Meaning fiftieth. It was the fiftieth day from the Lord's resurrection, there being seven weeks in between, counting from the second day (the first day of the week — Luke 23:54-56; 24:1) after the Passover on which the Lord was crucified (John 19:14). It was the fulfillment of the Feast of Weeks (Deut. 16:10), which was also called the Feast of Harvest (Exo. 23:16), and was counted from the day of the offering of a sheaf of the firstfruits of the harvest, to the day after the seventh Sabbath (Lev. 23:10-11, 15-16). The sheaf of the firstfruits offered before God was a type of the resurrected Christ offered to God on the day of His resurrection (John 20:17), which was the day after the Sabbath (John 20:1). From that day to the day of Pentecost there were exactly fifty days (cf. Acts 1:3). The Feast of Harvest typifies the enjoyment of the rich produce brought in by the resurrected Christ. This rich produce is the all-inclusive Spirit of the processed Triune God, given by Him to His chosen people as the blessing of the gospel (Gal. 3:14) that they may enjoy the all-inclusive Christ (the very embodiment of the Triune God) as their good land. This signifies that the believers, by receiving the bountiful Spirit on the day of Pentecost, not only have entered into the good land but also have participated in the bountiful riches of the all-inclusive Christ (Eph. 3:8) in His resurrection and ascension, as God's full allotment in His New Testament economy.

In the Lord's resurrection the Spirit of resurrection life is likened to breath, breathed into the disciples (John 20:22) for their spiritual being and living essentially. In the Lord's ascension the Spirit of ascension power, poured upon the disciples, is symbolized here by the wind and is for the disciples' ministry and move economically. The essential Spirit of resurrection life is for the believers to live Christ; the economical Spirit of ascension power is for them to carry out His commission.

Gk. pleroo, to fill inwardly, as the wind filled the house.

A symbol of speaking, symbolizing that God's economical Spirit of power is mainly for speaking. He is the speaking Spirit.

Symbolizing burning power for purging and motivating in God's economical move.

The verb is singular, indicating that one tongue sat on each of them.

All modifies only filled in the first clause, not began to speak in the second clause. It cannot be used as evidence that all the disciples who were filled with the Holy Spirit began to speak in tongues.

Gk. pletho (used also in Acts 4:8, 31; 9:17; 13:9; Luke 1:15, 41, 67), to fill outwardly. According to its usage in this book, pleroo denotes the filling of a vessel within, as the wind filled the house inwardly in v. 2, and pletho denotes the filling of persons outwardly, as the Spirit filled the disciples outwardly in this verse. The disciples were filled (pleroo) inwardly and essentially with the Spirit (Acts 13:52) for their Christian living, and were filled (pletho) outwardly and economically with the Spirit for their Christian ministry. The inward filling Spirit, the essential Spirit, is in the disciples (John 14:17; Rom. 8:11), whereas the outward filling Spirit, the economical Spirit, is upon them (Acts 1:8; 2:17). Every believer in Christ should experience both aspects of the Holy Spirit. Even Christ as a man experienced the same thing: He was born of the Holy Spirit essentially (Luke 1:35; Matt. 1:18, 20) for His being and living, and He was anointed with the Holy Spirit economically (Matt. 3:16; Luke 4:18) for His ministry and move. The essential Spirit was within Him and the economical Spirit was upon Him.

The outward filling of the poured out Spirit was the ascended Head's baptizing of His Body into the Spirit. On the day of Pentecost the Jewish believers, the first part of His Body, were baptized; in the house of Cornelius the Gentile believers, the second part of His Body, were baptized in the same way (Acts 10:44-47). By these two steps He baptized once for all His entire Body into the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13), who is the application and realization of Himself. His baptizing His Body into the Spirit was His baptizing it into Himself. This was the accomplishment of the baptism in the Holy Spirit promised in Acts 1:5 by Christ, the Head of the Body.

Dialects (vv. 6, 8). The disciples were Galileans (v. 7), yet they spoke the different foreign dialects of the attendants who came from various parts of the world. This is strong proof that tongue-speaking must be an understandable language, not merely a voice or sound uttered by the tongue.

