Question
What was the importance of the day of Pentecost for the early church?
Response
As you undoubtedly discerned after reading the article entitled “The Day of Pentecost,” my understanding is that the events of Acts 2 pertain to the outworking of God’s program with Israel, specifically to the issue of announcing to Israel the arrival of the prophesied “last days” belonging to God’s program with them. Though for years I had been taught that the Day of Pentecost described in Acts 2 marked the beginning of the church the body of Christ, (or the beginning of this present dispensation of God’s grace), and believed this to be so, I have for a long time since been persuaded by the testimony of God’s word that this is not so. I now understand and appreciate that God’s program with Israel continued on following the nation’s rejection of Christ at the cross. And that the events of Acts 2, (in fact all of the events set forth in the opening chapters of the book of Acts leading up to the raising up of the apostle Paul in Acts 9), are events that pertain to the arrival of the “last days” in God’s program with Israel; specifically to the initial portion of those “last days,” when God in accordance with Psalm 110:1 and Joel 2 would be giving “repentance to Israel” before beginning “the times of the restitution of all things.” The gist of my understanding on this issue is what is set forth in that article.
Now I am underscoring what my understanding is in order to point out the particular bearing that it has upon the essay you are writing. And the bearing is this: In view of my understanding, the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 was not important for the early church, and it had no impact upon it. And the reason for this is because in Acts 2 God had not yet suspended His program with Israel, and therefore this present dispensation of God’s grace in which He is forming “the church the body of Christ” was not yet in effect. God’s “new creature,” the “church the body of Christ,” would not begin to be formed by God until He had later on suspended His program with Israel, raised up the apostle Paul to be His brand new apostle, and revealed to Paul “the mystery of Christ.” Hence there was no “church the body of Christ” in existence at the time of Acts 2 for which the Day of Pentecost either would be, or could be, important.
(Now the ‘church of the remnant of Israel’ in God’s program with Israel was definitely in existence at that time, just as the prophets spoke about and just as the Lord Himself described the building of in Matthew 16. And the events of the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 were important to them, including the issue of many being added to that church, just as Acts 2:27 says. However, there is more than one church in the Bible, and the ‘church of the remnant of Israel’ in God’s program with Israel is not the same as God’s “new creature,” the “church the body of Christ” that He is forming in this present dispensation of His grace to the Gentiles.)
So then the Day of Pentecost was certainly important for the nation of Israel, and it was designed to have a definite impact upon the people of Israel. The events of that day as related in Acts 2 were highly significant and important with regards to making it evident to the people of Israel that the “last days” in God’s program with them had arrived, and that in view of this being so they had better respond positively to “the repentance to Israel” that God was extending to them in the opening portion of those “last days.” (In fact, this is the basic gist of Peter’s preaching to the people of Israel on the Day of Pentecost and afterwards, just as the record of Acts 2 and 3 in particular relates. This is the particular “impact” that Peter knew that God wanted the Day of Pentecost to have on the people of Israel.) But since this present dispensation of God’s grace was not yet in effect in Acts 2, and the “church the body of Christ” was not yet in existence, the Day of Pentecost was not important for the “church the body of Christ.”
Now it may be that you do not share my understanding on this. And if this is the case, then obviously you are not going to find me to be of much help to you when it comes to your essay. In fact, if I were writing the essay, I would need to change the title to something like, “Was the Day of Pentecost important for the early church?” and then show that it wasn’t important for it, because the “church the body of Christ” wasn’t being formed yet by God.
Nevertheless, though I may not be of any help with your essay, if as you study Acts 2 in connection with writing it you find that you would like to give further consideration to the understanding I have set forth, you will find some other related articles on our web site. As well you will find other materials that we have which deal with issues pertaining to the differences that there are between God’s program with Israel and His program with the “church the body of Christ” today in this present dispensation of His grace.
Keith Blades
Enjoy The Bible Ministries
20020714 A59 IP DG