Pentecost serves as a reminder that God that grants His Holy Spirit to the firstfruits of His spiritual harvest.
In the process of revealing His plan of salvation for mankind, God established His annual Holy Days around the harvest seasons in the Middle East (Leviticus:23:9-16[9]And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,[10]Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:[11]And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.[12]And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD.[13]And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the LORD for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin.[14]And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.[15]And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:[16]Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.; Exodus:23:14-16[14]Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.[15]Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:)[16]And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.). Just as His people harvested their crops around these three festival seasons, God's Holy Days show us how He is harvesting people for eternal life in His Kingdom.
The Holy Days have meanings that build upon each other. Together they progressively reveal how God works with humanity.
Earlier we saw Passover symbolizing Christ's giving of Himself for us so our sins could be forgiven. We also learned how the Days of Unleavened Bread teach us that we must remove and avoid sin, whether in actions or attitudes. The next festival and Holy Day, Pentecost, builds on this important foundation.
This festival is known by several names that derive from its meaning and timing. Also known as the Feast of Harvest (Exodus:23:16And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.), it represents the firstfruits (Numbers:28:26Also in the day of the firstfruits, when ye bring a new meat offering unto the LORD, after your weeks be out, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work:) gathered as the result of the labor of those who completed the spring grain harvests in ancient Israel (Exodus:23:16And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.).
It is also called the Feast of Weeks (Exodus:34:22And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end.), with this name coming from the seven weeks plus one day (50 days in all) that are counted to determine when to celebrate this festival (Leviticus:23:16Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.). Similarly, in the New Testament, which was written in Greek, this festival is known as Pentecost (Pentekostos in the original), which means "fiftieth" (W.E. Vine, Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, 1985, "Pentecost").
Among Jews the most popular name for this festival is the Feast of Weeks, or shavuot, in Hebrew. When celebrating this festival, many Jewish people recall one of the greatest events in history, God's revealing of the law at Mount Sinai.
But Pentecost doesn't just picture the giving of the law; it also shows—through a great miracle that occurred on the first Pentecost in the early Church—how to keep the spiritual intent of God's laws.
The gift of Pentecost: the Holy Spirit
God chose the first Pentecost after Jesus Christ's resurrection to pour out His Holy Spirit on 120 believers (Acts:1:15And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)). "Now 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 of 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 [languages], as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts:2:1-4[1]And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.[2]And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.[3]And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.[4]And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.).
The speaking in various languages occurred as a crowd of people gathered in Jerusalem, with each visitor hearing the speech of the disciples in his own native tongue (verses 6-11). These astounding events demonstrated the presence of the Holy Spirit.
At first the people of Jerusalem who witnessed this miraculous phenomenon were astonished, with some attributing the actions of the Christians to drunkenness (Acts:2:12-13[12]And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?[13]Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.). The apostle Peter, now filled with the Holy Spirit, boldly explained the event to the crowd as a fulfillment of Joel's prophecy: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh" (Acts:2:17And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:; Joel:2:28And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:).
Peter explained how his listeners could also receive this Spirit: "Repent, and let every one 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. 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" (Acts:2:38-39[38]Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.[39]For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call.).
God used these miracles and Peter's preaching to add 3,000 people to His Church in one day. These converts were all baptized and received the Holy Spirit (verses 40-41). From this pivotal point, God's Spirit has been available to all who truly repent and are properly baptized. The Day or Feast of Pentecost is an annual reminder that God poured out His Spirit to establish His Church, the group of believers who are led by His Spirit.
Why we need God's Spirit
Humanly speaking, no matter how hard we try not to, we still sin (1 Kings:8:46If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near;; Romans:3:23For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;). Acknowledging this inherent weakness of humanity, God lamented in Deuteronomy:5:29O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!, "Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments that it might be well with them and with their children forever!"
Here God explains that humankind has a heart problem. Academic knowledge of the law does not enable us to think like God. Becoming godly in our thoughts, attitudes and actions is beyond the comprehension and ability of men and women without an additional ingredient—God's Spirit.
God's way of thinking produces peace, happiness and concern for others. Jesus complimented a lawyer who correctly quoted the essence of God's law: "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind" and "[love] your neighbor as yourself" (Luke:10:27And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.). This man quoted Deuteronomy:6:5And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. and Leviticus:19:18Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD., from two books of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament). Jesus here confirmed that the Old Testament Scriptures are based on these two great principles of love (Matthew:22:40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.).
The essence of God's law is love (Romans:13:8-10[8]Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.[9]For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.[10]Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.; 1 Thessalonians:4:9But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.). God gave His commandments because He loves us. Writing to brethren who had God's Spirit, John said, "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome" (1 John:5:2-3[2]By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.[3]For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.).
Because God's Spirit was now residing in the Church, its members could express genuine love. "A new commandment I give to you," Jesus had said, "that you love one another; as I have loved you . . . By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John:13:34-35[34]A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.[35]By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.). God's gift of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost made it possible for the Church to fully express God's commandments of love.
