This past Monday here in Israel, we marked the biblical holiday of Shavuot, the spring harvest festival held 50 days after Passover which also marks the giving of the Law to the people of Israel at Mount Sinai. This coming Sunday, Christians will observe the corresponding Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit fell on the early followers of Jesus gathered for Shavuot in Jerusalem and the Church was born in fire.
There are many parallels between Shavuot and Pentecost, as the prophetic purposes hidden in the biblical “Feast of Weeks” were fulfilled in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the disciples of Jesus following his atoning death, burial, resurrection and ascension. For instance, while Jews celebrate the giving of the Law at Sinai on Shavuot, Christians rejoice in the giving of the Holy Spirit, who came to write God’s laws on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10, 10:16).
Jewish tradition also holds that Israel was born as a nation when the people received the Law of God to govern them at Sinai, while the Church was born on the Day of Pentecost.
Another parallel is that fire descended down the slopes of Mount Sinai as the presence of the Lord manifested in the cloud of glory and thick darkness over the mountain of the Lord (Exodus 19:18, 24:17), while tongues of fire appeared above the heads of the 120 disciples of Jesus gathered in the Upper Room in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-3).
There are many more such parallels we could point to, such as the 3,000 Israelites slain for the sin of the Golden Calf while awaiting the giving of the Law, and the 3,000 Israelites who were added to the Church on the Day of Pentecost. But let us also consider another biblical event with fascinating links to the Day of Pentecost – and that is the Tower of Babel.
Tower of Babel (Painting by Pieter Bruegel-circa 1563-1565/Wikipedia)
Confusing the Languages
In Genesis 11, we have the story of God confusing the languages of the nations at the Tower of Babel. Even after the Flood of Noah, mankind was still in rebellion against God. In their hubris and ambition, the descendants of Noah came together as “one” to build a city with a high tower, so as to make a name for themselves and to prevent their scattering around the earth. But the Lord was displeased, as He had originally commanded that humanity should “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Genesis 1:28, 9:7). So, the Lord “confused” the languages of the 70 sons of Noah, which forced them to scatter throughout the world.
On the Day of Pentecost, we have an interesting reversal of what occurred at Babel, as the followers of Jesus came together in “one accord”, were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues. Acts 2 says that many devout Jews dwelling in or on pilgrimage to Jerusalem actually heard the disciples speaking in the native languages of the lands where they were born in the Dispersion. And it says they were “confused,” because these were mostly simple “Galileans” who had never learned these other languages (Acts 2:5-8).
The writer of Acts then lists some of the nations and languages represented in Jerusalem that day, including “Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs – we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” (Acts 2:19-11)
The Nations of Genesis 10 (thetorah.com)
These are basically the lands of the then known world, listed largely from east to west, with many of the place names relating back to the sons of Noah listed in Genesis 10 and scattered from Babel to their new homelands in Genesis 11. Actually, the account in Acts 2 intentionally directs our minds back to that pivotal event. Yet not long after Babel, God called Israel into being through the calling of Abraham and gave them the special task of bringing salvation to the entire world. This divine calling is contained in God’s promise to Abraham that “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3; see also Galatians 3:8).
Generations later, the majestic Law – the Ten Commandments – were delivered to Israel at Sinai on Shavuot, to serve as a reflection God’s holiness, giving us knowledge of our sins and shortcomings, and thus our need for redemption through this promised descendant of Abraham.
In due time, Jesus came as the fulfilment of that sure promise to Abraham to “bless” or redeem mankind through his seed (Galatians 3:16-17). Well aware of his redemptive mission and Messiahship, Jesus commissioned his followers to go and “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:18-20). He also said that “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.” (Matthew 24:14)
So, on the Day of Pentecost, those early followers of Jesus were empowered by the Holy Spirit to begin taking the Gospel to all the nations descended from Noah and scattered at Babel. Thank the Lord that He did not just abandon us forever. And this indwelling of the Holy Spirit filled the early apostles with such power and zeal that they indeed were able to take the Gospel to most of the known world – from India to Britain – within their own lifetimes.
Still, the greatest Apostle and evangelist to the Gentile nations in that day was Paul, and he felt a special calling and mission to reach the very last lands where the sons of Noah had been scattered.
Paul and his quest for Spain
As we consider Paul’s conversion and calling on the Road to Damascus, we are told he was “a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.” (Acts 9:15) Paul then proceeded to preach the Gospel throughout Asia Minor (today’s Turkey), before crossing over to Macedonia in Europe, followed by Athens, Corinth and many other Greek cities, before journeying to Rome in chains to appeal to Caesar. I believe a large part of his desire to reach Rome was to preach the Gospel directly to Caesar himself, since he was originally called as a “chosen vessel” to bear the name of Jesus before “kings”.
Saint Paul Writing His Epistles (Painting by Valentin de Boulogne-circa 1611/Wikipedia)
Yet Paul was not just set on reaching Rome before his missionary journeys ended. In his letter to the believers in Rome, he twice stated that his ultimate destiny was Spain. “… whenever I journey to Spain, I shall come to you… Therefore… I shall go by way of you to Spain.” (Romans 15:24, 28) So why was Paul fixated on Spain?