"A peculiar word, and purposely chosen to denote the clear, loud utterance" (Vincent).

The devout Jews who came from their dispersion to Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Pentecost.

Gentiles who were converted to Judaism (Acts 6:5; 13:43).

Gk. glossa, used for two things in this chapter: the speaking organ in v. 3, and dialects in this verse and v. 4, referring to the dialect in v. 6 and v. 8. This evidence leaves no ground for saying that tongue-speaking may be merely a voice or sound uttered by the tongue, the speaking organ; it must be a dialect, because what the disciples spoke in tongues (vv. 4, 11) were all different dialects (vv. 6, 8). In this sense, tongues and dialects are synonymous, used interchangeably in these verses.

Lit., sweet. Since it was sweet wine, it must still have been new wine.

This indicates that Matthias, who was chosen in Acts 1:26, was recognized as one among the twelve apostles.

Lit., Men, Jews. More dignified and solemn than simply "Jews."

I.e., 9:00 a.m.

Beginning from Christ's first coming (1 Pet. 1:20).

This differs from the breathing of the Spirit into the disciples out of the mouth of Christ after His resurrection (John 20:22). The pouring out of God's Spirit was from the heavens in Christ's ascension. The former is the essential aspect of the Spirit in His being breathed into the disciples as life for their living; the latter is the economical aspect of the Spirit in His being poured upon them as power for their work. The same Spirit is within them essentially and upon them economically.

The pouring out of the Spirit in Christ's ascension was the descension of the resurrected and ascended Christ as the all-inclusive Spirit to carry out His heavenly ministry on the earth to build up His church (Matt. 16:18) as His Body (Eph. 1:23) for God's New Testament economy.

Or, from (also in v. 18).

Upon is economical, different from the essential in in John 14:17. In is related to the intrinsic essence for life; upon is related to the outward element for power.

All fallen human beings, without distinction of sex, age, or status.

Prophecies, visions, and dreams are outward expressions and are not related to the inner life.

Lit., give. Verses 19 and 20, quoted from Joel's prophecy, are not related to the things that occurred on the day of Pentecost but to the calamities of the judgment day of the Lord in the future.

See note 2 Pet. 3:12³.

Calling on the name of the Lord is not a new practice that began with the New Testament. Rather, it began with Enosh, the third generation of mankind, in Gen. 4:26. It was continued by Job (Job 12:4; 27:10), Abraham (Gen. 12:8; 13:4; 21:33), Isaac (Gen. 26:25), Moses and the children of Israel (Deut. 4:7), Samson (Judg. 15:18; 16:28), Samuel (1 Sam. 12:18; Psa. 99:6), David (2 Sam. 22:4, 7; 1 Chron. 16:8; 21:26; Psa. 14:4; 17:6; 18:3, 6; 31:17; 55:16; 86:5, 7; 105:1; 116:4, 13, 17; 118:5; 145:18), the psalmist Asaph (Psa. 80:18), the psalmist Heman (Psa. 88:9), Elijah (1 Kings 18:24), Isaiah (Isa. 12:4), Jeremiah (Lam. 3:55, 57), and others (Psa. 99:6), all of whom practiced this in the Old Testament age. Isaiah charged the seekers of God to call upon Him (Isa. 55:6). Even the Gentiles knew that the prophets of Israel had the habit of calling on the name of God (Jonah 1:6; 2 Kings 5:11). The Gentile raised up by God from the north also called upon His name (Isa. 41:25). It is God's commandment (Psa. 50:15; Jer. 29:12) and desire (Psa. 91:15; Zeph. 3:9; Zech. 13:9) that His people call on Him. This is the joyful way to drink from the fountain of God's salvation (Isa. 12:3-4) and the enjoyable way to delight oneself in God (Job 27:10), that is, to enjoy Him. Hence, God's people must call upon Him daily (Psa. 88:9). Such a jubilant practice was prophesied by Joel (Joel 2:32) concerning the New Testament jubilee.

