Shavuot/Pentecost: Its meaning and significance (2016)
05/14/16 (3/7) Video Broadcast
especially me, it's him.
How do we count to
the day of Pentecost?
We need to understand,
first of all, the proper
timing of the Feast
of Unleavened Bread.
The Feast of Unleavened
Bread has its start on the
24th day of the
month called March.
This is a third month
of the year on the Roman
calendar.
This week Unleavened Bread
has seven days, one, two,
three, four, five,
six and seven.
On the Sabbath that takes
place during this week of
Unleavened Bread, we're
going to count the day
after that Sabbath.
The Sabbath that occur
during the week of
Unleavened Bread, it was
March the 26th on man's
calendar and so the 27th
of the month is the day of
First Fruits.
From that point, we will
count seven Sabbaths.
The Sabbath that falls the 27th of March is a Sabbath on April the 2nd. That's number one, two, three, four, five, six,
seven. May 14th is the seventh Sabbath. Then, we can go one extra day beyond the seventh Sabbath to arrive at the 15th of May being the day of Pentecost or Shavuot in Hebrew. Now, if we were to look at this from the perspective
of Yahweh's calendar, here's what we would come to, that his calendar, the first month of the year is the month in which we have the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The first day of Unleavened Bread's here. The last day of Unleavened Bread's here. This should not be shaded here. I'm sorry. The last day of Unleavened Bread is here, not here. We go from this week. This would be a day after the Sabbath, the 18th day of his month would be the day after the Sabbath that occurs during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Therefore, we count seven Sabbaths on his calendar. We come to this Sabbath, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. On the third month of his calendar and the eight day of this particular month of his calendar will be the day of Pentecost or Shavuot. Now, it does not always take place on the eighth day of his calendar because if the Sabbath happen to fall on a different time during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, that would cause everything to shift but generally, it does take place in the third month of Yahweh's calendar. Now, we have a calendar that we have produced that you can download and you can request a printing copy of to hang on your wall. You'll see here that we are on the day called March the 23rd. This corresponds with the 14th day of Yahweh's first month of the year.The week of Unleavened Bread is from here to here. This is the first day which is a Sabbath here. The last day is the Sabbath here. Here is the weekly Sabbath that takes place on the seventh day of the week, also called March 26th. Then, on the 27th of March is the day of First Fruits. You'll see it's mentioned here as the day of First Fruits. From there, we count seven Sabbaths. We come to one, two, three, four, five, six and
seven. Then, the eighth day of the third month is the day of Pentecost or Shavuot. That corresponds with May the 15th on man's
calendar. We have this calendar to make the transition a little bit easier where we basically have a hybrid calendar here where we're showing the Roman dates, the traditional dates and where they land on Yahweh's calendar. You can actually pick up a copy of one of these. You can download it. You can also request a printed calendar that you can hang on your wall for free, no charge. We'll mail it to you. If you go to eliyah.com/calendar, you can acquire a copy. You can also write us at P.O. Box 1255, Ava, Missouri 65608 and request a calendar. Again, P.O. Box 1255, Ava, Missouri 65608 and we'll mail you one. You'll notice this calendar is unique in that it not only gives us the dates of the feast but the dates of different biblical events that were going on at the time that you happen to be. Today, we see here that if you look on this particular calendar, you'll see that we're on the 14th day of a month called May, the seventh day of Yahweh's month and the biblical events that took place on that day. We have the flood events and things like that taking place. That's our calendar. Again, P.O. Box 1255, Ava, Missouri 65608. You can also call us toll-free 866-435-4924, 866-4-ELIYAH and we'll get you one of these. You can visit the website, eliyah.com/calendar. You can download it as a PDF or you can request. We'll send it to you. It's really nice. You can hang it on your wall, spiral bound. This is what it looks like. You basically fuddle through it. There's the first month right there, all the biblical events that take place. You can hang it up on your wall.
It also has the moon charts. It lets you know the phases of the moon and the timing. Hopefully, that will be a blessing to you. That's why we made it. We want to try to re-establish Yahweh's calendar and Yahweh's ways on this earth because when Messiah returns, that's what he's going to do. Let's get in the habit of following his calendar.
HalleluYah. There's also information on if you're wondering why some people are observing the month of Shavuot or the day of Shavuot or Pentecost in June instead of tomorrow as in month of May, if you go to
eliyah.com/newyear2016.htm l, I do explain exactly why that's happening and why we choose to observe it this month on the Roman calendar as opposed to next month. That will give you a full explanation and also tells you why of course we're observing all the feasts one month early than the Jews are in their calendar. Hopefully, that will be a blessing to you, eliyah.com/newyear2016.htm l. If you're listening over the telephone, you can request through the mail a copy of any written study on the website. If you go to our library, you find something you're interested in, you can print out there. You can request a printed copy at the bottom of the page. You can also e-mail or you can write us, P.O. Any questions like that or any printouts of any Box 1255, Ava, Missouri 65608. studies, we'd be happy to send it to you. That is our understanding of how to count the Pentecost and arrive at the day of Pentecost or also called Shavuot. What were the things that Israel is commanded to do What is the meaning and significance of Shavuot in the Scriptures? on the day of Shavuot or Pentecost and why does that matter? How does that apply to us today? What is the importance to us today?
We are ready to begin that study portion on this is one of the significant events in Scripture, the feast of Shavuot, commonly called Pentecost, also called Feast of Weeks. We're going to go through some Scriptures and see what the Scriptures have to say about this very, very important feast. Actually, every feast that Yahweh gives us is important and this is one of them. We're going to talk about the importance of Shavuot, how significant it is to us as believers in Messiah. As I often do as I study Yahweh's word on this and so many other things, I just stand in awe of how amazing Yahweh's word really is. I'm going to share with you some of these things but we're going to start with the basics and we're going to dig deep, deep into the word of Yahweh and we'll find some significant things that happened in Scripture around this time of Pentecost. Let's get started here with some definitions. Shavuot is how you say this festival in Hebrew. Pentecost comes from the Greek. pente means 50 and then Feast of Weeks is how we
translate Shavuot into English. Those are the definitions. We see here pentekonta in Greek means 50 and
pentekostay, the feminized version of Pentekosta and therefore, Pentecost basically in the Greek. That's why we have different names for the festival. Now, in Hebrew, shavua means week but you see
this ot ending at the end of shavua. That is pluralizing a singular word. This has an oh sound, not an ah sound. It's not shavuaht. It's Shavoo-OAT. Keep that in mind whenever you see a transliteration from Hebrew into English. The ot ending is pronounced oat. That is a feminine plural ending. Shavuot, from Shavuot weeks, we get the Feast of Weeks in English.
Now, start with a text in Deuteronomy, chapter 16 in verse 8, it says, "Six days, you shall eat unleavened bread and on the 7th day, there should be a sacred assembly to Yahweh, your mighty one. You shall do no work on it. You shall count 7 weeks for yourself. Begin to count the 7 weeks from the time you put the sickle to the grain."
From the time you put the sickle to the grain. What's he talking about here? We see here during this Feast of Unleavened Bread, we have a special way of counting the time that they put the sickle to the grain. He's talking about the barley harvest that happened around the time of Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread. They would have the harvest barley with a sickle. Here's a picture of barley and they would take a sickle to those barley. Here's an ancient engraving of an Egyptian putting a sickle to the barley. This is 240 B.C. That is how they would harvest their barley with a sickle. The instrument they would use, and some people still use today, and they had until there was mechanized harvesting and so on that we now use, but they would use ... They'd cut the barley down, extract the seeds out of the barley and they would eat the seeds, dry out the seeds, cook them, roast them, whatever they need to do to make bread from them, grind them. The feasts have significance in that they were connected to harvests. That was the importance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It was a time of the barley harvest but they were not allowed to eat that barley harvest until the priest had waved that sheaf before Yahweh. Now, we may not seem so connected or feel like we're not really connected to agriculture the way society used to be a long time ago. People grew their own food. Mostly, if we go to Walmart, we see a pretty picture maybe of a farm or something on there but that is about the closest thing we get to a farm for most people. Maybe some of us will have a garden or something in our backyard but very few people grow barley in their backyard. I think we lose something in that. I think we really do lose something. We don't realize the work that goes into the food and the animals that died as a result of the food that we're eating and so on. We just grab a hamburger or whatever and not even give a second thought. It's a little different when you do it yourself. It really is. It's very different. Looking back here to Deuteronomy 16:8 and 9,
"Six days, you eat unleavened bread and the 7th day shall be a sacred assembly to Yahweh, your Elohim. You shall do no work on it. You shall count 7 weeks for yourself. Begin the count to count the 7 weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the grain." This is referring to the time when the high priest would wave the barley before Yahweh as the first fruits of the barley harvest.
"Then, you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to Yahweh, your Elohim, with a tribute of a free will offering from your hand which you shall give as Yahweh, your Elohim, blesses you." Keep the Feast of Weeks. This is also Shavuot or Pentecost. You shall do what? "Rejoice before Yahweh, your Elohim. You and your son and your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, the Levite who's within your gates, the stranger and the fatherless and the widower among you at the place where Yahweh, your Elohim, chooses to make his name abide." We know that is Yerushalayim or Jerusalem. This is a rejoicing feast. You shall rejoice much like the Feast of Tabernacles is a rejoicing feast and we learn that this place is, of course, Yerushalayim where they were told to come but it's simply a place where Yahweh would put his name. We know now that's right here on the foreheads and within us. We learn that this takes place in Yerushalayim. We talked before about the importance of going where he puts his name. It says his name is on our foreheads. We praise Yahweh for putting his name on our foreheads through Yahushua, the Messiah.
Continuing here, let's go to the book of Leviticus, chapter 23 and verse 6. He says, "On the 15th day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to Yahweh. Seven days, you must eat unleavened bread. The first day, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it but you shall offer an offering made by fire to Yahweh for 7 days. The 7th day shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it.
"Yahweh spoke to Moshe saying, "Speak to the children of Israel. Say to them when you come unto the land which I gave you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest." " he was talking about during this time of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. "He shall wave the sheaf before Yahweh to be accepted on your behalf. On the day after the Sabbath, the priest shall wave it." If you're interested in knowing all the details of that, I encourage you to watch the video on counting to Pentecost.
This is an instruction to Israel, when they come unto the land immediately. They take that sheaf to the priest. That was his command. They would actually take the sheaf and they would wave it before Yahweh. They would take the sheaf and barley. He says when you come unto the land, you'll notice that if you go back to Deuteronomy chapter 6:16,
count 7 weeks for yourself. Go back here. I want to take a look. They would go into the land. They would count 7 weeks from the time they put the sickle to the grain. That's during that Feast of Unleavened Bread, they begin the count. You fast forward 7 weeks and that's how you arrive at the time of the Shavuot Festival. From the day after the Sabbath, they count 7
weeks. He says you shall offer on that day. When you wave a sheaf, this is during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a male lamb the first year without blemish as a burnt offering to Yahweh, its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah, fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to Yahweh for sweet aroma. His drink offering shall be of wine, one-fourth of a hin. It's on the day of first fruits. You shall count for yourself from the day after the Sabbath from the day that you brought the sheaf of the waved offering, seven Sabbaths will be completed. Count 50 days to the day after 7th Sabbath. Then, you shall offer the new grain offering to Yahweh referring to the wheat harvest. This is why we count 50 days, 7 weeks, 7 Sabbaths consisting of 49 days and then 1 day after that 7th Sabbath, we had the 50th day, the day of Pentecosta which means 50 or Feast of Weeks. That's how we count the Omer. You probably heard that term, counting of the Omer, a daily counting of days leading up to the day of Shavuot. At this time, it's when it as actually done as a celebration, now, the barley harvest this time with the wheat harvest. He says, "You shall bring your dwellings two wave loaves," this is of wheat, "two wave loaves, two-tenths of an ephah, they shall be of fine flour. They shall be baked with leavening." This is one of the few things in Scripture, times in the Scripture he says go ahead and include leavening with the offering. "They are first fruits to Yahweh and you shall offer, with the bread, seven lambs the first year without blemish, one young bull and two rams and they shall be a burnt offering to Yahweh with their grain offering and drink offerings, an offering made by fire for sweet aroma to Yahweh." If we were leaving at that time, Israel would bring these things to the priest and 50 days after the barley harvest, the wheat would ripen. We know that both are planted as wintertime growing crops. You plant it in the fall. It would ripen by the time of spring, both barley and wheat are planted in the fall so they ripen in the spring. This is a giving thanks for the wheat harvest. This is a time for us also to give thanks for the wheat harvest that Yahweh has provided this year. Now, the two of those we saw were two-tenths of an ephah. It's about one or three quarters of the gallon worth of wheat. These are the wheat offerings. The wheat is brought to the priest. That's the command offerings the priest will offer before Yahweh. He says, "Then, you shall sacrifice one kid of the goats as a sin offering, two male lamb the first year as a sacrifice of a peace offering." It says, "The priest shall wave them with the bread of the first fruits as a wave offering before Yahweh. With two lambs, they shall be holy to Yahweh for the priest." This offering, in order for it to be accepted, had to be done by a priest in the holy place with seven lambs of the first year, the young bull with two rams of burnt offering, a kid of a goat as a sin offering and two male lambs for the sacrifice of peace offering." Now, there are some brothers out there today,
they'll bake bread and it'll be from the grocery store, the wheat they buy. They'll bring it and they will bake this bread and they want to have a wave offering to Yahweh. They wave it. Now, if you want to do that, that's up to you but I think we have to be careful that we don't view this as the actual wave offering. Number one, it had to be from this year's wheat harvest, not last year which you buy at the grocery store, not the year before. Secondly, it has to be done by a priest in a place where Yahweh chose to put his name. It had to be done properly if you're going to think it fits the bill. Most people hopefully don't look at it as actually being a wave offering but it's just an illustration of what they were doing. For that reason, I feel uncomfortable taking bread and waving it or doing anything. I really feel like I'm subverting the position a little bit like a priest where a priest, after the order of Melchizedek through Messiah, in this case, we're the offering but we'll get in that in a minute. I don't want to give the impression I'm following my Scripture here, if Scripture says not to do something and I think I can do it, he's giving that role to a priest. I'm not a priest. They're responsible for managing the earthly tabernacle. We're responsible for managing our heavenly tabernacle, the one that's in heaven, the one we are a part of. Now, if you want to grow wheat, you want to take some part of that wheat, bake some bread, take a portion, give it to the poor, great. Maybe that will be okay but we are in exile. Yahushua was allowing that but we can't keep this Feast in the areas that we're able to them. We're able to rest. We're able to rejoice. We're able to give thanks. As one who wants to do everything that Yahweh tells us to do, the best for understanding the best of what we're able to do here in exile, we want to do them because there's some really, really awesome, amazing things about Pentecost, just amazing. We have this day of thanksgiving in the fall that people observe. Most people keep thanksgiving here in the United States and all that. An agrarian lifestyle, people really understood and realized, "Well, if it wasn't for the rain he sent me this year, this harvest would never have happened." They had more of a connection to the understanding of Yahweh's provision. They want to have that day called thanksgiving. This is similar. You're taking the time to stop, give thanks to Yahweh for what he provided. Wheat is a major part of most people's diet even today as it was back then. We may not think of that but you go to the store and all those breads, you buy a package of bread and you may not be thinking a lot of times the work that went into producing that bread, the provision that Yahweh allowed in causing the wheat to come up in the ground. We partake of that bread. I think there's this disconnect between us and the ground for a lot of us especially if you live in the city just because it's agrarian agriculture, just because it's agriculture does not mean it's Old Testament. I think people have that mentality.
