“While he was with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. ‘Which,’ he said, ‘you have heard me speak about. John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days.’ So when they had come together, they asked him, Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time? He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth,’” Acts 1:4-8, CSB.
Pentecost, in the Christian environment, takes place 50 days after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jewish Pentecost, also known as ‘Shavuot’ occurs 50 days after the Passover.
Pentecost comes from the Greek word ‘Pentekoste’ which means fiftieth. This holiday was known before the gift of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 as the ‘Feast of Weeks’ where they gathered together celebrating the giving of the Torah (the Law of God) to the Jewish people at Mt Sinai.
The festival required every Jewish male to journey to Jerusalem and appear before the Lord.
This is why there were pilgrims in the crowd. Everyone there was Jewish or converts.
Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Matthias (newly appointed) proclaimed the Word of God, and the Spirit of the Lord outpoured from them.
Mind you, Judas was now dead as he betrayed Jesus and hanged himself.
You can’t make it without Him!
The Holy Spirit was given to those there, allowing each native person to hear the message of God in their own language. It was a fulfillment of the promise of Jesus Christ that the Holy Spirit would outpour on them.
“They were all astounded and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ But some sneered and said, ‘They’re drunk on new wine.’ The Apostles were not drunken but were filled with the Holy Spirit speaking in the languages of those represented there that day. Peter then spoke to the entire crowd as the Holy Spirit outpoured upon them, speaking of the Messiah and how Jesus saved them and fulfilled the promise He gave,” Acts 2:12-13, CSB.
“Seeing what was to come, he spoke concerning the resurrection of the Messiah: He was not abandoned in Hades, and his flesh did not experience decay. God has raised this Jesus; we are all witnesses of this. Therefore, since he has been exalted to the right hand of God and has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, he has poured out what you both see and hear. For it was not David who ascended into the heavens, but he himself says: ‘The Lord declared to my Lord, Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah,’ Acts 2:31-36, CSB.
