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Feasts of the Lord

From a New Testament Perspective

Feast of Pentecost

The Feast of Pentecost pre-pictures the glorious outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and the formation of the Church, the Body of Christ.

Different Names

"Feast of Weeks"

Exodus 34:22; Deut. 16:10,16; 2 Chron. 8:13. It was called this because it was celebrated seven complete weeks or 50 days, counted from the waving of the Sheaf of Firstfruits at the end of Passover. Thus Passover and Pentecosts are linked together.

"Pentecost"

Acts 2:1; 20:16; 1 Corinthians 16:8. It was called this only in the New Testament. Pentecost is the Greek work meaning "50" (Acts 1:3-5; 2:1).

From the Resurrection (the waving of the Sheaf of Firstfruits) Jesus appeared for 40 days + 10 days waiting = 50 days to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Day of Pentecost).

Just as with Passover, so now with Pentecost, at the exact time the Jews were celebrating the natural Feast, God was fulfilling it in reality.

"Feast of Harvest"

Exodus 23:16. The Spring rains had fallen during Passover, ripening the harvest. This was now the conclusion of the barley harvest begun after Passover, and the beginning of the wheat harvest. There was a great "harvest" of Jew and Gentile under the Early Church (Acts 4:4; 5:14).

"Day of First-Fruits"

Numbers 28:26; Exodus 34:22

The first loaves from the new grain were offered (Leviticus 23:17). The Early Church were the first-fruits of the great harvest which was to follow; and the Holy Spirit, indwelling the believer, is the "firstfruits" of that which is to come (Romans 8:23; Ephesians 1:13-14; James 1:18).

Mt Sinai

In the life of Israel, the historical event celebrated in the Feast of Pentecost took place at Mt Sinai, in the 3rd month after they had left Egypt (Ex. 19:1).

God's Purpose
For Israel.........................................Exodus 19:5-6
For the Church.................................1 Peter 2:1-9

Three Important Happenings

• Power of God Revealed
  Sinai - fire, darkness, trumpet voice, quaking, thunders, lightnings (Exodus 19:16-19; Hebrews 12:18-21; Deut. 4:33,36).
  Pentecost - wind, fire, tongues and later, shaking (Acts 1:8; 2:1-4; 4:31).
• Law of God Given
  Sinai - written by the Finger of God on tablets of stone. The ministration of death - 3000 slain (Exodus 32:28).
  Pentecost - written by the Spirit of God on fleshly tablets of the heart (Luke 11:20). The ministration of life - 3000 live (Acts 2:41; 2 Corinthians 3:3-18).
• Pattern of the Tabernacle Given
  Exodus 25-31; 35-40. The Tabernacle is a picture of the Heavenly on earth - prophetic of the Church (Hebrews 8:1-5; Exodus 24:8; Hebrews 9:11-28).

The Annual Ceremony

Read Leviticus 23:15-22. Each part of the Feast pictures the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer (John 16:7-15).

New Meal Offering (v.16)

A new experience, different from Passover, although linked (Acts 19:2; 8:5-17).

Two Loaves (v.17)

The two loaves speak of the Jew and Gentile now one in Christ (Ephesians 2:11-22)

Baked with Leaven (v.17)

There was no leaven in Passover - no sin or works of the flesh in Christ. But sin can still be a reality in the Church (1 Cor. 5:7-8). The one time in Scripture where leaven is used to picture a positive force is when the Lord Jesus used it in relation to the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 13:33) which He had come to proclaim (Matthew 4:17). The leaven in the loaves in Pentecost picture the outworking in the life of the believer of the finished work of Christ. Paul describes this effect of Christ's work of the Cross clearly in Romans 7:22-8:4 - the old leaven (the "law of sin and death") is replaced with a new leaven ("the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus").

"...For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

Paul goes on to exhort us as believers to take hold of what Christ has done so that it be a living reality in our lives (Rom. 8:5-14; 1 Cor.5:7-8). Prior to the work of the Cross we were enslaved to the old sinful self. After the Cross we are free to choose to be slaves to righteousness because of the Spirit of life now indwelling us (Romans 6).

The loaves were "baked" and offered together with burnt offerings - "an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord" (v.18). The Holy Spirit is sent like "fire" (Luke 3:16). He is given to give us wisdom and revelation in what Christ has done (Eph. 1:17); to intercede for us to bring us to the fullness of all Christ has accomplished (Rom. 8:26); to search the deep things of God for us (1 Cor. 2:7-10); and to change us from glory to glory into His image (2 Cor. 3:18). He has been sent to make real to us all that Jesus has done (John 16:13-14).

Fine Flour (v.17)

The grain had to be ground down to a fine flour, speaking of the refining work of the Holy Spirit in the believer's life through the trials of faith (1 Pet. 1:6-7; Rom. 5:3-5; 8:35-39).

Waved Before the Lord (v.18-20)

The two loaves were waved before the Lord with burnt and sin sacrifices and peace offerings. The Church, composed of Jew and Gentile, is accepted of God and has peace with God through the merits of Christ's perfect sacrifice (Romans 5:1).

Day of Rest (v.21)

The Holy Spirit is a free gift - not earned by our works (Acts 2:38).

Day of Rejoicing (Deut. 16:9-12)

They brought freewill offerings to the Lord in proportion to His blessings upon them and rejoiced before the Lord together (Acts 2:44-47; 4:32-35).

Poor and Alien Blessed (v.22)

The world reaps some benefits from the presence of the Holy Spirit in His Church.

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Copyright ©1981,1996 Paul, Bunty and David Collins. All rights reserved. This study may be freely used and reproduced, wholly or in part, by the Christian Church for the non-profit purposes of study and training only, provided copyright and contact information is included.
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