It goes back a hundred years in our own society. Most people were farmers. A lot of people are growing their own food. It's not just Old Testament thing, it's outdated, we don't think about. It is up to date. It's just the way it always was until some of our farm machinery took over. Other things took the place of man doing the disconnecting ourselves for giving thanks for what he's done for us this year. labor. With these things, we have to be careful, we're not
That's the most important thing I'm concerned about is that with this withdrawing, everybody working in a corporate world or office environment, there's a tendency to forget the provision of Yahweh and what he did to make it fully possible. We cannot forget that. That's one of the reason why Yahweh commanded these festivals, was so that man would not forget that Yahweh provided and they will come and they will give thanks. It says, "You shall proclaim on the same day that it is a holy convocation too. You shall do no customary work on it. It shall be a stature forever in all your dwellings throughout your generation." It's a holiday. Take a day off. It's a holiday and rest and feast. I think we're still in that forever part, right,
statute forever. Generations are still taking place. We're still here. It's still happening. He says have a holy convocation. That means to rest. It has to do with Mikra Kodesh and the holy convocation, Mikra Kodesh. Hebrew has to do with a holy calling out. Basically, they're reading aloud the Scriptures. He says do not do any customary work. That's a little different than a regular Sabbath whereas servile work, customary work has to do with business and occupations. Basically, take a break from your job, come together with Yahweh's people, give thanks for what he's done for you. Yes, you can cook on days where customary work is forbidden because we see an example of that in Exodus 12:16. He said, "On this 1st day, there should be a holy convocation," talking about the Feast of Unleavened Bread and on the 7th day, there should be a holy convocation for you. No amount of work may be done. Then, this is customary work here but that which everyone must eat, that only may be prepared by you. When it comes to food and food preparation, we are permitted to do the work. That was the exception given on the day which otherwise, work is forbidden. I think we can take that and apply that to the rest of the feast days as well that cooking does not qualify as a kind of work that Yahweh is forbidding on the feast days since by precedent, the 1st feast day of the year, customary work was forbidden but they were permitted to cook. On a feast day Sabbath, we can prepare meals and we can feast. Otherwise, the normal things we do on Sabbath, we do. We can cook our meals. It's a feast day but otherwise, we should rest. Another thing we should look at here in Deuteronomy 16, verse 9, if you look at it closely here, it says, "To bring this tribute of a free will offering from your hand which you shall give as Yahweh, our Elohim, blesses you." Now, we cannot give that tribute of a free will offering necessarily going to a temple or priest or something but we can, again, we can give to the poor and the needy, some kind of ministry we can your community in some fashion or some family give to or we can give to the poor and Yahweh around that you see struggling. If you want to help the poor or help with the ministry or whatever, I think it's a good practice to give of yourself. This is a requirement for the feast and we should do it as part of our observance of Shavuot. In fact, it says Deuteronomy 16, verse 16, "Three times a year, all your males show up here before Yahweh, Elohim, in a place which he chooses at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles and they shall not appear before Yahweh empty-handed." Giving is an important part of the feast. The spirit of not wanting to be empty-handed before Yahweh, we should give of what we are able to in
some way, shape or form to our father in heaven. Of course, we know if we lend to the poor, we lend to Yahweh. It's not just ministry only. We might not have a priest waving bread for us but we do have a priest that was waved and offer up before us. I don't know that there was really anybody bringing loaves of bread but I think there were two official loaves of bread from the tithe that came in and they will bake that bread from the tithe that came in and they would bake that bread from the tithe that came in, that years we harvest and they would be the first bread that was baked. I don't know that everybody had to bring loaves in those days but we can give thanks today for that we harvest. We can definitely do that. Now, there's a spiritual sign of things. This all sounds, for some of you like, "Boy, that's
a bunch of old stuff from the Old Testament. What's that got to do with me?" It had a lot to do with you, a lot. We are created from the dust of the land. We are created in the image of Elohim. My young daughter asked me one time, "Dad, it says here that one of the ingredients in this box of cereal is iron. Are we allowed to eat iron?" That's because the minerals, the things from the ground, we need them in order to survive. Our body uses them. We're created from the dirt, from the dust of the land. The wheat grows up out of the dust of the land. We partake of the wheat because it took nutrients from the land. we partake of the bread. That's Yahweh planting life in the earth, a life Just as the wheat needs nutrients for it to feeding off the nutrients in the soil. It's put into the seeds for the next plant to grow. We are partaking of those seeds when we eat wheat. We are partaking of the ground in the sense that survive, we need nutrients for us to survive either
through a plant that we eat, some animal that partook of the grass which in turn put its nutrients on its bones and in turn, the animal, we eat, the animal, we take the nutrients from the animal to keep us alive. Now, Scripture says man does not live by bread mouth of Yahweh. I hope we remember that Scripture, Deuteronomy and alone but by every word that proceeds out of the Matthew 4:4. I want to talk about some of the events that took place during this time of Pentecost and how it relates to the plan of salvation through the Messiah. Sure, Pentecost occurs during the third month of Yahweh's calendar, it so happens. Exodus chapter 19, verse 1, "The third month after children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the wilderness of Sinai." We all know what happened at Sinai, don't we? What happened in Sinai? Giving of the 10 commandments. He thundered his commandments from Sinai. Remember what I said about man does not live by bread alone but man lives by every word that proceeds out of Yahweh's mouth? Here are the words coming from Yahweh's mouth on this day or close to that day when they would give thanks from the food from the wheat from the ground. Yahweh will give his word from heaven that we can live by. From Scripture, we know there's a connection here. Yahweh gives Israel his bread, his Torah that came from heaven. He came down the mountain and said, "This is the way you need to live. This is the way of life. This is the way of love. This is the way of truth." We know Yahushua, the Messiah, obeyed every single one of these words perfectly.
There are Scriptures which I could go through all these if you want to but there are Scriptures we know that refers Yahushua as the word. The word that was made flesh and dwelled among us, John 1:14. We can look at him, we can look at his life and the way he conducted himself. It's like seeing the word lived out. It's like witnessing the word of Yahweh in action. He told the people in John 6:51, he said, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. The bread I shall give as my flesh which I shall give for the life of the world." We partake of the communion. That is partaking of Messiah. That's partaking of the word, taking of the living bread. When we partook of the Messiah, each of this bread, partaking of that word, the living bread, and that's why the word of Yahweh is now, as it entered our body, is living, written in our hearts. It's around this time of Pentecost that this word of Yahweh was given. The word became flesh and dwelled among us. We partook of that unleavened bread word for the Feast of Unleavened Bread. He is the living bread. We partook of him personally. We partook of the Messiah, Yahushua, during this time of Pentecost. On that day of Pentecost, you might remember the spirit of Yahweh came down from heaven and manifested itself in the lives of the apostles. That was the evidence that the word of Yahweh, Yahushua, Messiah had come down from heaven and dwelled in the lives of the apostles. Therefore, the promise of the New Covenant came to fruition. It says, "Behold the days are coming, says Yahweh. I won't make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt. My covenant would stay broke though I was a husband to them, says Yahweh, but this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days." Who, with the house of Israel. "After those days, says Yahweh, I will put my law
in their minds and write it on their hearts and I will be their Elohim and they shall be my people. "This Torah coming, the giving of the spirit, the Torah coming down, being placed in the hearts and minds of people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor and every man his brother, saying, "Know Yahweh, for they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them," says Yahweh, for I will forgive, I will forgive their inequity, their sin, I will remember no more." This is a part of this New Covenant promise, the forgiveness of sin is a part of this New Covenant promise of which we're inheriting. On the day of Pentecost, when the high priests was giving thanks for the bread that came down or come from the earth, the apostles are sitting there and the bread came down from heaven and was placed in in their minds, in their hearts, manifesting itself in a powerful way. This law that is supposed to be in our minds, the heart, the law was given to Israel. The New Covenant is with who, the house of Israel. In Jeremiah, when he says my law, what's he talking about? This is from the book of Jeremiah. What's he talking about when he says my law? The only law that Jeremiah knew which was Torah given from Sinai through Moshe. That's what came down, entered the apostles in spiritual form. When the word of Yahweh, Yahushua, Messiah who is the living Torah, who is the living word of Yahweh, the living law, the living commandments came and dwelt in their hearts, written in their hearts, so they could have the power to walk it out. That indwelling is what enables Yahushua Ha Mashiach in us to have our sins forgiven so it's no longer we who live. It is Messiah who lives in us. It all connects together in an amazing, awesome, tremendous, miraculous way. Since the word of Yahweh is written in our hearts, how should we live? We should walk as Yahushua walked. How did he live? He kept the Torah. We keep the Torah as he did. Only by his power in us can we do it, but we do it. This is all significant. Passover represents the partaking of the Messiah, the Spirit coming down on the day of Pentecost representing their Messiah's work to bring us cleansing, to forgive our sins, enable us to keep the word of Yahweh. This is all significantly ... The two feasts were connected in this way. I think that's one why the counting to one feast is dependent upon the other taking place because we can't get the Spirit unless the Messiah becomes our Passover offering and makes our bread unleavened.
I want to take a look here. There's some significant events that took place around this time of the wheat harvest, time of Pentecost. I want you to notice in Scripture that unless you understand what Pentecost is all about and why it was commanded, you just won't get it. Here we go. First Samuel 12:13 through 18, it says, "Now therefore, here is the king whom you have chosen and whom you have desired and take note, Yahweh has set a king over you." This is talking about when Yahweh saw to be their kind. He didn't want to give them a king but they wanted one so badly so he just gave them one. He said, "If you fear Yahweh and serve him, obey his voice and do not rebel against the commandment of Yahweh, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following Yahweh, your Elohim." Remember this story. This is the king being chosen. The people wanted a king. He didn't want to do it. He gave them a king, what they asked for. He gave them a responsibility though. Do not rebel against the commandment. Gear Yahweh. Serve him. If you do, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following Yahweh, your Elohim. It has to do with the people, doesn't it? Verse 15, "However, if you do not obey the voice of Yahweh, but rebel against the commandment of Yahweh, then the hand of Yahweh will be against you as it was against your fathers. Now therefore, stand and see this great thing which Yahweh will do before your eyes.
Is today not the wheat harvest?"
Pentecost, Shavuot. "I will call to Yahweh, and he will send thunder and rain, that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of Yahweh, in asking a king for yourselves so, Samuel called to Yahweh and Yahweh sent thunder and rain that day and all the people greatly feared Yahweh and Samuel." Just like at Sinai, when he thundered down the commandments, which caused the people to fear when they heard the quaking and the fire. This time, though, they asked for a king and he put the fear of Yahweh in them a second time through the thunder and so on, the same way he did at Sinai. This comes from the rain. We know that Spirit, pouring out of the Spirit's called the form and latter rain. There's connection here, even between this giving of the Spirit and the works of the Spirit being judgment. All depends on where we stand in terms of righteousness but this time, they asked for a king, thunder, judgment. Around this time of the wheat harvest, the very same time of year around Pentecost, a very interested event that Yahweh allowed them to have a king and made that decision around this day of Pentecost whether we have the wheat harvest. The Torah was given. A king was chosen around this time of Pentecost. Another event took place. First Samuel 6, verse 11 through 14, "And they set the ark of Yahweh on the cart, and the chest with the gold rats and the images of their tumors." Remember the Philistines that captured the ark and they were sending the ark back to Israel because of all the plagues they were having? They hooked up these two milk cows that they had separated from the calves, and hooked up and so and so. "Then, the cows headed straight for the road to Beth Shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went and did not turn aside to the right hand or the left and the masters of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh." Now, if you don't know anything about farming, milk cows are not going to leave their babies behind.
They're just not. These milk cows literally left their offspring and took the ark of Yahweh, and they knew it was a miracle. They knew that could not happen except miraculously. The cows, where did they go? They headed straight for the road to Beth Shemesh but what happened here after this, the ark basically had no permanent home.
It kind of hung out there for a while there at the house of Joshua. It went to Eleazar for about 20 years. This ark, representing the presence of Yahweh, the ark is representing Yahweh's presence in the throne room, right? There are two cherubim or keruvim facing each other with wings, this ark representing Yahweh's presence between the cherubim. The presence of Yahweh had no home. It went to the Philistines. It went to Joshua. It went to Eleazar and finally, David, as we shared, brought it to Jerusalem as we're going to look at here. What happened after that was that David had made a terrible mistake in choosing to number the children of Israel. He took a census. That's one of the two major mistakes ... I'm
sorry. What happened after that was David had a mistake in choosing to number the children of Israel. That's one of two major things that David had done. Now, the first one was with Bathsheba, second one being the census. He took the census but this particular mistake David had made was there because Yahweh was angry with Israel. He's angry with the people for what they had done. He had said, "When you turn away from the commandments," what can happen? "You and the king will not follow Yahweh." That's kind of what happened here. He took the census and Satan had put that in David's heart to number the people so that Yahweh would judge the people. That's the context of this next event here in First Chronicles 21, verse 17. "Because Yahweh had given David three choices and he chose the one," as far as the punishment is concerned and so, he chose the one that would result in, we anticipated, Yahweh's compassion and mercy. When the people were being destroyed by this plague, he said this, "Was it not I who commanded the people to be numbered? I am the one who sinned and done people and done evil indeed, but these sheep, what have they done? Let your hand, I pray, oh Yahweh, my Elohim, be against me and my father's house but not against your people that they should be plagued." Interesting.
