God’s Appointed Pathway
The Seven Feasts of Israel
“The Feast of Pentecost”
Leviticus 23:15-21, Acts 2:1-47
Wayne J. Edwards, Pastor
In establishing these seven annual feasts, God outlined His purpose for calling the Israelites to be His chosen people, the first and second coming of the Messiah, the evangelistic ministry of the Church, and the future of every nation on the earth.
- In Hebrew, the word translated in our Bibles as “seasons” is “moed,” which means festival.
- In Hebrew, the word translated in our Bibles as “holy convocations” is “mikrah,” which means “dress rehearsal.”
- While these seven feasts were literal, physical events, and some of them were festivals the Israelites enjoyed, for 1500 years, God had them actually “acting out” His seven-step plan for the redemption of lost man, as each one pointed to the Person and work of Jesus Christ.
“Now all these things happened unto them for our types (examples) and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”
1 Corinthians 10:11
A Review of the first three feasts:
- Passover –
- For the Israelites – to remember their miraculous deliverance from Egypt, for as the angel of death passed through Egypt that night, it passed over the houses where the blood of the lamb was splashed.
- For the Christian – to remember our deliverance from the penalty and bondage to sin, for Jesus was our Passover Lamb, and on the day of judgment, God will forgive those whose sins are covered by the Lamb of God.
- Feast of Unleavened Bread –
- For the Israelites – to remind them how their forefathers ate unleavened bread for seven days to symbolize their desire to walk in holiness before Him.
- For the Christian – to remind us of the sinless body of Jesus Christ, which was broken, buried, and resurrected, proving Himself to be our Savior and Lord.
- Feast of Firstfruits –
- For the Israelites – to show their thanksgiving unto God for His provision of food.
- For the Christian – to show our thanksgiving unto God for assuring us of our resurrection from the grave.
A Preview of the final three feasts:
- Feast of Trumpets –
- For the Israelites – a signal to the field workers to stop their workers and come to the temple for worship.
- For the Christian – a signal announcing the end of the Church age and the rapture of all who received Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.
- Feast of Atonement –
- For the Israelites – the day the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies to make a sacrifice for the sins of the people.
- For the Christian – the day God’s covenant with Abraham will be fulfilled as the remnant of the Jews will be saved when Jesus returns.
- Feast of Tabernacles –
- For the Israelites – to remind them how their forefathers lived in the wilderness.
- For the Christian – to celebrate the day when all those God ransomed and redeemed are dwelling with Him forever, world without end.
1. The History of the Feast of Pentecost – Exodus 34:22 – “You shall observe the Feast of Weeks, of the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year’s end.”
The three main reasons God gave the Mosaic Law to the Israelites at this time:
- To reveal His holiness – He was not like the Egyptian gods.
- To reveal their sinfulness – so their sins could be confessed and forgiven, so they could worship Him in Spirit and in truth.
- To set them apart as the channel through which He would reveal Himself to others.
As the Feast of Firstfruits was connected to the spring harvest, the Feast of Weeks was connected to the Fall harvest, and since there were 50 days between the two, the Israelites also referred to it as the Feast of Pentecost.
- God commanded the people to present an offering of two loaves of bread to be waved before the Lord, as well as several other animal sacrifices.
- The two loaves of bread were a foreshadow of the time when both Jew and Gentile would be united in the Body of Christ, which became known as the Church – “ekklesia” – the called out and assembled congregation.
2. The Fulfilment of the Feast of Pentecost – Acts 2:41 – “Those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.”
The Feast of Pentecost pointed to the great harvest of souls that would come into the Kingdom of God during the period known as the Church Age.
- On the day of Pentecost, 2000 years ago, 120 of Jesus’ followers were gathered in the Upper Room as He had told them to be, and the Holy Spirit came upon them as a mighty rushing wind.
- Tongues of fire appeared to sit on their heads, and they were enabled to speak in languages they had not learned.
- Devout men of every nation under heaven heard these Galileans praising God in the languages of the people who were there from at least a dozen different regions.
- While some people thought the disciples were drunk, the Apostle Peter assured them that what they had experienced was the next step in God’s plan of redemption.
- Peter preached the first gospel sermon recorded in the Scriptures.
- Empowered by the Holy Spirit, Peter used the Old Testament Scriptures and the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth to prove that He had fulfilled every prophecy regarding the Messiah.
- In Acts 2:36, Peter brought his sermon to the point of conviction: “Therefore, let all the house of Israel know that God made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
- When the people asked Peter what they should do, having been convinced of their sin of unbelief, in verse 38, Peter told them, “Repent, and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
- In verse 41, Luke said, “Then those who gladly received [Peter’s] word were baptized, and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.”
- The Feast of Pentecost was fulfilled when the two loaves of bread, symbolizing the Jew and the Gentile, were united in the Body of Christ.
3. The Future of the Feast of Pentecost – Acts 2:39 – “For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
The Church was born on the day of Pentecost, 2000 years ago. According to the prophecy of Joel 2, the events of that day also started the “last day’s clock,” and while it has been ticking for the last 2000 years, God’s great harvest of souls has been taking place, and the harvest will continue until the Feast of Trumpets, which is the next event on God’s prophetic calendar.
- However, just as God showed the Israelites through the Mosaic Law, no one can achieve the level of holiness sufficient to worship Him or to be a witness for Him, the Feast of Pentecost shows us our need for the empowering of the Holy Spirit to carry out our assignment to get the whole gospel to the whole world.
- Are you aware of the command for all Christians to be filled with the Holy Spirit? (Ephesians 5:18)
- Have you had the experience of Pentecost?
- If so, where is the evidence to prove that your life is under the control of the Holy Spirit?
- Is the focus of your life to bring glory to God and to bear witness for Christ to all those in your sphere of influence?
- If not, why not? Will you accept the challenge today?
