that definitely settles the question of 'is there hell'...
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
3 Then there appeared to them
divided tongues, as of fire, and
one sat upon each of them.
So in Acts 2, the tongues of fire was a first-time (and only time) indication that the filling of the HOly Spirit had taken place, that he had come. Kind of like an 'innauguration'... it couldn't have meant anything else...?? yet this must be where misinterpretation is continuous...
this phrase means LIKE the flames of a fire that have licks/are cloven/spreading/separating and go out in all directions. IT WAS THE LANGUAGES THEMSELVES THAT APPEARED LIKE, DIVIDED/SEPARATED LIKE LICKS OF FLAMES, ONE LANDING ON EACH DISCIPLE.
and yes, those tongues that looked like fire (behaved like fire)
as of fire that sat on each of them WAS a one time event,
a SIGN (remember that this miracle of them suddenly speaking gentile langauges in the midst of israel (the jews HATED gentiles) was
a SIGN of God's Judgment ON UBELIEVING ISRAEL.
a sign that His Grace and salvation was going out to the gentiles.
just as the
"sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting" was a one-time event - that doesn't happen today when we receive the Holy Spirit, it doesn't happen in pentecostal churches, it doesn't happen at all.
it was a Miraculous event.
~
New International Version (©1984)
They saw
what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
New Living Translation (©2007)
Then,
what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them.
English Standard Version (©2001)
And
divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.
New American Standard Bible (©1995)
And there
appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.
International Standard Version (©2008)
They saw
tongues like flames of fire that separated, and one rested on each of them.
GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
Tongues that looked like fire appeared to them. The tongues arranged themselves so that one came to rest on each believer.
King James Bible
And there
appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
American King James Version
And there
appeared to them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat on each of them.
American Standard Version
And there
appeared unto them tongues parting asunder, like as of fire; and it sat upon each one of them.
Bible in Basic English
And they saw
tongues, like flames of fire, coming to rest on every one of them.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And there
appeared to them parted tongues as it were of fire, and it sat upon every one of them:
Darby Bible Translation
And there
appeared to them parted tongues, as of fire, and it sat upon each one of them.
English Revised Version
And there
appeared unto them tongues parting asunder, like as of fire; and it sat upon each one of them.
Webster's Bible Translation
And there
appeared to them, cloven tongues as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
Weymouth New Testament
and they saw
tongues of what looked like fire distributing themselves over the assembly, and
on the head of each person a tongue alighted.
World English Bible
Tongues like fire appeared and were distributed to them, and one sat on each of them.
Young's Literal Translation
and there
appeared to them divided tongues, as it were of fire; it sat also upon each one of them,
1100. glóssa
the tongue, a language
Original Word: γλῶσσα, ης, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: glóssa
Phonetic Spelling: (gloce-sah')
Short Definition:
the tongue, a language, nation
Definition:
the tongue, a language, a nation (usually distinguished by their speech).
1100 glṓssa – tongue, used of flowing speech; (figuratively) speaking, inspired by God, like
the evidence of
tongues-speaking supplied by the Lord in the book of
Acts to demonstrate the arrival of the new age of the covenant (i.e. NT times).
[The normative experience of the 120 believers received "tongues (
1100 /glṓssa) as of fire" (Ac 2:3) and miraculously spoke in
other actual languages, i.e. that they could not speak before (Ac 2:4f). This sign was repeated in Ac 10:46, 19:6 – furnishing
ample proof (
three attestations) that the Lord had incorporated all believers into Christ's (mystical) body (1 Cor 12:13).]