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About Acts
Acts 1:1 “The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Yeshua began both to do and teach”
In Luke 1:3 we read how Luke, who was the companion of Paul, wrote to Theophilus about Yeshua, “it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus”. Here in Acts 1 we see this person talks about his first writings/book/account (Logos in Greek), which makes it then obviously Luke who wrote the book of Acts. There is no history of a Theophilus during that time, and it is assumed he was some government official, that perhaps was interested in Yeshua as a possible new believer, or else to gather information during a very volatile period politically. Nonetheless, it is interesting to note the name “Theophilus G2321 – theophilos” means “friend of God” or “loved by God“. So there is the theory that Luke may have also intended the name to be a general reference to any “friend of God” who reads the books of Luke and Acts.
The first half of the book of Acts, chapter 1 to 12 is mainly about the Apostle Peter. The rest of the book of Acts focuses then mainly on Paul, as Luke and Paul were close companions.
Pentecost - Shavuot
Acts 2:1 “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.”
The greek word Pentecost G4004 – pentēkonta / G4004 – pentēkonta means “fifty”, or the “fiftieth day”. In the chapter before we read that Yeshua was with the Disciples and Apostels for forty days, Acts 1:3 “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”. So what is the forty days and fifty days one might ask?
We have made several posts about the amazing important meaning behind 40 days, and when it occured in Scriptures (click here to read more). Everytime after 40 days, something big was about to happen.
The fiftieth day after the resurrection is called “Shavuot“. It is only because of the Greek language that most people today know it as Pentecost, but in the old testament it is called Shavuot H7620 – šāḇûa, or “Feast of Weeks“. Shavuot means seven or week. The Feast of Weeks/Sevens would then be 7 weeks, and 7 x 7 = 49 days. On the fiftieth day they would have the Festival. Click here to read more about the Feasts and Festivals from Leviticus 23’s post. Lev 23 from verse 1 says, “And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to YHWH”. We first see this word Shavuot used, where Jacob had to make an agreement to work for Rachel for 7 years, and it says in Genesis 29, “Fulfill her week (Shavuot), and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years. Then Jacob did so and fulfilled her week. So he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife also.”.
We read then in Exodus 19 where YHWH then makes a covenant with Israel on Mount Sinai. This covenant is known as the Marriage Contract (Ketuba) with Israel, and was also made at the time of Shavuot. In Exodus 19 verse 1-5 we read, “In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai… Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.”
This fiftieth day resembles the agreement and seal of a Marriage Agreement, a Covenant. This contract is sealed up in the Torah, which Yeshua came to teach and fulfill, as we read in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” Click here to read our post from Ezekiel 16 about the Ketubah/Marriage Contracts’ meaning.
Speaking in Tongues
Acts 2:3 “Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.”
The greek word for tongues is Glossa G1100 – glōssa, which also means “languages“, the language or dialect used by a particular people distinct from that of other nations. The Hebrew word for tongue or language is Lason H3956 – lāšôn. In both Hebrew and Greek the words are in reference to their language, what we would call the “native tongue“. See our previous post from Isaiah 45 about prophecies on every “tongue and knee”, referring to every language and tribe or nation.
We even see Yeshua prophesying in Mark 16:17, “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;” See our last post from John 19, where a sign is placed above Yeshua’s head when He is crucified, in 3 different languages, and the meaning of these languages at this point in time. At this time, Jerusalem was the centre for a few worlds colliding.. all of the middle east, from the east, around to Egypt, up to Europe in Latin and Greece. This was the purpose of the prophecy, so people can speak in another languages. This was a very new and unheard of event.. how was it possible that people can just speak in another language! In Acts 2:13-15 people are thinking these people are drunk, but logically that wouldn’t make sense, because they didn’t speak nonsense, they spoke clear languages, as verse 11 says, “we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God!”
This event happened again in Acts 10 and Acts 19. This miraculous speaking in different tongues had a purpose, to reach people from other nations and tongues.
But.. there is another “speaking in tongues” that exist today. This is actually called speaking in “strange tongues,” or the greek word glossolalia. With this language, no one can understand what is said, unless it is revealed spiritually to someone. This is not unique though just to certain christian groups. This phenomenon is called “Theopneustic glossolalia” and is used to describe ecstatic speech that is believed by the speaker and witnesses to be divinely inspired or a form of spirit possession. This phenomenon is often observed in shamanistic (eastern cultures) practices as well as various religious movements, including Pentecostal and charismatic Christianity. There is no evidence in Scripture of this kind of tongue-speaking, as these speeches are not a language, but a type of ecstatic babbling. Paul does mention that some have gifts to interpret “tongues”, that is – to interpret or understand a language for other nations.
