The Christian celebration of Pentecost, the day that Jesus sends down the Holy Spirit to be with His apostles and to later be received by mankind if man chooses to accept Jesus as redeemer, is about 3 or 4 weeks away. As Christians this is the third most important celebration in the Christian Liturgical Calendar.
Pentecost is derived from the Greek Language referring to the fiftieth day, the Feast of Weeks for the prominent feast in the Hebrew Calendar celebrating the giving of God’s Laws on Mount Sinai. The Jews referred to it as Shavuot. It is celebrated as a two day celebration by the Israelites of Israel.
Pentecost later becomes a Christian Festive Celebration to commemorate the receiving of the Holy Spirit by the apostles of Jesus fifty days after his resurrection.
JOHN: 14: 26;
“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your rememberance whatsoever I have said unto you.”
JOHN: 16:7;
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but, if I depart, I will send him to you.”
JOHN: 20: 21 – 23;
“Then Jesus said to them again, Peace be unto you: As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this he breathed on them and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit.
LUKE: 24: 49;
“And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with powers from on high.
ACTS: 1: 4b-5 and 8;
“but wait for the promise of the Father, which saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with theHoly Spirit not may days hence. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
ACTS: 2: 1-4;
“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 filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Few Christians though realize that the apostles of Jesus receive the Holy Spirit and its powers not once but twice, and for some Christians the first time is a conflicting puzzlement. The Puzzlement comes in the fact that in JOHN: 16:7; Jesus must depart earth so that Jesus can send the Holy Spirit to join with the apostles. This is also reitterated in LUKE: 24: 49 when Jesus says he will send.
These verses though are not in accordance with what Jesus states in JOHN: 20; whereby Jesus breathes upon the apostles and delivers the Holy Spirit personally to them, and there is no speaking in tongues, Jesus simply distributes to his apostles the right to accept the repentance or decline the repentance of any person seeking to become baptized in Christ, based upon whether or not the apostles felt that the repentance was sincere or not and whether restitution was required first or not.
In the minds and hearts of most Christians receiving the Holy Spirit is a “Once and for all time” thing whereby the Holy Spirit is received along with all of the special rites and powers God the Father endows one with and then the Holy Spirit activates those powers within each individual at God the Father’s will and request.
The proof that the apostles receive the Holy spirit twice not once is evident. The first is in John 20; as Jesus breathes upon them and then again after his resurrection in Acts: 2.
This does not mean that scripture is in error it simply means that the apostles receive the Holy spirit twice not once.
The first time they are endowed with the rite to either forgive or withhold forgiveness to a newcomer depending upon the severity of their sin and whether repentance was need be accompanied by restitution or not.