Disciples Speaking in Tongues at PentecostBible World
2:9Acts 2:9
Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judæa, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
Acts 2:9 names part of the devout Jews out of every nation under heaven who were dwelling at Jerusalem for the annual festivals at Pentecost, gathered from many regions across the ancient world. The Galilean disciples, filled with the Holy Ghost, were miraculously enabled to speak accurately in other tongues they had not learned, so that every man heard the wonderful works of God in his own birth language wherein he was born. Having waited in Jerusalem as commanded, confessing sins and praying together in unity with one accord, they were used to preach Christ the risen Saviour with the call to repentance and forgiveness of sins, and three thousand were led to repentance in one day. Conviction carried by hearing in their own tongue went broadcast through the visitors, who carried the truths and events they had seen back to their homes among all classes of society, marking the outpouring promised through Joel and the opening of the Christian dispensation with speaking in new tongues. The same blessings may be claimed now by consecration, unity and prayer, for a mighty power is at work to reach people of every country and speech, and every believer should gain intelligent knowledge of present truth to share it in the last days with heaven cooperating.
Pentecost Crowd and Tongues
The verse names Parthians and Medes and Elamites and the dwellers in Mesopotamia and in Judea and Cappadocia and Pontus and Asia as part of the devout Jews out of every nation under heaven dwelling at Jerusalem for the annual religious festivals at Pentecost, a gathering from many regions across the ancient world. With those named afterward they made up the multitude that came together when the sound as of a rushing mighty wind was noised abroad. Their presence shows Jerusalem was a great center of influence where light from heaven was to shine in its most powerful rays upon witnesses bearing the gospel message.
Those gathered spoke different birth languages, and every man heard the disciples speak in his own tongue wherein he was born the wonderful works of God. The list in the verse is part of the crowd that heard the disciples speaking in the listeners' own languages.
The speakers were Galileans who were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance, with cloven tongues like as of fire upon them. The Holy Spirit miraculously enabled them to speak accurately in languages they had not learned, and that ability confirmed their testimony and equipped them to spread the gospel accurately to people from many nations. Those were languages understood by people who spoke them, and speech in them could take the form of orderly conversation among several people.
The disciples had been prepared for this work by spending several days together after being told not to depart from Jerusalem until they received the promise of the Father, confessing their sins and praying for the Holy Spirit in unity with one accord and one mind in one place. The Spirit of God wrought mightily through those thus harmoniously united, giving them power to be witnesses. When their prayers ascended, the Holy Spirit came upon them very soon after Christ's ascension, and the multitude were confounded and all amazed and in doubt at hearing each his own language, saying what meaneth this.
Spirit Witness and Expansion
God used the disciples at Pentecost to give the assembled multitude from Parthia, Media, Elam, Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia and every nation the message of the risen Saviour, preaching Christ and testifying to His resurrection and the truth of His words with the call to repentance and forgiveness of sins and teaching the plan of salvation. The Spirit glorified Jesus through that preaching and made Him desirable to those who had not seen His beauty before. Signs and wonders confirmed the message, and the miraculous ability to speak accurately in unlearned languages confirmed their testimony and divine commission and equipped them with power to be witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth.
Thousands were converted in a day very soon after Christ's ascension, with three thousand led to repentance in one day as people took hold of the Word declared during His ministry and openly accepted Jesus the crucified Messiah as the promised Messiah. Others in the multitude that came together at the sound as of a rushing mighty wind were confounded because Galileans with cloven tongues like fire upon them spoke as the Spirit gave utterance in every man's own birth tongue, and all were amazed and in doubt saying what meaneth this.
Hearing in their own tongue the wonderful works of God carried conviction to the visitors and then went broadcast everywhere through them. Although the disciples could not travel personally to the farthest parts of the earth, the visitors carried the truths, the events they had seen, and the gospel news back to their homes to share among their peoples and all classes of society, winning souls to Christ and spreading the message widely. This first public proclamation reached people gathered from many nations and places despite danger to the preachers, and it was followed by untiring efforts to reach such worshipers.
The event marks the outpouring of the Spirit promised through Joel and the beginning of that prophecy's fulfillment, when the Christian dispensation was fully opened and the Christian age commenced. It came with a most wonderful and remarkable manifestation of various spiritual gifts, including speaking with new tongues in fulfillment of the signs said to follow believers. It belongs to the period described afterward in the chapter when God's people should expect revelations from heaven through warnings, reproofs and explanations of Scripture so all may recognize the prophetic period and remain watchful.
