The Book of Acts
Chapter 2:1-4
Verse 1
Acts 2:1
“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one
accord in one place.”
NKJV
Day of Pentecost:
Pentecost means “fiftieth” and denotes the Jewish festival that came
fifty days after the Passover. (Leviticus
23:15-17)
It was one of three major feasts of the Jews; the others being
Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles. Pentecost was also known as
the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Harvest because it celebrated the
completion of the barley harvest, and also the day of first fruits
because they offered the first fruits of the wheat harvest. (Exodus
23:16, Exodus 34:22)
Pentecost came on Sunday, the first day of the week. Jerusalem
would have been filled with people from all over the world who were
there to celebrate this special day. They had no idea what was
about to happen. All the apostles were gathered in one
place. Note
Acts 1:26. “And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on
Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.”
NKJV
Verse 2
Acts 2:2
“And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty
wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.”
NKJV
An extremely loud noise suddenly is heard where they were assembled,
possibly the apartments along the sides of the court of the Gentiles
in the temple. (Luke
24:52-53) “And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with
great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing
God. Amen.”
NKJV
Verse 3
Acts 2:3
“Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one
sat upon each of them.”
NKJV
A visible phenomenon occurs, divided tongues as of fire sat upon
each apostle. Side note: When the Law of Moses was given by
God to Israel, He got their attention by shaking the earth, with
thunder and lightning, and pouring forth of smoke. (Exodus
19:16-18)
When God begins to reveal the New Covenant, He gets their attention
in a similar fashion.
Verse 4
Acts 2:4
“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak
with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
NKJV
The apostles are “filled” with the Holy Spirit. This is what the
apostles were told to wait in Jerusalem for. (Luke
24:49) “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry
in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on
high.” (Acts 1:4-5) “And being assembled together with them,
He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the
Promise of the Father, which, He said, you have heard from Me; for
John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the
Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
NKJV
This happened to the apostles and no one else that day. Read
Acts 2:7. “Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one
another, ‘Look, are not all these who speak Galileans?”
NKJV
Some of the 120 would have been from Judea, people like Mary,
Martha. . . Also read
Acts 2:13-15.
Only Peter and the eleven apostles were accused of being drunk.
This baptism or immersion caused the apostles to speak in other
tongues. The context clearly reveals these were known languages, not
so-called ecstatic utterances. Read
Acts 2:6-8.
They were called “other” tongues because they were given
miraculously and not learned in the normal way. See also
I Corinthians 14:5, 10-11, 13, 27-28.
“I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you
prophesied, for he who prophesies is greater that he who speaks with
tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive
edification.
10There
are, it may be, so many kinds of languages in the world, and none of
them is without significance. Therefore, if I do not know the
meaning of the language, I shall be a foreigner to him who speaks,
and he who speaks will be a foreigner to me.
13Therefore
let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret.
27If
anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at most three, each
in turn, and let one interpret. But if there is no interpreter let
him keep silent in church and let him speak to himself and to God.”
NKJV
Further comments
·
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not the baptism of fire spoken by
John in
Matthew 3:11-12,
“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is
coming after me is mightier than I whose sandals I am not worthy to
carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
Matthew 13:40-42
“Therefore, as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it
will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send me His
angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that
offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into
the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
NKJV
·
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is not for any today. There is now
only one baptism (Ephesians
4:5)
“one Lord, one faith, one baptism;” –
the water baptism of the Great Commission. (Matthew
28:19-20)
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and
lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.”
NKJV
Bobby Stafford February 25, 2015
Acts: Lesson 5
Acts 2:1-4
