Looking Forward and Backward to Pentecost

By Norman Pence

Intro:

  1. Understanding the facts surrounding the establishment of the church becomes very vital when we recognize them as distinctive marks of identity.

  1. Any church established under other circumstances than those found in the Bible cannot be the Lord's church.

  1. Must understand that the church and kingdom are the same.

  1. The church was not known by that designation in the Old Testament.

  2. It was almost always designated as the kingdom.

  3. So, we need to understand when we study prophesies concerning the establishment of the kingdom, that they are speaking of the church.

  1. N.T. uses church and kingdom interchangeably.

  1. Matt. 16:18-19, will build church....keys to the kingdom.

  2. Luke 22:30; Matt. 26:29, locating his table in his kingdom. Cp. 1 Cor. 1:1; 11:20-34.

    1. Lord's table in the church at Corinth, but Lord said it would be in the kingdom.

Joel. 2:28-32 800 BC

  1. Peter said what they experienced on Pentecost fulfilled Joel's prophecy.

  1. Acts 4:14-21

Isa. 2:2-3 760 BC; Micah 4:1-2 730 BC

  1. "In the last days" -- something was to transpire in the last days.

  1. Peter quotes Joel -- "this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel.

  2. Hence, the last days began on Pentecost 33 AD.

  3. Therefore Isaiah's prophecy had to be fulfilled on or after this day.

  1. "The Lord's house shall be established"

  1. 1 Tim 3:15, Lord's house is the church.

  2. Isaiah prophesying of the church.

  1. "All nations will stream to it."

  1. Could not have been the House of God in the O.T., for it was not for all nations.

  2. Church was for "all nations" and "every creature" Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16

  1. "Out of Zion shall go forth the Law and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem."

  1. Not the Law of Moses - had already gone forth from Mt. Sinai.

  2. Luke 24:47; beginning at Jerusalem.

  3. Acts 1:4, not to leave Jerusalem.

  4. Acts 1:12; 2:14, went to Jerusalem - waited - preached repentance and remission of sins (Acts 2:37-38).

    1. This was the Law that went forth from Jerusalem.

    2. Acts 11:15, Peter called it "the beginning.

    3. Isaiah prophesying of Peter's sermon.

  1. The church is the only thing on earth that will fit this prophecy:

  1. Jerusalem in Palestine is the only place that will fit it.

  2. Pentecost 33 AD is the only time that will fit it.

  3. And Acts 2 is the only chapter in the Bible that will fit it.

Dan. 2:31-45 538 BC

  1. Four kingdoms

  1. Babylonian under Nebuchadnezzar - head of gold (626-536 BC).

  2. Medo-Persian under Darius and Cyrus - breast and arms of silver (536-331 BC).

  3. Grecian or Macedonian under Alexander the Great belly and thigh of bronze (331-321 BC).

  4. Roman empire under the Caesars - legs and of feet of iron and clay (63 BC - 476 AD).

  1. "In the days of those kings"

  1. Lk. 2:1-2; Matt. 2:1; Acts 2 33 AD
    Jesus lived in days of Roman Caesars - hence church was established "in the days of those kings."

  1. "Which shall never be destroyed"

  1. Permanence of the kingdom.

  2. Mt. 16:18, "gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

  3. Heb. 12:18, "kingdom cannot be shaken (moved)."

  1. "It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever."

  1. Same in meaning as Isaiah's "all nations shall flow unto it."

  2. Men from every nation would be members of it, and there would be no national boundaries in it. Mt. 28:19-20; Mk. 16:15-16.

 

Matt. 3:2; Mk. 1:15 26 AD;
Mt 4:17; 10:7 31 AD

  1. Kingdom is at hand

Mt. 6:9-10 31 AD

  1. Disciples to pray for coming of the kingdom.

Mt. 16:18-19 32 AD

  1. I will build my church (kingdom).

Mk. 9:1 32 AD

  1. Some of those who are standing here shall not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.

    1. Acts 1:15; 2:9-11, in the days of those disciples.

Luke 22:18 33 AD

  1. Not to drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom comes.

  1. Luke 22:30; Matt. 26:29, locating his table in his kingdom. Cp. 1 Cor. 1:1; 11:20-34.

    1. Lord's table in the church at Corinth, but Lord said it would be in the kingdom.

Luke 23:42 33 AD

  1. "Remember me when you come in your kingdom"

Luke 24:45-49 33 AD

  1. Repentance and remission of sins should be proclaimed...beginning at Jerusalem

  1. Luke 24:51-53, returned to Jerusalem with great joy.

  2. Mark 15:43, Joseph of Arimathea...was waiting for the kingdom.

  1. "Stay in the city until you are clothed with power." (V.49)

Acts 1:8 33 AD

  1. "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you."

