Pentecost is Not Fulfilled! Part 1

Pentecost is Not Fulfilled!

Part 1, “A Shadow of Good Things to Come!”

Chapter 8 Preview: Was the primary meaning of the Day of Pentecost fulfilled on the day when the Holy Spirit breathed new life into The Assembly (Ekklesia) that Jesus (actually Yeshua, off site) promised He would “rebuild” [Strong’s 3618], or does Pentecost have more to do with events taking place “BEFORE the coming of the great and awesome DAY OF THE LORD”? This chapter is not focused on the first century Pentecost, it is about the prophesied events necessary to fulfill the essence of Pentecost’s meaning—that Peter thought was going to happen right then and there. Peter actually jumped the gun on Pentecost in 31 AD, thinking that “the Day of the Lord” was about to begin. Why did he think that “the Day of the Lord” was imminent then—and why should you now?

This chapter is really about what was NOT fulfilled on Pentecost of 31! For an explanation on the near future fulfillment of Pentecost see: Israel’s Holy Days, Part 2.

Acts 2:1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

There is no doubt that this was the most amazing Day of Pentecost since the very first one, but it is not the Day that Peter thought it was going to be! This is what happened on Pentecost of 31 AD.

Acts 2:2-13 Suddenly there came from the sky a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 Tongues like fire appeared and were distributed to them, and one sat on each of them. 4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak. 5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under the sky. 6 When this sound was heard, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, EVERYONE HEARD THEM SPEAKING IN HIS OWN LANGUAGE. 7 They were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Behold, aren’t all these who speak Galileans? 8 How do we hear, everyone in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, 10 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the parts of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabians: we hear them speaking in our languages the mighty works of God!” 12 They were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying one to another, “What does this mean?” 13 Others, mocking, said, “They are filled with new wine.” WEB

In the Zephaniah 3 account, the language, (or speech), of the entire earth will be pure. Perhaps there will only be one language. (v.9) Peter knew that God will purge out the wicked and leave a humble people (vs.11-12) It would be logical for a person who believed that the Kingdom of God was about to be set up, to be expecting Zephaniah 3 to be fulfilled immediately. Great intervention in the languages of mankind, as seemed to be happening on that Day of Pentecost would require the intervention of God. Knowing that the Holy Days commemorate momentous events both past and even more so concern “things to come” (Colossians 2:17), Peter thought that the Day of Yehovah’ (the Day of the Lord) was being initiated on that very day! Based on his already existing assumption—that the end was near—that would have been “logical”. The apostles had no idea that two millennia would elapse first! After Peter’s death, however, John revealed much more about the time following the Great Tribulation, the time when the Two Witnesses will be killed, and when “peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations” would view their bodies. (Revelation 11:9) Then during the Day of the Lord:

Revelation 14:6 There will be an ... angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting “gospel” to preach to those who dwell on the earth-to every nation, tribe, tongue and people....

Acts 2: 14-21 [continued]: But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, ‘Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But THIS is what was spoken by the prophet Joel 17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I WILL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT ON ALL FLESH; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. 18 AND ON MY MENSERVANTS AND ON MY MAIDSERVANTS I WILL POUR MY SPIRIT in those days; and they shall prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: blood and fire and vapor of smoke. 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, “BEFORE the Great and Awesome DAY OF THE LORD” . 21 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. WEB

None of these things went on to happened that day!

Was that Pentecost a partial fulfillment of Joel 2? Was the Day of the Lord also being “partially” fulfilled? Were those days “partially” the last days? No! The rest of the day did not live up to Peter’s expectations! Not only will “all flesh”, in this instance-everyone alive, have God’s spirit poured out on them so that they may repent, but the saints of God will have even more of His Spirit poured out on them!

Here is the rest of the text of Acts 2. Not a single jot or tittle from Peter’s discourse should be omitted, it’s the only significant discourse on the meaning of Pentecost that we have!

