The Holy Spirit did not come with subtlety. They didn’t have to wonder if it was Him or not. It said He came with the sound as if a violent blowing wind, and something that appeared like flames of fire (though not actual flames).
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
The result was that all the believers, not just the Eleven, that had been gathered together began to speak in other languages. It isn’t the only purpose of speaking in tongues but this was one of them.
Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
The people were amazed and wondered what it means. But by then Peter’s eyes had been opened. This was the fulfillment of the very promise of the Holy Spirit spoke of several hundred years prior to Christ. It was the promise not just of the Spirit, but that all would be touched by God–young and old, men and women, slave and free.
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 “‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
Let’s pause for a minute. The LORD is pouring out his Spirit on all peoples. Not just priests and prophets and religious leaders. But all peoples. But what does he mean by the following?
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
Some would like to think these are literal but actually this is familiar apocalyptic language. The sun and the moon are often used ( Isaiah 60:20; Jeremiah 15:9; Ezekiel 32:7; Amos 8:9; Revelation 6:12; Revelation 8:12; Revelation 9:2; Revelation 16:8)) for descriptions of great calamity. It’s similar to what is used in English when someone says, “the stars are falling.”
It is the language of judgment also. That the Presence and holiness of God is at hand. It is fearful, but those who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.
It is both for the time when the Spirit is poured out here, but also there seems to be another layer that could indicate the second coming: “before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.”
For those in the Lord it is great and glorious. For those not in the Lord it is frightening and fearful.
That is still true today.
Outside of Christ, we are in our sins and our sentence is death. But Jesus came to deliver us from that death sentence for all who receive it (John 3:16-18).
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son