Acts 2:20 describes the sun turning to darkness and the moon turning to blood as signs that the great and glorious day of the Lord is coming. Peter says this, standing before a crowd in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, and he is quoting the prophet Joel to explain what the crowd is witnessing. The words are aimed at the people of Israel who gathered in the city for the feast.
The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.
Acts 2:20 (WEB)
What Acts 2:20 Means
The verse uses dramatic cosmic imagery. The sun, the moon and the sky were understood in the ancient world as the great lights that ordered time and gave stability to daily life. When they are described as darkened or bloodied, the picture is of the familiar order of creation being shaken. The language is taken from the Hebrew prophets, who often used such images to speak of God stepping into history with decisive judgment and deliverance.
The phrase “the great and glorious day of the Lord” points to a moment when God’s purposes come to full expression. Peter’s point is that the events of Pentecost, the Spirit poured out and the followers of Jesus speaking in many languages, are part of a larger movement that God has been unfolding. The verse does not give a timetable or a chart of future events. It emphasizes that God is at work in history and will bring it to its appointed end.
The Context of Acts 2:20
The book of Acts was written by Luke, the companion of Paul and the author of the Gospel that bears his name. He wrote to a man named Theophilus and to the wider early church, tracing how the message of Jesus spread from Jerusalem outward. Acts 2 records the first major public proclamation of the risen Christ, and Peter’s speech is the first sermon in the book.
Just before verse 20, Peter quotes Joel’s promise that God will pour out the Spirit on all people, sons and daughters, young and old. Just after it, he declares that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, and then turns to his hearers to accuse them of crucifying Jesus. Read in that setting, the cosmic signs are not an isolated warning. They frame a message in which the outpouring of the Spirit, the offer of salvation and the call to repentance all belong together.
Key Phrases in Acts 2:20
Joel 2:31
The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes.
(WEB)
This is the Old Testament passage Peter is quoting, and it describes the same darkening of the sun and moon. Reading it alongside Acts 2:20 shows how the New Testament writers saw the prophetic promises finding their fulfillment in the events of Pentecost and the ministry of Jesus.
Revelation 6:12
I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became as blood.
(WEB)
John’s vision in Revelation uses similar cosmic imagery to depict the opening of the sixth seal. Seeing the two passages together helps you notice how the biblical writers consistently use the shaking of the heavens to speak of God’s decisive action in history.
A Short Prayer From Acts 2:20
Lord, you are the one who holds the sun and the moon in their places and who will bring history to its appointed end. When the world feels unsettled and the signs around me seem heavy, remind me that you are not surprised by any of it. Pour out your Spirit on me as you promised, and give me the courage to speak of Jesus with confidence. Let my hope rest in your great and glorious day rather than in the things that shake. Keep me faithful until you come, and let my life point others toward your saving name. Amen.