The Book of Acts
Chapter 2:5-21
Verse 5
Acts 2:5
“And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every
nation under heaven.”
NKJV
They
were devout, religious and obedient; willing to travel great
distances to observe Pentecost. (Leviticus 23) Even though
1500 years had passed since the Law of Moses had been given at Mt.
Sinai neither time nor different cultures changed its requirements.
Verse 6
Acts 2:6 “And when this sound occurred, the multitude came
together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in
his own language.”
NKJV
Apostles by being baptized with the Holy Spirit were able to
miraculously speak in languages they had never learned. Not
surprisingly, the listeners were perplexed, confounded, amazed. The
apostles probably positioned themselves in different areas of the
court of the Gentiles with each apostle speaking a different
language.
Verse 7
Acts 2;7
“Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another,
‘Look, are not all these who speak Galileans?”
NKJV
The Galilean accent was distinctive and considered harsh and
unattractive to the Jews. (Mark 14:70) “But he denied it again.
And a little later those who stood by said to Peter again, Surely
you are one of them; for you are a Galilean, and your speech shows
it.” NKJV
Galileans were considered uncultured with little education. (Acts
4:13) “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and
perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they
marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.” NKJV
This also seems to indicate the apostles spoke these foreign
languages with the appropriate accents.
Verses 8-12
Acts 2:8-12 “And how is it that we hear, each in our own
language in which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites,
those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and
Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining
Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and
Arabs – we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works
of God.’ So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one
another, ‘Whatever could this mean?”
NKJV
This speaking in tongues was the miraculous ability to speak
fluently in a foreign language and even in a certain regional
dialect. Luke lists the areas from which the multitudes came.
“Mighty deeds of God” – likely the workings of God for Israel
throughout history. Many understood something of great importance
was about to happen.
Verse 13
Acts 2:13
“Others mocking said, ‘They are full of new wine.”
NKJV
There are always some skeptics. Drinking never made anyone able to
speak a foreign language!
The First Complete Gospel Sermon
Verses 14-15
Acts 2:14-15
“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. For these are not drunk, as you
suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.”
NKJV
Peter and the eleven address the multitude. Recall Matthew 16:19
“And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever
you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on
earth will be loosed in heaven.”
NKJV
The
keys are about to be used. The charge of drunkenness had to be
taken care of first. It was the Third hour [9:00 a.m.]. Jews did
not eat or drink at all prior to 9:00 on the Sabbath or a holy day.
Peter is ready to explain what is really happening. Peter’s sermon
would reveal that the time for the fulfillment of the Old Testament
prophecies had come and that God raised Jesus from the dead and He
is now the reigning Messiah.
Verses 16-18
Acts 2:16-18
“But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: And it shall come
to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My
Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.
And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My
Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.”
NKJV
Peter explained that what was happening was not due to the pouring
of wine but the outpouring of the Spirit. He said what they were
witnessing was the beginning of the fulfillment of Joel
2:28-32. Joel’s prophecy was to take place in “the last days.” See
also Isaiah 2:2 and Micah 4:1. “Now it shall come to pass in the
latter days That the mountain of the Lord’s house Shall be
established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above
the hills; And peoples shall flow to it.”
NKJV
Peter, by inspiration, defined “the last days.” He told the
multitudes that the moment you have been anticipating for centuries
[the reign of the Messiah] is here. The last days have arrived. So
it refers to the entire Christian age. See Hebrews 1:1-2 “God
who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the
fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His
Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He
made the worlds;” and I Peter 1:20-21. “He indeed was
foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in
these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised
Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope
are in God.”
NKJV
The outpouring of the Spirit would be bestowed upon “all flesh” –
not every human because not every Christian had a spiritual gift.
(I Corinthians 12:29-31) “Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are
all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of
healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But
earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more
excellent way.”
NKJV
But
representatives of the groups mentioned would receive miraculous
gifts through the laying on of the apostles’ hands. (Acts 8:18-19)
These gifts ceased when the canon of the New Testament was
completed. (I Corinthians 13:8-10) “Love never fails. But whether
there are prophecies, they will vanish away. For we know in part
and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come,
then that which is in part will be done away.”
NKJV
Verses 19-21
Acts 2:19-21
“I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath;
Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into
darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great
and awesome day of the Lord; And it shall come to pass That whoever
calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.”
NKJV
Symbolic or figurative language is being used. The phrases used
here by Peter are often used in the Old Testament to describe the
Lord bringing judgment upon powers and nations. (Isaiah 13 and
Ezekiel 32) “Great and awesome day of the Lord” Three
views have been put forth.
1.
The Day of Pentecost – when God “moved heaven and earth to bring the
church into existence.
2.
The Destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 – Christians were saved by
following the warnings given in Matthew 24:15-16. “Therefore when
you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the
prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him
understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the
mountains.”
NKJV
3.
Second Coming of Christ – I Thessalonians 1:10 “and to wait for His
Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who
delivers us from the wrath to come.” and II Thessalonians
1:7-9 “and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord
Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming
fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who
do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be
punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord
and from the glory of His power.”
NKJV
This is not a mere verbal exercise. It does mean that one realizes
that Jesus is their only hope for salvation. It means one accepts
the fact that they cannot save themselves through good works or
being morally good. It also means that one accepts Christ’s way of
salvation and obeys it. (Acts 22:16) “And now why are you
waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on
the name of the Lord.”
NKJV
Bobby Stafford March 11, 2015
Acts: Lesson 6: Acts 2:5-21
