Sermons - Cornerstone Christian Fellowship

Passover to Tabernacles - Part Eighteen

Mar 20, 2022 by: John Herbert | Series: Passover to Tabernacles

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Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Today we will begin to look at the day of Pentecost in 33AD

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Sunday March 20th 2022
Passover to Tabernacles
Part 18

1). Jon 1:1 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.”

We have seen in our studies that the Book of Jonah presents a sign for Israel, and a type for us, of the history of Jewish people with respect to their calling to be God’s witness to the Gentile nations. A calling that has so far been rejected but will be embraced following national repentance, restoration, and cleansing. A calling that takes us from the birth of the nation to the Millennial Kingdom.
	a). And it was a national ‘change of mind’ with regards to centuries of rejection of God’s purpose for the nation, along with restoration and cleansing, that accompanied the offer of the Kingdom of the heavens to the Jews at the Lord’s first Advent. 
	b). We are very familiar with the Lord’s message to the Jews, ‘Repent’ for the Kingdom of the heavens is at hand.’ And had the Jews heeded this call to repentance, then not only would the Kingdom of the heavens have been theirs but the earthly Kingdom, covenanted to David, would have been restored to them at this time as well. And with the restoration of the earthly Kingdom and the change of rulership in the Kingdom of the heavens, would have come the fulfillment of Israel’s calling to be God’s witness. Israel restored and cleansed and in possession of the earthly Kingdom and the fulfillment of the nation’s calling are inseparably connected.	
c). And following the Lord’s death, burial, and resurrection as He conducted His forty-day ministry to His disciples it would be no surprise to us to find that the fulfillment of the Jewish people’s calling was central to His Kingdom teaching - Acts 1:1 The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2 until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, 3 to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. 4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The Lord’s ascension did not take place until forty days after His resurrection, and it is clear from the Scripture that the Lord spent this time with His disciples ‘speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God’. This then was a continuation of that which He had spent the previous three and a half years teaching, but now within the context of His return to the right hand of the Father, the establishment of His Church, the sending of the Holy Spirit, and the ministry to the same generation of eternally saved Jews who had previously rejected Him. A context where the Kingdom of the heavens was no longer at hand, but was to be re-offered by the Church, who would then be in possession of it, to the Jews, with the fulfillment of Israel’s calling in view.
	b). Forty is a number having to do with completion, and it was ten days beyond the end of these forty days, ten, being a number of numerical completion when ‘the day of Pentecost had fully come.’
	c). And it was the events of this day of Pentecost that the Lord had referred to, as recorded in Acts 1:8. And this day was to come for a specific purpose; so that the disciples would ‘receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me….’
	d). And what we see in Acts 1:8 must be added to other statements made by the Lord, recorded towards the end of the three synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, prior to His ascension, that deal with the same subject – Mt 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore [having gone] and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Mk 16:15 And He said to them, “Go [having gone] into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Lk 24:45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. 46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”

The verses we have read from Acts, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, must be taken together, and form what the church has come to call ‘the great commission’. And this would not be a bad description if it was kept within context and understood by comparing Scripture with Scripture, within the overall framework of Scripture. What the Lord said to His disciples concerning this ‘great commission’ cannot be separated from Israel’s calling to be God’s witness. And this is a ‘great commission’ that was given to the Jews from the time of the nation’s creation, pictured through Jonah’s commission to go Nineveh, that great city.
	e). The first thing we are going to note, is that this so-called ‘great commission’, as we put all four parts of this together, was given to the Lord’s disciples before His ascension and was dependent upon them waiting for ‘the Promise of My Father’ so that they could be ‘endued with power from on high’, enabling them to be His witnesses.
	f). We will then note that this commission was to begin ‘in Jerusalem’ and was to be accompanied by supernatural signs. It involved making disciples of all nations and the preaching of the gospel. 
g). And because this word ‘gospel’ can cause confusion at times let’s be clear as to what is said concerning the preaching of it - And He said to them, “Go [having gone] into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

