Acts Lesson 3 - Acts 2:1-38 Date - Sunday, 5/26/30 AD, 8 Sivan In the last lesson, we diverted from the narrative to cover the ministry of the Holy Spirit to Old Testament saints. Previously, we had seen the ascension of Christ, forty days after his resurrection, and then we saw that in the next ten days, the disciples waited in Jerusalem, and passed the time by "electing" a twelfth disciple to succeed Judas Iscariot. Then came the fiftieth day, Pentecost. Acts 2:1a When the day of Pentecost came was fulfilled, Pentecost [a] was the contemporary name of the second of three Feasts of the Jewish religious year (Exodus 23:15-17, Exodus 34:18-23). It was known in the Old Testament as the Feast of Harvest or the Feast of Weeks. Its timing was dictated as the fiftieth day (the day after seven full weeks) after the Feast of Firstfruits. You may remember that the Feast of Firstfruits was when Jesus Christ (who is called "the firstfruits" was raised from the dead). [b] This was also about the time the barley and wheat harvests in Israel had concluded. The timing was indicated in Leviticus: 1 / 17
Leviticus 23:15-16, 21-22 " From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD. ----- On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. " When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.'" The coincidence of the beginning of the Church Age and the Feast of Harvest would seem to indicate that the Lord is telling us that the Church Age is the time of the first great harvest. The third feast of the Jewish religious year is what is known as the Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Ingathering. It occurred about the time of the final harvest in Israel, the harvest of grapes. As we studied in Revelation, many believe that it speaks of the harvest of souls which will begin with the end of the Tribulation and the beginning of the Millennium. It occurs on the 15 th day of the 7 th month (about September). J. Vernon McGee rightly points out that the word we see here translated in the NIV as "came" is the Greek word sumplhrovw {süm-plä-ro'-å} which literally means "was fulfilled." This is important because as Passover was fulfilled by the death of Christ, so Pentecost in 30 AD fulfilled the meaning of Pentecost. 2 / 17
Acts 2:1b they were all together in one place. According to Acts 1:15 these numbered "about a hundred and twenty." These were a small fraction of all the believers or even of those who had seen the resurrected Lord. (According to 1 Corinthians 15:6 he appeared to five hundred at one time alone) What, if any, was the experience at this time of the rest of the Church (at least several thousand) is not recorded in Scripture. What is important is that it was memorialized on Pentecost in Jerusalem. Acts 2:2a Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent mighty [c] wind came from heaven We see that the Lord used special audio effects (sound of a mighty wind) to illustrate what He was doing. The word translated "violent" by the NIV is the present participle of the Greek verb φá½³ρω {fe'-rå}. φá½³ρω means "to carry." Of what did the mighty wind speak? It signified the Spirit and its power. Remember the Lord had spoken of the Spirit as a wind to Nicodemus. John 3:8 "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." It is mighty because only through the power of the Spirit that we can walk the Christian life. Acts 2:2b and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 / 17
The Greek word translated "house" is @4i@l {oy'-kos} which is usually translated "house or home" although it can refer to buildings of other sorts like "the house of God." If this was a house, it was a fairly large house that could squeeze in 120 people. There are several reasons to suppose this could have been the house of Mark's parents, and the same place the Lord held the Last Supper. This indicates they were sitting throughout the whole house. Acts 2:3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. Here the Lord used special visual effects. Of what did the tongues of fire speak? Remember, at this point, the Age of Israel was being replaced by the Age of the Church. The Tabernacle or Temple of Israel indicated the presence of the LORD with Israel, because He was present between the Angels of the Mercy Seat on the Ark (Exodus 25:22). When the Age of Israel and the Tabernacle worship was instituted, the Lord showed His presence by appearing as a pillar of fire over the Tabernacle: Exodus 40:38 "So the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels." Fire speaks of illumination, and purification. It also speaks of destruction. It is a perfect illustration of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. For those who accept His power, the Holy Spirit illuminates and purifies. However those unbelievers, who resist His striving with them, will be condemned. [d] 4 / 17
