By: Dale Weckbacher
Exodus 34:22
22 "And you
shall observe the Feast of Weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the
Feast of Ingathering at the year's end.
NKJV
The third of the Jewish feasts is the Feast of Weeks or
Pentecost. It is one of the three feasts
which every male in Israel
was required to travel to Jerusalem
to celebrate (Deuteronomy 16:16). Because
of this mandatory pilgrimage to Jerusalem , the
city of Jerusalem
would be filled with men from all over the country. Whereas the Feast of Unleavened Bread was a
celebration of the first harvest, the barley harvest, Pentecost was a
celebration of the final harvest. It is
in this context that we must view the events of the Day of Pentecost that
occurred after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Prior to His ascension, Jesus had commanded his followers
not to depart Jerusalem
but to wait for the promise of the Father.
That promise was that they would be baptized in the Holy Spirit “not
many days from now.” (Acts 1:4-5). The reason Jesus did not want them to leave
immediately and begin sharing the Gospel was that Jesus knew the persecution
and oppression they would incur and wanted to insure they were filled with the
power of the Holy Spirit prior to beginning their ministries (Acts 1:8).
What occurred on this particular day of Pentecost has caused
controversy and division throughout church history. This is unfortunate for it has provided a
means for the enemy to bring division in the church. Therefore, let us take a moment to look at
the events of the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 for when we do, we will see Jesus
and His grace and mercy at work.
1) A
rushing mighty wind – In John 3:8, Jesus compares the Spirit of God to the
wind. At creation, God breathed His
Spirit into man equating the Spirit of God to life giving and sustaining air
(Genesis 2:7). Knowing this, the 120 in
the upper room at Pentecost would have equated a sudden rushing mighty wind as
the Spirit of God entering the room
2) Tongues
of fire – Fire symbolizes the purging of sin from our lives (Ezekiel22:17-22). Since we all have sin in our
lives (Romans 3:23) we all must go through the purging fire of the Spirit for
the sin in our lives to be burned away. After
entering the room symbolized ty the rushing wind, each person in the upper room
experienced tongues of fire over them (Acts 2:3). Prior to entering into ministry endowed with
the power of the Holy Spirit, each one in the upper room needed to have the sin
in their lives purged. We too need to
allow the Spirit of God to purge the sin from our lives.
3) Speaking
in tongues – One of the most divisive theological debates in the church is the
debate over whether it is necessary for one to speak in tongues as a sign they
have been filled with the Holy Spirit. I
find it interesting that those that believe the speaking in tongues as a
necessary sign of being filled with the Holy Spirit, do not also claim one must
see tongues of fire, or experience a rushing mighty wind as well. However, we still have to wonder why those in
the upper room spoke with tongues. To
answer that question we must place things in context.
The events in Acts 2 occurred
during the observance of the Feast of Pentecost. Pentecost was one of the three feasts each
male was required to come to Jerusalem
to observe. As such, the city of Jerusalem would have had
people in it at this time from all over the country and even other parts of the
world (Acts 2:5). When these people
heard people praising God in their own language, from people not normally
speaking that language, they knew something miraculous had occurred the they
became curious and confused (Acts 2:6).
With their curiosity peeked, the door was open for Peter to speak to
them and 3000 souls were saved (Acts 2:14-47).
Ancient Rabbis also believe Pentecost is the day Moses
received the law on mount
Sanai
Pentecost is the last of the spring feasts. The next three feasts of Israel are the
fall feasts. The first three feasts
symbolize the first coming of Christ to die as the Lamb of God, rise from the
dead as the Firstfruits of those rising from the dead, and Pentecost or
empowerment of the church to harvest lost souls. The gap in time between the two sets of
feasts symbolizes the church age.
This gap in time also demonstrates the mercy and grace of
God as he provides time for all to have an opportunity to receive Jesus as
their savior (2 Peter 3:9). If you are
reading this and have not made Jesus your savior, know that God is holding back
the return of Jesus for people like you so you can have the opportunity to live
eternally with God. Please take a moment
to pray with me and settle where you will spend eternity.
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know
that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23). I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse
me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).
I believe you died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead and now
declare you Lord of my life.
If you prayed this prayer, know that your sins, no matter
how great, are now forgiven. In essence,
the computer file with your sins is now deleted, never to be viewed by God
again. Now, ask God to empower you with
the Holy Spirit so you will have the boldness to share with others what Jesus
has done for you.
Next Saturday we will begin looking at the fall feasts and
how they point to Jesus' second coming.
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