Jesus promised these twelve men that they would receive the Holy Spirit of God to give them power for preaching the message of Jesus. Because they had heard his teachings and watched his life, they were specially qualified to teach others, form a group of believers and write about the life of Jesus. Remember this from Lesson One? He told them:
“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14.25-26
“But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” John 16.7-13
The apostles were also prophets of God. They received the Word of God through the Holy Spirit of God who came to guide them and strengthen them in the truth. Jesus told them to wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the Spirit of God. We read of this great day in Acts of the Apostles, chapter two. There in Jerusalem, on the holy day of the Jews known as the Day of Pentecost, God poured out the Holy Spirit into the world. The apostles received the word of God and spoke as prophets. The Gospel of Jesus Christ was preached completely and with power:
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.… When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.… Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” … Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.… Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.… God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.… “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Acts of the Apostles 2.1-36