True Count to Feast of Weeks, Pentecost

Version 8

By Mark Farquharson

The general view is that Pentecost also known as the Feast of Weeks is a seven week count from Firstfruit/Wave-Sheaf and that it is then the fiftieth day. However just because it is a widely held view, does not make the view correct. Likewise tradition should not come into it. It is about getting the count right, so that you end up at the correct date. Otherwise you will miss the date altogether. 

When is Wave-Sheaf:

There are two main views, Wave-Sheaf is after the first Holy Convocation of Unleavened Bread on the 16th of the first Hebrew month of Nisan. This view was held by the Pharisees. Many refer to the first Holy Convocation as a sabbath, I cover the difference below. The Sadducees held the view that Wave-Sheaf was after the first weekly Sabbath that was after Passover. 

Flavius Josephus lived 37 AD to 100 AD and write about when the Wave-Sheaf was in “The Antiquities of the Jews,” Chapter 10, section 5. He covers the Pharisees position on Wave-Sheaf. He does not mention the Sadducees view. Josephus was born shortly after the resurrection of Christ, but that does not mean we can rely on what he says for when Wave-Sheaf was. It is not about when a certain person or group believed when Wave-Sheaf was, it is about correctly understand from the Bible when your should hold Wave-Sheaf.

Sabbath or Not a Sabbath?

Are the first day and the last day of unleavened bread actually sabbaths or not. 

Leviticus 23:7-8 On the first day—a holy convocation, shall there be to you: no laborious work, shall ye do. So then ye shall bring near an altar-flame unto Yahweh, seven days,—on the seventh day, shall there be a holy convocation, no laborious work, shall ye do. {REB}

They are refer to as holy convocations or assembles, gatherings in other translations. Sabbaths are also holy convocations. Many people refer to the first day and the seventh day of Unleavened Bread as sabbaths for this reason. In the past I also have refer to them as sabbaths or special sabbaths of Unleavened Bread. 

Leviticus 23:3 Six days, shall work be done, but, on the seventh day, shall there be a sabbath of sacred rest a holy convocation, no work, shall ye do,—a sabbath, shall it be unto Yahweh, in all your dwellings. {REB}

The Sabbath is a holy convocation, a day in which you should do no work at all. However while both are holy convocations, the ones in the week of Unleavened Bread are never called sabbaths. They are not refer to as sabbaths in Leviticus 23:7-8 or in Exodus 12:16.

There is a difference on the Sabbath you can do no work what so ever, however on the holy convocations of Unleavened Bread you can prepare meals {Exodus 12:16}. 

Leviticus 23:11 and he shall wave the sheaf before Yahweh, that ye may be accepted,—on the morrow of the sabbath, shall the priest wave it. {REB}

This then is the weekly Sabbath as explained in Leviticus 23:3, and this is also the case in Leviticus 23:15-16. when it explains about the count to Pentecost. There is no reason to think that this is the first Holy convocation as this is not called a sabbath. 

Thus wave-sheaf is after the sabbath and not after the first holy convocation of unleavened bread. 

Can you hold Wave-Sheaf on the First Holy Convocation of Unleavened Bread

There are those who hold the view that you can hold Wave-Sheaf on the 15th of the first Hebrew month if the Passover falls on the Sabbath. They refer to Joshua 5:11-12, as an example of this taking place. They were not to eat the produce of the land or the roast grain/corn until the wave-sheaf had occurred {Leviticus 23:14}. But is this really the case did they hold the wave-sheaf in Joshua 5 on the 15th after the Passover? 

No not at all, they could not hold the wave-sheaf on the 15th, because that is a holy convocation, the only work one is permitted to do is for the preparing of meals as people must eat {Exodus 12:16}. No other work is allowed. The wave-sheaf requires work, as the first fruits of the harvest are offered for the Lord. Thus one has to get the first fruits from the field. Also they could not eat of the crops or produce of the land, because that requires work to harvest the fields, something they were not allowed to do. 

Some translations have the words “old corn” or “old gain” suggesting that they ate the corn that was stored from an earlier harvest. These translations include KJV {King James}, YLT {Young’s Literal}, and LITV {Literal Translation of the Holy Bible}. However the word “old” was not in the original Hebrew, this was added. There are a number of translations that use the words “produce of the land,” this indicates that they ate what was harvested from the fields. Translations that use the words “produce of the land,” are ASV (American Standard Version), BBE (Bible in Basic English), LEB {Lexham English Bible}, NKJV (New King James Version), RSV (Revised Standard Version), and the WEB (World English Bible). REB {Rotherham Emphasized Bible} uses the words “corn of the land.”

