The+Background+of+Pentecost

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= = = = = = =Introduction =

= = In the Evangelical world, Pentecost is most associated with the coming of the Holy Spirit to the body of believers in Jerusalem, marking the beginning of the Church after Christ’s Resurrection. However, Pentecost, which means “fiftieth”, is the New Testament name of the Festival of Weeks or Shavuot, and signifies the fiftieth day //from// the waving of the //omer// of first fruits (Lev. 23:15-16).[|[1]] The Jewish festival is one of the three pilgrim festivals that all adult Jewish males were required to attend at Jerusalem. It is centralized around the presentation of the first fruits of God during the Harvest. The timing of the Holy Spirit coming down during Pentecost or the Festival of Weeks is very theologically significant, as the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the believers signifies the presenting of the first fruits to God through the church of believers, not only at the event of Pentecost but following in the redemptive age (James 1:17-18). Most importantly, the prophetic theme of first fruits is attested by the work and person of Jesus Christ who is said to the first fruits of every man (1 Cor. 15:20-23).[|[2]] The Festival of Shavuot also has prophetic significance of the resurrection of Christ. = Background of Pentecost =

= = Pentecost is the Greek name of the Jewish holiday, Shavuot, which literally means “fiftieth.” The Biblical account of the Festival of Shavuot is described in Deuteronomy 16:9-10, You shall count of seven weeks; start to count the seven weeks when the sickle is first put to the standing grain. Then you shall observe the Feast of Weeks for the Lord your God, offering your freewill contribution according as the Lord your God has blessed you. It is celebrated 50 days after the festival of Passover, where the offering of the omer (a measure of barley) was performed on the second day of Passover to link the agricultural aspect to the Passover holiday in the spring. In the Hebrew, Shavuot means “weeks,” indicating that the festival ended the weeks of the grain harvest. It is also called so because it begins the seven-week period of counting after the omer offering during the second day of Passover. At the close of the harvest and the end of the seven weeks, two loaves of leavened bread baked from the wheat of the new crop were offered as a communal offering in the Temple.[|[3]] Shavuot is very much an agricultural celebration that was to show gratitude to the Lord for His provision in the harvest. The festival is also known in scripture by other names. In Exodus 23:16, it is referred to as the “feast of harvest,” as it commenced the beginning of the wheat harvest. In Numbers 28:26, it is called the “day of the first fruits,” since its main purpose was to bring a designated portion of the first fruits of the harvest into the temple as an act of dedication to God in response to his provision. The festival is also called //Yom ha-Bikkurim//, which means “the first fruits of wheat harvest” and was indicated as such by the offering of the first loaves of the new crop to God. [|[4]] = Historical and Cultural Practice =

= = Unlike the other festivals, the holiday of Shavuot does not have a set date upon which it is celebrated. Many times it is celebrated on the 6th of Nisan, but in reality the celebration can fall anywhere from the fifth to the seventh of Nisan.[|[5]] Rather, it is dependent on the counting of the omer, the period between the sacrifice of the omer, the first sheaf of the newly cut barley, and the bread offering of the first fruits of the harvest. [|[6]] The festival, however, it always 50 days after the first day of Passover, establishing a chronological link between the two festivals.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[7]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The waving of the omer is what commences the Shavuot Season, prescribed in Leviticus 23:10-11, which says, “bring a sheaf of the first fruits unto the priest, and he will wave the sheaf before the Lord.” This precept speaks of the harvest of the barley crop, in which when it was time to reap the omer near the temple, bunches of barley were pre-gathered and tied before the event of gathering, preparing and waving the omer by the rabbis. Once the barley first fruits were gathered and prepared, it would be thoroughly sifted into fine flour and would remain unleavened, as other grain offerings were (Leviticus 2:11). The priest would then take a tenth of the flour and stood at the bronze altar at the temple and would wave the omer before the Lord by swinging the container of flour in each direction on the east side of the altar, and then would take a handful at the west side of the altar and throw it into the fire. After this practice, those in Jerusalem were permitted to buy, sell, and eat new produce from the harvest. Also, once the omer was reaped, the counting of the omer would begin, where the Jewish males would count down the feast of Shavuot (Deut. 16:9) (Lev. 23:15-16).<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[8]] The story of Ruth would also be associated and read with the season of Shavuot. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[9]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The actual feast of Shavuot was a one-day festival that manifested in the offering of the two loaves of leavened bread from the first fruits of the grain harvest. The two loaves of leavened bread were brought to the temple as a concluding ritual, where the Priests would sit in the temple courtyard to receive portions from the twin loaves. The Mishnah describes that along with the twin loaves that were offered, the bread offering would be presented with lambs for peace offerings, which the Priests would also take very small portions of the lamb offering. Not only would the two loaves of leavened bread be offered as a communal offering, but each farmer would also bring his first fruits to the temple whenever they ripened.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[10]] The offering of first fruits would come from the seven kinds of fruit that the Land of Israel favored, which were barley, wheat, olives, dates, pomegranates, figs, and grapes. However, the presentation of the first fruits did not occur on Shavuot, as most of the fruits were not ripened during this time. For this reason, anytime during the period that began with Shavuot and ended with Sukkoth (the Festival of Booths), the first fruits could be presented whenever they were ripened.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[11]] = <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Spiritual Significance<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[12]]  =

