The Spirit poured out on all flesh for all the nations

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God." And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others mocking said, "They are filled with new wine." But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: "'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.' - Acts 2:1‭-‬21 ESV

Won Ho Kim

I am a believer in Bible translation. You may think I am about to say that this passage supports having God's word in different languages. But I think there another way to look at this passage.

Pentecost is one of the Jewish pilgrimage festivals. Jews from all over the world came to Jerusalem. The scene is one of all these people being touched by these tongues of fire. Then a plethora of languages are heard. Finally, a sermon to explain what has occurred.

New Demeanor

The disciples were mocked for being drunk, but it is too early. People have barely had breakfast. Places were named, but no languages. Rome, Judea, and other places. So Greek and Aramaic, languages other than Hebrew. Jews from the west spoke Greek. Jews from the east spoke Aramaic. These were the native tongues. So the disciples also spoke these as their native language. So why does the author say that they were using "other" languages. What's the big deal? Why's the crowd surprised by this? Hebrew is considered the religious/holy language. For hundreds of years, Hebrew is the holy language. Then, suddenly, this group of disciples starts praising/worshipping God in other languages. It would have been shocking and scandalous to first century Jews. That's why people said they were drunk. These Galileans were suddenly bold and brazen. They had a reputation as being uneducated. So they had a new attitude and perspective. This is the miracle that happened that day.

New Day

Peter is telling us that we living in the last days. That was two thousand years ago. How is this the last days? After Christ is the last days, there is no age after Christ. It is the last chapter. The day of the Lord is coming for both salvation and judgement. Jesus sits upon the throne. He does not need to win an election. His day of return approaches.

New Distribution

The spirit goes out to all people. Pentecost is a festival about the end of the harvest. It is the gathering of the harvest. So it is with the Pentecost, but the gathering is of God's people. Not just the Jews, but also the gentiles.

Joshua project is about translating the Bible into minority languages. Why spend all this time on a language only used by so few? Because the gospel is for all people, all languages. We are here to work towards the kingdom of God rather than our own ends.

New Direction

We are to call upon Jesus and be saved. The Jews always knew they were to call upon the Lord. But now, there is a new twist. Jesus is Lord. He is the only name by which all can be saved. We are not just to tell people to come and see. We are to go and tell. It does not mean that we need to go overseas. We might just need to go and tell our classmates, friends, and neighbors. We need to pray for workers for the harvest. God will send workers. He will compete His mission.