You
shall count for yourselves -- from the day after the sabbath, from the day when you bring the Omer of the waving
(Feast of 1st Fruits)-- seven sabbaths, they shall be complete. Until the day after
the seventh sabbath you shall count, fifty days... Leviticus
23:15-16
Note: Passover is on the 14th day of Nissan, followed by the Feast of
Unleavened Bread starting on the 15th day; a Sabbath continues for 7days, and followed the next day by the Feast
of First Fruits (i.e. “from the day after the sabbath”).
Note:
The 1st day of each month is determined by viewing the first sliver of a new moon; which is always a biblical
Sabbath day (Saturday). Therefore the Feast of First Fruits / Easter and the Feast of Weeks / Pentecost are
always on a Sunday.
See Biblical Feasts Outline of events & Sabbaths link.
The Festival of Weeks
(Shavuot / Pentecost) is celebrated in the summer, and is the second of the three major festivals, each celebrated for 7 days,
all with historical, agricultural and spiritual significance. The other two are the Feast of Unleavened
Bread (which includes Passover & First Fruits / Easter) in the Spring, and the Feast of Tabernacles / Sukkot, celebrated
in the Fall; preceded by the Feasts of Trumpets and
Atonement.
Agriculturally, the Feast of Weeks / Shavuot (Pentecost) commemorates the time when the summer first
fruits were harvested and brought to the Temple, and is the second of three harvest festivals.
Historically
for Jews, it celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, and is also known as the Festival of the Giving of the Torah
(in lieu of celebrating the Feast of Weeks without a temple).
The counting of days starts from the Sabbath day following
the feast of Passover / Crucifixion through to the feast of Shavuot / Pentecost is
7 weeks of 7 days + 1 day (50 days) ;
Shavuot / Pentecost is always
50 days later in the 3rd month; on the 6th day of Sivan – a Sunday.
This period is known as the Counting of the Omer. An omer is a unit of measure (a 1-day serving size of grain
/ manna during the Exodus). On the second day of Passover, in the days of the Temple, an omer of barley was cut down and brought
to the Temple as an offering. This 1 day of grain offering was referred to as the Omer.
The counting is intended to remind us of the link between Passover & Shavuot / Pentecost.
Passover commemorates
deliverance during the Exodus, as well as commemorating Jesus’ offering of Himself as the sacrificial Lamb as spoken
by Abraham: “And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb ...” Genesis 22:8. 50 days later the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot
/ Pentecost) commemorates the giving of the Holy Spirit; or the giving of the Torah to the Jews as practiced today.
It
reminds us that the redemption from slavery was not complete until we receive the Torah (Law) as a Jew, and were empowered
by the Spirit of God as a Christian.
The counting reminds us of the important connection between Passover and Pentecost
/ Shavuot in the following ways:
-
Redeemed physically from bondage as a Jew.
-
Redeemed us spiritually from our bondage as a Christian.
-
By the giving of the Torah on Shavuot as a Jew.
-
By the giving of the Spirit on Pentecost as a Christian.
- Redeemed spiritually from idolatry and immorality thru His Law as a Jew.
-
Empowered us with His Spirit as a Christian to proclaim Gods’ gift of
salvation.
===================================================================
Feasts are Solemn Appointed Times with the Lord; Lev. 23:1-4.
See “Feasts Prophetic Hermeneutics”
The First 4 Feasts
“Appointed Times” Fulfilled by Jesus 1st Coming:
Passover aka
Good Friday /
Jesus Crucifixion
Unleavened Bread aka
Pursuit of Holiness /
To be without sin
First Fruits
aka Easter
/ Jesus Resurrection
Feast of Weeks
aka Pentecost
/
Gifts
of the Holy Spirit
as Jesus had Promised
The Last 3 Feasts “Appointed
Times” to be Fulfilled in Jesus 2nd Coming:
Feasts
of Trumpets aka Tribulation
/ Day of the Lord
Feast of Atonement
aka Day of Judgment
Feast
of Tabernacles aka The New Heavens / New Earth /
New Jerusalem
The
Hebrew word translated "Feasts" means Appointed Times. According to De.16:16, God commands
us to keep His Feasts (in light of the New Testament), and appear before the Lord with thanksgiving “forever”
Ex. 12:14.
“And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak
unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, concerning the Feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be
holy convocations, even these are My Feasts. Six days shall work be done: but the seventh
day is the sabbath of rest, a holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your
dwellings. These are the Feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in
their seasons.” Lev. 23:1-4
Feasts and Sabbaths are called "Holy Convocations"
in Scripture. That is to say, they are intended to be times of meeting
between God and man for "Holy Purposes".
These “Feasts
/ Holy Convocations", are also a combination of celebratory commemorations of God’s providence fulfilled
in the past, and the continued fulfillment of His remaining covenant promises for the future.
To fully understand the Feasts, one must first understand the full
meaning and implications of the Sabbath as a time of oneness with God; a foreshadowing of that
which is to come.
In celebrating the Sabbath (1day in 7; 24
hours – sundown to sundown). The Sabbath is a foreshadowing of the fulfillment of God’s
redemptive plan exemplified in His 7 Feasts.
It is a
time completely devoted to being with God.
See Sabbaths link.
