Category:Descent of the Holy Spirit

The Descent of the Holy Spirit Acts 2:1-41

2:1. When the days of the Pentecost were accomplished, they were all together in one place:

2:2. and suddenly there came a sound from Heaven, as of a mighty wind coming: and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

2:3. There appeared to them parted tongues, as it were of fire: and it sat upon every one of them.

2:4. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit: and they began to speak with diverse tongues, accordingly, as the Holy Spirit gave them to speak.



2:5. Now there were dwelling at Jerusalem, Jews, devout men, out of every nation under Heaven.

2:6. When this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded in mind, because every man heard them speak in his own tongue.

2:7. They were all amazed, and wondered, saying, “Behold, are not all these that speak Galilean?

2:8. How have we heard--every man—in our own tongue where we were born?

2:9. Parthians and Medes and Elamites and inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,



2:10. Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome,

2:11. Jews also, and proselytes, Cretes, and Arabians: we have heard them speak in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.”

2:12. They were all astonished, and wondered, saying one to another, “What does this mean?

2:13. But others mocking, said, “These men are full of new wine.”

2:14. But Peter standing up with the Eleven, lifted up his voice, and spoke to them, “Men of Judea, and all you that dwell in Jerusalem, be this known to you and with your ears receive my words.

2:15. “For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day:



2:16. “but this is that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel:

2:17. “'It shall come to pass, in the last days, (saith the Lord), I will pour out 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.

2:18. “'Upon my servants indeed and upon my handmaids will I pour out in those days of my spirit: and they shall prophesy.

2:19. “'I will show wonders in the Heaven above, and signs on the earth beneath: blood and fire, and vapor of smoke.

2:20. “'The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and manifest day of the Lord to come.

2:21. “'It shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'”



2:22. “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him, in the midst of you, as you also know:

2:23. “This same being delivered up, by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you by the hands of wicked men have crucified and slain.

''By the determinate, etc. . .God delivered up His Son; and His Son delivered up Himself, for the love of us, and for the sake of our salvation; and so Christ's being delivered up was holy, and was God's own determination. But they who betrayed and crucified Him, did wickedly, following therein their own malice and the instigation of the devil; not the will and determination of God, who was by no means the author of their wickedness; though He permitted it; because he could, and did draw out of it so great a good, viz., the salvation of man.''

2:24. “Whom God raised up, having loosed the sorrows of hell, as it was impossible that He should be held by it.

Having loosed the sorrow, etc. . .Having overcome the grievous pains of death and all the power of hell.



2:25. “For David said concerning Him, 'I foresaw the Lord before my face: because He is at my right hand, that I may not be moved.

2:26. 'For this my heart has been glad, and my tongue has rejoiced: moreover my flesh also shall rest in hope.



2:27. 'Because You will not leave my soul in hell: nor suffer Your Holy One to see corruption.

2:28. 'You have made known to me the ways of life: You shall make me full of joy with your countenance.'

2:29. “Men, brethren, let me freely speak to you of the patriarch David: that he died and was buried; and his sepulchre is with us to this present day.



2:30. “He was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath, that one of the fruit of his loins should sit upon his throne.

'''2:31. “Foreseeing this, he spoke of the resurrection of Christ. For neither was he left in hell: neither did his flesh see corruption.'''

2:32. “This Jesus has God raised again, and we are all witnesses.

2:33. “Being exalted, therefore, by the right hand of God and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you see and hear.

2:34. “For David ascended not into Heaven; but he himself said, 'The Lord said to my Lord: Sit thou at my right hand,

2:35. “'until I make thy enemies thy footstool.'

2:36. “Therefore let all the house of Israel know most certainly that God has made both Lord and Christ, this same Jesus, whom you have crucified.”

2:37. Now when they had heard these things, they had compunction in their heart and said to Peter and to the rest of the Apostles, “What shall we do, men and brethren?”

'''2:38. Peter said to them, “Do penance: and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins. You shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'''

2:39. “For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, whomsoever the Lord our God shall call.”

2:40. With very many other words did he testify and exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this perverse generation.”

2:41. They therefore that received his word were baptized: and there were added in that day about three thousand souls.

-- Pen"te*cost, n. Etym: [l. pentecoste, gr. Five, and cf. Pingster.]

1. A solemn festival of the Jews; -- so called because celebrated on The fiftieth day (seven weeks) after the second day of the Passover (which fell on the sixteenth of the Jewish month Nisan); -- hence called, also, the feast of weeks. At this festival an offering of the First fruits of the harvest was made. By the Jews it was generally regarded as commemorative of the gift of the law on the fiftieth day after the departure from Egypt.

2. A festival of the Roman Catholic and other churches in commemoration of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles; which occurred on the day of Pentecost; -- called also Whitsunday. Shak.

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---excerpt from the Illustrated Bible Dictionary

Pentecost - I.e., "fiftieth", found only in the New Testament (Acts 2:1; Acts 20:16; 1 Corinthians 16:8). The festival so named is first spoken of in Exodus 23:16 as "the feast of harvest," and again in Exodus 34:22 as "the day of the firstfruits" (Numbers 28:26). From the sixteenth of the month of Nisan (the second day of the Passover), seven complete weeks, i.e., forty-nine days, were to be reckoned, and this feast was held on the fiftieth day. The manner in which it was to be kept is described in Leviticus 23:15; Numbers 28:27. Besides the sacrifices prescribed for the occasion, every one was to bring to the Lord his "tribute of a free-will offering" (Deuteronomy 16:9). The purpose of this feast was to commemorate the completion of the grain harvest. Its distinguishing feature was the offering of "two leavened loaves" made from the new corn of the completed harvest, which, with two lambs, were waved before the Lord as a thank offering. The day of Pentecost is noted in the Christian Church as the day on which the Spirit descended upon the apostles, and on which, under Peter's preaching, so many thousands were converted in Jerusalem (Acts 2).