TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10
1 Kings 19:1-14
Acts 2:1-7

…that I may behold
wondrous things out of Thy law.

UNIQUE “SPIRIT SIGNS” OF PENTECOST

The Spirit’s advent at Pentecost was marked by three signs, unique and peculiar to Apostolic times, not seen today. The three signs are:

(a) “A sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind,” and it filled all the house where they were sitting. Apparently it was a thunderous sound heard by all the assembled disciples. In His discourse with Nicodemus (John 3:8), our Lord compared the way of the Spirit with that of wind – powerful, mysterious, invisible, and irresistible. We see the workings of the Spirit but not the Spirit Himself.

(b) “Cloven tongues like as of fire … sat upon each of them.” These “tongues like as of fire” sat upon each of the Apostles, and upon them alone. How do we know? The promise of power from on high was made exclusively to the Apostles (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:2, 8). On the day of the Pentecost, “they were all with one accord in one place.” This referred to the twelve Apostles (Acts 1:26; 2:1) and it was only on these that the Spirit sat. These “cloven tongues” marked out the
twelve as the authorized ambassadors or Apostles of the enthroned Lamb. It was the promised “baptism of fire,” i.e. the baptism with the Spirit mentioned by John the Baptist (Matt 3:11).

(c) “They … began to speak with other tongues” as the Spirit gave them utterance. This was the only “public sign” which struck the multitude gathered in Jerusalem. Being Pentecost, these “devout men, out of every nation under heaven” had come for the annual feast. They were amazed and marvelled, for the Apostles, all Galileans, were speaking “in our tongues the wonderful works of God” (Acts 2:11). Over a dozen intelligible non-Jewish languages were spoken, being
heard by the overseas Jews gathered in Jerusalem.

The Apostles were heard speaking “the wonderful works of God” in a dozen foreign languages! That was Pentecost!

THOUGHT: Are today’s “tongues” like those of Pentecost?
PRAYER: Lord, help me to discern truth from error.