Ask Your Preacher - Archives
“Counting The Days”
Categories: NEW TESTAMENTHow many days did the believers wait in the upper room before the Spirit came upon them?Sincerely,
Checking The Calendar
Dear Checking The Calendar,
The Bible never specifically says how long the believers waited in Jerusalem for the Spirit to come, but we can deduce it was about seven to ten days. Jesus died on the Passover (Jhn 13:1, Jhn 18:28). After rising from the dead on Sunday morning (Mk 16:9), Jesus appeared to various disciples over a course of forty days (Acts 1:3). Near the end of those forty days, Jesus told His apostles to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came upon them (Acts 1:4-5). The Holy Spirit came upon the apostles on Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). Pentecost is exactly fifty days after the Passover. So, with a little quick math, we find that they must have waited a week to ten days (depending on how Jesus’ three days of burial are counted).
