There is an interesting account regarding Pentecost given by the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus in The Wars of the Jews, Book Six, Chapter Five, Paragraph Three:
“At Pentecost, as the priests were going at night into the inner court of the Temple to perform their sacred ministrations, they felt a quaking and heard a great noise. After that they heard a sound as of a great multitude, saying, ‘Let us remove hence’.”In today’s vernacular, there was a crowd of people saying, “We’re out of here!” While not scriptural, that is thought provoking!
There is a Torah Design in the first five chapters of John that relates to Pentecost. (Please click HERE for more information on Torah Designs.) Here is a quick summary:
Chapter 1 – Genesis / Beginning – the Beginning of the ministry of Jesus
Chapter 2 – Exodus / Deliverance – Jesus Delivered the House of God of money changers
Chapter 3 – Leviticus / Set Apart – No one can enter the Kingdom without being born again
Chapter 4 – Numbers / In the Wilderness – Jesus spent two days in the spiritual wilderness of Samaria
Chapter 5 - Deuteronomy / Summary and Preparing to Enter the Promised Land. After the Book of Deuteronomy, the Children of Israel crossed the Jordan and entered the Promised Land. Today, we speak of death as “crossing the Jordan” to enter Heaven, our Promised Land. In John chapter five Jesus prophesies about the Church “crossing the Jordan,” thereby fulfilling the Torah Design.
The Jews wanted to kill the Lord Jesus because He healed a man on the Sabbath (John 5:16). He corrected the Jews in a long summary in John chapter five, and also inserted interesting statements about the Church entering our Promised Land, or Heaven.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.” – John 5:25 (my emphasis)In this verse is this not a description of “the Lord himself descending from Heaven with a shout …” (I Thessalonians 4:16)?
Then Jesus continued:
“Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” – John 5:28-29 (my emphasis)Again, the Lord Jesus is prophesying the event described by Paul in First Thessalonians.
“… and the dead in Christ shall rise first.” – I Thessalonians 4:16Apparently at Pentecost, in Jerusalem, the Lord Jesus prophesied the event we know as the Rapture, the “catching up” (harpazo Strong’s G726) of Christian Believers (I Thessalonians 4:16). I believe this demonstrates the significance of the Day of Pentecost. I suspect, but do not know, this significance tells us that the Church will “hear the voice of the Son of God” (John 5:25) on the Day of Pentecost.
This is my opinion, but it is based upon the Word of God. Praise the Lord for His Holy Bible!