Pentecost, The Feast Of Weeks Shavuot

PENTECOST  THE FEAST OF WEEKS   SHAVUOT

And you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks, that is, the first fruits of the wheat harvest... (Exodus 34:22 NAS).
We now come to the Fourth of the Feasts of the Lord; Shavuot or in Greek, Pentecost.
The Spring Feast cycle is completed; Passover, Unleavened Bread and First Fruits. Well, perhaps not totally completed;

You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete sabbaths. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the Lord. You shall bring in from your dwelling places two loaves of bread for a wave offering.... On this same day you shall make a proclamation as well; you are to have a holy convocation. You shall do no laborious work. It is to be a perpetual statute in all your dwelling places throughout your generations (Leviticus 23:15-17, 21 NAS).

The name of the Feast, Weeks , does not describe the manner in which it is celebrated as Tabernacles does or point to the historical origin as does Passover; rather Hag ha-Shavuot is a chronological reference.  It indicates the amount of time between this Feast and Passover. This amount of time is called the Omer. (Hebrew meaning; sheaf or measure)

In fact, Shavuot does not have a fixed calendar date in the Bible, but rather falls on the day after the completion of the omer count -- that is, the fiftieth day after the omer (sheaf) offering is brought. The name Pentecost ( Grk. fifty) derives from this commandment.

You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the Lord.

The period called "The Omer" begins the day following the (weekly) sabbath during Passover and continues until Shavuot (Pentecost), as noted above in Leviticus 23.

The Ceremony of Counting the Omer

      A sharp controversy existed between the rabbis and a variety of Jewish sects over the interpretation of the words "the day after the sabbath" in the verse commanding the counting of the omer. According to the rabbis, the sabbath refers not to the weekly sabbath, but rather to the first festival day of the Passover (Pesach). This is Nisan 15, the first day of Unleavened Bread, which God designated to be a high sabbath (shabbaton). Because of this, the counting of the omer traditionally begins from Nisan 15. Various groups, beginning with the first-century Sadducees and continuing with the Karaites of the early Middle Ages, interpreted the word sabbath to mean the weekly Sabbath (Friday 6PM to Saturday 6PM) during the Passover season, thereby making the count begin on Saturday. The implication of this interpretation is that Shavuot (Pentecost), which falls on the day after the omer count of 49 days, would always occur on a Sunday.

By understanding the resurrection of Yeshua, whom we see as the First Fruits of the barley harvest. We can see from this instance that the Sadducees' interpretation was correct even though most of their doctrine was not biblical (Acts 23:8).There is also good historical evidence to believe that, in Jesus’ day Shavu'ot was celebrated according to the manner of the Priests and Levites, and not the synagogue Rabbis. The reason bein is that the Priests and Levites (Sadducees) had control of the Temple service. While modern Rabbinic Judaism claims that the Priests took their directions from the Pharisees, historians(including Jewish ones) do not agree.

 Here is what Rabbi Stephen M. Wylen has to say on this matter in his book entitled; The Jews in the Time of Jesus:

"The Pharisees were renowned among the Jews for their knowledge of the law, and it seems that people accepted Pharisaic authority in the legal interpretation of scripture. The Sadducees rejected the Oral Torah. They held to priestly traditions that, in their own eyes, hewed more closely to the literal meaning of the Torah.

Before the counting of the omer, (the measure) this blessing is recited: "Praised are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe who has sanctified us with His commandments, commanding us to count the omer." This is followed by the count for the day: "Today is the first day of the omer." Weeks are counted as well. For example: "Today is the seventeenth day of the omer, which equals two weeks and three days of the omer." This counting is done at night, as the new day begins at sundown, (6:00 p.m.). Some people recite Psalm 67 after the counting, since it consists of seven verses and a total of 49 words in Hebrew.

The count is traditionally kept using barley grains measuring the days a grain at a time, from the early harvest of the Passover season to the wheat harvest of Pentecost.

It is important to remember that these Feasts were integrally connected to and celebrated the harvest cycle of Israel. 

In fact, another name given for Pentecost is

Hag Ha-Bikkurim

This name means the Festival, Feast or pilgrimage, of FirstFruits.

“Also on the Day of FirstFruits (of the wheat harvest) when you present a new grain offering to the Lord at your Feast of Weeks, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work.” Numbers 28:26 NKJV

Today, in modern Israel, the Jews drop the Hag ha and call the celebration just Shavuot.  The Hebrew word Hag, in English Festival or Feast,  is related to the Arabic word haj, a familiar word in the practice of Islam. Haj or Hag refers to the concept of a journey, or more clearly, a pilgrimage.  Indeed, we see in Exodus  34:23;

“Three times in the year all your men shall appear before the Lord, the Lord God of Israel.”  NKJV

The three pilgrimage Feasts were Passover, Weeks and Tabernacles.  All Jewish males were to travel to Jerusalem in a pilgrimage to the Temple to celebrate the three Hags’.