We will notice the order of events as recorded in Mark 16:16 – there is belief, followed by baptism, and then salvation. This ‘gospel’ then cannot be a reference to the gospel of grace, otherwise works would enter where works cannot possibly go.
	h). The word ‘saved’ will also cause problems for some as it is nearly always associated with the free gift. The word itself simply means to be ‘delivered’, to be rescued from danger or destruction. And although this can clearly be the case with eternal salvation, the word itself does not convey that meaning, context alone will determine what is being referenced.
	i). And again, we would know that disciples could only be made of those already in possession of spiritual life.
	j). And then the preaching of this gospel is to be accompanied by supernatural signs. And with respect to this a first mention principle was established in the days of Moses. Supernatural signs were manifested by Moses in relation to the presence of two inseparable entities, Israel and the Kingdom. Once this was established, then supernatural signs such as those described at the conclusion of Mark’s Gospel, can only ever occur when both Israel and the Kingdom are present together. And the most obvious example of this is the Lord’s first Advent. Jesus, a Jew, came to the Jewish people, the nation of Israel, with the offer of the Kingdom of the heavens – Jn 20:30 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book;

And these signs were given exclusively to the Jews to attest to the Kingdom of the heavens being offered to them. The Jews were present, a Jew was making the offer, the Kingdom was in view, and supernatural signs followed.
k). And what are we to make of the particular supernatural sign of speaking ‘in new tongues’? Well, if we go and look at the day of Pentecost, upon which this ‘great commission’ was contingent, all will become clear.

2). Acts 2:1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

That recorded in these verses is the ‘Promise of My Father’, which they had heard from Jesus, and which they had been told to wait in Jerusalem for – Jn 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.

The one hundred and twenty in the upper room on that day became the ‘Church’, the beginning of the one new man in Christ. And this happened after a specific fashion. Firstly, the ‘whole house’ where they were was ‘filled’ with the Holy Spirit, totally immersing them, baptizing them, in the Spirit. And then, having been immersed in the Spirit, each one was individually ‘filled’ with the Spirit. They received power when the Holy Spirit had come upon them to be God’s witnesses. And the result of this was that they ‘began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ And this whole scene here is entirely Jewish.
	a). And what is meant by ‘speaking with other tongues’ is made clear from the verses in Acts Chapter 2 that follow those which we have read - Acts 2:5 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. 7 Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” 12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?”

There were three of the seven Jewish feasts, Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles that all Jewish men were required to attend in Jerusalem each year. Not just those who lived in the land, but all Jewish men. And we can see from the verses we read that they came from many countries other than Israel, ‘every nation under heaven’. These would have been the descendants of those Jews who had not returned at the end of the Babylonian captivity, among others.
	b). And having been born in these foreign countries, for generations for some, they would have spoken languages other than Hebrew. And this is just what we see, And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born?

The other tongues those in the upper room began to speak that day were neither random nor unknown, but specific to the audience to whom they spoke. Speaking in a language that they did not previously speak and doing so by the power of the Holy Spirit, was clearly a supernatural sign.
	c). And because of what has been unalterably established in the Scriptures both Israel and the Kingdom HAD to be in view. And the re-offer of the Kingdom is precisely what Peter, a Jew, preached to the Jews in Jerusalem when the day of Pentecost had fully come.
	d). And at the conclusion of Peter’s sermon that day, the eternally saved Jews present asked the question - Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

To which Peter responded - Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” 40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.”

Notice the order of events that Peter gave here, they were to repent, to change their minds, be baptized and then be saved, be delivered from this perverse generation. And isn’t this the precise order that Jesus had given, as recorded by Mark, that we had looked at earlier? And like those in the upper room, those who did so would also receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
	e). And that which took place on that day of Pentecost was explained for those present who were amazed and perplexed by it, and for us – 
Acts 2:12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?”13 Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.”

3). Acts 2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. 21 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.’