Think about this. David had done something because the people had done something. David had done something. He was also tempted. He also failed. Yahweh sent this plague. David intervened when he saw the people were being harmed or being killed by the plague. He intervened as an intercessor. He said, "I am the one who sinned." He said, "Oh, Yahweh, my Elohim, be against me and my father's house but not against your people that they should be plagued." I see a prophetic word here. As David took responsibility, it worked like this but ultimately, it was on David's house that judgment was placed through Yahushua, the Messiah. It was on David's house. As he stood in the gap as he said, "Let this be on me and not the people." We know through David's line came judgment on
Yahushua, the Messiah instead of the people. That is his father's house, house of Jesse, house of David. That is significant here spiritually.
Now, the next verse says, "Therefore, the angel of Yahweh commanded Gad to say to David that David should go and erect an altar to Yahweh on the threshing floor of Ornan, the Jebusite." Now, the location of this altar is interesting. Remember this. "So, David went up at the word of Gad, which he had spoken in the name of Yahweh. Now, Ornan turned and saw the angel and his four sons who were with him hid themselves, but Ornan continued threshing wheat." Talk about a bold man, right? I'll tell you. This place, this threshing floor, Ornan, Jebusite, is actually an interesting place. It's also the place known as Mount Moriah where Abraham was willing to offer his son, Isaac. Now, I don't know if Ornan realized where he was or what but this is a commandment from the angel, go and do this. David goes up there and he is threshing wheat. Did you catch that? Ornan turned and saw the angel and his four sons who were with him hid themselves but Ornan continued threshing wheat. Why is he threshing wheat? It's the time of the wheat harvest. It's around this time of Pentecost, this time of Pentecost. Here we are again, at this time period. I don't know if he realize what he was doing or what
he was saying but this is the time of the wheat harvest. Pentecost. This is going on during the time of Pentecost. Around this time of Pentecost or Shavuot, a significant thing just happened. That is, the angel of Yahweh told David to erect
an altar on Mount Moriah or the threshing floor of Ornan, the Jebusite.
Yahweh commanded Gad to say to David, "Erect this altar" David went up at the word of Gad, which he spoke in the name of Yahweh. He did what he was told. It says, now, David came to Ornan and Ornan looked
and saw David and he went out from the threshing floor and bowed before David with his face to the ground."
Interesting, humble man, a Jebusite man. "David said to Ornan, "Grant me the place of this threshing floor, that I may build an altar on it to Yahweh. let my master, the king do what's good in his eyes. You shall grant it to me at the full price, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people." And Ornan said to David, "Take it to yourself, and
Look, I also give you oxen for burnt offerings and the threshing implements for wood and the wheat for the grain offering. I give it all." He wouldn't do it. He would not do it. King David said to Ornan, "No, I will surely buy it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for Yahweh, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing." A sacrifice is not really a sacrifice unless it costs you something. This place, this particular location was a significant location where Yahweh said to Abraham, "Take your son, Isaac. Go to the land of Moriah. Offer Isaac as a burnt offering," this place was where Isaac was tied up to an altar, the place where the lamb was caught in the thicket of thorns, the place where Abraham said Yahweh will provide a lamb. That's the place where the angel of Yahweh commanded this altar to be erected. The plague stopped there, Yahushua Ha Mashiach. That's the time of Pentecost. This also occurred during Pentecost. What I'm seeing here, as it appears to me, Yahweh gave his word at Pentecost, his commandments at the time of Pentecost. He chose Jerusalem at the time of Pentecost also. He chose Israel, allowed Israel to have a king at the time of Pentecost at this place where he chose to say, "Stop. Take a look." Second Chronicles 6:24, he said, "I surely built you an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in forever. The king turned around and blessed the whole assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing and he said, "Blessed be Yahweh, Elohim of Israel, who has fulfilled with his hands what he spoke with his mouth to my father David, saying, 'Since the day that I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I have chosen no city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house, that my name might be there, nor did I choose any man to be a ruler over my people Israel.' "Yet, I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name may be there. I have chosen David to be over my people Israel. Now, it was in the heart of my father David to build a temple for the name of Yahweh, Elohim of Israel. But Yahweh said to my father David, `Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for my name, you did well in that it was in your heart. Nevertheless, you shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from your body, he shall build the temple for my name.' " These words were spoken to David. Solomon was recalling these words as he dedicates the temple of Yahweh but there's a dual meaning here because Messiah is that chosen king who would build the temple. This son of David would build the temple of Yahweh and he was able to do that because he was offered in the place of Yerushalayim. All these events tie in together. All these events, they tie in together perfectly, beautifully, amazingly because the location of the temple was at the threshing floor of Ornan, the Jebusite. That's the location where the temple was actually built in Jerusalem. These words spoken to David, Solomon recalling these words, he says these all tie in together. They all happened at the time of Pentecost. Think about this. He chose a king, he gave his Torah, he chose the place where he's going to put his name, the son of
David will be offered there as an offering to him. It's all tying together. Then, we have the end dwelling of his Spirit all tying together around this time of Pentecost, significant festival here. flesh profits nothing." Scripture says, "It is the Spirit who gives life, the This is Yahushua speaking. This is Yahushua speaking. Think about that for a moment. This is Yahushua speaking. He says, "The words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life." We've been looking in Scripture, the significance of this. Think about that for a moment. The words Yahushua spoke are spirit and they are The word spirit in the Hebrew language has to do life. with breath or wind. Yahweh breathes in us the breath of life when we read his word. Think about that. When you read the Holy Scriptures, he is breathing into you his Spirit, the breath of live. When we receive Yahushua, the Messiah, we are receiving that living word by the Spirit of Yahweh from that time it was given when, Pentecost. Significant events. The word was given at Sinai, Shavuot, Pentecost. A king's provided, Shavuot, Pentecost. The dwelling place is chosen, Shavuot, Pentecost. Promise of the New Covenant fulfilled at Pentecost when he gave his Holy Spirit in Acts, chapter 2. The Old Covenant is being instituted on this day of Pentecost. Three thousand souls were killed that day because they were worshiping the golden calf, not that day but around that time period. He had 3,000 people killed, 3,000 souls also were saved around the time of Pentecost. Read Acts, chapter 2. Three thousand souls were saved that day. The Spirit gives life. The letter is righteous standard. The word of Yahweh is the righteous standard but the letter does kill because we've been held to that standard. Three thousand souls were killed. Three thousand souls were saved as the Spirit gives life but the Messiah, Yahushua, the word dwells in us by his Spirit. He says, "Therefore, I will forgive them of their sins. Their lawless deeds, I will remember no more." We can look at the word and not find it to be something that kills us but something that empowers us, enlightens us, breathes life into us by his Spirit because through Yahushua, we are not condemned. When Yahweh chose Jerusalem to be his dwelling place as a representation for us to also be that dwelling place ... Yahweh is now building a temple right now. We are Yerushalayim. We are the city he's using, the Messiah, he predicted to build the temple to build us. Scripture says, Ephesians 2:19, "Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of Elohim, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Yahushua, Messiah himself, being the chief cornerstone in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in Yahweh." We are the temple of Yahweh's Spirit, "in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of Elohim in the Spirit." Very much connected to Pentecost, this new Jerusalem. See, you used to be a Gentile. You used to be a stranger. You're no longer strangers and foreigners, fellow citizens. You are fellow citizens with Israel. You are no longer the one alive anymore. It's the Messiah who lives in you. You can't build your foundation on the law. The law's only going to condemn you. Your foundation is Yahushua, the Messiah through the prophets, through the apostles who get a testimony of his work. The prophets are the prediction of the Messiah. The apostles are the testimony of him when he came. No other foundation can anyone lay but Yahushua, the Messiah. We know that, right? Through the Messiah, we are being built together a dwelling place of Yahweh, the temple, the son of David's building, the place chosen at Shavuot, at Pentecost. Let's go out and expand that dwelling place. Let's go build the walls of Jerusalem and call other people to be a part of this new city. This is all Pentecost related. They built the walls of the New Jerusalem when they proclaimed the Messiah to the people, repentance and baptism in his name in Acts chapter 2. I just look at this time of the wheat harvest and I just say, "Wow. This is heavy stuff, amazing stuff." Amazing connections in the word that, to me, demonstrate it's of Divine origin. It just happened to mention all over your threshing wheat. Over the threshing wheat, a little side comment there which he didn't catch it, understand the timing of that, he wouldn't realize the significance of it but you have to study the Hebraic roots of our faith to find it. I love how his word has come together and Jerusalem, it's everything.
The Bible is written by 40 different authors over a period of 1,500 years living on three different continents, yet all coming together, you look at that and you go, "Woah." Three very significant events took place, one cohesive word, one end to the other continuing running threads hidden from Genesis to Revelation. To me, that's one reason I believe so strongly in the inspiration of Yahweh's word but I'm not finished yet. Matthew chapter 3, verse 5. "Then, Jerusalem, all Judea, all the region around the Jordan went out to him." This is John the Baptist. "And were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins but when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers.
Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?"
Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance and do not think to say to yourselves, `We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that Elohim is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones and even now, the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." Now, why was he able to say he could raise up children of Abraham from stones? Because we were made from the dust of the earth, right? We know we are made the children of Abraham through the Messiah, Yahushua, right? Actually, it did happen. It says, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit," Pentecost, "and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will thoroughly clean out his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
The wheat harvest. We are his wheat. We are the wheat harvest. What we're reading here is about the wheat harvest he will come and gather. Remember, Yahushua gave this parable. We have to bear fruit. The chaff he is going to burn up. The axe is laid at the root of the trees. We have to bear fruit, good fruit. Now, remember Yahushua's parable in Luke 13:24. He says, "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat." What's being planted here is wheat. "And went his way but when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.
So, the servants of the owner came and said to him, `Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?' "He said to them, `An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, `Do you want us then to go and gather them up?' But he said, `No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.
Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest, I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn." " We want to be wheat, don't we? We do not want to be tares. You know, the tares at first are nearly indistinguishable from wheat. It's when they begin to bear seed that a difference starts to be revealed and when you start to see the kernels coming out of the tare plant, you just realize they're not wheat but Yahushua said, "By their fruits, you shall know them." If they're not bearing wheat kernels,
they're bearing tares, then, they're planting from the enemy. Now, the seed is the word of Elohim, right? Recognize that the wheat seed is the word of Elohim. We know that from the parable of the sower. When we partake of Passover, what are you partaking of? You're partaking of the wheat harvest from the previous year. You're partaking of wheat. You're partaking of the Messiah also. You're partaking of the word of Elohim because he is a grain of wheat. When you're partaking of the Messiah, Yahushua, you're partaking of the wheat harvest from the previous year. When you partake of this bread, the unleavened bread, you're partaking of his body but it has to be unleavened. You don't have any sin in it whatsoever. It has to be pure wheat, no leavening.
We have to bear that. We have to be bearing this unleavened fruit like Messiah, Yahushua bore the fruit. The leavening is representing sin. We are called to be bearing good wheat kernels. New Jerusalem was the place where the king of Israel dwelled. That's where the king dwelled. Jerusalem was the place where the king of Israel lived. It's also the place where Yahweh's Spirit dwells in the temple. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are the place where the king lives. We are where the King of Israel dwells. The King of Israel dwells right here. Yahushua is the King of Israel. He is dwelling in us. When Yahweh told Solomon he would allow Israel to dwell in the land unless Solomon turned to idols, he said, "Solomon, if you turn to idols, I'll uproot Israel from the land." That's exactly what happened. He turned to idols, caused his children to stumble and over time, the people became tares and the king became wicked but we have a righteous king now. We have a righteous king dwelling in Jerusalem right now. If we're willing to follow him, we will never be uprooted from among the people. We can safely follow this king Yahushua because he gives us Yahweh's Spirit. Shavuot and Pentecost happens to be marking the time when Yahweh did so, Acts chapter 2. "When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place." We know the story. What are the disciples doing? What are they doing here? They're keeping Pentecost, one accord in one place, 120 of them. This is after Yahushua resurrected. On this day, they're keeping feast days. They gather together. If they're not keeping the feast days, it wouldn't have happened but he gave the outpouring of his Spirit, which resulted in 3,000 souls being saved. It says Peter told the people, Acts 2:38, he said to them, "Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Yahushua, Messiah 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 Yahweh, our mighty one, our Elohim will call." That word of Elohim will dwell in you, the thing that they were seeing, the Spirit, the word will dwell in you.
"And with many other words, he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation. Then, those who gladly received his word were baptized and that day, about 3,000 souls were added to them." We have to receive his Spirit. Contrary to the 3,000 souls who had died, 3,000 souls were saved. We have to receive his Spirit, the old man has been killed by the Torah. Old man has been put to death by the law. The new man has to rise up with Yahushua, the Messiah dwelling in him so we are dead to the law, but the law is not dead to us. There's a difference. The word of Elohim is living and powerful. It lives on. It does not die but we need to die because we participate in Yahushua's resurrecting, Galatians 2:20 says, "It's no longer we who live. Messiah lives in us. We've been crucified with him but we're also redeemed the same way he was raised, we are raised and we are saved." The Torah shows us the way Yahushua lived his life. When we read the Torah, we learn all about the savior because it's exactly what he was about. That's how he lived his life but the Torah itself cannot give us life. It can only show us the right way of life. There's a difference between the two. Now, the Spirit within us, through Yahushua, brings us the life we need, the righteousness we need to be called his children, to dwell with him forever. If Yahushua is dwelling in us, yes, we will manifest the good fruit that Yahushua speaks of. We'll be good representations of the wheat plant that he planted. If there's anything good coming out of us and especially me, it's him. My flesh is no good thing dwelling there, nothing at all but if Yahushua dwells here, if there's anything good happening out of me, it's simply Him. It's beautiful. He is beautiful. I love to see him working there as much as possible. I wish I could be even more manifesting him than I am now. I'm a work in progress. I make mistakes. I fail. I fall short of his glory. If there's anything good happening from me or from you or from any of us, it's him. He's the picture. If he's living in us, then obedience and Messiah's life will be manifesting. What did he do? He kept every word that proceeded out of the mouth of Yahweh from beginning to end. It makes sense. It's all clean. It's all complete, Genesis to Revelation, one word throughout the entire Bible. I'm not trying to cut parts of Yahweh's word into the side. "All that don't matter no more. That don't matter no more." I don't want to do that. Yahushua ascended to heaven the day after the Sabbath, right? He became the first fruits, the wave offering to Yahweh. He became that first fruits offering the day when the barley harvest was offered and he resurrected and ascended on the day of first fruits. He said, "Do not cling to me. I have not yet ascended to my Father but I go to my brethren and say to them, `I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my Elohim and your Elohim.' " He had not yet ascended. She looked and thought it was the gardener. Was he carrying barley plants with him? I don't know. She thought he was a gardener but on this day of first fruits, this day after the Sabbath, the priest would wave his barley, Yahushua ascends into heaven on the day being the first fruits of those who fell asleep.
