Discuss Acts 2 Page 24

Regarding baptism. Matthews 28:19 & 20, Jesus said: ...teach ALL nations, baptizing them ...Also, Mark 16:15 & 16 say: preach the gospel...he that believe and is baptized shall be saved. Baptism come before you are saved. Baptism is essential to salvation. Acts 2:37 & 38. 1 Peter 3:21 ... Baptism saves us. 2 Timothy 3:16 & 17 tells us that "ALL scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness ... Be blessed!

does Jesus talk on effects of alcohol?

Thank you all so very much

Willie,

Just stand on the scriptures, God will take care of the rest, He will honour Your stand on His Word.

Acts 2:38 KJV

[38] Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Find someone who will baptise you in the name of the Jesus Christ, if you haven't already.

Then you will not be tossed about by every ones opinions.

John 16:13 KJV

[13] Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

He will guide you into all truth.

1 John 2:27 KJV

[27] But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

ye need not that any man teach you

There you go Willie, that's God's Word.

Stand on it, He promised it. Praise the Lord.

Faith leads to obedience.

John 15:7 KJV

[7] If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

You want Him to settle this doubt, ask Him and believe Him when He said - it shall be done unto you.

Matthew 24:35 KJV

[35] Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

God bless you

Sometimes you need to read a lot of scripture About the Holy Spirit to be CERTAIN about who He is and what He is all about. He is not a tongue.

If you are nervous about who the Holy Spirit is... He already knows you are. He'll wait till you search the scriptures to be settled in your mind, that He is the 3rd person of the Godhead; He is the Spirit of Christ Jesus. Jesus went to the Cross partly so we all who believe on Jesus can receive the Holy Spirit without fears. Knowledge is strength.

If your Bible has a dictionary OR a concordance; look up all those scriptures.

When you ARE SURE you want the Holy Spirit ?? Then hold up your hands and say this out loud: " Holy Spirit I trust you and I want everything that you want me to have". I receive it now by faith. Thank you Jesus!!

Amen! Praise God! So Be It! Hallelujah!

Willie,

The only gift that is promised to those who receive Christ is the gift of the Holy Spirit. He gives us His Spirit. No other gift is promised to us. You had nothing to be embarrassed about. There are some who teach that speaking in tongues is evidence that you have the Holy Spirit. Some will also say that your inability to speak in tongues is because of your "lack of faith." There's a theological term for that. It's called Baloney! There is no such thing as a person who has been born of God's Spirit lacking faith. I have never spoken in tongues but I have no doubt that God's Spirit is working in my life. The tongues that are being taught in the church today are not the tongues of the bible. As far as getting re-baptized (Water), there is nothing saying you can't do that. Water baptism is an outward testimony of an inward change. In other words, you are giving a public testimony that you have received Christ and you are identifying yourself with His death, burial, and resurrection. Water baptism is a physical human expression. Jesus baptizes people with His Spirit. That is the baptism that saves you!

I was baptized at 19, but i have a question that i have struggled with since, as i was in the pool getting ready to be baptized the Pastor said to the people watching lets all pray that the Lord will give rich the gift of speaking in tongues, I was shocked to hear him say that and when i came up from the water i was quite embarrassed because i didn't get the gift. My question is was i still baptized or must i get it again. I am a Christian and the lord has answered many prayers since that day, but i have often wondered

Chris, I understand your argument and definition of Perfection. But we don't get to choose how we define things. Perfection has a definition all its own and it doesn't depend on a person's perspective or sentiment. Christ came to bring perfection. If He came to bring Perfection, it means we never had it.

1 Peter 1:20, "Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you".

Acts 2:23, "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain".

Isa 37:26, "Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it; in days of old I planned it. Now I have brought it to pass, that you should crush fortified cities into piles of rubble."

Eph 1:3-5, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. 4For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love 5He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will".

2 Timothy 1:9, "He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not because of our own works, but by His own purpose and by the grace He granted us in Christ Jesus before time eternal."

1 Peter 1:20, "Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you".

God Planned and Prepared a Perfect Kingdom for us, before the Foundation of the World. And if He prepared perfection for us, what does it mean but that we never had it. Adam and Eve didn't have it and neither do we. Perfection was not coming until after Christ. It didn't come before Him. Heb 11:40, "God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect." Heb 5:9, "And having been made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation."

Only Christ was made Perfect. Adam and Eve were not.

