The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 169

THE SIGNS OF PENTECOST

129

cance to the signs, but simply declared that an event had taken place by which the prophecy of Joel was fulfilled.

Did the event of Pentecost then exhaust the prophecy of Joel?

By no means; for the sun was not turned into darkness, nor the moon into blood; and we hear nothing of the dreams of old men. Nor could it the notable day that will exhaust this and so many ;

other prophecies can not the holy apostle

meant

come

until the return of the Lord.

to say, that the

day

But

of the Lord's return

was brought so much nearer by this event. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is one of the great events which pledge the coming of that great and notable day. Without it that day can not come. Looking back from heaven, the day of Pentecost will appear to us as the last great miracle immediately preceding the day of the Lord. And since that day shall be attended by awful signs, as was the preparatory day of Pentecost, the apostle puts them together

and makes them appear as one, showing that

God

in Joel's

prophecy

points to both events.

be certain that the signs attending the Lord's return— blood, and vapor of smoke shall not be symbolic, but constituent elements of that last part of the world's history, viz., its last conflagraIf it

—

fire,

then

tion,

it is

certain that Peter did not understand the signs of

Pentecost to be symbolic.

Neither can the

still

more unsatisfactory explanation be enterdraw and fix the attention

tained that these signs were intended to of the multitude.

The senses of sight and hearing are the most effectual means by which the outside world can act upon our consciousness. In order suddenly to arouse and excite a person, one need only startle him by an explosion or by the flash of a dazzling light. Acting upon this,

some

of the earlier Methodists used to fire pistols at their re-

vival meetings, hoping that the report

and

flash

would create the

The subsequent excitement of the people would tend to make them more susceptible to the operation of the Holy Spirit. Similar experiments are those of the Salvation Army. desired state of mind.

According

to this notion, the signs of

Pentecost bore a similar charsupposed by some that the disciples, still unconverted men, were sitting together in the upper chamber on the day of Pentecost. To render them susceptible to the inflowing of the Holy Spirit they must be aroused by a noise and fire. It must seem as acter.

It is

tho a violent thunder-storm had burst upon the city 9

;

flashes of light-

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