Acts 2 – The Day of Pentecost and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit

In the first chapter of Acts, the Lord Jesus Christ before His ascension commanded His apostles to not depart from Jerusalem until they receive the promise of the Father. In chapter 2, we see that the apostles obeyed this command and stayed together in one accord waiting for the promise in Jerusalem. It is the promise of the Holy Spirit that Jesus will send on the behalf of the Father. It is the day of Pentecost.

Let’s look more in detail into chapter 2 of the book of Acts. 

 

Baptism of the Holy Spirit

At the beginning of the chapter, we see that the apostles of Christ stayed together in one place on the day of Pentecost. They believed the Lord Jesus, even though He wasn’t with them in physical form anymore, they knew that what He said will happen. They knew what Jesus said was always true and now they saw Him resurrected and alive. 

Suddenly, a mighty rushing wind came and filled the house where they were sitting. Divided tongues as of fire came to rest on each one of them as they were filled with the Holy Spirit and started to speak in other tongues.

 

Where was the location and when was the event?

It is relevant to mention that the 120 disciples were not in the upper room anymore, they were in a house and it doesn’t say whose house it was. Considering that in Acts 7, the temple was called a house, this might well be the temple which makes a lot of sense considering it was the day of Pentecost which is a feast day. 

This feast day was the 50th day after the Passover feast. It is a harvest festival day where the first loaves of bread are gathered and it is the feast day of the first fruits. This explains why the disciples were not in the upper room as many artists and Christians today think and believe and probably at the temple. It was custom for the disciples to meet on the first day of the week which was a normal working day back then. They did it to pray together and celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. They did it before the working day began in the morning at 9 am. 

Another sign this was not in the upper room is that the crowd of devout Jews came to them. The disciples didn’t move, it is the people who came to them. It is unlikely that these vast crowds came to witness what was happening in an upper room. We are talking about a crowd of thousands considering 3000 were converted that day.

 

Old Testament Shadow: Feast Day of the First Fruits

Is it a crazy coincidence that the day of Pentecost is shadowed by the feast of the first fruits in the Old Testament?

• In the Old Testament, this was a festival day when the Israelites were to gather the first loaves of bread 50 days after Passover. In the New Testament on the day of Pentecost, the first fruits are the disciples who are people recycled and made alive in the Spirit. These disciples are the first fruits of the Kingdom of God after Jesus Christ whom is the firstborn over the New Creation.

It is the same God from beginning to the end. The Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last!

 

Old Testament Shadow: Old Testament Law on Mount Sinai

Is it a crazy coincidence that on the same day of Pentecost, God gave the law written on tablets of stone to Moses on Mount Sinai?

• In the Old Testament, God wrote the laws on tablets of stone on Mount Sinai. In the New Testament on the day of Pentecost, God wrote the laws spiritually on the hearts of men;
• In the Old Testament, the people disobeyed God on that day and 3000 people died. In the New Testament on the day of Pentecost, 3000 people were added to the church and lived.

It is the same God from beginning to the end. The Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last!

 

Experience of the disciples

It is important to emphasize again that this event was not at night. It was not in any way mystical or secretive. It was in broad daylight at 9 am on the first day of the week equivalent to 9 am Monday for us. Sunday was to the disciples as Monday is to us where we wake up in the morning and prepare ourselves to go to work knowing a new week just began.

Let’s look at the experience from the disciples’ perspective.

 

What they heard

It was a mighty rushing wind that came on them suddenly. It is what characterizes the nature of God, one of Might and of invisible power. This is what the promise of the Father was to get the church going. It was the power of God being released to get the church to blast off and start preaching in boldness.

It is interesting that the word for Spirit in the Old Testament is the same word used for a “strong breath”. It is the breath of God that is moving suddenly on them. They could not move in power before God’s breath came on them. It is what we need today, it is the Spirit of God that allows us to walk in His good works and move with Him in power.

Ezekiel had a dream where the Lord showed him dead skeletons and asked him to call for a wind of God. The wind of God came upon these dead bones, revived them and made of them an army. And this is what precisely happened when the disciples heard and experienced the breath of God. They became alive, they became the Lord’s army ready for His use.

Jesus also spoke to Nicodemus and said the Spirit is like the wind:

John 3:4-8

⁴ Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

⁵ Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

⁷ Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

⁸ The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

 

This is what will happen to anyone born of the Spirit. We know that we are born again, we KNOW that the Spirit of God has come in us but we don’t understand where the Spirit came from and neither do we know where the Spirit is going. Just like the wind. 

When we come to the Lord Jesus and are born again of the Spirit, we won’t be in charge of our lives anymore, He will be in charge as we let ourselves become guided more and more by His Spirit. Our whole lives will become for His works. We won’t know what is in store for us in the future as we walk by faith and not by sight into the works God has prepared for us. This is why we must follow Jesus and hear His voice. We will know that we have the Spirit as there is no mistaking the Spirit with any other spirit. We will hear the sound of the wind and we will hear the sound of the Spirit and we will have to trust the Lord wherever He leads us through His Spirit.