Chris, If you believe the tree was an actual unique tree, perhaps it wasn't a corrupt tree. You bring up a good point. But why would God tell Adam and Eve not to eat its fruit if there was nothing wrong with it? Keep in mind that if the tree is an actual tree, then its fruit is an actual fruit which imparted knowledge with one single bite. So God protected the Tree of Life, but what does the Bible say happened to the Tree of Knowledge? As an aside, here is another example of allegory. Ps 104:4, Heb 1:7, "Now about the angels He says: "He makes His angels winds, His servants flames of fire."" So, if that is literal, how long were the Angels there protecting the Tree of Life? And if these trees are no longer there, were they cut down? What happened to them? Did more trees of knowledge grow there?

Your comparison between Adam and God in the Flesh (Jesus) is questionable. Christ came with a Pre-Determined Purpose. Christ is God. Christ was Mature and fully prepared. His response to the devil was, "You shall not tempt the Lord your God." James 1:13, "God is not tempted by evil" and in Acts 2:24, "death had no power to hold him". Jesus was a man. But He was God in the body of a man. Death entered the world through Adam, because Adam was weak. But life came through Jesus, the Tree of Life, the resurrection and the life.

I don't agree with your assumption that God wanted to shield Adam and Eve from Knowledge of Good and Evil, to keep them innocent. Is there a Biblical foundation for that? Additionally, you imply corruption wasn't in existence in the Garden. But didn't God send the most corrupt thing in His creation to the Garden? There were 3 things in the Garden, Man, TKGE, TL. Why was the TKGE there?

I won't debate that God created a flawed universe. He didn't. It deteriorated on its own. But think about what you said, 'I would say it was a part of His Perfect Knowledge & His Whole Plan into Eternity allowed for it."

Hello Irene..yes Acts 2:38 is the New

Testament salvation thru faith & obeying the gospel. How are you doing sis Irene?

That was me in above name Mark B. I just realized that misspelled letter) Be strong in Christ.

Carlos, just to keep my response brief: I fully agree with your interpretation of Acts 2:23, that God foreknew that Christ would be delivered & slain. In fact, I would even say that it was God's Plan since it was part of His complete Redemptive Work. That Esau would serve Jacob, I agree that was God's Plan. That Herod, Pilate & the Gentiles were also part of God's Plan, I concur. Sorry, I can't remember making reference to the '1000 years is as one day'.

So with all that agreement with you (as above), where then is my problem? I think it is essentially in the days of Creation & in the workings of Satan. To restate: Adam & Eve were not created in corruption, rather they were created perfect, had a free will but chose wrongly. Was this in God's Plan? No. Was this in God's Knowledge? Yes. Did their sinning catch God by surprise? No. Did he plan for Satan to be there & entice them? No. Did God know that Satan would do this & succeed? Yes. Did God's future Plan to deal with Satan & corrupted man part of His Plan? Yes. So, what I'm saying here is that God doesn't cause or Plan for people to sin. Why? simply that a Holy God cannot have a part in someone's sin; to sin is the choice of the sinner, not of God. Yet God knew they would sin. Did God cause Satan to test Job's faith in God? No, it was Satan who prompted the test with a caveat from God. Did He cause Satan & the angels who followed him to sin? No, they chose to do so.

So I've given some examples of where we could differ; you could probably give more to learn my response. So, I don't believe He causes anyone to sin because it is in 'His Plan' to do so. Each one is responsible for their own choices. But God knew who would sin, both human & angel alike, & then had His Plan ready for whatever He deemed correct. So, am I saying that a Plan was created after the act? No, God already knows what will happen but not the instigator of a sinful act just to fulfil His Plan. So, I think it is on this point that we differ.

Chris, there are really 3 words. Plan, Purpose and Foreknowledge. Although they are all closely related, let me start with a definition Foreknowledge, although you're probably already familiar with it. I think, and I have adopted the position of the Reformers, because it is the most appropriate. Foreknowledge, as used in the Bible, is more closely associated with 'Pre-Ordination'. Acts 2:23 says God delivered Christ up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God.

Some ascribe it to God's intuition or omniscience. But there are philosophical, theological and historical issues with it. What God knows will be a historical fact or event, He can't change. Why? Because if God knows something, He knows it to be fact. If God 'knows' Christ is going to die on the Cross and something, God Himself changes it, then He was mistaken. What we can say He knew is that Christ was going to be crucified, but He changed it to something else.

