Celebrating The Feast - Pentecost

Robert G. Walker

Have you ever wondered why most people in main stream Christianity do not celebrate the feasts of Yahweh which were clearly defined in Leviticus 23? How about the fact that they blatantly replace the feast of Yahweh with pagan holidays? Are the festivals of Leviticus for the Jews only as it is commonly reported? Are the festivals (Yahweh's appointed times) "nailed to the cross" ?  Is the Church now free to create man-made dogmas and appoint her own holidays, as they have been doing for the last 1700 hundred years? We have been looking at the "Feasts of Yahweh" individually on this blog site to unravel the deceptions found in "Christianity" and to allow the clear light of Yahweh to shine forth. We will consider in parts the feast of Pentecost, which is among the list of Yahweh’s appointed seasons.

  

Historical Significance

The feast of Pentecost (Hebrew: “Shavu'ot”, also called "Weeks", among other Bible nicknames) is the last of the biblical spring festivals outlined in Leviticus 23. It was originally celebrated as one of the three pilgrim festivals (in Hebrew "shalosh regalim") in Israel. Pentecost was primarily an agricultural holiday connected with the peak of the new wheat and barley crop. After the crop was harvested, a portion was brought to Jerusalem and offered along with special sacrifices of thanksgiving at the Temple.

The Torah (Exodus 23:16) refers to Pentecost as “the feast of the harvest” and it is observed by offerings of the best ripe produce of the fields. Deuteronomy 16:12 gives the reason for its observance. In addition to that, the holiday also bids us to share what we have; in keeping with the Torah’s command to feed the stranger, the orphan, the widow and other poor and unfortunate people within the redeemed community. It also served as a conclusion to the feast of the Passover which began seven weeks prior. Historical Pentecost therefore, is reflective of the Jubilee – the year of release, fifty days from Israel’s first Passover observance.

Yahweh chose to deliver the Torah at Mount Sinai, 50 days after the Passover, in order to communicate with us the deeper significance of our relationship with him as His chosen vessels of light to the rest of the world. It is such a pity that many of the churches today have ignored the very contract (the Torah) which separates us out and sanctifies us for such a high calling to bring light to the nations.

The Hebrew “Shavu'ot” literally means “weeks”. Weeks suggests the interim period of waiting or preparing, which rather than describing its uniqueness, points to a period which leads up to it, namely the period of 50 days from Passover to Pentecost.

Passover speaks of freedom, but Pentecost is the celebration of that freedom. Pentecost is a marriage ceremony, it was the day the sons of Israel stood before Yahweh on their wedding day, complete with a canopy (Mount Sinai), a ketubah (marriage contract), i.e. the Torah, and stipulations of the covenant. One could even observe from a spiritual vantage point: it was during the Passover that Yahweh wrought great miracles for the Israelites, yet He did not completely reveal how they should serve Him until the Torah was received on Pentecost. The spiritual liberation became a reality on Pentecost, for freedom is impossible without the Torah. Pentecost, therefore, is the culmination of time between redemption promised, and redemption realized. On this day Israel became a nation (Exodus 19:16)!

Passover can be seen as Yahweh’s proposal to us (when He promised to marry us); but Pentecost is the marriage itself! The seven weeks in between, are like the seven crucial days that a bride-to-be counts in preparation for her wedding, during which she purifies and readies herself, which is demonstrated in the observance of “Unleavened Bread”. There can be no achievement of a goal without such preparation. It requires repentance, a willingness to turn to Yahweh. “Weeks" is a name that speaks of the road which must be traveled which is the prerequisite for the accomplishment of our goal. The real test lies in our willingness and ability to count and prepare for the Elohim (God) of redemption, and to expect His power as a gift in the form of Ruach Hakodesh (the Holy Spirit), which will enable us to reach that goal. This is what ancient Pentecost is all about!

