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We are often told that the Holy Ghost was given on the day of Pentecost. But where was He in the Old Testament?
The answer to that question requires us to understand one very important thing: the Holy Ghost is the Spirit of Christ — God in the flesh — in other words, God Himself. He has been involved in everything from the very beginning.
The Spirit in the Beginning
Genesis 1:2
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
When we see God doing things in the Old Testament, we are seeing the Holy Ghost moving. He was there when the world began. He was there when Moses led Israel out of Egypt. He was there even in the hundreds of years of silence between the Old and New Testaments.
This raises an important question: Why are we told that the Holy Ghost wasn’t given until the day of Pentecost? Had the Holy Spirit never been poured out on anyone before?
Numbers 14:24
24 But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.
Numbers 27:18
18 And the Lord said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him;
Exodus 31:2–3
2 See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: 3 And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,
Micah 3:8
8 But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.
Yes — the Holy Spirit had indeed been poured out on men in the Old Testament. They spoke the word of God through the Spirit of God Himself. They performed miracles, healed the sick, and even raised the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit.
These things were being done long before the day of Pentecost.
Luke 1:15
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.
The Holy Spirit didn’t just “come upon them”—He filled them. We’re told explicitly that John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Ghost from birth. And we should all be aware that he was born before Jesus.
Being Born Again: Not New Information
John 3:3-10
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? 10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
I want to point something out in these scriptures that we often don’t catch. Jesus expected Nicodemus to already know these things. That means Jesus expected Nicodemus to already know this truth! Being “born again” wasn’t new information. It had always been true that a person had to be born of the Spirit to see the kingdom of God.
Romans 8:7-9
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
If the only way to please or love God is to have His Spirit, then even people in the Old Testament had to be filled with that same Spirit.
Being born again means having new life breathed into you — and that’s what happened both in the Old and New Testaments.
This means even people in the Old Testament needed to be born again. But how could that be if Jesus had not yet come, and the Spirit had not yet been poured out?
The Day Of Pentecost
What was so different about the Holy Ghost being given on the day of Pentecost?
The common belief is that people in the Old Testament were not “born again” the same way believers are today. It’s often said that the Holy Spirit came upon them but didn’t dwell in them permanently.
It’s also said that the permanent indwelling and union with Christ through the Spirit was impossible until Jesus’ death and resurrection.
John 7:39
39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
This is one verse where the idea comes from that the Holy Spirit wasn’t available before Pentecost. But the Scriptures clearly show that He was already dwelling in people even in the Old Testament.
And if God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34–35), then He would not have withheld His Spirit from any who truly feared Him.
So what are we missing?
John 20:21-22
21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
Before the day of Pentecost, Jesus had already given the disciples the Holy Ghost! So why did He say they needed to wait for the Holy Ghost in Jerusalem?
This is where we make our mistake. We think the Holy Ghost is what was given to the disciples on the day of Pentecost—but that’s not what Scripture actually tells us. He was given to them before Jesus ascended.
Acts 1:8
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Jesus didn’t say they would receive the Spirit Himself at Pentecost — He said they would receive power after the Spirit came upon them. That’s not the same thing.
Receiving Him meant the Spirit dwelled within them — which happened when Jesus breathed on them. But power was given when He came upon them outwardly. But for what purpose?
Understanding “The Spirit Not Yet Given”
Let’s look at the promise itself.
Joel 2:28-32
28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. 30 And I will shew 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 great and terrible day of the Lord come. 32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.
Peter quoted this in Acts, saying it was being fulfilled. Yet prophecy, dreams, and miracles had already occurred in the Old Testament. So what made this promise different?
It wasn’t that the Spirit was being given for the first time. It was who the Spirit was given to.
The promise was the outpouring of His Spirit upon all flesh. It would come to pass that whoever called upon the name of the Lord would be saved. This was the important part of the promise. This is the distinction we need to understand.
That means no longer only certain prophets, kings, or chosen individuals, but people from every nation, class, and language.
Pentecost: The Spirit Made Known to All People
John 4:22-23
22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Romans 10:13-15
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
Until Pentecost, much of the world had never even heard of the God of Israel. On that day, the Spirit was poured out to empower the disciples to bring the knowledge of God to every nation — fulfilling Joel’s prophecy that “whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
It was not the first time anyone received the Holy Ghost; it was the first time the entire world was invited to receive Him.
The promise wasn’t simply “I will pour out My Spirit,” but “I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh.”
Before that day, most of the world didn’t know whom to call upon. Now, through the gospel, they could.
Those in the Old Testament were saved by faith, born again by the same Spirit of life. But at Pentecost, power was given to make that same Spirit known to the ends of the earth.
The Holy Ghost was not absent before Pentecost. He was present from the beginning, moving over the waters, inspiring prophets, empowering leaders, and regenerating believers by faith.
The difference on the day of Pentecost was not the arrival of the Spirit, but the revelation of the Spirit to all nations. It was the day God began pouring out His Spirit upon all flesh — opening the door for everyone, everywhere, to receive the life of God within them.
So, when we study Pentecost, we should remember it wasn’t the first day anyone received the Spirit. It was the first day everyone could hear about Him so that they could.
Unit 4:3 – The Seal of the Holy Spirit OR
Return To Christianity 101 Unit 4 To Review What You Have Gone Over