And when the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared to them tongues like fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.
5 Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 So they were astounded and marveling, saying, “Behold, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we each hear them in our own language in which we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the district of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.” 12 And they all continued in astonishment and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others, mocking, were saying, “They are full of new wine.” Acts 2: 1-13
Acts 2: 1-3
…17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”… Matthew 16: 17-19
37On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’” 39He was speaking about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. For the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.… John 7: 37-39
V. 1 And when the day of Pentecost had fully come - Pentecost is 50 days after the Feast of First Fruits, and it falls on the first day of the week, Sunday.
15 ‘You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete sabbaths. 16 You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then you shall bring a new grain offering near to Yahweh. 17 You shall bring in from your places of habitation two loaves of bread for a wave offering, made of two-tenths of an [d]ephah; they shall be of a fine flour, baked with leaven as first fruits to Yahweh. 18 Along with the bread you shall bring near seven one year old male lambs without blemish and a bull from the herd and two rams; they shall be a burnt offering to Yahweh, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to Yahweh. 19 You shall also offer one male goat for a sin offering and two male lambs one year old for a sacrifice of peace offerings. 20 The priest shall then wave them with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering with two lambs before Yahweh; they shall be holy to Yahweh for the priest. 21 On this same day you shall make a proclamation as well; it shall be a holy convocation for you. You shall do no laborious work. It is to be a perpetual statute in all your places of habitation throughout your generations.
22 ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, moreover, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field nor gather the gleaning of your harvest; you are to leave them for the afflicted and the sojourner. I am Yahweh your God.’” Leviticus 23: 15-22
The day of Pentecost - The "when" is the day of Pentecost known by several other names -- The Festival of the Harvest of the First Fruits (Ex 23:16) and "the Feast of Weeks, that is, the first fruits of the wheat harvest" (Ex 34:22) which is celebrated by modern Jews as Shabuoth/Shavuot (or Shavual). The Day of Pentecost was an annual Jewish feast that was held in Jerusalem and was likely the best attended of the three required feasts (Three times in a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread and at the Feast of Weeks and at the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles - Dt 16:16, 2 Chr 8:13b), because the weather conditions were the most amenable to travel. Pentecost is also called the Day of First-fruits (Nu 28:26) (NOTE: NOT FEAST OF FIRST FRUITS WHICH WAS THE THIRD SPRING FEAST IN THE CHART BELOW) because on that day the first loaves made from the wheat harvest were offered to the Lord. It was to be a joyful time in recognition of Yahweh's provision for that year's harvest. In this sense, Pentecost is similar to our holiday in America called Thanksgiving. Note that if Pentecost was fifty days later (seven weeks plus one day) then Pentecost also took place on the first day of the week. "Christians assemble and worship on Sunday, the first day of the week, because on that day our Lord arose from the dead, but it was also the day on which the Holy Spirit was given to the church." (Wiersbe Bible Exposition Commentary ) - PA
Spurgeon comments on the relationship between giving of Law to Moses and giving of the Spirit - If you will count the days, you will find that it was exactly fifty days after the original Passover that the law was given on Mount Sinai. Many careful readers have observed this, but have feared to attach importance to the fact because the Jews did not connect it with Pentecost. Now we assert that as the inauguration of the law was on Pentecost, so also was the inauguration of the Gospel. At the commencement of the Old Testament dispensation, what manifestation do we get? God gives his people a law. At the commencement of the New Testament dispensation, what do we get? A law? No, the Lord gives his people the Spirit. That is a very different matter. Under the old covenant the command was given; but under the new covenant the will and the power to obey are bestowed upon us by the Holy Spirit. No more have we the law upon stone, but the Spirit writes the precept upon the fleshy tablets of the heart. Moses on the mount can only tell us what to do, but Jesus ascended on high pours out the power to do it. Now we are not under the law, but under grace, and the Spirit is our guiding force. In the church of God our rule is not according to the letter of a law, but according to the Spirit of the Lord. Some people look for a specific ordinance for every item of procedure on the part of the church, but, so far as I can see, there is a singular absence of written rule and ritual concerning particulars, apart from the two great standing ordinances. I do believe that under this dispensation saints are left to the freedom of the Spirit, and are not specifically commanded in every detail by a written law. Neither this form of church government, nor that is forced upon us, but life is permitted to assume its own necessary form, under the molding power of the Holy Spirit. (from his sermon on Acts 2:1 - Pentecost) - Precept Austin
V. 1b All together in one place - Probably the 120 mentioned in the previous chapter.
V. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind - Like the receiving of the law on Mount Sinai, so too this event, the birth of the church, was inaugurated by unnaturally caused phenomena. The Israelites of Exodus were called into a covenant with God, one of, "do this and you shall live, and don't do this or you will die", the ten commandments. Now we see the two loaves at Pentecost have leaven in them, as sin is still here, even present in the church, but with the gift of the Holy Spirit, and ever being filled with the Spirit, believers are given a supernatural desire and ability to repent. The Spirit sanctifies us though we know no perfection this side of heaven, yet we are more and more being changed and conformed to the image of Christ.
