Bobservations' Column
Titled - "God Speaks to Seekers"
Written by: Pastor Bob Lawrenz
As we read the first several verses, we should be amazed at the numbers of people, and the diverse nations that are represented by those present at this first Pentecost after the Resurrection of Jesus. The Apostles had yet to go out on a single evangelistic journey, yet so many were here.
Granted, in the Jewish tradition, many holidays required traveling to Jerusalem and meeting in the Temple with the Sanhedrin, and the priests and leaders of the Temple. Pentecost, also known as the Feast of Weeks, and in the Hebrew as Shavuot, was (is) one of those holidays. Passover had come and gone, but the Jews visiting Jerusalem then, had undoubtedly heard of the fantastic stories of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, and then soon afterward, being raised from the dead Himself after a brutal and thorough crucifixion (Isaiah 52:13-15). Such a fantastic course of events, but truly devout Jews would search the Scriptures for evidence in the prophecies of old.
Our Pharisee of the Pharisees, Saul now known as the Apostle Paul, tells us in Philippians 2 that Jesus did not pump Himself up to be larger than life, but became instead a servant to all (Philippians 2:7). But people being people, spoke of His deeds of healings and miracles, and their word-of-mouth habits gave Jesus the reputation that He did not seek.
It is this same word-of-mouth that gave the Catholic sites of Fatima (Portugal), Guadalupe (Mexico), and Medjugorje (Bosnia & Herzegovina), and several others, as recognized by Catholic and Episcopal Churches for apparitions of Mary. The faithful attendees of those Churches talk amongst themselves and word spreads like wildfire. (Google “Apparitions of Mary” for a fuller list, but be careful, and discern what you may read of them. The only way to determine whether an apparition is a "lying wonder" or a genuine message from God is to compare the message of the apparition with Scripture. If the teachings that are attached to these apparitions are contrary to the Word of God, the apparitions themselves are then satanic in nature.)
Likewise, among the Jews, incredible stories were passed wide and far. Those diverse citizens stayed for the Feast of Weeks (seven weeks is 49 days, and one day more is the feast.) Visitors heard of Jesus, and gathered with Peter, James, and John to hear more of Jesus’ amazing story of miracles, and new life.
“And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.” - Isaiah 29:18
Bobservations' Column: Audio Version
Sunday Morning Message:
Acts 2:1-21 - "God Speaks to Seekers"
Summary/Additional Commentary & Definitions:
Forty days after the Resurrection, Jesus left His disciples with a mission and a promise. For ten more days after Jesus ascended to heaven, the believers prayed together and prepared. Then came the Jewish feast day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is poured out as promised and Scripture tells us that they (believers) were all filled with the Holy Spirit. With the sound of a rushing mighty wind, and with tongues of fire appearing above their heads, those filled with the Holy Spirit begin to speak in other tongues (1-4). Devout Jews visiting from other countries are attracted and amazed as they hear wonderful works of God proclaimed in their own languages (5-13).
Peter realizes that the promise of Acts 1:8 is being fulfilled. Standing with the rest of the apostles, Peter seizes the opportunity to begin fulfilling his mission. He explains that what has happened is a fulfillment of Joel's prophecy (Joel 2:28-32), who foretold that God would pour out His Spirit in the last days (14-21).
Forty days after the Resurrection, Jesus left His disciples with a mission and a promise. For ten more days after Jesus ascended to heaven, the believers prayed together and prepared. Then came the Jewish feast day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is poured out as promised and Scripture tells us that they (believers) were all filled with the Holy Spirit. With the sound of a rushing mighty wind, and with tongues of fire appearing above their heads, those filled with the Holy Spirit begin to speak in other tongues (1-4). Devout Jews visiting from other countries are attracted and amazed as they hear wonderful works of God proclaimed in their own languages (5-13).
Peter realizes that the promise of Acts 1:8 is being fulfilled. Standing with the rest of the apostles, Peter seizes the opportunity to begin fulfilling his mission. He explains that what has happened is a fulfillment of Joel's prophecy (Joel 2:28-32), who foretold that God would pour out His Spirit in the last days (14-21).
