The New Testament tells us about
a man who was a devout Jew from Alexandria. When we read it we usually don’t
take notice of it, but we want to ask, what devout Jews were living in
Alexandria Egypt? Yes, the Therapeutaes. Now that we have looked at the
Essenes, the Nazarenes, the Therapeutaes, the Damascus community, the company
of the Prophets, the Zedeks, and the Hasidic’s, and the school of Shem and
Eber, we start to understand some of the people mentioned in the Bible. Their
lives make sense now. Like John the Baptist and Jesus, we can start to see an
entire culture that has somehow been buried in history; but according to the
historians of the time, it was a culture that was alive and vibrant at the time
of the first century. Remember Jesus’ family went to live in Egypt for a while.
As we have studied this topic we have seen the power of the prophets, and yet
there is something we may have missed because their order was somewhat secretive.
As we will see in this study, the ability to speak in tongues was well known
prior to the first century.
When we look at Apollos’ story it
seems to indicate that there were some contentions between he and Paul, but
that is not actually true. That was an assumption of Martin Luther’s that does
not have plausibility. What we do know however is that there were many
different sects of Jews, and Apollos was of the Therapeutaes, while Paul had
been a Pharisee who went to the Essene group in Damascus to re-learn scriptures
and understand Jesus as Messiah. Remember that there were Essenes in Qumran,
Nazarenes in the north near Galilee, Essenes in Damascus, and Therapeutaes in
Egypt. People of the Zedek order were living in many regions of Israel at that
time. Also during this period there were new Christians in Jerusalem that were spreading
out all over the Middle East, as well as the Pharisees and Sadducees. Apollos
was a man who already had the Holy Spirit, as the Therapeutaes did. But he did
not know how to minister the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 18:24-28 Meanwhile, there
was a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, who came to Ephesus. He was a
cultured and eloquent man, well versed and mighty in the Scriptures. 25 He had
been instructed in the way of the Lord, and burning with spiritual zeal, he
spoke and taught diligently and accurately the things concerning Jesus, though
he was acquainted only with the baptism of John.
Let’s look at this in the AP Polyglot:
Acts 18:24G*[3Jew G11611And G51002a certain], G*Apollos G3686by name, G*an Alexandrian G3588 G1085by race, G435[2man G30521a learned], G2658arrived G1519in G*Ephesus, G1415being mighty G1510.6 G1722in G3588the G1124scriptures.
25G3778This one G1510.7.3was G2727being instructed in G3588the G3598way G3588of the G2962Lord. G2532And G2204bubbling G3588 G4151in spirit G2980he spoke G2532and G1321taught G199exactly G3588the things G4012concerning G3588the G2962Lord, G1987having
knowledge of G3440only
G3588the G908immersion G*of John.
G2204 LSJ Gloss: ζέω to boil, seethe
Dodson: ζέω I burn in spirit
(lit: I boil, am boiling), I burn (in spirit), am fervent.
Strong's: ζέω to be hot (boil, of
liquids; or glow, of solids), i.e. (figuratively) be fervid (earnest)
Derivation: a primary verb; KJV Usage: be fervent.
Derivation: a primary verb; KJV Usage: be fervent.
ζέω zeō dzeh'-o A
primary verb; to be hot (boil, of liquids;
orglow, of solids), that is, (figuratively) be fervid(earnest)
KJV Usage: be fervent.
Notice that Apollo was not
bubbling in spirit, he was bubbling in THE
Spirit. The article the G3588 is untranslated
here. He was not just on fire about the things of the spirit, he was on fire in the Holy Spirit, boiling over in
exuberance from the inside. In other words he was a spirit filled believer with
the Holy Spirit upon/in him, but he wasn’t baptizing in the Holy Spirit as they
did on Pentecost. The Therapeutaes were spirit filled believers and practiced
John’s baptism, but at this time they did not practice the baptism of the Holy
Spirit. Yet they were Spirit filled. Some
might assume that the Holy Spirit cannot be in or on someone without the
baptism of the Holy Spirit, but as we have seen there were many people
operating with the Holy Spirit in/on them like the Prophets and Therapeutaes.
