"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth." 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)

Noted above is 2 Timothy 2:15 which, if followed, is the key to understanding "THE WORD OF TRUTH." If this principle of paramount importance is ignored or misunderstood, the Word of Truth becomes a "word of inaccuracy."

Acts Chapter 2 is a pivotal point in properly understanding New Testament Truth. The Second Chapter of "The Acts of the Apostles" took place in Jerusalem on a Jewish Feast Day—Pentecost. It was a day when the Apostle Peter asserted his leadership as the Head Apostle.

Peter was the head Apostle and "minister to the circumcision" preaching the gospel of the Kingdom long promised to Israel and its seed. It is noted that it was "Peter, standing up with the eleven." Here, we see that the prominence is given to one man—Peter. It is not just the Eleven standing up, but it is "PETER, STANDING UP WITH THE ELEVEN!" Remember back in Acts 1:15, it was Peter who stood up "in the midst of the disciples" and said that a replacement for Judas was needed. When Peter finished his Pentecostal address, the Jews whose hearts were pricked, said to "Peter and the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37). Later, in Chapter 5, when they were persecuted for Christ's sake, "Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men" (V. 29).

Peter is the chief character in the first half of the Book of the "Acts of the Apostles." This is understandable since it was to Peter that the "keys to the Kingdom" (Matt. 16:19) were given.

Therefore, we note that authority in the Pentecostal Messianic Church was centered in the Twelve. Peter definitely appears to be the leader of the Twelve (see Jn. 20:23-23; Luke 12:32; Matt. 16:19). On the Day of Pentecost, Peter was exercising his authority by opening the Door of the Kingdom to the men of Israel. Gentiles were not to be admitted on the Day of Pentecost. Gentile admittance does not take place until some years later in Acts 10.

In Acts Chapter 2, a great multitude stood "amazed and marveled" at what they heard. In fact, some who heard the Apostles speak in "tongues" (other existing languages) were "in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?" (V.12). There were others who "mocked" and said, "These men are full of new wine." "But Peter," Verse 14, stands up and answers the mockers by saying, "For these men are not drunken as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third of the day." The third hour was only nine o'clock in the morning.

The Pentecostal Address by Peter was the word of God, delivered for that special Day. It is not appropriate to be preached today. Remember, a good rule to follow in Bible study is to ask the four following questions:

1.   Who is speaking?
2.   To whom is the speaker speaking?
3.   About what is he speaking?
4.   When was it spoken?

Applying the four rules to the study of Peter's Pentecostal address, we note the following:

1. Who is speaking? The Apostle Peter is speaking (cf., Act 2:14-36). Peter was the leader of the Twelve of which he is one. He was the "Minister to the Circumcision" (Gal. 2:8). Much more can be said about Peter, but enough has been said regarding his place and position of Peter as a leader of the Twelve. Keep in mind; however, Peter was given the Keys to the Kingdom of (from) Heaven, but not the keys to the "Church, which is His Body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all" (Eph. 1:22-23). The word, "keys," is a metaphor for an open door, or a closed door.

2. To whom is the speaker speaking? The speaker, Peter, is speaking to those who the

Old Testament Promises were made to—the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. To Israel pertained the promises (Rom. 9:4).  Peter's audience was Jewish. In Acts 2 Peter said:

"Ye men of Judea, and all that dwell at Jerusalem" (V.14)           

"Ye men of Israel" (V. 22)

"All the House of Israel" (V. 36)

"For the promise is unto you (the blood line of Israel's Fathers), and to your children" (V. 39)          

It is very clear that Peter was not speaking to Gentiles. After all, Paul says of the Gentiles;

12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: Eph 2:12

This is most important. The gospel which was related to the "at hand" Kingdom was "to the Jew first" (Rom. 1:16). Peter stated in Acts 3 that they were "the children of the prophets, and of the covenant (of Israel)" (V. 25) and that "unto you (Israel) first God …sent Him (Christ) to bless you" (V. 26). In Acts 3:12, when he began his message in response to the healing of the crippled man, he said, "Ye men of Israel."

Therefore, it is absolutely apparent that Peter was not speaking, nor ministering to Gentiles, then or nor does he even now. Nor, was Peter speaking Truths for "the Church which is His body" over which Christ Jesus is the Head. Peter was not heralding Truth for Today. Peter was presenting "the Gospel of the Circumcision" to an audience who was in the blood line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Peter's message was and is to Israel, and for Israel. For anyone to insert people from other nations (the Gentiles) into his message is guilty of the major error of not "Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth" (2 Timothy 2:15).

Peter tied this Pentecostal address with the hope of the "restitution of all things (concerning the Davidic Kingdom)," as he mentions in Acts 3:19-21. Then the message Peter delivered in Acts 3 was an extension of his Pentecostal speech.

3. About what is he speaking? Peter swept aside the accusation of the mockers by simply stating that these men, who were speaking in foreign tongues (languages), were not drunken as they had supposed, but rather, "this is that which was spoken by the Prophet Joel," said Peter in Acts 2: 16. Thus, Peter appealed to the Word of God in answering the mockers. He re-stated the promise of God to Joel, as recorded in Joel 2:28-29 which concerned the out-pouring of the Spirit upon "ALL FLESH," that is concerning all Israelites.

"And it shall come to pass in the last days [The Day of Christ], saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon ALL FLESH [upon all Israel]: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams" (Acts 2:17).

The reference, here, is to His Spirit of understanding being imparted to "all flesh"; but, to Israel, there will be the added feature of "Gifts of the Spirit." Notice the recurrence of the word, "your." As it will relate to Israel, it will be to "your sons and daughters," and to "your young men," and to "your old men." The special "Gifts" for Israel will be prophecy, visions, and divinely induced dreams. "All flesh" being enlightened is in harmony with at least twenty scriptures foretelling of all of mankind, ultimately being spiritually enlightened with the ushering in of the Kingdom of God on earth.

