The Greek word Pentecost means "the fiftieth part of a thing"
or “the fiftieth in order”. One counts Pentecost from morning to
morning. Moses wrote in Leviticus 23:15 that the count was
from the morrow (a reference to the morning unless further
specified) – and Acts 2:15 specifies that it was the third hour of
the morning. When we put Acts 2:1 with Acts 2:15 we
understand that Pentecost was fully come (the end of the count
to 50) at 9AM of the 50th day from the offering of the wave
sheaf. This further indicates – by deduction – that the priests
offered the wave sheaf, in the morning at 9AM.
Leviticus 23:15 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow (morning)
after the Sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf (omer) of the
wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete:
Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all
with one accord in one place.
Acts 2:15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is [but] the
third hour of the day (9AM).
Barnes states that Pentecost is a Greek word that can signify the
fiftieth in order. In other words, when one arrives at the third
hour of the fiftieth morning (9AM) from the wave sheaf offered
on the “morrow after the Sabbath” (inclusive reckoning) he has
fully arrived at the offering of the omer for Pentecost – the count
is then complete.
BARNES:
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Verse 1. And when the day of Pentecost: The word Pentecost is a Greek
word, signifying the fiftieth part of a thing; or the fiftieth in order.
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The word Pentecost appears in only three Scriptures of the New
Testament. The time of Pentecost fully came at 9AM (the third
hour of the day – Acts 2:15) on a Friday of that year, based on
the current Gregorian calendar. Compare with the calendars at
the end of this booklet: anytime the first holyday of
Passover/Unleavened Bread falls on a Thursday – as it did the
year the Messiah died – Pentecost will be 50 days later on a
Friday.
The KJV translation of <day> in Acts 2:1 is incorrect. The Day
of Pentecost was fully come at sunset the previous evening.
However, as the scriptures clearly indicate, it was the third hour
of the day when Pentecost was fully come – when the priest
offered the wave sheaf. As the count began with the wave sheaf
at 9AM, it was complete only at 9AM 50 days later. The word
<2250> can be translated <day> or <time> and here the intent is
the time of the offering of the Pentecost Omer. In other words,
when the time had arrived for the offering of the Pentecost
Omer – the fiftieth morrow (morning) from the offering of the
wave sheaf (inclusive reckoning) – God sent His holy spirit to His
disciples.
Ac 2:1 And when the day <time-2250> of Pentecost was fully come, they
were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty
wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat
upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with
other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
By further deduction, we can understand that God thundered the
Ten Commandments from Mt. Sinai at 9AM on the 50th day
following the Passover in Egypt. The Israelites truly received
their freedom when they submitted to the covenant of God – the
Ten Commandments – a mini-type of the Jubilee, from one
perspective. We receive our freedom when we submit to the
same covenant, which now includes the giving of the earnest (a
down payment) of the holy spirit – the mind of God – giving us
the desire to follow Christ’s example: living a life of perfection
according to the Law of God.
2 Corinthians 5:5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing [is]
God, who also hath given unto us the earnest (728) of the Spirit.
ONLINE BIBLE:
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728 arrabwn arrhabon ar-hrab-ohn’
of Hebrew origin Nwbre, 06162; TDNT-1:475,80; n m
AV-earnest 3; 3
1) an earnest
1a) money which in purchases is given as a pledge or down payment that
the full amount will subsequently be paid
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The two other references of Pentecost surround the Apostle
Paul’s determination, to observe Pentecost. In Acts 20:16, Paul
determined to be in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost. In other
words, he determined to be in Jerusalem on the fiftieth day after
the Passover Feast (first holy day of Unleavened Bread) for
there was a great celebration on that day. It was the Holy Day
when the priests waved the Pentecost Omer before God.
However, for the Apostle Paul, it was the time when God sent
His holy spirit, an amendment to the covenant of the law.
Therefore, for the Christian, Pentecost is doubly important: #1)
the time of the giving of the Ten Commandments, and #2) the
time of the giving of the holy spirit – two parts of the New
Covenant God makes between Himself and those whom He calls
to be a part of His family.
Ac 20:16 For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would
not spend the time in Asia: for he hasted, if it were possible for him, to be
at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.
In the above verse, Paul determined to pass Ephesus so as not to
miss being in Jerusalem on Pentecost whereas in the following
verse he determined to remain at Ephesus until Pentecost.
Therefore, these two scriptures must refer to the Pentecost of
two different years.
1Co 16:8 But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost.
In the Old Testament, Moses refers to Pentecost by different
names. #1) Feast of weeks; #2) Feast of harvest; #3) Day of the
firstfruits. It was a time to commemorate the beginning of the
wheat grain harvest – just as the offering of the wave sheaf
commemorated the beginning of the barley harvest 50 days
earlier.
Exodus 34:22 And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits
of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year’s end.
De 16:16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the
LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of
unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of
tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:
Ex 23:16 And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou
hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of
the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.