The Hebrew word bikkurim is related to the root word bekhor which means first born. In Scripture first fruits and first born are often synonymous.

At this point there may be some confusion in reference to the term First Fruits since there are two Feasts that claim that title.

Sfirat Ha-Omer, the beginning of the Omer (Heb.), is also called FirstFruits as it celebrated the beginning of the barley harvest, the earliest of the harvests.

Indeed, Jesus rose on First Fruits, (Sfirat Ha-Omer) the first day after the Sabbath following Unleavened Bread, thus fulfilling the prophetic typology of that Feast, becoming the first born, first fruits (bikkurim) from the dead.

Jesus became our Wave Sheaf, First Fruits, on what we call Sunday, by apparently appearing before God to be accepted that very day. Several things point to this being true. Scripture tells us

Colossians 1:15-19

¹⁵ The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

1 Corinthians 15:20

New International Version (NIV)

²⁰ But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

 

1 Corinthians 15:23

New King James Version (NKJV)

²³ But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.

It is also a matter of conjecture that when Jesus had risen and Mary mistook Him for the gardener it was partially because he was holding a sheaf of barley in His arms. (John 20:15).

Remember that on that occasion Mary was forbidden to touch Jesus;

¹⁷ Jesus said “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ John 20:17

Yet, on that same evening Jesus appeared to the disciples and “stood among them and showed them His hands and feet (vs. 19, 20)”. What had happened between the morning and the evening?  Apparently Jesus had ascended to the Father and presented Himself as the Sheaf offering that only the High Priest could touch, fulfilling the Law and the type of the Feast. Afterward He could be with his disciples and converse with them with no restrictions.

In the case of Pentecost, the bikkurim refers to the summer wheat harvest.

“‘From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering (Firstfruits), count off seven full weeks. ¹⁶ Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord. ¹⁷ From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits to the Lord.”  Leviticus 23: 15-17

Although it seems superfluous and confusing there is a great prophetic significance in the two first fruits.

Jesus was the firstfruits at the early harvest and on Pentecost we, as believers, became the summer harvest first fruits!

1 Corinthians 15:23

New King James Version (NKJV)

²³ But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.

James 1:18

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁸ Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

 

Romans 8:23

New King James Version (NKJV)

²³ Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

As we examine the Feast further we will see that God in His grace inspired the rabbis to introduce traditions that pointed toward the work of their Messiah, even though it was not intended on their part. We will see that many of these interpretations and traditions were pictures painted by God to lead His people the Jews to their Messiah Yeshua (Jesus), but would take gentiles and strangers to help them understand. We need not scoff at all such traditions but be open to see God’s grace at work and be ready with an answer to all who seek to understand the God of their Torah.

One such tradition later added the reading of the book of Ruth as a ritual to celebrate this Feast. This was done for several reasons;

·       The events of Ruth take place during the barley harvest, so it is a seasonal story just right for the Festival.

·       Ruth was a stranger and an alien who received much kindness and grace from Boaz, a faithful Israelite.

·       Boaz, in accordance with Leviticus 19:10, 23:22, did not harvest the full extent of his field so as to provide for Naomi and Ruth, faithfully following God in the season of First Fruits.

There is another interesting side to the reading of the Book of Ruth at this time. According to Barney Kasdan in his book God’s Appointed Times; pg 54;

         “Talmudic rabbis attributed a Messianic significance to Shavuot. In Tractate Sanhedrin 93b of the Talmud an interesting discussion is recorded concerning some of the details in the scroll of Ruth. Spiritual significance is given to the six measures of barley Ruth presented to Boaz (Ruth 3:15). Some rabbis considered these six measures representative of six famous descendants of Ruth the Moabitess. These six include David, Daniel and King Messiah!”

We know from the New Testament that, indeed, Jesus (Yeshua) was a descendant of Ruth and Boaz.  Many believers also view the book of Ruth as a prophetic and beautiful picture of the kinsman redeemer, Jesus, and His bride, the Church.

With this brief background in mind we can go on to examine the Feast in detail from both the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.

1.  PENTECOST (SHAVUOT) IN THE OLD COVENANT

Z’man Mattan Toratenu Season of the giving of our Law

As discussed above we saw that in the third month after the Jews left Egypt, they arrived in the Sinai desert and camped opposite Mount Sinai. So began the first Shavuot. Moses was then told by God to gather the Israelites together to receive the Torah (Exodus 19:1-8 NAS). The Israelites answered, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do!" In Hebrew, it is Na'aseh V'Nishmah, which means, "We agree to do even before we have listened." Moses then gave the Jews two days to cleanse themselves, wash their clothes, and prepare to receive the Torah on the third day, so, the Torah was given by God in the third month of the biblical religious calendar, which is the month of Sivan, on the sixth day of this month. This day is exactly 50 days from the crossing of the Red Sea.

