As we come to Acts 2 we should review chronologically the events that have thus far unfolded in Luke’s narrative.

The Lord Jesus Christ had ascended to the right hand of the Father after 40 post-resurrection days with the disciples. He had enabled them to be bona fide witnesses of the resurrection. As chapter 2 opens, 120 disciples were assembled in an upper room. They had discerned the will of God concerning Judas’ replacement and so a full-orbed apostleship of 12 was now in place. The Israel of God was ready to go forward to conquer the “Promised Land” of the world for and with their Lord and Saviour.

They gathered to pray corporately and plan—perhaps excitedly, perhaps anxiously—for proclamation of the gospel. But they did so waiting, in accordance with the Saviour’s instruction, for “the Promise of the Father” (1:4): the blessed third member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit.

In accordance with many Old Testament prophecies, these Jewish believers were of the conviction that when the new covenant era began that it would be accompanied by a special pouring forth of the Holy Spirit. (See, for example, Ezekiel 36:1-14; 37:1-14). They were waiting for the Comforter to come! And in Acts 2 this is precisely what occurred.

We should note that this records a once-off historical event that will never be repeated, for the simple reason that it does not need to be. As with the incarnation of the second person of the Godhead, this event of the baptism of the Spirit of the new covenant church was also an incarnation of sorts, which has occurred and has for 2,000 years been built upon. It was a transitional event and transitions by definition are not repeatable; there is no need for them to be.

And yet we should note that there is much in this chapter that is of benefit for the believer who lives in 2011. John Stott reminds us of this when he writes, “Without the Holy Spirit, Christian discipleship would be inconceivable, even impossible. There can be no life without the life-giver, no understanding without the Spirit of truth, no fellowship without the unity of the Spirit, no Christlikeness of character apart from his fruit, and no effective witness without his power. As a body without breath is a corpse, so the church without the Spirit is dead.”¹ I trust that we will in this study gain greater appreciation for the person and work of the Holy Spirit. We, like the church of old, need His Pentecostal power if we will evangelise everyone everywhere. And this power can be ours for, indeed, the Comforter has come!

The scene is set for us in v. 1: “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.” Judas had been replaced. Everything was now in place. The Israel of God was now duly represented. All they need was the power to do what God expected (1:8).

Let us briefly note a few things here.

The text begins, “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come.” The ESV speaks of Pentecost having “arrived.” What exactly was Pentecost?

In Exodus 23:14-19, the Lord instructed the Israelites to observe three annual feasts: Unleavened Bread, Harvest and Ingathering. Pentecost is another name for the Feast of Harvest (23:16). It was also known as The Feast of Weeks (Exodus 34:22-23). More detailed instructions for the feast can be found in Leviticus 23:15-21.

The Day of Pentecost was to be treated as a holiday from any labour. As noted, it was one of the three major annual feasts celebrated by the Jews as stipulated by God. It celebrated the harvest, which had just been brought in and occurred fifty days after Passover. Its basic purpose was to celebrate the harvest that God graciously provided, but over time it also began to take on additional significance. “Towards the end of the inter-testamental period, however, it began also to be observed as the anniversary of the giving of the law at Mount Sinai, because this was reckoned as having happened fifty days after the Exodus.”²

The Jews anticipated something special with the establishment of the new covenant.

But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, “Know the LORD,” for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.

(Jeremiah 31:33-34)

It can further be noted that when the law was given some 3,000 were killed (Exodus 32-33), whereas when the new era began some 3,000 were saved (Acts 2)!

In Old Testament law, on the first day after the Sabbath of Passover, a priest was required to wave a sheaf in celebration of the beginning of harvest time. It is no accident that Jesus arose on that very day!

In light of above we can conclude that Pentecost was the most appropriate time for the event of Acts 2! “The Spirit came on Pentecost as the first fruits of the believers’ inheritance (cf. 2 Cor. 5:5; Eph. 1:13-14). Further, those gathered into the church on that day were the first fruits of the full harvest of believers to come. God sent the Spirit on Pentecost, then, following the pattern of Leviticus 23.”³

This means that the outpouring of the Spirit was a “scheduled” event; it did not occur in response to the prayers of the 120. In fact, the disciples were probably not praying for the outpouring of the Spirit in the upper room, for that event had already been promised. They were simply to wait for it. “It should be noted that the Spirit was not induced into coming because the believers prayed, tarried, or met certain spiritual requirements. Luke’s account points only to the sovereign timing of God as the cause of the Spirit’s descent.”⁴

Whilst the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost (as we have noted) was a once-off historical event, it might be noted that “figuratively speaking, this Day of Pentecost has never ended, for by the same power and by the preaching of the same message souls are still being gathered into the garner of God.”⁵

We should note that, technically speaking, this was not “the birth of the church.” Rather, what took place was the new era in the drama of redemption; the era of the Spirit empowering the people of God in a unique and multinational way. Richard Longnecker highlights that “with regard to the church as an instrument of service, called by God to take up the mission formerly entrusted to Israel, Luke is certainly presenting the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost as the church’s birthday.” ⁶ Again, “The relationship of the Spirit to the members of the body of Christ became much more intimate and personal at Pentecost. . . . At Pentecost a new model of divine redemption was established as characteristic for life in the new covenant.”⁷

The church, strictly speaking, existed in the Old Testament. But Pentecost heralded something special. The Spirit would now begin working in a special way amongst God’s people.

