The holy spirit and pentecost

THE HOLY SPIRIT AND PENTECOST
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Question:"What is the day of Pentecost?"
Answer: Pentecostis significantin both the Old and New Testaments.
“Pentecost”is actually the Greek name for a festival knownin the Old
Testamentas the FeastofWeeks (Leviticus 23:15;Deuteronomy 16:9). The
Greek word means “fifty” and refers to the fifty days that have elapsedsince
the wave offering of Passover. The FeastofWeeks celebratedthe end of the
grain harvest. Mostinteresting, however, is its use in Joeland Acts. Looking
back to Joel’s prophecy (Joel2:28–32)and forward to the promise of the Holy
Spirit in Christ’s lastwords on earth before His ascensioninto heaven(Acts
1:8), Pentecostsignals the beginning of the church age.
The only biblical reference to the actualevents of Pentecostis Acts 2:1–3.
Pentecostis reminiscent of the Last Supper; in both instances the disciples are
togetherin a house for what proves to be an important event. At the Last
Supper the disciples witness the end of the Messiah’s earthly ministry as He
asks them to remember Him after His death until He returns. At Pentecost,
the disciples witness the birth of the New Testamentchurch in the coming of
the Holy Spirit to indwell all believers. Thus the scene ofthe disciples in a
room at Pentecostlinks the commencement of the Holy Spirit’s work in the
church with the conclusionof Christ’s earthly ministry in the upper room
before the crucifixion.
The description of fire and wind mentioned in the Pentecostaccountresounds
throughout the Old and the New Testament. The sound of the wind at

Pentecostwas “rushing” and “mighty.” Scriptural references to the powerof
wind (always understood to be under God’s control) abound. Exodus 10:13;
Psalm18:42 and Isaiah 11:15 in the Old Testamentand Matthew 14:23–32 in
the New Testamentare only a few examples. More significantthan wind as
poweris wind as life in the Old Testament(Job 12:10)and as spirit in the New
(John 3:8). Just as the first Adam receivedthe breath of physical life (Genesis
2:7), so the secondAdam, Jesus, brings the breath of spiritual life. The idea of
spiritual life as generatedby the Holy Spirit is certainly implicit in the sound
of the wind at Pentecost.
Fire is often associatedin the Old Testamentwith the presence of God
(Exodus 3:2; 13:21–22;24:17; Isaiah10:17) and with His holiness (Psalm
97:3; Malachi3:2). Likewise, in the New Testament, fire is associatedwith the
presence ofGod (Hebrews 12:29)and the purification He can bring about in
human life (Revelation3:18). God’s presence and holiness are implied in the
Pentecostaltongues offire. Indeed, fire is identified with Christ Himself
(Revelation1:14; 19:12); this associationnaturally underlies the Pentecostgift
of the Holy Spirit, who would teachthe disciples the things of Christ (John
16:14).
Another aspectof the Day of Pentecostis the miraculous speaking in foreign
tongues which enabled people from various language groups to understand
the messageofthe apostles. In addition is the bold and incisive preaching of
Peterto a Jewishaudience. The effectof the sermonwas powerful, as listeners
were “cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37) and instructed by Peterto “repent, and be
baptized” (Acts 2:38). The narrative concludes with three thousand souls
being added to the fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayers, apostolic
signs and wonders, and a community in which everyone’s needs were met."

by PastorJack Hyles
(Chapter 25 from Dr. Hyle's excellentbook, MeetThe Holy Spirit)
Dwight L. Moodyput it best when he said, "Pentecostwas a specimenday."
God was saying to the New Testamentchurch, "Look, this is what you can
have now." However, Pentecosthas been so misunderstood, so exaggerated
and so complicatedthat many dangerous doctrines have arisen. Let us see
what the Bible says about Pentecost.
1. Pentecostwas notthe founding of the church. Note Matthew 16:28, "And I
say also unto thee, That thou are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My
church; and the gates of Hell shall not prevail againstit." The key word in
this verse is "build." It is the Greek word that is used for building a house. To
be sure, there must be a time when he house is BEGUN to be built, but it is
not a house until the plans are completely made into reality. The word
"build" is in the linear tense in the Greek, and our Lord is simply saying,
"Upon this rock I will be building My church." The church spokenabout here
is not a church yet; it is a church that is BEING BUILT. Because ofthis, there
is not such thing now as a universal church, and there is not such teaching
that the body of Christ is now a church. The word "church" comes from the
Greek word which means "a called-outassembly." Now since the body of
Christ has not yet been called out and assembled, it is not yet a church. Note
Hebrews 12:23, "To the generalassembly, and church of the firstborn, which
are written in Heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just
men made perfect." The church of the firstborn will become exactly that when
she is a called-out assembly. She becomes a called-outassembly at the rapture
when all of the saved, both dead and alive, are called up in the air to assembly
with Jesus. Thenand then only do all believers become a church!
Much stress should be placedupon this because so many people bypass the
localbody of believers, this is the church of this age, or perhaps it should be
said, which are the churches of this age.

The truth is that there is not one mention in the Bible of the church being
founded at Pentecost. Thatlocalorganizationknownas the New Testament
church was founded sometime during the life of Jesus. Matthew 18:15-17,
"Moreoverif thy brother shall trespass againstthee, go an tell him his fault
betweenthee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gainedthy
brother. But it he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that
in the mouth of two or three witnesseseveryword may be established. And if
he shall neglectto hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man
and a publican." Here Jesus says, "Tellit to the church." He does not say,
"Tellit to the future church"; He says, "Tellit to the church." Hence, we
know the church was in existence atthe time of the writing of this chapter.
Added light is given to this in Acts 2:41, 47, "Thenthey that gladly received
His Word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about
three thousand souls. Praising God, and having favour with all the people.
And the Lord added to the church such as should be saved." Note the words,
"added to the church." It is impossible to add to something that is not in
existence. The church was already in existence at Pentecostand people were
added to it at that time. People often make light of the New Testament
churches by saying they belong to the "big church" or the "church of the
blood-washed," etc. These terms may be spiritual ones, but the truth is,
nobody belongs to a church unless he has associatedhimselfwith a group of
born-again believers such as our Lord started sometime during His earthly
ministry.
The question comes, "Whendid He start the church?" The Bible does not say,
but is possible that in Matthew 10 when He calledHis disciples and assembled
them, He was starting the church at that time. It is unwise to be dogmatic
about this, but is not unwise to be dogmatic in emphasizing that the church
was not started at Pentecost. Itis important that this is seenbecause it takes
awaythe attention from the realmeaning of Pentecost-the fact that the
church prayed and witnessed, 3,000people were saved, and God gave us, as
Moody said, "a specimen day."
2. Pentecostis not the coming of the fulness of the Holy Spirit. There are those
who teachthat the fulness of the Holy Spirit came for the first time at
Pentecost. It is important that this error be refuted in order that we may strip

awayanother of the distractions from what really happened at Pentecost. Itis
without question that the fulness of the Holy Spirit was known by many
before the day of Pentecost.
John the Baptistwas filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb.
Luke 1:15, "For he shall be greatin the sight of the Lord, and shall drink
neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even
from his mother's womb."
Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit. Luke 1:67, "And his father
Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying."
Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit. Luke 4:1, "And Jesus being full of the
Holy Ghostreturned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit in to the
wilderness."
Bezaleelwas filled with the Holy Spirit. Exodus 35:30, 31, "And Mosessaid
unto the children of Israel, See, the Lord hath calledby name Bezaleelthe son
of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; and He hath filled him with the
Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, andin all
manner of workmanship."
Hence, it is not difficult to see that Pentecostwas notthe day when Christians
were first filled with the Holy Spirit.
There is no doubt that others in the Old Testamentwere filled with the Holy
Spirit and that this fulness was simply describedwith other terms. In Judges
6:34 we read that the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon. In Judges 14:6 we
read that the Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson. In I Samuel 11:6 we read
that the Spirit of the Lord came upon Saul. In I Samuel 16:13 we read that the
Spirit of the Lord came upon David. All of these occasionswere before
Pentecost, so let us strip awayanother of the detractors of what really
happened on Pentecost-thatgreatspecimenday when the church prayed and
witnessedand 3,000 were saved.
3. Pentecostwas notthe beginning of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. There
was a time when the Holy Spirit did not indwell all believers. This coming of
the Spirit to indwell God's people is taught by many to have happened at

Pentecost. Yes, the Holy Spirit was promised by Jesus. John14:16, 17, "And I
will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may
abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth; Whom the world cannot
receive, because itseethHim not, neither knoweth Him,; but ye know Him;
for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." He is said to indwell believers.
Romans 8:9, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the
Spirit of Goddwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is
none of His." I Corinthians 6:19, 20, "What? know ye not that your body is
the temple of he Holy GhostWhich is in you, Which ye have of God, and ye
are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in
your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." This coming of the Holy
Spirit to indwell believers did not, however, happen at Pentecost. John7:37-
39, "In the last day, that greatday of the feast, Jesus stoodand cried, saying,
If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me,
as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
(But this spake He of the Spirit, Which they that believe on Him should
receive:for the Holy Ghostwas not yet given; because Jesuswas notyet
glorified.)" Notice, the Holy Spirit "was not yet given; BECAUSE THAT
JESUS WAS NOT YET GLORIFIED." In other words, the thing that was
necessarybefore the Holy Spirit could be given for indwelling was that Jesus
must be glorified. Hence, it was at the resurrectionof Jesus that the Holy
Spirit came to indwell believers, not at Pentecost!
Now examine John 20:19-22, "Thenthe same day at evening, being the first
day of the week, whenthe doors were shut where the disciples were assembled
for fearof the Jews, came Jesus andstoodin the midst, and saith unto them,
Peace be unto you. And when He had so said, He shewedunto them His hands
and His side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then said
Jesus to them again, peace be unto you: as My Father hath sentMe, even so
send I you. And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto
them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost." Notice thatJesus came to the upper room
in His glorified body and said to His disciples, "Receive ye the Holy Spirit," so
the coming of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit was not at Pentecost, but
rather, when our Lord's body was glorified. This may seemto the reader to be
a trivial thing. It is, however, made important by the fact that it removes