J Vernon McGee - “A friend of my daughter lives in Kansas and went through the experience of a tornado. It did not destroy their home but came within two blocks of it. When she wrote about it to my daughter, she said, ‘The first thing we noticed was a sound like a thousand freight trains coming into town.’ Friend, that was a rushing, mighty wind, and that was the sound. It was that kind of sound that they heard on the Day of Pentecost." (Thru the Bible)
MacArthur suggests that "It is the very blast of God’s breath. It reaches the earth all the way from heaven. This is the baptism of the Holy Spirit that Jesus said would happen in a few days. The sound was heard all over. The sound surely gathered the massive crowd that shows up to which Peter preached. But the presence of the breath of God filled only the house. The sound from heaven is like a hurricane, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. They were completely engulfed, completely immersed, completely baptized. That’s what that word is intended to convey. You can actually translate it the immersing with the Holy Spirit. Literally being engulfed with the Holy Spirit. This is the coming of the breath of God. - Precept Austin
12 Then the Lord told Moses, “Go up to me on the mountain and stay there. I’ll give you stone tablets with the instruction and law that I’ve written to teach the people.”
13 So Moses got up, along with Joshua his servant, and went up on the mountain of God. 14 He told the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. Look, Aaron and Hur are with you, and whoever has a dispute, let him come to them.”
15 When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it. 16 The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. Then on the seventh day he called to Moses from within the cloud. 17 To the Israelis the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. 18 When Moses went up on the mountain, he went into the center of the cloud and was on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights. Exodus 24: 12-18
1Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the elect who are exiles of the Dispersion throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen 2according to the foreknowledge of God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by His blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance. 3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,… 1 Peter 1: 1-3
12Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation, but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.… Romans 8: 12-14
1Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.… Romans 12: 1-2
V. 3 And there appeared to them tongues like fire - This indicates that the Holy Spirit was present, and this is a fulfillment of the promise Jesus had made that the Comforter would come.
Whereas the wind speaks of the power of God, fire speaks of the Presence of God. The Spirit had arrived in power, providing that which we desperately need for service (Acts 1:8). They heard the Spirit's arrival in Acts 2:2 and now they see the Spirit's arrival.
McGee - So on that Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came to the church, baptizing them into the body of Christ, there was an appeal to the ear and an appeal to the eye. This is not to be confused with the baptism of fire. The baptism of fire is judgment which is yet to come. In the Book of Revelation we see the wrath of God revealed from heaven, fire from heaven. That is a baptism of fire (Lk 3:16b+). If men will not have the baptism of the Holy Spirit, then they must have the baptism of fire—judgment (eg, Rev 16:8+, Rev 20:9-10+). The baptism of fire is for those who have rejected Jesus Christ. I used to go to a prayer meeting which a wonderful preacher attended. I loved that dear brother, although his theology differed from mine in some points. He would always pray that fire would fall on us. And I always canceled out that prayer and said, “Lord, for goodness sake, don’t let fire fall on us.” Fire, you see, is judgment. Fire burns. That is yet to come. When the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost, they saw something that in appearance looked like fire. (Thru the Bible)
Some have linked this description with the prophecy by John the Baptist that Jesus "will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." (Mt 3:11+, Lk 3:16+, cf Jn 1:33, Acts 1:5+). Notice that Jesus' prediction in Acts 1:5 He said "you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." So while the first part of Matthew 3:11+ appears to be fulfilled in the baptism of the Spirit in Acts 2:1-4, Jesus does not mention a baptism of fire in Acts 1:5. While not everyone agrees many commentators take the fire in Mt 3:11 (See notes on Lk 3:16) to refer to the fire of future judgment and this is supported by Jesus' words in Mt 3:12+ (and Lk 3:17) which clearly depict judgment. If this interpretation is correct, then the prophecy in Mt 3:11 is separated by a gap of thousands of years which span from the fulfillment in Pentecost in Acts 2:1 to the future fulfillment when Messiah judges the world in righteousness (cf Rev 20:11-15+). - Precept Austin
And they rested on each one of them - I think the tongues goes well with what will happen next, which is speaking in tongues that people from many different nations could understand. The Holy Spirit, in confirming Christ, appeared descending in the form of a dove, and a Spirit is typically invisible to us, but this is how He made His presence known. Now, many today have been taught to have this expectation of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, to be indicated by feelings, phenomena, and the tongues of fire are a bit difficult in most instances to duplicate, or forge, so they lean heavily upon what happens next, which is speaking in foreign languages, some even accept babble as a substitute, but we will explore this more in the next post.
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