"IF you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on My holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord's holy day honorable, and if
you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then
you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance
of your father Jacob." The mouth of the Lord has spoken. Isaiah 58:13-14
God commands that we keep every sabbath
& feast day holy (in light of the New Testament). These are "Holy Convocations"; that is, they are
intended to be times of meeting between God and man for "Holy Purposes" in preparation for an eternity
dwelling with Him! Rev. 21:1-3
===================================================================
Note below the numerical sequencing relationship in God’s ordained plan;
specifically in the correlation / foreshadowing the
Year of Jubilee / Millennial Kingdom by Pentecost.
7 day week ending on a Sabbath
7 weeks of 7 days + 1 day (50 days); from the Feast of Passover to the Feast
of Weeks / Shavuot / Pentecost.
7 years culminating in a Sabbatical year
7 Sabbatical years of 7 years culminating on
the 50th year at the
Year of Jubilee.
7 months of 7
feasts ending on the ultimate Sabbath, the Feast of Tabernacles
70 periods of
7 (Dan. 9:24-27);
First and Second coming of Christ / Messiah prophecies
70th period of 7 years prophecy of the “End of the Age”
(Dan. 9:24-27)
70 years symbol of Completion
7 weeks of
7 days, plus 1 day, between the Feast of Passover aka Crucifixion and the Feast of Weeks aka Pentecost.
This is also true
with the Year of Jubilee; 7 sabbatical years of 7-years plus 1 year;
Jubilee is consummated
immediately upon completing the Feast of Atonement / Judgment.
See “Last Days Data & Calendar”
The gift of His Spirit (His coming &staying presence - parousia) at
Pentecost occurred during the 1st coming of Jesus.
This
is also a foreshadowing of Jesus 2nd coming (parousia) and staying presence at Jubilee / Millennial Kingdom!
See
Jesus coming "Parousia" and staying presence at both Pentecost and Jubilee.
Note how the Feast
days, Pentecost, Sabbath, Sabbatical years, the Year of Jubilee and ultimately at the Feast of Tabernacles
are compounding foreshadows of a potential closer communion with God. In other words, each event provides
for us direction, guidance and an opportunity toward a progressively closer, more intimate, relationship with
God.
The Feast of Tabernacles becomes
the ultimate completeness of meeting with God; to ‘tabernacle’ / dwell with God for eternity;
foreshadowed by Jubilee / Millennial in the Year of Jubilee. The Feasts and Sabbaths are profound foreshadowings
of the fulfillment of God’s total redemptive plan exemplified in His 7 Feasts listed in Leviticus 23, especially the
Feast of Tabernacles.
THE ESSENCE OF PENTECOST
Note the correlation between the 3rd “appointed time” with God at the Feast of First Fruits
aka Easter, with the 4th “appointed time” with God at the Feast of Weeks aka Pentecost:
Then on the 3rd “appointed time” at the
Feast of First Fruits aka Easter, Jesus appeared to His disciples and “breathed upon them”
and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit”, John 20:22. This was in fulfillment
of His promise in John 14:15-18 to send the apostles “a Comforter” – the Spirit of truth
– Who would abide with them forever, “Whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him;
but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you” John 14:17.
Note that Jesus said the Holy Spirit was dwelling
‘with’ His men, or ‘alongside’ of them. The Greek preposition here is para.
Yet soon the Spirit would be more than ‘with’ the disciples; soon He would dwell ‘in’ them.
Here the preposition is en. I believe the disciples
went from para to en in John 20:22, when Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy
Spirit”. Here the apostles were “filled
with the Spirit’ or ‘born again’ of the Spirit to a knowledge of Jesus’ deity.
The 4th “appointed time” with God; the Feast of Weeks aka Pentecost:
Yet 40 days later,
at the “Day of Ascension” Jesus promised His disciples the Baptism of the Holy Spirit Acts
1:3-5,8: “wait for the promise of
the Father … and you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days hence … and you shall receive power after the
Holy Spirit has come upon (epi) you …”. They were Empowered with His Spirit as a Christian to proclaim Gods’ gift of salvation.
This promise was fulfilled on the 50th
day, on Pentecost, aka Feast of Weeks as noted in Acts 2:1-4
“… and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak in tongues”.
=======================
Question: Why would Jesus “breath
upon them the Holy Spirit” at the first day of His Resurrection only to reappear to them on the 40th
day to say to them: “Wait for the promise of the Father … you shall be baptized with the Holy
Spirit not many days hence … and you shall receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon (epi) you … and be witnesses …”?
Hadn’t Jesus already “breathed upon them the Holy Spirit”?
Why would He be instructing them to wait again
to receive the Holy Spirit? The answer lies in understanding the
difference between “en” and “epi” Greek prepositions in the text.
In other words, the disciples’ were “filled with the Spirit” and received a “born again” experience upon having received the
indwelling presence “en” of the Holy Spirit on Easter Sunday evening (Feast of
First Fruits), and received the baptism (empowerment) in the
Holy Spirit after the Holy Spirit had come upon
(epi) them …”
”Epi”
on Pentecost (Feast of Weeks) as promised by Jesus in John 14:15-17.
See "Parousia"
“Gifts of the Spirit”
“Feast of Tabernacles” file.
By Bill Miller email: wmrmiller@everestkc.net Updated May 5, 2008
Web site: http://www.feastsofthelord.net (Continually updated)
Copyright Statement: This file is
Public Domain
