 How many people were in the upper room on the day of Pentecost? Well, if you get this problem wrong, it might indicate something with how bad or how right you read the Bible. When we read the Bible, it's important, obviously, because it's the Bible, that we read it properly. The problem is we don't always read it properly, obviously, because if we all did, we would all understand and believe the same thing. Unfortunately, we do not. That is a huge problem. How do we fix it? Well, I want to look at something. I want to highlight a passage that would indicate or highlight at least why or where the problem is. Typically, when we hear something, we sometimes will take what we've heard other people say and make that to be the truth when we read the passage. One such passage is in Acts 2, when we talk about how many people were in the upper room on the day of Pentecost. Let's go there. In Acts 2, one says, when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. Suddenly, there came from heaven a noise like a violent Russian wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. The question is, how many people were there in the upper room on the day of Pentecost? Well, if you say that there were 120 people in the upper room on the day of Pentecost, we've got a problem. It will indicate a problem with your hermeneutics, the way that you actually read the Scriptures. Why do I say that? Well, first of all, let's go back to the passage, chapter 2, verse 1. When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. Where was this place? That's the question, because what is happening is we end up thinking that, well, it must be the upper room. Well, that's a problem because the Bible didn't say it was the upper room. Could it have been the upper room? It's possible. It's very possible. But 120 people in the upper room. Let's think about this for a second, but let's go back to Acts, chapter 1, and let's start a little earlier where we can see that maybe it's not even 120 people. So let's go to Acts, chapter 1, verse 12. Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. When they had entered the city, they went up to the upper room where they were staying. That is Peter and John and James and Andrew and Philip and Thomas Bartholomew, Matthew, James, and the son of Alphaeus and Simon, the zealot, and Judas, the son of James. These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer along with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. Now, in this passage, who went into the upper room? Now, it's possible that on the day of Pentecost, if they all went into the upper room, it's possible. But what it does say in chapter 2, we'll get back to it, is that they were together in one place. We'll come back to that in a little bit, but who were together here? It says that those that went to the upper room, he names the disciples Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James, the son of Alphaeus, Simon, the zealot, and Judas, the son of James. So there are 11 people there. Now, they're going to choose another person as well. Then the verse stops. It goes to verse 14 and says, these all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer along with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. It did not say, because what happens sometimes we end up making it say what it doesn't say, it did not say that those other people were also in the upper room with them. Is it possible? Possible, but not likely. At this time, look at the verse 15, at this time Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren, a gathering of about 120 persons was there together. Now, this 120 is not to say that those 120 were with them in the upper room. It's to say that these were the 120 people. They were also disciples who were with them. Peter stood up amongst them, amongst the midst of the brethren. That's what it says. At this time, during this time, it was Peter who was standing up. Peter was considered the first among equals. So Peter was the one that was standing up, giving the loudest voice in the midst of the brethren. Oh, by the way, a gathering of about 120 persons were together, were there together? Are you with me? And so it was only 120 people at that time who were considered to be followers of Christ. So 120, that would include the 12 disciples plus the women, Jesus' brothers, which is, by the way, significant. We'll talk about another time, and then his mother. Now, we get the day of Pentecost. It's a little bit different. So let's go back to chapter 2 verse 1. And it says, when the day of Pentecost comes, so it's a different day, a different time than what we see in Acts 1. Why do we then keep confusing, have this confusion between the day of Pentecost, which is in Acts 2, verse what happens in Acts 1? Because people just gotta get a little bit ahead of themselves. It's been said over and over again. So how many people were in the upper room on the day of Pentecost? Again, it doesn't say. We don't know for a fact they were in the upper room. It's a good chance they were. It's also a chance they were not. It just says, when the day had come, they were all together in one place. Where's the one place? We don't know. And so the place was filled with the Holy Spirit. And who were the ones that received the Holy Spirit? Well, let's drop down to chapter 2. Let's go to verse 14. Now, this is after the Holy Spirit comes upon them. They are giving the word of God. People hear them speaking in their own different languages, and then there's this commotion. This crowd is there, and Peter stands up. Notice what it says, but Peter, taking his stand with the 11, raised his voice and declared to them. So Peter stands up with who? With the other 119? No. With the 11. That's 12. There were 12 people that were in that place that received the Holy Spirit. Why do we say that? Matter of fact, that's going off what Jesus said. It's in keeping with what Jesus said. Jesus says to them, and you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be my witnesses. He says it to who? To the disciples. To these, well, at the time it was 11, then it became 12. They received the Holy Spirit and did what? They gave the gospel. They preached. They were his witnesses in Jerusalem, which is where they are now, all of Judea, and then to Samaria and to the rest of the world. Just like Jesus has said it. So they're going to be these 12 Jewish apostles, who are then going to give validity to other Jews to receive the Holy Spirit, then to other Samaritans, then to the Gentiles. It did not start with the 120, it started with the 12. And the reason why this is important, somebody might think the court is not that important. Yes, it is. It's important because this indicates how we read the Bible. Do we just bring something in just because someone told us this is not that big of a deal? Maybe. Someone may consider to be kind of insignificant, but the fact that you would bring something in that the scriptures don't tell us to, if you'll do it in this area, how easier would it be for you to do so in another area, especially if something that you hold dearly. If a doctrine that you hold dear to you is at stake, how much likely is it for you to bring something into that passage that's not in the passage, but it helps your doctrine? How much likely that to happen? More so, you need to discipline yourself when you read the scriptures. Make it say what it says. Don't make it say what it does not say. It does not say that they were in the upper room on the day of Pentecost. It just says they were in one place. Is it possible? It's possible, but it definitely tells us that it was not 120 that were in that place with them to receive the Holy Spirit. God did not call the 120, he called the 12. These 12 Jewish men, these apostles, who are the what? As the Bible tells us, they are the foundation of the church, Jesus being the chief cornerstone. Here we have it set up just the way the Bible tells us is going to have it, and then we see others receiving the Holy Spirit after that. So again, make sure that you use this as an example, as a guide to how you read the Bible. Why? Because the Bible opens up even more so. It might even indicate any sort of biasness, any sort of openings, any sort of errors, any sort of gaps in the way that you read the scriptures. So I hope this has been beneficial to you. Please read the Bible the way it calls us to. Just like you would read a menu, just like you would read directions, you would not add something to the directions. If not, you'd find yourself lost. If you do, same thing with menus or directions as far as cooking. If you want to add something where it says give a quart and you decide, you know what? I'm going to give two quarts. If it says give a pinch, I'm going to give two tablespoons, you're going to have a problem. Just like we're following that menu or that direction that was written by man with no Holy Spirit, we want to follow this exactly the way that God wants us to. Amen.