First Corinthians 15:20, "Now, Messiah is risen from the dead, has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep." He was that barley harvest that was waved before Yahweh, the first fruits of the harvest.
Now, did you know that we're also first fruits? Ever heard that? James 1:18. It says, "Of his own will, he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of his creatures." How can we both be first fruits?
In John 12:24, Yahushua says something very interesting. He said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone but if it dies, it produces much grain." He's talking about his own death and resurrection here. The grain of wheat, which he was, went into the ground, went into the tomb. It died but it had to die in order for it to produce much grain. It had to die. Literally, when a grain of wheat goes into the ground and comes in contact with water, the grain of wheat is destroyed through the water because the grain softens and the material begins to decompose.
Everything except the germ inside begins to decompose. The germ remains alive. It does not decompose. That decomposed material becomes the first nourishment for that germ, for that plant to begin to divide cells to begin to grow into a plant that will spring up out of the ground and again, produce more wheat. Through Yahushua's death, he was buried in the ground, that the grain of wheat went into the ground and died. The Spirit of Yahweh though that was in Messiah, that germ remained alive and raised Yahushua from the dead. The germ came forth and produced fruit of which we are and we have to do the same as he did. We do. We have to die to self. Through our death to self, we manifest love. By that love, we bring others into the sheepfold to build the walls of Jerusalem. "Therefore, we were buried with him through baptism into death just as Messiah was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so, we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of his death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of his resurrection, knowing this, our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin." Colossians 3:1 says, "If you were then raised with Messiah, seek those things which are above, where Messiah is, sitting at the right hand of Elohim. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth for you died, you died, and your life is hidden with Messiah in Elohim." Again, Ephesians 2:4 through 7, "Elohim, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses made us alive together with Messiah by grace you have been saved and raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Messiah, Yahushua." Do you see yourself sitting together in the heavenly places with Messiah?
It's happened. It's as good as done.
In Acts, chapter 2, what Peter was calling the people to do was to get baptized, representing the death of the old man, the resurrection of the new man, Yahushua Ha Mashiach, our savior and king, that we might be seated in the heavenly places, that we might become a dwelling place for Elohim in the Spirit, that the king of Israel might dwell in Jerusalem, of whom we are and with these things in mind, all of this on Shavuot, all of this on Pentecost, the selection of the king and the place where he would dwell, the first fruits of the apostles' ministry, 3,000 souls being saved, being baptized through Messiah's death and resurrection. We become first fruits through that participation in Messiah's death and resurrection. That's what baptism is, a representation of the death and the resurrection. Wait a minute.
We're not without sin as he was. I mean, he's perfect but we are still in the process of being perfected. How can we be a holy offering on Pentecost? Remember the two loaves that were waved by the priests? Those loaves were leavened. They had leavening in it. Now, normally, Yahweh says do not offer leavening with any of your offerings but here was an exception. They were loaves of bread that were waved before Yahweh just like the barley was waved. He is offering up to Yahweh from the land his wheat harvest that was brought and these loaves were baked. In contrast, Pentecost has leavened loaves. Passover has unleavened bread.
We know that First Corinthians 5:6 through 7 says, "Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore, purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Messiah, our Passover, was sacrificed for us." The wheat during the Passover week is unleavened and Yahweh is the one who de-leavens us
through the Messiah, Yahushua. Even though we may not be completely without leaven during the Pentecost offering, we do have leavening, he accepts us anyway.
He accepts his leavened people on the day of Pentecost. Isn't that what happened in Acts chapter 2? He accepted his leavened people. Isn't that what happened when the people wanted a king? He didn't like it but he accepted his leavened people. Isn't that what happened when David, he was going to bring judgment on David during this time of Pentecost but David says, "I'll stay in the gap"? He accepted his leavened David.
Today, he does.
He removed that leavening, he takes that wheat the
following year, that wheat harvest from the year before that was leavened. Yahushua Ha Mashiach dies and we partake of this unleavened bread now for 7 days.
That's what Yahweh's teaching us. He accepts us, leavening and all, because he's going to purge that leaven through Yahushua, our savior and our king and make us unleavened. They'd take that wheat, get all the leavening out of your house. We have a lamb that's going to make your bread unleavened. It's knowing in the future, there is a lamb that's going to save us. We're being taught here, "Okay, you can wave the leavened bread. I'll accept because I know the promise. I know what's going to happen. I know what's going to happen with this leavened bread." We eat unleavened bread for 7 days representing 7,000 years of mankind on the earth who are in continual need of the de-leavening through the cleansing of our savior but the day is going to come when the trumpet's going to sound on the Day of Trumpets. We have a Feast of Trumpets in the fall. This is all about Yahushua. I'm telling you. All these feasts are all about him. Yahushua's going to be reign over the earth these last thousand years and will put every enemy under his feet and the last enemy he's going to destroy is death. Man will have his sin atoned for on the Day of Atonement and will be granted access to the Throne Room on this Day of Atonement and the heavens and the earth will be cleansed and made new. The tabernacle of Yahweh will be with men, Feast of Tabernacles. Until then, we have some work to do, because people think all these festivals don't matter anymore. Messiah fulfilled all that but there's such a powerful lesson here. There is, in my estimation, proof that the Scriptures we hold in our hands, we read every day, are totally of Divine origin.
It all comes together in one beautiful symphony that cries out he's alive and he is real. This whole idea of fulfill means do away with is simply not true. It's not in the Scriptures. Yahushua fulfilled the commandment, "Don't commit adultery." Can you go commit adultery now? No. He fulfilled the commandment, "Do not commit murder." Do you go commit murder now? He fulfilled the whole law. Do you break all these laws now? No. Yahushua fulfilled the feast days. Do you disobey the feast days commandments now? No. Why do you say yes? You better have a good reason for it because it's not in Scripture that I know of. These festivals are so beautiful. There's so much about him. You celebrate the day of his birth and this whole thing is here right in front of us to do.
We know that baptism is a shadow or a picture of our death and Messiah's life being in us, right? Since that's fulfilled through Messiah, do you do away with that? No. It is a physical representation of a spiritual truth. That's what these feast days are, beautiful, beautiful pictures and representations of what Yahweh has done for man and will do in man, showing his whole plan of salvation, the history of Israel, his literal of salvation is written in the history of a nation from the time they asked for a king to come to a time he chose Jerusalem, all these things coming together and very few people know it because people have been told, "Well, don't bother with that anymore. It's just whole dismal stuff." We're being called to fulfill those commandments like Messiah fulfilled them. The same way he fulfilled the law, we should also fulfill the law. It doesn't mean that we are going to be able to do so perfectly but since he lives in us, he can empower us to live out those commandments that he did when he was on the earth, loving one another, loving our neighbor. That's what all these commandments are about. The way in which we show love is by letting him dwell in us and manifesting Messiah to everybody. That involves keeping the feast days. What's happened here when we have the situation in our modern lives today where the feasts that do manifest the Messiah in a powerful way are set aside in favor of holidays that are based on paganism. What in the world has happened? That's not the Bible. People, they saw a need to celebrate something and so they pick up pagan stuff and mix it all in with the Messiah. Yahweh already gave us something to celebrate.
He has his observances that all point to Messiah and they show forth in such a far, far more superior way than Santa Claus ever could. Give me a break, the Easter Bunny.
The ministry of the apostles, the things that Yahushua has done and the things he will do, not to mention, giving thanks for the food that Yahweh provides out of the ground, spiritually from on high and here on earth too. As I give thanks for the wheat harvest, I give thanks to Yahweh for you because you are the wheat harvest. I'm the wheat harvest. You're the wheat harvest. Give thanks to Yahweh for each other. That's what it's all about, not those pagan stuff. We don't need that. This Shavuot, give thanks to Yahweh for sending forth not only the food from the ground, but the food from heaven, Messiah, Yahushua, and for choosing you to also be part of his harvest and for choosing you as a dwelling place, the Jerusalem that you are
and for giving you the kind that you asked for. Give thanks to Yahweh for his word having been written on the tablets of your heart. The word that's written on your heart, let it bear fruit. Don't be a tare. Be a wheat kernel that bears true and genuine fruit that will be unleavened.
We're unleavened now but we are being sanctified. In Messiah, by the blood of the lamb, we are made unleavened. I love the fact that Yahweh still accepts us. He knows we have a lamb, we have a need and he will fulfill it. What I'm saying here is we have a harvest.
Are we tending to that harvest?
Luke chapter 10, verse 2 says, "The harvest is truly great but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray the master of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."
Have I ever found that to be the case? Laborers are few. There are lots of people who want to tell you how to do things but not many people are willing to do it for themselves. On Shavuot, we need to be praying for harvest and for laborers. Are you one of the laborers?
Are you busy about our father's business?
Did you pray for him to send out laborers when you're not even willing to be one yourself?
Acts chapter 2, the Spirit's given ... This world needs laborers. There is a harvest out there waiting to be reaped. Are we willing to be laborers and attend to his harvest? A great work was done in Acts chapter 2 because Yahweh sent forth his Spirit. We need his Spirit to do it. At the end of the age, the day's going to come, the reapers will come out and gather us all to the place where Messiah has prepared for us. We'll be with him and we'll gather the wheat into his barn because he's going to burn up the chaff, get rid of the chaff. Let's be the wheat. Remember, the growing season that we're in, the responsibility we have to share our faith, be sure we're not among those hiding our talents in the sand but we're doing something with the things that Yahweh has given us. Make sure that you're not one of the goats who look at the needs of the people around you and go, "Oh, well." Make sure you're one of the sheep. You care for the people around, the down and out, the ones that are struggling, the ones who are weak. Strengthen the weak. Build them up. Why are we on this earth? Is it to live comfortably, eat, drink, blah, blah, blah, came down here and be merry, enjoy the work of our hands and die? Is that why we're here? I think we have a higher purpose. I think we're supposed to be the arms of the body of Messiah, reaching out to other people or maybe you're just the legs or maybe you're one of the part of the body but we have to redeem the time and be useful for his work. If we're just focusing on our own stuff, the earthly things, our own pleasures, our own desires and we're ignoring the work of Yahweh, the spiritual things he has called every single one of us to do and participate in, you're just hiding your talent in the sand. You think you're going to make it? It don't work that way. Listen. Harvest is awesome. I'm telling you that it's great in this age. It's an amazing time to be alive. To the best of my knowledge, since the first century, Acts chapter 2, since the days of the apostles, I don't know if there's been a time in history where so many people have embraced the Torah and Messiah. Many congregations are crying out for revival and looking for some 18th century revival, some 19th century revival but we have here right now is a 1st century revival happening right underneath their nose and we are embracing it. Be a part of it. Enjoy these festivals. Praise him for the harvest. Seek to be the harvest. Seek to gather others to be a part of the harvest because Yahweh wants to pour out his Spirit on so many other people. Don't be discouraged by the tares. They're around us. Keep it rooted out yet until the very end. Yahushua said there'll be tares among us but don't be discouraged by the leaven you happen to see in your brother's wheat. You got some leaven in your own wheat too. We're all a work in progress and we have an answer, Yahushua Ha Mashiach. He will cleanse us. He is cleansing us. Sometimes, our wheat don't look so great but we're growing. That's the main thing. Some have a nice tall plant. Some have a plant that's just starting to sprout out but look, that's why we need the water. We need the Spirit. We need the rain to make us grow, the Spirit. We need the light of Yahweh and his word to make us grow. We need two ministries: We need the word and we need his Spirit. The wheat kernel needs light and needs water. The light is the word of Yahweh. The Spirit is what waters us and it cleanses us from
all unrighteousness, the Spirit of Yahweh dwelling in us, to make us righteous. As we grow from Spirit and from the light, let's be the laborers going forth and saying, "It is time
for you to act, oh Yahweh, for they have regarded your law as void." We don't make void the law through faith and certainly not on the contrary. We establish it. It's time, Yahweh, we pray right now.
You would restore what has been made void. Show the people, Father, Yahweh, the blessing of your festivals. Show them the glory of the Messiah in your festivals. Help us, Father, Yahweh, to share it with humbleness and grace so the full message of your word, not just Messiah, but Torah and Messiah, will go out. Oh, Yahweh, call your people into the labor of your word, the labor of your ministry so that your Torah and Messiah might be proclaimed into the whole world because we know your son will not come until this good news is preached in every place in the world. Father, we want to see restored relationships between you and the people on this planet who are just looking to and fro trying to find peace.
There's no peace until we all find peace in you. It's only there when there's a restored relationship with you. We want to be your dwelling place. We want to be your people. We want to be a place you've chosen for your name so that your name will be written on our foreheads. We want to be the place you've chosen for your Spirit to dwell, that your glory may be manifested to all the world through your son, Yahushua, dwelling in us. We know, Father, from reading your amazing, awesome word, all these things took place, all these signs, all these connections that you've hidden in your word, we look at them and say, "Wondrous, wondrous things out of your law, oh Yahweh." We know all these things and we see them. We see your hand in your word, your awesome, wonderful time of Shavuot. Thank you, Father, for your love, for your word, for your savior and for your Spirit.
In Yahushua's great name, amein.
Brothers and sisters, what is Pentecost about (Shavuot)? We can learn how to come to the date for Shavuot by counting 50 days from the day after the Sabbath that occurs during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. We have a connection between the two festivals, a very important connection.
Pentecost means 50. Shavuot means weeks.
It's a day to rest, to feast, to give thanks to Yahweh for the wheat harvest, remembering his wonderful works during this time of year and giving as Yahweh has blessed as. The Torah was also given around the time of
Pentecost. Yahweh decided to allow Israel to have a king around the time of Pentecost. Yahweh chose Jerusalem as a place to put his name around the time of Pentecost. Remember all the spiritual connections here. Yahweh initiated the apostles' ministry by pouring out his Spirit on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2. The word of Yahweh is Spirit. Our foundation is Yahushua, Messiah, the living word of Yahweh, not our own righteousness.
Messiah referred to himself as the grain of wheat that dies and bears much fruit and we are that fruit. Therefore, we are the wheat harvest that will be reaped at the end of the age. Our fruit will then be made manifest. Tares and chaff will then be separated from the wheat like the sheep and the goats being separated. The wheat harvest is leavened but the same what is used the following year during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The same wheat is made unleavened, without a sin, as a result of Messiah's offering on Passover day.
For the feast day to be fulfilled does not mean abolished. We are Israel, the Messiah dwelling in us. We are called to walk as he walked. He observed the feasts. The New Covenant promises that the law will be written in our hearts. Thus, it should reflect on the outer layer through our obedience to his law. Thus, his law is not made void through our faith. It is established. Shavuot is a reminder to evangelize the world around us. Are we doing that?
