What Does Acts 2:20 Mean? - Knowing Jesus

So what is the Day of the Lord, about to which Joel and many holy men of God refer, and what 'day' are we currently living in? Well, the moment Adam sinned, his fellowship with God was broken and could be labelled the 'day of man' or the day when Satan, the prince of the power of the air, began his demonic rule. But a special 'day' is coming when God Himself will once again intervene in history and bring all things back under His sovereign authority.

One part of Joel's great prophecy, which describes supernatural signs in the heavens together with wonders taking place on the earth, has yet to be fulfilled and in Acts 2:20 we read: "The sun will be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and remarkable Day of the Lord comes."

As we search God's Word, we discover many references to this remarkable day. Some Scriptures describe it as a terrible day of darkness when God's wrath is poured out on an unbelieving world, while other passages describe the glories of a coming kingdom of peace and prosperity, when Christ comes in power and great glory to rule the earth with a rod of iron and is crowned as King of kings and Lord of lords.

We recognise that the passages describing the days of deep darkness refer to Daniel's 70th week (the first 7 years of the Day of the Lord), which will occur after the Church has been raptured into heavenly places, when Christ comes in the clouds for His people. And the passages of peace and hope, when the lion lies down with the lamb and the earth is filled with His glory, refer to the 1000 year reign of Christ, following the first 7 years. This is the second part of the Day of the Lord, to which Joel is referring.

Joel tells us that BEFORE that great and remarkable Day of the Lord comes, the sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood. Will we who believe in Christ see the sun go dark and the moon turn to blood? Maybe. But we will not suffer God's wrath during the Great Tribulation for Christ took the punishment on our account. God's wrath was poured out on Him instead of us, and there is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus. However, we will certainly participate as kings and priests in the remarkable Day of the Lord, during the glorious reign of Christ, for He has promised and His promises never fail.

At the end of the 7 year Tribulation period, which is the period when God's wrath is poured out on a God-hating, Christ-rejecting, sinful world, national Israel will finally acknowledge Jesus as Lord and call out to Him for salvation. He will come in great power and glory to save His people and every eye will see Him, and then the Word of the Lord through the prophet Joel will reach its full and final completion: "In the last days, says God, I will pour out My Spirit on all humanity; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. I will even pour out My Spirit on My male and female slaves in those days, and they will prophesy. I will display wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below: blood and fire and a cloud of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and remarkable day of the Lord comes; then whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."