Acts 3:20 speaks of a future time when Jesus Christ will be sent back to his people. Peter says this sending is connected to a season of refreshment that comes from the Lord’s presence after people turn back to God. The verse is part of a sermon Peter preached in Jerusalem after healing a lame man at the temple gate.
And that he may send Christ Jesus, who was ordained for you before…
Acts 3:20 (WEB)
What Acts 3:20 Means
The verse opens with “that he may send,” which tells us the sending is an event God has planned and will carry out. The “he” is God, and the one sent is Christ Jesus. Peter is pointing ahead to a future coming, not describing something already finished in his own day.
The phrase “who was ordained for you before” says that Jesus was appointed by God from the beginning to be the Savior and King for the people Peter was speaking to. The word “before” refers back to God’s earlier purpose, which had already been revealed through the prophets. Peter is not presenting Jesus as a new idea but as the fulfillment of what God had long promised.
What the verse does not do is give a calendar or a date. It does not explain every detail of how or when this sending will happen, and it does not promise a particular outcome for any single person apart from the call to turn to God. It affirms that God keeps his word and will bring Christ back at the right time, and that this hope is tied to repentance and renewal.
The Context of Acts 3:20
The Book of Acts was written by Luke, who also wrote the Gospel that bears his name. Luke addressed his work to Theophilus and traced how the message about Jesus spread from Jerusalem outward. The first audience of this sermon was a crowd of Jewish people who had gathered at the temple after witnessing the healing.
Just before verse 20, Peter tells the crowd that they acted in ignorance, as did their rulers, and he calls them to repent so their sins may be wiped away. Just after the verse, he explains that heaven must receive Christ until the times of restoration of all things, and he links Jesus to the prophet Moses’ promise. Read this way, verse 20 is the hopeful center of a call to turn back to God, so the promise of Christ’s coming is meant to motivate repentance now.
Key Phrases in Acts 3:20
Romans 8:19
For the creation waits with eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.
(WEB)
Paul describes all creation waiting eagerly for the revealing of God’s children. This echoes Peter’s hope for the restoration of all things and shows that the future Christ brings reaches beyond humanity to the whole created order.
Revelation 22:20
He who testifies these things says, “Yes, I come quickly.” Amen! Yes, come, Lord Jesus.
(WEB)
The last words of the Bible express the church’s longing for Jesus to come. Like Acts 3:20, this verse ties the promise of Christ’s coming to a response of faithful hope and expectation among his people.
A Short Prayer From Acts 3:20
Lord, you have kept your promises from the beginning, and you have not forgotten the hope you gave through the prophets. Help me to turn toward you today and to leave behind whatever keeps me from walking in your ways. Thank you that Jesus was appointed for my good and that you will bring all things to their proper restoration in your time.
Give me patience in the waiting and steady trust when I cannot see how things will unfold. Let the hope of your coming shape how I love the people around me and how I face each day. Amen.