Are we doing that?
Brothers and sisters, as you embrace the message of Shavuot, may Yahweh strengthen you. May Yahweh guide you. May Yahweh call you into his service and may you hear the call and walk it out. Brothers and sisters, as you heed that call and
walk it out, may Yahweh bless you and may Yahweh truly have mercy on us all.
The Sabbath that falls the 27th of March is a Sabbath on April the 2nd. That's number one, two, three, four, five, six,
seven. May 14th is the seventh Sabbath. Then, we can go one extra day beyond the seventh Sabbath to arrive at the 15th of May being the day of Pentecost or Shavuot in Hebrew. Now, if we were to look at this from the perspective
of Yahweh's calendar, here's what we would come to, that his calendar, the first month of the year is the month in which we have the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The first day of Unleavened Bread's here. The last day of Unleavened Bread's here. This should not be shaded here. I'm sorry. The last day of Unleavened Bread is here, not here. We go from this week. This would be a day after the Sabbath, the 18th day of his month would be the day after the Sabbath that occurs during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Therefore, we count seven Sabbaths on his calendar. We come to this Sabbath, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. On the third month of his calendar and the eight day of this particular month of his calendar will be the day of Pentecost or Shavuot. Now, it does not always take place on the eighth day of his calendar because if the Sabbath happen to fall on a different time during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, that would cause everything to shift but generally, it does take place in the third month of Yahweh's calendar. Now, we have a calendar that we have produced that you can download and you can request a printing copy of to hang on your wall. You'll see here that we are on the day called March the 23rd. This corresponds with the 14th day of Yahweh's first month of the year.The week of Unleavened Bread is from here to here. This is the first day which is a Sabbath here. The last day is the Sabbath here. Here is the weekly Sabbath that takes place on the seventh day of the week, also called March 26th. Then, on the 27th of March is the day of First Fruits. You'll see it's mentioned here as the day of First Fruits. From there, we count seven Sabbaths. We come to one, two, three, four, five, six and
seven. Then, the eighth day of the third month is the day of Pentecost or Shavuot. That corresponds with May the 15th on man's
calendar. We have this calendar to make the transition a little bit easier where we basically have a hybrid calendar here where we're showing the Roman dates, the traditional dates and where they land on Yahweh's calendar. You can actually pick up a copy of one of these. You can download it. You can also request a printed calendar that you can hang on your wall for free, no charge. We'll mail it to you. If you go to eliyah.com/calendar, you can acquire a copy. You can also write us at P.O. Box 1255, Ava, Missouri 65608 and request a calendar. Again, P.O. Box 1255, Ava, Missouri 65608 and we'll mail you one. You'll notice this calendar is unique in that it not only gives us the dates of the feast but the dates of different biblical events that were going on at the time that you happen to be. Today, we see here that if you look on this particular calendar, you'll see that we're on the 14th day of a month called May, the seventh day of Yahweh's month and the biblical events that took place on that day. We have the flood events and things like that taking place. That's our calendar. Again, P.O. Box 1255, Ava, Missouri 65608. You can also call us toll-free 866-435-4924, 866-4-ELIYAH and we'll get you one of these. You can visit the website, eliyah.com/calendar. You can download it as a PDF or you can request. We'll send it to you. It's really nice. You can hang it on your wall, spiral bound. This is what it looks like. You basically fuddle through it. There's the first month right there, all the biblical events that take place. You can hang it up on your wall.
It also has the moon charts. It lets you know the phases of the moon and the timing. Hopefully, that will be a blessing to you. That's why we made it. We want to try to re-establish Yahweh's calendar and Yahweh's ways on this earth because when Messiah returns, that's what he's going to do. Let's get in the habit of following his calendar.
HalleluYah. There's also information on if you're wondering why some people are observing the month of Shavuot or the day of Shavuot or Pentecost in June instead of tomorrow as in month of May, if you go to
eliyah.com/newyear2016.htm l, I do explain exactly why that's happening and why we choose to observe it this month on the Roman calendar as opposed to next month. That will give you a full explanation and also tells you why of course we're observing all the feasts one month early than the Jews are in their calendar. Hopefully, that will be a blessing to you, eliyah.com/newyear2016.htm l. If you're listening over the telephone, you can request through the mail a copy of any written study on the website. If you go to our library, you find something you're interested in, you can print out there. You can request a printed copy at the bottom of the page. You can also e-mail or you can write us, P.O. Any questions like that or any printouts of any Box 1255, Ava, Missouri 65608. studies, we'd be happy to send it to you. That is our understanding of how to count the Pentecost and arrive at the day of Pentecost or also called Shavuot. What were the things that Israel is commanded to do What is the meaning and significance of Shavuot in the Scriptures? on the day of Shavuot or Pentecost and why does that matter? How does that apply to us today? What is the importance to us today?
We are ready to begin that study portion on this is one of the significant events in Scripture, the feast of Shavuot, commonly called Pentecost, also called Feast of Weeks. We're going to go through some Scriptures and see what the Scriptures have to say about this very, very important feast. Actually, every feast that Yahweh gives us is important and this is one of them. We're going to talk about the importance of Shavuot, how significant it is to us as believers in Messiah. As I often do as I study Yahweh's word on this and so many other things, I just stand in awe of how amazing Yahweh's word really is. I'm going to share with you some of these things but we're going to start with the basics and we're going to dig deep, deep into the word of Yahweh and we'll find some significant things that happened in Scripture around this time of Pentecost. Let's get started here with some definitions. Shavuot is how you say this festival in Hebrew. Pentecost comes from the Greek. pente means 50 and then Feast of Weeks is how we
translate Shavuot into English. Those are the definitions. We see here pentekonta in Greek means 50 and
pentekostay, the feminized version of Pentekosta and therefore, Pentecost basically in the Greek. That's why we have different names for the festival. Now, in Hebrew, shavua means week but you see
this ot ending at the end of shavua. That is pluralizing a singular word. This has an oh sound, not an ah sound. It's not shavuaht. It's Shavoo-OAT. Keep that in mind whenever you see a transliteration from Hebrew into English. The ot ending is pronounced oat. That is a feminine plural ending. Shavuot, from Shavuot weeks, we get the Feast of Weeks in English.
Now, start with a text in Deuteronomy, chapter 16 in verse 8, it says, "Six days, you shall eat unleavened bread and on the 7th day, there should be a sacred assembly to Yahweh, your mighty one. You shall do no work on it. You shall count 7 weeks for yourself. Begin to count the 7 weeks from the time you put the sickle to the grain."
From the time you put the sickle to the grain. What's he talking about here? We see here during this Feast of Unleavened Bread, we have a special way of counting the time that they put the sickle to the grain. He's talking about the barley harvest that happened around the time of Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread. They would have the harvest barley with a sickle. Here's a picture of barley and they would take a sickle to those barley. Here's an ancient engraving of an Egyptian putting a sickle to the barley. This is 240 B.C. That is how they would harvest their barley with a sickle. The instrument they would use, and some people still use today, and they had until there was mechanized harvesting and so on that we now use, but they would use ... They'd cut the barley down, extract the seeds out of the barley and they would eat the seeds, dry out the seeds, cook them, roast them, whatever they need to do to make bread from them, grind them. The feasts have significance in that they were connected to harvests. That was the importance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It was a time of the barley harvest but they were not allowed to eat that barley harvest until the priest had waved that sheaf before Yahweh. Now, we may not seem so connected or feel like we're not really connected to agriculture the way society used to be a long time ago. People grew their own food. Mostly, if we go to Walmart, we see a pretty picture maybe of a farm or something on there but that is about the closest thing we get to a farm for most people. Maybe some of us will have a garden or something in our backyard but very few people grow barley in their backyard. I think we lose something in that. I think we really do lose something. We don't realize the work that goes into the food and the animals that died as a result of the food that we're eating and so on. We just grab a hamburger or whatever and not even give a second thought. It's a little different when you do it yourself. It really is. It's very different. Looking back here to Deuteronomy 16:8 and 9,
"Six days, you eat unleavened bread and the 7th day shall be a sacred assembly to Yahweh, your Elohim. You shall do no work on it. You shall count 7 weeks for yourself. Begin the count to count the 7 weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the grain." This is referring to the time when the high priest would wave the barley before Yahweh as the first fruits of the barley harvest.
"Then, you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to Yahweh, your Elohim, with a tribute of a free will offering from your hand which you shall give as Yahweh, your Elohim, blesses you." Keep the Feast of Weeks. This is also Shavuot or Pentecost. You shall do what? "Rejoice before Yahweh, your Elohim. You and your son and your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, the Levite who's within your gates, the stranger and the fatherless and the widower among you at the place where Yahweh, your Elohim, chooses to make his name abide." We know that is Yerushalayim or Jerusalem. This is a rejoicing feast. You shall rejoice much like the Feast of Tabernacles is a rejoicing feast and we learn that this place is, of course, Yerushalayim where they were told to come but it's simply a place where Yahweh would put his name. We know now that's right here on the foreheads and within us. We learn that this takes place in Yerushalayim. We talked before about the importance of going where he puts his name. It says his name is on our foreheads. We praise Yahweh for putting his name on our foreheads through Yahushua, the Messiah.
Continuing here, let's go to the book of Leviticus, chapter 23 and verse 6. He says, "On the 15th day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to Yahweh. Seven days, you must eat unleavened bread. The first day, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it but you shall offer an offering made by fire to Yahweh for 7 days. The 7th day shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it.
"Yahweh spoke to Moshe saying, "Speak to the children of Israel. Say to them when you come unto the land which I gave you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest." " he was talking about during this time of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. "He shall wave the sheaf before Yahweh to be accepted on your behalf. On the day after the Sabbath, the priest shall wave it." If you're interested in knowing all the details of that, I encourage you to watch the video on counting to Pentecost.
This is an instruction to Israel, when they come unto the land immediately. They take that sheaf to the priest. That was his command. They would actually take the sheaf and they would wave it before Yahweh. They would take the sheaf and barley. He says when you come unto the land, you'll notice that if you go back to Deuteronomy chapter 6:16,
count 7 weeks for yourself. Go back here. I want to take a look. They would go into the land. They would count 7 weeks from the time they put the sickle to the grain. That's during that Feast of Unleavened Bread, they begin the count. You fast forward 7 weeks and that's how you arrive at the time of the Shavuot Festival. From the day after the Sabbath, they count 7
weeks. He says you shall offer on that day. When you wave a sheaf, this is during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a male lamb the first year without blemish as a burnt offering to Yahweh, its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah, fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to Yahweh for sweet aroma. His drink offering shall be of wine, one-fourth of a hin. It's on the day of first fruits. You shall count for yourself from the day after the Sabbath from the day that you brought the sheaf of the waved offering, seven Sabbaths will be completed. Count 50 days to the day after 7th Sabbath. Then, you shall offer the new grain offering to Yahweh referring to the wheat harvest. This is why we count 50 days, 7 weeks, 7 Sabbaths consisting of 49 days and then 1 day after that 7th Sabbath, we had the 50th day, the day of Pentecosta which means 50 or Feast of Weeks. That's how we count the Omer. You probably heard that term, counting of the Omer, a daily counting of days leading up to the day of Shavuot. At this time, it's when it as actually done as a celebration, now, the barley harvest this time with the wheat harvest. He says, "You shall bring your dwellings two wave loaves," this is of wheat, "two wave loaves, two-tenths of an ephah, they shall be of fine flour. They shall be baked with leavening." This is one of the few things in Scripture, times in the Scripture he says go ahead and include leavening with the offering. "They are first fruits to Yahweh and you shall offer, with the bread, seven lambs the first year without blemish, one young bull and two rams and they shall be a burnt offering to Yahweh with their grain offering and drink offerings, an offering made by fire for sweet aroma to Yahweh." If we were leaving at that time, Israel would bring these things to the priest and 50 days after the barley harvest, the wheat would ripen. We know that both are planted as wintertime growing crops. You plant it in the fall. It would ripen by the time of spring, both barley and wheat are planted in the fall so they ripen in the spring. This is a giving thanks for the wheat harvest. This is a time for us also to give thanks for the wheat harvest that Yahweh has provided this year. Now, the two of those we saw were two-tenths of an ephah. It's about one or three quarters of the gallon worth of wheat. These are the wheat offerings. The wheat is brought to the priest. That's the command offerings the priest will offer before Yahweh. He says, "Then, you shall sacrifice one kid of the goats as a sin offering, two male lamb the first year as a sacrifice of a peace offering." It says, "The priest shall wave them with the bread of the first fruits as a wave offering before Yahweh. With two lambs, they shall be holy to Yahweh for the priest." This offering, in order for it to be accepted, had to be done by a priest in the holy place with seven lambs of the first year, the young bull with two rams of burnt offering, a kid of a goat as a sin offering and two male lambs for the sacrifice of peace offering." Now, there are some brothers out there today,
they'll bake bread and it'll be from the grocery store, the wheat they buy. They'll bring it and they will bake this bread and they want to have a wave offering to Yahweh. They wave it. Now, if you want to do that, that's up to you but I think we have to be careful that we don't view this as the actual wave offering. Number one, it had to be from this year's wheat harvest, not last year which you buy at the grocery store, not the year before. Secondly, it has to be done by a priest in a place where Yahweh chose to put his name. It had to be done properly if you're going to think it fits the bill. Most people hopefully don't look at it as actually being a wave offering but it's just an illustration of what they were doing. For that reason, I feel uncomfortable taking bread and waving it or doing anything. I really feel like I'm subverting the position a little bit like a priest where a priest, after the order of Melchizedek through Messiah, in this case, we're the offering but we'll get in that in a minute. I don't want to give the impression I'm following my Scripture here, if Scripture says not to do something and I think I can do it, he's giving that role to a priest. I'm not a priest. They're responsible for managing the earthly tabernacle. We're responsible for managing our heavenly tabernacle, the one that's in heaven, the one we are a part of. Now, if you want to grow wheat, you want to take some part of that wheat, bake some bread, take a portion, give it to the poor, great. Maybe that will be okay but we are in exile. Yahushua was allowing that but we can't keep this Feast in the areas that we're able to them. We're able to rest. We're able to rejoice. We're able to give thanks. As one who wants to do everything that Yahweh tells us to do, the best for understanding the best of what we're able to do here in exile, we want to do them because there's some really, really awesome, amazing things about Pentecost, just amazing. We have this day of thanksgiving in the fall that people observe. Most people keep thanksgiving here in the United States and all that. An agrarian lifestyle, people really understood and realized, "Well, if it wasn't for the rain he sent me this year, this harvest would never have happened." They had more of a connection to the understanding of Yahweh's provision. They want to have that day called thanksgiving. This is similar. You're taking the time to stop, give thanks to Yahweh for what he provided. Wheat is a major part of most people's diet even today as it was back then. We may not think of that but you go to the store and all those breads, you buy a package of bread and you may not be thinking a lot of times the work that went into producing that bread, the provision that Yahweh allowed in causing the wheat to come up in the ground. We partake of that bread. I think there's this disconnect between us and the ground for a lot of us especially if you live in the city just because it's agrarian agriculture, just because it's agriculture does not mean it's Old Testament. I think people have that mentality.
