Acts 2:1-16 “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. (2) And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. (3) Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. (4) And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (5) And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. (6) And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. (7) Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, "Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? (8) And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? (9) Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, (10) Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, (11) Cretans and Arabs--we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God." (12) So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "Whatever could this mean?" (13) Others mocking said, "They are full of new wine." (14) But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. (15) For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. (16) But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel … (33) Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear … (37) Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" (38) Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (39) for the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." (40) And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation." (41) Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.”
There are five accounts in the book of Acts of the saints being baptized with the Holy Spirit. In this section, we will examine each account to learn what the saints can expect from this particular encounter with the Holy Spirit.
When the day of Pentecost arrived, the saints experienced the baptism with the Holy Spirit that Jesus had spoken about. In examining the biblical framework for encounters with the Holy Spirit, we want to understand what to expect and how to cooperate with the Holy Spirit's working during these encounters.
This first account of the saints being filled with the Holy Spirit reveals several points we can use to benchmark similar encounters in the church today. First, we need to correct a common misconception: the saints were not gathered in an upper room in someone's house when they were filled with the Holy Spirit, but rather in the temple. In verse two, Scripture describes the sound of the wind filling the whole "house" where they were sitting. The word translated as "house" in this passage is the same word also translated as "temple" or "sanctuary" (Luke 11:51). Thus, the passage could correctly say that the sound filled the whole "temple" where they were sitting. Note that the verse doesn't say the sound filled the entire temple, but rather the "whole temple where they were sitting."
The temple area in the book of Acts was a vast complex covering thirty-six acres. The disciples were seated in a small section of the temple area, and the sound of the rushing mighty wind occurred only in that area, not throughout the whole temple complex. We know the disciples were in the temple because this was the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), when the Lord required all Jewish males to present themselves before Him at this one-day event. Since the early disciples were all Jews zealous for the law (Acts 21:20), they would certainly have been in the temple at nine in the morning, when the priests were offering the sacrifice on the altar.
The disciples were likely in Solomon's Porch, located outside the main temple area, as Scripture tells us they were all together, both men and women in one accord. Had they been inside the inner court, men and women would have been in separate sections. The disciples knew Solomon's Porch well because Jesus often taught there (John 10:23), and from this point onward, the church would meet there daily (Acts 5:12).
Their presence in the temple explains how so many Jews could gather to hear Peter and the other apostles preach. Over three thousand were saved that day, indicating at least four times that number must have heard them preach. All Jews in Jerusalem and from around the world would have been at the temple, which historians estimate could have accommodated well over one hundred thousand worshippers. No other house in Jerusalem could have accommodated such a large crowd. Since all Jews (including the disciples) would have been in the temple that morning, the disciples present would have numbered at least five hundred (1 Corinthians 15:6), not just the one hundred and twenty who were in the upper room when they chose Matthias to replace Judas a few days before Pentecost (Acts 1:15).
Because the disciples were in the temple, all the Jews in close proximity would have witnessed the saints being filled with the Holy Spirit. The saints were filled directly from heaven, with no one laying hands on them. Several physical manifestations accompanied this baptism that people could see and hear.
The first manifestation was the sound of a rushing mighty wind, audible to both the disciples and the surrounding Jews. This sound drew thousands to their location. When it stopped, the second manifestation occurred: tongues of fire appeared on each of the saints. This manifestation was visible only to the saints, not to the gathered Jews. Scripture confirms this by saying, "Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire," where "them" refers only to the saints. The Jews made no comment about this spectacular phenomenon, consistent with other scriptural accounts where God allowed His saints to see into the spirit realm while unbelievers present saw nothing (as with Daniel and his colleagues in Daniel 10:7, and Saul and his companions in Acts 9:7). The saints likely shouted out what they were seeing, just as Stephen did when the Lord opened his eyes to the spirit realm before the Jewish council (Acts 7:55-56).
At this point, the saints would have begun to feel the tangible power of the Holy Spirit coming upon them as they were filled. This infilling produced the third manifestation, which everyone heard: the saints speaking in tongues, using languages they had never learned. The Jewish onlookers remarked that they heard multiple languages (sixteen were listed) that various members of the crowd could understand. Not all languages spoken would have been understood however, as Scripture teaches that some tongues spoken by those filled with the Holy Spirit are not understood by any man (1 Corinthians 14:2).
A fourth manifestation is alluded to: the saints' physical behaviour. Some in the crowd mocked them, claiming they were drunk with wine. Peter stood up with the other apostles and explained that the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, not drunk. He confirmed their visible and audible behaviour by saying, "He poured out this which you now see and hear." The accusation of drunkenness stemmed from more than just their exuberant speaking of God's wonderful works in different languages.
The key to understanding these accusations lies in recognizing how the tangible power of God affects the human body and emotions. Some saints would have trembled under that power, some would have wept, others would have laughed, and some women, being more emotional, might have cried out in surprise and joy. Some might have fallen down as they became overwhelmed by God's tangible power. These manifestations could have led some Jews to mock them as drunk. However, the saints did not exhibit extreme behaviours like screaming, rolling on the floor, shaking violently, convulsing, or behaving like animals—such actions would have led the Jews to assume demon possession rather than drunkenness.
After Peter's sermon, he invited the Jews to receive salvation through Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit they had witnessed. Three thousand souls joined the kingdom of God that day. Scripture notes that they were "all filled," with none left out, as they all spoke in tongues. While tongues was the common spiritual gift given to all who were filled with the Holy Spirit, some saints would have received other spiritual gifts, even multiple gifts, depending on their calling. Though no other gifts were mentioned being manifested on this occasion, all received gifts would have been expressed from that time forward through those who received them.
Michael E.B. Maher
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