Acts 2:22-47 Men of Israel, hear these words! [Yeshua] of Nazareth, a man approved by God to you by mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by Him in the midst of you, even as you yourselves know— 23 Him, being delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by the hand of Lawless men, crucified and killed; 24 whom God raised up, having freed him from the agony of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before my face, For He is on my right hand, that I should not be moved. 26 Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced. Moreover my flesh also will dwell in hope; 27 because you will not leave my soul in Hades, neither will you allow your Holy One to see decay. 28 You made known to me the ways of life. You will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ 29 “Brothers, I may tell you freely of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on His throne, 31 he foreseeing this spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was his soul left in Hades, nor did his flesh see decay. 32 This [Yeshua] God raised up, to which we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted by the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has POURED OUT this, which you now see and hear. 34 For David didn’t ascend into the heavens, but he says himself, ‘The Lord said to My Lord, “Sit by My right hand, 35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” ’ 36 “Let all the house of Israel therefore know certainly that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this [Yeshua] whom you crucified.” [Peter assumed that the whole house of Israel would soon be saved and that it was time for [Yeshua] to occupy the throne of King David! He also assumed that the pouring out, spoken of be Joel, was occurring at that very moment!] 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of [Yeshua Messiah] for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. [This receiving of the Holy Spirit does foreshadow the day when God will pour out His Spirit on all flesh. The Holy Days really do depict things to come!] 39 For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.” 40 With many other words he testified, and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” 41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. There were added that day about three thousand souls. 42 They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and prayer. 43 Fear came on every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 All who believed were together, and had all things in common. 45 They sold their possessions and goods, and distributed them to all, according as anyone had need. 46 Day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart, 47 praising God, and having favor with all the people. The Lord added to the assembly day by day those who were being saved. WEB

Incidentally, the only apparent reason that the early Saints all sold their homes and lived communally was because they believed that the end of the age was to begin immediately and that money was no object! As soon as this eror was discovered, the communal living ceased. During the Great Tribulation, when the worldly twelve tribes of Israel realize that money wont save them, “they will cast their silver into the streets”—in dispair! (Ezekiel 7:19)

Pentecost pictures the time when the “firstfruits” of Israel return to God, they will be the first whole generation of Israelites to return to God since the destruction of ancient Israel,! Most teachers claim that the “church” is the firstfruits; under that false premise you miss the entire purpose of Pentecost. Paul was describing the “mystery” of Israel in Romans chapters 9,10,and 11! The coming salvation of Israel remains a great mystery to most people to this very day! While “firstfruits” can refer to Yeshua, “the first of the firstfruits”, it also refers to Israelites in general or the 144,000 specifically (Revelation 14:4)

Romans 11:25-27 25 Brethren so that you wont be presumptuous*, I want you to know this hidden mystery, that mental blindness has in some measure happened to Israel, until the *completion of the time* [4138] of the Nations has occurred; 26 and then, all Israel will be rescued* [4982]. As it is written: “A deliverer will come from Zion, and will remove the ungodliness of Jacob”. 27 They will have a covenant with Me again, as soon as I have forgiven their sins. YMES

Our generation of Postchristian America is almost totally Scripturally illiterate. But “My words” will not totally vanish from our culture before The Restoration of All Things occurs:

Isaiah 59:20-21 “A Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from disobedience in Jacob,” says [Yehovah]. 21 “As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says [Yehovah]. “My Spirit [which] is on you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the mouth of your seed, nor out of the mouth of your seed’s seed,” says [Yehovah], “from henceforth and forever.” WEB

Indeed all of Israel, that is, those who are accounted worthy to survive the coming Great Tribulation on Israel, will be saved! When the above described prophecies from Joel actually occur, then all of Israel will have the Holy Spirit miraculously poured out on them. Peter thought that he was witnessing the beginning of that outpouring! Why do you suppose that Scripture preserved this erroneous assumption about Pentecost? THIS was NOT, as it turned out, the fulfillment of Joel’s prophesy concerning the Day of the Lord! God allowed Peter’s assumption to be preserved, as delivered, to show us that even inspired apostles can misunderstand God’s timing! It is readily understood that the apostles all assumed that the Kingdom of God was very soon to be set up. God did nothing to alter that assumption. Assumptions are a necessary part of life. We often have to use them until we have more complete knowledge.

The problem comes when we accept our assumptions as being fact. Israel was the firstfruits of God thru a marriage covenant!

Jeremiah 2:2-3 Go and cry in the hearing of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD: I remember you, the kindness of your youth, the love of your betrothal, when you went after Me in the wilderness, in a land not sown. 3 ISRAEL was holiness to the LORD, the FIRSTFRUITS of His increase.

Jeremiah 31:32 ... not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD.