New Covenant

 In Acts chapter two, it is recorded that tongues of fire were seen resting on the heads of the apostles. What did this remind them of, and more importantly, how does it relate to the Feast on Pentecost? From a Jewish perspective, the events of Acts 2 echoed what occurred on Mt. Sinai some 1400 years earlier. This, however, was not just a mere "repeated performance"; but rather, it was a sequel – “Mt. Sinai II”. From these two mountains: Mt. Sinai, and Mt. Zion, the Sovereign of all the earth played out, as if from two grand stages, Israel's greatest revelations. From one mountain, He gave the Law, our beloved Torah, the very instructions of Yahweh was revealed in booming voices that made Israel tremble. From the other mountain, He gave His Ruach (Spirit), He equipped us to obey His law, proclaiming it in languages of every region, and again made Israel tremble and wonder. Today there are many of the Christian faith who deem themselves “Pentecostals”, but miss this very important point: the Spirit of Pentecost does NOT liberate us from the law, it enables us to keep the law!

Look at how Yahweh played out this sequel: In Exodus, the lamb was sacrificed, Israel was released, and then they were commanded to WAIT for seven weeks. After that wait, they were given the law on Mount Sinai and became a nation. Some 1400 year later, the Messiah was murdered, man was released (Gal.3:13), and after his resurrection he commanded his disciples to WAIT. After this wait, they were given Ruach HaKodesh on Mount Zion and they became a body (the church). The instructions that Yahshua left for the Apostles to wait at Mt. Zion for the Ruach were not arbitrary, but part of Yahweh's larger plan to fulfill prophecy. It was designed so that the Apostles and all those who were present in the Temple Court that day would recognize this magnificent re-enactment of the giving of Torah on Mt. Sinai. In fact, several occurrences happened to remind the apostles of what happened on Mount Sinai: the tongues of fire and the rushing wind (Acts 2:2-3) were like the thunder and lightning (Ex.20:18). 3000 souls were cut off from the kingdom at Mount Sinai (Ex.32:28), and 3000 souls were re-added at Mount Zion (Acts 2:41). The Israelites at Mount Sinai heard the Torah in a way that each man could understand, and the people at Mount Zion heard the gospel each in his own language.

What transpired in Acts 2 therefore is a neon sign, announcing the beginning of the Messianic Age. All of the markers that were present at the giving of the Torah were also present at the giving of the Spirit; by whose power we are able to appropriate the Torah. Is it, therefore, any wonder why Yahweh chose Pentecost as an everlasting feast for His people, attesting to His faithfulness to call out and redeem a people to Himself, and to do so twice, so that there would be no mistake in the interpretation?

 So instead of a discontinuity in the new Covenant we see a continuity of the feast of Pentecost, for clearly this was fifty days after Yahshua's resurrection  "when the day of Pentecost was fully come" expresses an anticipation "a counting of the omer" so obviously it was not nailed to the cross. For the body of Messiah the New Covenant Congregation celebrating Shavu'ot comes with an added blessing - we celebrate not just the giving of Torah (our marriage contract) but the outpouring of Ruach HaKodesh. For the New Covenant assembly its more richer; under the Old Pentecost brought forth wrath; 3,000 souls were killed, under the new Pentecost brought forth life; 3000 souls were saved, under the old the Law was written on stones but under the New it was written on our hearts, am I getting warm? Here is the big one, at Pentecost at Mount Sinai Israel became a nation, the congregation of Yahweh, at Pentecost recorded in Acts 2 the disciples of Yahshua became the body of Messiah, the New Covenant congregation of Yahweh. So we the body of Messiah " the Church", was firmly planted in Hebraic soil, would find its true identity in connection with Israel and with the covenants entrusted to Israel. The congregation, Sha'ul taught, is fed, sustained and supported by that relationship, and the Torah is very much a part of it - of which the feasts of Yahweh finds their footing.

Gentiles have a meaningful and significant relationship to the Torah. Through this relationship, Yahweh Himself instructs His children to embrace the full revelation of His grace in their lives. That full revelation consists of the whole of Scripture, including His festivals. In this way, many Gentiles who come to faith and are "grafted in" to the redeemed community can present a light to the nations in our generation, and even provoke the Jewish people at the same time, to jealousy that they might return to the Elohim of their fathers in repentance. The Torah has not died. It is still very much alive for all of us. The Torah is FOR the redeemed community!

