Why was Pentecost important and how was it observed?
Pentecost is also known as the Festival of Weeks; it was one of the three required feasts that men were to show up for and appear before the Lord. Exodus 23:17
Pentecost was important especially when we look back into history, we can see that the Holy Spirit was poured out on the newly formed Christian congregation in 33 CE. Acts 2:1-4
What else will we discover as we look back in history at the celebration of Pentecost? Let’s first look at how Pentecost was required to be observed by God’s people.
Leviticus 23:6-21… Count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath (Nisan 16) on which you bring your sheaf of grain to present to the Lord. 16 On the fiftieth day, the day after the seventh Sabbath, present to the Lord another new offering of grain (Sivan 6). 17 Each family is to bring two loaves of bread and present them to the Lord as a special gift. Each loaf shall be made of four pounds of flour baked with yeast and shall be presented to the Lord as an offering of the first grain to be harvested. 18 And with the bread the community is to present seven one-year-old lambs, one bull, and two rams, none of which may have any defects. They shall be offered as a burnt offering to the Lord, along with a grain offering and a wine offering. The odor of this offering is pleasing to the Lord. 19 Also offer one male goat as a sin offering and two one-year-old male lambs as a fellowship (or communion) offering. 20 The priest shall present the bread with the two lambs as a special gift to the Lord for the priests. These offerings are holy. 21 On that day do none of your daily work but gather for worship. Your descendants are to observe this regulation for all time to come, no matter where they live. Numbers 28:26-31
The first thing I notice after reading this passage of Scripture is that Pentecost could be celebrated as a family unit, even though the sacrifices for the community had to be offered up in Jerusalem. Next we see it was a celebration to be observed forever.
Then we have the sacrifices or offerings made to God and they seem to be more than what was offered at Passover. We have a sin offering, the burnt offering, drink offering, communion offering, and the wave offering as the new grain offering or first fruits of the wheat harvest.
The Wave Offering
What was the purpose of the wave offering?
Exodus 29:26-28… And you will take the breast section from the ram of ordination that is for Aaron, and you will wave it as a wave offering before Yahweh. It will be your portion. 27 And you will consecrate the wave offering breast section and the thigh of the contribution that was waved and that was presented from the ram of the ordination that is for Aaron and for his sons. 28 And it will be for Aaron and for his sons as a lasting rule from the Israelites, because it is a contribution, and it will be a contribution from the Israelites from their sacrifices of fellowship, their contribution to Yahweh.
So, the wave offering became the portion that was given to the priesthood from the nation.
We have one more Bible passage that speaks of men being given as a wave offering to God as his portion.
Numbers 8:11-17… and Aaron will offer the Levites as a wave offering before Yahweh from the Israelites, and they will do the work of Yahweh. 12 And the Levites will lay their hands on the head of the one bull and offer it as a sin offering and the other one as a burnt offering to Yahweh, to make atonement for the Levites. 13 And you will present the Levites before Aaron and before his sons, and he will offer them as a wave offering to Yahweh. 14 “And you will separate the Levites from the midst of the Israelites, and the Levites will be for me. 15 And after this the Levites will come to serve at the tent of assembly, and you will purify them, and you will offer them as a wave offering. 16 For they are given to me exclusively from the midst of the Israelites. I have taken them for myself in place of the firstborn of every womb, every firstborn from the Israelites. 17 For every firstborn among the Israelites is mine, both humankind and animal. On the day I destroyed every firstborn in the land of Egypt I consecrated them to me,
Now looking back at the instructions found in Leviticus 23:6-1, there should be no work done on this day as verse 21 points out, but they would gather for worship. No this is not a Sabbath day, but we are to treat it like a Sabbath. We know this because we been given the time to count the days. You would start to count the day after the second sabbath of Nisan, that would give you seven Sabbath till Pentecost or 49 days then on day 50 this would be Pentecost. This reminds me so much like the count for the Jubilee cycle.
I also could not help thinking about the Two Witnesses when reading about the waving of the two wheat loaves of bread along with the two lambs to be offered up. Revelation 11:3
What happened 50 days after the nation of Israel left the land of Egypt with Moses? Read Jasher chapter 81:1-82:37 then Exodus 15:22- 20:21 and Jubilees chapter 1 – 6 before reading on.
The 10 Commandments Received
In Egypt God had demonstrated the ability to bring about plagues upon the people of Egypt he also was able to distinguish his people from the Egyptians and the property of the Egyptians from the property of the Israelites.
