Immediately after preaching the Gospel, the next recorded event in Acts is Peter healing the lame man begging outside the Temple gate. “Then Peter said, ‘Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.’ And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength” (Acts 3:6-7). Just as Jesus instructed, his disciples preached the Word with signs and wonders following.
       Peter then launches into a second sermon on the plaza outside the actual Temple, a place called Solomon’s Porch. When you read the sermon, it definitely would not be called a “seeker-friendly” presentation.
        Not surprisingly, given Peter’s personality, he tells it like it is. “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses” (Acts 3:13-15). Peter goes on to explain that it is in the name of Jesus that this man was healed. There’s power in the Name!
       Then Peter’s teaching softens, showing how truth and grace work together to present the full Gospel of Jesus’ finished work. “Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled” (vs. 17-18). It is the nature of the mystery-plan that even though it was spoken on the earth, it was not fully revealed until this appointed time.
      “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, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 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” (vs. 19-21).
        Again, we not only see the chronos times and kairos signs being preached, but Peter even goes so far in this second recorded sermon to talk about Christ returning at the appointed time. Peter tells them it is all in the Book.
        The Chronos Lesson: In Hebrews 10:25 we are told to make sure we come together to fellowship and encourage one another in the faith. This becomes even more important as the Day of Christ’s return draws near. Because of scoffers and the accelerated lawlessness, it’s easy to get our eyes off His Word and onto our earthly circumstances. Assembling together to encourage one another is important, particularly when it is centered on the true end-time doctrines. When we understand the times, we know what to do.
       We can make sure our priorities are right and that we’re focusing on being light and preaching the Gospel with signs and wonders following. “For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established—that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me” (Rom. 1:11-12). We need these times of refreshing whereby the presence of God is manifested among us. 

      In Acts 1 we see Jesus ascending into Heaven where He presented the final blood sacrifice on the Mercy Seat once for all, having obtained eternal redemption (Heb. 9:12). In Acts 2 we see the distinguishing trait of the latter Days—the outpouring of the Spirit on believers.
      The many disciples in the upper room are praying in the Spirit, speaking in other tongues that they have not learned themselves. Since the upper room was typically a flat room on top of the house, the many pilgrims in the streets of Jerusalem for the feast could hear the disciples loud and clear. Miraculously, the languages the disciples were speaking by the Spirit just so happened to be the languages represented by the pilgrims.
      Not in tune with the move of the Spirit at that moment, the masses automatically assume that the disciples are drunk on wine. That doesn’t make sense to me because usually when a person is drunk they have a hard time speaking in their own language, let alone an unknown language!
       So Peter steps up to explain what is happening. This is the first sermon being preached under the inspiration of the Spirit after Jesus’ resurrection. So what does God choose as the topic? The chronos times and seasons! “This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh…” (Acts 2:16-17).
       Peter quotes Joel 2:28-32, which was a prophecy concerning this New Covenant feature. Isaiah 44:3, Ezekiel 11:19, Zechariah 12:10, and Christ (John 7:38) likewise prophesied about this same feature.
       Peter then passes along what Jesus taught them on the Mount of Olives about the signs of this age and the Lord’s return. “I will show wonders in Heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:19-21).
       In case you’re wondering, the final sign of darkness and a blood-red moon is not the same as the various eclipses and blood moons that so often coincide with specific events on the earth during the Church Age. Those do not cover the whole earth simultaneously. They are meant as signs, but they’re not the FINAL sign because it shall come at the end of the sixth great Day. Their increased frequency, however, does alert us that the time is drawing nearer for the final sign.
       The Chronos Lesson: Peter then goes on to summarize Jesus’ earthly ministry that the disciples would be continuing by the Spirit. As he draws to a close, Peter quotes from Psalm 110, which is a prophetic messianic Psalm about Christ’s millennial reign over the earth. “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool’ ” (vs. 1).
       So if you ever hear someone say that the end-times doctrine is not important, ask them why the Spirit of God made it the topic of the very first sermon preached after Jesus’ death and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on believers. It was a timely message at the beginning of the Church Age, and it is even timelier now! It’s time to get our “act” together.   

