What do you think if the sun falls to the earth? If this huge incandescent ball of gases got a little nearer to our small globe, it would burn it with all its creatures. How rather if it fell? Then we would be evaporated in the twinkling of an eye. Yet, this created sun did not come, but the Creator himself came as a fiery storm to the earth. He did not judge the humans, but had mercy on those who were waiting. God comes to men, and he who understands worships. Moreover, God dwells in man. This truth surpasses our human understanding. Anyhow, we ask you to read the report about the birth of the church, word by word, and see how God’s love, patience, and grace came into our evil world.
The Day of Pentecost was an old feast celebrated by the Jews on the fiftieth day after the first day of the Feast of the Passover, as a thanksgiving day for the harvest of wheat. Christ was like a grain of wheat that fell into the ground and died. In his resurrection, he was like the firstfruits of grain offered to God, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. And the disciples attending and praying were like the firstfruits of God’s complete harvest. This spiritual harvest is still going on. We are all produced by the grain of wheat that is Christ, and are reaping today what the Lord sowed, and the prophets wished to see. Because the Son of God died, the Holy Spirit came to the world.
The Spirit of grace did not bring mercy and light to all men. Jerusalem was a capital city, and yet the storm of God’s love reached only those prayers who loved Christ. The power of God did not touch the temple, and the Roman armies remained without eternal life. Only those who waited for the Promise of the Father with one accord were filled with the Spirit of the power.
It is most probable that more than an hundred men and women including the disciples and Jesus’ family were startled and afraid in the beginning, when they suddenly heard a sound from the heaven into which Jesus was taken, which sounded like a rushing mighty wind. With no shaking of windows, slamming of doors, or movement of leaves, the stormy sound filled their whole house, with it whole rooms, and even the court and around the house. They sat astonishingly, with their eyes and ears open, for they did not feel the storm, but heard it clear with their ears. When this happened they were still praying. They opened their hearts to the Lord, and his power dwelt in them. Suddenly, they saw what looked like tongues of fire falling with the stormy wind. Yet these tongues did not move up and down in the air, or burn the house, the furniture, and their clothes, but rested with great calmness on the prayers. These strange tongues of fire indicate what Jesus intended through them. The disciples had natural tongues full of lying, impurity, and human wisdom, which should burn and pass away. God gives them instead of them new strong tongues of fire, speaking of the divine love.
Then all those who were filled with the Spirit of the Lord felt great joy, and deep relief. Their heavy sins fell from them, their breasts became open, their grief passed away, their dazzled eyes became bright, and their inactive mouths were opened to praise God. They cried out: “Our Father, You have become through your Son’s death our Father. His blood forgave us our sins, and his Spirit dwelt in us unworthy, sanctifying us to the uttermost. We glorify you and praise you for you gave us life for the glory of your grace.”
The storm of the love of God produced the storm of gratitude, and made sacred words and unknown heavenly thoughts flow from their mouths. The Holy Spirit guided their speech, filled their thoughts, and blessed their will. They were not humanly excited, but were filled with the Holy Spirit who employs the minds and controls the souls too. Thus they became altogether a temple of the Spirit of God, for his power and virtues had appeared.
Now observe! Not only Peter and John were filled by the Holy Spirit, but the whole attendants. They felt no pain from the divine storm that rained tongues of fire, but were surrounded with God’s expanses. The Promise of the Father was realized, and all the prayers became children of God, adopted and filled with the essence of his love, truth, and pleasure. We rightfully call this day the Day of Pentecost, for a divine, new element from outside the world came into our dead world. Thus hope and spiritual revival began in this house in Jerusalem, and common praise and thanksgiving to the Holy Trinity.