By following the instructions of God, the Israelite nation was able to ready itself for judgment and the preservation of life. God then delivered his people from Egypt. Now 50 days later God was prepared to give this nation his 10 Commandments at Mount Sinai, his law and word. But we will review more about this under the subheading: Rejoice for Your Deliverance and Salvation.
But let’s first review what we know about the Passover celebration.
Celebration of Passover Reviewed
What were the events of the celebration of Passover?
Each family was to prepare the sacrificial lamb by bringing it under direct care on the 10th of Nisan.
The blood of the animal was to be placed upon the threshold of the dwelling. So, once nightfall came all the firstborn had to remain inside under the blood or forfeit their life.
The eating of the sacrificial lamb was a family communion meal.
Once the nation of Israel entered into the promised land then God added the festival of unleavened bread and the wave offering of the cut barley as a cut sheaf.
After reviewing the celebrations of Nisan, the only thing that looks similar is the wave offering, as it is now presented as two loaves of bread made of wheat.
Now the grounded wheat becomes the wave offering of the leavened two loaves of bread as the first fruits offering of the wheat harvest. Whereas barley is waved after Passover as the first fruits offering of the 16th of Nisan.
Rejoice for Your Deliverance and Salvation
The celebration of Pentecost is tied to the celebration of Passover because you have to count from the time of the barley harvest to the wheat harvest. But there’s more to it than that, let’s read God’s instructions to Moses.
Deuteronomy 16:9-12… “You are to count seven weeks, counting the weeks from the time the sickle is first put to the standing grain. 10 You are to celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the Lord your God with a freewill offering that you give in proportion to how the Lord your God has blessed you. 11 Rejoice before Yahweh your God in the place where He chooses to have His name dwell—you, your son and daughter, your male and female slave, the Levite within your gates, as well as the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow among you. 12 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt; carefully follow these statutes.
What stood out to me is that the Lord told them to remember that they used to be slaves, now they were going to rejoice during the celebration of Pentecost. I was thinking about the song of Moses that was song after coming through the sea, how it was all about rejoicing at the Deliverance from Egypt. But when comparing it to the song of the Lamb, how the Lamb’s song is all about rejoicing for our Salvation from the world of wicked mankind.
Let us review these two songs starting first with the song of Moses.
Exodus 15:1-18… Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord. They said: I will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted; He has thrown the horse and its rider into the sea. 2 The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him. 3 The Lord is a warrior; Yahweh is His name. 4 He threw Pharaoh’s chariots and his army into the sea; the elite of his officers were drowned in the Red Sea. 5 The floods covered them; they sank to the depths like a stone. 6 Lord, Your right hand is glorious in power. Lord, Your right hand shattered the enemy. 7 You overthrew Your adversaries by Your great majesty. You unleashed Your burning wrath; it consumed them like stubble. 8 The waters heaped up at the blast of Your nostrils; the currents stood firm like a dam. The watery depths congealed in the heart of the sea. 9 The enemy said: “I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil. My desire will be gratified at their expense. I will draw my sword; my hand will destroy them.” 10 But You blew with Your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters. 11 Lord, who is like You among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders? 12 You stretched out Your right hand, and the earth swallowed them. 13 You will lead the people You have redeemed with Your faithful love; You will guide them to Your holy dwelling with Your strength. 14 When the peoples hear, they will shudder; anguish will seize the inhabitants of Philistia. 15 Then the chiefs of Edom will be terrified; trembling will seize the leaders of Moab; the inhabitants of Canaan will panic; 16 and terror and dread will fall on them. They will be as still as a stone because of Your powerful arm until Your people pass by, Lord, until the people whom You purchased pass by. 17 You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of Your possession; Lord, You have prepared the place for Your dwelling; Lord, Your hands have established the sanctuary. 18 The Lord will reign forever and ever!
As we read through the song of Moses, first we can see it is a long song and how does it have to do with how the people felt. Next they were happy and rejoiced about their deliverance from the land of Egypt. This song was a testimony of their deliverance by God.
Now let us review the song of the Lamb.
Revelation 15:3-5… They sang the song of God’s servant Moses and the song of the Lamb saying: Great and awe-inspiring are Your works, Lord God, the Almighty; righteous and true are Your ways, King of the Nations.