 

What they saw

It was a fire that came down as one fire and divided into separate tongues. Each tongue came and rested on each disciple’s head as they were baptized in the Spirit. God came as a visible fire, but that fire did not burn them, it was a fire of Holiness, a fire of purity and a fire that will now be burning inside of them for the Kingdom of God. 

This fire will be inside them propelling them into the works of God. It will be like the pillar of fire that guided the Israelites out of Egypt. It will guide the disciples through tribulations they must live in a desert of their own. It will be a supernatural fire that is alive. This Spiritual fire will speak to them as God spoke to Moses through the bush that was on fire. 

 

What they did

The disciples were filled with the Spirit and overflown. As in the whole book of Acts, anyone filled with the Spirit would overflow from the mouth with utterances from the Spirit. They started speaking in other languages which they have never learned. God bypassed their intellect and minds and He used their mouths directly.

They were given languages not to evangelize but to praise God. They didn’t start speaking in other languages when the people came curiously to inquire, they were already using these languages to praise God before anyone came. That is why people came. But why would God do that? 

Oh, how many times I prayed that God cancels my mind and intellect so that He takes over!? This is what prayer in the Spirit does, the Spirit will praise God on our behalf. Glory to God! This is why God did it. It is our mind and intellect that blocks us from effective prayer as our mind hinders us. It was the first time God got complete control over the disciples and added praise to prayer. This praise is not natural as we cannot truly praise God unless the Spirit of God takes over in us. 

Dear brothers, we cannot only function from without with words but we need the compulsion from within. We need that Spirit to praise and worship God. We need that Spirit to operate in the works of God. The Spirit has to take over from the inside. This is how we will properly operate on the outside and walk according to the will of God.

 

The reaction of the crowds

Vast crowds of Jews in thousands came to see what was happening with the 120 disciples. This was not a small event in an upper room. This was a big event happening on the morning of a feast day and on the first working day of the week. In these verses, there was no word written on the feelings of the disciples but much was said about the devout Jews who came to inquire.

These Jews were coming to the feast of the Pentecost. They came from everywhere in the Mediterranean for the feast but what was happening with these 120 disciples. They heard them speak in their own native languages about the mighty works of God. They were curious and so they approached the disciples to inquire about the situation. 

They were surprised and amazed when they saw these disciples are unlearned people who were Galileans. But then they were afraid as they asked: “what does that mean?”. But others mocked thinking they were drunk.

 

Old Testament Shadow: Tower of Babel

Is it a crazy coincidence dear brother that this is a complete reversal of the event of the tower of Babel in the book of Genesis?

• In the Old Testament, people were trying to build the tower of Babel to reach God. In the New Testament, on the day of Pentecost, the disciples were submitted and waiting for the promise of God reaching them with His Spirit;
• In the Old Testament, God gave the people (building the tower of Babel) different languages to confound them so they don’t understand each other and so become divided. In the New Testament, on the day of Pentecost, He gave them different languages so they can understand each other and come together as one.

It is the same God from beginning to the end. The Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last!

 

Peter’s explanation

But Peter standing up says to them it is only 9 am in the morning. It was not wine doing this. When was the last time we heard someone drunk with wine speak in other languages? If anything, when we are drunk we cannot even speak our own language well 🙂

But the apostle Peter told them what was happening. It was what God promised centuries ago through the prophets. The Spirit in the Old Testament came only on a few people and for short periods of time but in the last days, God will pour out His Spirit on all flesh regardless of age, sex, social position, etc. Peter quotes the prophet Joel:

Joel 2:28-32

²⁸ And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: (this will signify the beginning of the last age)

²⁹ And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

³⁰ And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

³¹ The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come. (this will signify the end of the last age)

³² And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.

 

The last age has begun after the day of Pentecost, the Spirit has been poured out on the disciples and will be poured out on anyone who calls on the name of the Lord. This is the sign that the last age has begun. We are in it and this is the last age dear brothers. The end of that age will be signified by the signs in the sky when the sun will be turned to darkness and the moon into blood.

 

Conclusion

Dear brothers and sisters, we are in the last days spoken by the prophet Joel. This last age is one when God speaks to us through His Spirit and guides us by the same Spirit. The baptism of the Spirit that happened back then did not cease and every man has to have their own day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit can be poured out right now in you but Jesus Christ is the baptizer. Go to Him and ask for the Holy Spirit to be filled! Ask in faith and receive with faith! You will receive if you repent and believe!

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. The promise still holds today! We need the Holy Spirit to walk in the works of God, we need the Spirit to be used by Him for His Kingdom and glory!

May we all strive to be filled every day with the Spirit of God and used by Him!