By Bro. Kolade Joshua Oyedare
Introduction
There have been many opinions concerning what happened on the day of Pentecost. Some have assumed that the day of Pentecost is a United Nations assembly where different human languages were being spoken, and this assumption stems from a lack of patience to understand and inattentiveness to details when reading.
On the other hand, some have limited what happened on the day of Pentecost to just speaking in Tongues. In this article, we will go line upon line, precept upon precept, to arrive at exactly what happened on the day of Pentecost.
Were they simply speaking different human languages? Was it just Tongues that was spoken? Or was there more that happened that day?
Studying Acts Chapter 2
Acts 1:13-15 made clear the number of people (120) in the upper room. In Acts 2:1-4, they were all in one accord, filled with the holy ghost, and they began to speak with other Tongues as the Spirit gave them utterances.
Vs 5 made us understand that there are audiences apart from the 120, and there were other Jews who “came from every nation under heaven.”
Vs 6 ‘‘Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.’’ This is usually where the problem of many readers lies, and the question is, why would 18 nations (Vs 9-11) commonly say we hear them speak in our language? It doesn’t make any sense. That “our language” must be something they all speak and hear. So, the idea that on the day of Pentecost it was a United Nations assembly where different languages were being spoken doesn’t bode well.
What Could Have Happened on the Day of Pentecost?
The Greek word used for “languages” in Acts 2:6 is “Dialektos”, which is where we get the English word “dialect” from.
Dialektos is what you use in a discussion, a conversation where you can have a response. Interestingly, it stands out in the text, ‘‘dialektos’’ here is used just in Vs 6 and 8, and it is the same statement, it is a language that is used in a conversation.
Now, the word ‘Tongues’ is the Greek word “Glossa”, it is not in a conversation. The moment you refer to language here as Tongues, then it means Tongues must be a conversation, but it’s not a conversation because if it were a conversation, then there would be a response to Tongues in that same medium. For example, when a baby is speaking, it is not a Dialektos because you cannot respond, but it’s a Glossa because the baby is saying something. Glossa need not be intelligent to you, but Dialektos has to be intelligent; this, therefore, means two things are happening on the day of Pentecost.
Therefore, attention needs to be paid to what is going on here on the day of Pentecost. In Acts 2:3,4 and 11, the word Glossa was used, but in vs 6, Luke used Dialektos. In Acts 10:46, in the house of Cornelius, what they spoke in the house of Cornelius is Glossa, and it is simply communication. Communication doesn’t have to be a discourse; it just means I’m saying something.
There is a small challenge, in vs 11, Glossa was used:
“We hear them speaking our own tongue, the wonderful works of God“
But notice in Acts 19:6 ‘‘And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied’’, Glossa is used as medium of communication, it doesn’t have to be a dialect, it doesn’t have to be something that you can exactly translate to yourself.
Paul used the word ‘Glossa’ in 1 Corinthians 12:10,28,30, 13:1,8, 14:5,6,18,21-24. So, two things are happening on the day of Pentecost: there is a dialect you can respond to, and there is also general speaking. To further establish that Tongues is not a dialect, you can respond to observe ‘‘Acts 2:4’’ ‘‘And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’’ The word ‘other’ here is the word ‘Heteros’, which means different, a different communication.
Why do We Have a Challenge With the Day of Pentecost?
There are things that are written in scripture as descriptive stories. What that means is that there is a description going on. And if you notice the day of Pentecost, we have different commentaries, apart from what those around said:
In Vs 6, some were amazed and said in Vs 7, “Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans?’’
Vs 11 we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God’’,
Vs 12 “And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?” This means they are just describing different interpretations of the day of Pentecost; all these commentators were not the speakers, and we don’t pick our narratives from doubters, they are not teachers, they are eyewitnesses.
Who Should We Listen to?
- LUKE: Luke said they spoke in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. That is not descriptive, that’s didactic; something that is intended to teach or instruct. and,
- PETER: Peter explained in Acts 2:15-18; Peter is saying this is a supernatural occurrence, the speaking and the visions. So, you cannot pick your doctrine from the description. Your doctrine should come from those authorised to speak. So, what happened on the day of Pentecost was not just tongues; people spoke in Tongues, people also spoke in known languages, those two things.
In conclusion, what happened on the day of Pentecost is tongues occurring with interpretation, visions and revelations. Because in Acts 11, Peter was questioned about why he went to the house of Cornelius, where the Holy Ghost came on them, and he described what happened in the house of Cornelius as a parallel to the day of Pentecost. Acts 11:15 “And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning.” The beginning he is talking about is the day of Pentecost. If Peter is saying the parallel here is what happened in Acts 2, and if in Acts 10 it was tongues plus interpretation. It therefore becomes lucid and pellucid that it was tongues plus Interpretation that occurred in Acts 2: the day of Pentecost.