another of those things that would divert our attention from the greattruth of
Pentecost, whenthe church prayed and witnessedand 3,000 people were
saved, giving a specimen day for the New Testament.
4. Pentecostwas notthe beginning of a new dispensation. We will not enter
into a dealing with the controversyover dispensationalism. This author
believes, however, that it is a dangerous thing to speak of a dispensationof law
and a dispensationof grace. This could lead some weak ones to believe that
there was a time when men were under the law and now men are under grace.
From the time that Adam and Eve offereda sacrifice which pointed to God's
sacrifice ofHis Son that would somedaycome on Calvary, men have been
SAVED BY GRACE.
The purpose of the law the day that it was given is STILL the purpose of he
law today. The law is holy and good. Romans 7:12, "Wherefore the law is
holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good." The law was given in
order that we may know sin. Romans 7:7, "What shall we say then? Is the law
sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not knownsin, but by the law: for I had not
known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet." The law was given
as a plumb line to revealour true crookednessand as a mirror to revealoar
true condition and inability to satisfy the righteousness ofGod. The law was
given so that sin might appear to be sin. Romans 7:13, "Was then that which
is goodmade death unto me? Godforbid. But sin, that it might appear sin,
working death in me by that which is good:that sin by the commandment
might become exceeding sinful." Then we could saythat though we are to
attempt to keepthe commandments of God, it is impossible to do so. Hence,
the law was given to be broken rather than to be kept, not that God wantedus
to break it, but that God knew that we were helpless to fulfill it. God, knowing
that man likes to establishhis own righteousness,gave us the law to revealto
us our unrighteousness and to cause us to realize that we cannot save
ourselves and that in order to be savedwe must come to Him Who fulfilled the
law for us, even the Lord Jesus. This was the purpose of the law the day it was
given, and it will be the purpose of the law until Jesus comes again.
Salvationwas by grace whenAdam trusted the coming Messiahby shedding
the blood of an innocent substitute. Salvationwill be by grace until Jesus

comes again. No one was eversavedby the keeping of the law. No one has ever
kept the law. So then the law was given to show us that we could not met the
righteousness ofGod in ourselves, causing us to turn to Jesus Who met that
righteousness forus. Romans 10: 2, 3, "ForI bear them record that they have
a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.Forthey being ignorant of
God's righteousness, andgoing about to establishtheir own righteousness,
have not submitted themselves unto the righteousnessofGod."
It is also a dangerous thing to talk about the sevenGospels. Thoughthe
theologianmay understand what it means, the weak Christianmay be
deceivedinto thinking that there have been sevenways to be savedin the
history of man. There has been only one Gospel, and there will never be
another; that is, the goodnews that man, though he is a sinner, may be
justified in the sight of God by faith in the finished work of Calvary, where
our sin debt was paid by Jesus.
As mentioned before, this is not an effort to argue the merits or demerits of
dispensationalism. It is an emphatic statementthat whateverdispensations
there may or may not be in the Bible, no dispensation startedat Pentecost!No
Christian could sit down with JUST his Bible and come to that conclusion. Let
us be reminded againthat the issue here is not to become sidetrackedon these
doctrines but rather to remove those things which cloud the real meaning of
Pentecost-the church prayed and witnessedand 3,000 souls were saved,
giving us a specimenday for the church for this age.
5. Pentecostwas a sample day fulfilling the prophesy of Joel2:28, 29, "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." This prophesy
told of the age afterthe resurrectionof our Lord when the messageofChrist
would be carried to all the world and that the amazing power of the Holy
Spirit would be available, not just for a Zacharias here and a John the Baptist
there, but for all flesh. In other words, now all can be soul winners, all can do
the work of Christ, and all are supposedto do so!John 14:12, "Verily, verily,
I say unto you, He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also;

and greaterworks than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father." The
mighty powerof God became available to all. Pentecostwas just the first time
that this happened after the resurrectionof Christ.
To conclude this discussion, it should be emphasized that the author's desire is
not to divide the believers concerning starting of the church, the time of he
indwelling of the Spirit, etc. If differences along those lines persist, it will not
destroy the spirit of the author. The intention of this discussionis to
emphasize that whatever else Pentecostmay or may not have been, it was, to
say the least, a time of 3,000 people being saved and a time when God was
saying the New Testamentchurches, "Look atJerusalemon Pentecost and
you will see what is available for you during this entire age."
CUMMINGS
PENTECOST. WHAT IT WAS, AND WHAT IT DID.
P ENTECOST was one ofthe three greatJewish
feasts, and held the central place betweenthe Pass-
over and the Feastof Tabernacles, whichsignified the
completion of harvest and the wilderness life in booths.
As a Jewishfeast, the characteristicsofPentecost
were,— (1) It was dependent on the Passover. Itdated
only from it, so that, were there no Passover, there
coaidbe no Pentecost, the appointment of the one

being for the fiftieth day after the other. (2) It was
always supposedto mark the giving of the Law from
Sinaij which took place on this day, though this signifi-
cance is not expresslygiven to it in Scripture. (3) It
was the dedication of all the fruit of the land to the
Lord; two loaves, as first fruits of the harvest, being
then presentedunto Him, waved before Him, and laid
at His feet, (4) Whereas in the other offerings (with
one exception)nothing that was imperfect, or defect-
ive, or symbolical of sin, was on any accountto be
offered to God, at Pentecost(as in the Thanksgiving
offering), leavenwas always to be mingled with the
loaves which were wavedbefore the Lord, and this al-
though leavenwas the specialsymbol and type of sin.
If, in the light of the observances ofold, we ask why
Pentecostshould be chosenfor the Descentofthe Holy
Spirit, we may perhaps reply: — (1) It was the Jubilee
day after the PaschalSacrifice andthe Resurrection — the
Day of joy, of freedom, and of proclaiming the good
tidings, (2) It was the day on which the giving of the
Law took place, according to the new Covenant, ^‘1 will
put My law in their inward parts, and in their heart
will I write it” (Jer. xxxi. 33). (3) It was the day on

which the Lord acceptedby fire the offerings of the
people, unworthy as they were:the first fruits of the
greatharvest, and ensured the possessionofthat har-
vest itself.
Towardthe close ofour Lord’s earthly life, and dur-
ing the forty days on which He appearedto His disci-
ples after the resurrection. He had given them the
assurance thatthe Father would send unto them the
Spirit of Truth, who was to guide them into all truth,
and to be to them ^‘Another Paraclete.”Forthe fulfill-
ment of this promise they were to wait” at Jerusalem.
After His ascension, they obeyed his word and ‘‘waited. ”
They passedtheir days and evenings together, assem-
bled in the same “upper room” in which they had
partakenof the Passover, spending their time in prayer.
For ten daj^s they waitedwithout event or sign, the
elevenApostles, the “women,” Mary, and “His breth-
ren.” They were “ofone accord;” they were “stead-
fast;” they were “in prayer.” First, they would
earnestlydesire the gift, and plead the word of prom-
ise; then would come memories of the Lord, and of His
teachings;then would arise the keencompunctions of

regretand shame for what they had been and what
they had done. Then would come a sense of utter
weakness,helplessness,nothingness, without the Mas-
ter; emptied of self, like the prophet’s vesselwhich he
held upside down till every drop had fallen from it;
then possibly disappointment at God’s delay, and shame
at their disappointment; and then — a willingness to
wait God’s time, and to acceptGod’s way.
Possiblyin the heart of some of them the thought
had risen: — The greatfeastof Israelis at hand, will
the Fatherfulfill His promise upon that day? The
day came, beginning with the evening twilight of the
fiftieth day after Passover — and after Calvary, or rather
after the Eesurrection. The night was spent by the
Apostles and their company in watching, praising, and
entreating God. At length the morning of the first
day of the week beganto dawn: Day of Pentecost
had fully come'^
‘‘Suddenly” — a sound I It was as when a greatwind
rises, and draws nearer, waving trees, rustling leaves,
rushing over the housetops;and it seemedto fill the

house where they were:not a wind, but the sound of
one! The eartestified to some Presence!
Then there “appeared” tongues;divided, forked, of
the colorand consistencyof fire — not fire, but ‘Hike
as of fire;^^ and a Tongue “satupon” eachone! Visi-
ble to his neighbor; not to himself. The eye joined the
ear in testimony to a Presenceamong them.
Something happened within, of which we presume
they were conscious;at all events, the record, “They
were filled with the Holy Spirit” But on this they had no time to
dwell, or exchange many thoughts; for they ‘^beganto
speak with other tongues ^^ — tongues which they had not
known. The marvel was not in the meantime what
they said, but the factthat they spoke at all in
these tongues. And this was done, not according to
their own will, or mind, but as ‘‘the Spirit,” with
whom they were filled, “gave them utterance:” the
words, the sound, the thoughts were “given,” and
they repeatedwhat they received!
The marvel could not be concealed. It was “noised

abroad.” Notthe “sotmd” as the R. V. has it),
but the Not the loud rushing as of the wind; hut the
“voice” whicharticulately spoke;
and all Jerusalem, with its thousands of strangers,
gatheredto hear. From all countries of the Disper-
sion, from Babylon in the eastto Asia Minor and Libya,
Jews who spoke in divers tongues crowdedtogether;
and they heard these GalileanApostles speak — “every
man in our own language, whereinwe were born!”
The results on the crowd were amazement, perplexity,
mockery. Some felt that God was working;others
were hopelesslyat a loss, without opinion; others
thought the speakers were the worse for wine. All Jeru-
salemwas in an uproar.
To how many the forked tongues had been given, and
the “othertongues,” it is not easyto say. Looking at
one part of the narrative, we should say the hundred
and twenty disciples; and having regard to the quota-
tion made from the Prophet Joel, we should say the
“women” also;but, again, looking at the verse whicli
tells US that ^^Peterstoodup with the eleven” (Acts
ii. 14), and at verse 37, which tells how the multitude

came for direction to him ^^and the rest of the Apos-
tles,” we should saythat the miraculous gift was con-
fined to them. Probability on either hand has no place
here, and we must be content to leave the question un-
decided.
As to the characterof the miracle, there does not
seemroom to doubt that the narrative describes an
immediate gift — for the time — of the powerto speak in
foreign languages hitherto unknown. But it is worthy
of remark and meditation, that the miracle only paved
the wayfor the spiritual teaching of Peter. The effect
on souls was marvelous;but it was the Gospel, it was
the Spirit — not the miracle — that produced it. The
miracle resulted (as we have said) in amazement, per-
plexity, and mockery;the address, in the power of the
Spirit, resulted in the conversionand baptism of three
thousand souls."
T. P. STAFFORD, A. M., Th. D.
THE MEANING OF THE DAY OF

PENTECOST
Come, thou almighty King,
Help us thy name to sing.
Help us to praise:
Father! all glorious,
O’er all victorious,
Come, and reign over us.
Ancient of days.
Come, thou incarnate Word,
Gird on thy mighty sword;
Our prayer attend;
Come, and thy people bless,
And give thy word success:
Spirit of holiness.
On us descend.
Come, Holy Comforter,

Thy sacred witness bear
In this glad hour:
Thou, who almighty art,
Now rule in every heart,
And ne’er from us depart,
Spirit of power !
THE MEANING OF THE DAY OF
PENTECOST
LET us first read carefully Acts 2 : 1 - 21 :
“And when the day of Pentecostwas
now come, they were all togetherin one place.
And suddenly there came from heavena sound
as of the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled
all the house where they were sitting. And there
appearedunto them tongues parting asunder, like,
as of fire ; and it satupon eachone of them. And
they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and
beganto speak with other tongues, as the Spirit

gave them utterance.
“ Now there were dwelling at JerusalemJews,
devout men, from every nation under heaven.
And when this sound was heard, the multitude
came together, and were confounded, because
that every man heard them speaking in his own
language. And they were all amazed and mar-
velled, saying, Behold, are not all these that speak
Galilaeans ? And how hear we, every man in our
own language whereinwe were born ? Parthians
and Medes and Elamites, and the dwellers in
Mesopotamia, inJudaea and Cappadocia, in Pon-
tus and Asia, in Phrygia and Pamphylia, in
Egypt and the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and
sojourners from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,
Cretans and Arabians, we hear them speaking in
our tongues the mighty works of God. And
they were all amazed, and were perplexed, say-
ing one to another, What meaneth this? But
others mocking said, They are filled with new
wine.