Passover can refer to the day and can also refer to the week of Unleavened Bread as well. Clearly they ate of the produce of the land in the week of Unleavened Bread, because they ate unleavened cakes/bread. 

Joshua 5:11 And they did eat of the corn of the land, on the morrow of the passover, unleavened cakes and parched ears of corn,—on this selfsame day. {REB}

Not the next day on the 15th which was the Holy convocation of unleavened bread, but after the weekly Sabbath., sometime in the week of unleavened bread. 

The Start of the Hebrew Month:

You need to know the start of the Hebrew month, to know when to start the count on the day of Wave-sheaf. Some view the start of the Hebrew month as first visible crescent, others view it as new moon, that is when the moon is dark. I view it as first visible crescent. 

Different Counts to Pentecost:

I will not be presenting all different counts used. 

A Hebrew month can be 29 or 30 days for it depends on the cycle of the moon, which is 29 and a half days. 

1: Wave-Sheaf is the day after the Holy Convocation for Unleavened Bread, being the 16 of the first Hebrew month, unless that is a weekly Sabbath, in which case it is the 17th. Then you count seven weekly sabbaths from this date. 

Problem: The first weekly sabbath in the count can be anywhere from the next day to a week away. This means that a seven sabbath count is not always 49 days, which means the day after the seven sabbath count would not always be the fiftieth day. 

Wave-Sheaf is not after the first day of Unleavened Bread, as that is not a Sabbath. 

2: Same as method one with Wave-Sheaf being on the 16, or 17. Then use a straight 49 day count, with Pentecost being the fifty day. Pentecost will fall on the 6, 7 or 8 of the third Hebrew month, depending on the length of the months. 

Has the same problem, the first day of Unleavened Bread is Not a sabbath. 

3: Wave-Sheaf is the day after the first weekly Sabbath, that is on or after the first Holy Convocation of Unleavened cakes. Doing the count this way solves the problem with the first method of counting.

4: The view here is that Pentecost is an additional 50 days after the seven sabbath count. Wave-Sheaf is on the morrow after the weekly sabbath. 

Scripture Feast of Weeks:

Leviticus 23:15-16 You will count off for yourselves from the morrow after the first sabbath, from the day you bring the sheaf of the wave offering: there shall be seven flawless sabbaths. Until the morrow after the seventh sabbath you shall count off fifty days; then you will bring near an approach present of new grain to Yahweh. {CLV}

Seven sabbaths, one could automatically think seven weeks, being 49 days and you would be right. However one could think that it was seven weekly sabbaths, which could be shorter than seven weeks or 49 days, depending on when the first weekly sabbath came after wave sheaf. This however would be incorrect, you are to count seven flawless sabbaths, that is seven weeks, not seven weekly sabbaths. 

It is assumed that the seven sabbath count and the fifty day count start at the same time. With the fifty day count ending on the morrow after the seven Sabbath. Here I will present the case for the fifty day count to start on the morrow after the seventh sabbath. That is the fifty day count is added to the seven week count. There are two different counts here, a sabbath count is different to a day count. The scripture does not tell us to start the two counts at the same time. 

Is not the feast called Pentecost that means fifty, why then am I having a 99 day count, 49 plus 50? Actually it was called Feast of Weeks originally, it was only many years later in the Greek language that it was called “Pentecost.”

Why is the date not fix, like it is for the other feasts? It is because you were meant to count. Why is it called feast of weeks if half the count is 50 days? 50 days is seven weeks plus one day, thus the total count of weeks is 14 weeks. Thus it is a feast of 14 weeks with the feast of the day after the 14 weeks are over. 

Exodus 34:22 `And a feast of weeks thou dost observe for thyself; first-fruits of wheat-harvest; ….. {YLT} 

The new grain is the firstfruit of the wheat harvest. 

Two Types of Wheat:

Wheat takes longer than 50 days to grow to maturity. However there are two types of wheat. There are those who say the wheat for Pentecost is sown at the same time as the barley in the fall. If this was the case it would mean the wheat harvest would mature about first week of the third month. However this does not mean they are correct. There is no evidence in the scriptures themselves that the wheat was sown at this time. In fact the evidence in the scriptures contradicts this. 

There are two types of wheat, winter and spring. The winter type is sown in late fall, taking 7 months to reach maturity in early June. Spring wheat is sown in the spring and matures in 4 months. Which is the one harvested for Pentecost? While both types are now sown in the Middle East that does not give us the answer. 

The Plague of Hail:

The plague of hail in all the land of Egypt is covered in Exodus 9:18-35. 