Now, after Pentecost, the presence of the LORD would not be with believers, but in believers. In the Church Age, the Temple worship was to be replaced. Each believer was the Temple of God: 1 Corinthians 3:16 "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?" Thus here on Pentecost, the tongue of fire now rested on each believer. Why "tongues of fire"? The tongue is what is used by the Spirit to preach the Gospel. That was the last command the Lord gave the disciples before He ascended to Heaven. "He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation'" (Mark 16:15). Acts 2:4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Each one of them, both man and woman, began to speak in languages other than their own. Acts 2:5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 5 / 17
Here we see revealed the LORD's hand in history. He had scattered the Jews to Babylon, and from there as far as India and China. In those nations, they were generally prevented from owning land, so they went into trade and commerce. In the Roman Empire, they had been granted economic privileges which allowed them to disperse in large numbers to nearly every city in the Empire. They were great commercial travelers. Yet they still endeavored to observe the three major feasts in Jerusalem when they could. Although, Passover and Tabernacles were the most heavily attended, still, any Feast of Pentecost would find Jews from all over the world, from Spain to China, in attendance. Acts 2:6-7 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Evidently, they could be identified as Galileans. The point was that Galileans were considered unsophisticated people who could hardly speak proper Hebrew. Acts 2:8-11 Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" 6 / 17
It is worth noting that the first four areas mentioned were those where the Jews of the Exile were sent and most still resided, Parthia, Media, Elam, and Mesopotamia. These areas lay under control of the Parthians. The rest of the areas named were under control of the Roman Empire except for the Arabs. Note the providence of God in this regard. He used the scattering of the Jews from Spain to China as a superhighway for the spreading of the Gospel. These Jews, in attendance from all over the world, went home, and in accordance to the custom in the synagogues would have been asked to stand and speak about what they had experienced or learned at their attendance at the Feast. Within a few months, word of the Gospel of Christ would have begun to be heard in the farthest corners of the world, anywhere there was a synagogue. All the apostles used this network to begin their preaching. They went to the local synagogues or Jewish congregations first. Paul and Josephus tell us that many Jewish congregations already had large groups of Gentile attendees. Acts 2:12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?" Some were challenged to find the truth. Acts 2:13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine." 7 / 17
Some just hardened their hearts with jest and tried to carry others with them. Acts 2:14 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. However, for those that wanted to listen, Peter stood up to explain. Like all sermons recorded in scripture, this is merely the essence of what was said, not the verbatim text. Acts 2:15 These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! [e] First, Peter refuted the accusation of the scoffers. Acts 2:16-18 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet [f] Joel: " 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. Even on my servants, 8 / 17
both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. Here Peter quoted a prophecy from the Old Testament in Joel 2:28-32 which spoke of this very day. Before their eyes, they could see old and young, both men and women disclosing what the LORD was showing to them, and furthermore, they were disclosing them in tongues they didn't know. This may have been something the Lord Jesus had disclosed to Peter when He appeared to him alone ( 1 Corinthians 15:3-5, Luke 24:33a-34). Acts 2:19-20 I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness [g] and the moon to blood [h] before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. The prophecy of Joel also refers to miracles the people of Israel would have seen during the life and death of Christ which testified that He was "the one who would come." "Wonders in the heaven above" would have been that the Sun in the heavens had not given its light for 3 hours when Christ was on the cross. "Signs in the earth below" would have included the miracles that had taken place as recorded in Matthew 27:51-53 "At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people." 9 / 17
Acts 2:21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' Joel concluded with what needed to be the response of those who had seen these signs. Acts 2:22 "Men of Israel, 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. Peter reminded the people who had lived in Jerusalem and Israel during the ministry of Jesus of all the other ways God had signified that Jesus was the Messiah. Acts 2:23 This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 10 / 17