The Voice of Yahweh has spoken … He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches

Celebrating The Feast - Unleavened Bread

Immediately after the command of the Passover, the command of the Feast of Unleavened Bread was given in Leviticus 23:5-6. Many sects of Mainstream Christianity accept [somewhat] the Passover, but reject the Feast of Unleavened Bread altogether. It is said that the Messiah commanded the observance of the Passover in the New Testament, but not the feast of Unleavened Bread; hence one is to be observed but not the other. This perspective becomes somewhat confusing as the very same New Testament unifies the feast of the Passover AND the feast of Unleavened Bread; portraying them as ONE celebration (Matt.26:17, Mark 14:1, Luke 22:1). The Church today has torn these Feasts apart, destroyed Unleavened Bread and transformed the Passover into what is now called Communion. Is Yahweh pleased with this action? Was it His will for man to adjust and reform His commands? Are we still required to Celebrate The Feast of Unleavened Bread?

Meaning and Symbolism of Unleavened Bread

The term "Unleavened bread" refers to bread that has been baked without any form of leavening agent in it. The leavening agent (or yeast) is what causes the dough to rise, thus producing that plumped, soft, chewy loaf. Throughout the Scriptures, this same leaven has been symbolically used to represent sin as seen in Matthew 16:6. This does NOT imply that leaven is in anyway naturally sinful, but rather, that leaven portrays some of the characteristics of sin, thus making it the perfect representation of sin. Just as leaven causes dough to be "puffed up", so does the indwelling of sin causes man to be "puffed up" as well. The apostle Paul gave this analogy in Colossians 2:18. Also, just as a little leaven makes an entire dough plumped, so does the most minute thought of sin makes a man sinful and wicked in his ways (1 Cor.5:6). The very same way leaven operates in dough is the exact same way sin operates in our lives. For that reason Yahweh saw it fitting to use leaven to represent sin. Bread, on the other hand, is the natural emblem of food. Throughout the Scriptures and even in our every-day-lives, the word "bread" is used as a general reference of food (Gen.3:19, Matt.16:11). Food is the physical substance that sustains life (Matt.4:4), hence it is vital for life. If leaven represents sin therefore, and bread is the natural substance of life; the term "Unleavened Bread" is in symbolic reference to a Sinless Life!

In Exodus 13:6-7 Yahweh commanded us to feast on unleavened bread for seven days. It was also commanded that there be no trace leaven in our midst within these days. Saints are commanded to get rid of any form of leaven in their midst, and to be "unleavened" for seven days. This entire act is very symbolic in practically every sense. To be unleavened is symbolic of being sinless. The act of getting rid of the leaven in our midst is symbolic of getting rid of the sins in our lives. Yahweh gave us a practical example of what it feels like to really get rid of sin.

Breaking Down the Symbolism

• The fist branch of the command in this commandment is to feast on Unleavened Bread for seven days. One may ask: why eat the bread, and why seven days? This bread that we eat during this time is no ordinary bread. It is not just "unleavened", it is the Bread of Life. This "Bread" is Yahshua the Messiah! (Jn.6:35, 48, 51) Yahshua was not just making fancy talk when he proclaimed to be the bread of life. It was a revelation! Yahshua revealed the mystery behind the command that his Father gave in Exodus 13:6-7. To feast on the unleavened bread is symbolic of feasting on Yahshua. It is symbolic of having his spirit dwelling within us. Just as bread is the natural substance of life, the feast of unleavened bread portrays Yahshua as the natural substance of our lives. The seven day duration speaks of completion and perfection. The number seven is Yahweh's number of completion. What Yahweh was saying to us therefore when He said to feast on unleavened bread for seven days; is to feast on Yahshua until we ourselves are completely sinless. This means to adapt his ways, his customs, and even his very thoughts as seen in Philippians 2:5. Consuming the unleavened bread is symbolic of having Yahshua living within us. 
• The second branch of the command is to rid our environment of leaven (Ex.13:7). We now have unleavened bread in our bodies, so we cannot cohabit with anything that has leaven. Symbolically, this is showing that once we have Yahshua then we can no longer be entangled with sin. Yahshua purifies from the inside in the sense that we now have a spiritual mindset and our eyes are now opened, but we must make that conscious decision to avoid sin and shun the very presence of it! Once we are using our bodies to entertain Yahshua, then we cannot entertain the presence of sin. We must rid ourselves of sinful thoughts, actions and even some of the people in our lives! Purification form sin is a two way process: the internal cleansing and the external cleansing. As sinful men, we cannot do it by ourselves, hence we look to Yahshua for guidance.