Instead, God tells us in Isa 44-48 that He can do things at that moment. So, God knows things about what is going to happen and He tells us about them, not because He is somehow intuitively aware of the Future, but because He planned it that way. That is how He wanted it to happen. Rom 8, Isa 46:10-13.

God doesn't just know beforehand what is going to happen, He makes it happen that way. When God said Esau would serve Jacob, He also said that's the way He intended it. That was His doing, not a natural consequence of events He just happened to be aware of beforehand. The argument is that limiting God to 'Foreknowledge' about the Future, limits Him. Why? Because He could only do what He knows He is going to do, not what He wants to do.

Acts 4:28, They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.

That said, the fact that God is Omniscient cannot be denied or diminished. But to argue that 1,000 years is like a day, to support Omniscience, takes the verses out of context Ps 90:4. Reference is to speed of time.

Tongues are the initial evidence that one has received the gift of the HolyGhost. There are nine gifts of the Spirit outlined in I Corinthians 12. Paul wrote to the Corinthians to help things in order; for they were all out of order. The gift of tongues outlined in I Corinthians 12 is part of the nine gifts of the Spirit. Every believer who received the HolyGhost may not have the gift of tongues. While a person will speak in tongues when they receive the HolyGhost according to Acts 2:4 and Acts 2:38, he or she may not have the gift of tongues. I have never witnessed where one speaks in tongues in the congregation and there was no one who could interpret what was said. I understood what you documented from I Corinthians 14. I agree. Again, there are nine gifts: 1) word of wisdom; 2) word of knowledge; 3) gift of faith; 4)gifts of healing; 5)working of miracles; 6) gift of prophecy; 7) discerning of spirits; 8) divers kinds of tongues; and 9) interpretaion of tongues. These gifts are operating in the church today. I have witnessed all nine in operation in the body of Christ. They are in people. Some people may have one gift; while others have multiple gifts. God has set them in the church to edify the body of Christ and bring glory to Him. Tongues are not forbidden in the body of Christ; and all should seek to bring glory to God by edifying the church. Prophesy edifies the church; tongues edify an individual believer. We should all, if do not posess the interpretation( not a translation) of tongues, pray that we may interpret. Again, I have witnessed all nine gifts in operation. You can interpret if you desire that gift from God. Trust me, I know. But we should desire spiritual gifts to bring glory to God and to edify or encourage the fellow believer. Again, God is still fulfilling prophesy ( Joel 2:28). Christians need the leaders of the body of Christ to teach them what is proper and orderly.

Repent: The meaning for those with eyes to see and ears to hear:

Acts 3:19 REPENT Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your SINS sins may be blotted out, (change your mind on SIN)

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, REPENT Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of SINS sins,

Acts 8:22 REPENT Repent therefore of this thy WICKEDNESS wickedness,

2 Corinthians 12:21 And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not REPENT repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed. ( repent uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness )

Revelation 2:21 And I gave her space to REPENT repent of her FORNICATION fornication; and she repented not.

(IS FORNICATION A SIN OR A CHANGE OF MIND?)

Revelation 2:22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit ADULTERY adultery with her into great tribulation, except they REPENT repent of their DEEDS deeds.

Revelation 9:21 Neither REPENTED repented they of their MURDERS murders, nor of their SORCERIES sorceries, nor of their FORNICATION fornication, nor of their THEFTS thefts.

So Chris, with respect to your questions, listed below, I offer what follows.

A. Was Christ in God's initial Plan of creation? Titus 1:2, 2 Tim 1:9, Rom 8:17f, Eph 1:4, 3:10-11, Isa 44-48

B. Did God create man so Christ could come to save him from sin's penalty? Heb 10:5, Gal 3:16, Rom 11:36

C. Why create man? Did God of necessity have to create man? Heb 2, Gal 3:16

D. Does God support evil to accomplish His Plan? Rom 9:22-24

E. And what about Satan? Did God put him in the Garden to tempt man? Genesis 2, Job 1:12, Matt 4:1, Lk 4:2

To A: I don't think anyone can argue that Christ was not in the initial Plan of creation, given Jesus created all things. Titus 1:2 and 2 Tim 1:9 are unequivocal. The Plan of Redemption was drawn up before anything was created. We can legitimately conclude from that, that the coming of Christ in a human body ( Heb 10:5), was intentional. Redemption was not offered in reaction to the Fall. Jesus prayed to the Father to, "glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world existed". 1 John 5:20, John 1:18.

