As we continue our study of the feasts
of Israel, we come to the Feast of Weeks, also known as Pentecost.
Leviticus 23:15-18 And ye shall count unto
you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf
of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow
after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new
meat offering unto the LORD. Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave
loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken
with leaven; they are the firstfruits
unto the LORD. And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of
the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the LORD, with
their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the LORD.
Seven Sabbaths and one day (50 days)
from the day of Firstfruits was designated as the Feast of Weeks that marked
the end of the grain harvest and the end of the Spring feast season. This day was also to be observed as a
Sabbath. The Jews commemorate this day
as that in which God gave them the law, the Ten Commandments. It’s interesting to note that this offering included
two wave loaves baked with leaven.
Scripture records that the church was
birthed on Pentecost.
Acts 2:1–4 “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they
were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from
heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were
sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it
sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began
to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
Maybe the two loaves pointed to two
distinct groups of sinners redeemed by the grace of God—Israel and the
Gentiles. The fact that it is also a
Sabbath could picture the “rest” we have in our salvation since Christ fulfilled
the law and saves us by His grace.
Hebrews 4:9–10 “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of
God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own
works, as God did from his.”
Ephesians 2:8–9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should
boast.”
Leviticus 23:22 And when ye reap the harvest of your
land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou
reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt
leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.
In light of the offerings connected to
the harvest, Moses once again reminds the people that they were not to thoroughly
reap the harvest. They were to leave
gleanings to provide for the poor and those that were strangers in the
land. The Lord places great importance
on providing for the poor and needy, and the following verses from Isaiah
clearly picture God’s heart in this regard.
Isaiah 58:6–11 “Is not
this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the
heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that
are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and
that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the
morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness
shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. Then shalt
thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I
am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the
finger, and speaking vanity; And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and
satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy
darkness be as the noonday: And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and
satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a
watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.”
Leviticus 23:24-25 Speak unto the children
of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing
of trumpets, an holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering
made by fire unto the LORD.
With these verses our attention is
turned to the fall feasts. The first day
of the seventh month represents the beginning of Israel’s civil calendar, the
Jewish New Year that marks the passage of time.
Jewish tradition holds that this day marks the day of creation. This day is also designated as a Sabbath.
It is interesting to note that this
day is marked by the blowing of trumpets in light of the fact that New
Testament scripture reveals that the rapture will be preceded by the blowing of
a trumpet.
1 Corinthians 15:51–52 “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not
all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an
eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be
raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 “For the Lord himself shall descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of
God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and
remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in
the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
It’s also interesting to note in light
of the words of Jesus (speaking of His return)…
Matthew 24:36 “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not
the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”
…that this is the only feast that
depends upon a sighting of the new moon and is given a two-day window of
possibility; thus, one could not predict the day or hour. I must admit that my anticipation picks up a
little bit more each year at this time in light of that possible connection.
The blowing of the trumpets serves as
a reminder that the Day of Atonement is approaching. The intervening days provide a time of
self-evaluation and an opportunity to repent of one’s sins in light of the
coming judgment of God. I believe that
the rapture will happen in close proximity to the beginning of the 70th
week of Daniel known as the tribulation.
The rapture, like the blowing of the trumpets, will signal an
opportunity for self-evaluation and to repent of one’s sins in light of coming
judgment. God will even send two
miracle-working prophets and will send out 144,000 Jewish witnesses to declare
the truth of His word and the message of salvation for at least the first half
of that 7-year period.
(to be continued…)
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