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76 Where in Jerusalem Were the Disciples...

2/. Acts 1:14. “All these were continuing with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the
women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brethren.”

This clearly must have been in the Temple, since it is impossible that they should have been
“continually in the Temple” and, at the same time, should have been “continuing with one accord”
in another place.

3/. Acts 2:1. “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one
place.”

4/. Acts 2:46. “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the Temple.”

These passages reiterate that the disciples continued, during the entire period in question, in
one place -- and the first and last passages quoted clearly state that the place was the Temple.

From the last passage quoted above it plainly appears that, after Pentecost, they still made it
a practice to meet “daily in the Temple,” the wording being such as to indicate that this was not a
new custom from that date, but was the “continuing” of what had been their custom since the Mes-
siah’s ascension into heaven.

The Pentecost Service

Additional information about this subject is found in Acts 2:1, when care is given to the lit-
eral meaning of this verse. As rendered in the New King James Version it reads “Now when the
Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.” The Greek word
translated by the three English words “had fully come” (the rendering of which most certainly
DOES NOT give the true sense of the word, since a day cannot be more “fully come” after it has ac-
tually come), means literally “was being accomplished”or “was being completed.” In Bagster’s In-
terlinear Translation the reading is: “And during the accomplishing of the day of Pentecost, they
were all with one accord in the same place.”

What is implied here is that they were, as we should expect, in the Temple for the purpose of
taking part in the appointed services of this great feast day. During an intermission in the ceremo-
nies they would naturally be “sitting” together in their customary meeting-place within the Temple
area. What this verse impresses upon us is that, during the accomplishing of the various ceremonies
of the day of Pentecost, the disciples were not dispersed and mingled with the great crowds of wor-
shipers, but kept together, and were with one accord in one place -- not scattered about. Therefore, it
cannot be doubted that at the moment YEHOVAH’s spirit descended upon them they were all in
one and the same place somewhere within the large area of the Temple -- most likely in Solomon’s
Porch.

Concerning this verse, the statement that the day of Pentecost “was being accomplished”
means far more than that they were observing its ritual. The meaning of Luke here is that all that
was signified by that feast was finding its historic fulfillment.

The Berean Voice March-April 2003