The Story

THE FEAST OF PENTECOST

The Feast of Pentecost is the FOURTH STEP in our walk with God entailing:

RECEIVING GOD’s POWER (being baptized by Jesus our Messiah in the Holy Spirit)

The first three feasts of the Lord teach us to find PEACE WITH GOD when we accept Jesus as the Passover Lamb of God for our sins (signified by the Feast of Passover), and when we set ourselves apart from the ways of the world and give our lives completely to Jesus as our Lord and Master (signified by the Feast of Unleavened bread). This ongoing process of surrendering and putting on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:24) and thereby reflecting Jesus to the world as God’s representatives and witnesses on the earth. But we can only do this, once we RECEIVE GOD’s POWER and that is what the Feast of Pentecost is all about.

Historical background

God has given instructions on the Feast of Pentecost in Lev 23:15-21. While the Feast of Passover marked the beginning of the barley harvest, the Feast of Pentecost was celebrated during the wheat harvest. It came on the 6^th day of the Hebrew month Sivan, corresponding to our Western Calendar in May/ June. The feast lasted for one day. The instructions that God gave enable us to determine the exact day of the feast. God said they were to celebrate the feast 50 days after the Feast of Firstfruits. The name of the feast, Pentecost is derived from the Greek word for “fifty.” The Feast of Pentecost was also referred to as the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Harvest (see Exodus 23:16 and Numbers 28:26).

The main activity on the Feast of Pentecost was the presentation of the wave offering to the Lord. This was two loaves of bread baked with leaven. The bread was made with fine flour that had been carefully sifted to separate the coarse matter from the wheat. The wave offer expressed the Hebrews’ dependance on God for the harvest and their daily bread. It was therefore a thanksgiving offering. When the Jews were scattered among the nations, the Feast of Pentecost lost its primary significance as a harvest festival and was celebrated as a memorial to the time God gave them the Torah (that is the first five books of the Bible, Genesis to Deuteronomy including the Ten Commandments), at Mount Sinai. We read about it in Exodus 19 and 20. The English translation says all the people witnessed the thunder and lightnings and Jewish scholars believe that people actually “saw the voice of God” coming from the mountain in TONGUES OF FIRE. The mixed multitude that came out of Egypt (this included non-Jews, see Exodus 12:38), saw the tongues of fire and heard the voice of God speak in different languages so they could understand His words. Since it seems strange to “see a voice”, this phrase was translated as thundering and lightning. The voice of God therefore sounded like thundering and appeared as fire. Psalm 29 is about the awesome POWER OF THE VOICE OF THE LORD and in verse 2 we read: “The voice of the Lord divides the flames of fire.” Also see Hebrews 12:18-19.

So God came down upon Mount Sinai to meet with His people. They gathered in one place in the morning on 6 Sivan. The whole mountain was filled with fire. The trumpet sounded loudly. The people ran to the foot of the mountain to meet with God. They “saw voices” in fire. God spoke and then Moses spoke. The people trembled. It was an awesome revelation of the glory of God. We can therefore see that Pentecost did not happen for the first time in the book of Acts but rather in the book of Exodus. The first Pentecost therefore was on Mount Sinai when God wrote His words on tablets of stone. Yet the Lord promised there would be a time in the distant future when He would write His laws on the fleshly tablets of human hearts (see Jeremiah 31:31-34, Ezekiel 36:26-27 and Hebrews 8:10 and 10:16).

Fulfilled by Jesus

Jesus fulfilled the Feast of Pentecost when He was glorified and exalted to the throne of God; He then sent the Holy Spirit upon His disciples on the Day of Pentecost. This as the fulfillment as promised by God through the prophets that God will write His laws on their hearts through the giving of the Holy Spirit. Jesus spoke of the fulfillment of this feast in John 12:23-24 saying: “…The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. 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.” Jesus was talking about Himself as the human grain of wheat who would die for the sins of the world. It was fifty days from the Feast of Firstfruits to the Feast of Pentecost (Lev 23:15-16). Likewise, it was exactly fifty days from Jesus’ resurrection to the day when He sent the Holy Spirit upon the disciples!

On the evening that Jesus was resurrected, He appeared to His disciples and BREATHED ETERNAL LIFE into them. We read about this in John 20:19-22 “Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst, and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ When He said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.’ And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’“ At that moment, the disciples experienced a SPIRITUAL REBIRTH that established their NEW LIFE POSITION IN JESUS CHRIST. But Jesus had more for them, He desired to fill them with the Holy Spirit so they would have POWER to be witnesses to all nations. It was however not time yet for Him to do this. Therefore, Jesus spent the next FORTY DAYS with the disciples explaining how the HEBREW SCRIPTURES POINTED TO HIMSELF as their fulfillment. We read the following in Luke 24:44-53: “Then He said to them, ‘These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.’ And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ (Messiah) to suffer and rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.’ And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.” Also see the words of Jesus as recorded by Luke in Acts 1:4-8. Jesus instructed His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they receive the Promise of the Father, which Jesus calls THE BABTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT and He explains the PURPOSE of this baptism is to give the disciples POWER to BE HIS WITNESSESS. They had this encounter with the Holy Spirit ten days later on the Day of Pentecost.