Jesus Christ: the firstfruits of eternal life
Firstfruits are the first agricultural products to mature and ripen. Throughout the Bible, God uses the analogy of the harvest—and, particularly on Pentecost, firstfruits—to illustrate aspects of His plan of salvation. Israel observed this day in the late spring after the barley and wheat harvests. A special offering of the first ripe grain during the Days of Unleavened Bread, called the wave-sheaf offering, marked the beginning of these harvests, which continued during the next 50 days and led up to Pentecost (Leviticus:23:11And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.). This spring harvest was the firstfruits of the yearly agricultural cycle.
One of the first harvest lessons of the New Testament is that Jesus Christ "is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" (1 Corinthians:15:20But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.). The wave-sheaf offering represented Jesus Christ, who was the "firstborn over all creation" and the "firstborn from the dead" (Colossians:1:15Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:, 18). He presented Himself to God the Father on the Sunday after His resurrection, the same day during the Days of Unleavened Bread on which the first sheaf of grain of the spring harvest was to be waved before God.
Early on the first day of the week (Sunday morning), while it was still dark and after Jesus had already been resurrected (John:20:1The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.), Mary Magdalene came to His tomb and discovered that the rock in front of it had already been rolled away. She ran to tell Peter and John that Jesus was no longer in His grave. The two men hurried to see this and verified that Jesus' body was gone (John:20:2-10[2]Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the LORD out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.[3]Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.[4]So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.[5]And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.[6]Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,[7]And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.[8]Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.[9]For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.[10]Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.). Mary also returned and, after Peter and John left, she stood outside the tomb (verse 11). As she wept, Jesus appeared to her but would not allow her to touch Him because He had "not yet ascended" to the Father (John:20:17Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.).
Later that same day Jesus appeared again. This time He allowed certain women to touch Him (Matthew:28:9And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.). His own words show that, between the time Mary Magdalene saw Him and the time He allowed the women to touch Him, Christ had ascended to, and had been accepted by, the Father.
The wave-sheaf ceremony God gave to ancient Israel thus represents Jesus Christ's acceptance by His Father as "the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" (1 Corinthians:15:20But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.).
The Church as firstfruits
Romans:8:29For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. speaks of Jesus Christ as "the firstborn of many brethren." Yet the New Testament Church is also considered to be firstfruits. In speaking of the Father, James said, "Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures" (James:1:18Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.).
God's Spirit within us identifies us and sanctifies us—sets us apart as Christians. "If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ," wrote Paul, "he is not His," and "as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God" (Romans:8:9But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his., 14).
Paul also referred to the members of the Church as those "who have the firstfruits of the Spirit" (verse 23). He alluded to several first-century Christians as the firstfruits of God's calling (Romans:16:5Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my well-beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ.; 1 Corinthians:16:15I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)).
The significance of the Bible writers calling these people of God firstfruits becomes evident when we consider John:14:6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.. Here Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
How many, throughout the centuries, have really accepted and practiced the way of life Jesus taught? Even today many people have simply never heard much, if anything, about Jesus Christ. How will God offer them salvation?
Few people understand that God follows a systematic plan, symbolized by His Holy Days, to save all of humanity by offering all people eternal life in His Kingdom. In this world we are simply at the beginning of the harvest for the Kingdom of God.
The apostle Paul understood this: "But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep . . . For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming" (1 Corinthians:15:20But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept., 22-23). Anyone who is now called and chosen by God is included with Christ as God's firstfruits (James:1:18Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.).
The Bible teaches us that God must call people (John:6:44No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.; 6:63). Our Creator, therefore, controls the timing of His harvest. When God founded His Church by imparting His Spirit to believers on the Day of Pentecost in A.D. 31, He was expanding His spiritual harvest. It was the beginning of what Joel prophesied, that God will ultimately pour out His Spirit on "all flesh" (Joel:2:28-29[28]And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:[29]And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.; Acts:2:14-17[14]But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:[15]For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.[16]But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;[17]And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:).
The Holy Spirit at work
The coming of the Holy Spirit dramatically changed the lives of these early Christians. The book of Acts is filled with accounts of the early Church's remarkable spiritual impact on the surrounding society. A transformation was so evident that nonbelievers accused the Christians of "turning the world upside down" (Acts:17:6And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;). Such was the dynamic, miraculous power of the Holy Spirit.
To fully grasp how God's Spirit can work with us, we must comprehend what the Holy Spirit is. It is not a person who, along with God the Father and Christ the Son, forms a "Holy Trinity." In Scripture the Holy Spirit is described as the power of God at work in our lives (Acts:1:8But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.; Romans:15:13Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost., 19), the same power that was at work in the ministry of Jesus Christ (Luke:4:14And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.; Acts:10:38How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.). (To learn more about what the Holy Spirit is, read our free booklets Who Is God? and Transforming Your Life: The Process of Conversion.)
This divine power allows us to be "led by the Spirit of God" (Romans:8:14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.). It was this same power that transformed the lives of the early Christians and is the power working in the Church today. Paul told Timothy that God's Spirit is a "spirit of . . . power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy:1:7For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.).
Pentecost serves as an annual reminder that our Creator still works miracles, granting His Spirit to those called to be the firstfruits of His spiritual harvest, empowering them to carry out His work in this world.
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