Mission Pattern for Today
Jerusalem at Pentecost was a great center of influence where people from all nations were gathered, and where light from heaven was to shine in its most powerful rays upon witnesses bearing the gospel message. The list of Parthians, Medes, Elamites, dwellers in Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia is part of the devout Jews out of every nation under heaven dwelling there when the disciples were filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave utterance. Therefore one of the first duties is to make at the nation's capital a special representation of the truth for this time and to establish there a signal memorial. To long pass by Washington and neglect that work is decided failure and unfaithful stewardship of that part of the Lord's vineyard.
The different nationalities were gathered so they might hear in their own tongue, and hearing in their own tongue would carry conviction to them and then go broadcast everywhere through them. The same kind of representation with many nationalities hearing in their own tongue will come again as God's people follow on to know the Lord. The same blessings received very soon after Christ's ascension, when prayers ascended to God in oneness of accord and mind and every man heard the Word in his own language and thousands were converted in a day by taking hold of the Word declared during Christ's ministry, may be claimed now. That claiming comes by consecration to God, working in harmony with His Word, exalting the Word, honoring its precepts by a consistent course of action, and complying with the conditions of unity and prayer.
The setting illustrates that of the primitive church, when early missionaries were miraculously given knowledge of the languages needed to preach Christ to people of many nations and in which they were called to preach. People from many regions and lands were present and heard the gospel in their own languages. God sends workers to people who speak unfamiliar tongues and can give missionaries ability to learn those languages, preparing people to receive the gospel in their own tongue.
The different countries and speeches, with every man hearing the wonderful works of God in his own tongue wherein he was born, show that a mighty power is at work in the world to reach people of all languages. In the last days there is a large work to be done among people of all languages. Therefore every soul that believes present truth for this time, whatever his country or speech, should gain an intelligent knowledge of the truths of the third angel's message that he may do an intelligent work for God. If he will search the Scriptures and walk humbly with God the Lord will open his understanding and give power to do a work for God, with heaven cooperating with those who will do the work of the Lord.
Acts 2:9 names part of the devout Jews out of every nation under heaven who were dwelling at Jerusalem for the annual festivals at Pentecost, gathered from many regions across the ancient world. The Galilean disciples, filled with the Holy Ghost, were miraculously enabled to speak accurately in other tongues they had not learned, so that every man heard the wonderful works of God in his own birth language wherein he was born. Having waited in Jerusalem as commanded, confessing sins and praying together in unity with one accord, they were used to preach Christ the risen Saviour with the call to repentance and forgiveness of sins, and three thousand were led to repentance in one day. Conviction carried by hearing in their own tongue went broadcast through the visitors, who carried the truths and events they had seen back to their homes among all classes of society, marking the outpouring promised through Joel and the opening of the Christian dispensation with speaking in new tongues. The same blessings may be claimed now by consecration, unity and prayer, for a mighty power is at work to reach people of every country and speech, and every believer should gain intelligent knowledge of present truth to share it in the last days with heaven cooperating.
Pentecost Crowd and Tongues
The verse names Parthians and Medes and Elamites and the dwellers in Mesopotamia and in Judea and Cappadocia and Pontus and Asia as part of the devout Jews out of every nation under heaven dwelling at Jerusalem for the annual religious festivals at Pentecost, a gathering from many regions across the ancient world. With those named afterward they made up the multitude that came together when the sound as of a rushing mighty wind was noised abroad. Their presence shows Jerusalem was a great center of influence where light from heaven was to shine in its most powerful rays upon witnesses bearing the gospel message.
Those gathered spoke different birth languages, and every man heard the disciples speak in his own tongue wherein he was born the wonderful works of God. The list in the verse is part of the crowd that heard the disciples speaking in the listeners' own languages.
The speakers were Galileans who were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance, with cloven tongues like as of fire upon them. The Holy Spirit miraculously enabled them to speak accurately in languages they had not learned, and that ability confirmed their testimony and equipped them to spread the gospel accurately to people from many nations. Those were languages understood by people who spoke them, and speech in them could take the form of orderly conversation among several people.
