Handbook:Pentecost
From Door43
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| Article Sources: | Easton's Bible Dictionary = ISBE (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) |
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Pentecost was a Jewish holiday. It was scheduled 50 days (which is seven weeks) after another holiday (the second day of the Passover celebration). The Greek word for Pentecost actually means "fiftieth". It is also nicknamed the Feast of Weeks, because of this way its date is calculated each year.
This celebration was first set up by Moses. Old Testament references to it include: Exodus 23:16, Exodus 34:22, Leviticus 23:15-19, Numbers 28:26-29, and Deuteronomy 16:9-11. It was a celebration of thanksgiving to God for the harvest of corn, barley and wheat that was completed at that time each year.
In the New Testament, the feast of Pentecost is mentioned in Acts 2. It was 40 days since Jesus had returned to heaven after his death and resurrection, and it was the time of the feast of Pentecost. The believers were gathered in prayer and the Holy Spirit came on them, shaking the building and appearing as tongues of fire over their heads. The believers, now filled with the Holy Spirit, went out into the streets and preached in the languages of the many people who had come from other countries to celebrate the feast, because the Holy Spirit gave them this ability, and many were saved.