About 120 of Jesus’ followers gathered in the upper room in prayer when this blessed event took place on that glorious day that Luke tells us about in Acts 2:1-4: “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

When the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, they began to worship God in foreign languages that were spoken and understood by the Jewish pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Pentecost that was celebrated in accordance to God’s instructions in Leviticus 23:15-21. Peter then stood up and preached a bold sermon. When the people heard his words, they sought salvation and three thousand accepted Jesus as Messiah and Lord (see Acts 2:37-41)

Do you remember the two loaves of bread indicated in Leviticus 23:17? Both were baked with leaven, a common symbol of sin. One of these loaves was pointing to the Jews, who, although they were sinners, received the power of God in their lives by acknowledging Jesus as Messiah and Lord (represented by the fine flour Jesus was perfectly righteous and without sin). This happened on the exact day the Jews had been celebrating the Feast of Pentecost for almost 1500 years. The other loaf represented the Gentiles (or non-Jews), who would also receive this wonderful blessing from God, even though they too were sinners. We know this because when Peter preached his sermon on the Day of Pentecost, he said that the baptism in the Holy Spirit was for: “…you and your children and for all who are far of – for all whom the Lord our God will call.” (see Acts 2:39)

Personal significance

John the Baptist was recorded in all four Gospels including Matthew 3:11 saying: “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes One who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Jesus fulfilled the Feast of Passover as the LAMB OF GOD who died for our sins. He fulfilled the Feast of Pentecost as the EXALTED AND GLORIFIED LORD WHO BAPTIZES WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND WITH FIRE.

Think of the disciples: They had Jesus as their teacher for over three years, they watched Him perform many miracles, they saw Him conquer death and stand in their midst in a resurrected body, Jesus gave them the indwelling Holy Spirit and they were born again to eternal life. Yet, in spite of all of this, Jesus told them to wait in Jerusalem until they received HIS POWER. The purpose of the baptism in the Holy Spirit was to give the disciples, and us, power to be BOLD WITNESSESS for God (see Acts 1:8). It was this encounter with God that transformed Peter from a coward hiding behind closed doors to the man who stood before the great crowd and boldly proclaimed Jesus to be Messiah and Lord. This was true for all the disciples (followers of Jesus) who were filled with the Holy Spirit, they began to minister in the POWER, BOLDNESS, and AUTHORITY of JESUS. This little group of men and women turned their world upside down.

Interesting enough, Jesus, as the ONE we should follow as our example, was also filled with the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16-17) before beginning His ministry. He required God’s POWER through the Holy Spirit to preach, heal the sick, cast out demons and overcame Satan. See Luke 4:18-19 on what Jesus read from the Book of Isaiah 61:1-2 prophesied about Him and describing His ministry on earth. And this is also the great commission Jesus has given to all His followers. He told His disciples in John 14:12 “…He who believes in Me, the works I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” The reason being, when Jesus walked the earth, His ministry was limited to His human body. But now He ministers on earth through HIS SPIRITUAL BODY, called the CHURCH. For this purpose, we must however be filled with the Holy Spirit. God still wants to use ordinary men and women, like YOU and ME to turn the world upside down as WE MINISTER in the BOLDNESS and POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Prophetic aspect

As the Book of Acts reveals, the New Covenant people of God began in a blaze of glory. God worked mightily through the early believers. Jesus gave them the following commission and assurance in Mark 16:15-18 “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (or all creation). He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” And we see in Mark 19-20 that is exactly what Jesus’ followers did after He was received into heaven and sat at the right hand of God. “…they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word through the accompanying signs…”

But sadly, when the Church became institutionalized in A.D. 312, many of those in charge were politicians rather than godly, spiritual men. The result was that CHRISTIANITY was ORGANISED into a RELIGIOUS SYSTEM whose leaders chose a HUMAN-DIRECTED STRUCTURE RATHER THAN A SPIRIT-LED and EMPOWERED CHURCH. The spiritual reality of the Feast of Pentecost was therefore lost to the Church for centuries. Yet, through Church history, there were periodic, localized revivals of Pentecost.

God began to restore Pentecost on a world-wide basis in the early 1900’s through two significant events. The first event took place on New Year’s Day in 1901 at Bethel Bible College in Topeka, Kansas. Charles Parham was teaching on the baptism in the Holy Spirit and encouraging his students to search the Scriptures regarding the subject. During this time of study, Agnes Ozman received the gift of speaking in tongues and Charles as well as several other students had a similar experience three days later. This message and manifestations soon spread to surrounding states, including to Texas and California by 1906.

The second event has to do with a man called Willem Seymour who arrived in Los Angeles to preach at a Nazarene Church but was not received because of his Pentecostal message. He then began to hold services in a converted stable at 312 Azusa Street. It was here that a mighty Pentecostal revival started that lasted for three years. As news of the revival spread, many Christians from around the world came to meetings at Azusa street and took the message of Pentecost back with them to their homeland.

Man was reluctant to hand over the leadership of the Church to the Holy Spirit and the restoration of the Feast of Pentecost was rejected by the leaders of the mainline Christian denominations, but in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, God again moved to restore the Feast of Pentecost to the Church in what became known as the “charismatic renewal.” This revival has influenced all the historic Christian denominations.

Information based on: CELEBRATING JESUS IN THE BIBLICAL FEASTS – Dr. Richard Booker

Animated Story Board: Created by Danelle Harmse for HeBrews Coffee Roastery