If all things were created for the sake of Jesus ( Col 1:16), doesn't it seem obvious that Jesus was part of the Plan of Creation? There is no indication in Scripture that Jesus was an afterthought? In these verses, we are told that Christ's incarnation was in the original blueprints, before mankind was created. Acts 2:23 Eph 1:4.

What did Jesus mean when He stated in John 8:58, "Before Abraham existed, I Am"? Keep in mind that it is Jesus speaking. Was He simply saying He is God? Or was He saying He as Savior existed before creation? That is, Christ existed. Not Jehovah existed. Christ existed and He is God. John 1 attests to that. In John 17:24 Jesus says God loved Him before creation. Loved who? God loved God? No. God loved Jesus, the Savior.

Rev 13:8, 17:8 also reveal that prior to the Fall, the names of the saved were written in the Book of Life. What's up with that? Jesus came before the Fall.

Albert, further to what Bob has shared: I believe there is confusion on the meaning of the word 'tongue'. Sadly, it is often interpreted as some special uttering that may or may not be known to us. Hence, as some who have this 'gift' have said to me, that a 'tongue' could be an earthly language or a heavenly language. But is this what the Scripture, indeed all of Scripture on this subject implies?

In such situations, I wish I could altogether remove the word, 'tongue', & just insert 'unknown or unlearned language' as it clearly implies in Scripture, i.e. a language in existence on Earth, but which has not been learned by the utterer. When this gift came upon men showing the arrival & indwelling of the Holy Spirit in people, they always spoke in a language that they had not learned but it was a language that was known by someone else. Thus, the 'tongue' served absolutely no purpose unless it was for the benefit of another (e.g. as evidence to the unsaved & to hear God's message to them, or God's Word to believers, if only it came with interpretation).

And to those dear, well meaning believers so 'gifted', also suggested to me, a non-gifted 'tongue' believer, that if no 'tongue' came out of me, then I should just 'start babbling something to start the process going'! Of course, an extreme, perverted understanding of the Gift, but it showed to me, as a new Christian, the lengths they would go to give such importance to this least of all gifts. The only occasion of when this 'gift' is used other than what I've indicated here, is when there is none to interpret it, that it is used not publicly, but in his/her prayer to God & be edified through it ( 1 Cor 14:28).

The Bible speaks on tongues 1 Corinthians 12:28 - And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. (Tongues notice the last least gift.)

1 Corinthians 12:29 - Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?

1 Cor 12:30 - Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?

1 Cor 12:31 - But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

1 Corinthians 14:5 I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues. for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues.

1 Corinthians Chapter 14: 26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue,

hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.

27 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.

28 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.

....But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church....

not one Pentecostal church I have ever been to have ever followed this in scripture.

tongues is the least important gift. no interpreter = keep silent.

This same outpouring of the HolyGhost is for us day. We can be filled with HolyGhost by the evidence of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance.

"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest."

Ecclesiastes 9:10

"For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?"

Psalms 6:5

"Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?"

Psalms 88:12

"Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this dayFor David did not ascend into the heavens"( Acts 2:29, 34)

Our hope in Christ is the hope of the resurrection.

"For as by a man (Adam) came death, by a man (Jesus) has come also the resurrection of the dead." 1 Corinthians 15:21

Also ...

Matthew 16:15-19

15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

19 And I will give unto thee the keys...

No man (flesh and blood) revealed it, so what did Peter do, seeing he had the keys, when asked?

Acts 2:37-40

37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

Well, he gave them the truth, as revealed to him.

38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

Peter also thought all who can be baptised should, and told them the correct name to use, not just titles, the name.

2 Timothy 3:16

16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

All scripture, so we cannot discard a single thing, we must fit within ALL scripture, not make the scripture fit our way of thinking, that is why we have hundreds of denominations.

Peter was ignorant and unlearned by the way.

Acts 4:13

13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

So I take knowledge of them also, the Lord cannot be the Author of confusion.