The difference is that before Jesus died the Holy Spirit was conditional
according to purity and righteousness. These communities of believers, the
Essenes, the Nazarenes, the Therapeutaes, and the Prophets, all manifested the
Holy Spirit because of their lifestyle dedicated to righteousness (Zedek) and
religious piousness (Hasidim). But after Jesus came, the Holy Spirit is a
permanent resident in the believer and doesn’t leave due to sin. That is good
news for us. So the way to receive the Holy Spirit in Apollos’ order was to be
pure. On the Day of Pentecost a new order for believers emerged and now a
person can minister or serve the Holy Spirit to people like Peter and Paul did.
Acts 18:26 He began to speak
freely (fearlessly and boldly) in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila
heard him, they took him with them and expounded to him the way of God more
definitely and accurately.
Remember how Peter started
speaking at Cornelius’ house and as he was talking the people believed and the
Holy Spirit fell on them?
Acts 10:44-46 While Peter was
still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all who were listening to
the message. 45 And the believers from among the circumcised [the Jews] who
came with Peter were surprised and amazed, because the free gift of the Holy
Spirit had been bestowed and poured out largely even on the Gentiles. 46 For
they heard them talking in [unknown] tongues (languages) and extolling and
magnifying God. AMP
Acts 10:44G2089While G2980[2 was speaking
G3588 G*1Peter] G3588 G4487these things, G3778 G1968[4fell G35881the G41513spirit G3588 G392holy] G1909upon G3956all G3588the ones G191hearing G3588the G3056word.
45G2532And G1839[5were
amazed G35881the G15373of G40614 the circumcision G41032believers], G3745as many as G4905came with G3588 G*Peter, G3754that G2532also G1909[7upon G35888the G14849nations G35881the G14312present G35883of the G394holy G41515spirit G16326has been poured out].
46G191For they heard G1063 G1473them G2980speaking G1100languages, G2532and G3170magnifying G3588 G2316God.
G1968 ἐπιπίπτω epipiptō
ep-ee-pip'-to From G1909 and G4098; to embrace (with affection)
or seize (with more or less violence; literally or
figuratively)
G1632 ἐκχέω, ἐκχύνω ekcheō ekchunō ek-kheh'-o, ek-khoo'-no
From G1537 and χέω cheō
(to pour); to pourforth; figuratively to bestow
G1100 γλῶσσα glōssa gloce'-sah Of
uncertain affinity; the tongue; by implication a language (specifically
one naturally unacquired)
If we look at the definition, the
Holy Spirit embraced them or seized them when they heard Peter. The people who
came with Peter who had been Jews, but were now Christians, heard Cornelius’s
group speak in other languages, so they knew the Holy Spirit had been bestowed
or poured out on them. This is a much
simpler way to receive the Holy Spirit. The benefit after Pentecost is that all
the purifications and cloistered living didn’t have to happen before receiving
the Holy Spirit as with the Therapeutaes. Now the people could receive the Holy
Spirit upon believing in Jesus as Messiah, and then clean up their lives, from
the inside out. This is what Apollos didn’t know about. He knew how he received
the Holy Spirit, but not how people were receiving after Pentecost. This is
what Priscilla and Aquila told him about.
Let’s notice something else here,
Apollos was teaching about Jesus as Messiah. Remember the Essenes believed a
Messiah would come out of their group, so Apollos must have known Jesus or
known about Jesus as the Essenes, Therapeutaes, Nazarenes as well as those in
Damascus were all of the same order. Most likely he met Jesus at some point in
time and knew John and the baptism of water and repentance. But since Apollos
was not in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost he missed this new thing that was
going on. Imagine, Apollos was a Jew who could speak about Jesus in the
synagogue in Turkey, yet he was from Egypt and he had a Greek name. And we
think we are multi-cultural.