Lord, who will not fear and glorify Your name? Because You alone are holy, for all the nations will come and worship before You because Your righteous acts have been revealed. After this I looked, and the heavenly sanctuary—the tabernacle of testimony—was opened.
This song is also about the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb together. But the song of the Lamb seems to be kind of short, could there be more to the song of the Lamb?
Well, we have two more Scriptures that we can look at to determine more about this song of the Lamb.
Revelation 5:9-10… And they sang a new song: You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slaughtered, and You redeemed people for God by Your blood from every tribe and language and people and nation.
10 You made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign on the earth.
Revelation 14:3… They sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders, but no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.
So, the Scriptures reveal that the new song is not really learnable unless you are part of the 144,000. But we do know that part of the new song has to do with the Lamb of God receiving the right to open the scrolls. Also, part of the song of the Lamb is all about the Almighty God and his salvation. The rest of the song has to do with each individual personal testimony of praise and how they were brought to salvation by means of the blood of the Lamb of God as they rejoice before him for their redemption.
Now let us review Pentecost before moving forward and tying everything together.
Pentecost Reviewed
Pentecost was an agricultural celebration of the Wheat harvest called the Festival of Weeks. Each family were required to bring two loaves of bread and two lambs to be offered up by the priest.
The community was to sacrifice a sin offering, a drink offering, and burnt offerings to God. We can also see through the instructions that there seems to be a pattern of the Jubilee cycle with the 49 days and the 50th day being Pentecost, though most scholars will not teach about this similarity that I’m aware of.
50 days after the nation of Israel left Egypt, they found themselves at Mount Sinai were Moses received the 10 Commandments of God. The people of God could now freely accept God’s word or law as part of a covenant.
So, we can see that rejoicing at the deliverance and salvation are directly tied into the celebration of Pentecost.
Pentecost is also about receiving the word of God as part of a new covenant and we will learn more about that next under the following subheading.
The Outpouring of Holy Spirit
The last instructions that the Jesus Christ gave his disciples before he ascended was for them to wait for the promised gift.
What kind of gift could only be given in Jerusalem? When was this gift to be given? Was this promise even prophesied about?
The disciple Luke wrote about what took place after the resurrection of Christ Jesus and the events that followed. Christ Jesus gave very specific instructions about the gift of God coming as the baptism of Holy Spirit.
Acts 1:4-5… In my first book I wrote about all the things that Jesus did and taught from the time he began his work 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven. Before he was taken up, he gave instructions by the power of the Holy Spirit to the men he had chosen as his apostles. 3 For forty days after his death he appeared to them many times in ways that proved beyond doubt that he was alive. They saw him, and he talked with them about the Kingdom of God. 4 And when they came together, he gave them this order: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift I told you about, the gift my Father promised. 5 John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Where in Scripture does it talk about God giving this gift of Holy Spirit to his people? We will look and analyze the words of three different prophets that spoke about God giving his Holy Spirit, as his gift to the people.
The prophet Joel speaks in his writings of Gods judgments, the treading of the wine press, and destruction to the wicked. But take note of the signs and the gift that God promised to those chosen by him.
Joel 2:28-32… Afterward I will pour out my Spirit on everyone: your sons and daughters will proclaim my message; your old people will have dreams, and your young people will see visions. 29 At that time I will pour out my Spirit even on servants, both men and women. 30 “I will give warnings of that day in the sky and on the earth; there will be bloodshed, fire, and clouds of smoke. 31 The sun will be darkened, and the moon will turn red as blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. 32 But all who ask the Lord for help will be saved. As the Lord has said, ‘Some in Jerusalem will escape; those whom I choose will survive.’
The prophet Joel, in speaking about the gift of the Holy Spirit, first mentions a specific time. He then speaks of what will happen to those who receive the Holy Spirit. It is also part of the warning that God is giving before his day of destruction. So, we can call on the Lord to be saved.
Next we will look at the words of Isaiah as God addresses his people.
Isaiah 44:1-5… Listen now, Israel, my servant, my chosen people, the descendants of Jacob. 2 I am the Lord who created you; from the time you were born, I have helped you. Do not be afraid; you are my servant, my chosen people whom I love. 3 “I will give water to the thirsty land and make streams flow on the dry ground.