 (In later times the counting of the Omer became a time of joyous anticipation for remembering the giving of the Torah to Israel. As the beloved rabbi Maimonides relates:

“Just as one who is expecting the most faithful of friends is wont to count the days and hours to his arrival, so we also count from the omer of the day of our Exodus, as it is said “I bare you on eagles wings, and brought you unto Myself.” And because this great manifestation did not last more than one day, therefore we annually commemorate it only one day.”)

 At this time, Moses told the children of Israel not to come too near Mount Sinai, for if they touched it they would die. From early morning, dense clouds covered the peak of the mountain. Thunder and lightning were frequently seen and heard. The sound of the shofar (ram's horn) came very strong, and the top of the mountain was enveloped in fire and smoke. The Israelites at the foot of Mount Sinai stood in great awe (Exodus 19:9-19). Moses then went up alone on the mountain, and as he neared the top, a mighty voice announced the Ten Commandments (Exodus 19:20-25; 20:1-21).

  As stated above, as God’s presence surrounded the top of the mountain, a trumpet (shofar) was sounded. The trumpet that was sounded grew louder and louder. Exodus 19:19 says, "...and God answered him with thunder [by a voice, KJV]."   Exodus 20:18 says, "And all the people perceived the thunder [saw the thunderings, KJV] ..."

      In the Midrash, which is a rabbinical commentary on the Scriptures, in Exodus Rabbah 5:9, it says:

When God gave the Torah on Sinai He displayed untold marvels to Israel with His voice. What happened? God spoke and the voice reverberated throughout the whole world... It says, “And all the people witnessed the thunderings “[Exodus 20:18].
Note that it does not say "the thunder" but "the thunderings"; wherefore, R. Johanan said that God's voice, as it was uttered, split up into seventy voices, in seventy languages, so that all the nations should understand...

This is also seen in Hebrews 12:19

to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them,

      In Deuteronomy 32:8 it is written, "When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when He separated the sons of Adam, He set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel." In Exodus 1:1-5, we can see that the number of the children of Israel who came to Egypt was 70. Therefore, the 70 voices as interpreted by R. Johanan represented all the nations of the world, based upon Deuteronomy 32:8 and Exodus 1:1-5. So, it was seen that God's voice split up into the languages of all the people on the earth to be a witness to them.

This is instructive to us when we remember that when the children of Israel left Egypt, a “mixed multitude” went with them, indicating that Egyptians and other gentiles who came to faith in God through the plagues accompanied the Israelites in the Exodus.

Exodus 12:37-38

King James Version (KJV)

³⁷ And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.

³⁸ And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.

     

 In the book The Midrash Says, by Rabbi Moshe Weissman, the author wrote:

In the occasion of Matan Torah [the giving of the Torah], the children of Israel not only heard Hashem's [the Lord's] Voice but actually saw the sound waves as they emerged from Hashem's [the Lord's] mouth. They visualized them as a fiery substance. Each commandment that left Hashem's [the Lord's] mouth traveled around the entire Camp and then to each Jew individually, asking him, "Do you accept upon yourself this Commandment with all the halochot [Jewish law] pertaining to it?" Every Jew answered "Yes" after each commandment. Finally, the fiery substance which they saw engraved itself on the luchot [tablets].

In this interpretation of the account the rabbi relates the giving of the law (Torah) was accompanied by tongues of flame that went around the camp and settled on each Israelite individually!

Shavuot as a Marriage: A Betrothal Contract

      One of the most beautiful images of Shavuot (Pentecost) is that of the marriage between God (the groom) and Israel (the bride).

      In the biblical wedding service that God gave (Romans 9:4; Hebrews 9:1; 1 Chronicles 28:11-12), marriage consisted of two stages. The first stage is betrothal or espousal, called erusin in Hebrew. You enter this first stage of marriage as soon as a betrothal contract (a shitre erusin) is made between the two parties. The written contract is called a ketubah. During betrothal, you are legally married, but do not physically dwell with your mate. Betrothal is so legally binding that you cannot get out of it without a divorce, called a get in Hebrew.

 In fact, by understanding the Hebrew language, we can see how betrothal is legally binding. To God, Hebrew is the pure language (Zephaniah 3:9)

“For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language,
That they all may call on the name of the Lord,
To serve Him with one accord.

 Studying and understanding the Hebrew language will allow us to understand deeper spiritual truths in the Bible that would be more difficult to understand otherwise. The word for betrothal in Hebrew, erusin, comes from the Hebrew verb aras. Aras is related to the Hebrew word asar, which means "to bind," and carries the inference that the binding is unbreakable. By this, we can see that the Hebrew language communicates to us that betrothal (espousal) is legally binding.

