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Essay / The Promise of Pentecost - 1584
The Promise of Pentecost “I will send you what my Father has promised; but remain in the city until you have been endued with power from on high. » Luke 24:49 (NIV) Since the Old Testament, the Spirit of God has been promised to come upon God's people. The prophet Joel wrote: “And then I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. » (Joel 2:28 NIV) Nine hundred years later, the Spirit of the living God was poured out on His church in an event called Pentecost. The aim of the following research is to show Pentecost as a major moment in the lives of the apostles, as well as the beginning of the Church of Christ. Fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus from the tomb, a celebration took place in Jerusalem. called the Feast of Weeks, a period during which every Jewish man had to report to the sanctuary. This celebration brought together Jews from all over Asia and Europe in Jerusalem. It was around this time that Pentecost took place (Grieb). The eleven disciples were “all together in one place” waiting for the promise to come. Katherine Grieb tells us in her article Church on Fire that "Luke is careful to tell us that alongside the 11 "apostles" he names, there were a few women, including Mary, the mother of Jesus, and also his brothers ."(Grieb) After ten days of waiting in the Cenacle without really knowing what to do, the promise reached the disciples. “This was evidenced by miraculous signs in the form of a mighty wind, a tongue of fire placed on each of them, and the ability to speak ecstatic tongues to praise God.” (Ockenga 17) Arno Clemens in his book for Bible Seminaries and Institutes wrote: “…He did not come as a dove, but in the form of cloven tongues like those of fire. He came to the Lord in the form of a dove, because he should not make his voice heard in the streets. But his disciples were to give the testimony, the Word with power, which is like a consuming fire. »(33) As mentioned previously, at this time, Jerusalem had several visitors from different countries, who spoke different languages, and the testimony. the disciples were supposed to give was amplified by the fact that these Galileans spoke in languages these visitors could understand.