Page 67 - Christology - Student Textbook

pale. . . before them, the earth shakes, the heavens tremble” (2:6, 10-11). The LORD’s army could
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have been either the Assyrians or the Babylonians.

Joel states that judgment was a result of their continual rebellion against the Lord (2:12-17). As Hays
argues, “those verses point to the need for inward repentance and not hypocritical outward-only
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repentance.” Upon their repentance, the Holy Spirit was going to come upon all of them. This
stands in sharp contrast in the Old Testament where the Holy Spirit was poured out only on limited
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number of people. Hays argues, grounded on the Old Testament teaching that the Spirit of
Yahweh is linked to “three themes: presence, power, and revelation from Yahweh.” So, Jesus’
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promises to send the Holy Spirit to His disciples [Luke 24:29; John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7) is the
confirmation of Joel’s prophesy and was partially fulfilled in Acts 2. The final fulfillment will come
during the “Day of the Lord” when all Israel will come to recognize Jesus as their Messiah.

John states other purposes for His coming; to be another advocate (John 14:26), to guide us into all
the truth by means of teaching us and bringing to remembrance all that Jesus Christ said (John
14:26; 15:26).

The Exercise of His Authority over Everything

Jesus Christ is sovereign Lord over all the creation. His sovereignty is reflected in the fact that
nothing that happens in this world is not under this control. David heard the LORD saying to his Lord
to sit at the LORD’s right hand until He has subjected the Lord’s foes under the Lord’s (Jesus’) feet as
His footstool (Ps 110:1). Even Christ’s enemies are subject to Him. Christ’s sovereignty past,
present, and future is clearly expressed in Philippians 2: 5-11 (ESV):

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form
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of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the
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form of a servant being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled
himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God
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has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the
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name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every
tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Peter, in his sermon asserted that that Jesus has been made Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). Further,
Peter tells us that Jesus after His resurrection went to heaven and sat at God’s right hand with
angels, authorities, and powers in submission to Him (1 Pet 3:21-22). Paul in Ephesians argues that
“all things are under His feet” and He was given the headship “over all things to the church, which is
His body, the fullness of him who fills all in all” (Eph. 1:22 [ESV]).

There is a plethora of passages that strongly state Jesus’ authority over all things. Jesus Christ is in
authority over all things. However, in His grace, He is allowing rebellion against His authority to
continue for a while, giving mankind an opportunity to submit to His sovereignty voluntarily. But the
time will come when every man recognizes Him as the sovereign of the universe. He currently is our

157 Hays, The Message of the Prophets: A Survey of the Prophetic and Apocalyptic Books of the Old
Testament, 278.

158 Ibid., 279.
159 Ibid., 282.

160 Ibid.

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