Acts 2:1-21 Lesson 220

Acts 2:1-21
Lesson 220

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

It's been fifty days since Jesus was resurrected and ten since He ascended into heaven.

The Day of Pentecost.
Jesus' promise from John 16:7-14 and Acts 1:5 is fulfilled.
The Holy Spirit arrives, the church is born.

Peter's first sermon begins (2:14-21).
It runs through verse 2:41 (lesson 222).

"And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them." (Acts 2:3)

Study Tip:

"Read the Bible with an open mind. Don't read into its passages ideas that are not there.
Try to search out fairly and honestly the main teachings and lessons of each passage."

Henry Hampton Halley, minister and religious writer (1874-1965).

The Acts of the Apostles

The King James Bible

Acts 2:1-21
Day of Pentecost

1 And when the day of Pentecost was 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 all the house where they were sitting.

3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.

6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?

8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,

10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,

11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?

13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.

14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:

15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.

16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, 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:

18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:

20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:

21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Margin notes:

"Day of Pentecost." (2:1) -  The word Pente koste is Greek for "fiftieth day." Pentecost is an annual Jewish holy day held fifty days after the barley harvest in the Passover observance(Leviticus 23:10-21; Numbers 28:27-29).  Also called "Feast of Weeks," "Feast of First Fruits," and "Feast of Harvests," it is a day for offering thanks (Deuteronomy 16:10) and one of three important Jewish holidays (Exodus 34:22-23; Deuteronomy 16:16). Because the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles (as prophesied in Joel 2:28-32) on the Jewish Pentecost, believers now celebrate the day as the birth of the Christian church.  It is sometimes called Whitsunday.

"They were all with one accord in one place." (2:1) - "They were all together in one place." The group is still in their first church meeting (see lesson 219).

"A rushing mighty wind." (2:2) - It sounded like a roaring wind storm.

"They...began to speak with other tongues." (2:4) - "They...began to speak foreign languages."

"When this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded." (2:6) - "When the noise was heard, people came running (to where the disciples were), baffled."

"Hear we every man in our own tongue." (2:8) - "We hear you in our own language."  This miracle taught the disciples that the story of Jesus was for everyone, regardless of their language, origin, or nationality.

"Cappadocia." (2:9) - A land-locked Roman province in the eastern part of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey).

"Pontus." (2:9) - A vital Roman province in northeast Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) on the south shore of the Black Sea. After the Roman emperor Julius Caesar captured Pontus in 47 BC, he spoke the famous words "Veni Vidi Vici" ("I came, I saw, I conquered"). Pontus had many Jewish citizens and was the birthplace of Paul's friend and fellow evangelist Aquila (Acts 18:2).

"Asia." (2:9) - A province in modern-day Turkey.

"Strangers of Rome." (2:10) - "Visitors from Rome."

"Phrygia." (2:10) - A land-locked province in present-day west-central Turkey. Phrygia was an agricultural area known for its fertile soil and cattle breeding. Paul traveled through the province twice on his missionary journeys. The important cities of Antioch, Colosse, Hierapolis, Iconium, and Laodicea were in Phrygia.

"Pamphylia." (2:10) - Another Roman province. Pamphylia is located in southern Asia Minor on the northern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It had a large Jewish population and a major seaport in Attalia, where Hadrian's Gate was built in honor of the Roman emperor. Today, Attalia is a Turkish beach resort with many hotels, souvenir shops, restaurants, and a lively nightlife.

"Proselytes." (2:10) - Gentile converts to Judaism.

"And were in doubt." (2:12) - "And were confused."

"Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice." (2:14) - Fifty-three days earlier, Peter denied that he even knew Jesus (John 18:25-27), now he stands in front of a "mocking" crowd (2:13) and preaches. The Holy Spirit at work?

"All ye that dwell at Jerusalem." (2:14) - "All you who live in Jerusalem."

"Hearken to my words." (2:14) - "Listen to my words."

"For these are not drunken, as ye suppose." (2:15) - They are not drunk; it is Jesus' promise made in Acts 1:8 (lesson 218) being fulfilled.

"The third hour of the day." (2:15) - Nine AM. The hours were counted from six AM.

"That which was spoken by the prophet Joel." (2:16) - Verses 2:17-21 are a foreshadowing of the end of days as predicted by Joel in Joel 2:28-32 2800 years ago.

"The last days." (2:17) - The days between the first and second coming of Christ.

"Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy." (2:17) - "Your sons and daughters will preach."

"I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh." (2:17) - "I will pour out my spirit to all mankind."

"I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke." (2:19) - This will happen when Jesus returns (Revelation 8:7-8; 9:2; 9:18; 18:9; 18:18).

"The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come." (2:20) - Matthew 24:29.

New Living Translation

Acts 2:1-21
The Holy Spirit Comes

1 On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place.

2 Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting.

3 Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them.

4 And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.

5 At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem.

6 When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.

7 They were completely amazed. "How can this be?" they exclaimed. "These people are all from Galilee,

8 and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages!

9 Here we are-Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia,

10 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome

11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!"

12 They stood there amazed and perplexed. "What can this mean?" they asked each other.

13 But others in the crowd ridiculed them, saying, "They're just drunk, that's all!"

Peter Preaches to the Crowd

14 Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, "Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this.

15 These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o'clock in the morning is much too early for that.

16 No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel:

17 'In the last days,' God says,
      'I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
      Your young men will see visions,
      and your old men will dream dreams.

18 In those days I will pour out my Spirit
      even on my servants-men and women alike-
      and they will prophesy.

19 And I will cause wonders in the heavens above
      and signs on the earth below-
      blood and fire and clouds of smoke.

20 The sun will become dark,
      and the moon will turn blood red
      before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives.

21 But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
      will be saved.'

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's Question:

1. Why cloven tongues of fire? (2:3)

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Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. "Tongues symbolize speech and the communication of the Gospel. Cloven tongues means the fire separated and rested on each of them. Fire symbolizes God's purifying presence (Exodus 3:2, Deuteronomy 5:4), which burns away the undesirable elements of our lives and sets our hearts aflame to ignite the lives of others. On Mount Sinai, God confirmed the validity of the Old Testament Law with fire from heaven (Exodus 19:16-18). At Pentecost, God confirmed the validity of the Holy Spirit's ministry by sending fire. At Mount Sinai, fire came down on one place; at Pentecost, fire came down on many believers, symbolizing that God's presence is now available to all who believe in him." (The "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; page 2127).

Additional Note: John the Baptist correctly predicted that Jesus Christ would baptize "with the Holy Ghost, and with fire" (Luke 3:16).

Application thought for the day:

"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (2:21), is one of the most important verses in the Bible and an excellent one to memorize.

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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