Dear Friends,

Greetings in Christ!

In this post, we come to the much-anticipated arrival of the Holy Spirit. (John 16:7 et al) 

We have already seen Peter acting as a leader among the twelve in Chapter 1. Scripture always places Peter first where the apostles are listed, including in Acts 1. Wiersbe called Peter “the first among equals.” 

Hence, I reject the idea that Jesus made Peter the cornerstone of his church. (Eph 2:20) Jesus gave Peter the keys of the kingdom (Matt 16:19), but He told the other disciples more or less the same thing in Matthew 18:18. The ‘keys’ are the words of God and the faith to believe them. I think Jesus said this to Peter because He knew that after his denial, Peter would need faith in the word of God to receive the simplicity of the gospel. One of Satan’s favorite attacks is to remind us of our failures. (Luke 22:31f) When he reminds me of my past, I remind him of his future by reading Revelation 18 out loud. Works every time. Suffice it to say that everywhere we see ‘Rock’ in Scripture, it represents Jesus. (Deut 32:4, 15; I Cor 10:4 et al) Peter (Gk Petros) means small stone, not Rock (Gk Petra). Jesus is the Rock the church is built on, not Peter. 

So, it has been fifty days now since the Feast of Firstfruits (Lev 23:16), the day of the Resurrection. Firstfruits was three days after Passover, on the morrow after the Sabbath (Lev 23:11), ie, the first day of the week, the day Jesus conquered the grave. 

Therefore, we see that feast days are prophetic: Passover was fulfilled in the Crucifixion; Firstfruits, when a sheaf of wheat was presented as a wave offering, was fulfilled in the Resurrection; Pentecost was fulfilled in the birth of the church. Each of these days has rich imagery associated with it: 

Passover Lamb (Christ crucified; I Cor 5:7). 
Firstfruits Sheaf (Christ risen; I Cor 15:23). 
Pentecost harvest (birth of the church; Acts 2).

The next prophetic feast to be fulfilled is Rosh Hashanah with the rapture of the church, but that is a topic for a different study. 

Let us consider one more point here before we begin. Since the Feast of Weeks counted seven weeks from the first day of the week, plus one day (50), Pentecost was on the first day of the week. Don’t be a YouTube Christian, fooled by false doctrines that YouTube pushes to the top on autoplay. It was not Constantine who decided Christians should meet on the first day of the week. Christians have been meeting on the first day of the week since the Book of Acts. (Acts 20:7; I Cor 16:2) Jesus rose on the first day of the week. The church was born on the first day of the week. There is nothing wrong with meeting on the first day of the week. (Rom 14:5) 

The 4th Commandment was a day of rest on the seventh day. The first day (or the eighth day, depending on how you look at it), represents a new beginning. One and eight both represent new beginnings in Bible numerology. As Christians, we are under the New Covenant and our rest is in Christ. (Heb 4:1-10) The 4th Commandment is the only commandment that is not repeated in the New Testament after Pentecost. (Col 2:14-16) Much like circumcision, the 4th Commandment was part of the Old Covenant that God made with Israel. Freedom from these ordinances under the New Covenant is one of the main themes in the book of Acts. (Acts 15 et al)

We are going to see Peter’s light really start to shine in this post with the coming of the Holy Spirit. I have been looking forward to this. Father, give us understanding as we read thy word, in Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Acts 2:1-41
1  And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

When it says Pentecost was fully come, that means it was fulfilled (see above). They were all in one place, but it does not say which place.

To the Jews in our passage here, this was not Pentecost but Shavout (lit Weeks), a day to remember the Law. (Deut 16:10-12) When Moses gave the Law, there was the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud, with thunder and lightnings and thick smoke on Mt Sinai. (Ex 19:16) The people in the camp trembled. 

On Pentecost, however, there will be a sound from heaven as of a mighty rushing wind and cloven tongues like as of fire. When Moses gave the Law, God descended on the mount in fire. (Ex 19:18) The smoke ascended from Mt Sinai as the smoke of a furnace. Likewise, a ‘fire’ that split up and rested upon 120 people would be a lot of ‘fire’. When Moses gave the Law, the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder. (Ex 19:19) I believe the sound as of the mighty rushing wind sounded long, and waxed louder and louder as well.