Joel is a Jewish prophet, who prophesied to the Jews what would come to pass in the last days. And the Holy Spirit through Peter, has stated categorically that the events on this day of Pentecost, ‘is what was spoken by the prophet Joel.’
	a). This then was not just something like Joel had spoken about, it was the beginning of the fulfillment of that which he had prophesied concerning Israel in relation to the restoration of the nation with respect to the Seventh Day and the empowering of the nation to fulfill its calling as God’s witness.
	b). And we will remember that Jesus had said this was to begin in Jerusalem. Within the context of the Book of Acts, Jerusalem was the only place where this could have begun, as it required a national ‘change of mind’ with respect to the identity of Jesus, to be followed by national baptism and deliverance from Gentile world power as the Messiah returned to establish His Kingdom - Acts 3:19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.

And had national repentance, conversion and baptism been forthcoming Messiah would have returned, and then from Jerusalem the message of the Christ and His Kingdom would have been taken to Judea, Samaria and to the end of the earth, proclaimed by the Jewish people, filled with the Spirit, speaking in all the languages of the world. And as the message of the Kingdom would be proclaimed by the Jewish people so supernatural signs would follow.
	c). This of course did not happen during the time of the re-offer of the Kingdom and it still awaits the time of the Millennial Kingdom, as seen through the type in Jonah - Jon 3:1 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent.

Jonah’s recommission came after his repentance, resurrection, and restoration, after God had returned him to the dry land, picturing the whole house of Israel, those alive at the end of the Tribulation and the faithful, resurrected OT saints, being restored to the land prior to the beginning of the Kingdom Age. And because the whole house of Israel must be present in the land before Gentile world power is totally destroyed, it can only be from the land, synonymous with Jerusalem, that Israel will emerge as God’s witness to the Gentile nations during the Kingdom Age – Mic 4:2 Many nations shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob;
He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion the law shall go forth, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

And going forth in this manner from Jerusalem, the nation will have been empowered by the Holy Spirit, through the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy, to preach the message God will give them, to every nation in that nation’s own language. Just as it had begun on the day of Pentecost in 33AD. And because Israel will be present and the Kingdom will be preached, supernatural signs will follow.
	d). And the going forth of Israel to the nations with the message God will give them during the Millennial Kingdom has also been foreshadowed by the ministry of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists during the final three- and one-half years of the great Tribulation - Matthew 24:13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

And because of what we have seen set in place on the day of Pentecost in 33AD, we can only conclude that the 144,000 will have been filled with the Spirit, so as to be able to speak in other tongues, just as those in Jerusalem did that day - Re 14:3 They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. 4 These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. 5 And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.

The 144,000 are the firstfruits to God and to the Lamb, with the whole house of Israel during the Kingdom Age becoming the main harvest. And because the 144,000 are Jews and they are preaching ‘this message of the Kingdom’, then supernatural signs would be bound to follow.
	e). And as a result of the preaching of the 144,000 we find this recorded in – Re 7:9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

This ‘great multitude which no one could number’ had come from the Gentile nations throughout the three- and one-half years of the preaching of the 144,000. These are those who we call ‘the Tribulation martyrs.’ And if this ‘great multitude’ is the result of the ministry of the 144,000 during three- and one-half years, we can only imagine what the outcome will be when the entire Jewish nation will take God’s message to the Gentile nations for the one thousand years of the Millennial Kingdom.
	g). In response to Jonah’s preaching the entire city of Nineveh, from the greatest to the least of them changed their minds concerning their evil ways and violence and were saved from the destruction of God’s judgment that was to come upon them. And we will note that Jonah did not preach a message of death and shed blood but a message of physical deliverance from impending destruction because of the sinful ways of the inhabitants of Nineveh. And beyond that nothing else is said.
	h). We might also note that the 144,000 are to preach ‘this gospel of the Kingdom’, again not a message involving death and shed blood.

We will need to come back to this next time though – if we remain and the Lord is willing, and we have prayed.

Passover to Tabernacles - Part Eighteen

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Passover to Tabernacles - Part Eighteen

Mar 20, 2022

Speaker: John Herbert

Series: Passover to Tabernacles

Category: Sunday Morning

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