“ But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted
up his voice, and spake forth unto them, saying.
Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jeru-
salem, be this known unto you, and give earunto
my word. For these are not drunken, as ye sup-
pose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day ;
but this is that which hath been spokenthrough
the prophet Joel:
And it shall be in the last days, saith God,
I will pour forth 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 :
Yea and on my servants and on my handmaidens
in those days
Will I pour forth of my Spirit; and they shall
prophesy.
And I will show wonders in the heavenabove,
And signs on the earth beneath;
Blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke:
The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,

Before the day of the Lord come,
That greatand notable day:
And it shall be, that whosoevershallcallon the
name of the Lord shall be saved.”
There were five greatdays in the beginning of
Christianity: the birthday of Jesus, the day of
his death, the day of his resurrection, the day of
his ascension, andthe day of Pentecost. Eachof
these days was marked and made outstanding by
mighty miracles. Considering them in their his-
torical order and significance, we see how the
value of the one depends on the truth of the
other. The day of the ascensionis glorious be-
cause ofthe virgin birth, the crucifixion and
resurrectionof Christ; and the day of Pentecost
was possible and is meaningful only as a result
of the ascensionofChrist to the place of honor
and power.
This day of Pentecostwas a greatday. It was
one of the greatestof all days. There has not
been a greatersince and will not be until Jesus

comes again. Peterso explained it to the multi-
tude who came togetherto see what was hap-
pening. “ This is that which hath been spoken
through the prophet Joel,” he says. Petertdls
them that the prophecy of Joelis being fulfilled
right now on this day of Pentecostand right here
in this city of Jerusalem.
The “ lastdays ” of Acts 2:17 means the last
period of time from Joel’s standpoint, not ours;
and Joellived in 775 B. C. The notion that “ last
days ” means the last days before Jesus comes
againis very erroneous and makes Petertalk
nonsense. Peteris talking to the point and not
“ scattering.” Laterin an address he referred
to the return of Christ, but not in this one. (Acts
3: 20,21.)Here he is showing that the gift of
the Spirit is proof that God has made Jesus
whom they crucified both Lord and Christ. (Acts
2 : 36.)Let one turn to the prophecy of Joel
and see that he does not use the expression“ last
days,” but “ afterward” ; that is, after certain
events and conditions that he had just described.

(Joel2 : 28.)
The gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out
not at the close of the Christian age, but at the
beginning of it.
In like manner we should understand the ex-
pressions nearthe close ofPeter’s quotation from
Joel, “ the day of the Lord,” and “ that greatand
notable day.” These are descriptions and desig-
nations of this day of Pentecost, notsome day
future to Peterand to us. Peteris not making
prophecy in his address, but explaining prophecy
and applying it to what was then happening, as
he himself said he was doing. He is trying to
convince the people not that Christ is going to
come a secondtime, but that he has come the
first time, which they were up to that moment
unwilling to believe.
So this day of Pentecostis calledby inspira-
tion the “ day of the Lord,” and the “ great and
notable day.”

By John the Baptist also this day was fore-
told. He said of Jesus, “ He shall baptize you
in the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matt. 3 : 11).
Jesus promised it severaltimes as the Gospelof
John records. (John 7 : 39;14 : 16, 26;15 :
26 ; 16 : 7. ) And Luke tells us that just before
the ascensionJesus repeatedthe promise finally
in language akinto John’s just referred to. (Acts
x : 4. 5. 8.)
It is easyto see the divine wisdom of selecting
the day of Pentecostforthis momentous event.
Of the three greatfeasts of the Jews the Pass-
over was the first and greatest. Jesus was put
to death during this feastand rose againthe third
day after. Worshipers were in Jerusalemfrom
all parts of the civilized world. Many, of course,
were remaining for the next feast, Pentecost,
which, as the name indicates, came fifty days
afterward. Through forty days of this time
Jesus appearedat intervals to the disciples and
spoke of the things of the kingdom. The Jews

have had time to think over the crime of the
crucifixion and the report of the resurrection.
The disciples have had opportunity to reflect upon
the still more glorious fact of the ascension.
Luke says, “ Now there were dwelling at Jeru-
salemJews, devout men from every nation under
heaven,” and then he specifies the various coun-
tries from which they came, and his specification
sweeps the whole compass ofthe world with
Jerusalemas the center. The time has come for
a world propaganda of the gospel, and God “ sets
the stage.”forit in the religious center of the
world, before representatives ofall the nations
there assembled.
The number of the disciples that were meet-
ing togetherregularly in Jerusalemduring the
ten days previous to Pentecostwas, Luke says,
about one hundred and twenty. He names the
apostles and the mother of Jesus, and includes in
the number also certainother women and the
brothers of Jesus. “ These all with one accord,”

he says, “continued steadfastlyin prayer.” (Cf.
Acts i : 12-15.)Theywere there in obedience
and loyalty to Christ; they were there in the con-
fidence that he would keephis word; they were
there in the resurrectiontriumph and the victory
peace oftheir leader. It was upon such men and
women that Godpoured forth his Spirit. Had
they been persons of a less “ heroic mold,” had
they been in a different state of mind, had they
been in some other place, the Holy Spirit would
not have come upon them.
But we may ask, Were these one hundred and
twenty the only true and loyal believers ? No,
there were many more. Only a few days before
more than five hundred persons met Jesus in an
appointed place, a certain mountain in Galilee,
most of whom evidently were true believers. It
was not physically possible for all those who
loved the Lord to be together in Jerusalem. Now
as to all these absent disciples, did they not share
in this gift of God? Was it limited to the one
hundred and twenty only? Or were they in a

sense representative ofall the disciples then and
since?. I think this last is the correctview. Cer-
tainly not all could have been there who would
have been there. Dr. A. J. Gordon calls Pente-
costthe “ age-baptism of the Spirit.” As only
three disciples saw the transfiguration glory of
Jesus in the “ holy mount,” but they all were and
we all are partakers of the benefit of that glory,
so all believers are partakers of the benefit of
Pentecost. By this I do not mean to saythat
every believer, because ofPentecost, has the
powerof the Spirit, but that every believer, be-
cause ofPentecost, has the privilege of receiving
that power.
How did the Holy Spirit manifest himself ?
How was it that the disciples and the people of
Jerusalem, up to this time unbelievers, became
aware of the Spirit?
The answeris simple. By means of the senses,
the earand the eye. They heard from the sky
“ a sound as of the rushing of a mighty wind,

and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
And there appearedunto them tongues of fire;
and it satupon eachone of them ” (Acts 2 : 2,
3). The “ sound as of the rushing of a mighty
wind ” was so loud that the people throughout
the city of ‘Jerusalemheard it. It is so stated
in the Standard Version. (Acts 2 : 6.)
Once before, at the baptism of Jesus, the Holy
Spirit manifested himself in a visible form. “ He
saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and
coming upon him” (Matt. 3 : 15).
The Holy Spirit, himself, in his essentialbeing,
is invisible as God the Father is invisible. But he
can manifest himself in visible forms; and we
may see how fitting the different forms are to
the different purposes. Jesus was God’s message
of love and peace to the world. So the Holy
Spirit descendedupon him as a dove. On the
day of Pentecostthe age of world-wide witness-
ing began. So the Holy Spirit descendedupon
them as tongues of fire, giving them power to

speak in “ other tongues,” orforeign languages.
They were to be as firebrands in the world, not
incendiary fagots, but torches aflame with the
truth.
The objective reality of the Holy Spirit is
vividly realized. He is manifested, as has been
said, to the ear and to the eye. He is “ poured
forth.’ He " filled all the house where they were
sitting.” And they were “ all tilled with the Holy
Spirit.” They were in the Spirit as a fish is in the
water. So John the Baptist and Jesus, speaking
in advance of the event, said they would be “ bap-
tized in the Holy Spirit.” They were immersed
in the Spirit as one is immersed in water. And
also they were “ filled ” with the Holy Spirit as
one’s lungs are filled with air. They did not think
of the Spirit as something subjective, as an idea
or a sensation. There is not a word saidas to
how the disciples felt. But we are told how
they were affectedand what they did as a result
of being “ filled ” with the Spirit. If one thinks

that the purpose of the coming into one’s life is ecstatic exhilarationor
emotional thrills or selfish enjoyment of any kind, he is missing the truth. It
matters little how we feel, but it is all important what we are and what
we do.
The immediate and outstanding effect upon the
disciples of the coming of the Holy Spirit upon
them on the day of Pentecostwas thatthey were
given power instantaneouslyto speak in lan-
guages thatthey had not before been acquainted
with.
“ They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and
beganto speak in other tongues, as the Spirit
gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4). “Other
tongues ” means simply languages otherthan
their own. When the Jews andproselytes from
the regions of Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Arabia,
Egypt, North Africa, Italy, and the islands of
the MediterraneanSea, etc., being attractedto
the spotby the strange sound, drew near and
heard the disciples talking, some mocking said,
“ They are filled with new wine ” ; but others who

understood them said in astonishment, “ Behold,
are not all these that speak Galilaeans ? ” and yet
“ we hear them speaking in our tongues the
mighty works ofGod.”
So the “ gift of tongues ” was not ability to
speak a language that no one understood, as some
have foolishly supposed, but it was the power to
speak in a new language without having learned
it. The expression“ unknown tongue ” found
severaltimes in the fourteenth chapter of First
Corinthians, in the old version, is a faulty trans-
lation and does not occurin the Greek. It is clear
that Paul is not thinking of a language ofmean-
ingless sounds, for he says in verse 28, that if
one who would speak in the church cannotmake
himself understood or cannot gethis speechin-
terpreted, he should keepsilence. It certainly is
no small sin againstthe Holy Spirit to claim that
the idiotic utterance of senselesssounds is his
inspired language.
The gift of the Holy Spirit had a practical

value there and then. God wantedthese “ devout
men from every nation under heaven ” to hear
the gospel. He willed also graciouslyto em-
phasize their testimony with a miracle, namely,
enabling his unlettered disciples instantaneously
to speak in languages hitherto unknown by them.
Paul speaking, it seems, ofthis powerof speech
given directly by God, says, " Tongues are for a
sign, not to them that believe, but to the unbe-
lieving” (1 Cor. 14 : 22). It was this great
miracle on the day of Pentecosttogetherwith
many other influences that convertedthe three
thousand persons,
In what sense did the Holy Spirit come on
the day of Pentecost?
Dr. A. J. Gordon says, “ Just as Jesus Christ
had a time-ministry which he came into the world
to fulfil, and having accomplishedit returned to
the Father, so the Holy Spirit, for the fulfilment
of a definite mission, came into the world at an
appointed time ” (“ Ministry of the Spirit,” p.