 As an example we see in the New Testament that Joseph was betrothed to Mary when the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would have a son named Yeshua (Jesus), by the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) of God, who would be the Messiah (Luke 1:26-35). When Joseph discovered that his betrothed (espoused) wife Mary was pregnant, he decided to get a divorce (get) until the angel of the Lord changed his mind by appearing to him in a dream (Matthew:18-20). The espousal was as binding as a marriage, therefore only a divorce could break it.

Betrothal is mentioned in the Torah in Exodus 21:8; Leviticus 19:20; Deuteronomy 20:7; 22:23.

The second stage of marriage is the fullness or consummation of the marriage. This stage of marriage is called nesu'in.

      The Bible tells us in Jeremiah 2:2 that at Mount Sinai, God betrothed Himself to Israel:

“Go and cry in the hearing of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord:
“I remember you,
The kindness of your youth,
The love of your betrothal,
When you went after Me in the wilderness,
In a land not sown.

 In Exodus 19, when God by the leading of Moses) brought the children of Israel to Mount Sinai, God betrothed Himself to Israel. On Mount Sinai, God gave the Torah to Israel (Exodus 20:1-21). At this time, God was making a betrothal contract, a ketubah, with Israel. The ketubah (or written betrothal contract, which is understood to be the Torah) represents "The book of the covenant" (marriage is a covenant) that Moses wrote prior to the giving of the Ten Commanments at Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:4-7)

⁴ And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵ Then he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. ⁶ And Moses took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. ⁷ Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient.”

The Book of the Covenant spelled out mutual obligations of God and Israel just as the ketubah spelled out the obligations between husband and wife. So, God made a marriage contract with Israel in Exodus 19:3-7.

And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ⁴ ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. ⁵ Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. ⁶ And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

      In Exodus 19:8, Israel accepts God's marriage proposal. Israel answered in Exodus 19:8 as in Exodus 24:7, "All that the Lord hath spoken we will do" (Na'aseh V'Nishmah -- we agree to do even before we have listened).

      In Exodus 19:2, Israel camped before the Lord. The word camp in Hebrew is chanah and in this case is singular in tense, while Israel is plural. By this it is suggested that at that time all Israel had become one. This is also a necessary requirement for marriage (Genesis 2:24; Ephesians 5:31).

      The biblical wedding ceremony that God gave requires that the marriage be consummated under a wedding canopy known as a chupah. In Exodus 19:17, Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet God and they stood at the nether part of the mount.

And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. KJV

 The word nether  translated from the Hebrew actually implies that the people stood underneath the mountain. This imagery gives the understanding that the mountain had become a chupah and Israel was standing underneath the mountain or under the chupah, the place where the wedding takes place.

What does the wedding mean in terms of the Messiah Yeshua, Jesus, and what is the personal application to us? Messiah Yeshua is the groom and the believers in the Messiah are the bride. When Jesus came to the earth almost 2,000 years ago, He came so that whosoever would put their trust and confidence in Him would be wedded to Him forever. This would include both Jews and non-Jews (John 3:16). Because Jesus came as the suffering Messiah, Messiah ben Joseph, during His first coming, He ascended to Heaven to be with God the Father until He returns during His second coming to be the King Messiah, Messiah ben David. Today, Jesus does not physically dwell with those who trust in Him. Therefore, the believers in the Messiah are currently spiritually betrothed to Him. We will enter the full marriage and physically dwell with Him during the Messianic age known as the Millennium. However, before we can physically dwell with the Messiah during the Messianic age on earth, the wedding ceremony when the believers in the Messiah will be wedded to Him must take place. This will take place at the beginning of the tribulation period known in Hebrew as the Chevlai shel Mashiach the birth-pangs of the Messiah.

      In the biblical wedding service that God gave, after you are married, you have a honeymoon. The honeymoon lasts a week and is known as the seven days of the chupah. Seven days equals a week. In Hebrew, a week means a seven. It can mean seven days or seven years (Daniel 9:24-27;Genesis 29:27). In Joel 2:16, we see the marriage of the bride (the believers in Yeshua) and the bridegroom (Yeshua) where the bridegroom is going forth from the chamber and the bride out of her closet. The word closet is the Hebrew word chupah, and the chupah here refers to Heaven where the previously raptured (natzal) believers in the Messiah have been enjoying a seven-year honeymoon with Him while the earth was experiencing the tribulation. After the seven-year honeymoon, Jesus will be returning with His bride to attend the marriage supper (Revelation 19:7-14). Then we will rule and reign with Him physically during the Messianic age known as the Millennium (Revelation 20:4).