Ever since Maimonides (AD 1138–1204), it has been Jewish tradition, accepted more or less as history, that the Law was given on the first Shavot.

2  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 

The word for wind is the same word for spirit, in both Greek and Hebrew. Also, the word house could be referring to the Temple. (Eg, Acts 7:47) It’s likely that is where they were. (Luke 24:53)

3  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

I have read several commentaries on this passage and virtually all of them agree that it was not the tongues themselves that were cloven, but the ‘fire’ split, or was cloven, into several different tongues that sat upon the disciples — all 120 of them. (Acts 1:15)

A simile is a comparison that uses ‘like’ or ‘as’. Dr Luke uses ‘as of’ to describe the sound as of a mighty rushing wind from heaven, showing it was not a literal wind, but it sounded ‘as of’ a mighty rushing wind. He then uses both ‘like’ and ‘as’ to describe the ‘fire’ which sat upon each of them. Just as Moses saw a bush that burned but was not consumed, the Christians are now on fire, so to speak, but not burned. I believe the fire that Moses saw, and the ‘fire’ that sat upon the disciples, to both be instances of the same Shekinah glory of the Holy Spirit. 

4  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5  And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

This is different than what Paul listed among the spiritual gifts in I Corinthians 12. This is not a ‘prayer language’. They heard the disciples speaking in their own languages, not ‘unknown’ tongues. (I Cor 14:2) Therefore they did not need an interpreter (I Cor 12:10; I Cor 14:27f). First they were confounded, then amazed, then they marvelled:  

7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
8  And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
9  Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
10  Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
11  Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
12  And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?

There is a prominent Jewish tradition that when the Law was given, it was heard in seventy different languages, representing each of the seventy nations. (Gen 10) 

So, we have the parallel of the supernatural phenomena happening both at the giving of the Law (on the first Pentecost, I believe), as well as its fulfillment here on the Pentecost following the Resurrection. The sound as of the mighty rushing wind got their attention, drawing a multitude (v 6) to come and investigate. They probably even saw the tongues like as of fire. (v 33) We also have the languages to every nation under heaven (v 5) to parallel the seventy languages heard when Moses gave the Law, spoken by 120 people, to pilgrims from far-off countries who came for the feast. Against the backdrop of Jerusalem, a truly magnificent city in its own right, along with the iconic Temple, this was truly a miraculous scene. 

The people of Judea were amazed when Zacharias lost his voice and got it back again. That obscure incident was noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judea. (Luke 1:65f) How much more so must the news of this epic event have been noised abroad?  

13  Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.

Of course, the accuser of the brethren had to get a jab in. ‘No, they aren’t Spirit filled, they’re drunk!’ Peter does not let this accusation go unanswered. (Pr 26:5) He used it as a springboard opportunity to preach the gospel:

14  But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
15  For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. [9 AM]

This was a stronger argument than it might seem. Orthodox Jews did not eat or drink before 9 AM on the Sabbath or on a holy day.  

16  But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
17  And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh [not just Jews]: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy [preach], and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
18  And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
19  And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
20  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
21  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

We only have a partial fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy, but Peter rightly says that the coming of the Holy Spirit they are witnessing is ‘that’ which was spoken of by the prophet Joel. Thanks be to God, verse 21 was also part of the initial fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy. (Rom 10:13)

22  Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:

Jesus’ miracles and wonders and signs were legendary and well known to all who were there. The disciples and apostles have miracles and wonders and signs now too. Peter’s use of the word ‘these’ (not ‘we’) in verse 15 seems to indicate the apostles did not speak in tongues but only the others. Nevertheless, suffice it to say the early church was given plenty of evidence to believe the gospel. 

23  Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands [wicked Roman Gentile hands!] have crucified and slain:

Peter reminds them of their part in the betrayal of Jesus, but also says it was done by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. (Cf Isa 53:10)

24  Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
25  For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:
26  Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:
27  Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
28  Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
29  Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
30  Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
31  He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
32  This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
33  Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
34  For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
35  Until I make thy foes thy footstool.