22). He approves Augustine’s designationof
Pentecostas the dies natalis, the birthday, of the
Spirit. (Ibid., p. 27.)
True, but was the Spirit never in the world be-
fore Pentecost? It would be a great blunder to
think that. Christ came into the world when
he was born in Bethlehem, but he had been in the
world also before. (Cf. Acts 7 : 38.) So the
Holy Spirit was in the world before the day of
Pentecost. He was active in creation. (Gen. 1 :
2.) He was with David. (Ps. 51 : 11.)He was
with the men who wrote the prophecies of the
Old Testament. (2 Peter 1 : 21.) He was with
John the Baptistfrom his birth. (Luke 1 : 15.)
He was at the baptism of Jesus and with him
throughout his ministry. (Matt. 3 : 165.4 : 1 !
Luke 4 : 14; John 3 : 34.)But he came with
specialpowerand for a specialpurpose on the
day of Pentecost. He came then to dwell in his
people and to be with them forever, (John 14 :
16/23;Matt. 28 : 19, 20.) He came to fit the
disciples for being witnesses ofChrist. Jesus

said, “Ye shall- receive power, when the Holy
Spirit is come upon you ” (Acts 1 : 8).
Dr; A. H. Strong says:"Before Christ “ the Holy Spirit was not ” (John 7 :
39), just as before Edisonelectricity was not.
There was just as much electricity in the world before Edison
as there is now. Edison has only taught us its exis-
tence and how to use it. Still we cansay that before
Edison electricityas a means of lighting, warming, and
transporting people had no existence. So until Pente-
costthe Holy Spirit, as a revealerof Christ, “ was not
yet.”
I think it is a mistake to infer, as DoctorGor-
don does, that the disciples made a mistake in
selecting Matthias to take the place of Judas.
(“Ministry of the Spirit,” p. 141.)Luke says
in Acts 1 : 26, “ And he was numbered with the
elevenapostles.” This is his statementabout
thirty years after the selectiontook place. Cer-
tainly if it had been a mistake, it would have been
discoveredbefore that date. Are we to suppose
that these disciples were left in darkness during

the ten days from the ascensionto Pentecost?
They certainly knew enoughto know that they
were, if they were;and they certainly had no
mind to take things into their ownhands. No,
we are not to condude that as the Holy Spirit
came in a specialway on the day of Pentecost,
he was with the disciples in no sense before that
day. Augustine spoke of the Holy Spirit as be-
ing in the world before Pentecostas a “ transient
visitor.”
The view is best, it seems, that Pentecostcame
once for all. Pentecostwas notrepeatedand is
not now to be expected, though Pentecostalpower
is promised to all believers and is to be earnestly
sought for by them. It is true that there was
something like Pentecostin Samaria (Acts 8 :
I4ff.), in Caesarea(Acts io : 44ff.), and in
Ephesus (Acts 19 : 2ff.), and perhaps in Corinth
(cf. 1 Cor. 14 : 22), but it is better not to con-
sider these to be repetitions of Pentecost, but as
reproductions of certain features of the Pente-
costalevent. That is, they were instances of

the specialenduement of the Spirit accompanied
with miraculous manifestations, suchas took
place on PentecostTheywere rather confirma-
tions of the day of PentecostWe should not
infer that the Holy Spirit came to all believers
even then as he came on Pentecostmuch less
that he so comes to Christians now. That was
an age of mirades; ours is not. The expres-
sions, “ baptism of the Spirit ” and “ spiritual
baptism,” should not, it seems, be applied to our
experiences now. They are not found in the
Bible. “ Baptized in the Holy Spirit ” is the ex-
pressionused to describe the Pentecostalexperi-
ences only. It is not a figurative expression. It
describes a literal fact. The disciples on that
day were immersed in the Holy Spirit as actually
as a fish is immersed in water, as we have said.
On other occasionsit is said men were “ filled ”
with the Spirit, but not immersed in the Spirit.
The day of Pentecostis proof, the best proof,
that Jesus ofNazareth was raisedfrom the dead
and is the Son of God.

“ He was declaredto be the Sonof Godwith
power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the
resurrectionfrom the dead” (Rom. 1:4).
This was the theme of Peter’s address, and it
was the considerationthat convertedthe three
thousand persons. The Jesus whomthey cru-
cified has become both Lord and Christ. “Let
all the house of Israeltherefore know assuredly,
that God hath made him both Lord and Christ,
this Jesus whomye crucified ” (Acts 2 : 36).
The day of Pentecost proclaims the fact that
the spiritual age of the world has arrived.
It was not the day of the “first gospelser-
mon ” or of the beginning of the gospel, or of the
founding of the church as some have erroneously
affirmed. (Cf. Mark i : i and Luke 16 : 16.)
It is the day of God’s announcement that Christ
has enteredinto “ that which is within the veil,”
that the invisible Christ is the realChrist. As

God, by angels, announcedthe incarnation of
Christ in the visible world, so by the coming of
the Holy Spirit he declares his enthronement in
the invisible world.
Luke remarks that while Jesus was on the cross
the “ veil of the temple was rent in the midst ”
(Luke 23 : 45). This would seemto signify
that the earthly tabernacle, a mere pattern, is of
use no longer and that, and because that, the
heavenly, the real, of which it was only a type,
has become perfected.
The criterion for true Christianity is not any-
thing visible, physical, or external, but something
invisible, inward, and spiritual. The kingdom of
God is spiritual. It came “ not with observa-
tion.” To identify the kingdom of God with a
visible organizationis to miss the significance
of Pentecost. The day of Pentecostsounds the
death-knell of ecclesiasticism. We should place
no limitations upon the grace ofGod, as we can-
not place limitations upon his power. Pentecost

means that divine grace is commensurate with
divine power. We should not make little chan-
nels for the grace ofGod as men make irrigation
ditches for water; for the grace ofGod, like a
flood, will flow over them. It is “ poured forth ”
as rain from bursting clouds.
The day to which the law and the prophets
looked, the day when idolatry should be dead, has
come.
The day of Pentecostproclaims the absolute
democracyof Christianity.
“ And it shall be, that whosoevershallcallon
the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2 :
21). Access to God is the right of every soul.
“ I will pour forth 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 :

Yea and on my servants and on my handmaidens
in those days
Will I pour forth of my Spirit; and they shall
prophesy ” (Acts 2 : 17, 18).
In the kingdom of God all persons have equal
privileges, the young and the old, the men and
the women, the free and the slave.
The day of Pentecostmeant socialrevolution.
It meant death and destruction to all institutions
of autocracythen. It means it now. Kaisers and
kings and princes and popes and autocrats ofall
kinds, civil and religious, are by their very being
enemies of the kingdom of God. Pentecostis
God’s call for their abdicationor for their de-
thronement
Equality of rights in the kingdom of God
means equality of rights everywhere. Royalty
is a crime. It is a conspiracyagainsthumanity.

To acceptit is idolatry and prostitution. The
more we banish kings from the earth, the more
the people will come to their own. Every Chris-
tian is a king. (Cf. i Peter2:9; Rev. 12 : 6 ; 5 :
10.)In crowning another fellow man he de-
thrones himself. Mr. James W. Gerard, ex-am-
bassadorto Germany, speaking before the close
of the World War of despotic rule there and
elsewhere in the world, says : “ Royalty still lives
to torture and retard civilization. Its methods of
perpetuation are unchanged since the Middle
Ages.”
The day of Pentecostis the day of the people.
Dr. B. F. Meyerbeautifully says:
In Switzerland I have gone out on the veranda of
the hotel at three or four o’clock in the morning and
lookedat the range of mountains that rose before me.
At first all is gray and damp; but as I look, it seems
as if God’s angelhas been stepping from one summit
to another, lighting fires all along his path. Beneath,

the mist still hangs overthe valley, the clouds roll and
tumble in endless confusion. As I wait and watchthe
sun rises. The mists roll up and disappear. By noon
the sun's rays have poured into every nook and crevice
in the valley. So I think the Holy Spirit before Pente-
coststruck with living flame only the greatmountain
peaks among men. That summit was Moses;that,
Samson;that, David; that, Jeremiah. But at the day
of Pentecost, he who had been given only to the spir-
itual aristocrats ofthe race became the common prop-
erty of the democracy."
PENTECOSTBYMORGAN
As He came, there was a sound like a mighty rushing
wind, heard not only by the people there assembled, but
by Jerusalemat large ; for it is declaredthat when the
people heard the sound they ran together to see what
these things could be. Beside this symbolism that ap-
pealed to hearing, the coming was one that appealedto
sight ; fire, parting asunder, satin the form of a tongue

upon the head of eachdisciple. Beyond this twofold
miracle of sight and sound, there was the wonderful be-
stowmentof the gift of tongues, by which the baptized
men and womenspoke in other languages than their
own. The place Pentecostoccupiedin the Divine economy
was of greatimportance.
(i) The Holy Spirit was poured out upon the Day
of Pentecostas a gift of God. Man had no claim upon
God for that greatgift; He was not poured out in
answerto any prayer of man, nor on accountof any
merit in man. He was, as was the gift of Jesus, a gift
of grace which all receivedas from God.
(ii) The pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecostwas
dependent upon the presence in heaven of Him Who
was dead and is alive for evermore. Because ofthe
work that He had wrought, in which satisfactionhad
been given to righteousness, Godpoured His Spirit upon
man, for the initiation of a new movement and the usher-
ing in of a new dispensation.
(iii) Pentecostwas the coming of God the Holy

Spirit to realize His own ideal in human character, by
the administration of the work of Jesus, in its redemp-
tive, possessive, anddominant aspects. Itwas the com-
ing of God as Administrator, in order that the work
which He had done as Saviour might become a real
fact within the experience and the characterofmen of
whom He should be able to obtain full possession, and
in whom, therefore, He should be able to exercise abso-
lute control. By the Holy Spirit, Jesus is henceforth
to be Lord, while loyal subjects to His dominion are, by
the indwelling of the Spirit, to pass into the realization
of the will of God. The coming of the Holy Spirit was
the dawn of the brightest day the world had seensince
the Fall. It was for the actualimpartation to his inner
being of the power that should realize the purpose to-
ward which man had been moving through every pre-
vious dispensation.
Pentecostaffectedthe whole position of the disciples.
In the moment when the Holy Spirit fell upon them, the
company of apostles anddisciples, about one hundred
and twenty in number, were changedfrom being merely
followers of the Messiahinto members of the risen Lord.