Acts 18:27 And when [Apollos]
wished to cross to Achaia (most of Greece), the brethren wrote to the disciples
there, urging and encouraging them to accept and welcome him heartily. When he
arrived, he proved a great help to those who through grace (God's unmerited
favor and mercy) had believed (adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Christ as
Lord and Savior). 28 For with great power he refuted the Jews in public
[discussions], showing and proving by the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ
(the Messiah). AMP
Ephesus is part of Turkey, Achaia
is Greece and Corinth is near Athens. Ephesus is directly east across the
Mediterranean from Corinth so he may have traveled by boat as it says he wished
to cross to Achaia. Because Apollos was a Therapeutae he knew the scriptures
well. This is how he could enter public discussions proving that Jesus is the
Messiah.
Acts 19:1-7 WHILE APOLLOS was in
Corinth,
Apollos is now in Corinth, just
south of Greece. For a while he was in Achaia, then went down to Corinth. Remember,
Paul had gone to Damascus for 14 years to relearn scriptures from the Essenes
who lived there. We notice in Acts 18 that Paul was in Corinth with Aquila and
Priscilla. They then all traveled to Antioch where Paul made a Nazarite vow,
Acts 18:18. Apparently the Nazarite vow evolved from Numbers 6 to cutting one’s
hair, then presenting it to God in Jerusalem, then burning the cut hair, and
letting one’s hair grow out for the set time of the vow. Paul made this vow
again later. It seems that culture dictates this ritual as the original
Nazarite vow did not include cutting hair, offering it to God in Jerusalem, and
then burning it. Paul and company went to Ephesus by boat, then he left Aquila
and Priscilla in Ephesus and sailed to Caesarea. Paul went onto Jerusalem, then
left again and headed north to Antioch and then Galatia. What we see is that Apollos
meets Aquila and Priscilla in Ephesus after Paul had just left. Apollos then
goes to Corinth where Paul, Aquila and Priscilla had just come from, while Paul
goes to Jerusalem. Let’s take note that Apollos did not have any interest in
being in Israel. While all the ideas we have regarding Jesus and the believers
on Pentecost focus on Israel, Apollos is not in Israel. By the time Paul gets back to Ephesus he meets
a few people who hadn’t known about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Now Paul
will lead then into the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Paul went through the upper
inland districts and came down to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 2 And
he asked them, Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed [on Jesus as
the Christ]? And they said, No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy
Spirit. 3 And he asked, Into what [baptism] then were you baptized? They said,
Into John's baptism. 4 And Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of
repentance, continually telling the people that they should believe in the One
Who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus [having a conviction full of
joyful trust that He is Christ, the Messiah, and being obedient to Him]. 5 On
hearing this they were baptized [again, this time] in the name of the Lord
Jesus. 6 And as Paul laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them;
and they spoke in [foreign, unknown] tongues (languages) and prophesied. 7 There
were about twelve of them in all. AMP
Acts 19: 5G191And having heard, G1161 G907they were immersed G1519in G3588the G3686name G3588of the G2962Lord G*Jesus.
6G2532And G2007[2having
put 4upon G14735them G3588 G*1Paul G3588 G54953hands], G2064[4came G35881the G41513spirit G3588 G392holy] G1909upon G1473them, G2980both speaking G5037 G1100languages G2532and G4395prophesying.
Paul tells them about Jesus as
Messiah, and because they believed they were baptized in the name of the Lord
Jesus. Paul lays his hands on them and the Holy Spirit came upon them and they
started speaking in languages/tongues and prophesying. The common thing Peter
and Paul did was to tell the people about Jesus as Messiah. When they believed,
they received the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. Paul laid hands on them and
Peter did not. Paul’s people prophesied and Peter’s didn’t. There is no “right”
way, but we can gather from what we know of Apollos that his eloquent speech
and boiling over probably led to people receiving the Holy Spirit after he
found out that it was available to the common believer.
It is interesting to note in
Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth that he mentions Apollos and Peter.
1 Cor 1:12 What I mean is this,
that each one of you [either] says, I belong to Paul, or I belong to Apollos,
or I belong to Cephas (Peter), or I belong to Christ. AMP
There were so many groups and
sects in the region that people were dividing up the teachers in the body of
Christ and almost making an order or group based on who taught them.
1 Cor 3:4-7For when one says, I
belong to Paul, and another, I belong to Apollos, are you not [proving
yourselves] ordinary (unchanged) men? 5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul?