This outpouring of God's Spirit had a partial fulfillment in "The Acts of the Apostles" as those who believed received "signs following": their belief, which was the confirmation of the Lord working with them (Mark 16:20). It will have a much wider fulfillment during "the Day of the Lord" (2Peter 3:10) —which is to say, the pre-millennial arrival of Christ Himself. It will be a world-wide enlightenment of every living human being on planet earth! The whole world's population will know Who Jesus Christ is, and What He has done for man, and What He has done to the world-wide satanic Kingdom of Darkness. Christ will tear out Satan's Kingdoms of the world by their roots.

The overwhelming burden of Peter's Pentecostal address was the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. If we were to quote the passages of Acts 2:23 through 36, it would be significant that the subject matter is Christ being taken by wicked hands and being crucified and slain:

Vs. 24—"Whom God HATH RAISED UP, having loosed the pains of  death"
Vs. 27—"Thou wilt not leave My soul in hell, neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption."
Vs. 30—"He would RAISE UP CHRIST …"
Vs. 31—"He (David) seeing this before spake of THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST".
Vs. 32—"This Jesus hath God RAISED UP, whereof we all are witnesses."
Vs. 36—"Therefore let all the House of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus, that ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ."

In answer to the question, "About what is the speaker speaking," we can safely say that Peter was speaking about the Resurrection of Israel's Christ. Peter also referred to this, again, in Acts 3:14-15:

"But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; And killed the Prince of life, WHOM GOD HATH RAISED FROM THE DEAD; whereof we are witnesses."

Peter's testimony was concerned with the fact that the men of Israel crucified their long awaited Christ (i.e. Messiah, or the Anointed), and that "GOD RAISED HIM UP FROM AMONG THE DEAD"! This "Jesus" was Israel's Christ. Keep in mind still that at the time the Apostle Peter spoke these words, the Gentile was not in view at all.

In the Acts 2 address, Peter accused his Jewish audience of having "crucified" and "slain" Jesus of Nazareth, Whom God raised up to sit upon the Heavenly Throne of God. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ was Israel's assurance that He was both "Lord and Christ." Israel was to acknowledge that Jesus was their Christ, Who was to restore Israel's Kingdom

4. When was it spoken? This question is the fourth rule the student must ask, and answer, in order to properly "rightly divide" this portion of "the Word of Truth."

The Apostle Peter's address was spoken on the Jewish Feast Day of Pentecost, fifty days after the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ in the year 33 A.D. (the establishment of the Feast Day of Pentecost is found in Leviticus 23:15-16 which was to be fifty days after the Passover). It was ten days after the Apostles had asked Jesus Christ the question in Acts 1:6a); "Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel?" (The answer to this will be found in Acts 28:28). The Lord did not answer their question, directly, but did say to them:

" And He said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:7-8).

The Lord had spent forty days speaking about things which pertained to the Kingdom of God (Acts 1:3), so their question was certainly in order. This was several years before any Gentiles were brought into the calling of "the church which is His body." Cornelius, the Gentile Centurion of Chapter 10, was saved unto "the gospel of the kingdom" about five years before the Call of Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus Road. Saul of Tarsus came later, to be saved and called Paul to preach "the knowledge of the Mystery" (Eph 3:3-4, cf., Col 1:27-28a).

"The Mystery" was not made known until Israel and her Hope was temporarily set aside at the end of "The Acts of the Apostles" (cf., Acts 28:28, Rom 11:11). The God-Given-Production of signs, wonders, miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit was imparted to all believers only during the Pentecostal Dispensation. These giftings were divinely suspended (1Cor 13:8) with the Act 28:28 and the Lord's turning away from Israel program under the Law and to the Gentile program of grace under "the mystery."

Acts 28:28  Be it known therefore unto you (Israel), that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.

Romans 11:11  I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
Romans 11:25  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

There will be a revival of these super natural gifts, after the Rapture that completes "the Dispensation of the Grace of God" and with the beginning of "the Day of Jesus Christ" at His second coming. The re-institution of super natural wonders will be an expansion of the miracles of the Acts Period, not as SIGN GIFTS, but as the then normal wonders of this world-wide-phenomenon enjoyed during "the Day of Jesus Christ."

There is no place for these wonders in the make-up for today's spiritual grace economy. The Lord Jesus, according to His foreknowing, is now secretly summoning members of His High Calling to the invisible "church which is His body." He began doing this with the call of "The Apostle to the Gentiles, Paul. The "High Calling of God in Christ Jesus" is to the "the church which is His body (Eph 1:22b-23a) over which Christ is "the Head" (Eph 1:22). During the age of "the mystery" Christ is administering Himself as "the Grace of God" to dwell in every believer. Today, if He cannot act in Grace, He doesn't act at all. None can be saved under the gospel of the kingdom today because that age is temporarily closed; and since AD 70 there is no priesthood or temple in which to make sacrifices today. Today all men may be saved by grace through faith alone. Thus Paul wrote. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28

By following the rule of asking the four enumerated questions concerning the monumental event as recorded on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:

1. We learned "the Apostle to the circumcision" (Gal 2:7-8), Peter, was the speaker on that day.

2. We learned Peter was speaking to the Israelites gathered in Jerusalem on the Feast Day of Pentecost.

3. We learned Peter spoke concerning the crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ but without any explanation of their meaning; which only later was explained by Paul.

4. We learned Peter spoke to his audience at the Temple in Jerusalem on that Feast Day of the Jews in 33 A.D.