Exodus 9:31-32 And the flaxe, & the barley were smitten: for the barley was eared, & the flaxe was bolled. But the wheat and the rye were not smitten, for they were hid in the grounde {Geneva}

Boll: Seed pod. 

Both the barley and the flax were destroyed. The flax was soon to be harvested as it was ready, and the barley was almost ready to harvest as well. However the wheat and the rye were hid in the ground. While the KJV says “not grown up” and the Rotherham says “not ripe” the actual Hebrew word is from a word meaning very dark. The wheat grass was not dark green, being not ready for harvest. For it would not have survived the hail. Winter wheat at the time of the barley harvest would have already been above ground, putting up stalks. In Exodus 9:22-25 it is “every herb of the field in the land of Egypt.” 

Herb is translated from the Hebrew “eseb.” Strong’s concordance says that it is “From an unused root meaning to glisten (or be green); grass (or any tender shoot): - grass, herb.

Winter wheat would have been above ground at least in grass form at this time of year. Thus the wheat and the rye were they dark because they had not come out of the ground yet. This means the wheat was not germinated yet, and had only be in the ground a short time before the coming of the hail.

Judges:

Judges 15:1-5 And it comes to pass, after [some] days, in the days of wheat-harvest, that Samson looks after his wife, with a kid of the goats, and said, `I go in unto my wife, to the inner chamber;' and her father has not permitted him to go in, and her father said, I certainly said, that you did certainly hate her, and I give her to your companion; is not her sister--the young one--better than she? Let her be, I pray you, to you, instead of her.. And Samson said of them, `I am more innocent this time than the Philistines, though I am doing with them evil.. And Samson goes and catches three hundred foxes, and takes torches, and turns tail unto tail, and puts a torch between the two tails, in the midst, and kindles fire in the torches, and sends [them] out into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burns [it] from heap even unto standing corn, even unto vineyard--olive-yard. {CLV}

It was the days of the wheat-harvest. At that time Samson burns the standing corn, that is the wheat, and he also burns the vineyard and olive-yard. Thus the three were growing at the same time. 

The First Wheat Harvest:

Leviticus 23:10-11 Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land which I am giving to you and reap its harvest, you will bring a sheaf of the firstfruit of your harvest to the priest. He will wave the sheaf before Yahweh for acceptance on your behalf. From the morrow after the first sabbath the priest shall wave it. {CLV}

They were to bring a sheaf of the firstfruit of their harvest to the priest when they came into the land. This was the barley harvest, but the first harvest when they came into the land would not have been planted by them. 

Joshua 4:19 And the people have come up out of the Jordan on the tenth of the first month, and encamp in Gilgal, in the extremity east of Jericho;" {CLV}

Israel crossed the Jordan on the tenth of the first month, which means it could not have been what they planted. 

Exodus 23:14-15 Three times shall you celebrate to Me in the year: you shall observe the celebration of unleavened cakes; seven days shall you eat unleavened cakes, just as I instructed you, at the appointed time in the month Aviv, for in it you went forth from Egypt, and none shall appear before Me empty-handed. {CLV}

They were to celebrate to Yahweh three times, the first time here is unleavened cakes. It is during unleavened cakes that you have the firstfruit of the barley harvest. 

Exodus 23:16 also observe the celebration of the harvest of the firstfruits of your yields from what you are sowing in the field: and observe the celebration of ingathering at the going forth of the year, when you gather your yields from the field. {CLV}

The other two times were celebration of the harvest of the firstfruits and celebration of ingathering. Looking at the celebration of the harvest, this can not be the barley harvest as that is during unleavened cakes, and this is at some other time in the year. Which means that this is the wheat harvest. 

This is a wheat harvest from what they are sowing in the field. Remember that they arrive in the promised land in the first month. For it to be ready to harvest at Pentecost, they must of sown spring wheat in the field when they arrived. Physically it would have been impossible for this wheat to mature in 50 days. For it to reach maturity, they would have had to count an additional 50 days after the seven sabbath count. A mere 50 days after Wave Sheaf the harvest would not have been ready. 

