What happened in Acts? The righteous by faith OT saints (dead) whose sin had been passed over (Romans 3:21-25) finally had their sin atoned for and the Paradise side of Hades/Shoel was taken to the third heaven by Jesus Himself (Ephesians 4:7-10) including the thief on the cross after Jesus preached to the spirit's for three days (Acts 2:31). Up until that time, no one could be in God's presence because their sin had not yet been atoned on the cross (John 3:13). See Luke 16:19-31. The unbelievers then and now are still in Hadies/Shoel waiting for their final judgment.2 Peter 2:9 Then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, Revelation 1:18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. Revelation 20:13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. OT saints still living were still due the promise of the Holy Spirit, the agent of the Spiritual Baptism of which Jesus was the prophecied baptiser (Matthew 3:10-12). There was no more Hades for the righteous by faith, OT saints who were to die. They needed to be born again. There was now a death and ressurection to be baptised into. Hense, the birth of the Body, the Church. This transitional period in Acts stems from, and leads right into God's punishment for the nation of Israel that the signs pointed towards. When the transition ended, of God dealing only through the nation of Israel to "all nations and all peoples", there was one last punishment/dispersion in AD 70. The last one. No more need for the sign gift of God's punishment to the Nation of Israel anymore. More on the transtion and why ther was tongues spoken...
God had passed over the sins committed by OT saints until Christ's substitutionary death on the cross. By their faith they were saved, but they had to waite and were kept in the paradise side of hades until their sins were atoned for on the cross. See the link below. Romans 3:21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.OT SAINTS KEPT IN THE PARADISE SIDE OF HADESRead the link, it's worth your time and will lay out a foundation for you to understand this part. This is not the complete picture, but should help to get a basic understanding of what was happening.HE LED THE CAPTIVES FREE AND GAVE GIFTS TO MEN http://www.biblestudymanuals.net/eph4v9.htm WHAT HAPPENED IN ACTS? You cannot be born again without being baptized into Jesus' death and raised up with Him, this is what it means to be born again. This spiritual baptism is done by Jesus with the Holy Sprit, hence the term baptism with the Holy Spirit. Nobody in the OT could be born again because there was no death or resurrection to be baptised into. They were kept in the paradise side of Hades. They (OT saints) needed to wait for Jesus to die on the cross to pay for there sins (Romans 3:25-26) before they could go to heaven (John 3:13, Ephesians 4:7-9). The OT saints still living needed to be upgraded (Born again), It was due to them because they had faith, but to be baptised into the Body of Christ by Jesus with the Holy Spirit, they first needed for Jesus to die on the cross and pay for their sins, then to be glorified, sitting at the right hand of the Father. Then, and only then could He send the Helper, the Holy Spirit, the Agent of Baptism so they could be Baptised into His death and resurrection, i.e. born again. After that transition of bringing OT saints to NT standards, The norm is "we are all baptised with one Spirit into one Body" (1 Corinthians 12:13). This happens the moment we believe. The difference between the nature of the relationship between the Holy Spirit and saints from the OT to the NT can be seen in John 14:16-18.The Church is the Body of Christ. Ephesians 1:23, Colossians 1:24 Christ is the Head of the Church. Ephesians 1:22, Ephesians 5:23 The birth of the Church. Acts 2 (birth = the first born again, the first baptised into the Body)This is still a future event in Acts 1:5, Jesus ascended in Acts 1:9, Holy Spirit given Acts 2:33. To be baptised with the Holy Spirit by Jesus is part of the born again process. Romans 6:3-6, Colossians 2:9-12. Jesus is the prophesied baptizer as John told us. Matthew 3:10-12, John 1:33-34,Acts 1:5 The Holy Spirit is the agent of baptism. 1 Corinthians 12:13 You cannot be born again unless you are baptised into the Body of Christ. Romans 6:3-6, Colossians 2:9-12. His baptism with the Holy spirit is that which saves. 1 Peter 3:21, Titus 3:5 Conditions that needed to be met. You could not be born again until......... ----A) Jesus died and was resurrected. ----
