Tag Archives: Pentecost

SEEING JESUS IN THE FEASTS OF ISRAEL -LESSON 4

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LESSON 4

FEAST OF PENTECOST

THE FEAST OF
PENTECOST
50 days counted out from First-fruits is Shavuot or Pentecost. God comes down to His covenant people in an earth-shaking day of visitation. It is a betrothal leading into magnificent future glories. 		 

“From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord. From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of first-fruits to the Lord. Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the Lord together with their grain offerings and drink offerings – an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering and two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering. The priest is to wave the two lambs before the Lord as a wave offering, together with the bread of the first-fruits. They are a sacred offering to the Lord for the priest. On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.” Leviticus 23:15-21.

SINAI

“Fifty days after the first-fruits of the barley harvest were waved before the Lord as a terumah or wave offering, (fifty days from the morning after the Sabbath following Passover), was Shavuot or the Day of Pentecost. Rabbinic scholars believe that it was on this day that God came down on Mount Sinai to give His people His ketubah – 10 Word marriage covenant – and to betroth them to Him to be married. It was the day on which the nation of Israel was born. Because the people broke the covenant soon afterwards by worshipping a golden calf, 3,000 of them died at that time.

“The Old Covenant was a national covenant between YHVH-God and His covenant people. And so the nation of Israel was established. They agree to follow Him in devotion and obedience. In spite of past failures the nation of Israel will indeed be restored. The Jewish House of Judah will be saved and the throne of David in Judah will be established upon this earth under Messiah.

“But that is not all. The lost sheep of the House of Israel, the lost ten tribes of Israel, will be found and brought back home to Israel again. (See Ezekiel 37). The nation and kingdom of Israel along with Messiah’s Melchizedek priesthood will be fully restored as a single elect and chosen people.

PENTECOST

“50 days from the day the first-fruits of the barley harvest were waved before the Lord, (that is 50 days from the morning after the weekly Sabbath after Passover), in the summer of the year of Yeshua’s passion, YHVH-God visited His people by His Holy Spirit. This is another earth-shaking day of visitation and betrothal. But on this occasion God’s Presence is not as unapproachable as on the former visitation back at Sinai. Moses had ordered 12 boundary markers placed around the foot of the mountain to hold back the people lest the fire of God flash out upon them. Amidst the thundering and lightning God came down as a consuming fire and blackened the entire summit.

“Back at Sinai it was a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. But this next Pentecostal visitation was quite different. God had intervened through the atoning sacrifice of His perfect Passover lamb, to remove the barrier of sin and restore His people to fellowship with Himself. The curtain of the temple that separated Him from the people had been ripped from top to bottom, indicating that the way into the Most Holy Place was open to everyone (Matthew 27:51). A new High Priest had been installed, one whose perfect and endless life meant that He was always there to make intercession for His people (Hebrews 7:23-25).

“On this Day of Pentecost, tongues of fire descended from heaven to rest upon consecrated individuals gathered to wait upon God. All of them had received Messiah and had come to know Him in a personal way in the New Covenant. Just as Moses had seen the burning bush that was not consumed, the fire came down and rested upon the 120, (probably in the temple, waiting for the high priest to fulfil the ceremony of pouring oil through the two loaves of leavened bread and declaring that the Day of Pentecost had fully come) not to consume them but to fill them with the Holy Spirit and bathe them in the glory of God.

“This day of wonder sees the Holy Spirit descend in a splendid flooding wave. This was the beginning of the Holy Spirit outpouring. And Joel saw this coming to a peak at the 6th seal at the very end of the latter days. See Joel 2:28-32. The revival spreads out from the Jerusalem epicentre as the disciples go out into the streets of the city proclaiming the Good News of salvation. Whereas 3,000 had died under the Law on the previous visitation, 3,000 are now saved by grace as the Apostle Peter preaches to the crowds coming up to the Feast. And so on this awesome day in holy history, the 7th day of Sivan on the Hebrew calendar, the Feast of Pentecost comes to its appointed New Covenant fulfilment.