Pentecost represents the time when the Nations of Israel will again enter the Promised Land! It will be much like the original occupation of the land. Notice that the Feast Days were not to be celebrated until Israel came into the Promised Land. They were not celebrated in the wilderness during the 40 years without faith. Here is one of the many “When you come into the land” statements. In this instance it has to do with the wave sheaf offering, that starts the 50 day countdown to Pentecost, but the idea of waiting to enter Israel is the same.

Leviticus 23:9-11 Yehovah spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘When you have entered the land that I will give to you, and gather a crop of abib, then you will bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest; 11 and he will wave the sheaf before Yehovah, to be accepted for you. On the day following the Sabbath, the priest will wave it. YMES

After the Second Exodus, the pioneers who resettle Israel will keep their first Pentecost in the restored Kingdom of Israel! These former slaves will have the opportunity and be given the understanding on the spot.

Isaiah spoke about the coming day of Israel’s salvation, when He will again “choose” Israel to be His Bride, this time as the Lamb’s wife, in a New [marriage] Covenant!

Isaiah 14:1 For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will still CHOOSE Israel, and settle them in their own land The strangers will be joined with them, and they will cling to the house of Jacob.

Isaiah 49:6-9 Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give you as a light to the Gentiles, that you should be My salvation to the ends of the earth. 7 Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One, to Him whom man despises, to Him whom the nation abhors, to the Servant of rulers: Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel; and He has CHOSEN You. 8 Thus says the LORD: In an acceptable time I have heard You, and in the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You [Israel] and give You as a covenant to the people, to restore the earth, to cause them to inherit the desolate heritages; 9 that You may say to the prisoners, ‘Go forth,’ to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’ They shall feed along the roads, and their pastures shall be on all desolate heights.

The church (off site) is not the Bride! However the Assembly that began on the Day of Pentecost under Moses, and still remains, is the bride. The descendants of the twelve tribes of Israel, when they re-marry God, will be the Bride at the Marriage Supper! You might need to see the evidence!

Yet in the spirit realm, other analogies apply to our brothers still in the flesh.

Isaiah 62:5 For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you; and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.

God expects all of mankind to believe that He, the Creator God, exists because there is a fantastic creation right in front of us! They are without excuse (Romans 1:20) who do not consider this to be true, even tho they might certainly wonder why they have no contact with Him. Logically, mankind should also believe that the Creator had some great reason for creating the universe. Furthermore all of us should rightfully think that humanity is the pinnacle of the Creator’s workmanship because of our unique minds. We are unmistakably not like the animals!

Just as it is the job of every scientist to prove his assumptions, we should try to prove ours. A scientist calls his assumptions hypotheses but despite the funny word, it is still his job to do everything he can, to systematically determine the truth. We are to be like that. Prove all things; hold fast that which you believe to be good. Never fail to believe, acknowledge and act on everything that you perceive to be truth. Even if you are later proven wrong, God is far more concerned with your lack of cowardice than your perfect knowledge. God will judge you on your works! God wants for us to run the race, not waiting for others to catch up!

When an emergency occurs, such as being lost at sea, assumptions are a necessary survival skill. An assumption often decides whether you live or die. You have to learn to act in a world without perfect knowledge. God deliberately adds knowledge, a little at a time, to see if we will continue to respond to Him.

Joel described the time when the rest of Israel will also receive the Spirit of God! Notice that this prophecy is for Israel BEFORE the Day of the Lord. God will deal with the rest of the world DURING and AFTER that day. The chapter break disrupts the uninterrupted discernment intended.

Israel First

Joel 2:28-3:2 And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. 29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. 30 And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood and fire and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, BEFORE the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD [i.e. during the Great Tribulation]. 32 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the remnant whom the LORD calls. 3:1 For behold, in those days and at that time, when I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will also gather all nations, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations.

Notice that the “all flesh” and the “whoever” is still in reference to the just liberated captives and that God is about to gather “all [the other] nations” for “judgment”!

Returning to Acts 2, we see that God inspired this chapter to be retained as Scripture for far more than to simply demonstrate that an Apostle could be mistaken. Peter quoted a good bit of Scripture from memory, which demonstrates that he really had thought a lot about those words prior to that day. Surely he would have asked for Yeshua’s thoughts on that prophecy while he had the opportunity. It’s doubtful that there is much of the Hebrew Scriptures that they had not inquired about, and learned about except for when the prophecies would unfold. That information was not made available. Daniel also asked: “When”

Daniel 12:6 How long will it be to the end of these wonders? And:

Daniel 12:8 ... what will be the end of these things?