Peter’s message is saturated with Scripture. Peter did not just make claims about the Holy Spirit and Jesus; he supported everything he said with Scripture. In other words, Peter was a student of Bible prophecy and he used his knowledge of Bible prophecy to preach the gospel. The crucifixion (vv 23, 36), the ascension (vv 33, 34), the promise of the Holy Spirit (v 33), the miracles of Jesus (v 22), his identity as Messiah (v 36), and the New Covenant of grace (v 21; cf Jer 31:31) were all prophesied. The Resurrection, also foretold in Scripture, was at the heart of Peter’s message. (vv 24, 27, 30, 31, 32)

36  Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
37  Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

Notice they did not ask Peter what they ‘must do to be saved’. Peter already addressed that issue in verse 21. Paul and Silas will address it again in Acts 16:31. (Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.) They simply asked him and the other apostles, [W]hat shall we do? Peter knew they already believed. The next steps after belief are repentance and baptism. Belief is essential, but so is repentance, which means to change your mind. One of the things you need to change your mind about is your willingness to identify with Christ before others (Luke 12:8), which means to be baptized. This was a radical step. Jews baptized proselytes but they did not baptize other Jews. That was one of the things that made the Pharisees take notice of John the Baptist. Baptism was a public declaration of their belief and firm conviction that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah. Baptism was a new beginning under a new covenant, a proclamation that they now followed Yeshua Ha’Mashiach.  

38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Jesus said to baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Here, Peter says in the name of Jesus Christ. We are saved by faith, not by the correct baptism formula, but to make everyone happy I say both when I baptize somebody. I don’t remember exactly what the guy who baptized me said, nor does it matter. 

39  For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
40  And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

After the Exodus, the new generation received the Law but then wandered around in the desert for 38 years after their parents rejected the Promised Land. (Deut 2:14) The new generation ‘saved themselves from that untoward generation’, so to speak, and were allowed to enter the Promised Land with Joshua (Gk Iésous; Engl Jesus).

Per Sir Robert Anderson’s meticulous calculations in The Coming Prince, Jesus was crucified in 32 AD. Therefore, from Pentecost it was 38 years until the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. 

It was 40 full years of testing from the beginning of the Exodus until they entered the Promised Land. It was likewise 40 full years from when the Jews first decided to kill Jesus in John 5 that Jerusalem fell. It was after Jesus healed a lame man at the pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath during the Feast of Pentecost — every high day was a Sabbath day — thus breaking their interpretation of the Law, that the Jewish leadership rejected Jesus. Two years later, here in Acts 2, the common people received Him and the church was born. 

Shortly after Pentecost in 70 AD, the Romans destroyed the Jewish Temple and razed the city of Jerusalem. It is estimated that well over a million Jews perished in the siege. It is estimated that 97,000 were taken captive as slaves. Yet, according to Eusebius, those who received Yeshua by faith and were baptized fled before the siege, because of the prophetic warning Yeshua gave in Luke 21:20, 21. Eusebius records this event, known as ‘the flight of the Christians to Pella’, in his book, Ecclesiastical History. Pella was one of the ten cities of Decapolis, located on the east side of the River Jordan. 

The truth is that although He used the Romans to do it, it was God who destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD, just as He used the Chaldeans to destroy Jerusalem in 587 BC. There is an age-old custom that when the inhabitants of a city are offered a chance to surrender before a siege, if they refuse they do not deserve quarter. Jesus offered Jerusalem the opportunity to surrender but they refused. (Matt 23:34-37) Those who surrendered to Christ ‘saved themselves’ from that untoward generation — by letting Jesus save them. 

41  Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
Acts 2:1-41

Shavout was a day not just to remember the Law, but also to remember that they were slaves in Egypt (Deut 16:12). According to the Bible, the Law is a form of slavery, but we are set free by the New Covenant of grace (Gal 4:21-31). At the first Shavout when the Law was given, they were afraid. (Ex 20:19) They were not allowed near the mountain that quaked, or they would die. (Heb 12:20) On the fulfillment of Shavout in Acts 2, they were not afraid, but marveled. They did not come to the curse of the Law that brought death (Deut 27:26; Ez 18:4), but To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. (Heb 12:23) At the giving of the Law on the first Shavout, 3000 souls perished. (Ex 32:28) When Shavout was fully come, 3000 souls were saved. (v 41)

Some may find fault with my supposition that Maimonides was correct in his interpretation that the giving of the Law fell on the first Shavout. Consider that Maimonides was quite an impressive scholar. Maimonides concluded from a study in Genesis 1 that there are 10 dimensions in the physical world, because God spoke 10 times in Genesis 1. That may sound odd, but modern physicists agree with his assessment. There are, indeed, 10 physical dimensions according to string theory. For me, the pattern and the parallels are too striking to ignore. When Shavout was fully come, the New Covenant of grace was established. The Old Covenant of the Law was annulled. (Heb 8:13; II Cor 3:6ff; Rom 3:28; Gal 2:16) 

As we continue in Acts, we will see that the nullification of the Old Covenant was not easily understood or readily accepted by the early church. It still remains a hard concept for Christians to grasp, even today.