= = <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The concept of first fruits is applied to the people of God. Like the first fruits, the people of God are chosen, set-apart, and special. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Israel is referred to God’s first fruits in Jeremiah 2:3, to display that just as the first fruits were holy and set apart for the Lord and were not to be devoured, so were the people of Israel. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Israel was holiness unto the Lord, and the //first fruits// of his increase; all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the Lord. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Believers in the church are also called first fruits–individually in 1 Corinthians 6:15 and collectively in James 1:18. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">…you know the household of Stephanas, that they were the first fruits of Achaia, and that they devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints… (1 Cor. 6:15) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">In the exercise of His will He brought forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among his creatures. (James 1:18) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The 144,00 from the tribes of Israel who will be sealed during the Tribulation period are also described as first fruits in Revelation 14:4 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">These are the one that have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">More importantly, the concept of first fruits is applied to the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is in Christ that the ultimate meaning and purpose for Shavuot is demonstrated and fulfilled. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 says <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive; But every man in his order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Offering the first fruits essentially represents new life, resurrection, and life from the dead, and as Jesus had became the first fruits of those who would be resurrected in both body and in spirit, the underlying meaning of Shavuot is deeply connected to the resurrection of Jesus, as being presented as the first fruits for His body of believers. The offering of the omer during the Passover is connected to Jesus being presented as the Passover Lamb. Symbolically, leaven is associated with sin, so the unleavened offering of the omer represents the offering that had no sin –Jesus the Messiah. Therefore, since he was without sin and offered as a sacrificed, he was raised from the dead, according the Spirit of holiness (Rom. 1:14). The omer was also mixed with oil and frankincense, which are symbolic of the Holy Spirit and communion with prayer, connecting to the working of the Holy Spirit and communion with God the Father through prayer that was involved in the offering and resurrection of Christ. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">As the omer characterizes the resurrection of Christ, two loaves that are presented as first fruits can be representative of the birth of the church, connecting to the Pentecost event. Just as the first fruits of the barley were to be chosen and set apart, the church was called out to be set apart and unified with God through the work of the Spirit. It was on the day of Pentecost that this union took place and the first fruits of the church were waved before the Lord. The two loaves is also symbolic of the two separate groups of people –Jew and Gentile –that were to be offered to the Lord in unity. Though the Pentecost event in Acts 2 was only upon the Jewish disciples and devout Jews that were present during the Shavuot celebration, this foreshadowment is displayed in the spread of the Gospel to the Gentiles and the coming of the Holy Spirit among Gentile believers later in the book of Acts. The coming of the Spirit was the culmination of the offering of the first fruits of the church that was to come from Christ’s work on the Cross and His resurrection, but not only to His chosen people that were near but also to reconcile those that were far off (Eph. 2:13-18). = <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Conclusion =