It goes back a hundred years in our own society. Most people were farmers. A lot of people are growing their own food. It's not just Old Testament thing, it's outdated, we don't think about. It is up to date. It's just the way it always was until some of our farm machinery took over. Other things took the place of man doing the disconnecting ourselves for giving thanks for what he's done for us this year. labor. With these things, we have to be careful, we're not
That's the most important thing I'm concerned about is that with this withdrawing, everybody working in a corporate world or office environment, there's a tendency to forget the provision of Yahweh and what he did to make it fully possible. We cannot forget that. That's one of the reason why Yahweh commanded these festivals, was so that man would not forget that Yahweh provided and they will come and they will give thanks. It says, "You shall proclaim on the same day that it is a holy convocation too. You shall do no customary work on it. It shall be a stature forever in all your dwellings throughout your generation." It's a holiday. Take a day off. It's a holiday and rest and feast. I think we're still in that forever part, right,
statute forever. Generations are still taking place. We're still here. It's still happening. He says have a holy convocation. That means to rest. It has to do with Mikra Kodesh and the holy convocation, Mikra Kodesh. Hebrew has to do with a holy calling out. Basically, they're reading aloud the Scriptures. He says do not do any customary work. That's a little different than a regular Sabbath whereas servile work, customary work has to do with business and occupations. Basically, take a break from your job, come together with Yahweh's people, give thanks for what he's done for you. Yes, you can cook on days where customary work is forbidden because we see an example of that in Exodus 12:16. He said, "On this 1st day, there should be a holy convocation," talking about the Feast of Unleavened Bread and on the 7th day, there should be a holy convocation for you. No amount of work may be done. Then, this is customary work here but that which everyone must eat, that only may be prepared by you. When it comes to food and food preparation, we are permitted to do the work. That was the exception given on the day which otherwise, work is forbidden. I think we can take that and apply that to the rest of the feast days as well that cooking does not qualify as a kind of work that Yahweh is forbidding on the feast days since by precedent, the 1st feast day of the year, customary work was forbidden but they were permitted to cook. On a feast day Sabbath, we can prepare meals and we can feast. Otherwise, the normal things we do on Sabbath, we do. We can cook our meals. It's a feast day but otherwise, we should rest. Another thing we should look at here in Deuteronomy 16, verse 9, if you look at it closely here, it says, "To bring this tribute of a free will offering from your hand which you shall give as Yahweh, our Elohim, blesses you." Now, we cannot give that tribute of a free will offering necessarily going to a temple or priest or something but we can, again, we can give to the poor and the needy, some kind of ministry we can your community in some fashion or some family give to or we can give to the poor and Yahweh around that you see struggling. If you want to help the poor or help with the ministry or whatever, I think it's a good practice to give of yourself. This is a requirement for the feast and we should do it as part of our observance of Shavuot. In fact, it says Deuteronomy 16, verse 16, "Three times a year, all your males show up here before Yahweh, Elohim, in a place which he chooses at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles and they shall not appear before Yahweh empty-handed." Giving is an important part of the feast. The spirit of not wanting to be empty-handed before Yahweh, we should give of what we are able to in
some way, shape or form to our father in heaven. Of course, we know if we lend to the poor, we lend to Yahweh. It's not just ministry only. We might not have a priest waving bread for us but we do have a priest that was waved and offer up before us. I don't know that there was really anybody bringing loaves of bread but I think there were two official loaves of bread from the tithe that came in and they will bake that bread from the tithe that came in and they would bake that bread from the tithe that came in, that years we harvest and they would be the first bread that was baked. I don't know that everybody had to bring loaves in those days but we can give thanks today for that we harvest. We can definitely do that. Now, there's a spiritual sign of things. This all sounds, for some of you like, "Boy, that's
a bunch of old stuff from the Old Testament. What's that got to do with me?" It had a lot to do with you, a lot. We are created from the dust of the land. We are created in the image of Elohim. My young daughter asked me one time, "Dad, it says here that one of the ingredients in this box of cereal is iron. Are we allowed to eat iron?" That's because the minerals, the things from the ground, we need them in order to survive. Our body uses them. We're created from the dirt, from the dust of the land. The wheat grows up out of the dust of the land. We partake of the wheat because it took nutrients from the land. we partake of the bread. That's Yahweh planting life in the earth, a life Just as the wheat needs nutrients for it to feeding off the nutrients in the soil. It's put into the seeds for the next plant to grow. We are partaking of those seeds when we eat wheat. We are partaking of the ground in the sense that survive, we need nutrients for us to survive either
through a plant that we eat, some animal that partook of the grass which in turn put its nutrients on its bones and in turn, the animal, we eat, the animal, we take the nutrients from the animal to keep us alive. Now, Scripture says man does not live by bread mouth of Yahweh. I hope we remember that Scripture, Deuteronomy and alone but by every word that proceeds out of the Matthew 4:4. I want to talk about some of the events that took place during this time of Pentecost and how it relates to the plan of salvation through the Messiah. Sure, Pentecost occurs during the third month of Yahweh's calendar, it so happens. Exodus chapter 19, verse 1, "The third month after children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the wilderness of Sinai." We all know what happened at Sinai, don't we? What happened in Sinai? Giving of the 10 commandments. He thundered his commandments from Sinai. Remember what I said about man does not live by bread alone but man lives by every word that proceeds out of Yahweh's mouth? Here are the words coming from Yahweh's mouth on this day or close to that day when they would give thanks from the food from the wheat from the ground. Yahweh will give his word from heaven that we can live by. From Scripture, we know there's a connection here. Yahweh gives Israel his bread, his Torah that came from heaven. He came down the mountain and said, "This is the way you need to live. This is the way of life. This is the way of love. This is the way of truth." We know Yahushua, the Messiah, obeyed every single one of these words perfectly.
There are Scriptures which I could go through all these if you want to but there are Scriptures we know that refers Yahushua as the word. The word that was made flesh and dwelled among us, John 1:14. We can look at him, we can look at his life and the way he conducted himself. It's like seeing the word lived out. It's like witnessing the word of Yahweh in action. He told the people in John 6:51, he said, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. The bread I shall give as my flesh which I shall give for the life of the world." We partake of the communion. That is partaking of Messiah. That's partaking of the word, taking of the living bread. When we partook of the Messiah, each of this bread, partaking of that word, the living bread, and that's why the word of Yahweh is now, as it entered our body, is living, written in our hearts. It's around this time of Pentecost that this word of Yahweh was given. The word became flesh and dwelled among us. We partook of that unleavened bread word for the Feast of Unleavened Bread. He is the living bread. We partook of him personally. We partook of the Messiah, Yahushua, during this time of Pentecost. On that day of Pentecost, you might remember the spirit of Yahweh came down from heaven and manifested itself in the lives of the apostles. That was the evidence that the word of Yahweh, Yahushua, Messiah had come down from heaven and dwelled in the lives of the apostles. Therefore, the promise of the New Covenant came to fruition. It says, "Behold the days are coming, says Yahweh. I won't make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt. My covenant would stay broke though I was a husband to them, says Yahweh, but this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days." Who, with the house of Israel. "After those days, says Yahweh, I will put my law
in their minds and write it on their hearts and I will be their Elohim and they shall be my people. "This Torah coming, the giving of the spirit, the Torah coming down, being placed in the hearts and minds of people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor and every man his brother, saying, "Know Yahweh, for they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them," says Yahweh, for I will forgive, I will forgive their inequity, their sin, I will remember no more." This is a part of this New Covenant promise, the forgiveness of sin is a part of this New Covenant promise of which we're inheriting. On the day of Pentecost, when the high priests was giving thanks for the bread that came down or come from the earth, the apostles are sitting there and the bread came down from heaven and was placed in in their minds, in their hearts, manifesting itself in a powerful way. This law that is supposed to be in our minds, the heart, the law was given to Israel. The New Covenant is with who, the house of Israel. In Jeremiah, when he says my law, what's he talking about? This is from the book of Jeremiah. What's he talking about when he says my law? The only law that Jeremiah knew which was Torah given from Sinai through Moshe. That's what came down, entered the apostles in spiritual form. When the word of Yahweh, Yahushua, Messiah who is the living Torah, who is the living word of Yahweh, the living law, the living commandments came and dwelt in their hearts, written in their hearts, so they could have the power to walk it out. That indwelling is what enables Yahushua Ha Mashiach in us to have our sins forgiven so it's no longer we who live. It is Messiah who lives in us. It all connects together in an amazing, awesome, tremendous, miraculous way. Since the word of Yahweh is written in our hearts, how should we live? We should walk as Yahushua walked. How did he live? He kept the Torah. We keep the Torah as he did. Only by his power in us can we do it, but we do it. This is all significant. Passover represents the partaking of the Messiah, the Spirit coming down on the day of Pentecost representing their Messiah's work to bring us cleansing, to forgive our sins, enable us to keep the word of Yahweh. This is all significantly ... The two feasts were connected in this way. I think that's one why the counting to one feast is dependent upon the other taking place because we can't get the Spirit unless the Messiah becomes our Passover offering and makes our bread unleavened.
I want to take a look here. There's some significant events that took place around this time of the wheat harvest, time of Pentecost. I want you to notice in Scripture that unless you understand what Pentecost is all about and why it was commanded, you just won't get it. Here we go. First Samuel 12:13 through 18, it says, "Now therefore, here is the king whom you have chosen and whom you have desired and take note, Yahweh has set a king over you." This is talking about when Yahweh saw to be their kind. He didn't want to give them a king but they wanted one so badly so he just gave them one. He said, "If you fear Yahweh and serve him, obey his voice and do not rebel against the commandment of Yahweh, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following Yahweh, your Elohim." Remember this story. This is the king being chosen. The people wanted a king. He didn't want to do it. He gave them a king, what they asked for. He gave them a responsibility though. Do not rebel against the commandment. Gear Yahweh. Serve him. If you do, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following Yahweh, your Elohim. It has to do with the people, doesn't it? Verse 15, "However, if you do not obey the voice of Yahweh, but rebel against the commandment of Yahweh, then the hand of Yahweh will be against you as it was against your fathers. Now therefore, stand and see this great thing which Yahweh will do before your eyes.
Is today not the wheat harvest?"
Pentecost, Shavuot. "I will call to Yahweh, and he will send thunder and rain, that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of Yahweh, in asking a king for yourselves so, Samuel called to Yahweh and Yahweh sent thunder and rain that day and all the people greatly feared Yahweh and Samuel." Just like at Sinai, when he thundered down the commandments, which caused the people to fear when they heard the quaking and the fire. This time, though, they asked for a king and he put the fear of Yahweh in them a second time through the thunder and so on, the same way he did at Sinai. This comes from the rain. We know that Spirit, pouring out of the Spirit's called the form and latter rain. There's connection here, even between this giving of the Spirit and the works of the Spirit being judgment. All depends on where we stand in terms of righteousness but this time, they asked for a king, thunder, judgment. Around this time of the wheat harvest, the very same time of year around Pentecost, a very interested event that Yahweh allowed them to have a king and made that decision around this day of Pentecost whether we have the wheat harvest. The Torah was given. A king was chosen around this time of Pentecost. Another event took place. First Samuel 6, verse 11 through 14, "And they set the ark of Yahweh on the cart, and the chest with the gold rats and the images of their tumors." Remember the Philistines that captured the ark and they were sending the ark back to Israel because of all the plagues they were having? They hooked up these two milk cows that they had separated from the calves, and hooked up and so and so. "Then, the cows headed straight for the road to Beth Shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went and did not turn aside to the right hand or the left and the masters of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh." Now, if you don't know anything about farming, milk cows are not going to leave their babies behind.
They're just not. These milk cows literally left their offspring and took the ark of Yahweh, and they knew it was a miracle. They knew that could not happen except miraculously. The cows, where did they go? They headed straight for the road to Beth Shemesh but what happened here after this, the ark basically had no permanent home.
It kind of hung out there for a while there at the house of Joshua. It went to Eleazar for about 20 years. This ark, representing the presence of Yahweh, the ark is representing Yahweh's presence in the throne room, right? There are two cherubim or keruvim facing each other with wings, this ark representing Yahweh's presence between the cherubim. The presence of Yahweh had no home. It went to the Philistines. It went to Joshua. It went to Eleazar and finally, David, as we shared, brought it to Jerusalem as we're going to look at here. What happened after that was that David had made a terrible mistake in choosing to number the children of Israel. He took a census. That's one of the two major mistakes ... I'm
sorry. What happened after that was David had a mistake in choosing to number the children of Israel. That's one of two major things that David had done. Now, the first one was with Bathsheba, second one being the census. He took the census but this particular mistake David had made was there because Yahweh was angry with Israel. He's angry with the people for what they had done. He had said, "When you turn away from the commandments," what can happen? "You and the king will not follow Yahweh." That's kind of what happened here. He took the census and Satan had put that in David's heart to number the people so that Yahweh would judge the people. That's the context of this next event here in First Chronicles 21, verse 17. "Because Yahweh had given David three choices and he chose the one," as far as the punishment is concerned and so, he chose the one that would result in, we anticipated, Yahweh's compassion and mercy. When the people were being destroyed by this plague, he said this, "Was it not I who commanded the people to be numbered? I am the one who sinned and done people and done evil indeed, but these sheep, what have they done? Let your hand, I pray, oh Yahweh, my Elohim, be against me and my father's house but not against your people that they should be plagued." Interesting.
Think about this. David had done something because the people had done something. David had done something. He was also tempted. He also failed. Yahweh sent this plague. David intervened when he saw the people were being harmed or being killed by the plague. He intervened as an intercessor. He said, "I am the one who sinned." He said, "Oh, Yahweh, my Elohim, be against me and my father's house but not against your people that they should be plagued." I see a prophetic word here. As David took responsibility, it worked like this but ultimately, it was on David's house that judgment was placed through Yahushua, the Messiah. It was on David's house. As he stood in the gap as he said, "Let this be on me and not the people." We know through David's line came judgment on
Yahushua, the Messiah instead of the people. That is his father's house, house of Jesse, house of David. That is significant here spiritually.