I will pour out my spirit on your children and my blessing on your descendants. 4 They will thrive like well-watered grass, like willows by streams of running water. 5 “One by one, people will say, ‘I am the Lord’s.’ They will come to join the people of Israel. They each will mark the name of the Lord on their arms and call Themselves one of God’s people.”
This is a restoration prophecy as most scholars refer to it as. God promises to provide sustaining water to the land and God’s spirit will be poured out upon the children of the descendants of Jacob. Then there will be a returning of God’s people to the land of Israel. Notice how the prophet Ezekiel follows up with the same thought of the returning of God’s people to the land of Israel, but also in doing so he speaks of a new heart, and a new mind that is influenced by Holy Spirit that God will give them.
Now looking to what the prophet Ezekiel said about this gift.
Ezekiel 36:24-28…I will take you from every nation and country and bring you back to your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you and make you clean from all your idols and everything else that has defiled you. 26 I will give you a new heart and a new mind. I will take away your stubborn heart of stone and give you an obedient heart. 27 I will put my spirit in you and will see to it that you follow my laws and keep all the commands I have given you. 28 Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors. You will be my people, and I will be your God.
Those who received the Holy Spirit understand the importance of keeping the law, his commandments, and festivals of God. But how are we given a new mind and a new heart in which to serve God? How does this work?
What is the Holy Spirit?
Some teach that the Holy Spirit is God’s active force. Others claim that they received the Holy Spirit but then act like fools, foaming at the mouth, shaking, falling down, and rolling around the floor. But what is the Holy Spirit and how can we identify that it is from God?
Let us first look at John the Baptist and what he said about the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Mark 1:4-8… So John appeared in the desert, baptizing and preaching. “Turn away from your sins and be baptized,” he told the people, “and God will forgive your sins.” 5 Many people from the province of Judea and the city of Jerusalem went out to hear John. They confessed their sins, and he baptized them in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothes made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 7 He announced to the people, “The man who will come after me is much greater than I am. I am not good enough even to bend down and untie his sandals. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.
John the Baptist said that there would be a man who would baptize the people in Holy Spirit.
Next will look at what the disciple Luke’s said in his account, what was told him about what Christ said about the gift from God.
Luke 24:45-49… Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “This is what is written: the Messiah must suffer and must rise from death three days later, 47 and in his name the message about repentance and the forgiveness of sins must be preached to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And I myself will send upon you what my Father has promised. But you must wait in the city until the power from above comes down upon you.
So, Christ Jesus said that he would send what was promised by God, he called it a power.
Looking at what the disciple Luke said further in the account of the acts of the apostles, as he described what happened at receiving the gift that Christ promised to send from the Father to those waiting in Jerusalem at Pentecost 33 CE.
Acts 2:1-4… When the day of Pentecost came, all the believers were gathered together in one place. 2 Suddenly there was a noise from the sky which sounded like a strong wind blowing, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then they saw what looked like tongues of fire which spread out and touched each person there. 4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to talk in other languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak.
So, Luke’s description said that the people were filled with Holy Spirit at Pentecost. They were also speaking in tongues as the spirit enabled them to speak.
At Acts 2:16-20 the apostle Peter begins to remind everybody that this was because of the prophecy of Joel, that God was doing this pouring out of spirit.
Peter gave a moving speech, and he concluded here with the following words:
Acts 2:32-39… God has raised this very Jesus from death, and we are all witnesses to this fact. 33 He has been raised to the right side of God, his Father, and has received from him the Holy Spirit, as he had promised. What you now see and hear is his gift that he has poured out on us. 34 For it was not David who went up into heaven; rather he said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord: Sit here at my right side 35 until I put your enemies as a footstool under your feet.’ 36 “All the people of Israel, then, are to know for sure that this Jesus, whom you crucified, is the one that God has made Lord and Messiah!” 37 When the people heard this, they were deeply troubled and said to Peter and the other apostles, “What shall we do, brothers?” 38 Peter said to them, “Each one of you must turn away from your sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven; and you will receive God’s gift, the Holy Spirit. 39 For God’s promise was made to you and your children, and to all who are far away—all whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
So, Christ Jesus is alive sitting at the right hand of God and freely giving the Holy Spirit, to those calling upon him as this was the promised gift of God that their hearts and their minds would be made over so that they could serve him fully, as they would worship in spirit and in truth.
What else do we know about the Holy Spirit? What other disciples of Christ spoke about this free gift and what can we learn from them?
The apostle Paul said that God’s love had been put into our hearts.