Notwithstanding, the gospel of Jesus Christ and the New Covenant of grace is by far the most glorious message ever given among men. The gospel is light and life. The gospel is freedom and liberty. The gospel is life everlasting to those who believe. Foolishness to them that perish (I Cor 1:18), [b]ut unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. (1 Cor 1:24)

In closing, let me leave you with a story I once shared with a good friend of mine who thought we have to be baptized by the ‘Peter formula’ in order to be saved. My friend’s name was Arlo. He was of the Pentecostal persuasion:

Arlo, I said, let’s suppose that I committed a horrible crime, for which I was given the death penalty. Let’s suppose that you had compassion on me and you spoke to the judge about how I might possibly be released and forgiven for my crime. The judge warned you that I was guilty and I deserved the death penalty. You understood that I did indeed commit the crime, but you persisted and said I should get a second chance. So the judge decided he would accept your daughter to be executed in my place. Despite the great love you have for your innocent three-year-old daughter, you agreed. Your daughter was executed in my place and I was set free. Then you heard me talking to somebody later and when they asked me why I was still alive, I said, Well, the judge let me go because I was baptized the right way. How would that make you feel?

Baptism does not save us unless we believe that Jesus died in our place. When we believe that, baptism is the answer of a good conscience toward God, and saves us by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Not by water or by the ‘correct formula’.) Baptism is a public declaration of faith in Christ: 

  The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
I Peter 3:21

  For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
I Corinthians 12:13

Above in verse 38, Peter told them that if they were baptized they would receive the Holy Spirit. I Corinthians 12:13 shows that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is the true baptism. Water baptism is symbolic. Water baptism shows repentance, what Peter called the answer of a good conscience toward God, but if a believer was somewhere in a desert with no water around, that would be fine (Luke 23:43).

Finally, we saw in this study how tongues like as of fire empowered the disciples to proclaim the wonderful works of God. Next time you speak to someone, consider that your tongue can either be on fire with the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2), or it can be set on fire of hell. (Jam 3:6) God help us. 

Father, thank You for keeping your promise to send the Holy Spirit. Thank You for giving us the New Covenant of grace through faith in your Son and for his unspeakable gift. Thank You that the promise is to us who are afar off. Thank You also for the promise to send your Son back again for us. Help us to prepare and make ourselves ready through faith alone in your Son alone. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen. 

PS: Jewish friend, if you stumbled on this post and read it out of curiosity, please consider the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD and the flight of the Christians to Pella. It was a horrible time of sorrow, but something worse is coming. Much worse. Think of your children. Save yourself from this untoward generation. Receive Messiah before it is too late. Yeshua is merciful and He will forgive you, whatever you may have done. Rabbi Saul was by his own admission a murderer and the chief of sinners (Acts 22:4; 1 Tim 1:15), yet Yeshua forgave him. Being chosen is not enough. Everyone needs Messiah. (Mic 5:2; Isa 53; Ps 22; Deut 18:5)

Prophecy Update: Any Christian who uses technology (or listens to what the experts say) ought to have noticed by now that AI is hostile to Christianity. One of the many different ways I have noticed this is how typos will be inserted into my posts which are impossible to remove, even when the code is ostensibly correct. Another example is how the iPhone microphone tool will refuse to correctly type clearly spoken words when dictating text about Christianity but jumbles them up into a word salad, yet in certain other functions the iPhone will perfectly type them, even when spoken in a whisper. As I was typing this warning about AI, I was suddenly unable to save my document, and when I tried to change the permissions I saw a message I have never seen before: “Unapproved caller. SecurityAgent may only be invoked by Apple software.” Then for the first time ever, I was not able to take a screenshot of the message. Coincidence? You decide.