1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Pentecost is a Jewish Festival prescribed by God for the Jews to celebrate (Leviticus 23:15-16). It is also called the Festival of Weeks, Festival of the Harvest and the Day of First Fruits. This is a festival not only to offer a grain offering, which is an offering that recognizes God’s provision. This Jewish tradition, beyond the grain offering, is also festival that commemorates when Moses was given the law from God on Mt. Sinai. The Christian tradition, however, is commemoration of the Holy Spirit being given to the apostles to fulfill God’s purpose.
So, is this the first appearance of the Holy Spirit?
Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. This is an Old Testament reference to the Holy Spirit indwelling in the future generations of believers.
1 Samuel 10:10 10 When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying. The Spirit of the Lord comes powerfully upon Saul, which brought him into a state, almost a possession, of God’s Holy Spirit, of which he could only prophesy.
Judges 3:10 10 The Spirit of the Lord came on him, so that he became Israel’s judge and went to war. The Lord gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him. The Spirit of the Lord comes powerfully on the Judge Othniel, so that this man, who rose out of Israel’s ranks for a specific purpose, could overpower the invading force and bring Israel back into compliance with God.
Judges 6:34 34 But the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon, and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him. The Spirit of the Lord clothes Gideon, for a short period of time, so he can overpower his enemies.
What we realize from this small sampling of stories is the the Holy Spirit was always around (even from he beginning of time), but worked a little differently before Pentecost. The Spirit was not indwelling in the Old Testament, but a force that fell on people for a short time (for protection, strength or provision) and then left. With Pentecost, the Spirit takes on a new function. With Christ’s ascension, the promised helper becomes an indwelling force for each believer instead of an outside force for someone to temporarily do God’s will. This moment marks the beginning of the Church Age.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”
The Festival of Pentecost brought faithful Jews from all over the known world. This would cause Jerusalem to become very crowded with many people of different languages. Where the house was situated is important. Within eyeshot of the house are all of the gates where the people would enter the city. When the Holy Spirit arrives to the apostles, that calamity of it is right in the center of the milling crowds! This causes great confusion among them. They hear their languages coming from the 120 or so followers of Christ.
12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” 13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
They are perplexed at what is happening, but a very human response visits them. Instead of falling into amazement, instead of asking questions and investigating, the crowd incorrectly assess the followers as drunk. It is an easy way to dismiss them.
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Peter takes the position as leader of the apostles. The other apostles join him. This is a striking moment, because the apostles had struggled with their unity. But after Christ’s resurrection and ascension, we see a definite unity among them. Peter isn’t just standing up on his own but is bolstered by the other eleven, now all infused with the Holy Spirit, able to understand the deeper picture of the scriptures and Christ’s teachings. Peter is about to not only refute these people, but use their own Old Testament as a guide to understanding what is happening and who Jesus is. First, he assures them they are not drunk. 9am would have been one of the prayer times of the Jewish people, and to be drunk at that hour, even before most had even eaten, was a ridiculous notion.
First, he quotes from the Book of Joel. (Joel 2:28-32) Joel was a minor prophet who prophesied about the coming judgment on Judah via a locust invasion. But, Joel’s prophetic words have a current application (the Israelites in Judah), plus a New Testament application (the Pentecost) as well as an end-time application. This is an example of Near and Distant Fulfillment.
In the book of Daniel, Daniel describes a future leader that will rise, desecrate the temple and afflict Israel for a period of time. Daniel’s prophecy would be fulfilled in Epiphanes Antiochus IV, who did those very things, but also applies to the end times, when the Antichrist repeats the same dastardly actions.
Peter is making the case that the Pentecost miracle of the indwelling spirit is fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy. In order to fully understand this, it is important to understand that God works in long swatches of time. The biblical account is no different. It takes long stretches for God’s plan to be fulfilled. So, to help us understand, let’s look at the way the bible is arranged:
The Old Testament: This is the Age of Promise. The Old testament chronicles the promises of God, the Messiah to come, etc. These promises aren’t always fulfilled in the OT, but are promised. Jesus s promised in scripture through the prophets.
The New Testament: This is the Age of Fulfillment. The New Testament is the story of how God’s plan was fulfilled in Christ.
The Last Day: This is the moment of judgment.
So if we look at the bible as epochs instead of connected stories, we may be able to understand how God works a little better. There is a timeline, through history, of His work. His plan isn’t always achieved in a lifetime. Instead it works over the course of centuries and generations.
Understanding this, we must understand the Last Days (as opposed to the Last Day). The Last Days is also a time period. It is the time after the resurrection to the present time, all the way up to the Last Day, or the Day of Judgment. So when Joel references the Last Days, it is to help us note that the pouring of the spirit is to happen in this time period, not at the end of time. This is the basis of why Peter has selected this quote. The indwelling spirit will be poured out on all who are in relationship with God. Even the lowly (servants) who call out to God, will receive the spirit. This is completely different from the “selectivity” of the spirit in the OT. Joel’s prophecy is fulfilled in the Pentecost and the pentecost ushers in not only the Church Age (remember, there aren’t any churches at this point), and also the period of the Last Days.
When we get to verse 19 of Joel, we see that this outpouring of the spirit will climax in the final hours. The outpouring of the spirit will culminate in the return of Christ, when Christ comes to gather His people.
22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
Jesus’ death and resurrection was necessary and part of God’s plan for salvation. He could not remain dead.
25 David said about him: “‘I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope, 27 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’
Peter now refers to the second piece of scripture, this one from Psalm 16. As David intertwines thoughts of how God protects, David also says in verse 27 that “you will not let your holy one decay.” This part refers to Jesus, according to Peter. He justifies it starting in verse 29:
29 “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. 33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
Because David has died and decayed and Jesus has not, this verifies that David was speaking about Christ and that Christ is in fact the Messiah the Jewish people have been looking for. It also verifies that the Holy Spirit is at work in them.
34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand 35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’ 36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” 37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
Peter quotes another piece of scripture (Psalm 110:1). In it, “the Lord (God) said to my Lord (Jesus), sit at my right hand.” David, writing in the Old Testament, revered by the Jews who have come to Pentecost and now are addressed by a completely new and overpowering concept, realizing that Peter is right. Even though Israel had a hand in crucifying Christ, Christ is still the Messiah.
But how do the people react? They are convicted, but need direction. So Peter gives them direction. His directive is to first repent, then baptize. The benefit of these actions is that they will be forgiven for their sins and the Holy Spirit will indwell in them. This gift is for everyone.
The result of this is amazing: 3000 people come to an understanding of Christ in that moment.
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Followers were devoted to the teaching. But what is devotion? When you are devoted to a person or cause, that means you are all in. You are giving your time, energy and focus to it. It is all-encompassing. These people weren’t simply dialing it in but in complete submission to Christ and living it out. Their faith was buoyed by by the evidence of miracles and wonders performed by the apostles. Also, the followers remained in fellowship. They sold their property to help others. Their faith grew with companionship and proximity to the truth. This produced a blessing upon them.