The Lord had exerciseda purely JewishMessiahship;
He had fulfilled all the prophecies and promises of the
past in His own Person. He came unto His own 1 is the
word that characterizes His mission up to the Cross;
and the Cross is the final emphasis of the other fact
that they that were His ozun receivedHim not. But out
of that greatnation, which as a nation thus rejected
Him, there had been gatheredan electremnant, in suc-
cessionto that electremnant which had always existed,
even in the ages mostcharacterizedby spiritual deca-
dence. Peter, James, John, and others to the number of
about five hundred, were followers ofJesus, the Jewish
Messiah; and so they continued up to the Dayof Pente-
cost. When one hundred and twenty of these five hun-
dred souls gatheredin obedience to the parting com-
mand of their Lord, they were still disciples of the Mes-
siah the little company of people who, amidst the dark-
ness of the nation, had discoveredthe light of God
and had been true to it. They were the people who,
failing, trembling in the hour of darkness, had neverthe-
less loved their Lord through all the people who had
been utterly amazedat the miracle of the Resurrection,
and who were now waiting in obedience to the new

voice of authority that had sounded in their ears, the
voice of their risen Lord. These disciples of the Mes-
siah were waiting for something differing entirely from
the expectations ofthe past; but even now they did not
clearly understand their position. "^
When the Spirit came, they were born again. Hith-
erto they had been followers ofthe Christ; and in the
purpose of God, in company with faithful Abraham and
all who preceded them in a life obedient to the measure
of light received, were reckonedas sharers in the work
of Christ. But, as an actual fact of life, it was only
when the Spirit came outpoured in baptismal flood, as
the result of the work of Jesus upon the Cross that
these men beganto live. They were then baptized in
the Spirit, and filled with the Spirit.
The result of Pentecostwas,moreover, one that af-
fectedthem not as individuals only, but also in their re-
lation the one to the other. By that baptism they were
united into one, and Peter, James, and John were no
longerthree separate individuals, standing apart from
eachother while holding the same broad sentiment, but

they were members of the one catholic Church. In that
moment when the Spirit fell upon the one hundred and
twenty or more, the mystical Church of Christ was cre-
ated. Up to the moment of the coming of the Spirit,
they were a concurrence ofindividuals, a company of
units, having a bond of sympathy in their common love
to Christ, but no actual, vital, necessary, eternalunion.
When the Spirit came, the concurrence ofindividuals
was fused into a unity, the Church was formed. The
catholic Church was createdby the baptism of the Spirit.
There was no Church in this sense until the Spirit
came;and from then until now the Church has con-
tinued. God alone knows the limits of His own
Church. It to-day consists ofthose, in heaven and on
earth, who have, by this self-same Spirit, been baptized
into the sacredunity of the living Christ. It was when
the Spirit fell, that individual disciples of Jesus were
transformed from the former associationwith Him into
actualliving unity. The mystical Church was formed,
by this fusion into a unity, of those who were baptized
by the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.
As the result of the greatwork of the Son of God, in

life, death, resurrection, and ascension, there was poured
upon a little company of men and women, who had
chosento suffer with Him, the greatgift of the Holy
Spirit. They were thus createda corporate unity, one
with Christ and with eachother, and there was brought
into the world a new creation, the Church, consisting of
Christ and all those thus united to Him. 1
The coming of the Spirit and the fusing of these indi-
viduals into one greatwhole affectedthe relation of the
whole race to God. It was the coming into the world of
a new temple the Church. Ye are a temple of God?
an individual truth, but a collective truth also. It was
the coming into the world of that of which the old
Temple, with its priesthood, its offerings, and its rit-
ual, was prophetic ; it was the building in the world of
a dwelling-place of God through the Spirit.
*A question arises as to what became of the rest of the five
hundred disciples of Jesus who saw Him after His resurrection
He appeared to above live hundred brethren at once (i Cor. xv.
6) but who did not tarry in obedience to His command in Jeru-
salem. No definite statement canbe made concerning them. It

is certain, however, that they were not on the Dayof Pentecost
included in the Church, their disobedience preventing this. It is
probable that, as the time passedon, many of them would become
more fully instructed, and by submissionwould receive the gift.
Nothing can be said with any certainty, as nothing has been re-
vealedin Scripture. a i Cor. iii, 16,
The Temple was the place of praise, whence the song,
the chant, and the hallelujah ascendedperpetually into
the presence ofGod. Man is createdfor the glory of
God, and zvhoso offerelh the sacrifice of thanksgiving
glorineth Me. 1 It is the Divine intention that man
should say, not only with his lip, but in every power of
his nature, Hallelujah! First the Tabernacle, then the
Temple, was givento man as a place of praise.
But the Temple meant more than praise ; it meant a
possibility of prayer. Is it not written, My house shall
be called a house of prayer for all the nations? 2 It was
a point to which humanity might come and tell its agony
in the listening ear of Heaven, a place where men might
pray. Men are, first, to praise;but praise must oft-
times cease,chokedby the sobof sorrow ; then let men

pray.
Beyond that, the Temple was the place of prophetic
utterance prophecy being, in its largest meaning, a
Divine answerto prayer. Prayeris the voice of man
in his need speaking to God : .prophecy is the voice of
God in His powerspeaking to man. These things had
been symbolized in the Temple.
Now those men and women in the upper room being
no longer simply a company, but Christ's Church form
a Divine institution of praise. Through them there is
to ascendfrom the earth to heaven the praise of men.
The outsiders will join the praise as they enter the
1 Ps. 1. 23. 3 Mark xi. 17.
Church ; they will find the opportunity of praise as they
come into the new Temple of God given to man.
That company of people, having now become one
Church, is also a medium of prayer. They are a king-
dom of priests: that is, a company of individuals who
will unite prayer to prayer and intercessionto interces-
sion ; a company of men and women who will carry on

their hearts the surging sorrow of the earth, and will
pour its tale out in the listening earof Heaven ; a com-
pany of men and women who will always be conscious
of the suffering of humanity, and will tell it out to God.
The multitudes outside will begin to pray as they enter
the Church. Their prayer will become prevailing as
they join the new medium of prayer, which is the new
Temple, the Church of Jesus Christ.
The Church will not only praise and pray, all its
members have become prophets. They will pass from
the upper room, and scatterthemselves overthe whole
earth, reaching out into all the places where men abide.
They will not be divided ; they will still be the Church.
The sigh of Moses long ago, WouldGod that all the
Lord's people zvere prophets!' 1 finds its answerin the
Pentecostaleffusionand the bestowmentof the pro-
phetic gift upon the living members of the new Church.
Before one hundred years had passed, every known na-
tion and all human institutions had felt the touch of the
new powerby the prophesying of the Church.
1 Num. xi. 29.

A new Temple was given to men upon the Dayof
Pentecostthat is, a new centre of praise, a new power
of prayer, and a new power of prophecy. No longer is
Jerusalemthe place where men ought to worship; 1 no
longeris this mountain, as Christ characterizedthe Sa-
maritan centre, the only place ; but everywhere men may
worship God. Christ is the Doorof the Church; and
men through belief in Him pass thereinto, the Spirit
baptizing them into living union with Him. The Tem-
ple grows and expands by this incorporation of individ-
ual members. Whether in a far-off land or at home,
whether in Jerusalemor at the end of the earth, men
pass into the new Temple by this self-same Spirit Who
was poured out upon the day of Pentecostfor their ad-
mission into the relationship with God which should fit
them for praise, prayer, and prophecy. When Peter
handled the keys of the kingdom for the first time, he
opened the door to the Jew, and three thousand entered.
Then he openedthe door to the Gentiles in the house of
Cornelius, and the Gentiles beganto crowd in. That
handling of the keys was not Peter's peculiar preroga-
tive. It was also the prerogative of every member of the
Church. It is the prerogative of every personwho, as a

prophet of the Cross, in the demonstrationof the Spirit,
speaks to some soul, so that there opens before that soul
a vision of the things of the kingdom. That is the true
exercise ofthe powerof the keys. 2 Pentecostmeantfor
1 John iv. 20. 2 This throws light upon the sacerdotalquestion.
With a strange confusionmen have imagined that the keys were
the world the creationof a new Temple, no longer limi-
ted, localized, and material, but unlimited, to be found
everywhere, and spiritual, for the Spirit is everywhere.
Entrance to this Temple is found whereverman in his
need and agonysubmits himself to Christ.
Before closing this chapter, it is necessaryto notice
the difference betweenthe events of the Day of Pente-
costwith the period immediately following, and the oc-
currence in the house of Cornelius with the subsequent
history of the Book of the Acts. The whole of the men
and women upon whom the Spirit fell on the Dayof
Pentecostwere Jewish; and the period immediately fol-
lowing Pentecostmay be spokenof as peculiarly Jewish.
There are two remarkable characteristicsofthe work
of the Spirit during that period that ceasedimmediately

afterwards. This period is dealt with in the first nine
chapters, and during it there seems to have been an in-
terval betweenthe acceptationofthe goodtidings con-
cerning the kingdom of God and the receptionof the
Holy Spirit. People believed the tidings, and yet they
did not receive the Holy Spirit. Moreover, there was
some intervention on the part of another disciple before
the gift of the Spirit was received.
The Gospelwas preachedto the Gentiles in the house
of Cornelius, 2 and it is never againrecordedthat those
who believed in Jesus receivedthe Holy Spirit as a sub-
sequent blessing. The apostles preachedthe kingdom
of God ; and when a Jew heard about the kingdom, he
did exactlywhat had been done in the days of Christ's
ministry he thought of earthly power, had no concep-
tion of the spiritual reality, and believed in Jesus as a
Restorerofthe temporal kingdom. His conceptionwas
material; and in every such case itwas necessaryfor
some more enlightened disciple to teach him the spiritual
reality, in order that he might receive the Holy
Spirit.

