History of Pentecost

It was 49 days since Passover — 49 days since Jesus was crucified on a roman cross just outside the walls of Jerusalem. Jesus’ followers were meeting together in the Upper Room.

The next holy day on Israel’s calendar was the Festival of Weeks, also known as Shavuot in Hebrew, which was originally a harvest festival. Later, the day was also used to commemorate the giving of the Law to Moses at Mount Sinai. “Weeks” comes from an expression in Leviticus 23:16, which instructs the Israelites to count seven weeks – or 49 days — from the end of Passover to the beginning of the next feast in their annual cycle of holy days. The English word, Pentecost, comes from a Greek derivation of the word, meaning “fifty” or “fiftieth day.”

The Israelites had celebrated Pentecost for centuries. However, this one would be something quite different. Here’s what we learn from Acts, Chapter 2:

"When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

"Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? … — We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”" (Acts 2:1-12)

Read more about the History of Pentecost: https://www.drivethruhistory.com/hist...

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