In 3:19-26 Peter exhorts the Jews to repent and turn so that they may partake of and enjoy the ascended and coming Christ. Here Peter seems to be saying, “You did something very foolish, but now you need to repent and turn so that you may partake of the ascended and coming Christ and enjoy Him. Christ is the Servant of God, the Holy One, the Righteous One, and the Author of life. He has accomplished everything, and He has attained and obtained all things. He is now in the heavens, but He will come back. This Christ is your portion. Repent, turn, and come to participate in Him and enjoy Him. If you come to Him you will enjoy Him.” This was the emphasis of Peter’s second speaking to the Jews.
In 3:19 Peter said to the Jews, “Repent therefore and turn, that your sins may be wiped away, so that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” Literally the Greek word for “refreshing” means cooling, reviving; hence, relieving, refreshing. The seasons of refreshing denote a time of revival of all things with joy and rest. These seasons of refreshing refer to the times of the restoration of all things mentioned in 3:21. The times of restoration will be brought in by the coming of the Messiah in His glory, as taught and prophesied by the Savior in Matthew 19:28.
It seems that Peter’s word in 3:19 skips over the church age and goes directly from the time of Pentecost to the millennium. This may indicate that Peter did not have a clear vision concerning the church age in God’s New Testament economy, as the entire New Testament reveals, that is, that before the seasons of refreshing, the church occupies a considerable period of time in God’s dispensation.
We have pointed out that the seasons of refreshing are times of cooling, reviving, relieving. Have you ever entered into such a season of refreshing? Have you experienced such a time of joy and rest? Actually, every proper conversion is a season of refreshing. Every genuine regeneration is a time of enjoyment. When we were saved, we had a time of enjoyment. During that time we had joy and peace. We enjoyed Christ Himself as our joy and peace. To some extent, we all have experienced this.
Actually, the season of refreshing is Christ Himself. When we have Him, we have Him as our refreshing. He is our enjoyment and peace.
In 3:20 and 21 Peter says, “And He may send Him who has been appointed for you, Christ Jesus, whom heaven must indeed receive until the times of restoration of all things, of which God spoke through the mouth of His holy prophets from of old.” The times of restoration of all things are the times of restoration in the millennium, as prophesied in Isaiah 11:1-10 and 65:18-25, and referred to by Christ in Matthew 17:11 and 19:28. The times of restoration of all things will be brought in by His coming back.