We had the Holy Spirit who is the agent of baptism. These must happen first. ...........1) Christ must go away, depart, physically seen no more. John 16:7, John 16:10. ...........2) He must be glorified. John 7:39. ...........3) To "send" the Holy Spirit (John 14:26, John 15:26, Acts 1:4-5) He must first go away. ...........4) He must go to the Father. John 16:7-10. At Pentecost the conditions were met. (Acts 2:33. 1) They were not seeing Him (physically) 2) He was glorified (exalted) 3) He could then "send" the Holy Spirit. 4) He was with the Father, at his right hand. The beginning of the transition from the OT to the NT. The OT saints needed to be upgraded, but now...We are all baptised into one Body. 1 Corinthians 12:13 (norm for today)There is one Body, one baptism. Ephesians 4:4-6, 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 When you are baptised into Christ and Born again, you are complete in Him. Colossians 2:9-12, 2 Peter 1:3-4 There is no need of a second blessing. John 3:34 Even during this transitional period, the saved by faith (old covenant) Old Testament saints needed to be upgraded to the New Testament baptism (born again, baptised into the body of Christ, the Church.) Acts 19:1-7. This Gift from Acts 11:15 (the Holy Spirits permanent indwelling, sealed until the day of redemption) was the same Gift given to the Apostles at the beginning, i.e. The birth of the Church, which is Now for all nations and people. Acts 2:38, Acts 2:39. (also notice it is speaking of "the" Holy Spirit as the Gift. Christ was the first in preeminence. Colossians 1:18 John 7:39, John 14:16-17, John 14:26, John 15:16, John 16:7, John 16:10 were all fulfilled at Pentecost Acts 2:33, and not John 20:21-22. " the believers in Samaria who were converted under the ministry of Philip had to wait a short while to receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit, until Peter and John came up to Samaria and layed hands on the converts (Acts 8:17). In that unique transitional situation as the Church was beginning, those particular believers had to wait for the Holy Spirit, but they were not told to seek Him.The purpose for that exception was to demonstrate to the apostles, and to bring word back to the Jewish believers in general, that the same Holy Spirit baptized and filled Samaritan believers as baptized and filled Jewish believers--just a short while later Peter and a few other Jewish Christians were sent to witness to Cornelius and his household in order to be convinced that the gospel was for all men and to see that "the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also"(Acts 10:44-45). Those special transitional events did not represent the norm, as our present text makes clear, but were given to indicate to all that the body was one". (Macarthur)
hope this helps...Dave
God had passed over the sins committed by OT saints until Christ's substitutionary death on the cross. By their faith they were saved, but they had to waite and were kept in the paradise side of hades until their sins were atoned for on the cross. See the link below. Romans 3:21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.OT SAINTS KEPT IN THE PARADISE SIDE OF HADESRead the link, it's worth your time and will lay out a foundation for you to understand this part. This is not the complete picture, but should help to get a basic understanding of what was happening.HE LED THE CAPTIVES FREE AND GAVE GIFTS TO MEN http://www.biblestudymanuals.net/eph4v9.htm WHAT HAPPENED IN ACTS? You cannot be born again without being baptized into Jesus' death and raised up with Him, this is what it means to be born again. This spiritual baptism is done by Jesus with the Holy Sprit, hence the term baptism with the Holy Spirit. Nobody in the OT could be born again because there was no death or resurrection to be baptised into. They were kept in the paradise side of Hades. They (OT saints) needed to wait for Jesus to die on the cross to pay for there sins (Romans 3:25-26) before they could go to heaven (John 3:13, Ephesians 4:7-9). The OT saints still living needed to be upgraded (Born again), It was due to them because they had faith, but to be baptised into the Body of Christ by Jesus with the Holy Spirit, they first needed for Jesus to die on the cross and pay for their sins, then to be glorified, sitting at the right hand of the Father. Then, and only then could He send the Helper, the Holy Spirit, the Agent of Baptism so they could be Baptised into His death and resurrection, i.e. born again. After that transition of bringing OT saints to NT standards, The norm is "we are all baptised with one Spirit into one Body" (1 Corinthians 12:13). This happens the moment we believe. The difference between the nature of the relationship between the Holy Spirit and saints from the OT to the NT can be seen in John 14:16-18.The Church is the Body of Christ. Ephesians 1:23, Colossians 1:24 Christ is the Head of the Church. Ephesians 1:22, Ephesians 5:23 The birth of the Church. Acts 2 (birth = the first born again, the first baptised into the Body)This is still a future event in Acts 1:5, Jesus ascended in Acts 1:9, Holy Spirit given Acts 2:33. To be baptised with the Holy Spirit by Jesus is part of the born again process. Romans 6:3-6, Colossians 2:9-12. Jesus is the prophesied baptizer as John told us. Matthew 3:10-12, John 1:33-34,Acts 1:5 The Holy Spirit is the agent of baptism. 1 Corinthians 12:13 You cannot be born again unless you are baptised into the Body of Christ. Romans 6:3-6, Colossians 2:9-12. His baptism with the Holy spirit is that which saves. 1 Peter 3:21, Titus 3:5 Conditions that needed to be met. You could not be born again until......... ----A) Jesus died and was resurrected. ----

hope this helps...Dave