THE GOD OF ISRAEL IS A GOD OF CELEBRATION AND ON HIS HOLY DAYS HE PERFORMS HIS WONDERS.

“On the Day of Pentecost the God of Israel comes down to His people. God comes down to visit His people, first nationally, (in the Old Covenant), and individually and personally, (in the New Covenant). He reveals Himself to His covenant people in power and great glory. Pentecost unfolds in the Old Covenant as YHVH-God is betrothed to a nation. And Pentecost unfolds in the New Covenant as YHVH-God is betrothed to individuals personally inside their hearts. So the overshadowing glory of God descends down Jacob’s ladder on two spectacular days of wonders. The first is at Sinai 3500 odd years ago. And the second is in Jerusalem during the Day of Pentecost 50 days after the First-fruits Resurrection of Jesus Christ/Yeshua Hamashiach in the summer of the passion year.

PENTECOST; THE POWER OF THE GOD IN ISRAEL AND THE CHURCH; 
DESTINED TO SAVE ISRAEL AND THE CHURCH, BRINGING BOTH INTO VITAL RESTORATION AND UNION; ALL THESE WONDERS WILL GLORIOUSLY UNFOLD IN THE LATTER DAYS.

“Pentecost in the New Covenant establishes the Congregation of Israel as an “ekklesia”, a congregation, or an “Assembly” of “called out” individuals. This was the original meaning of the word “church”.

“The Congregation of Messiah/Church has a vital unfolding Kingdom connection to Israel through Christ, the Messiah of Israel. Jesus Christ is the promised Seed of Abraham, (Gal. 3:29). The saving blood of Christ is the blood of Israel’s promised Sacrifice Lamb. This is the only atoning covering for sin this world will ever know. But because of her worldly political, commercial, and ecumenical connections the present day western Church still refuses to acknowledge her ultimate national identity in Israel through Jesus Christ/Yeshua Hamashiach the promised Seed of Abraham. He is the Seed, (singular), who gives rise to a myriad of spiritual descendants as numerous as the sand of the sea and the stars of heaven. This wonderful visitation all comes to pass by a pro-active God who comes down to His covenant people nationally and personally in a glorious wave of true and genuine Pentecostal power.

“Our God speaks to us in His Righteous Law and in His Grace and Mercy. Herein lies the two-fold witness we see in the two leavened loaves lifted up at Pentecost. These two offices of the Kingdom and the Priesthood emerge in Pentecostal power from the double anointing of the Order of Melchizedek which is found in Messiah.

Description: Description: http://endtimepilgrim.org/2loaves.jpg

“Two leavened loaves are waved before God as Pentecost is celebrated. God is lifting up, dealing with, and bringing together two entities that are not unleavened and not without sin, even Israel and the Church. What a righteous and gracious God we serve!

“The God of Israel has been making Himself known to His covenant people for a long time. The pilgrimage of the children of Abraham has always been an adventure and it has always been a romance in God. And so it continues to this day. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has chosen to communicate His divine Message through His Word under the ministrations of His Holy Spirit. We hear His voice as we read the pages of the Bible. YHVH-God ministers into the lives of His covenant people on a day by day basis by His Holy Spirit. His personal, national, and congregational dealings with His covenant people continue.

“Our God likes to celebrate. He likes to party with His people. And He parties big! (See John 2:1-11, Rev.7, and Rev.21) One of the names by which He is known is “Emmanuel”, which means, “God with us”. It is in His Spirit of fellowship that YHVH-God has set forth special times of the year for partying holidays. He marks out and sets aside special dates on the Hebrew calendar to celebrate with His nation and His covenant Congregation, even as He did with His “church in the wilderness”http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=Church+in+the+wilderness&searchtype=all&version1=9&spanbegin=1&spanend=73 gathered at Sinai. There are seven, (perhaps eventually eight), Feasts of the Lord. These holy days are celebrated in the Spring, in the Summer, and in the Fall. They are the Seven Feasts of Israel.”