Ministering servants [not heads of parties] through whom you believed, even as
the Lord appointed to each his task: 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God [all
the while] was making it grow and [He] gave the increase. 7 So neither he who
plants is anything nor he who waters, but [only] God Who makes it grow and
become greater. AMP
People get connected to those who
teach them. In those days the Essene, Nazarene, Therapeutae, and Damascus group
were basically the same order, but there were varying communal rules. Paul
learned the Damascus way, and took Nazarite vows. Apollo came from the wild
worshippers and healers of Alexandria, and Peter came from Galilee having been
on tour with Jesus. Today, we have many denominations due to the adherence of
certain people’s teachings or religious practices. This is what Paul was trying
to correct in the first century, he wanted people to be “of Christ” instead of
divided. We are more divided today and that was not Paul’s desire for the
church.
1 Cor 3:21-23 So let no one exult
proudly concerning men [boasting of having this or that man as a leader], for
all things are yours, 22 Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas (Peter), or the
universe or life or death, or the immediate and threatening present or the
[subsequent and uncertain] future — all are yours, 23 And you are Christ's, and
Christ is God's. AMP
This is the section of scripture
that can give people the mistaken impression that Paul and Apollos were at odds.
They were not. They were from the same group, the Essenes, and they believed on
Jesus, and taught about him all over the region. We have to remember that even
though Apollos had been a devout Jew, he was from Egypt, not Jerusalem. He was
not a Pharisee like Paul had been, and he was not a Sadducee. Apollos probably
had the same schooling as Jesus and John the Baptist, but he didn’t go to
Jerusalem, he went north as a minister of the gospel. Paul asks Apollos to
visit Corinth when he can.
1 Cor 16:10-12 When Timothy
arrives, see to it that [you put him at ease, so that] he may be fearless among
you, for he is [devotedly] doing the Lord's work, just as I am. 11 So [see to
it that] no one despises him or treats him as if he were of no account or
slights him. But send him off [cordially, speed him on his way] in peace, that
he may come to me, for I am expecting him [to come along] with the other
brethren. 12 As for our brother Apollos, I have urgently encouraged him to
visit you with the other brethren, but it was not at all his will or God's will
that he should go now. He will come when he has opportunity. AMP
We are not sure when Apollos got
to Corinth. Paul winters in Nicopolis, which is in Achaia; not on the eastern
side of the Mediterranean near Turkey, but on the west side closer to Italy.
Paul asks for Apollos to come with Zenas, which if Apollos was in Corinth it
would not have been a long journey. It must
have been an amazing time when Apollos and Paul were ministering in Asia Minor.
We can only imagine the number of miracles taking place.
Titus 3:12-13 When I send Artemas
or [perhaps] Tychicus to you, lose no time but make every effort to come to me
at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. 13 Do your utmost
to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they want for
(lack) nothing. AMP
Some people speculate that
Apollos was the writer of Hebrews. It is possible as the writing style is different
than Paul’s or Barnabas’. What we know is that Apollos was a spirit filled
devout Therapeutae who was evangelizing in Asia Minor and was educating Jews in
the synagogues about Jesus. He does sound like the writer of Hebrews, doesn’t
he? Whoever the author of Hebrews may have been, he/she knew and understood the
intricacies of the temple and that Jesus was of the order of Melchizedek/Shem.
The author was also able to eloquently make Jesus plain to the culture of the
day.
What is important to understand
is that some writers of the Dead Sea Scrolls tell us that people did speak with
tongues before the day of Pentecost. But as we already pointed out they were
the righteous ones, the Zedeks, like Apollos. In these fragments we have the
association to the Urim and the Thummim and tongues of fire.
Tongues of Fire
1Q29, 4Q376
1Q29 F.1
(...) (...) the stone, just as
the LORD commanded ....) and your Urim. And it (the cloud?) shall come forth
with him, with the tongues of fire. The left-hand stone which is on its
left side shall be uncovered before the whole congregation until the priest
finishes speaking and after the cloud has been lifted ... And you shall keep
(...) the prophet has spoken to you (...) (...) who counsels rebellion (...)
(...) the LORD your God (...)