You will remember that Jesus had made great promises concerning the coming of the Spirit:

• Luke 24:49—Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.
• Acts 1:8—But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
• John 14:15-16, 26—If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever. . . . But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
• John 15:26—But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
• John 16:7—Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.

The disciples believed that God would be their Helper (Psalm 54:4; Hebrews 13:6). And so 120 disciples waited in anticipation in the upper room for God to send the fullness of the Spirit as He had promised them.

Our text speaks of the disciples being “all with one accord in one place.” Some translations simply speak of them being “together.” Whichever translation you prefer, it can be noted that amazing things may occur when God’s people gather. As has often been noted, Thomas missed out on a great deal when he was absent from an early Lord’s Day gathering (John 20:24-29)!

And so the disciples gathered together, claiming the promises of God. This is a wonderful testimony of the power of the gospel. A multifaceted and demographically diverse people of God were focused on God’s providence and promised power. Whatever differences they had were deemed to be less important than the fact that they were God’s people assigned to a meaningful purpose. They were together, on the same page regarding their duty (1:8).

As they gathered together in the upper room, the disciples received a wonderful and tangible experience of God’s presence.

And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

(Acts 1:2-4)

The way the text is written gives us clear indication that the disciples did not quite expect what happened: “And suddenly there came . . .” This is often how the Lord works: He surprises us!

Though these disciples did not “bring down” the Spirit by their prayers, the fact that they were in one accord went a long way to prepare them for the experience.

I have to wonder: If we had a sudden visit of the Spirit, would we be ready? What would “revival” mean for you? For us? Would it involve forgiving others; coming out of your shell; realigning your priorities; sanctifying the Lord’s Day; involving yourself in body life?

This experience emanated from God and was experiential. It was not some emotionally induced state, but a very real work of God. These phenomena were rooted in Old Testament revelation (as we will see) and they indicated the presence of God.

The disciples “were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” Whilst the Spirit seems to have worked slightly differently under the old covenant, He was nevertheless active in the world. Consider a few samples of Old Testament texts pertaining to the Holy Spirit.

• Genesis 1:2—The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
• Ezekiel 36:26-27—I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.
• Ezekiel 37:14—“I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it,” says the LORD.

Although the Gospels form part of our New Testament, strictly speaking everything that preceded the cross was part of the old covenant. A covenant comes in to force at the death of the one covenanting, and so the new covenant strictly only began at the cross. The following Gospel references to the Spirit, therefore, are in fact old covenant references.

• Luke 3:16—John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptise you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
• Luke 4:1—Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.
• John 7:37-39—On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
• John 16:13—However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
• John 20:22—And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Clearly the Spirit was active during the old covenant era. How that differed from His activity today will be considered briefly below.

“What they experienced was more than sensory; it was significant.”⁸ This event was a sign of the work of God. This early church would need such impetus in this transitional stage. “God in his providence often accompanies his Spirit’s working by visible and audible signs—particularly at certain crises in redemptive history.”⁹

Stott observes that “Jewish tradition associated wind, fire and voices with Mount Sinai. What they experienced was more than sensory; it was significant.” ⁸ When God first established His covenant with Israel He displayed His presence on the mountain with these signs (Exodus 19). Later, Elijah saw these same evidences of God’s presence when He went to Sinai to meet with God (1 Kings 19).

In the upper room, as the disciples prayed, they heard a rushing wind, saw tongues of fire and heard voices as God gifted them with the ability to speak in tongues. It was an evidence of God’s presence, of His work in their midst.

As we will see below (and as can be shown from 1 Corinthians 14) the whole phenomenon of tongues was a sign to unbelieving Jews. It was a warning to the unrepentant, who had killed God’s Son! But let us not get ahead of ourselves.

First, “there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.” Literally, this speaks of “being borne by a violent wind.” (We should note that, both in Greek and Hebrew, the words for “wind” and “spirit” are the same.)

You will remember Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14). God showed him a valley full of dry bones, and asked him whether the dry bones could ever live. Ezekiel admitted that he did not know; that was for God alone to know. God then instructed him, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”’” As Ezekiel obeyed, “breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up on their feet, an exceedingly great army.”

God used the wind to bring these bones to life. Longnecker notes that “it was this wind of God’s Spirit that Judaism looked forward to as ushering in the final Messianic Age.”⁹

But note only did they hear the rushing wind. “Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.” Once again, this was a sign of God’s presence and work. God had appeared as fire to Moses in the burning bush and to Israel and Elijah at Sinai. Now He appeared in fire to these disciples. This was used of the Lord to confirm that God’s presence was near if not already there!