      The truth of the extended nature of the tribulation that Jesus taught means that the Church has always lived in tribulation. We don’t have to fear a future great tribulation because we’re already in it. We’ve always have been in it. And yet we’re still here! How is this possible? Jesus told us. “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
       Are you born of God? Then you have nothing to fear. “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4-5).
         And that’s not all. Because our sins are forgiven and because we know Him, we have overcome the wicked one. Satan can’t touch us unless we allow him access. All he can do is go about as a roaring lion trying to intimidate us with his foul mouth: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Notice it says may devour, not shall devour. So don’t let him. Do what Jesus did with Satan. Speak the Word of God and Satan will flee.
        How is it that we have overcome the wicked? “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them [evil spiritual forces], because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).  The greater one in us is God’s Spirit in our spirit. It is the Spirit who shows us what needs to be said and done in each situation we encounter. The Bible calls this the rhema Word of God; it is a “now” word based on God’s written Word (logos).
         Romans 12:21 summarizes our stance of faith in these times: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
       The Chronos Lesson: Since we are looking at our position as overcomers, I’ll jump ahead a bit to look at what Jesus taught about being overcomers in Revelation. The book opens with a vision of Jesus in the midst of His Body, as symbolized by the seven lampstands. In chapters 2 and 3, Jesus instructs John to write personalized instructions to seven churches in Asia Minor. As with everything else in our New Testament, what applies to the churches then applies to the churches now.
         Jesus points out some good things and some not so good things going on in the churches. We should expect this because churches are comprised of imperfect people, all of whom are on various stages of their walk with Christ. Jesus doesn’t ignore the negative issues; He offers the antidote, a revelation of Himself that they need to see and put into practice.
         Jesus also issues a promise to the overcomers. Consider this: are you forgiven in Christ? Yes, so you have overcome the power of sin in your life. “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2). It’s the law! This means that every single promise found in these letters applies to every believer in the Age to Come and into eternity and beyond!

• We shall eat from the Tree of Life.
• We shall not be hurt by the second death (eternal life in damnation).
• We shall eat of the hidden manna.
• We shall receive a white stone with a new, personalized name for each of us.
• We shall be given power over the nations.
• We have been given the Morning Star, which is Jesus Christ.
• We shall be clothed in white garments of righteousness.
• Our name shall not be blotted out from the Book of Life.
• Jesus shall confess our name before the Father and the angels.
• We shall be made a pillar in the Temple of God and shall go out no more.
• He shall write the name of God, the name of the City (New Jerusalem), and Jesus’ new name on us.
• He shall grant unto us to sit with Jesus on the throne.

 
       “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in Heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5). We are kept by the power of God! Amen!

     Isaiah prophesied about the shift from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant, and its implication concerning the mystery-plan. “I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and from Judah an heir of My mountains; My elect shall inherit it, and My servants shall dwell there” (Isaiah 65:9).
      This Messianic prophecy affirms the New Testament truth that Jesus Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, is the rightful Heir of God’s Mountain. In other words, He is the Heir of God’s kingdom. The passage, though, reveals even greater mysteries, for it says His elect—the called out ones—will also inherit it and that His servants shall dwell there. The Church, His Body and Bride,  are joint-heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17).
       Hebrews 1 explains that when Jesus completed His mission of purging mankind of sin, He “sat down at the right hand of God, having become much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they” (vs. 3-4). Jesus inherited His Father’s throne, as well as a Name that is above every other name, not only in this age, but in the ages to come. Therefore, it is an eternal inheritance. When the heavenlies are rolled back to reveal the spiritual realm at His coming, the whole world shall first see Jesus seated on His throne!
      “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.  You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions” (Heb. 1:8-9). As God’s firstborn Son in resurrection, it is His birthright to be appointed “the heir of all things” (Heb. 1: 2).
         Yet it doesn’t end there. “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren” (Heb. 2:9-11).
       You see, the mystery-plan not only called for the destruction of the one who held the power of death (the Devil), but that Jesus might also bring forth many sons to glory. And since these other brethren proceed from the same Father, Jesus is not ashamed to call them His brethren. In case you’re wondering who these other brethren are, Hebrews 3:1 tells us.  It is the holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, because of their confession of Jesus Christ as their High Priest and Savior. We are the elect, the called out ones who likewise inherit the kingdom.
          The Chronos Lesson: During Days 5 and 6 (when counting from Adam), we are being “set apart” in order to participate in His calling. “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” (Rom. 8:15-17).
       We call this divine appointment the chronos appointment because it is a limited time offer. It was not offered during the Old Testament era, for the right to be included in the sonship of the Firstborn did not begin until the preaching of Christ. Therefore, we are called “the Church of the Firstborn” (Heb. 12:23).
        Furthermore, the offer will not remain on the table indefinitely. This inheritance and heavenly calling only applies to the adoption or placing of the sons—those who will have received Christ as the Savior by faith, without having seen Him coming in the clouds at His return. This calling has always been by faith.
         After the rapture at the start of the Day of the Lord, others will still be able to accept Jesus as their Savior. They will become part of the family of God, the redeemed. But because they did not believe until they saw Him coming, they will not be part of the Body of Christ, and therefore will not be part of the immortal heavenly government.
       After Jesus rose from the dead, He met His disciples on a mountain and gave them this mission: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Notice how God wanted them to use His power. To manifest utopia? No, to be His witnesses, living testimonies of the power of God at work in human lives.
          Our assignment has cosmic implications for all eternity. The only way justice can be served and evil destroyed is to deal with the Devil once and for all, and deal with the fallen nature of mankind. Of course, we can only do this by the power of the Spirit for now. That is why Paul calls us God’s fellow workers and laborers together with God (1 Cor. 3:9).
       This is the servant heart of Christ. It moves us beyond simply asking Him to do things for us, even though that is part of our covenant. We willingly align ourselves with His desires, plans, and purposes. He desires that all mankind be saved and come into the knowledge of the Truth (1 Tim. 2:4).