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THE FULFILLMENT OF PENTECOST
The grueling time of a crucifixion had passed; Christ had given His sinless life for all mankind, fulfilled
His role as the second Adam and bridging the gap between God and the sinning peoples of the world.
Jesus after three days and nights had walked out of the tomb that Sabbath evening and early the next
morning He ascended to the Father to be accepted as the wave sheaf of the barley harvest, for He was the first
of the firstfruits. It was a time of rejoicing, for Christ told Mary when He met them from their return from the
tomb. He said to them, “Rejoice!” and they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him” (Matt, 28:9).
Although Christ disciples couldn’t believe it at first, after Christ appeared to them and convinced them it was
He, they believed and rejoiced!
Christ appeared to them many times during those forty prophesied days and He opened their minds to the
scripture’s and taught them, giving them hope for a future time when there would be a new world where He and
they would rule and bring great peace and happiness. But now He must leave them but He would send the
comforter, the Spirit from God. “Behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of
Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high. And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted
up His hands and blessed them”( Luke 24:49-50). “Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched,
He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. Two angels then appeared to them and said; This
same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into
heaven” (Acts 1: 9-11) . Whether His disciples understood that Christ was the wave sheaf and counted from the time He ascended
to the Father after He had risen from the tomb or whether they did not, if they did understand, they would have
known that in ten days was the Feast of Weeks and they would remain in Jerusalem until that time. Acts 1:3,
Just as Christ fulfilled the wave sheaf offering, the time had come for the beginning of the fulfilment of the Days
of Weeks, which would set the stage for the commencement of the New Testament Church.
Let’s read in scripture, where God gives us directions on how to count to Pentecost, we must notice the
importance of knowing which Sabbath to count from, the weekly Sabbath or a high day Sabbath of the first day
of Unleavened Bread. Notice that in Leviticus 23: that none of the spring holy days are called Sabbaths, yes they
are Sabbaths, but here in God’s instructions to Israel, the spring holy days are only called holy convocations, the
first day of Unleavened Bread, the last day of Unleavened Bread and Pentecost are just called holy convocations.
The only Sabbaths mentioned here in verses one through twenty two are the weekly Sabbaths. God inspired it this
way that there would be no confusion as to what Sabbath to count Pentecost from. When reading on to the fall
holy days they are not only called holy convocations but also they are all called Sabbaths in verses (23-39).
The Jews in their veiled and darkened minds do not recognize this truth but instead count Pentecost from
the first day of Unleavened Bread. God ‘s word says, “And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the
Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count
fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath…”(Leviticus 23:15-16). The completion of seven Sabbaths is forty
nine days and the next day, the first day of the week, He ascended to the Father, ten days later was the day of
Pentecost.
On that special day in 33AD, when the Holy Spirt was poured out in such abundance the New Testament
Church had begun and the beginning of the fulfillment of the holy day Pentecost. This day was the
commencement of God gathering the firstfruits and the holy day will not be completed until Christ returns and
gathers His firstfruits (which the two wave loaves symbolized in (Lev, 23: 17-18) and presents them to the Father
in heaven.
As the wave sheaf ceremony was fulfilled when Christ rose to the Father to be accepted as the first of the
firstfruits so the waving of the two wave loaves of wheat harvest will be fulfilled when the saints rise to be
accepted by the Father. ☜
Carlos and Louise McGuire