We read in Acts 2:1-4, “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance” (NASB).

The Greek word “Pentecost” means 50 days. The day of Pentecost was 50 days after the Lord Jesus had risen from the dead. The 50 days includes Resurrection Day plus seven weeks (49 days) to make a total of 50 days. As we read in Acts 2:4, the Holy Spirit came to earth to indwell believers on the day of Pentecost. The Lord Jesus had prophesied that the Holy Spirit would come, and His prophecy came true! Our Savior said in John 14:16-17, “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”

The day of Pentecost was a very important day because it was the day that the Church began. We see this to be true when we compare two portions of Scripture. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 says, “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” Ephesians 1:22-23 says, “And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all.” These verses show that all believers are baptized into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit. Christ is the head of His body, which is also called the Church.

Concerning what happened on the day of Pentecost, we read in Acts 2:5-8, “And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?” The Holy Spirit enabled the apostles to speak in languages that they had not studied so that everyone at Jerusalem could understand what was being said. The Holy Spirit inspired Peter to preach a powerful sermon in Acts 2:14-36. The aftermath of Peter’s sermon and more of his words are found in Acts 2:37-47.

Concerning the origins of Pentecost, there were seven feasts of Jehovah that the children of Israel were instructed to keep. The seven feasts were the Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles. These feasts are described in Leviticus 23. The feast of Pentecost was celebrated 50 days after the Feast of Firstfruits. The Feast of Firstfruits was a feast to praise God for the harvest and to dedicate the first portion of crops to the Lord. During the feast of Pentecost, two loaves of bread were offered to the Lord for the people, along with burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings, sin offerings, and peace offerings. The loaves of bread are a picture of the formation of the church on the day of Pentecost. The bread contained leaven, which typifies sin. We see that leaven typifies sin in 1 Corinthians 5:7-8. These verses state, “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” The link with leaven to the body of Christ is that the church is composed of sinners saved by the marvelous grace of God.

Have you been saved from “the wrath to come” (Luke 3:7)? “Repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21) is what God requires. Have you responded to God’s loving offer of eternal salvation? Christ suffered the penalty that we deserved on the cross for the sin of the world. Will you accept or reject His gracious offer to you? “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36). Trust Christ, today, dear one!  (480.3)  (DJ)