Many times tho, assumptions are made because we simply dont think to ask the right questions! We learn best by asking the right questions!

Peter knew that a day was coming when God would pour out His spirit on “all flesh”. Peter knew that Israel’s young people would see visions and prophecy. Peter also knew that:

Acts 2:20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the Lord.

There really is coming a day when God will pour out His Spirit on “all flesh”, and that day will only happen once. This amazing prophecy, that Peter believed was for his time, will be fulfilled just prior to The Day of the Lord! However, Peter really jumped the gun on the timing of the prophetic significance of Pentecost.

The Day of Trumpets represents the Day of the Lord, the very end of this age. Surely Peter had known about the commonly believed seven thousand year plan—God’s seven millennium long plan for humanity, with three millennial “days” left to go at that time. Yet he had set that aside, thinking that it was wrong.

Peter, knowing that Pentecost is the Holy Day that comes before Trumpets, “before the ... Day of the Lord”, expected that things were going to get bad quickly.

The Marriage Supper

Take a look at a bit more of the prophecy that Peter was quoting from.

Joel 2:15-17 Blow the trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly [i.e. Pentecost]; 16 gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children and nursing babes; let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, and the bride from her dressing room. 17 Let the priests, who minister to the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar; let them say, ‘Spare Your people, O Lord, and do not give Your heritage to reproach, that the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, Where is their God?’

This allusion to a marriage is in reference to the many other Scriptures that describe the marriage of God to Israel at the time of this dramatic transition from slavery to redemption.

Hosea 2:13-21 I will punish her for the days of the Baals to which she burned incense. She decked herself with her earrings and jewelry, and went after her lovers; but Me she forgot, says the LORD. 14 Therefore, behold, I will allure her, will bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfort to her. 15 I will give her her vineyards from there, and the valley of Achor as a door of hope; she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. 16 And it shall be, in that day, says the LORD, That you will call Me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer call Me ‘My Master,’ ... 19 I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in loving kindness and mercy; 20 I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know the LORD. 21 “It shall come to pass in that day that I will answer,” says the LORD; “I will answer the heavens, and they shall answer the earth.”

What spiritual inferences can be gathered from this original Pentecost instruction? The meaning of this Day is inseparable from the HARVEST. Why two loaves? Altho the rituals are suspended today, the symbolism is still quite relevant.

Leviticus 23:15-22 And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. 16 Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord. 17 You shall bring from your dwellings TWO WAVE LOAVES of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to the Lord. 18 And you shall offer with the bread seven lambs of the first year, without blemish, one young bull, and two rams. They shall be as a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma to the Lord. 19 Then you shall sacrifice one kid of the goats as a sin offering, and two male lambs of the first year as a sacrifice of a peace offering. 20 The priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the Lord for the priest. 21 And you shall proclaim on the same day that it is a holy convocation to you. You shall do no customary work on it. It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. 22 ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning from your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the Lord your God.’

What is a Firstfruit?

Both Yeshua and Israel are firstfruits! A firstfruit is essentially the same as a firstborn. Firstfruits on an actual tree are the first to ripen, better shaped, and more flavorful. The emphasis is on being called first, maturing first! Firstfruit can mean an actual fruit but it also refers to anything “first in place, time, order or rank” —Strong’s . However, this particular firstfruit is specifically in reference to the harvest of wheat.

Exodus 34:22 And you shall observe the ‘Feast of Weeks’ [Pentecost in the Greek Scriptures], of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of ‘Ingathering’ [Tabernacles] at the year’s end.

The ancient symbolism of waving a sheaf of barley toward the heavens before God was a portrayal of Yeshua being presented to His Father in the heavens, following His crucifixion, on the very day of the wave sheaf.

The wheat harvest follows the barley harvest. Yeshua spoke of another harvest, comparing it to a wheat harvest. In fact He used the analogy of a wheat harvest three times, each time referring to the harvest of Israel into the Kingdom of God, as well as the associated Judgment Day! For those who have eyes to see—this is a terrific reason to celebrate Pentecost—to celebrate the day we enter the Kingdom of God!

Here are the three wheat analogies. Avoid the baptism in fire!

