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The Holy Spirit’s
Harvest Of Firstfruits
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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.
Acts 2:1-4 KJV
Seven weeks after Jesus' death and resurrection, came the Day of Pentecost— a Jewish festival, known in Exodus 23:16 as “the Feast of Harvest,” and again in chapter 34:22 as "the Day of the firstfruits".
From the second day of the Passover, seven complete weeks, i.e., forty-nine days, were to be reckoned, and this feast was held on the fiftieth day.
Besides the sacrifices prescribed for the occasion, everyone was to bring to The Lord his "tribute of a free-will offering" (Deut 16:9-11). The purpose of this feast was to commemorate the completion of the grain harvest. Its distinguishing feature was the offering of "two leavened loaves" made from the new corn of the completed harvest, which, with two lambs, were waved before The Lord as a thank offering.
The Pentecost is known in Hebrew as “The festival of Shavu‘ot.
When the believers gathered together in one place, on the Day of Pentecost – exactly seven weeks after Jesus' death and resurrection there came a sudden sound from Heaven like the rushing of a violent tempest blast and there appeared to them tongues resembling fire, which were separated and distributed and which settled on each one of them.
They were all filled with The Holy Ghost (“the Ruach HaKodesh” - Hebrew expression).
The Holy Spirit gave each of them clear and loud expression-- in each tongue, appropriate words.
Many who came to Jerusalem from different nations that day for the religious celebrations, heard the roaring in the sky above the house, and came running to see what it was all about, and were stunned to hear— each one heard them speaking in his own language (vv. 5-6).
The disciples were only Galileans, but when they were filled with The Holy Spirit and were given utterance, they all spoke in the languages of the nations.
They spoke the tongues of the Parthians, Medes, Elamites, Mesopotamians, Judeans, Cappadocians, Pontus, Asians, Phrygians, Pamphylians, Egyptians, Libyans, Cyrenes, Romans, Jews, Cretans, and as well they clearly spoke Arabic.
The disciples spoke clearly, in the ‘tongues of men’.
Imagine this for a moment: each of the disciples spoke clearly, not just in the ‘tongues of men’ but in ‘differs tongues’. Each one of those outside heard each of them speaking in his own native language. They declared the wonders of God in differs tongues!
This is a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers (1 Cor 14:22).
The disciples also spoke in heavenly language.
In the Law it is written:
"Through men of strange tongues
and through the lips of foreigners
I will speak to this people,
but even then they will not listen to me,"
1 Cor 14:21 NIV
God sent men from other lands to speak in 'foreign languages' (strange tongues) to His people.
Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues
God will speak to this people,
to whom He said,
"This is the Resting Place, let the weary rest";
and, "This is the place of repose" —
but they would not listen.
Isa 28:11-12 NIV
They spoke with “other tongues”, as The Spirit gave them utterance.
Jesus encouraged His disciples to expect that they would be endued with special Power from on High.
Christ Jesus is The Firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep, for He has risen from the dead (I Cor.15:20). We have the firstfruits of The Spirit (Rom.8:23) and shall be raised each in his own turn (I Cor.15:23).