When Peter preachedin the house of Cornelius, he
announced goodtidings of peace, and the lordship of
Jesus, and remissionof sins. This the Gentiles heard,
not from the Jewishstandpoint. The story of the king-
dom was not all. They heard also the story of salvation
from sin. When they believed, it was the whole Gospel,
and the Spirit fell upon them straightway. There was
no secondblessing. This, then, represents the normal
condition of things under the present dispensation.
Men believe in Jesus as King and Saviour, and are bap T
tized by the Spirit into relationship with Him, that being
the hour of their new birth, and that in which they be-
come members of the catholic Church of Jesus Christ.
Pentecost, in the economyof God, was the occasion
of the outpouring of the Spirit, in answerto the com-
pleted work of the Christ, in order that the purpose of
God might be realized in the characterof men.
Pentecost, in the case ofthe disciple, was the change
from being merely a follower, a learner, into that of liv-
ing union with the living Christ

Pentecost, in the case ofthe world, was the advent in
the world of a new Temple consisting of living men,
women, and children indwelt by the Spirit of God, for
purposes of praise, and prayer, and prophecy.
PINK The Advent of the Spirit
It is highly important we should closelyobserve how eachof the EternalThree
has been at marked pains to provide for the honor of the other Divine
Persons, andwe must be as particular to give it to Them accordingly. How
careful was the Father to duly guard the ineffable glory of the Darling of His
bosom when He laid aside the visible insignia of His Deity and took upon Him
the form of a servant: His voice was then heard more than once proclaiming,
“This is my beloved Son.” How constantlydid the incarnate Son divert
attention from Himself and direct it unto the One who had sentHim. In like
manner, the Holy Spirit is not here to glorify Himself, but rather Him whose
vicar and Advocate He is (John 16:14). Blessedis it then to mark how jealous
both the Fatherand the Sonhave been to safeguardthe glory and provide for
the honor of the Holy Spirit.
The Importance of the Advent of the Spirit
“ ‘If I go not away, the Comforterwill not come’(John 16:7); He will not do
these works while I am here, and I have committed all to Him. As My Father
hath visibly ‘committed all judgment unto the Son: that all men should honor
the Son, even as they honor the Father’ (John 5:22, 23), so I and my Father
will send Him having committed all these things to Him, that all men might
honor the Holy Spirit, even as they honor the Father and the Son. Thus wary
and carefulare everyone of the Persons to provide for the honor of eachother
in our hearts” (T. Goodwin, 1670). The public advent of the Spirit, for the

purpose of ushering in and administering the new covenant, was secondin
importance only unto the incarnation of our Lord, which was in order to the
winding up of the old economyand laying the foundations of the new. When
God designedthe salvationof His elect, He appointed two greatmeans: the
gift of His Sonfor them, and the gift of His Spirit to them; thereby eachof the
Persons in the Trinity being glorified. Hence, from the first entrance of sin,
there were two greatheads to the promises which God gave His people: the
sending of His Son to obey and die, the sending of His Spirit to make effectual
the fruits of the former. Eachof these Divine gifts was bestowedin a manner
suited both to the august Giver Himself and the eminent nature of the gifts.
Many and marked are the parallels of correspondencebetweenthe advent of
Christ and the advent of the Spirit.
Parallels in the Advents of Christ and of the Spirit
1. God appointed that there should be a signal coming accordedunto the
descentof Eachfrom Heaven to earth for the performance of the work
assignedThem. Just as the Son was presentwith the redeemedIsraelites long
before His incarnation (Acts 7:37, 38;1 Cor. 10:4), yet God decreedfor Him a
visible and more formal advent, which all of His people knew of—so though
the Holy Spirit was given to work regenerationin men all through the Old
Testamentera (Neh. 9:20, etc.), and moved the Prophets to deliver their
messages (2 Peter1:21), nevertheless God ordained that He should have a
coming in state, in a solemn manner, accompaniedby visible tokens and
glorious effects. 2. Both the advents of Christ and of the Spirit were the
subjects of Old Testamentprediction. During the past century much has been
written upon the Messianic prophecies, but the promises which God gave
concerning the coming of the Holy Spirit constitute a theme which is generally
neglected. The following are among the principal pledges which God made
that the Spirit should be given unto and poured out upon His saints:Psalm
68:18;Proverbs 1:23; Isaiah32:15; Ezekiel36:26, 39:29;Joel2:28; Haggai
2:9: in them the descentof the Holy Spirit was as definitely announced as was
the incarnation of the Savior in Isaiah 7:14. 3. Just as Christ had John the
Baptist to announce His incarnation and to prepare His way, so the Holy
Spirit had Christ Himself to foretellHis coming, and to make ready the hearts
of His own for His advent. 4. Just as it was not until “the fullness of time had

come” that God sent forth His Son (Gal. 4:4), so it was not until “the day of
Pentecostwas fully come” that God sent forth His Spirit (Acts 2:1). 5. As the
Son became incarnate in the holy land, Palestine, so the Spirit descendedin
Jerusalem. 6. Just as the coming of the Son of God into this world was
auspiciouslysignalized by mighty wonders and signs, so the descentof God
the Spirit was attended and attestedby stirring displays of Divine power. The
advent of Eachwas marked by supernatural phenomena: the angel choir
(Luke 2:13) found its counterpart in the “sound from Heaven” (Acts 2:1), and
the Shekinah“glory” (Luke 2:9) in the “tongues offire” (Acts 2:3). 7. As an
extraordinary starmarked the “house” where the Christ-child was (Matt.
2:9), so a Divine shaking marked the “house” to which the Spirit had come
(Acts 2:2). 8. In connectionwith the advent of Christ there was both a private
and a public aspectto it: in like manner, too, was it in the giving of the Spirit.
The birth of the Saviorwas made known unto a few, but when He was to “be
made manifest to Israel” (John 1:31), He was publicly identified, for at His
baptism the heavens were opened, the Spirit descendedupon Him in the form
of a dove, and the voice of the Father audibly ownedHim as His Son.
Correspondingly, the Spirit was communicated to the Apostles privately,
when the risen Savior“breathed on, and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy
Spirit” (John 20:22); and later He came publicly on the day of Pentecostwhen
all the greatthrong then in Jerusalemwere made aware ofHis descent(Acts
2:32-36). 9. The advent of the Sonwas in order to His becoming incarnate,
when the eternalWord was made flesh (John 1:14); so, too, the advent of the
Spirit was in order to His becoming incarnate in Christ’s redeemed:as the
Savior had declaredto them, the Spirit of truth “shallbe in you” (John 14:17).
This is a truly marvelous parallel. As the Son of God became man, dwelling in
a human “temple” (John 2:19), so the Third Personof the Trinity took up His
abode in men, to whom it is said, “Know ye not that ye are the
15
temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16). As
the Lord Jesus saidto the Father, “A body hast Thou prepared Me” (Heb.
10:5), so the Spirit could say to Christ, “A body hast Thou prepared Me” (see
Eph. 2:22). 10. When Christ was born into this world, we are told that Herod
“was troubled and all Jerusalemwith him” (Matt. 2:3); in like manner, when

the Holy Spirit was given we read, “And there were dwelling at Jerusalem
Jews, devoutmen out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was
noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were troubled in mind” (Acts
2:5, 6). 11. It had been predicted that when Christ should appearHe would be
unrecognized and unappreciated (Isa. 53), and so it came to pass. In like
manner, the Lord Jesus declared, “The Spirit of truth, whom the world
cannot receive, becauseit seethHim not, neither knowethHim” (John 14:17).
12. As the Messianic claims ofChrist were calledinto question, so the advent
of the Spirit was at once challenged:“They were all amazed and were in
doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?” (Acts 2:12). 13. The
analogyis yet closer:as Christ was termed “a winebibber” (Matt. 11:19), so of
those filled with the Spirit it was said, “These men are full of new wine” (Acts
2:13)! 14. As the public advent of Christ was heralded by John the Baptist
(John 1:29), so the meaning of the public descentof the Spirit was interpreted
by Peter (Acts 2:15-36). 15. Godappointed unto Christ the executing of a
stupendous work, even that of purchasing the redemption of His people; even
so to the Spirit has been assignedthe momentous task of effectually applying
to His electthe virtues and benefits of the atonement. 16. As in the discharge
of His work the Sonhonored the Father (John 14:10), so in the fulfillment of
His mission the Spirit glorifies the Son (John 16:13, 14). 17. As the Father paid
holy deference unto the Son by bidding the disciples, “hearye him” (Matt.
17:5), in like manner the Son shows respectfor His Paraclete by saying, “He
that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” (Rev.
2:7). 18. As Christ committed His saints into the safe-keeping ofthe Holy
Spirit (John 16:7; 14:16), so the Spirit will yet deliver up those saints unto
Christ, as the word “receive” in John 14:3 plainly implies. We trust that the
reader will find the same spiritual delight in perusing this chapter as the
writer had in preparing it.
The Meaning of the Advent of the Spirit
At Pentecostthe Holy Spirit came as He had never come before. Something
then transpired which inaugurated a new era for the world, a new powerfor
righteousness, a new basis for fellowship. On that day the fearing Peter was
transformed into the intrepid evangelist. Onthat day the new wine of
Christianity burst the old bottles of Judaism, and the Word went forth in a

multiplicity of Gentile tongues. On that day more souls seemto have been
truly regenerated, than during all the three and one half years of Christ’s
public ministry. What had happened? It is not enough to say that the Spirit of
God was given, for He had been given long before, both to individuals and the
nation of Israel(Neh. 9:20; Hag. 2:5); no, the pressing question is, In what
sense was He then given? This leads us to carefully considerthe meaning of
the Spirit’s advent. 1. It was the fulfillment of the Divine promise. First, of the
Father Himself. During the Old Testamentdispensation, He declared, again
and again, that He would pour out the Spirit upon His people (see Prov. 1:23;
Isa. 32:15; Joel2:28, etc.), and now these gracious declarationswere
accomplished. Second, ofJohn the Baptist. When he was stirring the hearts of
multitudes by his callto repentance and his demand of baptism, many thought
he must be the long-expectedMessiah, but he declaredunto them, “I indeed
baptize you with water, but one mightier than I cometh, the latchetof whose
shoes I am not worthy to unloose:He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit
and with fire” (Luke 3:15, 16). Accordingly He did so on the day of Pentecost,
as Acts 2:32, 33 plainly shows. Third, of Christ. Seven times over the Lord
Jesus avowedthat He would give or send the Holy Spirit: Luke 24:49; John
7:37-39;14:16-19;14:26; 15:26;16:7; Acts 1:5, 8. From these we may
particularly notice, “When the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you
from the Father ... He shall testify of Me” (John 15:26): “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” (John 16:7). That which took
place in John 20:22 and in Acts 2 was the fulfillment of those promises. In
them we behold the faith of the Mediator:He had appropriated the promise
which the Father had given Him, “Therefore being by the right hand of God
exalted, and having receivedof the Fatherthe promise of the Holy Spirit, He
hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear” (Acts 2:33)— it was by
faith’s anticipation the Lord Jesus spoke as He did in the above passage.“The
Holy Spirit was God’s ascensiongift to Christ, that He might be bestowedby
Christ, as His ascensiongift to the church. Hence Christ had said, ‘Behold, I
send the promise of My Father upon you.’ This was the promised gift of the
Father to the Son, and the Savior’s promised gift to His believing people. How
easynow to reconcile the apparent contradiction of Christ’s earlierand later
words: ‘I will pray the Father and He shall give you anotherComforter’; and