Romans 5:5…We’re not ashamed to have this confidence, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
What is this love that the apostle Paul spoke of? Let us reason on what the Holy Spirit is and what it is not, as we consider what the apostle Peter indicated in his writings.
1 Peter 1:10-12… It was concerning this salvation that the prophets made careful search and investigation, and they prophesied about this gift which God would give you. 11 They tried to find out when the time would be and how it would come. This was the time to which Christ’s Spirit in them was pointing, in predicting the sufferings that Christ would have to endure and the glory that would follow. 12 God revealed to these prophets that their work was not for their own benefit, but for yours, as they spoke about those things which you have now heard from the messengers who announced the Good News by the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. These are things which even the angels would like to understand.
So, we can see that the Holy Spirit is not an angel, but it is a force that acts upon the mind and the heart of the recipient of the Holy Spirit.
Those who received the Holy Spirit say what about it, how do they describe what it is that has affected their heart in their mind so as to be at peace with God?
The Peace of God
The peace of God is truly a gift but it’s so much more difficult to explain to those who’ve never received it. So, we will look to the apostle Paul the foremost authority who has written about and who has received this gift or token.
Colossians 3:10-15… And have clothed yourselves with the new [spiritual self], which is [ever in the process of being] renewed and remolded into [fuller and more perfect knowledge upon] knowledge after the image (the likeness) of Him Who created it. 11 [In this new creation all distinctions vanish.] There is no room for and there can be neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, [nor difference between nations whether alien] barbarians or Scythians [who are the most savage of all], nor slave or free man; but Christ is all and in all [everything and everywhere, to all men, without distinction of person].
The Amplified Bible Classic Edition speaks of clothing yourself with the new spiritual self after the creator who made / gave it to you and again they call this new clothing the new creation.
What other scriptures has the apostle Paul spoken about this new creation this the new spiritual self?
Galatians 6:15-16… For neither is circumcision [now] of any importance, nor uncircumcision, but [only] a new creation [the result of a new birth and a new nature in Christ Jesus, the Messiah]. 16 Peace and mercy be upon all who walk by this rule [who discipline themselves and regulate their lives by this principle], even upon the [true] Israel of God!
Again, the Amplified Bible Classic Edition speaks of the new creation as being a new birth, a new nature in Christ. Also, the apostle Paul speaks of walking in the newness of this rule. And the Amplified Bible Classic Edition elaborates by saying that they have to discipline themselves, regulating their lives under this principle. Then the apostle Paul calls them the Israel of God.
The next Scripture will look at is found at 2 Corinthians chapter 5, as it speaks about the new creation as being a pledge, token, or guarantee that is the spirit that is to come, something that God created or produced for us.
2 Corinthians 5:5… Now He who has made us and prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the [Holy] Spirit as a pledge [a guarantee, a down payment on the fulfillment of His promise].
2 Corinthians 5:17-18… Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! 18 But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself [received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself] and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation [that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him].
Before we go any further with our understanding as respects the new creation and the ministry that follows, we want to sum up what we’ve learned thus far.
Summary
The wave offering was something that was given over to God. So, Christ was resurrected on the day that the two sheaves of barley were to be waived before God as the first fruits. Whereas the waving of the two loaves was similar to the waving of the sons of Levi before God. They were given to God in redemption for the firstborn of the Israelites. They were to become the first fruits of God.
In turn God gave the first fruit of the spirit as a gift that those who would call upon him as their God. This was a promise, pledge, and guarantee that they would belong to Christ as the first fruits. They became a new creation, a new spiritual self, made in the very image of the one who made it. Because it was the spirit of Christ that has been poured out into the hearts of those who accept him as their Savior.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22… But it is God Who confirms and makes us steadfast and establishes us [in joint fellowship] with you in Christ and has consecrated and anointed us [enduing us with the gifts of the Holy Spirit]; 22 [He has also appropriated and acknowledged us as His by] putting His seal upon us and giving us His [Holy] Spirit in our hearts as the security deposit and guarantee [of the fulfillment of His promise].
The apostle Paul uses words and phrases like “the Israel of God” or “consecrated and anointed” and sealed with the Holy Spirit. There is a lot to learn about being redeemed, the new covenant and the forgiveness and repentance from dead works but first let’s look harder at the baptism of the Holy Spirit by Christ Jesus before studying about the ministry of the reconciliation.
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