= = <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">After the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D., the nature and significance of Shavuot changed. Without the temple, the main practices of the festival could not be observed. Thus, at some point in the rabbinic teaching, Shavuot became a celebration for the giving of the Torah. Yet, the Lord specifically set the holiday of Shavuot apart to prepare for the Pentecostal celebration and the coming of the Holy Spirit. It is the presentation of the first fruits that marks not only the physical provisions of the Lord, but also especially the spiritual provisions of the Lord through the work of His Spirit.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Work Cited <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">______________________________________________________ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 15px;">Ariel, Israel, and Chaim Richman. "The Shavuot Festival: "These Are the Firstfruits"." In //Carta's Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem//. Jerusalem: Temple Institute :, 2005. 249-269.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 15px;">Bloch, Abraham P.. "Shavuot." In //The Biblical and Historical Background of the Jewish Holy Days//. New York: Ktav Pub. House, 1978. 179-189.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 15px;">Easton, M. G. //Illustrated Bible Dictionary//. Rev. ed. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1978.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 15px;">MacArthur, John. "The Baptism of the Holy Spirit." In //Acts 1-12//. Chicago: Moody Press, 1994. 39-40.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 15px;">Schauss, Hayyim. "The Festival of Shavuos." In //Guide to Jewish Holy Days: History and Observance.//. S.l.: Schocken, N.Y., 62. 86-95.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 15px;">Scott, Bruce. //The Feasts of Israel: Seasons of the Messiah//. Bellmawr, NJ: Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, 1997.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 15px;">Strassfeld, Michael, Betsy Platkin Teutsch, and Arnold M. Eisen. "Shavuot: Revealing the Torah." In //The Jewish holidays: a guide and commentary//. New York: Harper & Row, 1985. 69-83.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 15px;">VanderKam, James C. //An Introduction to Early Judaism//. Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans, 2001.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 15px;">Williams, David John. //Acts//. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 1990.

<span style="font-family: 'Times','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[1]] <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 15px;">Bruce Scott. //The Feasts of Israel: Seasons of the Messiah//. Bellmawr. (NJ: Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, 1997), 58. <span style="font-family: 'Times','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[2]] <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 15px;">Bruce Scott. //The Feasts of Israel: Seasons of the Messiah//. Bellmawr. (NJ: Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, 1997), 69. <span style="font-family: 'Times','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[3]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 15px;">Israel Ariel and Chaim Richman. "The Shavuot Festival: "These Are the Firstfruits"." In //Carta's illustrated Encyclopedia of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem//. (Jerusalem: Temple Institute :, 2005), 249. <span style="font-family: 'Times','serif'; font-size: 15px;">[|[4]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 15px;">Michael Strassfeld, Betsy Platkin Teutsch, and Arnold M. Eisen. "Shavuot: Revealing the Torah." In //The Jewish holidays: a guide and commentary//. (New York: Harper & Row, 1985), 69. <span style="font-family: 'Times','serif'; font-size: 15px;">[|[5]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 15px;">Michael Strassfeld, Betsy Platkin Teutsch, and Arnold M. Eisen. "Shavuot: Revealing the Torah." In //The Jewish holidays: a guide and commentary//. (New York: Harper & Row, 1985), 70. <span style="font-family: 'Times','serif'; font-size: 15px;">[|[6]] <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 15px;">Bruce Scott. //The Feasts of Israel: Seasons of the Messiah//. Bellmawr, (NJ: Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, 1997), 60-61. <span style="font-family: 'Times','serif'; font-size: 15px;">[|[7]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 15px;">Abraham P. Bloch. "Shavuot." In //The Biblical and Historical Background of the Jewish Holy Days//. (New York: Ktav Pub. House, 1978), 179. <span style="font-family: 'Times','serif'; font-size: 15px;">[|[8]] <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 15px;">Bruce Scott. //The Feasts of Israel: Seasons of the Messiah//. Bellmawr, (NJ: Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, 1997), 60-63. <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[9]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 15px;">Michael Strassfeld, Betsy Platkin Teutsch, and Arnold M. Eisen. "Shavuot: Revealing the Torah." In //The Jewish holidays: a guide and commentary//. (New York: Harper & Row, 1985), 73. <span style="font-family: 'Times','serif'; font-size: 15px;">[|[10]] <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 15px;">Bruce Scott. //The Feasts of Israel: Seasons of the Messiah//. Bellmawr, (NJ: Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, 1997), 66. <span style="font-family: 'Times','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[11]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 15px;">Michael Strassfeld, Betsy Platkin Teutsch, and Arnold M. Eisen. "Shavuot: Revealing the Torah." In //The Jewish holidays: a guide and commentary//. (New York: Harper & Row, 1985), 70. <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[12]] <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 15px;">Bruce Scott. //The Feasts of Israel: Seasons of the Messiah//. Bellmawr, (NJ: Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, 1997), 68-73.

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