In Acts 2, after Peter and the disciples receive the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost and speak in other languages, the people in Israel accuse them of being drunk. In response to that, Peter recites from Joel 2:28-32. In that passage, Joel is speaking about the tribulation of Israel and the work of the Holy Spirit in that time. Peter points out that the Jews who knew the words of the prophet Joel, should have recognized this because activities like this were foretold.

While it is quite obvious that the time period in which Joel was foretelling was not yet happening in Acts 2, the same type of work of the spirit was happening.

“And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved;” -Joel 2:32 & Acts 2:21

The recitation of this passage, specifically verse 21, by Peter in the New Testament has led many to view it as evangelistic in nature, telling people how to receive eternal life. However, it becomes glaringly obvious that eternal life is not in view if the passages are read in context.

It is important to note that just because the word saved is said in the Bible, it doesn’t always mean salvation in the sense of eternal life. In his book, “The Ten Most Misunderstood Words in the Bible”, Robert Wilkin says, “The words save and salvation in everyday life refer to a wide range of deliverances. The same is true in the Bible. In both the Old Testament and in the New Testament, the words save and salvation refer to many types of deliverance and not just to deliverance from eternal condemnation.” He goes on to say that “there are no uses of the words save or salvation in the Old Testament that refer specifically to deliverance from hell and the gaining of eternal life….In the New Testament only three in ten uses of salvation (sōtēria) and save (sōzō) refer to salvation from eternal condemnation and to obtaining eternal life. That means that 70% of the time in the New Testament the words save or salvation do not mean what most people think they mean.”

In Joel 2 the prophet uses the imagery of a locust infestation to describe the invasion of the King of the North(Ez. 38:15, Dan. 11:40) in the last days. In Revelation 9 the apostle John also uses the imagery of the locusts to describe what some believe to be the same army prophesied in Joel. These events, of course take place in the tribulation when Israel is attacked. During that “time of Jacob’s Trouble” those in danger will be saved or delivered from the terrors if they “call on the name of the Lord”. The Hebrew word (mālaṭ) used for “saved” there means “to slip away, escape, be delivered”. It is used approximately 95 times in the Old Testament and is used to refer to physical deliverance from physical harm in almost every usage. It fits perfectly in this passage in Joel, as it is speaking of a physical threat from a physical army.

The only reason why people get the wrong idea that it is referring to eternal life is because it is quoted when speaking to an audience of unbelievers in the New Testament. That is why context matters. Peter will go on to share the truth of Christ to that audience later, but in that particular part of the dialogue, he is simply quoting from the Old Testament prophet to remind them about the works of the spirit.

It is important to always keep the context of a passage in mind, especially when dealing with the topic of eternal life. In real estate there is common phrase “Location, location, location”. Location determines everything in real estate. Similarly, when reading scripture, the phrase is “Context, context, context”. Context determines everything.