[Steve Myers] After the crucifixion of Christ, the disciples got together on the day of Pentecost. Acts chapter 2 records that event for us. An important Holy Day of God that some would think is a Jewish thing and yet here the disciples were meeting. Acts 2:1 it says, "When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place." And it marked the beginning of the New Testament Church.
[Darris McNeely] The Feast of Pentecost is one of the most fascinating of the Holy Days that God has in His annual plan of salvation for mankind. The word Pentecost merely means 50 or 50th. And it's talking—and it takes its name from a scripture back in Leviticus chapter 23 where all the Holy Days of God are mentioned in this one chapter. But specifically as we zero in on what is maybe called here by the heading Feast of Weeks or the Feast of Pentecost as we know it from the New Testament, here's how we arrive at and here's some of the meaning behind it. In verse 15 of Leviticus 23 it says, "You shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering" (Leviticus 23:15).
Now which Sabbath? What is being talked about here? The Sabbath that it's referring to is the Sabbath—a weekly Sabbath—during the Days of Unleavened Bread, which precede the description here of Leviticus 23. And within each seven day period of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, there is going to be a weekly Sabbath day—that's the Sabbath that it's referring to. And from that the day after that Sabbath, you begin to count—and you begin to count 7 Sabbaths. It says 7 Sabbaths shall be complete. So what you have then are 7 weeks, 7 days of 7 weeks, which equals 49. And then what it says in the scripture here, you count 50 days to the day after the 7th Sabbath. So you add another day in there and you have then 50, which is what you have—the whole meaning of the Day of Pentecost.
[Steve Myers] That's kind of interesting too because you've got the Greek word for 50th, so you've got those 50 days. Plus the festival is also called the Feast of Weeks because you're doing these seven weeks along the way. And it's also called the Feast of Firstfruits. In fact, it's the festival that has the most names in the Bible and you can see why that would be—the different ways that it's referred to.
[Darris McNeely] And of course they're—the Feast of Pentecost is linked to the Days of Unleavened Bread because that's where you begin the count toward Pentecost. And it completes in a sense a meaning, the meaning from what begins the Days of Unleavened Bread where we are picturing the putting out of sin and we're picturing through Passover observance the death of Jesus Christ. Also, you have then this count toward the 50 days—Jesus told His disciples there in Acts chapter 1 to wait in Jerusalem until they would be given the power of the Holy Spirit. And as Steve just read from Acts 2, it was on the Day of Pentecost that God poured out His spirit according to the prophecies that would be given there that were quoted from Joel, and you have the beginning of the Church of God—the New Testament Church of God experience right there. And it's all beautifully connected with the Days of Unleavened Bread, 50 days to Pentecost, the giving of the Holy Spirit—which is an awesome, awesome understanding in regard to God's purpose for us.
[Steve Myers] Probably have to talk about that spirit in much more detail in the future so stay tuned. We'll see you next time. That's BT Daily.