F.2
(...) (... the) right-hand stone
when the priest comes out (...) three tongues of fire from the
right-hand stone (...) (from ...) (...) and after he goes up he shall draw near
to the people(...)
F.3-4
(...) (...the LORD) your God
(...) (...Blessed is the God of Israel) (...) (...) among them all. Your name
(...) (...and an) abundance of strenght, honored (and awesome...) (...)
F.5-7
(...) these words, according to
all (...) (... and then) the priests shall interpret His will , all (...) (...)
the congregation (...) (... O Children of Israel, keep all of these words)
(...) (... to do) all (...) the number of commandments (...) (...) their (...)
4Q376
F.1 Col.1
(...) the anointed priest
upon whose head has been poured the anointing oil ... and he shall offer
a bull of the herd and a ram(...) for the Urim.
Col.2
and your Urim. And it (the
cloud?) shall come forth with him, with tongues of fire. The left-hand
stone which is upon its left side shall be uncovered before the whole
congregation until the priests finishes speaking. And after the cloud has been
lifted (...) And you shall keep (...) and the prophet has spoken to you.
Col.3
according to this entire
commandment. And if the Leader of the whole nation is in the camp or (if ...)
his enemy and Israel with him, or if they march on a city to throw up a siege
against it, or in respect to any matter which (...) to the Leader (...) the
field is far (...)
A Moses Apocryphon
4Q376, 1Q29
II They shall shed light on you.
And he shall go out with it with tongues of fire. The left-hand stone on
his left side will show itself to the eyes of all the assembly until the priest
has completed his speech. And afterwards the …has gone up… And you shall keep
and d[o al]l [that] he shall speak to you. And the prophe[t]…preaches rebellion.
There was obviously a knowledge
of tongues prior to Pentecost and as far back as the time of Moses. This is one
of the texts we have in the Bible which corresponds with the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Ex 28:30 In the breastplate of
judgment you shall put the Urim and the Thummim [unspecified articles used when
the high priest asked God's counsel for all Israel]; they shall be upon Aaron's
heart when he goes in before the Lord, and Aaron shall bear the judgment (rights,
judicial decisions) of the Israelites upon his heart before the Lord
continually. AMP
Exodus 28:30G2532 And G2007you shall place G1909upon G3588the G3051oracle G3588of the G2920judgment, G3588the G1213.1Manifestation
G2532and G3588the G225Truth; G2532and G1510.8.3they
shall be G1909upon
G3588the G4738breast G*of Aaron, G3752whenever G1531he should enter G1519into G3588the G39holy place G1725before G2962the lord . G2532And G5342Aaron shall bring G* G3588the G2920judgments G3588of the G5207sons G*of Israel G1909upon G3588the G4738breast, G1725before G2962the lord G1275always.
We see that the priests that went
into the holy place are the ones with this ability of tongues as per the Dead
Sea Scrolls. This is an interesting parallel to Pentecost because at Pentecost
we the believers became the temple/tabernacle and the Holy Spirit lives in us,
a spiritual temple not a physical place on earth. But notice this, that there
is no longer a need for a physical temple if the Holy Spirit lives in us. The
need for the temple was for meeting with God, and only the pure and righteous
could go into the holy place. The exception to this was the Zedek order as they
did not need a temple; and like us today they had the Holy Spirit residing
within them. But under the Zedek order the Holy Spirit would leave a believer
if there was sin, such as Elisha’s servant Gehazi. Gehazi saw the power of the
Holy Spirit in many miracles, but he became greedy and ended up cursed. Now when
the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples they were more likely somewhere in public,
not in an upper room as has been misunderstood. Since it was Shavout, they were probably in the outer
courts of the temple or near the outer courts of the temple, and we can see
that after Peter’s explanation 3,000 people were saved. Here is what happened
on Pentecost.