Now, the next verse says, "Therefore, the angel of Yahweh commanded Gad to say to David that David should go and erect an altar to Yahweh on the threshing floor of Ornan, the Jebusite." Now, the location of this altar is interesting. Remember this. "So, David went up at the word of Gad, which he had spoken in the name of Yahweh. Now, Ornan turned and saw the angel and his four sons who were with him hid themselves, but Ornan continued threshing wheat." Talk about a bold man, right? I'll tell you. This place, this threshing floor, Ornan, Jebusite, is actually an interesting place. It's also the place known as Mount Moriah where Abraham was willing to offer his son, Isaac. Now, I don't know if Ornan realized where he was or what but this is a commandment from the angel, go and do this. David goes up there and he is threshing wheat. Did you catch that? Ornan turned and saw the angel and his four sons who were with him hid themselves but Ornan continued threshing wheat. Why is he threshing wheat? It's the time of the wheat harvest. It's around this time of Pentecost, this time of Pentecost. Here we are again, at this time period. I don't know if he realize what he was doing or what
he was saying but this is the time of the wheat harvest. Pentecost. This is going on during the time of Pentecost. Around this time of Pentecost or Shavuot, a significant thing just happened. That is, the angel of Yahweh told David to erect
an altar on Mount Moriah or the threshing floor of Ornan, the Jebusite.
Yahweh commanded Gad to say to David, "Erect this altar" David went up at the word of Gad, which he spoke in the name of Yahweh. He did what he was told. It says, now, David came to Ornan and Ornan looked
and saw David and he went out from the threshing floor and bowed before David with his face to the ground."
Interesting, humble man, a Jebusite man. "David said to Ornan, "Grant me the place of this threshing floor, that I may build an altar on it to Yahweh. let my master, the king do what's good in his eyes. You shall grant it to me at the full price, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people." And Ornan said to David, "Take it to yourself, and
Look, I also give you oxen for burnt offerings and the threshing implements for wood and the wheat for the grain offering. I give it all." He wouldn't do it. He would not do it. King David said to Ornan, "No, I will surely buy it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for Yahweh, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing." A sacrifice is not really a sacrifice unless it costs you something. This place, this particular location was a significant location where Yahweh said to Abraham, "Take your son, Isaac. Go to the land of Moriah. Offer Isaac as a burnt offering," this place was where Isaac was tied up to an altar, the place where the lamb was caught in the thicket of thorns, the place where Abraham said Yahweh will provide a lamb. That's the place where the angel of Yahweh commanded this altar to be erected. The plague stopped there, Yahushua Ha Mashiach. That's the time of Pentecost. This also occurred during Pentecost. What I'm seeing here, as it appears to me, Yahweh gave his word at Pentecost, his commandments at the time of Pentecost. He chose Jerusalem at the time of Pentecost also. He chose Israel, allowed Israel to have a king at the time of Pentecost at this place where he chose to say, "Stop. Take a look." Second Chronicles 6:24, he said, "I surely built you an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in forever. The king turned around and blessed the whole assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing and he said, "Blessed be Yahweh, Elohim of Israel, who has fulfilled with his hands what he spoke with his mouth to my father David, saying, 'Since the day that I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I have chosen no city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house, that my name might be there, nor did I choose any man to be a ruler over my people Israel.' "Yet, I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name may be there. I have chosen David to be over my people Israel. Now, it was in the heart of my father David to build a temple for the name of Yahweh, Elohim of Israel. But Yahweh said to my father David, `Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for my name, you did well in that it was in your heart. Nevertheless, you shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from your body, he shall build the temple for my name.' " These words were spoken to David. Solomon was recalling these words as he dedicates the temple of Yahweh but there's a dual meaning here because Messiah is that chosen king who would build the temple. This son of David would build the temple of Yahweh and he was able to do that because he was offered in the place of Yerushalayim. All these events tie in together. All these events, they tie in together perfectly, beautifully, amazingly because the location of the temple was at the threshing floor of Ornan, the Jebusite. That's the location where the temple was actually built in Jerusalem. These words spoken to David, Solomon recalling these words, he says these all tie in together. They all happened at the time of Pentecost. Think about this. He chose a king, he gave his Torah, he chose the place where he's going to put his name, the son of
David will be offered there as an offering to him. It's all tying together. Then, we have the end dwelling of his Spirit all tying together around this time of Pentecost, significant festival here. flesh profits nothing." Scripture says, "It is the Spirit who gives life, the This is Yahushua speaking. This is Yahushua speaking. Think about that for a moment. This is Yahushua speaking. He says, "The words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life." We've been looking in Scripture, the significance of this. Think about that for a moment. The words Yahushua spoke are spirit and they are The word spirit in the Hebrew language has to do life. with breath or wind. Yahweh breathes in us the breath of life when we read his word. Think about that. When you read the Holy Scriptures, he is breathing into you his Spirit, the breath of live. When we receive Yahushua, the Messiah, we are receiving that living word by the Spirit of Yahweh from that time it was given when, Pentecost. Significant events. The word was given at Sinai, Shavuot, Pentecost. A king's provided, Shavuot, Pentecost. The dwelling place is chosen, Shavuot, Pentecost. Promise of the New Covenant fulfilled at Pentecost when he gave his Holy Spirit in Acts, chapter 2. The Old Covenant is being instituted on this day of Pentecost. Three thousand souls were killed that day because they were worshiping the golden calf, not that day but around that time period. He had 3,000 people killed, 3,000 souls also were saved around the time of Pentecost. Read Acts, chapter 2. Three thousand souls were saved that day. The Spirit gives life. The letter is righteous standard. The word of Yahweh is the righteous standard but the letter does kill because we've been held to that standard. Three thousand souls were killed. Three thousand souls were saved as the Spirit gives life but the Messiah, Yahushua, the word dwells in us by his Spirit. He says, "Therefore, I will forgive them of their sins. Their lawless deeds, I will remember no more." We can look at the word and not find it to be something that kills us but something that empowers us, enlightens us, breathes life into us by his Spirit because through Yahushua, we are not condemned. When Yahweh chose Jerusalem to be his dwelling place as a representation for us to also be that dwelling place ... Yahweh is now building a temple right now. We are Yerushalayim. We are the city he's using, the Messiah, he predicted to build the temple to build us. Scripture says, Ephesians 2:19, "Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of Elohim, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Yahushua, Messiah himself, being the chief cornerstone in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in Yahweh." We are the temple of Yahweh's Spirit, "in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of Elohim in the Spirit." Very much connected to Pentecost, this new Jerusalem. See, you used to be a Gentile. You used to be a stranger. You're no longer strangers and foreigners, fellow citizens. You are fellow citizens with Israel. You are no longer the one alive anymore. It's the Messiah who lives in you. You can't build your foundation on the law. The law's only going to condemn you. Your foundation is Yahushua, the Messiah through the prophets, through the apostles who get a testimony of his work. The prophets are the prediction of the Messiah. The apostles are the testimony of him when he came. No other foundation can anyone lay but Yahushua, the Messiah. We know that, right? Through the Messiah, we are being built together a dwelling place of Yahweh, the temple, the son of David's building, the place chosen at Shavuot, at Pentecost. Let's go out and expand that dwelling place. Let's go build the walls of Jerusalem and call other people to be a part of this new city. This is all Pentecost related. They built the walls of the New Jerusalem when they proclaimed the Messiah to the people, repentance and baptism in his name in Acts chapter 2. I just look at this time of the wheat harvest and I just say, "Wow. This is heavy stuff, amazing stuff." Amazing connections in the word that, to me, demonstrate it's of Divine origin. It just happened to mention all over your threshing wheat. Over the threshing wheat, a little side comment there which he didn't catch it, understand the timing of that, he wouldn't realize the significance of it but you have to study the Hebraic roots of our faith to find it. I love how his word has come together and Jerusalem, it's everything.
The Bible is written by 40 different authors over a period of 1,500 years living on three different continents, yet all coming together, you look at that and you go, "Woah." Three very significant events took place, one cohesive word, one end to the other continuing running threads hidden from Genesis to Revelation. To me, that's one reason I believe so strongly in the inspiration of Yahweh's word but I'm not finished yet. Matthew chapter 3, verse 5. "Then, Jerusalem, all Judea, all the region around the Jordan went out to him." This is John the Baptist. "And were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins but when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers.
Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?"
Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance and do not think to say to yourselves, `We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that Elohim is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones and even now, the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." Now, why was he able to say he could raise up children of Abraham from stones? Because we were made from the dust of the earth, right? We know we are made the children of Abraham through the Messiah, Yahushua, right? Actually, it did happen. It says, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit," Pentecost, "and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will thoroughly clean out his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
The wheat harvest. We are his wheat. We are the wheat harvest. What we're reading here is about the wheat harvest he will come and gather. Remember, Yahushua gave this parable. We have to bear fruit. The chaff he is going to burn up. The axe is laid at the root of the trees. We have to bear fruit, good fruit. Now, remember Yahushua's parable in Luke 13:24. He says, "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat." What's being planted here is wheat. "And went his way but when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.
So, the servants of the owner came and said to him, `Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?' "He said to them, `An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, `Do you want us then to go and gather them up?' But he said, `No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.
Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest, I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn." " We want to be wheat, don't we? We do not want to be tares. You know, the tares at first are nearly indistinguishable from wheat. It's when they begin to bear seed that a difference starts to be revealed and when you start to see the kernels coming out of the tare plant, you just realize they're not wheat but Yahushua said, "By their fruits, you shall know them." If they're not bearing wheat kernels,
they're bearing tares, then, they're planting from the enemy. Now, the seed is the word of Elohim, right? Recognize that the wheat seed is the word of Elohim. We know that from the parable of the sower. When we partake of Passover, what are you partaking of? You're partaking of the wheat harvest from the previous year. You're partaking of wheat. You're partaking of the Messiah also. You're partaking of the word of Elohim because he is a grain of wheat. When you're partaking of the Messiah, Yahushua, you're partaking of the wheat harvest from the previous year. When you partake of this bread, the unleavened bread, you're partaking of his body but it has to be unleavened. You don't have any sin in it whatsoever. It has to be pure wheat, no leavening.
We have to bear that. We have to be bearing this unleavened fruit like Messiah, Yahushua bore the fruit. The leavening is representing sin. We are called to be bearing good wheat kernels. New Jerusalem was the place where the king of Israel dwelled. That's where the king dwelled. Jerusalem was the place where the king of Israel lived. It's also the place where Yahweh's Spirit dwells in the temple. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are the place where the king lives. We are where the King of Israel dwells. The King of Israel dwells right here. Yahushua is the King of Israel. He is dwelling in us. When Yahweh told Solomon he would allow Israel to dwell in the land unless Solomon turned to idols, he said, "Solomon, if you turn to idols, I'll uproot Israel from the land." That's exactly what happened. He turned to idols, caused his children to stumble and over time, the people became tares and the king became wicked but we have a righteous king now. We have a righteous king dwelling in Jerusalem right now. If we're willing to follow him, we will never be uprooted from among the people. We can safely follow this king Yahushua because he gives us Yahweh's Spirit. Shavuot and Pentecost happens to be marking the time when Yahweh did so, Acts chapter 2. "When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place." We know the story. What are the disciples doing? What are they doing here? They're keeping Pentecost, one accord in one place, 120 of them. This is after Yahushua resurrected. On this day, they're keeping feast days. They gather together. If they're not keeping the feast days, it wouldn't have happened but he gave the outpouring of his Spirit, which resulted in 3,000 souls being saved. It says Peter told the people, Acts 2:38, he said to them, "Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Yahushua, Messiah 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 Yahweh, our mighty one, our Elohim will call." That word of Elohim will dwell in you, the thing that they were seeing, the Spirit, the word will dwell in you.
"And with many other words, he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation. Then, those who gladly received his word were baptized and that day, about 3,000 souls were added to them." We have to receive his Spirit. Contrary to the 3,000 souls who had died, 3,000 souls were saved. We have to receive his Spirit, the old man has been killed by the Torah. Old man has been put to death by the law. The new man has to rise up with Yahushua, the Messiah dwelling in him so we are dead to the law, but the law is not dead to us. There's a difference. The word of Elohim is living and powerful. It lives on. It does not die but we need to die because we participate in Yahushua's resurrecting, Galatians 2:20 says, "It's no longer we who live. Messiah lives in us. We've been crucified with him but we're also redeemed the same way he was raised, we are raised and we are saved." The Torah shows us the way Yahushua lived his life. When we read the Torah, we learn all about the savior because it's exactly what he was about. That's how he lived his life but the Torah itself cannot give us life. It can only show us the right way of life. There's a difference between the two. Now, the Spirit within us, through Yahushua, brings us the life we need, the righteousness we need to be called his children, to dwell with him forever. If Yahushua is dwelling in us, yes, we will manifest the good fruit that Yahushua speaks of. We'll be good representations of the wheat plant that he planted. If there's anything good coming out of us and especially me, it's him. My flesh is no good thing dwelling there, nothing at all but if Yahushua dwells here, if there's anything good happening out of me, it's simply Him. It's beautiful. He is beautiful. I love to see him working there as much as possible. I wish I could be even more manifesting him than I am now. I'm a work in progress. I make mistakes. I fail. I fall short of his glory. If there's anything good happening from me or from you or from any of us, it's him. He's the picture. If he's living in us, then obedience and Messiah's life will be manifesting. What did he do? He kept every word that proceeded out of the mouth of Yahweh from beginning to end. It makes sense. It's all clean. It's all complete, Genesis to Revelation, one word throughout the entire Bible. I'm not trying to cut parts of Yahweh's word into the side. "All that don't matter no more. That don't matter no more." I don't want to do that. Yahushua ascended to heaven the day after the Sabbath, right? He became the first fruits, the wave offering to Yahweh. He became that first fruits offering the day when the barley harvest was offered and he resurrected and ascended on the day of first fruits. He said, "Do not cling to me. I have not yet ascended to my Father but I go to my brethren and say to them, `I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my Elohim and your Elohim.' " He had not yet ascended. She looked and thought it was the gardener. Was he carrying barley plants with him? I don't know. She thought he was a gardener but on this day of first fruits, this day after the Sabbath, the priest would wave his barley, Yahushua ascends into heaven on the day being the first fruits of those who fell asleep.
First Corinthians 15:20, "Now, Messiah is risen from the dead, has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep." He was that barley harvest that was waved before Yahweh, the first fruits of the harvest.
Now, did you know that we're also first fruits? Ever heard that? James 1:18. It says, "Of his own will, he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of his creatures." How can we both be first fruits?