http://endtimepilgrim.org/pentecost.htm

THE BOOK OF ACTS – LIES UNRAVELED

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LIES UNRAVELED

“The governor motioned to Paul that it was now his turn. Paul said, ‘I count myself fortunate to be defending myself before you, Governor, knowing how fair-minded you’ve been in judging us all these years. I’ve been back in the country only twelve days — you can check out these dates easily enough. I came with the express purpose of worshipping in Jerusalem on Pentecost, and I’ve been minding my own business the whole time. Nobody can say they saw me arguing in the Temple or working up a crowd in the streets. Not one of their charges can be backed up with evidences or witnesses.'” Acts 24:10-13 (The Message).

Now, Paul, it’s your turn to pit your brilliant legal mind against Tertullius and his clients.

It was Paul’s turn to speak, to make his defense against the pathetic accusations brought by Tertullius on behalf of the Jews who were trying to use emotional hype to make their case stick. The problem was that, for Felix, it was a toss-up between administering justice for Paul or currying favour with the Jews. That depended on the governor’s character and integrity. Was this about justice or about winning a popularity contest with the influential and volatile Jewish leaders?

Paul appealed to the governor’s past performance of good governance, whether it was true or not, in the hopes that Felix would want to uphold his good name.  His defense was not based on emotion but on fact and truth.

Paul dismissed the charges of being a rabble-rouser with the contempt it deserved. He wasted no time in defending himself on that point, appealing to Felix to call the witnesses and check the evidence.

“‘But I do freely admit this: In regard to the Way which they malign as a dead-end street, I serve and worship the very same God served and worshipped by all our ancestors and embrace everything written in all our Scriptures. And I admit to living in hopeful anticipation that God will raise the dead, both the good and the bad. If that’s my crime, my accusers are just as guilty as I am.'” Acts 24:14-15 (The Message).

Paul knew what the real issue was, just as Jesus did decades before. It was about the Messiah the Jewish leaders had rejected. This was not about his criminal activity. This was about their position of power over the people, and the wealth they garnered from their offerings.  If Jesus was truly the Messiah, whom the people of the Way believed and followed, then the Jewish hierarchy would have to admit that they were wrong and that they had crucified their Messiah. They would have to eat humble pie, give up their position and follow Him.

Paul skillfully put them in a really bad light.  The Pharisees believed in the resurrection, theoretically, but they rejected the resurrection of Jesus. If they were to be true to what they believed, they would have to acknowledge that Jesus was their Messiah. Paul had them cornered because he placed himself squarely on their side. If he were guilty of believing in the resurrection, so were they. He had gone all the way and embraced the resurrection as fact and proof of Jesus’ Messiah ship. They had not.

Paul had dug in the knife. In the next few sentences he would slash open the hearts of these hypocrites and their slimy, useless lawyer who did no more than mouth the feeble accusations of his clients. This had nothing to do with Paul’s behaviour and everything to do with their unbelieving and greedy hearts.

This is a clear lesson for all who claim to be followers of the Messiah Jesus. There is no room in His body for people who follow Him for what they can get out of it for themselves. Jesus is about truth. He is Messiah and Lord, appointed by the Father to be the king over all things. Those who would follow Him may only do so if they abandon themselves to Him as Lord.

THE BOOK OF ACTS – SMOOTH SAILING

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SMOOTH SAILING                                                                                       

“In the meantime, the rest of us had gone on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos where we planned to pick up Paul. Paul wanted to walk there and so had made these arrangements earlier. Things went according to plan. We met him at Assos, took him on board, and sailed to Mitylene. The next day we put in opposite Chios, Samos a day later, and then Miletus. Paul had decided to bypass Ephesus so that he wouldn’t be held up in Asia province. He was in a hurry to get to Jerusalem in time for the Feast of Pentecost, if at all possible.” Acts 20:13-16 (The Message).

For once things were going according to plan for Paul. He had set his sights on Jerusalem in time for Pentecost and he was well on his way to getting there on time. The weather favoured the sailors; he was accompanied by his dear friends and behind him was the result of his faithful labour for Jesus.

He was still a Jew at heart, with the memory of Jewish festivals deeply ingrained in him. He had spent the most part of his life among pagans, gathering in the harvest of souls for the kingdom of God from city to city with toil, hardship and suffering — imprisonment, beatings, stoning, walking thousands of miles, experiencing the rigors of heat, cold, hunger and loneliness, but he was not daunted because he was gathering experience no one could take from him.

Jerusalem was his goal, the centre of the Jewish world and the capital city of his own people. Like Jesus, Paul was on a determined course for Jerusalem but, unlike Jesus, he did not yet know what awaited him there. He had been the butt of Jewish hostility throughout his travels. Many times he had been forced to turn his back on them and give his attention to the Gentiles because they had rejected him and threatened his life. He had been hounded from one city to the next and often had to change plans to escape their murderous plots but he still loved them and longed for their favourable response to the good news.

“‘I speak the truth in Christ — I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit — I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel.” Romans 9:1-4a (NIV).

How could Paul say a thing like that when his own people had treated him so badly? Surely he must have held a grudge against them for the scars on his body and on his soul? Not at all! Paul, how could you be so forgiving and so caring in the face of all you have suffered at their hands?

Jesus uttered words on the cross that, if we would really take them to heart, would take the sting out of the things we suffer at the hands of others. “‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.'” Luke 23:34 (NIV).

Like his Master, Paul realised that the way they treated him was just like the way he treated the believers before he met Jesus on the Damascus road, because he didn’t know what he was doing. Isn’t that true? Ignorance is not an excuse but often a reason for our foolish behaviour. If we really knew what the consequences of our words and actions would be, would we treat others the way we do?

One of the reasons why we withhold forgiveness from another is that we think we are better than he. What he has done to us we would never do to him. Really? We feel so outraged. How could he, she? But we forget that we are just as guilty because we are just as ignorant of the consequences.

Only a compassionate heart that really cared about the lives of those who hated him could cause Paul to say, “‘I have great sorrow…'”

THE BOOK OF ACTS – A SECOND CHANCE

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A SECOND CHANCE

“When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Without warning there was a sound of a strong wind — gale force — no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them.” Acts 2:1-4 (The Message)

Such a familiar story! We know it so well, but do we? Funny how I have always taken for granted that the event took place in the upper room! But did it? They met in a house for the Feast of Passover, hardly big enough to accommodate a hundred and twenty people! Luke said that they spend all their time in the Temple, praising God (Luke 24:53). Perhaps this happened in the Temple where people would have gathered for the Pentecost ceremony, led by the high priest.

Pentecost was a harvest festival, celebrating and giving thanks for the full harvest that had been gathered in. It was also the last of the spring feasts which Messiah was to fulfil, according to the ancient rabbis. It was the only feast in which bread was made with yeast, symbolising God’s willingness to dwell with imperfect people.

The high priest would take a loaf of leavened bread, symbolising the harvest, pour olive oil through it and offer it up to God, saying, “Now the Feast of Pentecost has fully come.” It was celebrated fifty days after Passover. The symbolism is beautiful. Jesus was the “seed” sown into the ground at Passover and fifty days later, the “harvest” of the church began to be gathered in when the Holy Spirit was poured out on imperfect people. God had now taken up permanent residence in His “temple”, the people of God.

Pentecost took place on the same day of the year that God met with Israel on Mount Sinai and entered into a marriage covenant with them. On that occasion His appearance was accompanied by noisy and visual confirmations. There was the blowing of a trumpet, voices and fire and smoke. He offered them a marriage proposal and entered into a marriage covenant which they failed to honour.

The same phenomena occurred when the Holy Spirit was poured out, wind (noise), fire and smoke (visuals) and voices. At Sinai, God’s people refused to respond to His marriage proposal — they were terrified at the sound of God’s voice and pleaded with Moses, not God, to speak to them. They did not want to hear God’s voice. At Pentecost they spoke back to God, in the languages of the astonished visitors from all over the Roman Empire.

At Sinai they rejected their status as the bride — at Pentecost the church was born, which is the Bride of Christ! Subsequent to Sinai, they proved their refusal to accept God’s marriage proposal by living in perpetual spiritual adultery, consorting with the idols of the surrounding nations and dishonouring the terms of the marriage agreement until God “divorced” them by sending them back into slavery in Babylon.

At Pentecost, Jesus sent His Spirit to betroth the church to Him once again. She responded to His proposal. Now He has a bride who is learning to submit to her lover, getting to know Him and preparing herself for the day when He returns (Revelation 19:7, 8) to take her to His Father’s house (John 14:1-4) to become one with Him forever (John 17:20, 21). Together they will celebrate the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9).

Pentecost has great significance for us. It is much more than the justification for speaking in tongues or exercising spiritual gifts. The Holy Spirit is the inward presence of Jesus, representing Him to us, teaching us about Him, leading us into all truth, glorifying Jesus to us and through us and preparing us for the wedding when the Bridegroom comes to take us to Himself.

A Second Chance

Christian Life, , ,

A SECOND CHANCE

“When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Without warning there was a sound of a strong wind — gale force — no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them.” Acts 2:1-4 (The Message).

Such a familiar story! We know it so well, but do we? Funny how I have always taken for granted that the event took place in the upper room! But did it? They had met in a house for the Feast of Passover, hardly big enough to accommodate a hundred and twenty people! Luke said that they spend all their time in the Temple, praising God (Luke 24:53). Perhaps this happened in the Temple where people would have gathered for the Pentecost ceremony, led by the high priest.

Pentecost was a harvest festival, celebrating and giving thanks for the full harvest that had been gathered in. It was also the last of the spring feasts which Messiah was to fulfil, according to the ancient rabbis. It was the only feast in which bread was made with yeast, symbolising God’s willingness to dwell with imperfect people.

The high priest would take a loaf of leavened bread, symbolising the harvest, pour olive oil through it and offer it up to God, saying, “Now the Feast of Pentecost has fully come.” It was celebrated fifty days after Passover. The symbolism is beautiful. Jesus was the “seed” sown into the ground at Passover and fifty days later, the “harvest” of the church began to be gathered in when the Holy Spirit was poured out on imperfect people. God had now taken up permanent residence in His “temple”, the people of God.

Pentecost took place on the same day of the year that God met with Israel on Mount Sinai and entered into a marriage covenant with them. On that occasion His appearance was accompanied by noisy and visual confirmations. There was the blowing of a trumpet, voices and fire and smoke. He offered them a marriage proposal and entered into a marriage covenant which they failed to acknowledge or honour.

The same phenomena occurred when the Holy Spirit was poured out, wind (noise), fire and smoke (visuals) and voices. At Sinai, God’s people refused to respond to His marriage proposal — they were terrified at the sound of God’s voice and pleaded with Moses, not God, to speak to them. They did not want to hear God’s voice. At Pentecost they spoke back to God, in the languages of the astonished visitors from all over the Roman Empire.

At Sinai they rejected their status as the bride — at Pentecost the church was born, which is the Bride of Christ! Subsequent to Sinai, they proved their refusal to accept God’s marriage proposal by living in perpetual spiritual adultery, consorting with the idols of the surrounding nations and dishonouring the terms of the marriage agreement until God “divorced” them by sending them back into slavery in Babylon.

At Pentecost, Jesus sent His Spirit to betroth the church to Himself once again. She responded to His proposal. Now He has a bride who is learning to submit to her lover, getting to know Him and preparing herself for the day when He returns (Revelation 19:7, 8) to take her to His Father’s house (John 14:1-4) to become one with Him forever (John 17:20, 21). Together they will celebrate the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9).

Pentecost has great significance for us. It is much more than the justification for speaking in tongues or exercising spiritual gifts. The Holy Spirit is the inward presence of Jesus, representing Him to us, teaching us about Him, leading us into all truth, glorifying Jesus to us and through us and preparing us for the wedding when the Bridegroom comes to take us to Himself.