Jesus Says that it is 'Still four months is it, and the harvest is coming'?:

Jesus cleared the Temple near the time of Passover, John 2:13-16. Then he had a night meeting with Nicodemus {John 3:1-21}. After which He and the disciples headed to Judea {3:22-36} and then on toward Galilee {4:1-3}. On the way Jesus stopped for a rest in Samaria and meet a woman by a well {4:7-26}. After the woman had left, the disciples asked: 

John 4:31-35 Now in the meantime the disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat." Yet He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you are not aware." The disciples, then, said to one another, "No one brings Him aught to eat." Jesus is saying to them, "My food is that I should be doing the will of Him Who sends Me, and should be perfecting His work." Are you not saying that, 'Still four months is it, and the harvest is coming'? Lo! I am saying to you, Lift up your eyes and gaze on the countrysides, for they are white for harvest already." {CLV}

What Harvest was going to come in four months? The wheat harvest was going to come in four months. That is when it was going to be ready for harvest. At the time it had just been planted, the wheat was little more than little spikes. Jesus of course spoke of a different harvest that was ready. 

Pentecost is the first of the wheat harvest. Four months after Passover would bring you to about the 15th of the fifth Hebrew month. The count is taught to be a seven week count, that is 49 days, after wave sheaf, firstfruit. Some have firstfruit after the first weekly sabbath after Passover. However even allowing a week for firstfruit and a seven week count, you only come to 2 months, not four. Pentecost is not a fifty day count after firstfruit, it is fifty days after the seven week count, not seven sabbaths. That is 49 days plus 50 days for a total of 99 days. Which brings you to about the end of the fourth month. It is about fourth months from the start of the first Hebrew month, when the wheat was planted. 

New Wine and Oil:

Israel was only to bring the first fruit tithe three times a year, Wave-Sheaf, Pentecost and Feast of Tabernacles. A 50 day count from Wave Sheaf means that you are in spring. An Additional 50 day count on to a seven sabbath count for Pentecost would bring you into the summer. 

Nehemiah 12:44 And certain are appointed on that day over the chambers for treasures, for heave-offerings, for first-fruits, and for tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law for priests, and for Levites, for the joy of Judah [is] over the priests, and over the Levites, who are standing up. {CLV}

Which feast is this talking about? 

Nehemiah 13:5 and he makes for him a great chamber, and there they were formerly putting the present, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithe of the corn, the new wine, and the oil--the commanded thing of the Levites, and the singers, and the gatekeepers--and the heave-offering of the priests. {CLV}

Nehemiah 13:12 and all Judah have brought in the tithe of the corn, and of the new wine, and of the oil, to the treasuries. {CLV}

Both verses above mention new wine, and oil among the offerings at this feast. For new wine, you need a harvest of grapes, and for new oil, you also need a harvest. These harvests to get wine and oil are in the summer. The corn here is wheat, not barley, for barley is harvested earlier at Wave Sheaf. 

Nehemiah 13:15 In those days, saw I in Judah—some treading winepresses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves and lading asses, moreover also wine, grapes, and figs, and every kind of burden, which they were bringing into Jerusalem on the sabbath day,—so I protested against it, as a day for them to sell provisions. {REB}

Here above you have the treading of the winepresses to make the new wine at the same time as the bringing in of the sheaves. 

Lets now go to Joel:

Joel 2:19 And Yahweh will respond and say to His people, Behold Me sending to you grain and grape juice and clarified oil, and you shall be satisfied with it. And I will not make you a reproach among the nations any more."{CLV}

Joel 2:24 The threshing sites shall be full with cereal, and the wine vats shall run over with grape juice and clarified oil."{CLV}

The threshing sites are still full of cereal and the vats shall be over run, due to the new juice and oil. As the year goes on the vats empty out, it is when the harvest comes in that the vats are over run. 

And onto Haggai & Numbers:

Haggai 1:10-11 Therefore, over you the heavens shut up the night mist, and the earth shuts up its crop." And I am calling for a drought on the land and on the mountains and on the grain and on the grape juice and on the clarified oil and all which the ground is bringing forth, and on human and on beast and on all the labor of their palms." {CLV}

The drought on the land was to effect the grain, grape juice and oil. To affect the juice it would have to be before the harvest. It is affecting all these crops at the same time. 

Numbers 18:11-12 This also is yours as a heave offering share of their gifts: all the wave offerings of the sons of Israel. To you I give them and to your sons and to your daughters with you as an eonian statute. Everyone who is clean in your household may eat of it. All the best of the clarified oil and all the best of the grape juice and the grain; their firstfruit which they shall give to Yahweh, to you I give them. {CLV}

The firstfruit of the grain, juice and oil shall be give to Yahweh. 

The Former Rain and the Latter Rain:

It is viewed that the former rain was for the barley and the wheat that was planted and that the latter rain was to ripen the wheat, so that it would be ready for harvest 50 days after wave-sheaf. However this is not the case. 