Sunday Morning Audio Message:
Key Words and Definitions with Reference:
In One Place (2:1) - The Upper Room mentioned in 1:13.
A Sound . . . as . . . Mighty Wind (2:2) - Luke's simile described God's action of sending the Holy Spirit. Wind is frequently used in Scripture as a picture of the Spirit (cf. Ezekiel 37:9, 10; John 3:8).
Tongues, as of Fire (2:3) - The word “tongues” is glossa. It signifies a tongue, a language, or even a nation which is distinguished by its language. Even before getting to the next verse, the idea is clear. A language is being presented “as of fire.” Just as the sound, like wind, was symbolic, these were not literal flames of fire but supernatural indicators, like fire, that God had sent the Holy Spirit upon each believer. In Scripture, fire often denoted the divine presence (cf. Exodus 3:2-6). God's use of a fire-like appearance here parallels what He did with the dove when Jesus was baptized (Matthew 3:11; Luke 3:16).
All (2:4) - The apostles and the 120 disciples.
Filled with the Holy Spirit (2:4) - In contrast to the baptism with the Spirit, which is the one-time act by which God places believers into His body, the filling is a repeated reality of Spirit-controlled behavior that God commands believers to maintain. In other words, a person who is born-again, already filled with the Spirit can receive a fresh filling for a specific task. It not a "baptism" but a "filling." Peter and many others in Acts 2 were filled with the Spirit again and so spoke boldly the Word of God. The fullness of the spirit affects all areas of life, not just speaking boldly (cf. Ephesians 5:19-33).
Speak with Other Tongues (2:4) - "Tongues" meaning "languages." These are known languages, not ecstatic utterances, it does not mean gibberish, nor is it something acquired over time or improved through use. It is an immediate infusion of a new language into the person who is so filled. This is evidenced in the coming verses. These languages, given to the believers as a sign to the people, came “as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Here Luke uses a word, apophtheggomai, found for the first of three times. It is seen only in Acts. It refers to a clear and plain enunciation, a declaration, and a speaking forth. The words spoken by these people were clearly conveyed, perfectly understood, and had precise meaning. The word is used again in Acts 26:25 and then explains it for his hearer – These languages given by the Spirit were a sign of judgment to unbelieving Israel. They also showed that from then on God's people would come from all nations and marked the transition from Israel to the church. Tongues-speaking occurs only twice more in Acts (10:46; 19:6).
Jews, Devout Men (2:5) - Hebrew males who made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. They were expected to celebrate Pentecost in Jerusalem, as part of observing the Jewish religious calendar.
This Sound (2:6) - The noise like gusty wind (v. 2), not the sound of the various languages.
Speak in His Own Language (2:6) - As the believers were speaking, each pilgrim in the crowd recognized the language or dialect from his own country.
Galileans (2:7) - In habitants of the mostly rural area of northern Israel around the Sea of Galilee. Galilean Jews spoke with a distinct regional accent and were considered to be unsophisticated and uneducated by the southern Judean Jews. When Galileans were seen to be speaking so many different languages, the Judean Jews were astonished.
Parthians (2:9) - They lived in what is modern Iran.
Medes (2:9) - In Daniel's time, they ruled with the Persians, but had settle in Parthia.
Elamites (2:9) - They were from the southwestern part of the Parthian Empire.
Mesopotamia (2:9) - This means "between the rivers" (the Tigris and Euphrates). Many Jews still lived there, descendants of those who were in captivity and who never return to Palestine.
Judea (2:9) - All the region once controlled by David and Solomon, including Syria.
Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia (2:9, 10) - All were districts in Asia Minor, in what is now Turkey
Egypt (2:10) - Many Jews lived there, especially in the city of Alexandria. The nation then covered the same general area a modern Egypt.
Libya Adjoining Cyrene (2:10) - These districts were west of Egypt, along the North African coast.
