WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT PENTECOST WAVE SHEAF!
Original text–By Herbert W. Armstrong published by Ambassador College.
“In Leviticus 23, we find all of God's festivals proclaimed holy convocations, in the one chapter. First is the weekly convocation day, the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week. Then, beginning verse 4, follows a list of the annual festivals, also commanded assemblies, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
First of these is the Passover, followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread with the two annual Sabbaths. Beginning verse 9, we find instructions for the wave-sheaf offering. The Israelites were not allowed to harvest any of the early grain crop until this day (verse 14). Then, on the day following the weekly Sabbath, in a solemn ceremony of the Levitical priesthood (the rituals were mere substitutes and therefore not practiced today), the first sheaf of grain was cut. This event always occurred during the days of unleavened bread (see, Joshua 5). The sheaf was then brought to the priest. The priest solemnly waved it before the Eternal to be accepted for them. This pictures the resurrected Christ ascending to heaven to be accepted by His Father as the very first human to be actually born of God -- the first-fruit of the first harvest of souls! By comparing John 20: 17 with Matthew 28:9, you will see that Christ presented Himself before the Father on the morning after His resurrection the previous evening (I Cor. 15:20,23; Rom. 8:29; Col. 1:15, 18). This fulfillment of the wave-sheaf offering actually occurred on Sunday, the morrow after the Sabbath during the days of unleavened bread.
How to Figure Pentecost— Next comes Pentecost.
The word "Pentecost" is a Greek word, used in the New Testament, but not in the Old. It signifies "fiftieth (day)." In the Old Testament this feast is called "Feast of First-fruits," and "Feast of Weeks."
Notice the properly translated plain instruction beginning Leviticus 23:15: "And ye shall count unto you from [on, or beginning with] the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete: even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall ye number fifty days " And that fiftieth day is Pentecost!
"And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations" (verse 21). All other holy days or festivals come on definite days of definite months. But this one annual Sabbath must be determined by counting. It is very simple and plain.
It is of very grave importance that we figure the right day. This day, and this only, is made holy by the Eternal Creator. Suppose at the same time the Church of God was founded, the apostles had miscounted, And "when the day of Pentecost was fully come" (Acts 2.1) they, instead of being all with one accord in one place were in discord, some having observed the day preceding, and some waiting until the following day!
The Pharisees, who gained complete control of Jewish religious observances shortly after the middle of the first century A.D., figured (incorrectly – that is, from the wrong starting point) beginning with the day after the first annual Sabbath. Before that time, however, the high priests of the family Boethus, who were Sadducees, had been in control of matters concerning the festivals in Jerusalem. The Boethusians always counted beginning with the morrow after the weekly Sabbath, the day we call Saturday, which fell within the days of unleavened bread. This historical information has been preserved for us in the Mishna. which was set in writing about A.D. 200: The Boethusians say: "The cutting of the sheaf does not take place at the end of the day of the feast [the first of the seven days of unleavened bread], but only at the end of the next regular Sabbath" (Menahoth, 10,3).
This practice had been handed down among the priests .from generation to generation. And their method of counting was done as long as they remained in control of the Temple and its rituals. Samaritans and Karaites (Jewish sect dating from the eighth century A.D.) have also continued to count from the weekly Sabbath, the seventh day of the week.
Starting then to count from the offering of the wave sheaf, with that Sunday as day number one, we will always come out on another Sunday– but NOT always on the same day of the month. It is something which must be "counted" each and every year. Neither in the Hebrew (or biblical) calendar, nor in the Roman calendar which is commonly used today, can the day of Pentecost ever become fixed on a set day of the month.
Quoting again from the Mishna, and speaking about the traditional practice which had been followed in Jerusalem before the Pharisees took complete control, "[The Boethusians say:] Pentecost always falls on the day after the Sabbath"
(Chagigah, 2,4).
This makes very clear the meaning of the last part of Leviticus 23:15; and the beginning of verse 16:11, seven Sabbath shall be complete; Even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall ye number fifty days”(Deuteronomy 16:9.
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