Chapter 6.
The Giving of
Ruach HaKodesh 

Now we come to a most important—and most frequently misunderstood—event. It was the Feast of Shavu`ot, on the fiftieth day after Yeshua’s resurrection from the dead. His core group of talmidim had gone up to the Temple for worship. Let’s pick up the narrative as it appears in the Complete Jewish Bible:

The festival of Shavu’ot [50 Days, or Pentecost in Greek] arrived, and the believers all gathered together in one place. Suddenly there came a sound from the sky like the roar of a violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then they saw what looked like tongues of fire, which separated and came to rest on each one of them. They were all filled with the Ruach HaKodesh and began to talk in different languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak. (Acts 2:1-4)

Please notice that they were not in some “upper room.” Bible teachers who are not familiar with first-century Judaism do not understand that the term “the House” was a very familiar shortened form of “the House of Prayer”—the Temple (Isaiah 56:7; Matthew 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46). Modern archaeology has recently uncovered a section of the Temple previously unknown. Leading up from one of the main streets adjacent to the temple is a very wide flight of steps with a large platform at the top. (See Figures 1, 2, and 3.)

This particular type of structure would have created a teaching environment very similar to that found in most university lecture halls. It was common practice for the rabbis of that time to take their talmidim to the Temple and teach them there, and it is certain that Rabbi Yeshua practiced this custom. It may well have been to this exact location that the Talmidim had come on this first Feast Day following the loss of their Rabbi.

 

Figure 1. Recently-excavated portion of Temple Mount showing a very wide flight of steps with a large platform at the top. This may very well have been the site of the coming of Ruach HaKodesh and Kefa’s “Pentecost Sermon.”

 

Figure 2. Photograph of the Jerusalem Model at the Holy Land Hotel, showing the location of the same or similar structure. This is an area below Solomon’s Porch. The doors at the top of the steps would have opened onto a tunnel that led up to the Temple.

 

 

Figure 3. Photograph of the Jerusalem Model at the Holy Land Hotel, showing the location of similar structures within the Temple courtyard and in the outer courtyard. (Solomon’s Porch is the row of pillars in the background.) The events of Acts 2 could have taken place at any of these locations.

Now there were staying in Yerushalayim[41] religious Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd gathered; they were confused, because each one heard the believers speaking in his own language. Totally amazed, they asked, “How is this possible? Aren’t all these people who are speaking from the Galil[42]? How is it that we hear them speaking in our native languages? We are Parthians, Medes, Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Y’hudah[43], Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome; Jews by birth and proselytes; Jews from Crete and from Arabia! How is it that we hear them speaking in our own languages about the great things G-d has done?” (Acts 2:5-11)

At this point we need to carefully notice a few things:

First of all, these “religious Jews … from every nation” were all either natural-born Jews or proselytes like Ruth (see above) [no Goyim]. Kefa addressed them all as “you men of Yisra'el” (Acts 2:22).

Second, they were Jews from all over the known world.

Third, they were either in the Temple or in the street immediately adjacent to the area where the Talmidim were. Notice that they where they could hear either the “sound from the sky like the roar of a violent wind” (Acts 2:2) or the sound of the Talmidim speaking. And they heard the Talmidim speaking not gibberish or some “angelic” or “heavenly” language, but numerous human languages from all over the world—languages which the Talmidim could not have possibly learned previously.

Notice also [fourth point, for those who are actually counting] that Kefa [Peter] simply stood to address these “religious Jews … from every nation.” He did not leave an “upper room” and go down a flight of steps to the street outside where the crowd had somehow mysteriously gathered to listen through the walls.

