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S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
Pentecost is significant in both the Old and New Testaments. "Pentecost" is actually the Greek name for a festival known in the Old Testament as the Feast of Weeks (Leviticus 23:15; Deuteronomy 16:...
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Cherie Mitchell
Supporter
Pentecost is known as Shavuot (one of the feast days of the Lord) in the Hebrew. It was on this day that Moses brought down the tablets from the Mt. Sinai and witnessed the worship of the Golden Calf. (Exodus 32) Moses became angry and broke the tablets. In justice, the Leviites arose and killed 3000 for the idolatry and blasphemy. That's what happened on the first Pentecost. On the Pentecost in Acts, the power of the Holy Spirit fell upon believers and there were tongues of fire. There were 3000 saved that day. The promise of the Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost.
D W
Supporter
In the Acts of the Apostles the writer, Luke, is addressing Jews and Jewish proselytes, not Gentiles. Those Jews who had returned to Jerusalem constituted 18 language groups. The Jews who emigrated from Israel had learned other languages. Read Acts 2, 1 through 42. Answer the questions WHO WHAT WHEN WHERE HOW. They ALL point to a Jewish audience. The Holy Spirit fell upon those who spoke the various languages (or the hearers heard in their own language) explaining the arrival of the Jewish Messiah, Jesus. The hearers were not believers in Jesus as Savior and Lord. They were still operating under the Hebrew Bible. They did not become Christian believers. They acknowledged Jesus as the promised Messiah of God's Chosen People, the Jews. Peter tells them to "repent," meaning "return to your Covenants," and then be ritually bathed, in accordance with Judaism. Those who did so were redeemed and secured and prepared for the Kingdom of God on earth, a preparation that was postponed when the Jewish hierarchy in the Hebrew Nation, and not a few other Jews, rejected Jesus as the Messiah. However, those who had acknowledged Him as such, when they died, would remain in the grave until the arrival of the Kingdom of God on earth, AFTER the Tribulation, AFTER the 2nd Coming, AFTER Armageddon. Then they will be resurrected and will enter into their promised Kingdom on earth. And so shall they remain for 1,000 years, after which there will be a NEW Heaven and a new earth. The Christian church, the Body of Christ, will have departed for the Judgment Seat of Christ and Heaven, either at the death of each individual, or in the Rapture. They will be "long gone" prior to the onset of the Tribulation. It isn't until Acts 10 that Peter learns that the Gentiles are also included in God's family. In Acts 13 Paul brings the message of salvation by grace through faith to the Jews. They reject Paul and his teaching. He then takes God's Amazing Grace to the Gentiles.
Lawrence wong
Supporter
The Hebrew name for The Wheat Harvest Festival is SHAVUOT, celebrated 50 days after PESACH, Passover, 14th Nissan (Mar-April). Pentecost (Hebrew “SHAVUOT”) is remembered in the West quite separately from Easter which approximates to PESACH. However, both festivals are directly linked. How? The sacrificial shedding of Christ’s blood on the cross as ALHYM’S Lamb (Jo 1:29) on PESACH 30 AD ended the Old Covenant system of atonement for sins, signified by the ripping apart of the veil to the Holy of Holies (Mt 27:51) and Christ’s words “Tetelestia” (It is Finished), ending 4,030 years of Hebrew history in the Old Covenant (Jo 19:30). This is half of the story. The other half is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to empower the disciples of Christ which happened on SHAVUOT – as described by Michael and “DW”, and is important for the following reasons: 1. The glory of ALHYM returned to man, seen by the fire alighting above each of the 120 Yehudi (Jewish) men and women disciples of Christ. They were so happy that they spontaneously broke out into heavenly tongues (Greek ‘Glossa’) praising YHWH ALHYM. The thousands of listeners heard the Good News for the first time in their own native language as a message direct from the Holy Spirit. Remember, Adam lost the glory (Hebrew ‘Kabod’) and had to be clothed by ALHYM in animal skins (Ge 3:21). 2. iEsou christou (Mt 1:1 Greek) became the 2nd Adam when He was glorified the day before (Ac 1:9-11), and ALHYM created a new race of men and women in the order of the 2nd Adam when The Glory (Kabod or Greek ‘doxa’) filled the disciples (2 Cor 5:17). 3. The baptised (fully immersed) in the Holy Spirit disciples became Heaven’s citizens and returned to ALHYM’S home (Eph 2:19-22). Adam was told to leave when he sinned, not the invitation was for Man to return – those that ALHYM was calling (Ac 2:39, 47). 4. The PESACH experience of dying to self is seen in the Holy Spirit’s call through Petros to “Repent and…be baptised (fully immersed in water) in the name of iEsou christou for the remission or forgiveness of sins (by His shed blood 1 Jo 1:7-9); and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (which the men had witnessed earlier that day). Thus both PESACH & SHAVOUT are directly linked. 5. On this day the new Yshral (Israel) was created by ALHYM of a remnant of Yshral then later of Gentiles who were called as wild olive branches into the olive tree (Ro 11:16-24). 6. The New Covenant was confirmed when the disciples broke bread from house (oikos) to house (oikos). (Mt 26: 26-28). 7. The new temple was created on this day, one which is to be found in the body of true disciples of Christ (1 Cor 3:16-17, 16:19-20) and the disciples joined themselves to the spiritual glorified body of Christ as member parts (1 Cor12; Ro 12) totally knitted and joined together (Eph 4:16) bonded in agape love as brethren exactly as Christ had commanded (Jo 13:34-35). This was true koinonia (for the Greek ‘fellowship’ – intimate and participant sharing of everything of one mind, heart, soul, and spirit - 1 Jo Chapter 1). 8. The SHAVUOT infilling of the Holy Spirit changed them into spiritual men and women who had the Torah (10 Commandments) sealed into their minds and hearts (Jer 31:31-34; Eze 36: 24-28), empowered to keep them. 9. The Holy Spirit equipped them all with spiritual power and weapons to wage war against Satan, the Devil (Eph 6, 1 Cor 12(- power gifts of the Holy Spirit, and to manifest the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5: 22-26), so that they would go out an spread the Good News (Mt 28: 18-20; Mk 16:14-20). 10. The families of the men, and women who believed that day later joined them in the Ekklesia (Ac2:47 Greek) and ALHYM added to the Ekklesia greatly (e.g. Ac 10 Cornelius, Ac 16 Lydia and the Philippian Jailer). 11. The glorified iEsou christou is supposed to be the head of every oikos of true disciples today (He 13: 8). Lawrence NZ
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