The former rain came in November after the feast of Tabernacles when the barley was planted, but it was not for the wheat. The latter rain came in April after Passover and was for the wheat, but not to ripen it for the wheat had just be planted. 

Deu 11:14 then saith he I will give the rain of your land in it season, the early rain and the latter rain; so shalt thou gather in thy corn, and thy new wine and thine oil; {REB}

Joe_2:23-24 Then, sons of Zion, exult! And rejoice in Yahweh, your Elohim! For He will give to you the former rain in just measure, and He will bring down for you the downpour, the former rain and the latter rain as at first." The threshing sites shall be full with cereal, and the wine vats shall run over with grape juice and clarified oil." {CLV}

These verses inform us that the latter rain was not just for the corn, that is the wheat, but also for the grape juice, wine and oil. That is it was for the grapes to make the juice and wine and also for the olives to make the oil. 

God’s Voice and Covenant

For the Israelites to be a holy nation they had to hearken to God’s voice and keep his covenant.

Exodus 19:5-6 Now, therefore, if ye will, indeed hearken, to my voice, And keep my covenant, Then shall ye be mine as a treasure beyond all the peoples, For, mine, is all the earth; But, ye, shall be mine, As a kingdom of priests, And a holy nation. These, are the words, which thou shalt speak unto the sons of Israel. {REB}

Lets now look at the breaking of the first one: hearken to God’s voice 

They Rejected God’s Voice:

The Israelites are at mount Sinai before the start of the forty days that Moses would be on the mount. God is speaking to Moses, and all of them can hear the voice of God. It is assumed that this was the time of Pentecost when the Law was given, but because they rejected the voice of God, the holy spirit did not come. 

Exodus 20:18-19 And all the people are seeing the voices, and the flames, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mount smoking; and the people see, and move, and stand afar off, and say unto Moses, `Speak thou with us, and we hear, and let not God speak with us, lest we die.' {YLT}

Yes the people were afraid, they stood afar off, they did not want God speaking to them, only Moses. Thus they rejected God’s Voice. This was a sin, however it did not stop the Holy Spirit coming because it was not the time of Pentecost. 

The holy spirit would not have come at this point if they had hearken to God’s voice, because they had not been tested. Pentecost was not at the time of the giving of the Law, it was after the upcoming testing period. They had to be tested as a nation to find out if they were worthy to be a Holy nation and receive the Holy Spirit. It is one thing to here God’s voice, it is another to actually do what he says. They needed to be tested to see if they could keep the laws.

Agreeing to Keep the Covenant & the Testing Period

After the rejection of His voice, Yahweh gives Moses a number of laws covered in Exodus 20.22-23.33. In Exodus 24.3 Moses recounts all the words of Yahweh and then he writes them all down. No doubt all this took some time, however we are not told how long. My view is that this took a few days. 

They then agree to do all that Yahweh have spoken: 

Exodus 24:3 So Moses came, and recounted to the people all the words of Yahweh, and all the regulations {Judgments}, and all the people responded with one voice and said, All the words which Yahweh hath spoken, will we do. {REB}

Before they could be tested, they needed to atone for the sin that they had just committed. 

Exodus 24:5 and he sent young men of the sons of Israel, and they caused to go up, ascending-sacrifices,—and slew peace-offerings to Yahweh, of oxen. {REB}

They needed to sacrifice animals to atone for the sin that they had committed. God judges sin worthy of death, however before the coming of Jesus, an animal could be sacrifice in the place of the person who had committed the sin. 

Exodus 24:6 Then took Moses half of the blood, and put it in basins, and half of the blood, dashed he over the altar: {REB}

Moses took the blood and sprinkled in over the alter to show that the sinner, or in this case the Israelites could now approach Yahweh, because of the sacrifice of the animals. He also sprinkled the blood on the people showing that the people had paid the price for their sin and been reunited with Yahweh, Exodus 24:8. 

Then they agree to keep the covenant. 

Exodus 24:7-8 and he taketh the Book of the Covenant, and proclaimeth in the ears of the people, and they say, 'All that which Jehovah hath spoken we do, and obey.' And Moses taketh the blood, and sprinkleth on the people, and saith, 'Lo, the blood of the covenant which Jehovah hath made with you, concerning all these things.'{YLT}

Soon after this is the start of the 40 days Moses is up the mount. The text does not say when this period actually started.

Exodus 24:18 And Moses entered into the midst of the cloud and ascended into the mountain. And it came to pass that Moses was in the mountain forty days and forty nights. {REB}

The text does not say when this period actually started. 

Forty days is a testing period, we see this when Jesus is tested forty days and nights before he starts his ministry, Matthew 4:2, Mark 1:13, Luke 4:2.