Rome (2:10) - The capital of the Roman Empire had a sizeable Jewish population, dating from the second century B.C.
Proselytes (2:10) - Gentile converts to Judaism. Jews in Rome were especially active in seeking such converts.
Cretans (2:11) - Residents of the island of Crete, off the southern coast of Greece.
Arabs (2:11) - Jews who south of Damascus, among the Nabatean Arabs.
Wonderful Works of God (2:11) - The Christians were quoting from the Old Testament what God had done for His people (cf. Exodus 15:11; Psalms 40:5; 77:11; 96:3; 107:21). Such praises were often heard in Jerusalem during festival times.
New Wine (2:13) - Highly inebriating. The disciples were just accused of being full of new wine. In other words, they were thought to be drunk and were simply talking in gibberish.
Stood With the Eleven (2:14) - The verb is aorist and indicates they stood first (“having stood”) and then Peter began to speak for all of them. This is probably to counter what was just said about them being drunk. When all stood, it shows that they are all clearly sober rather than swaying or falling down. As a side note, these words also are a confirmation that the selection of Matthias was fully accepted by the Lord, he being counted among the eleven. With this, it next says that Peter “raised his voice.”
The Third Hour (2:15) - The third hour is 9am in the morning. The synoptic gospels present the timing of the day in this fashion.
Last Days (2:17) - The phrase refers to the present era of redemptive history, i.e., from the First Coming of Christ (Hebrews 1:2; 1 Peter 1:20; 1 John 2:18) to His return.
All Flesh (2:17) - The term “all flesh” does not mean “every person on the earth.” It means “all believers regardless of age, sex, status, and so on.”
Visions ... Dreams (2:17) - Dreams (Genesis 20:3); Daniel 7:1) and visions (Genesis 15:1; Revelation 9:17) were some of God's most memorable means of revelation since they were pictorial in nature. While they were not limited to believers (e.g., Abimelech, Genesis 20:3 and Pharaoh, Genesis 41:1-8), they were primarily reserved for prophets and apostles (Numbers 12:6). While frequent in the Old Testament, they were rare in the New Testament. In Acts, most of God's visions were associated with either Peter (chapters 10, 11) or Paul (chapters 9; 18; cf. 2 Corinthians 12:1). Most frequently they were used to reveal apocalyptic imagery (cf. Ezekiel, Daniel, Zechariah, Revelation). They were not considered normal occurrences in biblical times, nor should they be so now. The time will come, however, when God will use visions and dreams during the Tribulation period as predicted by Joel 2:28-32.
Prophesy (2:18) - The proclamation of God's truth will be pervasive in the millennial kingdom.
Wonders . . . Signs (2:19) - "Wonders" is the amazement people experience when witnessing supernatural works (miracles). "Signs" point to the power of God behind miracles. Marvels have no value unless they point to God and His truth. Such works were often done by the Holy Spirit through the apostles (5:12-16) and their associates (6:8) to authenticate them as the messengers of God's truth (cf. 2 Corinthians 12:12; Hebrews 2:3, 4).
Blood . . . Fire . . . Vapor of Smoke (2:19) - These phenomena are all connected with events surrounding Christ's Second Coming and signal the establishment of the earthly kingdom: Blood (Revelation 6:8; 8:7, 8; 9:15; 14:20; 16:3). Fire (Revelation 8:5, 7, 8, 10); and Smoke (Revelation 9:2, 3, 17, 18; 18:9, 18).
Sun . . .Darkness . . . Moon into Blood (2:20) - See Revelation 6:12 - Accompanying the earthquake will be numerous volcanic eruptions; and large amounts of ash and debris will be blown into the earth's atmosphere, blackening the sun and giving the moon a blood-red hue (cf. Zechariah 14:6, 7).
Day of the Lord (2:20) - This Day of the Lord will come with the return of Jesus Christ (cf. 2 Thessalonians 5:2; Revelation 19:11-15).
Whoever Calls (2:21) - Up to that hour of judgment and wrath, any who turn to Christ as Lord and Savior will be saved.
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