In the New Testament, calling on the name of the Lord was first mentioned by Peter, here, on the day of Pentecost, as the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy. This fulfillment is related to God's outpouring of the all-inclusive Spirit economically upon His chosen people that they may participate in His New Testament jubilee. Joel's prophecy and its fulfillment concerning God's New Testament jubilee have two aspects: on God's side, He poured out His Spirit in the ascension of the resurrected Christ; on our side, we call on the name of the ascended Lord, who has accomplished all, attained unto all, and obtained all. Calling on the Lord's name is vitally necessary in order for us, the believers in Christ, to participate in and enjoy the all-inclusive Christ with all He has accomplished, attained, and obtained (1 Cor. 1:2). It is a major practice in God's New Testament economy that enables us to enjoy the processed Triune God for our full salvation (Rom. 10:10-13). The early believers practiced this everywhere (1 Cor. 1:2), and to the unbelievers, especially the persecutors, it became a popular sign of Christ's believers (Acts 9:14, 21). When Stephen suffered persecution, he practiced this (Acts 7:59), and his practice surely impressed Saul, one of his persecutors (Acts 7:58-60; 22:20). Later, the unbelieving Saul persecuted the callers (Acts 9:14, 21) by taking their calling as a sign. Immediately after Saul was caught by the Lord, Ananias, who brought Saul into the fellowship of the Body of Christ, charged him to be baptized, calling on the name of the Lord, to show others that he too had become such a caller. By his word to Timothy in 2 Tim. 2:22, Paul indicated that in the early days all the Lord's seekers practiced such calling. Undoubtedly, he was one who practiced this, since he charged his young co-worker Timothy to do this that Timothy might enjoy the Lord as he did.

The Greek word for call on is composed of on and call (by name); thus, it is to call out audibly, even loudly, as Stephen did (Acts 7:59-60).

The name denotes the person. Jesus is the Lord's name, and the Spirit is His person. When we call, "Lord Jesus," we receive the Spirit.

This is the conclusion of the quotation of Joel's prophecy, which began in v. 17, indicating that the issue of God's pouring out of His Spirit upon all flesh is their salvation through calling on the name of the Lord. God's outpouring of His Spirit is the applying of the Lord's salvation to His chosen people. To be saved is to receive this Spirit, who is the blessing of the gospel in God's New Testament economy (Gal. 3:2, 5, 14). This Spirit is the Lord Himself as the breath (John 20:22) and the living water (John 4:10, 14) to us. To breathe Him in as our breath and drink Him as our living water, we need to call on Him. Lam. 3:55-56 indicates that our calling on the Lord is our breathing, and Isa. 12:3-4 indicates that our calling on the Lord is our drinking. After we believe in the Lord, we need to call on Him that we may not only be saved but also enjoy His riches (Rom. 10:12-13). When we exercise our spirit to call on Him, breathe Him in, and drink Him, we enjoy His riches; this is the real worship to God. The Lord connected such worship (John 4:24) to the drinking of the living water given by Him (John 4:14).

Lit., Men, Israelites. More dignified and solemn than simply "Israelites."

The first message of the apostles' preaching of the gospel was focused on a man. In his Gospel, Luke presented to his readers this man, from His conception, through His birth, youth, life on earth, death, and resurrection, to His ascension. Here, in this book, Luke went on to tell us that this man was preached by the apostles as the God-ordained Savior.

Lit., pointed out, exhibited, displayed; i.e., proved by showing, thus bringing about an approval.

This counsel must have been determined in a council held by the Divine Trinity before the foundation of the world (1 Pet. 1:20; Rev. 13:8), indicating that the Lord's crucifixion was not an accident in human history but a purposeful fulfillment of the divine counsel determined by the Triune God.

See note 1 Pet. 1:20^1a.

