Feast Days part 3 - Fulfillment of the Spring Feasts
Feast of Weeks
The fourth feast is known as Shavout (Hebrew),
"Weeks." It is called the Feast of Weeks because God specifically told the
sons of Jacob that they were to count seven weeks from Firstfruits
(Leviticus
23:15;Deuteronomy
16:9),
and then on the "day after" this fourth
feast was to be observed (Leviticus 23:16).
Seven weeks are forty-nine days. Add one day ("the day after"), and it
brings the total to fifty days.
This fourth feast was to begin precisely
fifty days after Firstfruits (Lords resurrection). This feast is also called
"Pentecost"Acts 2:1And when the day of
Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.- Pentecost, meaning "fiftieth."
On this occasion, the children of Israel were not
simply to bring the firstfruits of the wheat harvest to the Temple (as they
brought the firstfruits of the barley at the Feast of Firstfruits), but two
loaves of bread. These two loaves of bread were to be baked with fine flour
and leaven.
Fifty days, two loaves, leaven - what did it all mean?
In short, it all
pointed to the coming of the Holy Spirit and the birthday of the Church. The
Son of God arose from the grave on Firstfruits. He then spent forty days
with His disciples in postressurrection ministry.Acts 1:3To whom also he shewed himself alive
after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days,
and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
He informed them that it was necessary that He ascend
to His Father, to apply the benefits of His once and for all sacrifice, but
He would not abandon them. He would send them His Holy Spirit who
would come alongside to help in His absence.John 14:16And I will pray the Father, and he
shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth
him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and
shall be in you.
They were commanded,
Acts 1:4And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that
they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the
Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.They
waited as they were commanded. Their wait wasn't long - only ten days. And
then it happened: the Spirit of God descended upon those first-century
believers.For the Feast of Weeks, two loaves were brought to the Temple. They
represented Jew and Gentile, now one in the Lord with the coming of the Holy
Spirit.Ephesians 2:14For he is our
peace, who hath made both(Jew and Gentile)one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;15Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even
the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of
twain(Jew and Gentile)one new man, so
making peace;
There was to be leaven in those two loaves, for the
believers have not yet been glorified. During this age there is still sin
within the Church. It has been said of believers, "If you find
the perfect church, don't join it because you will spoil it." Positionally in the Savior, the Church has been
perfected. In actuality, we still have a long way to go. Jesus , the head,
is unleavened. The Church, the body, still has leaven within it. Therefore,
leaven was to be included in those two loaves.
Fulfillment of the Spring Feasts
Passover- speaks of
redemption. Jesus, the Passover Lamb, has been slain for us.
Unleavened Bread- speaks of sanctification. He was set apart. His body
would not decay in the grave.
Firstfruits- speaks of resurrection.
Death could not hold her foe. On the third day, Jesus arose triumphantly
from the grave.
The Feast of Weeks-
speaks of origination.
The coming of the Holy Spirit inaugurated the New Covenant and Church Age
which the Lord instituted in the upper room(Matthew
26:28-29). The middle wall of separation between
Jews and Gentiles has been broken down. From the two, the Lord is calling
out the Church, which is His body.
Each major event of the Lord's first coming occurred
on the precise date of the appropriate Jewish holiday.
Each of the three
major events to be associated with His second coming will, likewise, fall on
the appropriate Jewish holiday.
Those three feasts - Trumpets, the Day of
Atonement, and Tabernacles - unerringly point to the Rapture of the Church
and the judgment of the wicked, the salvation of Israel, and the
establishment of the messianic Kingdom.
Feast Days part 4 - The Fall Feasts