2 Chronicles 23 tells of the courage of Jehoiadah the high priest in supporting the coronation of Joash - aged 8 - in defiance of the wicked usurper, Athaliah. Armed Levites surround the young king as he enters the temple. Joash is crowned to the acclamation: "God save the king". When this happens the evil usurper Athaliah cries - "Treason". That wicked woman is taken from the temple precinct and summarily executed. Jehoiadah now begins many reforms. He purges the idols from the land and ensures that all the people of Judah worship Yahweh 'in the beauty of holiness'. In Daniel 4 we have the acknowledgment by Nebuchadnezzar of the Almighty's everlasting kingdom. The Babylonian king is given a second dream of the luxuriant and sustaining tree which is described in verses 10-18. In the dream the tree is cut down and bound with rings of bronze and iron for a period of 2,520 day/years. In verses 19-26 Daniel interprets the dream and tells Nebuchadnezzar that it contains a personal message for him. The Babylonian king's enemies would rejoice in the out working of the dream. The judgment of which Daniel spoke to the king could be averted by Nebuchadnezzar humbling himselfbefore the Almighty and repenting (v27). Twelve months later when the king of Babylon is glorying in his great accomplishments the sentence was carried out as his PRIDE vaunts itself. In that very hour Nebuchadnezzar is stricken with madness and for seven years the king is turned into a brute beast. Theking's malady is called lycanthropy. Nebuchadnezzar's sanity only returned when the king acknowledges that "The Most High rules in the kingdom of men and sets up over it whoever He chooses". Read aloud verses 34-37 - pause and ponder.Acts 2 speaks of the day that commenced Pentecost - literally 50 days after the waiving of the sheaf of the first fruits on the third day after the Passover. Pentecost is known by the Jews as 'The Feast of Weeks' (the day following the marking off of seven weeks from Passover). Multitudes from every known country in the Roman world had been in Jerusalem for Passover (Edersheim suggests that there may have been three and a half million people present at that time). It was the perfect day to start witnessing for Christ. The phenomenon of the pouring out and resting of the Holy Spirit, in the form of a mighty rushing wind and resting on the Apostles in the form of cloven tongues of fir, was witnessed by many. The Apostles then began to speak in the dialects of the visitors to Jerusalem - at least 15 are named - as a sign to the assembled multitude that what the multitude were witnessing was from God. Verses 6, 8 and 11 indicate that the miraculous event was that of hearing. The crowds thought that the Apostles were drunk. Peter says that this could not be the case, but rather the phenomenon was a fulfilment of the prophecy of Joel 2 verses 28-32. Read aloud those verses from Joel - pause and ponder. Peter preaches Christ as approved among them by God in the witness of miracles and a sinless and raised Saviour in the evidence of the empty tomb. Jesus is indeed the LORD's Holy One. A repentant response was needed from the conscience-smitten crowd and this is evident in their plea of verse 37. Peter instructs those seeking a covering for sins to repent and be baptised i.e. be fully immersed in water and they would receive thepromise of the spirit i.e. salvation (consider Joel 2 verse 32). Three thousand respond and join the community of believers who constantly met in fellowship and unity. The ecclesia's expectations are outlined in verses 42-47. Thanks for joining us - we pray you found these comments helpful in your appreciation of God's words, join again tomorrow