Amazed and confused, they all went on asking each other, “What can this mean?” But others made fun of them and said, “They’ve just had too much wine!” Then Kefa stood up with the Eleven and raised his voice to address them: “You Judeans, and all of you staying here in Yerushalayim! Let me tell you what this means! Listen carefully to me! These people aren’t drunk, as you suppose — it’s only nine in the morning. No, this is what was spoken about through the prophet Yo’el[44]: ‘ADONAI says: “In the Last Days, I will pour out from my Spirit upon everyone. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my slaves, both men and women, will I pour out from my Spirit in those days; and they will prophesy. I will perform miracles in the sky above and signs on the earth below blood, fire and thick smoke. The sun will become dark and the moon blood before the great and fearful Day of ADONAI comes. And then, whoever calls on the name of ADONAI[45] will be saved.”’” (Acts 2:12-21)

After explaining Yo’el’s prophecy [which, by the way, was given to Israel, not to gentiles] and providing further Scriptural proofs that Yeshua, who died and was miraculously resurrected from the dead, is the long-awaited Messiah, Kefa concluded:

“Therefore, let the whole house of Isra’el know beyond doubt that G-d has made him both Lord [Adonai[46]] and Messiah—this Yeshua, whom you executed on a stake!” On hearing this, they were stung in their hearts; and they said to Kefa and the other emissaries[47], “Brothers, what should we do?” Kefa answered them, “Turn from sin, return to G-d, and each of you be immersed on the authority of Yeshua the Messiah into forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Ruach HaKodesh! For the promise is for you, for your children, and for those far away—as many as Adonai our G-d may call!” He pressed his case with many other arguments and kept pleading with them, “Save yourselves from this perverse generation!” So those who accepted what he said were immersed, and there were added to the group that day about three thousand people. They continued faithfully in the teaching of the emissaries, in fellowship, in breaking bread and in the prayers. (Acts 2:36-42)

Here we need to carefully note some additional points that have caused confusion among Gentile Believers in Messiah for the past 1,600 years.

Fifth point: Kefa’s message was addressed to “all the house of Isra’el.”

Sixth, the three thousand souls who believed that day were added to the Talmidim, and …

Seventh, “They continued faithfully in the teaching of the emissaries, in fellowship, in breaking bread, and in the prayers.”

There is absolutely no evidence anywhere in either the biblical record or in any secular historical record to support the idea that on that day in history either the original Talmidim (estimated to be about 120 in number) or the three thousand who had just became Talmidim that day suddenly stopped being Jews and were transformed into something called either “the church” or “Christians.” That concept is totally unbiblical. They simply became Jews who believed and trusted in Yeshua as the Messiah, and who had been filled with Ruach HaKodesh, nothing more.

However, there had now become an eighth distinct, identifiable group within the Judaism of the Late Second Temple Period. Yeshua’s Talmidim had now become “Messianics” alongside the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes (separatists who probably didn’t show up at Synagogue very often anyway), Zealots, Sicarii, Proselytes, and G-d-Fearers.

Sidetrack: If the Hebrew word that we have rendered here as Messianics were to be translated from Hebrew into Greek, it would be rendered as cristianoß (Christianos, look familiar?) According to Acts 11:26, this word was first used as a “technical term” for the Talmidim at Antioch. But look how that verse is rendered in the Complete Jewish Bible: “Also it was in Antioch that the talmidim for the first time were called ‘Messianic.’” The word “Christian” is the result of transliterating[48] the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew term “Messianic,” rather than actually translating from either the Greek or from the original Hebrew source word!

Eighth, note also that “They continued faithfully in the teaching of the emissaries, in fellowship, in breaking bread, and in the prayers.” Where did they “continue faithfully in the teaching of the emissaries and fellowship?” In the synagogue and in the Temple and in private homes! Where did they “continue faithfully … in breaking bread?” In the Challah bread of the Kiddush ceremony on Shabbat[49] in the synagogue and in private homes, celebrating Havdalah and the Feast Days! [Be patient; a thorough explanation of Havdalah is coming very soon!] Where did they “continue faithfully … in the prayers?” In the synagogue, in the Temple, and in private homes, celebrating Shabbat, Havdalah, and the Feast Days!

“But,” I hear someone asking, “what about all the references in the Book of Acts about the Disciples breaking bread on the first day of the week? Doesn’t that mean that they moved the Sabbath to Sunday in honor of the resurrection?” I seriously doubt that is true. In fact, I believe that idea came about as part of the paganization of Messianic Judaism by Emperor Constantine and his successors in 325 CE and the years following.