(from previous comment)

d. does it make sense to baptize a person sometimes weeks, months, years down the road (of Christian living)? Does biblical baptism allow for this time scale? Does it not make it somewhat meaningless & only serves to satisfy obedience to the command to appease the conscience? Also, to whom is the command given? To the baptizer or baptizee? Yet, so often we see that the baptizee is the one requesting to be baptized? Very strange.

e. and lastly, were Christ's apostles ever baptized in water, bearing in mind, that Paul was baptised, as he was not present with them at Pentecost? There is no mention of it, that I'm aware of, of any of the apostles speaking of their baptism in their letters, as important an event it is for any believer. Does the fact that they were baptized with the Holy Ghost only, exclude the necessity for water baptism? And there would be some today, who are baptized with the Spirit without the intervention of a preacher/evangelist.

References cited: Acts 2:37-41; 8:26-39; 9:1-18; 10:44-48; 16:27-33. Given to highlight that churches for the most part, are not staying true to the biblical warrant & pattern. Baptism should be a part of a believer's salvation - today we detach it to suit our terms & make a solemn event almost meaningless. So just offering this up for your thoughts & discussion, if needed.

Hello Trevor,

I greet you in name Our Lord Jesus Christ. Hope you're well.

I am a new Christian, I gave my life to Our Lord nearly 2 years ago and it's been the best thing I have ever done. I've had joy and peace in my life since then.

I was baptised many years ago, but because of my immaturity I went back to sin.

The answer to your question " how to get closer to The Messiah " First of all the bible says " For whoever shall call in the name of the Lord shall be saved" Rom 10:13

Believe, that God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Then you have to be baptised.

Acts 2:38 Peter said, Repent, and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of our sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

A few more scriptures for you to look at:

Ephesians 2:8-9

2 Timothy 2:15

1 John 1:9

Romans 6:23

1 John 5:13

Mark 16:16

Romans 10:9-10

Hope these scriptures will help and give you a good start to getting closer to Jesus Christ our Saviour.

God Bless you, and I will pray Trevor that you will get the wisdom & knowledge for God's Words.

Scriptures on prophesy/ prophesying

(There's rules, people) First start in Ezekiel chapter 3:10-11, 17-27. Then 13:1-15. Notice the WOE on verse 3.

Acts 2:17-18; John 6:63; 1 Corinthians 2;12, 14:31, 14:1, 13:9, 12:4. Revelation 11:3; 1 John 4:3, Romans 12:4-7

Poor Ezekiel; he was sent to the House of Israel. Prophetic ministry is just as then. It's serious when you speak in the Name of the Lord. Anything spoken that is of the flesh...will not be confirmed. Be prayerful.

"Thus saith the Lord" is serious business.

Dennis: this is what the scriptures say about REMISSION of sins.

Matthew 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Mark 1:4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

Luke 1:77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,

Luke 3:3 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;

Luke 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 10:43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

Hebrews 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

The way God communicates this day & time is by reading The Bible. Remember, the Bible wasn't available in Bible times ... God talked with man at that time many ways. Burning bush, raising the dead, etc ...

Fred e Scanlan

Your sins are not washed by confessing and having faith in Jesus. You receive the remission of your sins when you obey Acts 2:38 read it. Maybe you should read the whole book of acts and see what the Apostles taught as instructed by the Lord Jesus

what advantages were received by the people which could be related to this period of corona virus

The apostles, including Matthias were witnesses.

From Verse 14 to 47 of Acts Chapter 2, Peter is giving the principles of salvation to the Jews. We know from Verse 14 that Matthias was there. But I believe he is giving his message to the Jews. The original language puts markers in for us so that we know how to break down the message. In Verse 14, it says "Ye men of Judaea." That's a marker. Another marker in Verse 22, "Ye men of Israel." And then Verse 29 says "Men and brethren." So Peter is speaking to Jewish brethren, the ones who were eyewitnesses to Christ's resurrection. Acts 2:36 seems to indicate that he's speaking to the Jews. They were witnesses of Christ's resurrection. We see in Acts 1:11, it says, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

how do I figure out the oldest bible verse I've read ?

This is a very significant portion of scripture..It is talking about the door finally being opened to anyone who was not Jew, having opportunity for salvation, through the Apostolic doctrine of Acts 2:38. Peter knew that they had recieved the Holy Spirot because as he preached, the Holy Ghost fell upon them like in Acts 2, and they began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance signifying Spirit baptism, which led him to direct them all to Water baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins. Neither of these baptisms are optional, but necessary for salvation. The book of the Acts of the Apostles is where the church began, and where we can observe how they applied what Jesus taught them.