There is a bit of a debate as to how long Moses was up the mountain, was it 40 days or 46 days. This is because the bible mentions a period of six days before he enters the cloud, Exodus 24:16-18. Was Moses on the mountain for six days before starting the forty days or was Moses on the mountain 40 days including the six days. The six days were not part of the forty days because he was with Joshua during those six days. Joshua eat of the manna and it is most likely that Moses did as well during the six days. However while Moses was in the midst of the cloud during the forty days he did not eat or drink. Joshua had to wait for Moses and continued to eat and drink. 

Deuteronomy 9:9...and I abide in the mount forty days and forty nights; bread I have not eaten, and water I have not drunk; {YLT}

The Breaking of the Covenant

Moses has been up the mount in the cloud for almost forty days, when the people thought Moses had delayed his coming down and sort other gods. 

Exodus 32:1 And, when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him—Up, make for us gods, who shall go before us, for, as for this Moses—the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what hath befallen him. {REB}

The forty days were almost up, in fact it was the day before, if they had just waited one more day. However they could wait no longer and wanted Aaron to make other gods for them to worship. They gathered gold and Aaron fashioned it into the golden calf. 

Exodus 32:4 And he received the gold at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made it a molten calf, and they said—These, are thy gods, O Israel, who brought thee up, out of the land of Egypt. {REB}

Not only did Aaron fashion a calf, they claimed that it was that calf that brought them out of Egypt. 

Exodus 32:5-6 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made proclamation, and said, A festival to Yahweh, to-morrow! So they rose up early, on the morrow, and offered ascending-sacrifices, and brought near peace-offerings, and the people sat down, to eat and to drink, and then rose up—to make sport! {REB}

Thus they had made a god and they were worshipping it as a god, having rejected the true God that had actually brought them out of Egypt. 

Exodus 20:23 Ye shall not make aught beside me,—neither gods of silver, nor gods of gold, shall ye make to yourselves. {REB}

God had specifically told them not to make gods of silver, or gods of gold. This was the breaking of the covenant which they had agree to earlier.

Exodus 32:7-8 Then spake Yahweh unto Moses—Go get thee down, for thy people whom thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them, they have made for themselves—a molten calf, and have bowed themselves down thereto mad have sacrificed thereto, and have said. These, are thy gods, O Israel, who have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. {REB}

If they had not broken the covenant by worshipped the molten calf, then Feast of Weeks would have occurred at that point at the end of the forty days. This is also when they would have received the Holy Spirit and become a nation of priests, a holy nation. This shows that those who have achieved Passover are still vulnerable to being lead away by other gods or beliefs.

Instead there is a great judgement that occurs because of this rejection. In fact the sin was so bad that God wants to destroy them all and start again with Moses {Exodus 32:10}. However Moses beseeches Yahweh and Yahweh repented {Exodus 32:11-14}. There is still a grievous and great judgement that occurs. 

Moses comes down the mount, throws the commandments written on stone to the ground breaking them {Exodus 32:19}. The writing on the stone represents the laws being written in our hearts. Then Moses grinds the calf to powder and scatters it over water and has them drink of it {Exodus 32:20}. The Levites then go through the camp with physical swords and slaughter about three thousand men {Exodus 32:28}. 

This shows that this is the time that the Israelites were given the physical sword to conquer, instead of the spiritual sword to conquer. The physical sword conquers by the killing of the enemy, were as the spiritual sword conquers by converting the enemy. Thus there is no physical death of the enemy when using a spiritual sword. If they had access to the spiritual sword then they would have converted Canaanites. 

The punishment that resulted in the death of 3000 men is because of their worship of the golden calf, thus breaking the covenant, not because of their earlier rejection of God’s voice, for which they had atone for. 

The use of the physical sword to punish the Israelites was not because God hated the Israelites for what they had done, or hate those 3000 men. God hated what they had done, that is the sin they had just committed. The judgement for sin was often death, usually this result in the death of animals to cover the sins of the nation. 

The physical sword was given to the Israelites because of what they had done, not because of anything the Canaanites had done. God did NOT hate the Canaanites as a race, or want them dead because of their religion, or what to see bloodshed. 

Moses goes up the mountain for the second period of forty days, representing a future time when the apostles await the coming of the Holy Spirit. When Moses comes down the mountain at the end of the second period of forty days he does not break them. 

Glory on the Mount, and Coming down of the glory from Mount Sinai

The Israelites saw the Glory of God when it descended on Mt Sinai. There are those who teach that when the glory came to mount Sinai that this is when Pentecost came. However this is not the case for it had not descended to the people, as the holy spirit did when it came.

