Gospel Doctrine: Pentecost

Pentecost
By John A. Tvedtnes

[Supplement to Gospel Doctrine New Testament lesson 28]

The day of Pentecost played an important role in the early Church following the resurrection of Christ. Peter and the other apostles addressed the Jewish crowd gathered from various parts of the Roman Empire. The audience was sufficiently impressed that some 3,000 persons were baptized on that day (Acts 2).

The term Pentecost derives from Greek and means “count of fifty.” In Hebrew, it is termed Shavu’ot, meaning “weeks.” Describing the feasts of Passover and unleavened bread, the Lord told Moses “And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord” (Leviticus 23:15-16).

Seven weeks of seven days each comes to 49 days, but because the count is begun the day following Passover, the feast of weeks is the 50^th day.

From Leviticus 23 and other Old Testament passages, we learn that, in addition to the weekly Sabbath, the Lord commanded the Israelites to observe other Sabbaths: Passover (beginning two 7-day weeks into the month of Abib or Nisan), the feast of weeks (7x7 days), and three feasts (trumpets, day of atonement, and tabernacles or ingathering) during the seventh month (Tishre).

So the seventh day, the seventh week, and the seventh month are all considered holy. In addition, every seventh year became a Sabbath for the land, in which no crops were planted and harvested (Exodus 23:10-11; Deuteronomy 15:9-14). Seven sabbatical years later came the jubilee (Leviticus 25:1-16, 20-31).

All of these festivals mark annual agricultural milestones. The grain harvest begins at Passover and ends at the feast of weeks. The harvest of grapes and olives ends during the seventh month; for this reason all Israelite men were required to assemble at the temple for each of these feasts (Exodus 23:14-17; 34:22-23). [1] This explains why the Jews were assembled from various lands to Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost when Peter addressed them. The account begins:

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:1-4).

Though the apostles were speakers of the Galilean dialect of Aramaic, people in the multitude heard their words in their own tongue (Acts 2:5-12). Eighteen hundred years later, the prophet Joseph Smith dedicated the temple in Kirtland. In the dedicatory prayer, he asked, “Let it be fulfilled upon them, as upon those on the day of Pentecost; let the gift of tongues be poured out upon thy people, even cloven tongues as of fire, and the interpretation thereof. And let thy house be filled, as with a rushing mighty wind, with thy glory” (D&C 109:36-37).

In the days following the dedication, the prophet’s plea was answered, as the following entries into the history of the Church attest:

Brother George A. Smith arose and began to prophesy, when a noise was heard like the sound of a rushing mighty wind, which filled the Temple, and all the congregation simultaneously arose, being moved upon by an invisible power; many began to speak in tongues and prophesy; others saw glorious visions; and I beheld the Temple was filled with angels, which fact I declared to the congregation. The people of the neighborhood came running together (hearing an unusual sound within, and seeing a bright light like a pillar of fire resting upon the Temple), and were astonished at what was taking place. This continued until the meeting closed at eleven p. m. (History of the Church 2:428) [2]

Many of my brethren who received the ordinance with me saw glorious visions also. Angels ministered unto them as well as to myself, and the power of the Highest rested upon us, the house was filled with the glory of God, and we shouted Hosanna to God and the Lamb. My scribe also received his anointing with us, and saw, in a vision, the armies of heaven protecting the Saints in their return to
Zion, and many things which I saw. (History of the Church 2:381)

The visions of heaven were opened to them also. Some of them saw the face of the Savior, and others were ministered unto by holy angels, and the spirit of prophecy and revelation was poured out in mighty power; and loud hosannas, and glory to God in the highest, saluted the heavens, for we all communed with the heavenly host. And I saw in my vision all of the Presidency in the celestial kingdom of God, and many others that were present. Our meeting was opened by singing, and prayer was offered up by the head of each quorum; and closed by singing, and invoking the benediction of heaven, with uplifted hands. Retired between one and two o'clock in the morning. (History of the Church 2:382)

Friday 22. — Attended at the school room at the usual hour, but instead of pursuing our studies, we spent the time in rehearsing to each other the glorious scenes that occurred on the preceding evening, while attending to the ordinance of holy anointing ... The heavens were opened, and angels ministered unto us . . . the congregation shouted a long hosanna: the gift of tongues fell upon us in mighty power, angels mingled their voices with ours, while their presence was in our midst, and unceasing praises swelled our bosoms for the space of half-an-hour. (History of the Church 2:382-3)

In the midst of these divine manifestations, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were visited by the Savior, Elias, Moses, and Elijah, who conferred priesthood keys on them (D&C 110) and Joseph reported a vision that is now D&C 137. A number of journals kept by people in the temple also attest the things they saw and heard at the time. While Peter and the apostles witnessed such events on the day of Pentecost, those experienced in the Kirtland temple took place at Passover.

For further reading, see:

John A. Tvedtnes, “King Benjamin and the Feast of Tabernacles,” in John M. Lundquist & Stephen D. Ricks (eds.), By Study and Also by Faith, Essays in Honor of Hugh Nibley, Vol. 2 (Salt Lake City: Deseret and FARMS, 1990)

Notes:

[1] In Acts 20:16, we read that the apostle Paul “hasted, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.” See also 1 Corinthians 16:8.

[2] A similar event had taken place before the temple dedication. The prophet Joseph noted that “The gift of tongues came on us also, like the rushing of a mighty wind, and my soul was filled with the glory of God” (History of the Church 2:376).