Through all this we see that the Father is married to Israel and the Son to the Church and at the last days the two will become one;

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh^[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

¹¹ Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)—¹² remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

¹⁴ For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, ¹⁵ by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations.His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶ and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.¹⁷ He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

¹⁹ Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, ²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. ²¹ In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. ²² And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. Ephesians 21-22

“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”^[c] 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. Ephesians 5:31

The First Trump (Shofar) of God

      Reviewing the first Pentecost once again in Exodus 19:19, we see that a trumpet (shofar) was sounded. This shofar  grew louder and louder. The Jewish writings understand this to be the first trump of God. This trumpet blown by God at Mount Sinai was traditionally understood to be the first of the two ram's horns that were present on Mount during Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac in Genesis 22:13

“Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the The theme of the chapter includes the binding of Isaac on the altar, known in Hebrew as the Akeidah, in addition to the phrase "to be seen." The key verse concerning the phrase "to be seen" is Genesis 22:14,

"And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh [the Lord will see or provide]: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen."

 Genesis 22:4 says, "Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off." The place he saw was Mount Moriah, the future site of the Temple Mount and Calvary.

Jesus referred to this event which happened to Abraham in John 8:56,

"Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day: and he saw it, and was glad."

 What did Abraham see? What took place on Mount Moriah? Abraham was instructed by God to take Isaac to Mount Moriah and sacrifice him there (Genesis 22:2).

Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

 The first and second temples were built in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah (2 Chronicles 3:1)

“Now Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.”

 It was in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah where Jesus was crucified on the tree. Calvary (Golgotha) was located on Mount Moriah. Abraham in Genesis 22:4 was looking into the future and seeing that God was going to offer up the Messiah to be slain on Mount Moriah at a future time.

      God called Abraham to sacrifice Isaac and offer him as a burnt offering, known in Hebrew as an olah. This is mentioned in Genesis  22:2-3,6,8,13. A burnt offering (olah) is an offering that is totally consumed. It is freely given and done freely, willingly, and joyfully by both parties involved. The Bible tells us that God freely offered up Jesus joyfully and Jesus was willing and obedient to His death on the tree (Philippians 2:8)

 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

 In Isaiah 53:10, it says that it pleased God to offer up Jesus.

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an offering for sin,
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand

 When Abraham offered up Isaac, Abraham believed that God would raise Isaac from the dead (Hebrews 11:17-19)

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.”

 The Jewish people understood that there are three primary trumpets (shofarim) that mark major events in the redemptive plan of God. These three trumpets are known as the first trump, the last trump, and the great trumpet.

 Genesis 22 is one of the most important Torah readings to the Jewish people. In some Jewish circles, it is read every day of the week except for the sabbath. It is also the primary Torah reading for Rosh HaShanah.

offered up his only begotten son, ¹⁸ of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,”^[a]19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.

 Abraham went willingly, and obediently because he believed God would raise Isaac from the dead. In this, we can see that Abraham was a type and picture of God the Father, and Isaac was a type and picture of Jesus the Messiah. In Genesis 22:8

And Abraham said, My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. NKJV

Abraham said to Isaac that God would provide Himself (as) a lamb;( in the Hebrew language this is more clear and translated as such in the KJV and NKJV) It was Jesus, the second person of the trinity, who was the lamb that God offered to us (John 1:29).

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

 This story is an example of the Hebrew expression, "Here now, but not yet." Abraham offered up his only son, and God offered up His only Son, Jesus. Instead of Isaac, Abraham offered up a ram as the ram was found caught in the thicket. In the Hebrew writings, the ram represents the Messiah and the thicket stands for the sins of the people. In Genesis) 22:13 (In Genesis the Fall brought thorns upon the ground as part of the curse).

And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.

 Where it says "behind him," the Hebrew word is achar, which can also mean afterward or in the future. Therefore, the imagery presented here is that Abraham saw this ram (Jesus wearing a crown of thorns) being sacrificed in the future. This is what Jesus was referring to in John 8:56.

Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

Returning to the topic of the shofars, relating to the story in Genesis 22, it should be remembered that according to the ancient writings the left horn of the ram that was caught in the thicket is called the first trump and the right horn of the ram is called the last trump.

The Three Trumpets (Shofarim) of God

      The three great trumpets (shofarim) that mark major events in the redemptive plan of God are associated with days in the biblical calendar. The first trump is associated with and was blown by God on the Feast of Shavuot (Pentecost) when God gave the Torah to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai, which is why we are discussing this at this point.We need to remember, all of Scripture is interconnected in its beauty in painting the story of Redemption, especially the Feasts, who are miqra or rehearsals of events in the story.

      The last trump is associated with and is blown on Rosh HaShanah. The biblical name for Rosh HaShanah is Yom Teruah, which in Hebrew means "the day of the awakening blast."

The Talmud states that the resurrection of the dead will take place on Rosh Hashanah. Many Jews therefore put shofarim (trumpets-rams horns) on their tombstones. "Your dead will live, their corpses will rise... you who live in the dust awake and shout for joy...the earth will give birth to the departed spirits" Isaiah 26:19.


