WHAT HAPPENED AT PENTECOST

What Happened at Pentecost?

Act 2:1  "And when the day of Pentecost was fully         

come, they were all with one accord in one place."

          Let's look at a few things that did not happen.  It was not what is commonly taught that the Holy Spirit came to indwell believers for the first time.  I have heard that all my life.  I submit that the Holy Spirit did indwell Old Testament believers as well.  Note just a couple of references; there are more.  In Num. 27:18 we read, "And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him;"   This is just one example of a believer in the OT who was indwelt by the Spirit.  In addition certainly we all believe, I hope, that O T believers were saved just as we are.  In Rom. 8:9 we are told, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."   This asserts that if a man does not have the Spirit, he does not belong to the Lord.

          The thing that happened at Pentecost was not the giving of Unknown Tongues.  Verses 4,6, 8, 11 use the words tongues and languages interchangeably.  From what they say one would easily see that the verses are talking about languages even naming 18 of them.

          The thing that happened at Pentecost was not the origin of the Lord's Church.  Verses 41, 47 indicate that souls were added and continued to be added to the church.  This indicates a church was already in existence.  You can't add to something that is not already there.

          So what did happen then at Pentecost?  I heard one of my preacher friends once assert that it brought the feuding disciples into unity.  This is not true either.  According to verse 1 they were assembled in one accord.  What happened?  The existing church was filled with the Spirit.  That is what verse 4 says, and no where in this chapter is the term indwelt used.

          Another thing that did happen is that the Holy Spirit, came as the Vicar of Christ, on earth.  Note John 16:7, "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you."  Vicar means substitute.

          Another thing that happened is the coming of the Spirit affirmed Christ's Church.  In Ex. 40:33-35 the Glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle after Moses had finished it, according to the pattern that God gave him.  Here the tabernacle was confirmed as God's House.  In 1 Kings 7:51-8:11 Solomon's temple was built to the finish, and the ark of the covenant was put in its place.  Then the Glory of the Lord filled the Temple confirming it to be God's House.

          Here in Acts 2 the Lord has already established His Church and commissioned her.  Then He went back to Heaven.  Ten days later the Holy Spirit came down and filled the Church to confirm again that this was the Lord's house.