He asserted that method, time, and place of Jesus' death was according God's eternal plan. Remember, what we see here is just a thumbnail sketch of what Peter said. Acts 2:24 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. Now, for the first time, Peter publicly proclaimed Jesus resurrection. However, we should remember that for the forty days after Jesus was raised, dead believers who had been in Paradise, appeared in Jerusalem to many. They must have previously proclaimed what Jesus had done. Acts 2:25-28 David said about him: [i] " I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.' [j] Then Peter quoted a Messianic Psalm (Psalm 16) that had prophesied a thousand years before that the Messiah had to be raised from the dead. 11 / 17
Acts 2:29 "Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. He pointed out that, as the word of God is true, the "me" in the Psalm could not be speaking about David because David's body had gone to the grave. Acts 2:30-31 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. Seeing what was ahead, [k] he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. The "me" in the Psalm was the Christ (Messiah). Acts 2:32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. 12 / 17
Peter pointed out that these 120 who were speaking in tongues unknown to them, had not only seen Jesus raised from the dead and ascended to the right hand of God, but that it fulfilled prophecy in the Scripture. Acts 2:33 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. Evidently, when Jesus was raised to the right hand of the Father, the Father gave to Him the gift of the Spirit. Jesus then was able to give the Spirit to those who were in Him as He was in them. Therefore, the Holy Spirit was "in" them instead of just being "with" them. I believe that is why the Holy Spirit is sometimes called variously: the Spirit of Jesus (Acts 16:7, Philippians 1:19), the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9, 1 Peter 1:11), the Spirit of the Lord (Acts 5:9, Acts 8:39, 2 Corinthians 3:17), or the Spirit of His Son ( Galatians 4:6). Acts 2:34-35 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, " The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."' [l] 13 / 17
David then quoted another Messianic Psalm which spoke of the Father (the first "Lord") speaking to the Son (the second "Lord") telling Him to sit by His side (in heaven). Peter pointed out that this had to be speaking of the ascension of Jesus Christ which they had just seen, and could not have been speaking of David. Acts 2:36 "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." Peter concluded that all Israel no excuse to deny that Jesus of Nazareth was not only Lord (the son of God), but that He was also the promised Messiah (Christ), the son of David. Furthermore, they had rejected Him and crucified Him. Acts 2:37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Many of the people were convicted to the heart. Remember, they had not only seen the ministry and miracles of Jesus Christ for three and a half years, but they had seen the miracles which happened while He was on the cross. Furthermore, they had the witness of friends who had walked from the grave. Not to mention the striving of the Holy Spirit. Many now were ready to ask the question which the Prophet Joel had given the answer to: Joel 2:32 "And 14 / 17
everyone who calls on the name of the LORD (as the people of Jerusalem in 30 AD should have seen was "Jesus Christ") will be saved; for on Mount Zion (where Christ was crucified) and in Jerusalem (where Peter was speaking) there will be deliverance." Acts 2:38 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. Peter's answer was couched in different words but amounted to the same thing. The Greek word translated "repent" is the word μετανοá½³ω {me-tä-no-e'-å}, which literally means "to change one's thinking or mind." Their previous blind rejection of Jesus had been challenged by the truth, and they needed to accept Him as Messiah and Lord. If they did that, the Baptism by the Spirit into the name (the life, death and person of) Jesus Christ would occur. When they had changed their minds and accepted Jesus, they would receive forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit living inside of them. 15 / 17
[a] ΠεντηκοστÎ {PentÄ kostä } is the Greek for the word "fiftieth." [b] 1 Corinthians 15:20 "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." [c] The KJV and ASV translations. [d] Matthew 12:31 "And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven." [e] Literally, "the third hour of the day." [f] This reference proves that Joel is speaking of the coming of Christ in Joel 1 and 2. [g] The three hours when Jesus was on the cross (Matthew 27:45, Mark 15:33, Luke 23:44-45a). [h] This may refer to the total eclipse of the moon recorded by Josephus the day after Jesus' dedication at the Temple in Jerusalem in 4 BC. "During a total eclipse, the lunar disk is not completely dark; it is faintly illuminated with a red light refracted by the earth's atmosphere, which filters out the blue rays." Eclipse, Funk and Wagnall's Encyclopedia [i] In Psalm 16 the entire Psalm is about Jesus Christ. However, the voice of the Psalm, as in so many Messianic Psalms, is not David's but Christ's. 16 / 17
[j] Psalm 16:8-10 [k] By the speaking of the Holy Spirit through David. See Matthew 22:43-44 "He (Jesus) said to them, How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him Lord'? For he says, The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.'" [l] Psalms 110:1 17 / 17