In John 12:24, Yahushua says something very interesting. He said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone but if it dies, it produces much grain." He's talking about his own death and resurrection here. The grain of wheat, which he was, went into the ground, went into the tomb. It died but it had to die in order for it to produce much grain. It had to die. Literally, when a grain of wheat goes into the ground and comes in contact with water, the grain of wheat is destroyed through the water because the grain softens and the material begins to decompose.
Everything except the germ inside begins to decompose. The germ remains alive. It does not decompose. That decomposed material becomes the first nourishment for that germ, for that plant to begin to divide cells to begin to grow into a plant that will spring up out of the ground and again, produce more wheat. Through Yahushua's death, he was buried in the ground, that the grain of wheat went into the ground and died. The Spirit of Yahweh though that was in Messiah, that germ remained alive and raised Yahushua from the dead. The germ came forth and produced fruit of which we are and we have to do the same as he did. We do. We have to die to self. Through our death to self, we manifest love. By that love, we bring others into the sheepfold to build the walls of Jerusalem. "Therefore, we were buried with him through baptism into death just as Messiah was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so, we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of his death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of his resurrection, knowing this, our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin." Colossians 3:1 says, "If you were then raised with Messiah, seek those things which are above, where Messiah is, sitting at the right hand of Elohim. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth for you died, you died, and your life is hidden with Messiah in Elohim." Again, Ephesians 2:4 through 7, "Elohim, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses made us alive together with Messiah by grace you have been saved and raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Messiah, Yahushua." Do you see yourself sitting together in the heavenly places with Messiah?
It's happened. It's as good as done.
In Acts, chapter 2, what Peter was calling the people to do was to get baptized, representing the death of the old man, the resurrection of the new man, Yahushua Ha Mashiach, our savior and king, that we might be seated in the heavenly places, that we might become a dwelling place for Elohim in the Spirit, that the king of Israel might dwell in Jerusalem, of whom we are and with these things in mind, all of this on Shavuot, all of this on Pentecost, the selection of the king and the place where he would dwell, the first fruits of the apostles' ministry, 3,000 souls being saved, being baptized through Messiah's death and resurrection. We become first fruits through that participation in Messiah's death and resurrection. That's what baptism is, a representation of the death and the resurrection. Wait a minute.
We're not without sin as he was. I mean, he's perfect but we are still in the process of being perfected. How can we be a holy offering on Pentecost? Remember the two loaves that were waved by the priests? Those loaves were leavened. They had leavening in it. Now, normally, Yahweh says do not offer leavening with any of your offerings but here was an exception. They were loaves of bread that were waved before Yahweh just like the barley was waved. He is offering up to Yahweh from the land his wheat harvest that was brought and these loaves were baked. In contrast, Pentecost has leavened loaves. Passover has unleavened bread.
We know that First Corinthians 5:6 through 7 says, "Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore, purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Messiah, our Passover, was sacrificed for us." The wheat during the Passover week is unleavened and Yahweh is the one who de-leavens us
through the Messiah, Yahushua. Even though we may not be completely without leaven during the Pentecost offering, we do have leavening, he accepts us anyway.
He accepts his leavened people on the day of Pentecost. Isn't that what happened in Acts chapter 2? He accepted his leavened people. Isn't that what happened when the people wanted a king? He didn't like it but he accepted his leavened people. Isn't that what happened when David, he was going to bring judgment on David during this time of Pentecost but David says, "I'll stay in the gap"? He accepted his leavened David.
Today, he does.
He removed that leavening, he takes that wheat the
following year, that wheat harvest from the year before that was leavened. Yahushua Ha Mashiach dies and we partake of this unleavened bread now for 7 days.
That's what Yahweh's teaching us. He accepts us, leavening and all, because he's going to purge that leaven through Yahushua, our savior and our king and make us unleavened. They'd take that wheat, get all the leavening out of your house. We have a lamb that's going to make your bread unleavened. It's knowing in the future, there is a lamb that's going to save us. We're being taught here, "Okay, you can wave the leavened bread. I'll accept because I know the promise. I know what's going to happen. I know what's going to happen with this leavened bread." We eat unleavened bread for 7 days representing 7,000 years of mankind on the earth who are in continual need of the de-leavening through the cleansing of our savior but the day is going to come when the trumpet's going to sound on the Day of Trumpets. We have a Feast of Trumpets in the fall. This is all about Yahushua. I'm telling you. All these feasts are all about him. Yahushua's going to be reign over the earth these last thousand years and will put every enemy under his feet and the last enemy he's going to destroy is death. Man will have his sin atoned for on the Day of Atonement and will be granted access to the Throne Room on this Day of Atonement and the heavens and the earth will be cleansed and made new. The tabernacle of Yahweh will be with men, Feast of Tabernacles. Until then, we have some work to do, because people think all these festivals don't matter anymore. Messiah fulfilled all that but there's such a powerful lesson here. There is, in my estimation, proof that the Scriptures we hold in our hands, we read every day, are totally of Divine origin.
It all comes together in one beautiful symphony that cries out he's alive and he is real. This whole idea of fulfill means do away with is simply not true. It's not in the Scriptures. Yahushua fulfilled the commandment, "Don't commit adultery." Can you go commit adultery now? No. He fulfilled the commandment, "Do not commit murder." Do you go commit murder now? He fulfilled the whole law. Do you break all these laws now? No. Yahushua fulfilled the feast days. Do you disobey the feast days commandments now? No. Why do you say yes? You better have a good reason for it because it's not in Scripture that I know of. These festivals are so beautiful. There's so much about him. You celebrate the day of his birth and this whole thing is here right in front of us to do.
We know that baptism is a shadow or a picture of our death and Messiah's life being in us, right? Since that's fulfilled through Messiah, do you do away with that? No. It is a physical representation of a spiritual truth. That's what these feast days are, beautiful, beautiful pictures and representations of what Yahweh has done for man and will do in man, showing his whole plan of salvation, the history of Israel, his literal of salvation is written in the history of a nation from the time they asked for a king to come to a time he chose Jerusalem, all these things coming together and very few people know it because people have been told, "Well, don't bother with that anymore. It's just whole dismal stuff." We're being called to fulfill those commandments like Messiah fulfilled them. The same way he fulfilled the law, we should also fulfill the law. It doesn't mean that we are going to be able to do so perfectly but since he lives in us, he can empower us to live out those commandments that he did when he was on the earth, loving one another, loving our neighbor. That's what all these commandments are about. The way in which we show love is by letting him dwell in us and manifesting Messiah to everybody. That involves keeping the feast days. What's happened here when we have the situation in our modern lives today where the feasts that do manifest the Messiah in a powerful way are set aside in favor of holidays that are based on paganism. What in the world has happened? That's not the Bible. People, they saw a need to celebrate something and so they pick up pagan stuff and mix it all in with the Messiah. Yahweh already gave us something to celebrate.
He has his observances that all point to Messiah and they show forth in such a far, far more superior way than Santa Claus ever could. Give me a break, the Easter Bunny.
The ministry of the apostles, the things that Yahushua has done and the things he will do, not to mention, giving thanks for the food that Yahweh provides out of the ground, spiritually from on high and here on earth too. As I give thanks for the wheat harvest, I give thanks to Yahweh for you because you are the wheat harvest. I'm the wheat harvest. You're the wheat harvest. Give thanks to Yahweh for each other. That's what it's all about, not those pagan stuff. We don't need that. This Shavuot, give thanks to Yahweh for sending forth not only the food from the ground, but the food from heaven, Messiah, Yahushua, and for choosing you to also be part of his harvest and for choosing you as a dwelling place, the Jerusalem that you are
and for giving you the kind that you asked for. Give thanks to Yahweh for his word having been written on the tablets of your heart. The word that's written on your heart, let it bear fruit. Don't be a tare. Be a wheat kernel that bears true and genuine fruit that will be unleavened.
We're unleavened now but we are being sanctified. In Messiah, by the blood of the lamb, we are made unleavened. I love the fact that Yahweh still accepts us. He knows we have a lamb, we have a need and he will fulfill it. What I'm saying here is we have a harvest.
Are we tending to that harvest?
Luke chapter 10, verse 2 says, "The harvest is truly great but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray the master of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."
Have I ever found that to be the case? Laborers are few. There are lots of people who want to tell you how to do things but not many people are willing to do it for themselves. On Shavuot, we need to be praying for harvest and for laborers. Are you one of the laborers?
Are you busy about our father's business?
Did you pray for him to send out laborers when you're not even willing to be one yourself?
Acts chapter 2, the Spirit's given ... This world needs laborers. There is a harvest out there waiting to be reaped. Are we willing to be laborers and attend to his harvest? A great work was done in Acts chapter 2 because Yahweh sent forth his Spirit. We need his Spirit to do it. At the end of the age, the day's going to come, the reapers will come out and gather us all to the place where Messiah has prepared for us. We'll be with him and we'll gather the wheat into his barn because he's going to burn up the chaff, get rid of the chaff. Let's be the wheat. Remember, the growing season that we're in, the responsibility we have to share our faith, be sure we're not among those hiding our talents in the sand but we're doing something with the things that Yahweh has given us. Make sure that you're not one of the goats who look at the needs of the people around you and go, "Oh, well." Make sure you're one of the sheep. You care for the people around, the down and out, the ones that are struggling, the ones who are weak. Strengthen the weak. Build them up. Why are we on this earth? Is it to live comfortably, eat, drink, blah, blah, blah, came down here and be merry, enjoy the work of our hands and die? Is that why we're here? I think we have a higher purpose. I think we're supposed to be the arms of the body of Messiah, reaching out to other people or maybe you're just the legs or maybe you're one of the part of the body but we have to redeem the time and be useful for his work. If we're just focusing on our own stuff, the earthly things, our own pleasures, our own desires and we're ignoring the work of Yahweh, the spiritual things he has called every single one of us to do and participate in, you're just hiding your talent in the sand. You think you're going to make it? It don't work that way. Listen. Harvest is awesome. I'm telling you that it's great in this age. It's an amazing time to be alive. To the best of my knowledge, since the first century, Acts chapter 2, since the days of the apostles, I don't know if there's been a time in history where so many people have embraced the Torah and Messiah. Many congregations are crying out for revival and looking for some 18th century revival, some 19th century revival but we have here right now is a 1st century revival happening right underneath their nose and we are embracing it. Be a part of it. Enjoy these festivals. Praise him for the harvest. Seek to be the harvest. Seek to gather others to be a part of the harvest because Yahweh wants to pour out his Spirit on so many other people. Don't be discouraged by the tares. They're around us. Keep it rooted out yet until the very end. Yahushua said there'll be tares among us but don't be discouraged by the leaven you happen to see in your brother's wheat. You got some leaven in your own wheat too. We're all a work in progress and we have an answer, Yahushua Ha Mashiach. He will cleanse us. He is cleansing us. Sometimes, our wheat don't look so great but we're growing. That's the main thing. Some have a nice tall plant. Some have a plant that's just starting to sprout out but look, that's why we need the water. We need the Spirit. We need the rain to make us grow, the Spirit. We need the light of Yahweh and his word to make us grow. We need two ministries: We need the word and we need his Spirit. The wheat kernel needs light and needs water. The light is the word of Yahweh. The Spirit is what waters us and it cleanses us from
all unrighteousness, the Spirit of Yahweh dwelling in us, to make us righteous. As we grow from Spirit and from the light, let's be the laborers going forth and saying, "It is time
for you to act, oh Yahweh, for they have regarded your law as void." We don't make void the law through faith and certainly not on the contrary. We establish it. It's time, Yahweh, we pray right now.
You would restore what has been made void. Show the people, Father, Yahweh, the blessing of your festivals. Show them the glory of the Messiah in your festivals. Help us, Father, Yahweh, to share it with humbleness and grace so the full message of your word, not just Messiah, but Torah and Messiah, will go out. Oh, Yahweh, call your people into the labor of your word, the labor of your ministry so that your Torah and Messiah might be proclaimed into the whole world because we know your son will not come until this good news is preached in every place in the world. Father, we want to see restored relationships between you and the people on this planet who are just looking to and fro trying to find peace.
There's no peace until we all find peace in you. It's only there when there's a restored relationship with you. We want to be your dwelling place. We want to be your people. We want to be a place you've chosen for your name so that your name will be written on our foreheads. We want to be the place you've chosen for your Spirit to dwell, that your glory may be manifested to all the world through your son, Yahushua, dwelling in us. We know, Father, from reading your amazing, awesome word, all these things took place, all these signs, all these connections that you've hidden in your word, we look at them and say, "Wondrous, wondrous things out of your law, oh Yahweh." We know all these things and we see them. We see your hand in your word, your awesome, wonderful time of Shavuot. Thank you, Father, for your love, for your word, for your savior and for your Spirit.
In Yahushua's great name, amein.
Brothers and sisters, what is Pentecost about (Shavuot)? We can learn how to come to the date for Shavuot by counting 50 days from the day after the Sabbath that occurs during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. We have a connection between the two festivals, a very important connection.
Pentecost means 50. Shavuot means weeks.
It's a day to rest, to feast, to give thanks to Yahweh for the wheat harvest, remembering his wonderful works during this time of year and giving as Yahweh has blessed as. The Torah was also given around the time of
Pentecost. Yahweh decided to allow Israel to have a king around the time of Pentecost. Yahweh chose Jerusalem as a place to put his name around the time of Pentecost. Remember all the spiritual connections here. Yahweh initiated the apostles' ministry by pouring out his Spirit on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2. The word of Yahweh is Spirit. Our foundation is Yahushua, Messiah, the living word of Yahweh, not our own righteousness.
Messiah referred to himself as the grain of wheat that dies and bears much fruit and we are that fruit. Therefore, we are the wheat harvest that will be reaped at the end of the age. Our fruit will then be made manifest. Tares and chaff will then be separated from the wheat like the sheep and the goats being separated. The wheat harvest is leavened but the same what is used the following year during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The same wheat is made unleavened, without a sin, as a result of Messiah's offering on Passover day.
For the feast day to be fulfilled does not mean abolished. We are Israel, the Messiah dwelling in us. We are called to walk as he walked. He observed the feasts. The New Covenant promises that the law will be written in our hearts. Thus, it should reflect on the outer layer through our obedience to his law. Thus, his law is not made void through our faith. It is established. Shavuot is a reminder to evangelize the world around us. Are we doing that?
Are we doing that?
Brothers and sisters, as you embrace the message of Shavuot, may Yahweh strengthen you. May Yahweh guide you. May Yahweh call you into his service and may you hear the call and walk it out. Brothers and sisters, as you heed that call and
walk it out, may Yahweh bless you and may Yahweh truly have mercy on us all.