” (Rom. 11:26).

MacArthur, John: Acts. Chicago : Moody Press, 1994, c1996, S. 117

MacArthur also notes that these times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord, not through human effort, but by the mighty hand of God. In John’s Revelation we read about the two witnesses who have power to do signs and wonders.

Rev 11:6 These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire. NKJV

The two prophets will be the forerunners of the second coming of Christ. These ordinary men will be exercising extreme faith for their people – Israel, calling them again to repentance; therefore the stages of Israel’s repentance brings “refreshing” or rest until it’s consummation in Christ’s return. Upon His return, as MacArthur noted, it will be a “fixed” period of time in which John’s Revelation also reveals a literal one thousand year exaltation of Christ and Satan being chained to a bottomless pit (Rev.20).

. . . and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, . . .

Here again we know that the second coming of Jesus Christ is dependent upon Israel’s repentance. Therefore all the more reason the church should be praying for Israel’s repentance, not their extermination. The church should be praying for the fulfillment of these prophesies, so that we should no longer continue in sin.

Rom 6:1-3 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? NKJV

May God raise up these two olive trees and a people in Israel to lead her back to her King! Jesus has been preached to them through His life, death, and resurrection; and now again through the early church which was praying for Israel’s destruction, as it has already occurred in A.D.70. Since then the church has been praying for Israel’s restoration and the Lord has answered her prayer in 1948. But Israel and the church still await for the consummation of "the times of restoration".

. . . whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things,. . .

This also demolishes the idea of Amillennialism; the teaching that there is no Personal earthly reign of Jesus Christ. In a previous study we saw how the disciples watched Christ ascend into heaven and were given a promise of His return and that they were not to know the day or the hour – even the seasons, in which He will restore the kingdom to Israel. However when the church was given the Holy Spirit, Peter and the other disciples preached His Name unto their deaths. But we have seen the stages of the seasons, but the day (of the Lord) and hour (final judgment) has yet to be fulfilled (Rev.20). But we do know that it will not be fulfilled until Israel repents, therefore we reach out to our mother – Israel – and call her to repentance. The kingdom will not be restored to Israel until the Holy Spirit reigns in her heart again and only then the Person of Jesus Christ will return and destroy the surrounding nations who exalt themselves against her. Therefore we wait for the restoration of “all things”.

. . . which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.

Peter is drawing his authority from the Scriptures and in what God has spoken will come to pass. In other words, he is not declaring something new, but reiterating and clarifying something old, as will the two end time witnesses. Peter is not adding to or subtracting from what God has already said. Peter is preaching with authority knowing who his God is, and what his God has said; also being willing to lose his life for it. Peter preached Jesus Christ and Him crucified.