“Upon each believer there rested a luminous tongue, symbolic of the fervent, zealous witness each would be empowered to bear.”¹²

It is significant that these signs rested upon the whole body of disciples. It did not appear to be discriminating. Why? Because every believer is baptised into the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit’s baptism is a means to forge unity, not disunity.

Of course, this flies directly in the face of the general Charismatic understanding of the filling of the Spirit and the subsequent speaking of tongues. Those who speak with tongues in Charismatic understanding have a special measure of God’s grace. If you do not speak with tongues you are often regarded as a lesser believer. The gift of tongues places one amongst the elite. Not so with these early disciples.

But the real controversy arises in v. 4: “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

To be “filled with the Holy Spirit” is to be controlled by Him. It should be noted that this is the only case in Scripture where being filled with the Spirit is accompanied by the speaking in tongues. This is significant. Acts speaks again of (individual) believers being filled with the Holy Spirit (4:8, 31; 9:17; 13:9), but in none of those cases did the individual in question speak in tongues. There is also no mention in Ephesians 5:18 of speaking in tongues. Exodus 28:3 is an Old Testament incident of someone being filled with the Spirit but not speaking in tongues.

These disciples were filled with the Spirit because they had been baptised by the Spirit (cf. Matthew 3:11). Romans 6:3 equates baptism by the Spirit with conversion; so too do 1 Corinthians 12:13 and Galatians 3:27. You are baptised by the Spirit when you are saved, and since those in the upper room had already experienced God’s grace in conversion, biblically speaking, they had already been baptised by the Holy Spirit.¹³

In Acts 2, tongues accompanied the filling with the Spirit. The same happened in Acts 10:44-47; 19:6 and probably 8:9-18a. Each of these was a unique event. In Acts 2 it was the first group of (Jewish) converts under the new covenant; in Acts 10 it was the first group of Gentile converts; in Acts 8 it was the first group of Samaritan converts; and in Acts 19 it was a group of John’s former disciples.

Importantly, we should note that nowhere does Scripture exhort us to seek the baptism of the Spirit. This is a serious error that needs to be addressed and removed. There are groups of believers within evangelicalism who today promote the need for believers to be baptised with the Holy Spirit. The issue here, as with every issue, is, what does the text say? There is no biblical injunction for believers to seek the baptism of the Spirit, and we should therefore be careful of promoting such theology.

This was a sovereign action on the part of the Spirit of God. They spoke “as the Spirit gave them utterance.” This experience was not sought by them. This experience was not exhorted upon them. This experience was not learned by them. This experience was simply experienced by them!

The disciples “began to speak with other tongues.” The Greek word translated “tongues” is glossa, which is sometimes used of the physical organ of the tongue, and sometimes of foreign languages (cf. Revelation 5:9; 7:9; 10:11; 11:9; 13:7; 14:6; 17:15).

In this text, it is clearly a reference to foreign languages. We know this “because everyone heard him speak in his own language” (v. 6; cf. vv. 8, 11). The context makes it quite clear what it meant to speak in tongues. The disciples were given the supernatural ability by God to speak in foreign languages ordinarily unknown to them. They did not speak a heavenly language, but simple, earthly, foreign languages.

But why tongues? What was the significance of foreign languages in the early church? According to 1 Corinthians 14:22, “tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers.” In what way were tongues a sign to unbelievers?

God had warned the Israelites in the Old Testament that, if they did not obey Him, He would bring invaders upon them of a foreign language that they did not understand (Deuteronomy 28:49). In speaking of His judgement against a rebellious Israelite people, God again said, “For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people to whom He said, ‘This is the rest with which you may cause the weary to rest,’ and, ‘This is the refreshing’; yet they would not hear” (Isaiah 28:11-12). Again, foreign languages were a warning to those who “would not hear.”

The picture is simple: The presence of foreign languages was symbolic of God’s judgement. It was a warning that judgement was near. When the people in Acts 2 heard the disciples speaking in foreign languages, they were amazed. The astute Israelite would have realised that the foreign languages were a sign of judgement to come. Judgement was upon them. And that judgement came in 70 AD when the Romans—foreigners—destroyed Jerusalem and the Jewish temple.

Given that tongues was a sign of judgement, and that judgement was carried out in 70 AD, I would conclude that tongues ceased completely by the time of the complete destruction of Jerusalem. Peter’s sermon (vv. 14-39), in which he referenced Joel 2, proves this. Paul stated that tongues would cease (1 Corinthians 13:8). The gift did indeed cease—in 70 AD when its purpose was fulfilled.

The whole context proves that these were foreign languages. And there is absolutely no reason to interpret the gift of tongues in 1 Corinthians 12-14 in any other way than that they were foreign languages spoken by those who had not previous ability to do so.

This is often a hot button issue amongst believers and it is a confusing one for unbelievers as well. It is even a frightening one.

We should be careful how we dialogue with others about this but we should also be unshakeable committed to the doctrine of Sola Scriptura and all the text to speak for itself.