Acts 2:1-4AND WHEN the day of
Pentecost had fully come, they were all assembled together in one place, 2 When
suddenly there came a sound from heaven like the rushing of a violent tempest
blast, and it filled the whole house in which they were sitting. 3 And there
appeared to them tongues resembling fire, which were separated and distributed
and which settled on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled (diffused
throughout their souls) with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other
(different, foreign) languages (tongues), as the Spirit kept giving them clear
and loud expression [in each tongue in appropriate words]. AMP
Acts 2:1G2532And G1722in G3588the G4845filling up G3588the G2250days G3588 G4005of Pentecost, G1510.7.6they
were G537all
together G3661with
one accord G1909in
the same place. G3588 G1473
2G2532And G1096came G869suddenly G1537from out of G3588the G3772heaven G2279a sound G5618as if G5342[4being
brought G41571of a 3breath G9722violent], G2532and G4137filled G3650the whole G3588 G3624house G3739of which G1510.7.6they
were G2521settled.
3G2532And G3708appeared G1473to them G1266divided G1100tongues G5616as G4442of fire, G2523and it sat G5037 G1909upon G1520[2one G15381each] G1473of them.
4G2532And G4130they
were filled G537all
together G4151[2spirit
G391of holy], G2532and G756they began G2980to speak G2087with other G1100languages, G2531as G3588the G4151spirit G1325gave G1473to them G669to be declared
A violent breath filled the place
where they were seated. The word house
doesn’t mean home but “a dwelling or a place with a roof”. Three thousand
people could not fit in a home, or an upper room, but they could fit in the
house of the Lord. Three thousand people could see what happened in a large
courtyard and hear the Apostles tongues in their own language if they were in
the outer courts. What is incredible is what happens after Peter’s speech.
Acts 2:39-47 For the promise [of
the Holy Spirit] is to and for you and your children, and to and for all that
are far away, [even] to and for as many as the Lord our God invites and bids to
come to Himself. [Isa 57:19; Joel 2:32.] 40 And [Peter] solemnly and earnestly
witnessed (testified) and admonished (exhorted) with much more continuous
speaking and warned (reproved, advised, encouraged) them, saying, Be saved from
this crooked (perverse, wicked, unjust) generation. 41 Therefore those who
accepted and welcomed his message were baptized, and there were added that day
about 3,000 souls. 42 And they steadfastly persevered, devoting themselves
constantly to the instruction and fellowship of the apostles, to the breaking
of bread [including the Lord's Supper] and prayers. 43 And a sense of awe
(reverential fear) came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were
performed through the apostles (the special messengers). 44 And all who
believed (who adhered to and trusted in and relied on Jesus Christ) were united
and [together] they had everything in common; 45 And they sold their
possessions (both their landed property and their movable goods) and
distributed the price among all, according as any had need. 46 And day after
day they regularly assembled in the temple with united purpose, and in their
homes they broke bread [including the Lord's Supper]. They partook of their
food with gladness and simplicity and generous hearts, 47 Constantly praising
God and being in favor and goodwill with all the people; and the Lord kept
adding [to their number] daily those who were being saved [from spiritual
death]. AMP
All of a sudden these people
start acting like Essenes. They devote themselves constantly to instruction.
They devote themselves constantly to fellowship with the apostles. They broke
bread together. They prayed together. They started seeing signs and wonders.
They were united together and had shared all their possessions, money, and
belongings with one another, they had everything in common. They sold their
property and distributed the money among everyone who had needs. They met in
the temple and in homes and ate together, eating and praising God together.
What? That wasn’t in Peter’s speech. Peter didn’t tell them how to live. All of
a sudden they started living the way they saw the
Essenes/Nazarenes/Therapeutaes living, in community. They must have made some
association of the Essene order with the events of Pentecost to want to start
living like them. They must have recognized that the Pharisees and Sadducees
did not possess the truth and power of the Holy Spirit and they wanted to
follow the Zedek order of the Essenes. Without knowing about the Essene and
Zedek culture we were never able to see what was happening in the first century
church. We simply glossed over so much culture and behavior, not attributing it
to the older order of the prophets. We see now the incredibly powerful
influence the Melchizedek order had on people of the first century. Somehow
this knowledge has been buried for generations, but now it is uncovered and the
beauty of the Melchizedek priesthood is beginning to be understood. Tongues of
fire was once only available to the devout and religiously pious, but now is
made available to the common people who believe. If the Essenes had been a mega
church of today they would have gotten a big population increase and would have
started a new building program. This is what the Pharisees and Sadducees hated,
people were leaving their order for the Essenes. But instead of building
buildings, the new converts gathered themselves in homes, just like the houses
of the prophets. Tongues of fire was now available to everyone who believed.