Feast of Unleavened Bread Today

The feast of Unleavened Bread is still observed by a few today. Others deem it to be obsolete and irrelevant. Should the feast still be observed? -Let us see ... Yahshua, while on earth, lived a completely sinless life. The fact that he did it is evidence enough that as human beings we can in fact live sinless lives. The feast of Unleavened Bread: (1) commemorates his sinless life, (2) gives us practice to live sinless lives ourselves, and (3) keeps us focus on a perfect life to come. Many people are of the impression that once they do not do anything "wrong", then they are okay. The Scriptures do not agree with that. Firstly, it says "there is none that is righteous" (Rom.3:10). Many believe they are living righteously, but really they are not! David himself confessed that he sins without even knowing (Ps.139:23-24). The Scripture also urges us to trust in Yahweh and not depend on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). Do we really know what sinning is? Studying the Bible is just the theoretical aspect of learning the truth. Observing the feast days is the practical aspect, and "practice makes perfect". The wisdom of Yahweh is far above the wisdom of man. Yahweh has poured out a little of His wisdom in His feast days so that we may know Him. He delights in our obedience to His commands (1Jn.5:3) .... So to answer the initial question, Should the Feast still be observed? ... You decide!

The Voice of Yahweh has spoken .... He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches

Celebrating The Feast - Passover

In the previous publication "The Sabbath Day", it was seen that Saturday, the seventh day, is in fact the stipulated day of worship by Yahweh. An older post, "Who Nailed The Law To The "Cross" (Part 2)", revealed that members of the then Roman Empire unlawfully nullified the laws of Yahweh, and passed down their own traditions and beliefs as laws. The Voice of Yahweh has been digging away the dirt of time, and revealing the deceptive seeds that has been planted by demons themselves; exposing all falsehood in Christendom to the light of truth! The issue of the Passover is no different, as many Christians believe they are keeping the Passover through practices such as "Lord's Supper" or "Communion". Is the Passover still to be kept today? ... Is there a difference between 'Passover' and 'Communion'? ... How do we Celebrate the Feast of the Passover?

Historic and Prophetic Meaning of the Passover

The first mention of the Passover festival is seen in Exodus 12:8-11. In this passage the Israelites were taught how to observe the Passover festival. They had to get a year old, male lamb without fault (Ex.12:5), roast it over fire and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs (Ex.12:8-9).

Historically, the Passover speaks of the redemption of the Israelites. It speaks of a time when Yahweh, through His servant Moses, brought His people out of the bondage of Egypt. The Passover [then] was symbolic of divine protection and the deliverance of the Israelites. The Israelites were asked slaughter a male lamb, and smear the blood on their door posts (Ex.12:7). This blood mark acted as a divine mark of protection so that when Yahweh PASS OVER Egypt, those who are under this blood mark will not suffer the curse (Ex.12:13). From just this single fact, one can see that the Passover is no minor thing, hence it has to be observed with reverence, sincerity and in accordance to Yahweh. Paul alluded to the seriousness of the feast in 1 Corinthians 11:29-30. After the Israelites were delivered from the Egyptians, they were asked to observe the Feast the following year on the exact same day (Num.9:1-3). It was then given as command for it to be done annually on the fourteenth day of the first month (Lev.23:5).


