The 120 At The Day of Pentecost

DID 120 PEOPLE SPEAK IN TONGUES AT PENTECOST? A QUICK EXAMPLE OF WHY WE MUST STUDY THE BIBLE - NOT JUST REPEAT WHAT WE HAVE HEARD Ask almost any Christian: "How many people were in the upper room on the Day of Pentecost?" Most will immediately answer: 120. But here is the problem: YOUR BIBLE NEVER ACTUALLY SAYS THAT. In Acts 1:15, sometime before Pentecost, Peter stands among a gathering of about 120 disciples. That is where the number 120 comes from. But Acts does not say: "Those same 120 remained in the upper room until Pentecost." It does not say: "120 people received the Holy Spirit." And it does not say: "120 people spoke in tongues." "And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles." - Acts 1:26 Then we arrive at the actual DAY OF PENTECOST. Acts 2:1 says, "They were all with one accord in one place." But who is the immediate group being discussed at the end of Acts chapter 1? The replacement apostle has just been chosen, and Matthias is "numbered with the eleven apostles." After the Spirit falls and the crowd gathers, Scripture specifically tells us: "But Peter, standing up with the eleven..." - Acts 2:14 That means we should at least STOP pretending that the Bible plainly says 120 people were in the upper room speaking in tongues. It does not. Could the larger group have been present? POSSIBLY. But POSSIBLY is not the same thing as SCRIPTURE SAYING IT. Page 1 THE REAL LESSON We inherit traditions. We hear sermons. We see paintings. We repeat statements for so many years that eventually we begin calling them BIBLE. And sometimes they are nothing more than ASSUMPTIONS built between the verses. THIS IS WHY YOU MUST STUDY. Not skim. Not repeat. Not assume. STUDY. Paul said: "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 Because one of the quickest ways to be ashamed is to confidently declare: "THE BIBLE SAYS..." when the Bible never actually said it. READ THE TEXT. FOLLOW THE PRONOUNS. FOLLOW THE TIMELINE. QUESTION THE TRADITION. AND NEVER CALL AN ASSUMPTION SCRIPTURE. Important distinction: Acts does not explicitly say that only the Twelve were present. The careful claim is that Acts never explicitly says that all 120 remained there and spoke in tongues on Pentecost. Page 2