It shows up on calendars every year. The numeric date changes, but only because the date of Easter changes each year. The celebration is always 50 days after Easter.
What is Pentecost?
The New Testament book of Acts tells us about something special that took place on this day thousands of years ago. This was the birth of the New Testament Church!
Acts 2:1-4 (KJV)
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
“PENTECOST” in the Bible started long before this though! The word “Penta” means “fifty.” This commemorated the end of the wheat harvest and the giving of the Old Testament Law.
Old Testament Pentecost
The Day of Pentecost, or what Jewish people would call Shavuot, or Feast of Weeks, was the late Spring thanksgiving for the first harvest. This was a feast we read about throughout the Old Testament.
“Pentecost” was seven weeks after “Passover.” Passover, or Pesach (PEH-sach) in Hebrew, commemorates the Exodus (freedom from Egyptian slavery). This story of redemption from slavery is what some might call the “master-story” of the Jewish people. This is a story that has shaped Jewish consciousness and values.
Yet, for us today, Pentecost is no longer celebrated with the Old Testament Law of Moses in mind. My family and I celebrate Pentecost as an experience that originally took place 50 days (7 weeks) after the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
This Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 was not just some spur of the moment thing. After He had risen from the dead, Jesus told His followers about what to do, and the plan of this upcoming Holy Spirit outpouring.
Acts 1:4–5 (KJV)
4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
Pentecost and the Law
Religious leaders accused Jesus, and eventually put Him to death, for defiling or breaking the Law of Moses that they esteemed so highly. The Law to them represented a covenant document that was given to their forefathers. However, Jesus was not defiling the Law; He was here to fulfill it.
The Law pointed to the need for a Savior, and that is exactly what Jesus Christ was!
As a matter of fact, Old Testament prophets even touched on this very day and the experience in Acts 2.
Jeremiah 31:33 (KJV)
But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
The New Testament writer of Hebrews made a connection with what the prophet Jeremiah talked about and what they were now experiencing in the New Testament.
Hebrews 10:16-17 (KJV)
Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
The Apostles that Jesus Christ:
- hand-picked,
- trained,
- mentored,
- discipled,
- empowered,
- and then sent off into the world,
These men made a clear correlation to the prophecies of the Old Testament and what God was doing when He began pouring out His Spirit upon all flesh in the book of Acts and beyond!
Peter Addresses the Crowd
After this initial outpouring of the Spirit, Peter stands up and begins to address the crowd that heard them “speaking in tongues” (notice, the Bible says they “heard” them).
Acts 2:12-18 (KJV)
12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?
13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.
14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
What you are seeing is what the Old Testament Joel prophesied!
Joel 2:28-29 (KJV)
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
Joel said that God’s Spirit would be poured out but notice never even mentioned “speaking in tongues.” It was the Apostle Peter who connected the dots from Joel’s prophecy their experience! Peter said, “This is that!”
An Experience for You Today
Pentecost is more than a calendar date or a Jewish feast. It is now an experience that you can have as a 21st century believer! God no longer just wants His Spirit to be with you, He wants His Spirit to be in you, and that was always His plan from the beginning!
Please email us at [email protected] if you would like more information about how to EXPERIENCE Pentecost!