Acts 1:5 33 AD.

  1. "You shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

Acts 2:1-4 33 AD

  1. Holy Spirit came (H.S.--power--kingdom)

Matt. 28:18-20 33 AD

  1. Baptism authorized

  2. Acts 2:38, 41, 47; 3000 baptized and added to the church.

Summary:

The Old Testament Prophets spoke of the coming kingdom, or the establishment of the church, giving us the following information:

TIME: "Latter days," sometime following the ascension of Christ, and in the days of the Roman Caesars (Isa. 2:2-4; Dan. 2:44; 7:13-14)

PLACE: Jerusalem (Isa. 2:2-4)

DURATION: Everlasting (Dan. 2:44; 7:13-14)

SCOPE: World wide (Isa. 2:2-4; Dan 2:44)

NATURE: Peaceful (Isa. 2:2-4)

FOUNDER: Son of Man (Dan. 7:13-14)

 

BACKWARD:

ALL REFERENCES TO THE KINGDOM FOLLOWING PENTECOST ARE PAST TENSE.

Acts 2:47 (33 AD)
Acts 5:11 (33 AD)
Acts 8:3 (34 AD)
Acts 13:1 (44 AD)
Acts 15:4 (52 AD)
Acts 15:41 (52 AD)
1 Thess 1:1 (54 AD)
Acts 20:28 (58 AD)
Gal. 1:2 (58 AD)
1 Cor. 1:2 (59 AD)
Rom. 16:16 (60 AD)
Eph. 1:22-23 (64 AD)
Col. 1:13 (64 AD)
Rev. 1:4 (96 AD)
Rev. 1:9 (96 AD)
Rev. 22:16 (96 AD)

Summary:

  1. Acts 11:15 42 AD

    1. Peter referred back to the events of Acts 2 as "the beginning."

    2. Thus, the prophecies concerning the kingdom, or church were fulfilled on Pentecost 33 A.D., as recorded in Acts 2.

  2. Pentecost 33 A.D., therefore, is the only scriptural time, and Jerusalem the only scriptural place the church could have been established.

    1. This is one of the most important days in all of the history of the world.

    2. People generally think of the origin of the church as a very trivial and unimportant matter.

    3. But it is most important that you know when, where, and by whom the church you are a member of was founded.

  3. The church itself is important because:

    1. Acts 2:47; Church membership and salvation were synonymous.

    2. Eph. 5:23; 1:22-23; Christ the savior of the body

      1. What does Christ save? The body

      2. What is the body? The church

      3. The church doesn't save, it is the thing being saved.

    3. Eph. 3:9-11; The church was the object of God's eternal purpose and reveals the manifold wisdom of God.

    4. Acts 20:28; Purchased with the blood of Christ.

      1. The value of the church is shown in the price it took to purchase it.

      2. If the church is unimportant then Christ shed His blood in vain.

    5. Eph 2:14-16; Peace and reconciliation is to be realized in the one body of God through the cross.

      1. Where is peace found? One body, the church!

    6. Rom. 6:3-4; Gal 3:27; 1 Cor. 12:13; John 3:5, teaches that the same act that puts us into Christ also puts us into the church.

      1. Christ and church can't be separated. Rom 7:4; Matt. 19:9

    7. In the days of the apostles when people heard the gospel, believed it, repented of their sins, publicly confessed his name, and were buried through baptism for the remission of sins, God added them to the church.

      1. Here they were reconciled to God, washed and made clean by the blood of Christ

      2. They were then heirs of God, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ.

      3. They were in the church --- the saved of God.

THAT'S WHAT WE WISH FOR YOU TODAY!

Back