If we follow the pattern when the holy spirit came, then it should have descended to the Israelites as the holy spirit descended on the apostles. The apostles did not see the Holy spirit from above, they experienced the holy spirit when it descended on them.

Thus the glory needed to come down of the mountain. This happened after the second time Moses was up the mount for forty days and nights. Moses brought the glory down with him, for his face shone with the glory, Exodus 34:28-35. This should have happened after the first 40 days, but because the people worshipped another god, Moses did not bring the glory with him. Thus he had to repeat the action to show what would have happened.

The holy spirit descended to the apostles, Moses descended with the glory. If the glory is up on the mount then it has not descended to the people. While they could see it, they did not have the opportunity to experience it.

When Moses descended with the glory they did not what to see the glory. His face shone with the glory of God, Moses had to veil his face, thus hiding the glory from the people. The apostles did not have to hide the Holy Spirit from the people. The holy spirit was not to be observed from afar.

2 Corinthians 3:18 Now we all, with uncovered face, mirroring the Lord's glory, are being transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the spirit." CLV

With Moses face covered he hid the glory of God, however those who are true believers in the Kingdom of God are being transformed and are not to hide the glory of God.

Jesus Resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit:

Jesus is the Firstfruit of the harvest. 

1 Corinthians 15:23 Yet each in his own class: the Firstfruit, Christ; thereupon those who are Christ's in His presence;" {CLV}

He died on Passover, the 14 of the first month. On the third day he was resurrected, which must have been a firstfruit time of year, for him to be the Firstfruit. The only one it could be is wave sheaf. 

Acts 1:1-3 The first account, indeed, I make, O Theophilus, concerning all which Jesus begins both to do and to teach, until the day on which He was taken up; through holy spirit directing the apostles whom He chooses, to whom also He presents Himself alive after His suffering, with many tokens, during forty days, being visualized to them and telling them that which concerns the kingdom of God." {CLV}

Surely Jesus was with the apostles forty days {Acts 1:1-3} and there was a ten day wait. Actually it does not tell us how many days the apostles wait, this is an assumption based on the view that Pentecost was on the fiftieth day after wave-sheaf. It is assumed that the forty days are forty consecutive days, with no breaks, starting at wave sheaf. However there is no reason for them to be consecutive days. 

John 20:26 And after eight days His disciples were again within, and Thomas was with them. The doors having been locked, Jesus is coming and stood in the midst and said, "Peace to you!"

He did not present himself to the disciples everyday after the resurrection, here is a gap of eight days. Thus forty days consecutive would not be forty times. However it can be forty times that He present himself to them. Forty different times would be longer than 50 days. 

Acts 1:5 seeing that John, indeed, baptizes in water, yet you shall be baptized in holy spirit after not many of these days." {CLV}

This is on the last visit to the disciples and Jesus tells them that the holy spirit would come after not many days. However not many days does not mean ten days. It could have been longer, indeed ten days would not be much longer than seven days. The Israelites waited at least forty days, should not have the apostles also waited the same length of time for the spirit to come. Should not the apostles be put to the same time of testing period, to show that their faith was actually stronger than that of the Israelites in the wilderness.  Yes they were put to the same length of testing period. 

Acts:

Acts 2:1 And at the fulfillment of the day of Pentecost they were all alike in the same place {CLV}

Acts 2:13 Yet other, taunting, said that "With sweet wine are they bloated!" {CLV}

Sweet Wine translated from the Greek “gleukos.” Strong’s numbers: sweet wine, that is, (properly) must (fresh juice), but used of the more saccharine (and therefore highly inebriating) fermented wine: - new wine.

Here the disciples are taunted for being bloated with sweet or new wine. In early June there is no new wine, which means the person taunting would have no basis for their claim if it was that time of year. However at Pentecost there is new wine, for it is not earlier in June. 

Feast of Weeks is the original name. Later it became known as Pentecost which is a Greek word that means fifty. The use of the word Pentecost has most believe that it is just a 50 day count. However the count is not just 50 days, it is seven weeks plus 50 days. A more correct translation of Acts 2:1, would be, “And at the fulfillment of the fiftieth day they were all alike in the same place.” That is the fiftieth day in the fifty day count, after the seven week count. 

The Coming of the Spiritual Sword:

The spiritual sword came many centuries later, when the 120 disciples were in the upper room. God gave them the sword of the spirit, because they had not reject Him. This sword is mention in Ephesians 6:

Ephesians 6:17....and the sword of the spirit, which is a declaration of God." {CLV}

We see the result of the sword of the spirit in Acts 2, when the disciples use their spiritual swords to convert and baptize about 3000 souls. 

