A Tale of Two Inaugurals
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them as tongues of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance....When they heard this [Peter's message] they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the disciples, "Brethren, what shall we do?" And Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins....There were added that day about three thousand souls. Acts 2:1-41, RSV.
The great event in the throne room of heaven at the inaugural of Christ had accompanying events on earth that signaled the beginning of a new age in which Christ's followers would eventually become a force on earth through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Ellen White illustrates the connection between the two inaugurals when she writes that "the Pentecostal outpouring was Heaven's communication that the Redeemer's inauguration was accomplished. According to His promise He had sent the Holy Spirit from heaven to His followers as a token that He had, as priest and king, received all authority in heaven and on earth, and was the Anointed One over His people" (The Acts of the Apostles, p. 39).
The Jewish holiday of Pentecost was the very best day of the year for such a demonstration. Pentecost means "fiftieth," and took place 50 days after Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread. The Hebrew calendar called it the Feast of Weeks (since it took place a week of weeks after the Passover and its related events) and the Feast of Firstfruits (since on that day the priests offered two loaves of grain in thankfulness for the beginning of the grain harvest).
By that time of year (early June) travel was safer and Jerusalem hosted the largest and most varied assortment of worshippers of any time of the year. People from all over the empire would be in the city.
It was a propitious time for Christ's inaugural in heaven and His initiation of a new era on earth. On the day of Pentecost, through the mighty Spirit-empowered preaching of Peter, type met antitype and the meaning of "firstfruits" took on a new significance as the firstfruits of the Christian message came in through the power of the Spirit. That day about 3,000 individuals accepted the message of Jesus Christ as the crucified and resurrected Lord and Messiah.
But Pentecost was only the beginning of the new age in God's work. Christ's inaugural blessing will remain with His church until His return at the end of the age. With the bestowal of the Spirit heaven poured out its richest gift.
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them as tongues of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance....When they heard this [Peter's message] they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the disciples, "Brethren, what shall we do?" And Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins....There were added that day about three thousand souls. Acts 2:1-41, RSV.
The great event in the throne room of heaven at the inaugural of Christ had accompanying events on earth that signaled the beginning of a new age in which Christ's followers would eventually become a force on earth through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Ellen White illustrates the connection between the two inaugurals when she writes that "the Pentecostal outpouring was Heaven's communication that the Redeemer's inauguration was accomplished. According to His promise He had sent the Holy Spirit from heaven to His followers as a token that He had, as priest and king, received all authority in heaven and on earth, and was the Anointed One over His people" (The Acts of the Apostles, p. 39).
The Jewish holiday of Pentecost was the very best day of the year for such a demonstration. Pentecost means "fiftieth," and took place 50 days after Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread. The Hebrew calendar called it the Feast of Weeks (since it took place a week of weeks after the Passover and its related events) and the Feast of Firstfruits (since on that day the priests offered two loaves of grain in thankfulness for the beginning of the grain harvest).
By that time of year (early June) travel was safer and Jerusalem hosted the largest and most varied assortment of worshippers of any time of the year. People from all over the empire would be in the city.
It was a propitious time for Christ's inaugural in heaven and His initiation of a new era on earth. On the day of Pentecost, through the mighty Spirit-empowered preaching of Peter, type met antitype and the meaning of "firstfruits" took on a new significance as the firstfruits of the Christian message came in through the power of the Spirit. That day about 3,000 individuals accepted the message of Jesus Christ as the crucified and resurrected Lord and Messiah.
But Pentecost was only the beginning of the new age in God's work. Christ's inaugural blessing will remain with His church until His return at the end of the age. With the bestowal of the Spirit heaven poured out its richest gift.
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