Including Judas Iscariot (Luke 22:3-6), the chief priests, the officers of the temple, the elders (Luke 22:52-53), the high priest, the Jewish Sanhedrin (Luke 22:54, 66-71), Pilate, Herod, and the Roman soldiers (Luke 23:1-25) — mainly the Jewish religionists with their deputies and the Gentile politicians with their subordinates. This indicates that Jesus was killed by all mankind.

See note Matt. 27:26² and note John 18:32¹.

Here and in v. 32 Peter said that God raised up Jesus. In Acts 10:40-41 he said the same thing again but added, "He rose from the dead." Regarding the Lord as a man, the New Testament tells us that God raised Him from the dead (Rom. 8:11); considering Him as God, it tells us that He Himself rose from the dead (1 Thes. 4:14). This proves His dual status — human and divine.

The Lord is both God and resurrection (John 1:1; 11:25), possessing the indestructible life (Heb. 7:16). Since He is such an ever-living One, death is not able to hold Him. He delivered Himself to death, but death had no way to detain Him; rather, death was defeated by Him, and He rose up from it.

This is the declaration of Christ in His resurrection.

Referring to God.

When Christ is held by God (as in Isa. 41:13; 42:6), God is on His right hand; when He is exalted by God, He is sitting at the right hand of God (v. 33; Psa. 110:1; Eph. 1:20-21).

This is a quotation from Psa. 16:9 in the Septuagint. But in the original Hebrew text the word for tongue is glory, which is a synonym of soul, according to Gen. 49:6 and Psa. 7:5. Because Christ trusted in God, His heart was made glad and His soul exulted while He was in Hades (v. 27).

Or, dwell, reside, pitch its tent. After Christ died on the cross, while His soul was in Hades exulting, His flesh (His body) was in a tomb resting in hope, because He trusted in God.

See note Matt. 11:23^1d.

See note Luke 1:75^1a.

Corruption of the body in the tomb (v. 31).

The ways to come out of death into resurrection.

Indicating that Christ was resurrected into God's presence, especially in His ascension (v. 34; Heb. 1:3).

See note Acts 1:16¹.

See note Luke 1:42^2b.

This was declared also to Mary by the angel at the conception of Christ (Luke 1:32-33).

See note Acts 2:24¹.

Or, whom. The apostles were witnesses of the resurrected Christ, not only in word but also by their life and action, especially bearing witness of His resurrection (Acts 4:33). Bearing witness of Christ's resurrection is the crucial point, the focus, in carrying out God's New Testament economy. See note Acts 1:8^3c.

Not the promise given by the Holy Spirit but the promise given by the Father in Joel 2:29, quoted by Peter in v. 17 and referred to by the Lord in Luke 24:49 and in Luke 1:4 of this book, concerning the Holy Spirit. The exalted Christ's receiving of the promise of the Holy Spirit was actually His receiving of the Holy Spirit Himself. Christ was conceived of the Spirit essentially for His existence in humanity (Luke 1:35; Matt. 1:18, 20) and was anointed with the Spirit economically for His ministry among men (Matt. 3:16; Luke 4:18). After His resurrection and ascension, He still needed to receive the Spirit economically again that He might pour Himself out upon His Body to carry out His heavenly ministry on earth for the accomplishing of God's New Testament economy.

This proves that up to the time of Pentecost, David still had not ascended into the heavens. Furthermore, his tomb was still among the disciples on the day of Pentecost (v. 29). This fact annuls the inaccurate teaching that says, based on Eph. 4:8-10, that when Christ was resurrected, He brought Paradise, with all the Old Testament saints, from Hades into the heavens (see note 2 Cor. 12:4¹).

The first Lord refers to God and the second, to Christ, whom David called "my Lord" (Matt. 22:45 and note Matt. 22:45¹).

The position of glory, honor, and power (Exo. 15:6; 1 Kings 2:19; Mark 14:62).

This indicates that after Christ's ascension God is still working to defeat Christ's enemies that Christ may come back to reign in the universal kingdom of God (1 Cor. 15:25; Rev. 11:15).