Acts 2:41 Those indeed, then, who welcome his word, are baptized, and there were added in that day about three thousand souls." {CLV}

Note the numbers are the same, about 3000 are killed back in Exodus 32:28, and about 3000 are baptized in Acts 2:41. This shows the two events are connected, one is the result of rejecting God and following over gods, this is the negative side resulting in immediate judgement. The other is the result of following Jesus Christ and is the positive side. It is important to note that the 3000 in Acts 2 occurs straight away after receiving the holy spirit, the sword of the spirit. They do not wait over forty days before beginning the work of converting people using the sword of the spirit. 

The two swords seem to be opposites of each other, yet are wielded by the same God. In the old Testament God gives them the physical sword, but at Feast of Weeks in the New Testament they are given the spiritual sword with out loss of life. 

The Coming of the Nation of Priests:

The Israelites in the wilderness missed out on being a kingdom of priests, becoming a Holy nation. However God do not give up on there being a holy nation, a kingdom of priests. The coming of the Holy Spirit on the 120 disciples was the start of making a kingdom of Priests. These 120 disciples were the first priests in the holy nation. For God did not just pick any another nation, instead the Priests were to be taken out of all nations on the earth. These Priests that God has chosen out of many nations, make up the holy nation. 

1 Peter 2:4-5 Whom approaching, a living Stone, having been rejected indeed by men, yet chosen by God, held in honor, you, also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, into a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, most acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. "

1 Peter 2:9-10 Yet you are a chosen race, a "royal priesthood, a "holy nation, a procured people, so that you should be recounting the virtues of Him Who calls you out of darkness into His marvelous light, who once were "not a people yet now are the people of God, who "have not enjoyed mercy, yet now are "being shown mercy." {CLV}

Believers are a "royal priesthood,” a "holy nation,” however it is not those who chose Christ, it is Christ who has chosen them. The royal priesthood, the holy nation is made up of people who have been chosen, they have been procured, they have been acquired. 

Revelation 5:10 Thou dost also make them a kingdom and a priesthood for our God, And they shall be reigning on the earth."

A priesthood needs people to a minster to, otherwise what is their purpose. Thus they are rule the earth, and a minster to the nations. 

The Saving of the 13

Back in July 2018 in Thailand, 12 boys and their soccer coach were rescued from a cave. The number 12 represents the apostles, and the number 13 in the case represents Christ and His apostles. The 12 boys representing the 12 Apostles and the coach representing Christ. This then would represent the full body of Christ. Back in 2014 I got the sign of saving 13, I did not know that the sign of save 13 meant that 13 would people would be saved. 

They first got trapped on June 23, 2018. The rescue took place over three days July 8-10 Thailand time. The boys having to pass through water to come out representing a type of baptism. This time the focus is on the boys representing the apostles as they came out first, and the coach representing Christ last. 

The July dates can represent dates in the Hebrew calendar. Thus it could connect to the seven Hebrew month and the Day of Atonement on the tenth of the seventh Hebrew month. There is the sign that July is like September. However there is the actual Hebrew dates that they came out of the cave. That is in 2018 the dates of July 8-10 correspondent to the Hebrew dates of 25-27th of the fourth Hebrew month. 

Wave-sheaf that year was on April 1st which was a Sunday, that is under both methods of working out wave-sheaf it would have been April 1st. The 99th day from this date was July 8 when the first boys came out of the cave.

The 120 Apostles were in the upper room and they receive the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, we are also awaiting an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This time the overcomes are the Apostles. The 12 boys representing the 12 Apostles also represents the coming of the time of Apostleship. It is important to note that not all who call themselves Christians, or the ones that go to church are overcomes or even part of the body of Christ. 

Copyright © Mark J Farquharson 2011. Version 1, 25 September 2011. Version 1A Small correction, 28 September 2011. Version 2, Correction of Previous version, 29 October 2011. Version 2a, Small correction of previous version, 1 September 2012. Version 3, 14 August 2018. Version 4, Large redraft and update September 2, 2018. Version 5, updated with new material July 30, 2019.  Version 5A Change of verses in one part, May 31, 2020. Version 6, updated with new material, June 18, 2020. Version 6A June 29, 2020 Small addition of text. Version 7, June 2, 2021. Version 7.1 Small addition to the text and small correction of the text December 9, 2022.  Version 8, added the paragraphs about the glory of God, February 4, 2024.