"The messianic hope, resurrection and immortality of the soul are intertwined with the shofar on Rosh Hashanah." This is from the Machtzur, the  Jewish prayer book for High Holy Days.

A distinguishing feature of the celebration is the last, climactic blast, the Teki’at Shofar. This is not the usual series of short bursts, signaling alarm or bad news. Rather, it is a long blast, signaling victory or good news. It is this last blast that is referred to as the last trump

This trump is mentioned by the apostle Paul in First Corinthians 15:51-53

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

Because the last trump is only blown on Rosh HaShanah and because the apostle Paul specifically mentions that the rapture (natzal) of the believers in Jesus the Messiah will take place at the last trump, the apostle Paul was giving a clear understanding that the rapture of the believers in Messiah will happen on a Rosh HaShanah.

      The great trump (shofar HaGadol) is associated with and is blown on Yom Kippur. Jesus said that He would return at His second coming at the sound of the great trump (Matthew 24:30-31)

Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹ And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

 Because the great trump (shofar HaGadol) is only blown on Yom Kippur and because Jesus said that He would return with the sound of a great trump, Jesus was stating very clearly that He would return on a Yom Kippur. (Note that the angels will gather His elect from one end of heaven to the other, NOT from one end of THE EARTH to the other! This clearly indicates that the believers will already be in heaven and will return with Jesus from heaven. This clearly indicates the Pre-Tribulation rapture position.)

Thus, the first and last trump will relate to the ram's horn in Genesis 22. Again, the first trump will be the left horn of the ram and the last trump  will be the right horn of the ram. In Exodus 19:19, the trumpet that was blown by God was the first trump.

The giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai involved the Aaronic priesthood, the sacrificial

Therefore the law (Torah) was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

 (Colossians 2:16-17).

So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, ¹⁷ which are a shadow of things to come, but the system, the tabernacle, the sabbath days, the festivals, the civil and ceremonial laws, and the Ten Commandments (Exodus 19:17,20; 20:1,21-22; 21:1-2,12; 22:1,16; 23:10-11,14; 24:1-8,12,18; 25:1,8-9,40; 28:1; 31:12-18; 32:1; 34:27-28; Hebrews 8:1-6; 9:1-12,15,18-24; 10:1,10; 13:20). These things were given by God as a shadow of things to come (Hebrews 10:1)

For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect

They were given to teach us (Galatians 3:24) about the Messiah Jesus and the redemptive work of God.

substance is of Christ.

 Shavuot (Pentecost) was the birth of the congregation in the wilderness (Acts 7:38)

This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, the one who received the living oracles to give to us,

 The things given at Mount Sinai were divine and from God, but shown in a physical way (Hebrews 9:1)

Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary.

 They were given to enable us to understand the spiritual truths that God wanted to communicate to us (1 Peter 2:5-9)

You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,

“Behold, I lay in Zion
A chief cornerstone, elect, precious,
And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”^[a]

⁷ Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient,^[b]

“The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone,”^[c]

⁸ and

“A stone of stumbling
And a rock of offense.”^[d]

They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.

⁹ But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

So God gave Israel the covenant, the Torah, the services, the oracles of God, and the promises Romans 9:4-5;

who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; ⁵ of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.

Romans 3:2

Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God.

All of which were divine and given at Mount Sinai to teach us about the Messiah (Psalm [Tehillim] 40:7

Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is written of me

 With this in mind, let's look at the spiritual understandings that G-d was communicating to us at Shavuot.

2.PENTECOST IN THE NEW COVENANT

Colossians 2:16-17
Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
One of the Hebrew translations for the word Feast or Festival (Moedim or appointed time) is Miqra which is literally “rehearsal”. We need to remember that God gave these Festivals, or rehearsals to be pictures of future events in redemption history.

In light of this we can see that this same experience we just discussed that happened at Mount Sinai also occurred 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus on the day of Shavuot (Pentecost) almost 2,000 years ago. This experience is also described in Acts 2:1-11 and Hebrews 12:18-19. In describing what happened in Exodus 20:18, the passage in Hebrews 12:18-19 says,

 "And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words...."

 The word words in Hebrews 12:19 is the Greek word rhema, which means "an individual word." In this passage in Hebrews, we can see the same thing that Rabbi Moshe Weissman understood happened at Mount Sinai in the first Shavuot (Pentecost) in his commentary is exactly what did happen as seen in Hebrews 12. It is also what happened during the first Shavuot (Pentecost) following the resurrection of Jesus. At this Pentecost), the people also were as one (Acts 2:1-2; cpv Exodus 19:2). When God poured out His Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) at this time, once again people began to speak in the different languages of the world, after being touched by tongues of fire (Acts 2:1-11).

Psalms 29:7 gives us further enlightenment of this phenomenon:

The voice of the Lord divides the flames of fire.