then, afterward, ‘If I depart I will send Him unto you.’ The Spirit was the
Father’s answerto the prayer of the Son; and so the gift was transferred by
Him to the mystical body of which He is the head” (A. T. Piersonin The Acts
of the Holy Spirit). 2. It was the fulfillment of an important Old Testament
type. It is this which explains to us why the Spirit was given on the day of
“Pentecost,”whichwas one of the principal religious feasts ofIsrael. Just as
there was a profound significance to Christ’s dying on PassoverDay(giving
us the antitype of Exo. 12), so there was in the coming of the Spirit on the 50th
day after Christ’s resurrection. The type is recorded in Leviticus 23, to which
we can here make only the briefest allusion. In Leviticus 23:4 we read, “These
are the feasts of the Lord.” The first of them is the Passover(v. 5) and the
second“unleavenedbread” (v. 6, etc.). The two togetherspeaking ofthe
sinless Christ offering Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of His people. The
third is the “wave sheaf” (v. 10, etc.)which was the “firstfruits of the harvest”
(v. 10), presented to God “onthe morrow after the (Jewish)Sabbath” (v. 11),
a figure of Christ’s resurrection(1 Cor. 15:23).
16
The fourth is the feastof “weeks”(see Exo. 34:22;Deut. 16:10, 16) so-called
because ofthe sevencomplete weeks ofLeviticus 23:15; also knownas
“Pentecost”(which means “Fiftieth”) because ofthe “fifty days” of Leviticus
23:16. It was then the balance of the harvest beganto be gatheredin. On that
day Israelwas required to present unto God “two wave loaves,” whichwere
also designated“the first-fruits unto the Lord” (Lev. 23:17). The antitype of
which was the saving of the 3,000 onthe day of Pentecost:the “firstfruits” of
Christ’s atonement, compare James 1:18. The first loaf representedthose
redeemedfrom among the Jews, the secondloafwas anticipatory and pointed
to the gathering in of God’s electfrom among the Gentiles, begun in Acts 10.
3. It was the beginning of a new dispensation. This was plainly intimated in
the type of Leviticus 23, for on the day of PentecostIsraelwas definitely
required to offer a “new meal offering unto the Lord” (v. 16). Still more
clearly was it fore-announced in a yet more important and significant type,
namely, that of the beginning of the Mosaic economy, whichtook place only
when the nation of Israelformally entered into covenantrelationship with
Jehovahat Sinai. Now it is exceedinglystriking to observe that just 50 days

elapsedfrom the time when the Hebrews emergedfrom the house of bondage
till they receivedthe Law from the mouth of Moses. Theyleft Egypt on the
15th of the first month (Num. 33:3), and arrived at Sinai the first of the third
month (Exo. 19:1, note “the same day”), which would be the forty-sixth. The
next day Moseswentup into the mount, and three days later the law was
delivered (Exo. 19:11)! And just as there was a period of 50 days from Israel’s
deliverance from Egypt until the beginning of the Mosaic economy, so the
same length of time followedthe resurrection of Christ (when His people were
delivered from Hell) to the beginning of the Christian economy!That a new
dispensationcommencedat Pentecostfurther appears from the “tongues like
as of fire” (Acts 2:1). When John the Baptist announced that Christ would
baptize, “with the Holy Spirit and with fire,” the lastwords might have
suggestedmaterial burning to any people except Jews, but in their minds far
other thoughts would be awakened. To them it would recallthe scene when
their greatprogenitor askedGod, who promised he should inherit that land
wherein he was a stranger, “Lord, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit
it?” The answerwas “Beholda smoking furnace and a burning lamp ...” (Gen.
15:17). It would recallthe fire which Mosessaw in the burning bush. It would
recallthe “pillar of fire” which guided by night, and the Shekinah which
descendedand filled the tabernacle. Thus, in the promise of baptism by fire
they would at once recognize the approach of a new manifestation of the
presence and powerof God! Again—whenwe read that, “there appearedunto
them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it satupon eachof them” (Acts 2:2),
further evidence is found that a new dispensationhad now commenced. “The
word ‘sat’ in Scripture marks an ending and a beginning. The process of
preparation is ended and the establishedorder has begun. It marks the end of
creationand the beginning of normal forces. ‘In six days the Lord made
Heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day.’
There is no weariness in God. He did not rest from fatigue: what it means is
that all creative work was accomplished. The same figure is used of the
Redeemer. Of Him it is said ‘when He had made purification for sins (He) sat
down on the right hand of the Majestyon high.’ No other priesthood had sat
down. The priests of the Temple ministered standing because their ministry
was provisional and preparatory, a parable and prophecy. Christ’s own
ministry was part of the preparation for the coming of the Spirit. Until He ‘sat

down’ in glory, there could be no dispensationof the Spirit ... When the work
of redemption was complete, the Spirit was given, and when He came he ‘sat.’
He reigns in the Church as Christ reigns in the Heavens” (S. Chadwick in The
Way to Pentecost). “There are few incidents more illuminating than that
recordedin ‘the last day of the feast’ in John 7:37-39. The feastwas that of
Tabernacles.The feastproper lasted sevendays, during which all Israeldwelt
in booths. Specialsacrificeswere offeredand specialrites observed. Every
morning one of the priests brought water from the pool of Siloam, and amidst
the sounding of trumpets and other demonstrations of joy, the waterwas
poured upon the altar. The rite was a celebrationand a prophecy. It
commemoratedthe miraculous supply of water in the wilderness, and it bore
witness to the expectationof the coming of the Spirit. On the seventh day the
ceremonyof the poured waterceased, but the eighth was a day of holy
convocation, the greatestday of all. “On that day there was no waterpoured
upon the altar, and it was on the waterless daythat Jesus stoodon the spot
and cried, saying:‘If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink.’ Then
He added those words: ‘He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture has said,
from within him shall flow rivers of living water.’The Apostle adds the
interpretative comment: ‘But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that
believe on Him were to receive:for the Spirit was not given because Jesus was
not yet glorified.’ ‘As the scripture hath said.’There is no such passagein the
Scripture as that quoted, but the prophetic part of the waterceremony was
basedupon certainOld Testamentsymbols and prophecies in which water
flowed forth from Zion to cleanse, renew, andfructify the world. A study of
Joel3:18 and Ezekiel47 will supply the keyto the meaning both of the rite
and our Lord’s promise. “The Holy Spirit was ‘not yet given,’ but He was
promised, and His coming should be from the place of blood, the altar of
sacrifice. Calvaryopenedthe fountain from which poured forth the blessing
of Pentecost”(S. Chadwick). 4. It was the Grace ofGod flowing unto the
Gentiles. We have consideredthe meaning of the Spirit’s descent, and pointed
out that it was the fulfillment of Divine promise, the accomplishmentof Old
Testamenttypes, and the beginning of a new dispensation. It was also the
Grace of God flowing unto the Gentiles. But first let us observe and admire
the marvelous grace of God extended unto the Jews themselves. In His charge
to the Apostles, the Lord Jesus gave orders that “repentance and remissionof

sins should be preachedin His name among all nations, beginning at
Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47), not because the Jews hadany longer a covenant
standing before God—forthe Nationwas abandoned by Him before the
crucifixion—see Matthew 28:38—butin order to display His matchless mercy
and sovereignbenignity. Accordingly, in the Acts we see His love shining forth
in the midst of the rebellious city. In the very place where the Lord Jesus had
been slain the full Gospelwas now preached, and 3,000 were quickenedby the
Holy Spirit. But the Gospelwas to be restricted to the Jews no longer. Though
the Apostles were to commence their testimony in Jerusalem, yet Christ’s
glorious and all-efficacious Name was to be proclaimed “among all nations.”
The earnestof this was givenwhen “devout men out of every nation under
heaven” (Acts 2:5) exclaimed, “How hear we every man in his own tongue?”
(v. 8). It was
17
an entirely new thing. Until this time, God had used Hebrew, or a
modification of it. Thus Bullinger’s view that a new “Jewish” dispensation
(the “Pentecostal”)was theninaugurated is Divinely setaside. What occurred
in Acts 2 was a part reversaland in blessedcontrastfrom what is recordedin
Genesis 11. There we find “the tongues were divided to destroy an evil unity,
and to show God’s holy hatred of Babel’s iniquity.” In Acts 2 we have grace at
Jerusalem, and a new and precious unity, suggestive ofanotherbuilding
(Matt. 16:18), with living stones—contrastthe ‘bricks’ of Genesis 11:3 and its
tower(P. W. Heward). In Genesis the dividing of tongues was in judgment; in
Acts 2 the cloventongues were in grace;and in Revelation7:9, 10 we see men
of all tongues in glory.
The Purpose of the Advent of the Spirit
We next considerthe purpose of the Spirit’s descent. 1. To witness unto
Christ’s exaltation. Pentecostwas God’s sealupon the Messiahshipof Jesus.
In proof of His pleasure in and acceptance ofthe sacrificialwork of His Son,
God raisedHim from the dead, exaltedHim to His own right hand, and gave
Him the Spirit to bestow upon His Church (Acts 2:33). It has been beautifully
pointed out by another, that, on the hem of the ephod worn by the high priest

of Israel were goldenbells and pomegranates (Exo. 28:33, 34). The sound of
the bells (and that which gave them sound was their tongues)furnished
evidence that he was alive while serving in the sanctuary. The high priest was
a type of Christ (Heb. 8:1); the holy place was a figure of Heaven (Heb. 9:24);
the “soundfrom Heaven” and the speaking “in tongues” (Acts 2:2, 4) were a
witness that our Lord was alive in Heaven, ministering there as the High
Priestof His people. 2. To take Christ’s place. This is clearfrom His own
words to the Apostles, “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you
another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever” (John 14:16). Until
then, Christ had been their “Comforter,” but He was soonto return to
Heaven; nevertheless, as He went on to assure them, “I will not leave you
orphans, I will come to you” (marginal rendering of John 14:18); He did
“come” to them corporatelyafter His resurrection, but He “came” to them
spiritually and abidingly in the Personof His Deputy on the day of Pentecost.
The Spirit, then, fills the place on earth of our absent Lord in Heaven, with
this additional advantage, that, during the days of His flesh the Savior’s body
confined Him unto one location, whereas the Holy Spirit—not having assumed
a body as the mode of His incarnation—is equally and everywhere resident in
and abiding with every believer. 3. To further Christ’s cause. This is plain
from His declarationconcerning the Comforter: “He shall glorify Me” (John
16:14). The word “Paraclete”(translated“Comforter” all through the Gospel)
is also rendered “Advocate” in 1 John 2:1, and an “advocate”is one who
appears as the representative of another. The Holy Spirit is here to interpret
and vindicate Christ, to administer for Christ in His Church and Kingdom.
He is here to accomplishHis redeeming purpose in the world. He fills the
mystical Body of Christ, directing its movements, controlling its members,
inspiring its wisdom, supplying its strength. The Holy spirit becomes to the
believer individually and the church collectivelyall that Christ would have
been had He remained on earth. Moreover, He seeksouteachone of those for
whom Christ died, quickens them into newness oflife, convicts them of sin,
gives them faith to lay hold of Christ, and causes them to grow in grace and
become fruitful. It is important to see that the mission of the Spirit is for the
purpose of continuing and completing that of Christ’s. The Lord Jesus
declared, “I am come to send fire on the earth: and what will I, if it be already
kindled? But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened

till it be accomplished!” (Luke 12:49, 50). The preaching of the Gospelwas to
be like “fire on the earth,” giving light and warmth to human hearts; it was
“kindled” then, but would spread much more rapidly later. Until His death
Christ was “straitened”:it did not consistwith God’s purpose for the Gospel
to be preachedmore openly and extensively; but after Christ’s resurrection, it
went forth unto all nations. Following the ascension, Christ was no longer
“straitened” and the Spirit was poured forth in the plenitude of His power. 4.
To endue Christ’s servants. “Tarryye in Jerusalemuntil ye be endued with
powerfrom on high” (Luke 24:49)had been the word of Christ to His
Apostles. Sufficient for the disciple to be as his Master. He had waited, waited
till He was 30, ere He was “anointedto preach goodtidings” (Isa. 61:1). The
servant is not above his Lord: if He was indebted to the Spirit for the power of
His ministry, the Apostles must not attempt their work without the Spirit’s
unction. Accordingly they waited, and the Spirit came upon them. All was
changed:boldness supplanted fear, strength came instead of weakness,
ignorance gave place to wisdom, and mighty wonders were wrought through
them. Unto the Apostles whom He had chosen, the risen Savior “commanded
them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of
the Father,” assuring them that “Ye shall receive powerafter that the Holy
Spirit is come unto you; and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem,
and in all Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:2, 4, 8).
Accordingly, we read that, “And when the day of Pentecostwas fully come,
they were all with one accordin one place” (Acts 2:1): their unity of mind
evidently lookedback to the Lord’s command and promise, and their trustful
expectancyof the fulfillment thereof. The Jewish“day” was from sunset unto
the following sunset, and as what took place here in Acts 2 occurred during
the early hours of the morning—probably soonafter sunrise—we are told that
the day of Pentecostwas “fully come.”
The Outward Marks of the Spirit’s Advent
The outward marks of the Spirit’s advent were three in number: the “sound
from Heaven as of a rushing mighty wind,” the “cloventongues as of fire,”
and the speaking “with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
Concerning the precise significationof these phenomena, and the practical
bearing of them on us today, there has been wide difference of opinion,

especiallyduring the past 30 years. Inasmuch as GodHimself has not seenfit
to furnish us with a full and detailed explanation of
18
them, it behooves allinterpreters to speak with reserve and reverence.
According to our ownmeasure of light, we shall endeavorbriefly to point out
some of those things which appear to be most obvious. First, the “rushing
mighty wind” which filled all the house was the collective sign, in which,
apparently, all the 120 of Acts 1:15 shared. This was an emblem of the
invincible energy with which the Third Personof the Trinity works upon the
hearts of men, bearing down all oppositionbefore Him, in a manner which
cannot be explained (John 3:8), but which is at once apparent by the effects
produced. Just as the course of a hurricane may be clearly tracedafter it has
passed, so the transforming work of the Spirit in regenerationis made
unmistakably manifest unto all who have eyes to see spiritual things. Second,
“there appeared unto them cloventongues like as of fire, and it satupon each
of them” (Acts 2:3), that is, upon the Twelve, and upon them alone. The proof
of this is conclusive. First, it was to the Apostles only that the Lord spoke in
Luke 24:49. Second, to them only did He, by the Spirit, give commandments
after His resurrection(Acts 1:2). Third, to them only did He give the promise
of Acts 1:8. Fourth, at the end of Acts 1 we read, “he (Matthias) was
numbered with the eleven Apostles.” Acts 2 opens with “And” connecting it
with 1:26 and says, “they(the Twelve) were all with one accordin one place”
and on them the Spirit now “sat” (Acts 2:3). Fifth, when the astonished
multitude came togetherthey exclaimed, “Are not all these which speak
Galileans?”(Acts 2:7), namely, the “men (Greek, “males”)ofGalilee” of1:11!
Sixth, in Acts 2:14, 15, we read, “But Peterstanding up with the eleven lifted
up his voice and said unto them, ‘Ye men of Galilee and all ye that dwell in
Judea, be this known unto you and hearkenunto my words: Forthese are not
drunk”—the word “these” canonly refer to the “eleven” standing up with
Peter!These “cloventongues like as of fire” which descendedupon the
Apostles was the individual sign, the Divine credentialthat they were the
authorized ambassadors ofthe enthroned Lamb. The baptism of the Holy
Spirit was a baptism of fire. “ ‘Our God is a consuming fire.’ The electsign of
His presence is the fire unkindled of earth, and the chosensymbol of His

approval is the sacredflame: covenantand sacrifice, sanctuaryand
dispensationwere sanctified and approved by the descentof fire. ‘The God
that answerethby fire, he is the God’ (1 Kings 18:24). That is the final and
universal test of Deity. Jesus Christ came to bring fire on the earth. The
symbol of Christianity is not a Cross, but a Tongue of Fire” (Samuel
Chadwick). Third, the Apostles, “speaking withother tongues” were the
public sign. 1 Corinthians 14:22 declares “tongues are for a sign, not to them
that believe, but to them that believe not,” and as the previous verse (where
Isa. 28:11 is quoted) so plainly shows, they were a sign unto unbelieving Israel.
A striking illustration and proof of this is found in Acts 11, where Peter
sought to convince his skepticalbrethren in Jerusalemthat God’s grace was
now flowing forth unto the Gentiles: it was his description of the Holy Spirit’s
falling upon Cornelius and his household (Acts 11:15-18 and cf. 10:45, 46)
which convinced them. It is highly significantthat the Pentecostaltype of
Leviticus 23:22 divided the harvest into three degrees andstages:the
“reaping” or main part, corresponding to Acts 2 at Jerusalem;the “corners of
the field” corresponding to Acts 10 at “CaesareaPhilippi,” which was in the
corner of Palestine;and the “gleaning” for“the stranger” corresponding to
Acts 19 at Gentile Ephesus! These were the only three occasionsof“tongues”
recordedin Acts.
Signs in Relation to “The PentecostalMovement”
It is well known to some of our readers that during the last generationmany
earnestsouls have been deeply exercisedby what is known as “the Pentecostal
movement,” and the question is frequently raisedas to whether or not the
strange powerdisplayed in their meetings, issuing in unintelligible sounds
called“tongues,” is the genuine gift of the Spirit. Those who have joined the
movement—some of them godly souls, we believe—insistthat not only is the
gift genuine, but it is the duty of all Christians to seek the same. But surely
such seemto overlook the fact that it was not any “unknown tongue” which
was spokenby the Apostles: foreigners who heard them had no difficulty in
understanding what was said (Acts 2:8). If what has just been said be not
sufficient, then let our appeal be unto 2 Timothy 3:16, 17. God has now fully
revealedHis mind to us: all that we need to “thoroughly furnish” us “unto all
goodworks” is already in our hands! Personallythe writer would not take the

trouble to walk into the next room to hear any person deliver a messagewhich
he claimed was inspired by the Holy Spirit; with the completed Scriptures in
our possession, nothing more is required except for the Spirit to interpret and
apply them. Let it also be duly observedthat there is not a single exhortation
in all the Epistles of the New Testamentthat the saints should seek “a fresh
Pentecost,” no, not even to the carnalCorinthians or the legalGalatians. As a
sample of what was believed by the early “fathers” we quote the following:
“Augustine saith, ‘Miracles were once necessaryto make the world believe the
Gospel, but he who now seeks a signthat he may believe is a wonder, yea a
monster.’ Chrysostomconcludeth upon the same grounds that, ‘There is now
in the Church no necessityof working miracles,’and calls him ‘a false
prophet’ who now takes in hand to work them” (From W. Perkins, 1604). In
Acts 2:16 we find Peterwas moved by God to give a generalexplanation of the
greatwonders which had just takenplace. Jerusalemwas, at this time of the
feast, filled with a greatconcourse ofpeople. The sudden sound from Heaven
“as of a rushing mighty wind,” filling the house where the Apostles were
gatheredtogether, soondrew there a multitude of people; and as they, in
wonderment, heard the Apostles speak in their own varied languages, they
asked, “Whatmeaneth this?” (Acts 2:12). Peterthen declared, “This is that
which was spokenof by the Prophet Joel.” The prophecy given by Joel(2:28-
32) now began to receive its fulfillment, the latter part of which we believe is
to be understood symbolically.
Application
And what is the bearing of all this upon us today? We will reply in a single
sentence:the advent of the Spirit followedthe exaltation of Christ: if then we
desire to enjoy more of the Spirit’s powerand blessing, we must give Christ
the throne of our hearts and crown Him the Lord of our lives. Having dwelt
upon the doctrinal and dispensationalaspects ofour subject, next we hope to
take the “practical” and “experimental” bearings of it."

Pentecost“The Awe, Wonderand Danger”
Fr. Frank Schuster
Today we celebrate Pentecost!The symbol for the Holy Spirit inthe Acts of the
Apostles is fire whichis why I get to wear redtoday. The only other times I get
to wear redduring the liturgical year is onPassionSunday, Good Friday and the
feast days of martyrs. Yousee redis also the color reminding us of the witness
of the martyrs. This is alsowhy cardinals wear red vestments. There is atension
withthe color redin the liturgical life of the Church. Redrepresentsthe Holy
Spirit at Pentecost, apleasant thing tothink about. Redalsorepresentsthe
blood of the martyrs, somewhat unpleasant albeit important.
You also see this tensioninthe final gift of the Holy Spirit. It is translatedtwo
different ways. One list says wonder and awe, and the other list describes this
gift as fear of the Lord. I want to talk about bothof these today. Stay withme!
When you place side by side the words wonder and fear, at first glance they
don’t seemtobelong in the same sentence. Onthe other hand, I don’t think it is
possible toexperience the sensationof “wonder”without simultaneously being
present alsoan element of “danger”.
What do I mean by this? Whenwe look at the stars at night and see how big the
universe is we alsosimultaneously recognizehowvery small and fragile we are.
Withevery birthday and anniversary we celebrate rightly, if for only because we
have made it this far. It is impossible toexperience atrue sense of “wonder”in
life without simultaneously being presentsomewhere anelement of “danger”.
I think about this when I am camping, especially whenI am enjoying my
campfire. Sometimes, late inthe evening, I will beginto ponder my relationship
to the fire as I am sitting there. It is what theologians andphilosophers do. We
are an odd lot. You see, if I sit at the right distance tothe fire I will be warm. If I
got tooclose, my shoes will begintomelt, if you are absent minded your clothes

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