What Does “Pentecost” Mean?

The disciples knew what Pentecost meant—and exactly when it would come. Leviticus 23:1-44 describes the seven annual festivals that ancient Israel was to observe each year. This chapter begins by describing Passover and follows with a description of the two festivals on the first and last days of the seven-day period known as the Days of Unleavened Bread.

These latter two days are annual Sabbaths—Holy Days—which picture obedience to God and putting away sin from our lives.

The Days of Unleavened Bread are followed in the late spring by the festival of “Firstfruits”—Pentecost—the third annual Holy Day. This festival is described in Leviticus 23:9-22. Lev 23:16 explains the instruction to “number fifty days” until this festival. (Read our free booklet God’s Holy Days or Pagan Holidays? to learn more about these and the other Holy Days, and how they are observed.)

Many New Testament verses explain that the Church, composed of those led by the Holy Spirit, are God’s firstfruits (James. 1:18; Rev. 14:4, etc.).

Christ knew exactly what He was going to do on the day of Pentecost. He made sure that the disciples understood what He meant by “…but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days hence” (Acts 1:5). No wonder the previous verse says Jesus “commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father” (Ac 1:4).

Why is this so hard to understand? Why do so many think Christ was telling the disciples to “pray down Pentecost,” as so many still attempt today?

They understood that Pentecost means “count fifty.” This was no mystery to them. They knew that their last meeting with Christ, in Acts 1:1-26, had occurred forty days (Ac 1:3) into the fifty-day period preceding Pentecost. They could subtract forty from fifty and know that Pentecost would arrive in ten days! There would have been no doubt when it would “fully come,” so all could be “in one accord, in one place” (Acts 2:1)—or about what would happen when it did.

It would have been easy for the disciples to connect this simple math with the statement in Luke 24:49 to “wait in Jerusalem.”

Conversions After Pentecost

The book of Acts describes four occasions, after the Acts 2:1-47 Pentecost account, when people were converted. It is important to examine them and look for clues about what actually occurred—and what did not.

Acts 8:1-40 records Philip the deacon preaching to the city of Samaria. Many people were converted as a result. Here is a summary of the account: “But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women…Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit…Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit” (Ac 8:12, 14-15, 17).

There is no mention here of the gift of tongues being given to anyone. As with Paul in Acts 19:1-41, the apostles Peter and John “laid their hands on” the men and women who were baptized—“and they received the Holy Spirit.”

This is a straightforward account lacking a mention of any kind of “tarry meeting.” The people heard about the kingdom of God, understood the name of Jesus Christ, believed, and were baptized. In accord with Acts 2:38, they received the Holy Spirit.

Acts 9:1-22 describes Paul’s own conversion. Take time to read this story. Paul did not attend a “tarry meeting,” nor did he do any of the things practiced at them. The account describes him being blinded by Christ on the road to Damascus and his humble yielding to Christ’s calling.

In Acts 10:1-48, when Cornelius and his household were converted, there is also no reference to any kind of “tarry meeting.” Reading this chapter reveals that “the Holy Spirit fell on all them that heard the word.”

This occurred right as Peter instructed them. The account is simple and straightforward.

None of these conversions describe anything akin to crying, begging, pleading with or beseeching God (and certainly not over a long period of time, deep into the night) to give His Spirit!

Only one other account, Acts 19:1-7, describes those who were “baptized” and received the Holy Spirit. We have already reviewed it. The twelve who were baptized on this occasion did receive God’s Spirit, but only after acknowledging that they had never heard of it. As a matter of fact, Paul asked them, “Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?” before they acknowledged that they did not even know what it was.

Even though John the Baptist had already baptized them, Paul had to re-baptize them in the name of Jesus Christ. Then Paul had to lay hands on them before they could receive the Holy Spirit! When he did this, they received the Spirit immediately.

Once again, there is no reference to crying, pleading, begging—or “tarrying”—for this to happen.

These are the only four accounts in the book of Acts where baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit took place. There are no others. None of these contain a reference to waiting for the Spirit at a “tarry meeting,” so that the newly converted could “speak in tongues.”

Nowhere does the Bible authorize, instruct, suggest, or even hint that anyone should participate in these unscriptural meetings in order to receive, or be baptized by, the Holy Spirit. In fact, the term “tarry meeting,” or anything similar, is found nowhere in Scripture!