Enoch’s work, The Book of Giants, refers to tongues of
fire in a dream. People would not write about tongues of fire if they didn’t
know what it was. The interesting thing is that Enoch being righteous probably
did speak in tongues.
The Book of Giants
1Q23-4, 2Q26, 4Q203, 530-33, 6Q8
FRS.2,6-12
…Many [roo]ts grew out of their
stock. [And out of one tree grew] three shoots. I was looking until tongues of
fire [came down] from [heaven].
It is important to adjust our
thinking that tongues was not a first century gift and impartation only but
something available to the pure and holy. Tongues is speaking mysteries,
because (as Paul reminds us) we don’t know what is being said:
1 Corinthians 14:2G3588For
the oneG1063 G2980speakingG1100a
language,G3756[2notG4443to menG29801speaks],G235butG3588 G2316to
God.G3762For no
oneG1063 G191hears,G4151but in spiritG1161 G2980he
speaksG3466mysteries
We want to remember that there is a difference between a
community church and wild worship among a community of mature believers as we
noted last week. Paul suggests that the things done in the church be done
decently and in order for the sake of the unbeliever. However, in and among the
community of believers, wild worship is required. Samuel’s company of prophets
had musical instruments and they prophesied, so it is understandable that they
were similar to the wild worshippers, the Therapeutaes. So being filled with
the Holy Spirit makes one burn and boil over, and understandably causes
dancing, music playing, and tongues of fire. It is intriguing that there are
groups and denominations that have been led to that type of worship by the Holy
Spirit without the knowledge of the Therapeutaes. Apollos is an interesting
role model for us as he was bubbling in the spirit, and knew of the ways of the
Lord, but was not from Israel, but Egypt.
Next week we will look at the different ideas regarding
death, hades, and the soul, from the time of the first century. Below are a few
more fragments found in Qumran.
4Q299 F8
(...) How can a man understand
without knowledge or hearing? (...) (...) He created insight for His children,
by much wisdom He uncovered our ears that we may h(ear...) (...) He created
insight for all those who pursue true knowledge and (...) (...) all wisdom is
from eternity; it may not be changed (...) (...) He locked up behind the waters
, so that not (...) (...) the heaven above heaven (...)
And a voice of praise resounds
from the midsts of all their divisions in worship. And each one in his place,
all their numbered ones sing hymns of praise.
1. The Messiah Of Heaven And Earth (4Q521)
(Plate 1)
Fragment 1
Column 2 (1)[... The Hea]vens and
the earth will obey His Messiah, (2) [... and all th]at is in them. He will not
turn aside from the Commandments of the Holy Ones. (3) Take strength in His
service, (you) who seek the Lord. (4) Shall you not find the Lord in this, all
you who wait patiently in your hearts? (5) For the Lord will visit the Pious
Ones (Hassidim) and the Righteous (Zaddikim) will He call by name. (6) Over the
Meek will His Spirit hover, and the Faithful will He restore by His power. (7)
He shall glorify the Pious Ones (Hassidim) on the Throne of the Eternal
Kingdom. (8) He shall release the captives, make the blind see, raise up the
do[wntrodden.] (9) For[ev]er will I cling [to Him ...], and [I will trust] in
His Piety (Hesed, also ‘Grace’), (10) and [His] Goo[dness...] of Holiness will
not delay ...(11) And as for the wonders that are not the work of the Lord,
when He ... (12) then He will heal the sick, resurrect the dead, and to the
Meek announce glad tidings. (13)... He will lead the [Holy Ones; He will
shepherd [th]em; He will do (14)...and all of it... Fragment l Column 3 (1) and
the Law will be pursued. I will free them ... (2) Among men the fathers are
honored above the sons ...(3)I will sing (?)the blessing of the Lord with his
favor...(4) The 1[an]d went into exile (possibly, ‘rejoiced) every-wh[ere...]
(5) And all Israel in exil[e (possibly ‘rejoicing’) ...] (6) ... (7) ...