As God, the Lord was the Lord all the time (Luke 1:43; John 11:21; 20:28). But as man, He was made the Lord in His ascension after He brought His humanity into God in His resurrection. And as God's sent and anointed One, He was Christ from the time that He was born (Luke 2:11; Matt. 1:16; John 1:41; Matt. 16:16). But as such a One, He was also officially made the very Christ of God in His ascension.

The Lord was made Lord, the Lord of all, to possess all; and He was made Christ, God's Anointed (Heb. 1:9), to carry out God's commission.

You here is emphatic.

Lit., men, brothers. See note Acts 1:16¹.

See note Matt. 3:2^1a and note Mark 1:15^2c.

See note Matt. 3:6^1a, note Matt. 28:19³, note Mark 1:5², and note Mark 16:16^1a.

The New Testament uses three different prepositions to describe baptism's relationship to the Lord:
1) En, in (Acts 10:48).
To be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ is to be baptized in the sphere of the name of Jesus Christ, within which is the reality of the baptism.
2) Eis, into (Matt. 28:19; Acts 8:16; 19:5; Rom. 6:3; Gal. 3:27).
To be baptized into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, or into the name of the Lord Jesus, is to be baptized into a spiritual union with the all-inclusive Christ, who is the embodiment of the Triune God. See note Acts 8:16² and note Matt. 28:19⁴.
3) Epi, upon, or on (v. 38).
To be baptized upon the name of Jesus Christ is to be baptized upon the ground of what the name of Jesus Christ stands for. It stands for all that the person of Jesus Christ is and all that He has accomplished, both of which constitute the belief (the faith) of God's New Testament economy. It is on this ground that the believers in Christ are baptized.

The name denotes the person.

Forgiveness of sins is based on the redemption of Christ, which was accomplished through His death (Acts 10:43; Eph. 1:7; 1 Cor. 15:3); it is the initial and basic blessing of God's full salvation. Based on it the blessing of God's full salvation goes forward and consummates in the receiving of the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Not any gift distributed by the Spirit, such as is mentioned in Rom. 12:6, 1 Cor. 12:4, and 1 Pet. 4:10, but the gift that is the Holy Spirit Himself, given by God to the believers in Christ as the unique gift that produces all the gifts mentioned in Rom. 12, 1 Cor. 12, and 1 Pet. 4. Those gifts are the abilities and capacities for the service of God, and they come from this unique gift, the Holy Spirit.

The all-inclusive Spirit of the processed Triune God in His New Testament economy, both essential for life and economical for power, given to the believers at the time of their believing in Christ (Eph. 1:13; Gal. 3:2), as the all-inclusive blessing of God's full gospel (Gal. 3:14) that they may enjoy all the riches of the Triune God (2 Cor. 13:14).

The apostles preached and ministered Christ, but when their hearers repented and believed in Him, they received this wonderful Spirit of the Triune God. This implies that this Spirit is just the resurrected and ascended Christ Himself. The receiving of the Spirit here is both essential and economical, in a general and all-inclusive sense, differing from the receiving of the Spirit in Acts 8:15-17 and Acts 19:2-6, which is particularly the receiving of the Spirit in His falling upon the believers economically.

Referring to the Jews.

Referring to the Holy Spirit (see note Acts 2:33¹).

Referring to the Gentiles, who are included in all flesh (v. 17).

Referring to those chosen and predestinated by God in eternity (Eph. 1:4-5) and called by Him in the New Testament age (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:2).

Testifying requires experiences of seeing and enjoyment concerning the Lord or spiritual things. It is different from merely teaching.

Be is active, and saved is passive; hence, be saved is in the active-passive voice. Salvation is to be carried out by God, but man needs to be active to receive what God intends to do. At the time of Pentecost, everything concerning God's full salvation had been prepared, and the Holy Spirit was poured out as the application and full blessing of God's salvation, ready for man to receive. In this matter God is waiting for man, and man needs to take the initiative. Man, be saved!

