The Final Harvest

The outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost fulfilled what the Feast symbolized and marked the start of the Final Harvest.

On the Day of Pentecost, what was foreshadowed by the ancient feast day began to receive its true substance. The bestowal of the Gift of the Spirit was the pivotal that event marked the start of the final end-time harvest. What Jesus initiated began in earnest:

• “He that sows the good seed is the Son of man… And the harvest is the end of the age” – (Matthew 13:36-43).

The arrival of the Spirit on the 120 disciples gathered in Jerusalem inaugurated the Church and empowered it to carry out its mission. The full force of Luke’s language is obscured in many English translations of the Greek text, which states, “When the day of Pentecost was being filled full, they were all assembled with one intent…” – (Acts 2:1-4).

[Photo by Erik-Jan Leusink on Unsplash]

Jesus commanded his disciples to “wait in Jerusalem” until they received the “Promise of the Father.” The Gift of the Spirit was vital for transforming his saints into effective witnesses for the Gospel - (Luke 24:44-49, Acts 1:7-9).

The Church’s mission began in Jerusalem, but it did not end there. In the concluding section of the Book of Acts, the Apostle Paul is found preaching the Gospel in Rome to Jews and Gentiles alike. What transpired on the Day of Pentecost was the beginning, not the conclusion of the promised end-time harvest.

Pentecost was an agricultural feast celebrating the barley harvest. In Scripture, it is called the “Feast of Harvest, the first fruits of your labors.” The highlight of the Feast was the offering of the first sheaf, the “first fruits” of the grain harvest - (Exodus 34:22-23, Leviticus 23:11-16, Deuteronomy 16:9-10).

The outpouring of the Spirit on this day was theologically significant. This is indicated by the Greek infinitive ‘sumpléroō’ in verse 1. It means to “fill up,” and it is in the present tense, signifying action in progress. It describes something that is in the process of being “filled up completely” – Filled to the brim, to the point of overflowing.

The Feast of Pentecost was in the process of being fulfilled fully as the Spirit filled the young church. What the feast symbolized was coming to fruition, and the disciples were the “first fruits” of the newly inaugurated final harvest - (Compare Romans 8:23, Luke 24:49).

Under the Law, all able-bodied males were required to attend the Feast if they were able to do so. Likewise, all 120 disciples were assembled in the Temple. The term “all” repeated in verse 4 emphasizes the point - “All were filled with the Holy Spirit, and all began to speak in tongues.”

BEGINNING IN JERUSALEM

The passage emphasizes the fact that all the disciples “began (‘archomai’) to speak in tongues as the Spirit was giving them utterance.” The Greek verb translated as “began” echoes Christ’s command to “wait in Jerusalem” until his disciples received the Spirit:

• (Luke 24:47) – “Thus it is written that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day; and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem” - (See also Acts 1:8).

The disciples gathered in Jerusalem were the “first fruits” of the coming harvest, the guarantee of the later full harvest. The period known as the “Last Days” had begun, and therefore, the Gospel must be proclaimed to all nations. This understanding is confirmed by the Church’s first recorded act after receiving the Spirit when Peter stood up and announced to the large gathering of Jewish pilgrims:

• “This is that which has been spoken through the prophet Joel, It will be in the Last Days, says God, I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh… I will show wonders in the heaven above, and signs on the earth beneath… Before the Day of the Lord comes… And it will be, that whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved” - (Acts 2:16-21).

Considering all that God did through the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, as well as the events of that day, Peter summoned all those present on that day to repent, believe the Good News, and receive the “Promise of the Father”:

• “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For to you is the promise, and to your children and all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God will call” - (Acts 2:38-39).

This was followed by the baptism in of “about three thousand souls” who were added to the Church that day.

The great harvest of the Earth commenced on the Day of Pentecost with the bestowal of the Spirit on the Body of Christ. “Beginning from Jerusalem,” the proclamation of “repentance and remission of sins” began its journey to “uttermost parts of the Earth,” a process that will not cease until the “Day of the Lord” when Jesus arrives and gathers the ripened “wheat to his barn” at the “conclusion of the present age.”

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SEE ALSO:

• The Promise of the Father - (With the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the blessings for all nations promised to Abraham commenced)

• The Blessing of Abraham - (Jesus grants the Gift of the Spirit as part of God’s promise to bless the nations in Abraham’s Seed - Jesus Christ)

• Full of the Spirit - (After his baptism, the Spirit “drove Jesus into the wilderness… for forty days and nights”)

• Великая жатва [The Great Harvest] - (Излияние Святого Духа в день Пятидесятницы исполнило то, что символизировал этот праздник, и ознаменовало начало Последней жатвы)