The 70 sons of Noah listed in Genesis 10 keep cropping up over and over again throughout Scripture, and one of them in particular has a key prophetic significance in this instance – and that is “Tarshish.”
Tarshish was a grandson of Noah through Japheth, and after the scattering at Babel his descendants went and built a mighty port city just inside the Straits of Gibraltar, in what is today southern Spain. The Phoenicians were then famous for building large, seaworthy ships that could reach Tarshish, all the way at the other end of the Mediterranean Sea, and perhaps even venture beyond into the mighty Atlantic Ocean. In terms of the known world in Paul’s day, this was the furthest west that the sons of Noah had been scattered, and he was determined to reach them with the Gospel. This quest was probably driven by certain prophetic passages concerning “Tarshish” in the Hebrew Scriptures.
For instance, Psalm 72 speaks of the universal kingdom of the Messiah reaching all nations, with a special mention of Tarshish:
“He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him, and His enemies will lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles will bring presents; The kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts. Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; All nations shall serve Him.” Psalm (72:8-11)
In addition, the book of Isaiah ends with a powerful prophecy about the glorious reign of the Messiah over all the earth, with a special reference once again to Tarshish:
“It shall be that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see My glory. I will set a sign among them; and those among them who escape I will send to the nations: to Tarshish and Pul and Lud, who draw the bow, and Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands afar off who have not heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles.” (Isaiah 66:18-20)
Thus, we see that Paul was aware the Gospel had reached many lands but not yet Spain. Guided by the prophetic Scriptures and driven by the Great Commission, he was determined to get there in his lifetime to preach the kingship of Jesus to this one last people at the western end of the known world in that day. And numerous scholars have concluded that he indeed reached Spain before his death.
Spirit-Empowerment Today!
In summary, the Day of Pentecost was crucial to God’s redemptive plan for all mankind. Even today, the most successful efforts at world evangelism and church growth are by Spirit-filled believers in the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements – also referred to by many scholars as the Renewalists. It is in our day that the Gospel is finally reaching all the nations, peoples and languages scattered at Babel, and we must be grateful that God did not completely abandon us. Rather, He sent His Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost to empower those commissioned to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. How remarkable then is God’s salvation plan! He dispersed the nations at Babel, but determined that through Israel He would redeem for Himself a righteous remnant from among every nation, tongue and tribe on earth (Zechariah 8:23; Revelation 5:9).
Main photo: Day of Pentecost (Painting by Jean Restout-1732/Wikimedia)
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The Day of Pentecost in God’s Redemptive Plan
This past Monday here in Israel, we marked the biblical holiday of Shavuot, the spring harvest festival held 50 days after Passover which also marks the giving of the Law to the people of Israel at Mount Sinai. This coming Sunday, Christians will observe the corresponding Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit fell on the early followers of Jesus gathered for Shavuot in Jerusalem and the Church was born in fire.
There are many parallels between Shavuot and Pentecost, as the prophetic purposes hidden in the biblical “Feast of Weeks” were fulfilled in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the disciples of Jesus following his atoning death, burial, resurrection and ascension. For instance, while Jews celebrate the giving of the Law at Sinai on Shavuot, Christians rejoice in the giving of the Holy Spirit, who came to write God’s laws on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10, 10:16).
Jewish tradition also holds that Israel was born as a nation when the people received the Law of God to govern them at Sinai, while the Church was born on the Day of Pentecost.
Another parallel is that fire descended down the slopes of Mount Sinai as the presence of the Lord manifested in the cloud of glory and thick darkness over the mountain of the Lord (Exodus 19:18, 24:17), while tongues of fire appeared above the heads of the 120 disciples of Jesus gathered in the Upper Room in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-3).
There are many more such parallels we could point to, such as the 3,000 Israelites slain for the sin of the Golden Calf while awaiting the giving of the Law, and the 3,000 Israelites who were added to the Church on the Day of Pentecost. But let us also consider another biblical event with fascinating links to the Day of Pentecost – and that is the Tower of Babel.
Confusing the Languages
In Genesis 11, we have the story of God confusing the languages of the nations at the Tower of Babel. Even after the Flood of Noah, mankind was still in rebellion against God. In their hubris and ambition, the descendants of Noah came together as “one” to build a city with a high tower, so as to make a name for themselves and to prevent their scattering around the earth. But the Lord was displeased, as He had originally commanded that humanity should “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Genesis 1:28, 9:7). So, the Lord “confused” the languages of the 70 sons of Noah, which forced them to scatter throughout the world.
On the Day of Pentecost, we have an interesting reversal of what occurred at Babel, as the followers of Jesus came together in “one accord”, were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues. Acts 2 says that many devout Jews dwelling in or on pilgrimage to Jerusalem actually heard the disciples speaking in the native languages of the lands where they were born in the Dispersion. And it says they were “confused,” because these were mostly simple “Galileans” who had never learned these other languages (Acts 2:5-8).