Therefore, we can see that the Pentecost at Mount Sinai was a rehearsal miqra of the Pentecost that would occur 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus. As we discussed previously, God in His grace can inspire the rabbis to see truth as a witness to Jesus for the Jewish people, though they are unaware of, or are unwilling to see it.

TABLETS OF STONE OR HEARTS OF FLESH?

On the very first Pentecost God wrote His Law on tablets of stone. Yet He gave a promise of a future time when He would write them on the fleshly tablets of the human heart.

Jeremiah 31:31-34

New King James Version (NKJV)

³¹ “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— ³² not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them,^[a] says the Lord. ³³ But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. ³⁴ No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

For 1,500 years the people would come to Jerusalem, hoping that God would fulfill His New Covenant promise, and they would leave disappointed. Yet God is faithful and on his ‘appointed time” the rehearsal would end and the reality would come.

God in his wisdom set the stage in His story of redemption, by making three of His festivals mandatory pilgrimage feasts. Passover, the miqra for the death of Jesus the perfect Lamb, Pentecost the giving of the Covenants and Tabernacles the miqra of the coming Kingdom.

From all over the Roman Empire Jews and proselytes from the gentiles gathered at the Temple to celebrate the harvest and the giving of the Torah.

How would God announce His New Covenant to all the people?

 Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord. ¹⁷ You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to the Lord. ¹⁸ Leviticus 23:16-17

 

In the temple the priests were following the prescribed ritual, offering the first fruits offering waving the two loaves of bread before the Lord. Lets’ examine the offering more closely;

 

·       There were to be two loaves

·       The loaves were to be made of fine flour

·       They were to be baked with leaven

·       They were the firstfruits to the Lord

 

At Passover, leaven was absolutely forbidden (Exodus 12:15,19-20)

 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. ¹⁶ On the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done on them; but that which everyone must eat—that only may be prepared by you. ¹⁷ So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance. ¹⁸ In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. ¹⁹ For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land. ²⁰ You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’”

 Also in the regular meal offering, no leaven was permitted (Leviticus 2:1,4-5, 11

‘When anyone offers a grain offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour. And he shall pour oil on it, and put frankincense on it. ² He shall bring it to Aaron’s sons, the priests, one of whom shall take from it his handful of fine flour and oil with all the frankincense. And the priest shall burn it as a memorial on the altar, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord. ³ The rest of the grain offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. It is most holy of the offerings to the Lord made by fire.

⁴ ‘And if you bring as an offering a grain offering baked in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil. ⁵ But if your offering is a grain offering baked in a pan, it shall be of fine flour, unleavened, mixed with oil. ⁶ You shall break it in pieces and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering.

⁷ ‘If your offering is a grain offering baked in a covered pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil. ⁸ You shall bring the grain offering that is made of these things to the Lord. And when it is presented to the priest, he shall bring it to the altar. ⁹ Then the priest shall take from the grain offering a memorial portion, and burn it on the altar. It is an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord. ¹⁰ And what is left of the grain offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. It is most holy of the offerings to the Lord made by fire.

¹¹ ‘No grain offering which you bring to the Lord shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey in any offering to the Lord made by fire.

 We saw earlier that leaven represents sin (1 Corinthians 5:6-8;

Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? ⁷ Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.^[a] 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth

Galatians 5:9

A little leaven leavens the whole lump.

 Passover and Unleavened Bread spoke of the death and burial of Jesus who was without sin. Yet on Shavuot (Pentecost), God commanded just the opposite. Why?

What then did the loaves represent?

Shavuot (Pentecost) speaks of the birth of Israel as a nation, as well as the birth of the congregation of believers in Jesus through the Holy Spirit .The two loaves speak of Israel and the congregation of believers in the Messiah. Even though both Israel and the congregation of believers in the Messiah are chosen by God and are holy to Him, sin is still found in Israel and sin still exists in the congregation of believers. Passover and Unleavened Bread speak primarily of Jesus who is without sin, but Shavuot (Pentecost) speaks of Israel and the congregation of believers where sin still exists.

Therefore in summary:

 

·       Loaf one: Israelite believers

·       Loaf two: Gentile believers

·       Baked with leaven, a biblical picture of sin

·       Baked with fine flour, the pure life of Jesus the Messiah

·       The firstfruits to the Lord of the harvest of the Church Age

 

 

Jesus, the fine flour, was the reality of what made the wheat harvest acceptable.

 

John 12:23-24

 

But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.²⁴ Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.

 

As the priests waved the loaves before the Lord, a crowd was rushing to the courts of the Temple where a tumult was brewing.

 

A noise, like a mighty wind and flames of fire over the heads of men and women who were speaking all the tongues of the empire was drawing a crowd.

