By Lee Roy Anderson
The fire about Mount Sinai foreshadowed the coming power of Pentecost, following the Exodus and the Hebrews’ miraculous escape from the Red Sea where Israel traveled until they reached the foothills of Mount Sinai.
God instructed Moses to have the people purify themselves. At the end of their forty-seven day journey they purified themselves for three days, resulting in a total of fifty days, hence the word Pentecost. Fearfully and faithfully they approached Mount Sinai, the great mountain of God to receive the Ten Commandments.
As Moses went up to speak with God, the ground shook and a mighty rushing wind roared over the desert plain, fire glowed on the mountain-top of Mount Sinai. According to Jewish tradition, when God spoke to Moses, he not only spoke in Hebrew, but in every known tongue on earth.
But something more happened in this story; the stage was set for the future and God’s mission to reach the entire Gentile world. Prophecy was written into the plot. God was doing exactly what he was going to do fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus Christ! Keeping the story of the Hebrews at Mount Sinai in mind, let’s look at the story of Pentecost found in the book of Acts. Every aspect of that first Pentecost was duplicated as 120 faithful followers of Jesus gathered in the upper room, the site of Jesus’ last supper. Ten people a minyan, was the number required by Jewish law to have a kosher prayer meeting. Ten representatives for the twelve tribes of Israel totaling 120 huddled together trying to understand why Jesus had commanded them to tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high, Luke 24:49. As they prayed together they joined together in one mind, one heart and one spirit.
Suddenly, Moses’ experience on Mount Sinai was duplicated again. A rushing mighty wind filled the upper room. Tongues of fire rested on their heads just as fire rested on the crest of Mount Sinai. Days earlier, Jesus had promised his followers, But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, Acts 1:8.
Empowerment came in awesome way. Just as God spoke on Mount Sinai in every known language, even so the disciples spoke in every known language in the upper room. The fire about Mount Sinai foreshadowed the coming power of Pentecost. The gospel of the empty tomb is a story of power. Let no one mistake the message. There is power in his name, power in his gospel, power in his blood, and power in his church. Jesus Christ paid a debt he did not owe and I owed a debt I could not pay. Jesus paid my sin debt at Calvary.
