Pentecost.

Day of Pentecost.

Leviticus 23 Verses 15-21

Introduction

The Bible is a remarkable book made up of 66 books in two major divisions. Both Old and New Testaments are equally and totally inspired by God. The apostle Paul wrote " For whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that we may have hope through endurance and through the encouragement from the Scriptures. " Romans 15:4. One of the things written "in the past" is the record of the feasts of Israel. Recorded in Leviticus 23 they are called "the feasts of the Lord" These seven feasts comprise a sacred calendar of redemption. Paul declares in Colossians 2:17 "(they) are the shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ." They are a record in picture form of God's dealing with man from the death of Christ to His millennial kingdom.

God introduced the Seven Feasts of Israel as the children of Israel were encamped at Mount Sinai. Although these seven holidays are referred to in several places in the Bible, it is only in Leviticus 23 that all seven holidays are listed in chronological order. They are called "the feasts of the Lord" which simply means that they were instituted by the Lord Himself, a fact that lends them much solemnity and importance. They were “holy convocations” that took place at "appointed times".

Perhaps one of the most fascinating Biblical studies is the historic and prophetic significance of these special days. While believers are not required to keep these feasts, every believer should be familiar with them, as they not only celebrate a historical event in Israel's past but are, at the same time, a prophecy or a "type" of future events.

What is "a type"

In theology, a “type” is a special picture or symbol which God designs and places at a certain time in history which points forward to a larger or ultimate fulfillment at a later time in history. In relationship to our present time, this later time could now be in the past or still in the future.

The person, object or event that is foreshadowed, symbolized, represented by or identified with an earlier type (the fulfillment) is called an “antitype” of the original "type". Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of most of the OT shadows,

God’s plan of salvation for mankind is summed up in these feasts, which were related to Israel's agricultural seasons, and fall into three clusters. The Spring and Summer Feasts typify the inauguration of redemption, while the Fall Feasts its consummation.

The first three feasts Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits occur in rapid succession in the spring of the year over a period of eight days. They came to be referred to collectively as "Passover."

The fourth feast, Harvest, occurs fifty days later, at the beginning of the summer. By New Testament times this feast had come to be known by its Greek name, Pentecost, a word meaning fifty.

The last three feasts Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles extend over a period of twenty-one days in the fall of the year.

The first four feasts have already been fulfilled, the first two by Jesus Christ on the actual feast days according to the Hebrew calendar. He was sacrificed on Passover, and resurrected on the Feast of First Fruits. The third Feast of Unleavened Bread carried great significance in light of His sacrifice, while the Fourth Feast Shavuot, or the Festival of Weeks was again fulfilled on the exact day on what we now call Pentecost.

The Feasts are beautiful shadow pictures of God’s redemptive work through His Son.

It is important to note that the Feasts that symbolize a sequence of events, were given by God in a set chronological order. Therefore the events that they symbolize will take place in the same exact order. In modern times there are many interpretations of the Feasts that jump backwards and forwards between them in an effort to make them fit into a preconceived end time factor . What we need to do is make the order of the Feasts our guideline to coming events, instead of scrambling them to fit our ideas.

Israel had been under the tyranny of Egyptian bondage. Their suffering was a prelude for what God was going to do in delivering them. The same is true with our redemption in Christ. Man's disobedience had brought bondage, sin and ruin to the entire human race. But God in a

great covenant of Grace established "before the foundation of the world" determined to rescue this sinful people out of that bondage and bring them to Himself.

The 7 feasts mentioned in Leviticus 23 records the calendar of God's Redemption in typology.

Feast of Pentecost.

Pentecost was one of the Jewish feast days. Only they didn't call it Pentecost. That's the Greek name. The Jews called it the Feast of Harvest or the Feast of Weeks. It is mentioned four places in the first five books—in Exodus 23:16; Leviticus 23:15-22; Numbers 28:26-31 and Deuteronomy 16:9-12. It was the celebration of the beginning of the early weeks of harvest. In Palestine there were two harvests each year. The early harvest came during the months of May and June; the final harvest came in the Fall. Pentecost was the celebration of the beginning of the early wheat harvest, which meant that Pentecost always fell sometime during the middle of the month of May or sometimes in early June.