 

The first time these phenomenon had occurred the people had been at the foot of Mount Zion, they now stood at the foot of Mount Zion.  Though some mocked, 3,000 were saved after Peter preached (made a proclamation) explaining that this was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel 2: 28-29

 

“And it shall come to pass afterward
That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions.
²⁹ And also on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

Peter was also saying that the hope of Jeremiah had been fulfilled; God had put His Spirit in men’s hearts and the Old Covenant of laws on stone was fulfilled and the New Covenant had come. The wait was over.

God said that the coming of Jesus would be like the former and latter rain on the earth (Hosea 6:1-3; Joel 2:23). James ties the coming of the Lord to the early and latter rain; James 5:7:

Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.

 Jesus’  death, burial, and resurrection was in the spring of the year; the outpouring of the Holy Spirit after the resurrection of Jesus was in the spring of the year; and all those who believed were first fruits of the entire harvest and were a part of the spring harvest. Jesus’ second coming will be in the fall of the year and the greatest number of believers will believe at this time. Jesus spoke about this great harvest at the end of this present age in Matthew 13:39; 24:13-14; and Revelation 14:6, 15-16.

Let’s summarize these and other evidences of the rehearsal and fulfillment of the Feast:

 

 

Old Testament Pentecost	New Testament Pentecost
The Fiftieth Day	The Fiftieth Day
Writing of Ten Commandments on two tables of STONE	Writing of Commandments of love of tables of HEART AND MIND
By the Finger of God (Exodus 32)	By the Spirit of God (2 Cor. 3)
Three thousand people slain (Exodus 32)	Three thousand people live (Acts 2:41)
A ministration of death (2 Cor 3)	A ministration of life
The Letter - KILLS	The Spirit - Gives Life
Glory on the face of Moses	Glory on the face of Jesus and IN THE BELIEVER
Face veiled so people could not behold the GLORY	Unveiled face so we can be CHANGED
After Old Testament Pentecost - the revelation of the Aaronic Priesthood to Moses, the sacrificial system, sabbath days, the order and worship of the Tabernacle, and festival occasions	After the New Testament Pentecost, the Epistles teach us the priesthood of believers, the spiritual sacrifices, a spiritual house, our spiritual experience in the Feasts of the Lord, New Testament Church order
Glory to be done away	Glory that remains
Ministers of the OLD COVENANT- the LAW	Ministers of the NEW COVENANT - GRACE
Mt. Sinai (fire, darkness, trumpet voice, quaking, thunder and lightning) - FEAR	Mt Zion - (Hebrews 12:22-24) (Jesus, tongues of fire, rushing mighty wind, shaking and conviction) - FAITH

 Now we come to:

The Conclusion of the Spring Festivals

We have seen how the spring festivals are applicable in three dimensions. They are historic to the nation of Israel; they are fulfilled in the Messiah Jesus; and they describe how the individual believer is to walk and live his life before God. In other words, we can see that God has a plan for every individual to willingly come to Him. So the spring festivals were not only historic, but they were also our type and example (1 Corinthians 10:1-2, 6, 11).

      To natural Israel, Passover was their freedom from the bondage of Egypt (Exodus 12). Unleavened Bread was the separation from the land of Egypt (representing sin) into the immersion (baptism) into the Red Sea and the Cloud in the wilderness (1 Corinthians 10:1-2). Finally, God led the people to Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:1) where they experienced Shavuot (Pentecost) and God revealed Himself to the people in a deeper and greater way than He ever did previously.

      Messianic Fulfillment. The spring festivals were fulfilled by Jesus the Messiah, who was our Passover Lamb, who died on the day of Passover. He was without sin and is the Unleavened Bread of Life. Jesus was in the sepulcher on the day of Unleavened Bread and He was the kernel of wheat that was buried in the earth. Jesus arose as First Fruits of the barley harvest, He Himself being the first of those to rise from the dead and receive a resurrected body.  He walked with his disciples for forty days after His resurrection then told them to wait for the Promise of the Holy Spirit. Why didn’t He just baptize them with the Spirit right then?  Because it could only happen on the Day of Pentecost, to fulfill the shadow that was Shavuot. Then finally, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon all flesh during the feast of Shavuot (Pentecost) to gather all believers in the Messiah to be God's spring wheat harvest in the earth. As these four feasts describe in detail the significant events during the first coming of Messiah when He came as the suffering Messiah, Messiah ben Joseph, redeeming both man and the earth back to God following the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, we will find that the fall festivals will give us tremendous insight and understanding concerning the events of Jesus’ second coming. Then He will return as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords appearing as the kingly Messiah, Messiah ben David, to rule and reign on earth during the Messianic age( i.e. the Millennium. )

Finally,there is also practically no greater picture than the Feasts of the Lord and their place in prophecy to portray Jesus (Yeshua) as the one true Messiah of Israel!*

*Thanks to Eddie Chumney; The Seven Feasts of the Messiah; Dr. Richard Booker; Celebrating Jesus in the Biblical Feasts