The writer of Acts then lists some of the nations and languages represented in Jerusalem that day, including “Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs – we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” (Acts 2:19-11)
These are basically the lands of the then known world, listed largely from east to west, with many of the place names relating back to the sons of Noah listed in Genesis 10 and scattered from Babel to their new homelands in Genesis 11. Actually, the account in Acts 2 intentionally directs our minds back to that pivotal event. Yet not long after Babel, God called Israel into being through the calling of Abraham and gave them the special task of bringing salvation to the entire world. This divine calling is contained in God’s promise to Abraham that “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3; see also Galatians 3:8).
Generations later, the majestic Law – the Ten Commandments – were delivered to Israel at Sinai on Shavuot, to serve as a reflection God’s holiness, giving us knowledge of our sins and shortcomings, and thus our need for redemption through this promised descendant of Abraham.
In due time, Jesus came as the fulfilment of that sure promise to Abraham to “bless” or redeem mankind through his seed (Galatians 3:16-17). Well aware of his redemptive mission and Messiahship, Jesus commissioned his followers to go and “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:18-20). He also said that “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.” (Matthew 24:14)
So, on the Day of Pentecost, those early followers of Jesus were empowered by the Holy Spirit to begin taking the Gospel to all the nations descended from Noah and scattered at Babel. Thank the Lord that He did not just abandon us forever. And this indwelling of the Holy Spirit filled the early apostles with such power and zeal that they indeed were able to take the Gospel to most of the known world – from India to Britain – within their own lifetimes.
Still, the greatest Apostle and evangelist to the Gentile nations in that day was Paul, and he felt a special calling and mission to reach the very last lands where the sons of Noah had been scattered.
Paul and his quest for Spain
As we consider Paul’s conversion and calling on the Road to Damascus, we are told he was “a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.” (Acts 9:15) Paul then proceeded to preach the Gospel throughout Asia Minor (today’s Turkey), before crossing over to Macedonia in Europe, followed by Athens, Corinth and many other Greek cities, before journeying to Rome in chains to appeal to Caesar. I believe a large part of his desire to reach Rome was to preach the Gospel directly to Caesar himself, since he was originally called as a “chosen vessel” to bear the name of Jesus before “kings”.
Yet Paul was not just set on reaching Rome before his missionary journeys ended. In his letter to the believers in Rome, he twice stated that his ultimate destiny was Spain. “… whenever I journey to Spain, I shall come to you… Therefore… I shall go by way of you to Spain.” (Romans 15:24, 28) So why was Paul fixated on Spain?
The 70 sons of Noah listed in Genesis 10 keep cropping up over and over again throughout Scripture, and one of them in particular has a key prophetic significance in this instance – and that is “Tarshish.”
Tarshish was a grandson of Noah through Japheth, and after the scattering at Babel his descendants went and built a mighty port city just inside the Straits of Gibraltar, in what is today southern Spain. The Phoenicians were then famous for building large, seaworthy ships that could reach Tarshish, all the way at the other end of the Mediterranean Sea, and perhaps even venture beyond into the mighty Atlantic Ocean. In terms of the known world in Paul’s day, this was the furthest west that the sons of Noah had been scattered, and he was determined to reach them with the Gospel. This quest was probably driven by certain prophetic passages concerning “Tarshish” in the Hebrew Scriptures.
For instance, Psalm 72 speaks of the universal kingdom of the Messiah reaching all nations, with a special mention of Tarshish:
“He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him, and His enemies will lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles will bring presents; The kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts. Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; All nations shall serve Him.” Psalm (72:8-11)
In addition, the book of Isaiah ends with a powerful prophecy about the glorious reign of the Messiah over all the earth, with a special reference once again to Tarshish:
“It shall be that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see My glory. I will set a sign among them; and those among them who escape I will send to the nations: to Tarshish and Pul and Lud, who draw the bow, and Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands afar off who have not heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles.” (Isaiah 66:18-20)
Thus, we see that Paul was aware the Gospel had reached many lands but not yet Spain. Guided by the prophetic Scriptures and driven by the Great Commission, he was determined to get there in his lifetime to preach the kingship of Jesus to this one last people at the western end of the known world in that day. And numerous scholars have concluded that he indeed reached Spain before his death.
Spirit-Empowerment Today!
In summary, the Day of Pentecost was crucial to God’s redemptive plan for all mankind. Even today, the most successful efforts at world evangelism and church growth are by Spirit-filled believers in the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements – also referred to by many scholars as the Renewalists. It is in our day that the Gospel is finally reaching all the nations, peoples and languages scattered at Babel, and we must be grateful that God did not completely abandon us. Rather, He sent His Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost to empower those commissioned to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. How remarkable then is God’s salvation plan! He dispersed the nations at Babel, but determined that through Israel He would redeem for Himself a righteous remnant from among every nation, tongue and tribe on earth (Zechariah 8:23; Revelation 5:9).
Main photo: Day of Pentecost (Painting by Jean Restout-1732/Wikimedia)
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