At the conclusion of his message Peter did not say, "Be saved from God's condemnation," or "from eternal perdition," but, "Be saved from this crooked generation." The crooked generation refers to the perverted Jews in that age, who rejected God's Christ (v. 36) and were considered by God as the "present evil age" (Gal. 1:4). For the crooked Jews to be saved from their present evil age required a genuine repentance concerning their crookedness toward God and a real turn to God. This indicates that they needed to turn to God not only from their sins but also from their generation, their Jewish society, including their Jewish religion. The result of such a salvation was not their entering into heaven but their entering into a new generation — the church. Thus, the saved ones were separated from the Jewish society into the church. Being saved in this way implies being saved from God's condemnation and eternal perdition unto God's eternal purpose and His pleasure (Eph. 3:11; 1:9).

By water (Acts 10:47-48). See note Matt. 3:6^1a, note Matt. 28:19³, and note 1 Pet. 3:20³, note 1 Pet. 3:21¹ and note 1 Pet. 3:21³.

The first group of believers produced through the apostles' preaching and ministering of Christ on the day of Pentecost continued steadfastly in four things: teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers. Teaching is the unveiling of God's New Testament economy concerning Christ and the church; fellowship is the communion and communication between the believers in their communion and communication with God the Father and Christ the Son; breaking of bread is the remembrance of the Lord in His accomplishing of God's full redemption; and prayer is cooperation with the Lord in heaven for the carrying out of God's New Testament economy on earth. The first two, teaching and fellowship, conjoined by and to be one group, are of the apostles, but breaking of bread and prayers are not, indicating that besides the teaching and fellowship of the apostles, the believers in Christ should not have any other teaching and fellowship. In God's New Testament economy there is only one category of teaching revealed and recognized by God — the teaching of the apostles — and only one category of fellowship that is of God and is acceptable to Him — the fellowship of the apostles, which is with the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ (1 John 1:3 and note 1 John 1:3^3a), and which is the unique fellowship of the unique church, the Body of Christ. The last two, the breaking of bread and prayer, also conjoined by and to be another group, are practices of the believers in their Christian life and are not related directly to God's economy for the keeping of the oneness of the church, the Body of Christ. Hence, they are not of the apostles, who brought in God's New Testament revelation and His fellowship among all the believers in Christ.

Wonders and signs are not part of God's central testimony, which is the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, and ascended Christ; neither are they part of His full salvation. They are only evidences that what the apostles preached and ministered and the way they acted were absolutely of God, not of man (Heb. 2:3-4).

Also in Acts 4:32. Having all things common was not a sign of love but of Christ's dynamic salvation, which saved the believers from greediness and selfishness. It was practiced for only a short time at the initiation of God's New Testament economy; it did not continue for the long run as a practice of legality (see note Acts 5:4¹) in the church life during Paul's ministry, as proved by his words in 2 Cor. 9 and other places.

This too was an evidence of the Lord's dynamic salvation, which caused the believers to overcome earthly possessions, which occupy, possess, and usurp all fallen mankind (Matt. 19:21-24; Luke 12:13-19, 33-34; 14:33; 16:13-14; 1 Tim. 6:17).

In the initiation of God's New Testament economy, the early believers and even the first group of apostles were not clear that God had forsaken Judaism with its practices and facilities, including the temple (see Matt. 23:38 — "your house," referring to the God-forsaken temple). Hence, according to their tradition and habit, they still went to the temple for their New Testament meeting.

The early believers remembered the Lord by breaking bread daily in their houses; this showed their love and enthusiasm toward the Lord.

Or, at home; in contrast to in the temple. Meeting in homes as the Christian way of meeting together is fitting to God's New Testament economy. This way differs from the Judaic way of meeting in the synagogues (Acts 6:9). It became a continual and general practice in the churches (cf. Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:15; Philem. 1:2).

Or, singleness; describing the heart's being simple, single, and plain, having one love and desire and one goal in seeking after the Lord.

They lived a life that expressed God's attributes in human virtues, as Jesus, the Man-Savior, did (Luke 2:52).

This indicates that from the very beginning of their Christian life the early believers were brought into the corporate church life; they did not live individualistically as Christians separated from one another.