When did the Holy Spirit come down onto all people? Was it when the apostles got the "tongues of fire"

Question

over their heads, or was it before that? Was the Holy Spirit not in people before that?

Answer 1

Seems like I remember that the Church has 2 teachings about that. According to the gospel of John, the Holy Spirit descended on the world when Jesus was lifted up on the cross. So the Holy Spirit was there, but only fully accessed by the apostles in the upper room in Acts at pentecost.

Another teaching, if I'm remembering right, says that the Holy Spirit arrived with Jesus's birth, but people weren't ready for it until the tongues of fire thing in Acts.

I'm not sure what the Church's official teachings are about the Holy Spirit prior to Jesus's birth, but I suspect that if God was in the hearts and lives of people before that, it was in the form of the Holy Spirit.

Answer 2

You are exactly right. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came down upon all people at Jerusalem. And every since that day, every time a person gets saved from their sins, they also get filled with the Holy Spirit of God. I was bothered by this matter for a long time. And then one day the Lord Jesus spoke to me about the matter, and I have never had any trouble concerning the matter since that day. The best way that I can help you I believe, is to tell you to go to www.tracts.com/BiblicalTruths.html. On this website, I have over 200 Bible lessons that the Lord has had me to write. There is one on there about the Holy Spirit. I believe it will help you very much if you read it. May God bless you.

Answer 3

It came upon people all through the old testament, but the tongues of fire was when He came to indwell people on the day of Pentecost, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is available to every believer who has accepted Christ as lord and saviour, all they need do is invite the Holy Spirit to come live in them. Some say that this was for then and not now, but God is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8)

Answer 4

While baptizing with water, John the Baptist prophesied of the first Pentecost where Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Matthew 3:11). Jesus confirmed this prophesy with the promise of the Holy Spirit to the disciples in John 14:26. He showed Himself to these men after His death on the Cross and His Resurrection, giving convincing proofs that He was alive. Jesus told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the gift from the Father, the Holy Spirit, from whom they would receive power to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:3-8). After Jesus’ ascension to Heaven, the men returned to Jerusalem and joined together in prayer in an upper room. On the Day of Pentecost, just as promised, the violent wind filled the house and tongues of fire came to rest on each of them and all were filled with the Holy Spirit. They were given the power of communication which Peter used to begin the ministry that Jesus had prepared him for. After the coming of the Holy Spirit, the disciples did not stay in the room basking in God’s glory but burst out to tell the world. This was the beginning of the Church as we know it.

Answer 5

The believers before Pentecost did not have the Holy Spirit in them yet they only had it upon them. Now we have the Holy Spirit in us forever, and when the Holy Spirit comes upon us it is for the power God gives us to preach or to do whatever it is God is wanting us to do at that time. The annointing is the same thing as the Holy Spirit coming upon us with power. The annointing upon us comes and goes but the annointing in us or Holy Spirit in us never goes away.

Answer 6

Before. Clearly. In John 20:22 - the Lord "breathes" on the apostles, and says "Receive ye the Holy Ghost" - and then He gives them the power to forgive and retain sins. The only other moment in Scripture where God breathes on man is in Gen. 2:7, when the Lord "breathes" divine life into man. When this happens, a significant transformation takes place.

Answer 7

The apostles actually received the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:4:

Act 2:2 And suddenly a sound came out of the heaven, as being borne along by a violent wind! And it filled all the house where they were sitting.
Act 2:3 And tongues as of fire appeared to them, being distributed, and it sat on each one of them.
Act 2:4 And they were all filled of the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave ability to them to speak.

If you look back to Acts 1:8, you'll notice Christ indicated that they had not received the Spirit yet.

Act 1:8 but you will receive power, the Holy Spirit coming upon you, and you will be witnesses of Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

In Acts 4, we see the beginning of the Church, all those present received the Spirit.

Act 4:31 And they having prayed, the place in which they were gathered was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God with boldness.

All believers are indwelt with the Spirit, which brings the gift of faith from God.

Eph 1:13 in whom also you, hearing the Word of Truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also believing you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

Eph 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed to the day of redemption.

1Th 4:8 Therefore, the one that despises does not despise man, but God, even He giving His Holy Spirit to us.

2Ti 1:14 Guard the good Deposit given through the Holy Spirit indwelling in us.

Not everyone is given the Spirit:

Joh 14:16 And I will petition the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may remain with you to the age,
Joh 14:17 the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive because it does not see Him nor know Him. But you know Him, for He abides with you and shall be in you.

Rom 8:9 But you are not in flesh, but in Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone has not the Spirit of Christ, this one is not His.

1Co 2:14 But a natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Jud 1:18 because they told you that at the last time there will be mockers following ungodlinesses according to their lusts.
Jud 1:19 These are they setting themselves apart, animal-like ones, not having the Spirit.

In the Old Covenant, the Spirit indwelt people for a time, to do the bidding of God, but it was not a permanent indwelling.

Answer 8

Jesus promised His disciples He would send a comforter after He returned to heaven. At the day we celebrate Pentecost, the believers were in earnest prayer when the Holy Spirit came upon them in the form of tongues of fire.

The Holy Spirit is present in the world today as the restrainer, keeping satan and his minions in check. All who call upon Jesus as their Savior are immediately filled with the Holy Spirit.

At the rapture, when the body of Christ is removed from this world, so too will the Holy Spirit leave. Then all hell will break loose as satan will be free to destroy our world.

Answer 9

The apostles could not receive the Holy Spirit until Jesus assended into Heaven. We, on the other hand, receive the Holy Spirit the moment we accept Jesus Christ as our personal savior.

Answer 10

yes it was when the tongues of fire came upon them and no the holy spirit had not been on earth but in heaven before, the reason the jews needed to go into the holy of holies to see Gods face, while now we can pray in our bedroom is because the holy spirit takes our prayers for us into heaven.
So we can be face to face on earth with God with out the death part.