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Now, Luke says: “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they
were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from
heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the
house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues
like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with
the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave
them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of
every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that
every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and
marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak
Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were
born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do
hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. And they were all
amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others
mocking said, These men are full of new wine” (Acts 2:1-13). First of all,
note that those Jews, devout men, came together “when they heard this sound“
(Acts 2:6 – NIV) like the blowing of a violent wind, thus they arrived to
that place while the disciples were already speaking with other tongues through
the Holy Spirit. And what were the disciples saying in other tongues? They
were declaring the wonders of God. This was noticed by those Jews who came
together and heard them, for they realized that they were speaking in their
own languages the wonders of God. I would like you to notice that all the
disciples of the Lord were speaking the wonders of God, each one of them in a
foreign language, yet all of them were speaking the wonders of God. Can those
wonders of God, which they were declaring, include also the Gospel those Jews
needed to hear? The answer is ‘no’. Why? Because the Gospel was preached to
those Jews in the Hebrew language (the language they all could understand) by
Simon Peter when he stood up with the eleven (after he heard some making fun
of them saying ‘they are full of new wine’). Here is what Peter preached to
them: “Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you,
and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it
is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the
prophet Joel; 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: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those
days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven
above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that
great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that
whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Ye men of
Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you
by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you,
as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel
and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and
slain [you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to
the cross]: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death:
because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. For David
speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is
on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice,
and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because
thou wilt not leave my soul in hell [Hades], neither wilt thou suffer thine
Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou
shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. Men and brethren, let me
freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that
he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore
being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of
the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to
sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ,
that his soul was not left in hell [Hades], neither his flesh did see
corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof
we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and
having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed
forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the
heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my
right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house
of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus,
whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:14-36).
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