Part 1 - ‘The Outpouring of The Holy Spirit ‘Upon’ Jesus’ “Little Flock” Disciples

This Article is part of a multi-part Study Series called Three Pivotal Points in The Book of Acts.

Jesus had already deposited His Spirit into the members of His “little flock,” those who will inherit the Kingdom on earth (Luke 12:32) as seen here in John 20:22, “And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:”

Now, as promised by Jesus in Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8, we see the fulfillment of these believers also being “endued (clothed) with power” by “the Spirit coming upon” them to be His “witnesses” in their offering of the kingdom. Speaking “as the Spirit gave [him] utterance,” Peter explained the significance of events of “the day of Pentecost” by saying:

“...Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
“For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
“But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I Will Pour Out Of My Spirit Upon All Flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: “And on my servants and on my handmaidens I Will Pour Out In Those Days Of My Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

Then Peter continues with a change in tone… from the promised blessing (above) to the wrath to come;

“And I Will Shew Wonders In Heaven Above, And Signs In The Earth Beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:14-21).

Notice (above) carefully the two distinct and separate “I will” statements to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” to whom He explicitly says He had come (cf. Matt. 15:24) declaring the long-promised Kingdom from heaven was “at hand”: “I will pour out of my Spirit... I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath.” In other words, God had promised to;

a.) pour out His Spirit which He did at Pentecost, and then,

b.) send His long-promised wrath upon the God-rejecting world and Israel.

Peter’s message to Israel very clearly points out that this is exactly the program in place during early Acts. The “Spirit of God” had indeed been poured out (Acts 2:7) to call the nation Israel to repentance and prepare them for their coming kingdom. Surely then, the wrath could not be far behind, coming, as it was, to “purge out … the rebel” (Eze. 20:38) from the wayward nation (See Acts 3:19-24; Ezek. 20:33-38). Thus, Peter exhorts them:

“Therefore (Jesus) Being By The Right Hand of God Exalted, And Having Received of The Father The Promise Of The Holy Ghost, He Hath Shed Forth This, Which Ye Now See and Hear” (Acts 2:33).

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit was proof that the Lord Jesus had been exalted to the Father’s right hand. Having there “received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.” But there was more from Peter:

“For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit Thou On My Right Hand, Until I Make Thy Foes Thy Footstool.”
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts. 2:34-36).

While the outpouring of the Spirit testified to the fact that the Lord Jesus was the Messiah seated at the Father’s right hand, it is clear He sat there as a royal exile. But this was only to be temporary. Quoting Psalms 110:1, Peter points out that God the Father had, as it were, said to God the Son, “Come and sit at my right hand in the heavens until it is time for You to return in wrath and in judgment to make Your foes your footstool.”

The prophetic order was clear: first the Spirit was to be poured out, then Christ was to return to pour out His wrath upon His enemies. Hence Peter’s warning to Israel:

“For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
“And it shall come to pass, that EVERY SOUL, WHICH WILL NOT HEAR THAT PROPHET, SHALL BE DESTROYED FROM AMONG THE PEOPLE” (Acts 3:22-23).

So, the Book of Acts begins with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to gather the “Little Flock” (Luke 12:32), the believing remnant to whom the kingdom was to be given. This takes place against the backdrop of warning that God’s wrath was on its way, as the stage was been fully set for the 7-year Tribulation period to begin. With this in mind, we move to the next pivotal event.