Is PENTECOST Repeated in This Day?

Let us, then, look prayerfully and without prejudice into God’s Word.

Are the accompanying MANIFESTATIONS that took place on the day of Pentecost—immediately following Jesus’ ascension to heaven—for us today? Many people assume that they are—and that the method of receiving this experience or “blessing” is to attend modern “tarry meetings.” And that the only “Bible evidence” of the “baptism of the Holy Spirit” is “speaking in tongues.” On this assumption many would stake their lives!

So let us EXAMINE the original manifestations of that day, as described in the Bible, and SEE whether they are being repeated today. Perhaps a real surprise awaits us. Let us not ASSUME—let us PROVE ALL THINGS as God’s Word instructs.

The only record of that tremendous occasion is preserved in Acts 2:1-13. Let us carefully examine every incident that occurred that day.

1) “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.” Are the “Pentecostal” people of today who believe in “speaking in tongues” in harmo­ny and “one accord”? No, they are split up into many frag­ments and segments, over disputes among themselves.

2) “And SUDDENLY there came a SOUND from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind.” Notice that on THAT day there was a SOUND. Not a sound made by the people, but this sound came FROM HEAVEN. It sounded like a violent windstorm. Have you ever seen THIS part of the manifestations repeated today? Then notice, too, that this sound—the Spirit which caused them to speak with tongues—came SUDDENLY. But today we see these people start to “work it up” GRADUALLY. Sometimes they twist, and jerk, and chatter and mutter, repeating certain phrases over and over, until they work themselves into it. But on THAT day, the Spirit that filled those disciples came FROM HEAVEN, and SUDDENLY!

3) “And it [the sound] filled all the house where they were sitting.” Do sounds coming, not from people’s throats, but from heaven, fill THE WHOLE HOUSE where people are assembled today?

4) “And there appeared unto them CLOVEN TONGUES like as of fire, and it SAT UPON EACH OF THEM.” Divided, flaming tongues APPEARED—they saw them! They came and sat upon each of the disciples! Has any man living witnessed such a manifestation in this day?

5) “And they were ALL filled with the Holy Spirit.” Surely no one has ever heard of a modern “Pentecost” meeting where ALL were filled, all at once, at the same time, SUDDENLY, when the Spirit came with a great SOUND from heaven!

6) “And began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Ah! Here, at last, some will be sure to say, is a manifestation repeated today! But wait! On this origi­nal day of Pentecost, ALL began SUDDENLY to speak in these OTHER languages. Now what kind of tongue-speaking was this? Was it UNKNOWN tongues? Was it the kind that needed an interpreter? Was it like we see demonstrated today? Let us examine and see!

Verse 5 tells us there were dwelling in Jerusalem at that time devout Jews out of every nation on earth. Word of this momen­tous experience went like wildfire over the city. A multitude of these Jews came rushing to the place. They were amazed. They marveled. Why? Because that:

7) “EVERY MAN HEARD THEM SPEAK IN HIS OWN LAN­GUAGE”! These Jews, from all nations, UNDERSTOOD what was said! Some were Parthians. Some Medes, Elamites, dwellers in Mesopotamia, Rome, Arabia, etc. And they said, “And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?”

Now notice carefully. Every man heard THEM (Acts 2:6) speak in HIS own language! These disciples were all speaking in tongues—OTHER languages—the languages of EVERY NATION under heaven. And EVERY MAN who came rushing in heard THEM—the disciples—speak in HIS OWN LANGUAGE! The Par­thian heard THEM, ALL of them, speak the Parthian language. But the Mede heard the SAME disciples speak the language of the Medes. Those from Greece heard the entire number of THEM—speaking Greek. THEY UNDERSTOOD what was said!

The gift of “tongues” spoken of in the Bible is the ability to speak of God in other languages—languages that are foreign and previously unknown to the speaker.