Seeing Jesus In The Jewish FeastsSample

Pentecost (Feast of Weeks): The Power of the Holy Spirit

The feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits all happened within eight days in the spring. Fifty days from the Feast of First Fruits (Sunday) to Pentecost-there are seven Sabbaths in between-takes us into the spring harvest time. Pentecost is the spring harvest time and means “50 days after.”

The very first celebration of Pentecost was in the book of Numbers when Moses was given the Law for the Israelites, but it was actually not a good celebration. God wrote the Ten Commandments on two tablets for Moses to give to the people so they could live a long and happy life in the promised land, but sadly, when Moses came back to reveal the law to the people, he found them involved in sin and worshiping a golden calf.

When Moses saw this, he was so angry that he threw down and broke the Ten Commandments at the foot of the mountain. That day, judgment came down on the people on what is now the Feast of Pentecost and 3,000 Israelites were killed (see Exodus 32:27-28). Moses then went back up on the mountain and interceded on behalf of the Israelites and pleaded with God not to destroy them. Because of the intercession of Moses, the repentance of the Israelites, and God’s forgiveness, the presence of God came back, and He eventually led them to the promised land. Moses stood in the gap for the people, just as Jesus did for us.

In the New Testament, Jesus is also involved in Pentecost. Pentecost was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on God’s people, sent by Jesus (Acts 1:8). On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came with a rushing mighty wind, fire fell, and people began to speak in tongues. 3,000 did not die as in the first Pentecost, but 3,000 were saved (Acts 2:41)!

With Pentecost came power. You can experience the power of the Holy Spirit!