Prophetically the Passover speaks to the redemption of the elect! It speaks to a time when Yahweh, through His son Yahshua, will bring His children out of the bondage of this world. The Passover [now] is symbolic of divine protection and the deliverance of the saints. As it is that the lamb was slaughtered, so was Yahshua brutally murdered, and yes, he died on the fourteenth day of the first month. Yahshua died on the Feast of the Passover! Observe the sequence starting with Luke 22:1-2. The Scribes plotted against Yahshua as the Passover drew neigh. It is important to note that according to the Jewish calendar, the day begins at sunset, hence when Yahshua sat down at the table to eat with his disciples in Luke 22:14, it was the START of the day which was the evening of the fourteenth. Later on that night when it was dark, he was arrested and brought into custody (Luke 22:53). When the sun rose (still on the 14th) he was brought before the council (Luke 22:66). Finally he was murdered BEFORE sunset, hence he died before the fifteenth. John said something very important that most people might have missed in John 19:31. He described the approaching Sabbath as a 'High Day'. What could possibly make one Sabbath higher than another? The book of Leviticus chapter 23 gives a list of "holy days" in which holy convocations ought to be proclaimed on these days (Lev.23:2). In Leviticus 23:38 Yahweh described all these days as SABBATHS. One of these "Sabbaths" happened to be on the fifteenth day of the first month (Lev:23:6). The approaching Sabbath that John wrote about in John 19:31 therefore was not the regular seventh day Sabbath, but an annual Sabbath known as Unleavened Bread. The Feast of Unleavened Bread comes AFTER the Feast of the Passover, and if Yahshua died BEFORE the Feast of Unleavened Bread, then indeed he died on the Passover. This is why Paul described him as our 'Passover Lamb' (1 Cor.5:7).

Now it all makes perfect sense, and proves that the covenant really has not changed. As it is that Israel had to eat the flesh of the lamb, so must we eat Yahshua's flesh. This is why he gave the bread and said "this is my body" (Luke 22:19). As it is that Israel was saved by the blood of the lamb, so are we saved by the blood of Yahshua. As it is that Israel had to keep an annual memorial to remember that blessed day when they were freed, so we ought to keep an annual memorial to remember what Yahshua has done to free us from the curse of sin. The law of the Passover has not changed, its prophetic meaning remains, and the name has not changed either. It is still called the Passover. All that has changed is the PEOPLE and the emblems.

Misconceptions of the Passover

One of the greatest misconceptions of the Passover, is that it is the same as Communion or Lord's Supper - It is not! Should one ask a Christian "Why do you take communion?", eight out of ten responses would be "because 'Jesus' told me to". The institution of "Lord's Supper" and "Communion" has robbed Passover of its significance in our lives. The rich typology and prophetic symbolism are torn away from the Passover through the observance of "Communion" and "Lord's Supper". Most Christians are not even aware of the fact that this Feast IS a memorial of the death of the messiah. They gather weekly, monthly, quarterly and so on to "commemorate" ... but to commemorate what? If someone dies, the memorial is held annually on the day the person died; not weekly or monthly. We were commanded to keep the Feast "at their appointed time" (Lev.23:4), not when we feel it is necessary. It is also somewhat insulting to see Christians using bread with leaven (yeast) in this practice. Leaven, throughout scripture, is a representation of sin. Yahweh commanded us in Deuteronomy 12:32 to do ONLY what He has commanded. Once we alter or change what is written, we are no longer being obedient, but rebellious.

Passover Today

The Passover today, as it has always been, is kept on the fourteenth day of the first month [of the Jewish calendar]. The Passover this year was on the 24th of March. The Passover meal comprises of unleavened bread and wine, and it is ate at evening (start of the Jewish day). Yahshua introduced a new practice which is commonly done at the Passover, which is the washing of feet (Jn.13:14). At the meeting, the reflection is on Yahshua who died for us on this day, but more importantly the comfort that we are covered under his blood so when Yahweh shall PASS OVER the earth in the last day, we who are marked by his blood will be left alive (Rev.7:3).

The Voice of Yahweh has spoken ... He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches