The Day Of Pentecost

Our mission in this offering is to understand a bit more of the Jewish Festival of The Feast of Weeks and see how it truly connects to Pentecost. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come. Acts 2: 1a.

Immediately, we are hit between the eyes with this firm fact. Pentecost is an already existing time. It’s like saying this. When the day of Passover had fully come. We can understand this because we know that the Feast of Passover was a yearly feast ordained by God for the Jews to commemorate. Pentecost is no different, in that it is one of the three yearly pilgrimage feasts, which God told His people they were to celebrate unto Him. These feasts are, The Feast of Unleavened Bread or Passover, the Feast of Harvest or the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Ingathering or the Feast of Tabernacles. A quick reference is Exodus 23: 14 - 17

The Word Pentecost is not found in the Old Testament, but there is enough evidence to prove, and convincingly so, that the outpouring of the Holy Ghost, took place on the Feast of Weeks or the Feast of Harvest. The name Pentecost is derived from the Greek word, pentekoste, meaning, fiftieth. We know that we always celebrate Pentecost, fifty days after Easter or the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, from the dead.

Here are a couple Biblical references to help us see that just as the Feast of Weeks was celebrated after the Passover, so too the Feast of Pentecost is celebrated after Easter.

You shall count seven weeks for yourselves; begin to count the seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the grain. Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the LORD your God blesses you. Deuteronomy 16: 9 – 10. NKJV. 

We observe the same timing or span of time in Leviticus 23: 15 – 16. NKJV. And you shall count for yourself from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the LORD.

What we have established is that Pentecost is the Jewish Festival of Weeks, a Harvest Festival, the Feast of First Fruits, unto the Lord. The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God. Exodus 23: 19a.

Now we come to our third question. Remember, these were the questions at hand.

• Why the use of the word, “And”?

• What is “the Day of Pentecost”?

• When is, “fully come?”  

Having briefly touched, the first two questions, we now turn our attention, once again, very briefly, to the third question. When is, “fully come?” And when the day of Pentecost was fully come. We are simply being made to understand by the writer of the Acts of the Apostles, that it was the actual day and time of the Jewish Feast of Pentecost, Festival of Weeks, or Festival of Harvest. The understanding is the same as we have about the time of Jesus’ Birth, in a human being called Mary.

The Apostle Paul, in speaking to the Galatians about the Son of God, coming to earth to save and redeem sinners, spoke like this. But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. Galatians 4: 4 – 5. Is he not speaking of the day set by God, for the Birth of Jesus, here on earth, as fully accomplished, fully followed, fully kept? Fully come, speaks of being, not a day before and not a day after.

Luke gives us this information, about the day or time of Jesus’ birth. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. Luke 2: 6. When we listen to this same verse recorded in the NIV translation, don’t we receive the same understanding also? While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born. We have the sure knowledge and confidence that this accomplishing, this timing, was perfect, spot on, not a minute early or a minute late. As with Jesus’ Birth, which only took place when the time had fully come, so we can celebrate Jesus’ Baptism, which occurred when the time had fully come. 

Jesus had it all calculated, all figured out and knew that the Feast of Harvest, or the Feast of First fruits would soon be celebrated in Jerusalem. The time our Lord chose to fulfill His promise of the Gift of the Holy Ghost was and still is, a Jewish feast, known as Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks. Remember, we have already indicated that it was one of the three pilgrimage feasts celebrated each year by the Jews. Jesus grew up in a devoutly religious home, as His father Joseph, was a good man of God. Matthew 1: 19a says this of him; Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man. With Joseph as His father and Mary, a woman highly favoured by God, as His mother, it stands to reason that from a baby, Jesus was taken on all three Jewish pilgrimages – The Feast of Passover, the Feast of Tabernacles and the Feast of Weeks.

We are assured of this, because it was on one of those Feast of Passover pilgrimages to Jerusalem when, as a twelve year old boy, Jesus caused His parents to have a real scare, when they could not find Him. When they found Him, after three days, and asked why He had caused them such anxiety, this was young Jesus’ response. Why were you searching for me? he said, Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house? Luke 2: 49.

All we are doing is being reminded of the fact that Pentecost was and still is a time of feasting for Jews. It was in this Feast of Harvest, this Feast of Weeks that God chose to fulfill His promise to His repentant, resurrected people, as was previously seen. This has struck me forcibly, the fact that God’s fully come, will be fulfilled, regardless. Check this out.

The Birth of Jesus was, fully come, during pilgrimage time, a time when Jews and others, had to leave their places of abode, on the given orders of the ruling human power.

The Baptism of Jesus was, fully come, during pilgrimage time, a time when Jews had to leave their places of abode, on the given orders of the Ruling Divine Power.

Fully come, reminds us of the Superlative Omnipotence of Sovereign God, that all He proposes, promises and predicts, all His times, will fully come. 

Amen! Blessed be our God!