Matthew 3:11-12 1 I baptize you with water to repentance; but He who comes after me is more powerful than I; whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize [907, or immerse] you in the Holy Spirit or* [1] in fire. 12 His winnowing fan* is in His hand; and He will make His threshing floor clean. He will gather the WHEAT into His storehouse; and He will *entirely burn up* [2618] the chaff in unquenchable FIRE. YMES

Matthew 13:24-30 24 He proposed another analogy* to them: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 While people were asleep, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the plants shot up and yielded, then the tares also appeared. 27 The servants of the householder came, and told him, “Supervisor, didnt you sow good seed in your field? Why are there tares with it. 28 He told them, ‘An enemy has done this’. The servants asked him, ‘Would you like for us to go and pull them out’? 29 He told them, ‘No, because while you sort out the tares, you’ll also eradicate the WHEAT with them. 30 Let them both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest, I will say to the reapers, ‘Gather the tares out FIRST, and bind them in bundles to be BURNED; but gather the wheat into my granary’”. YMES

John 12:23-31 But [Yeshua] answered them, saying: The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. 24 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of WHEAT falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.... 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out [into Gehenna FIRE].

There is coming a time when the voice of a holy Messenger will be heard and understood by every person of every language. You guessed it; this happens during the Day of the Lord, or “the hour of His judgment”. Another way to nail down the timing is that: “Babylon is fallen, is fallen”. Once Satan’s governments are shattered then God will initiate “His judgment”. The timing is precise; “the everlasting evangel” (good news) is the sure message. The language phenomenon at that time may be the same as that of the historic Pentecost of 31 AD.

Revelation 14:6-8 Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— 7 saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.’ 8 And another angel followed, saying: Babylon is fallen, is fallen that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

Peter was prepared for the miracles of Pentecost, are you? Perhaps a literal new language will be downloaded into everyone’s brain as a sign, at that very time. On that Pentecost, everyone will undoubtedly be stone sober!

After reviewing this chapter in May of 2006, I decided that further elaboration was needed to explain why the apostles were under the impression that the end of the age was upon them. Here is that elaboration:

1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things [prophesied] is near. Therefore be of sound mind, self-controlled, and sober in prayer.

Yeshua’s murder, on Passover, followed by His surprising resurrection and His public departure to heaven just ten days prior to Pentecost really had His followers stirred up. But then on Pentecost a limited in scope (i.e. not on all of Israel) but astonishing outpouring of the Holy Spirit put a whole new perspective into the minds of the disciples. Certainly the most momentous times in history were taking place then. In the minds of those present on that amazing day of Pentecost these things were definitely signaling the arrival of the Everlasting Kingdom. Indeed, why would a person think that the signs and miracles would end?

Yet, in later decades, their entire concept of Scriptural prophecy came crashing down around them. Initially, as Peter explained on Pentecost of 31 AD, they were certain that that year’s Holy Days would initiate the prophecies concerning the Everlasting Kingdom. Why would they doubt that the events portrayed in the Holy Days would not continue to play out that very year. Passover saw fulfillment, and then seemingly Pentecost—why not the Day of the Lord on the Feast of Trumpets? Yet by the fall Feast days, they realized that the prophetic momentum had ceased!

So they began to focus on Yeshua’s comments about “this generation”.

Matthew 12:42 The queen of the south will rise up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, someone greater than Solomon is here. WEB

In the Olivet prophecy, Yeshua spoke about what they believed that He meant the last generation—calling it “this generation.”

Matthew 24:34 Most certainly I tell you, this generation will not pass away, until all these things are accomplished. WEB

Luke 11:32 The men of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, one greater than Jonah is here. WEB

Luke 11:51 ... from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zachariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary.’ Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation.

They concluded that the Kingdom would come to “we who are alive”.

Yet, as it turned out, it was another use of the of the term translated as “generation” was what Yeshua meant: “nation” ! While they most certainly knew that “genea” primarily refers to a race of people, or a family, they nevertheless accepted the most optimistic use of the term, equating it to their single generation. But Judgment Day did not occur in their “generation” and the “queen of the South” did not rise up yet.

Here is Matthew 12:42 from the YMES:

Matthew 12:42 The queen of the south will stand up in on Judgment Day against this nation*, and will condemn it, for she came from the remote parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now One superior to Solomon is here. YMES

Here is the definition of “generation” in Greek. Bracketed comments are mine:

Finally they figured out that their hopes for the Kingdom being established in their lifetimes was quite presumptuous and they resumed their belief in the prevailing millennial week/7000 year concept.

Now for Part 2