Just a couple of weeks ago I was in Israel on Shavuot – the Feast of Weeks. I was on a tour that day, and one of the tour guides recalled the words of a speaker who once contrasted the Islamic view of the future with that of the Bible. According to the Hadith, “The Hour will not be established until you fight with the Jews, and the stone behind which a Jew will be hiding will say, “O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, so kill him.” (Sahih Bukhari 4:52:177). This is in stark contrast to the words the Bible, which foretell, “He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4).

After those words, I reflected upon the events of Shavuot, following the Resurrection of Christ:

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs–we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” - Acts 2:1-11

That day the Gospel went out to men of many languages. From Jerusalem, the message of forgiveness and redemption has gone out to Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the Earth. The future Kingdom of God will include those “out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9). For in Christ, “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female” (Galatians 3:28). Critics often decry that Christianity is “exclusive.” On the contrary, the Scriptures recognize that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23) and that “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21).