The disciples had been prepared for this work by spending several days together after being told not to depart from Jerusalem until they received the promise of the Father, confessing their sins and praying for the Holy Spirit in unity with one accord and one mind in one place. The Spirit of God wrought mightily through those thus harmoniously united, giving them power to be witnesses. When their prayers ascended, the Holy Spirit came upon them very soon after Christ's ascension, and the multitude were confounded and all amazed and in doubt at hearing each his own language, saying what meaneth this.
Spirit Witness and Expansion
God used the disciples at Pentecost to give the assembled multitude from Parthia, Media, Elam, Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia and every nation the message of the risen Saviour, preaching Christ and testifying to His resurrection and the truth of His words with the call to repentance and forgiveness of sins and teaching the plan of salvation. The Spirit glorified Jesus through that preaching and made Him desirable to those who had not seen His beauty before. Signs and wonders confirmed the message, and the miraculous ability to speak accurately in unlearned languages confirmed their testimony and divine commission and equipped them with power to be witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth.
Thousands were converted in a day very soon after Christ's ascension, with three thousand led to repentance in one day as people took hold of the Word declared during His ministry and openly accepted Jesus the crucified Messiah as the promised Messiah. Others in the multitude that came together at the sound as of a rushing mighty wind were confounded because Galileans with cloven tongues like fire upon them spoke as the Spirit gave utterance in every man's own birth tongue, and all were amazed and in doubt saying what meaneth this.
Hearing in their own tongue the wonderful works of God carried conviction to the visitors and then went broadcast everywhere through them. Although the disciples could not travel personally to the farthest parts of the earth, the visitors carried the truths, the events they had seen, and the gospel news back to their homes to share among their peoples and all classes of society, winning souls to Christ and spreading the message widely. This first public proclamation reached people gathered from many nations and places despite danger to the preachers, and it was followed by untiring efforts to reach such worshipers.
The event marks the outpouring of the Spirit promised through Joel and the beginning of that prophecy's fulfillment, when the Christian dispensation was fully opened and the Christian age commenced. It came with a most wonderful and remarkable manifestation of various spiritual gifts, including speaking with new tongues in fulfillment of the signs said to follow believers. It belongs to the period described afterward in the chapter when God's people should expect revelations from heaven through warnings, reproofs and explanations of Scripture so all may recognize the prophetic period and remain watchful.
Mission Pattern for Today
Jerusalem at Pentecost was a great center of influence where people from all nations were gathered, and where light from heaven was to shine in its most powerful rays upon witnesses bearing the gospel message. The list of Parthians, Medes, Elamites, dwellers in Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia is part of the devout Jews out of every nation under heaven dwelling there when the disciples were filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave utterance. Therefore one of the first duties is to make at the nation's capital a special representation of the truth for this time and to establish there a signal memorial. To long pass by Washington and neglect that work is decided failure and unfaithful stewardship of that part of the Lord's vineyard.
The different nationalities were gathered so they might hear in their own tongue, and hearing in their own tongue would carry conviction to them and then go broadcast everywhere through them. The same kind of representation with many nationalities hearing in their own tongue will come again as God's people follow on to know the Lord. The same blessings received very soon after Christ's ascension, when prayers ascended to God in oneness of accord and mind and every man heard the Word in his own language and thousands were converted in a day by taking hold of the Word declared during Christ's ministry, may be claimed now. That claiming comes by consecration to God, working in harmony with His Word, exalting the Word, honoring its precepts by a consistent course of action, and complying with the conditions of unity and prayer.
The setting illustrates that of the primitive church, when early missionaries were miraculously given knowledge of the languages needed to preach Christ to people of many nations and in which they were called to preach. People from many regions and lands were present and heard the gospel in their own languages. God sends workers to people who speak unfamiliar tongues and can give missionaries ability to learn those languages, preparing people to receive the gospel in their own tongue.
The different countries and speeches, with every man hearing the wonderful works of God in his own tongue wherein he was born, show that a mighty power is at work in the world to reach people of all languages. In the last days there is a large work to be done among people of all languages. Therefore every soul that believes present truth for this time, whatever his country or speech, should gain an intelligent knowledge of the truths of the third angel's message that he may do an intelligent work for God. If he will search the Scriptures and walk humbly with God the Lord will open his understanding and give power to do a work for God, with heaven cooperating with those who will do the work of the Lord.