These astounding events demonstrated the presence of the Holy Spirit.Īt first the people of Jerusalem who witnessed this miraculous phenomenon were astonished, with some attributing the proclamations of the Christians to drunkenness (Acts 2:12-13). The speaking in various languages occurred as a crowd of people from many nations gathered in Jerusalem, with each visitor hearing the speech of the disciples in his own native tongue (Acts 2:6-11). And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:1-4). Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. "Now when the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. God chose the first Pentecost after Jesus Christ's resurrection to pour out His Holy Spirit on 120 believers (Acts 1:15). When celebrating this festival, many Jewish people recall one of the greatest events in history, God's revealing of the law at Mount Sinai.īut Pentecost doesn't just picture the giving of the law it also shows-through a great miracle that occurred on the first Pentecost in the early Church-how we can persist in living by the spiritual intent of God's laws. Vine, Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, 1985, "Pentecost").Īmong Jews the most popular name for this festival is the Feast of Weeks, or Shavuot, in Hebrew. Similarly, in the New Testament, which was written in Greek, this festival is known as Pentecost ( Pentekostos in the original), which means "fiftieth" (W.E. It is also called the Feast of Weeks (Exodus 34:22), with this name coming from the seven weeks plus one day (50 days in all) that are counted to determine when to celebrate this festival (Leviticus 23:16). Also known as the Feast of Harvest (Exodus 23:16), it represents the firstfruits (Numbers 28:26) gathered as the result of the labor of those who completed the spring grain harvests in ancient Israel (Exodus 23:16). This festival is known by several names that derive from its meaning and timing. ![]() The next festival and Holy Day, Pentecost, builds on this important foundation. We also learned how the Days of Unleavened Bread teach us that we must remove and avoid sin and instead obey God in actions and attitudes. Together they progressively reveal how God works with humanity.Įarlier we saw Passover symbolizing Christ's giving of Himself for us so our sins could be forgiven and we could be redeemed from death. The Holy Days have meanings that build upon each other. Just as His people harvested their crops around these three festival seasons, God's Holy Days show us how He is harvesting people for eternal life in His Kingdom. In the process of revealing His plan of salvation for mankind, God established His annual Holy Days around the harvest seasons in the Middle East (Leviticus 23:9-16 Exodus 23:14-16).
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