Nu 28:26 Also in the day of the firstfruits, when ye bring a new meat
(meal) offering unto the LORD, after your weeks be out, ye shall have an
holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work:
Pentecost was the Feast of Weeks because it was seven weeks
from the first day of the count up to but not including the last day
of the count. Pentecost was the Feast of Harvest because it
began the wheat harvest. The offering of the firstfruits of the
barley harvest began the count to Pentecost, and the offering of
the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, 50 days later, ended the
count to Pentecost. It was the Day or Feast of Firstfruits
because the firstfruits of the wheat harvest provided the omer
offered at 9AM of the holy day. The priests presented the
firstfruits of the barley harvest in the spring on a day that was
not holy. They cut the barley sheaf at the beginning of the 16th
day of the month just after the sun had set – ending the holy day
of the 15th. The grains were prepared into flour after gathering
the harvest that evening, and its presentation was about the time
of the morning sacrifice the following morning, according to
Edersheim. Acts 2:15 establishes Edersheim’s statement and
gives the third hour (9AM) as the specific time of this offering.
The harvest and preparation of the firstfruits for the wavesheaf
– selecting the spot, and tying the sheaves, etc. – took place the
day before the Holy Day – on the 14th of Nisan. The priests did
only work that could not be avoided on the Holy Days.
Leviticus 23:17 states that the two leavened loaves representing the
offering of Pentecost are the firstfruits to the Eternal.
Le 23:16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath (week) shall ye
number (calculate) fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat (meal)
offering unto the LORD.
17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth
deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are
the firstfruits unto the LORD.
Therefore, the first day of the count to Pentecost was the first
day of the spring harvest and day 49 of the count was the first
day of the summer harvest because the priests brought the
firstfruits to the temple on these days. The actual summer
harvest, other than the firstfruits, would have begun the day
after Pentecost.
God used the harvests of Israel to project His plan for the
salvation of humanity. The feast of tabernacles in the fall is at
the end of the fall harvest. Moses referred to it as the feast of
ingathering. In other words, the Israelites gathered in the
harvest and then they observed the feast.
Exodus 34:22 And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits
of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year’s end.
One tradition of the Jews says that God gave the law on Mt.
Sinai on Sivan 6, the day of Pentecost. If this is true, and there is
no reason to doubt it, then God made the covenant with Israel on
the day of Pentecost. The Ten Commandments are the laws of
the covenant between God and man. This is where it all begins.
If you do not have the knowledge of the Ten Commandments,
you have no beginning.
However, as the New Testament states, the Israelites had no
desire to keep the law of the covenant. Therefore, God
prepared a better covenant for the begotten sons of God. The
laws of the Old Covenant were the same for the New Covenant,
but in the New Covenant, God gave the holy spirit so there would
be a desire to keep the Ten Commandments.
Hebrews 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of
Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind,
and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall
be to me a people:
God also amended the covenant on the Day of Pentecost. The
laws were already in place, but God added the desire (by giving
the holy spirit) to keep those laws – making a better covenant.
The Messiah was the center of the New Covenant rather than
the Temple, and God made the New Covenant to individuals
rather than to a nation. Of course, the accumulation of God’s
people makes up a holy nation, from one perspective.
1 Peter 2:9 But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy
nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him
who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
God gave both the giving of the laws of the covenant and the
giving of the holy spirit to motivate us to keep the laws, with a
miraculous display of God’s power and presence. There was to
be no doubt about the terms of the covenant in the first
Pentecost of the Old Covenant and there was to be no doubt
about the power to keep the covenant in the first Pentecost of
the New Covenant.
From the first Pentecost of the Old Covenant to the first
Pentecost of the New Covenant, we have progressed only in
quality. We are no further in the plan of God at the Pentecost of
the New Covenant than Israel was at the Pentecost of the Old
Covenant, as far as personal salvation is concerned. Of course,
God had advanced His plan of salvation because He had
completed the real Sacrifice of sacrifices. There were men who
were giants for God even before the New Covenant: Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob, and Moses for a few examples. Their justification
looked forward to the time of the sacrifice of The Messiah. We
look back on that sacrifice.
Why were the firstfruits of the barley harvest offered on the first
day after the Holy Day? Recall that Israel was in bondage in
Egypt. Even so, we were in bondage to the world. Their
freedom came at midnight of the 15th, the Passover! It was only
fitting that they should offer firstfruits to God in remembrance of
their first day of freedom! They had gone out with a high hand,
rejoicing before God. They harvested the firstfruits of the
barley just after sunset of the first Holy Day, at the beginning of
the 16th. Then the priests presented it at the third hour on the
morning of the 16th. The priests harvested the firstfruits of the
barley the moment the Annual Sabbath was over and presented it
during the morning (morrow) of the same day. The 16th was the
first day of harvest. It was fitting that the Israelites should
present the firstfruits of the harvest before they began their
work of harvesting.
Ex 14:8 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and
he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out
with an high hand.
There were no harvests in the wilderness, so it was only after
they came into the land of Canaan that they were able to offer
the firstfruits of their harvests. All that happened to them, all
that they played out in their lives was for those of us who are a
part of the New Covenant.
1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and
they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world
are come.
On the fiftieth day from the offering of the wave sheaf (counting
inclusively), God brought the Israelites into covenant with Him.
This was only possible because of their freedom effected by the
blood of the lamb or goat put on the doorposts to ransom them
from Egypt. Had God not rescued them from Egypt, a type of
the world, they would not have been at the foot of the Mount.
Even so, Moses ratified the covenant with the sprinkling of blood.
Exodus 24:8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people,
and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made
with you concerning all these words.
Some become confused, not realizing that the Messiah was most
of the sacrifices of the Old Testament rolled into one sacrifice.
He was our ransom sacrifice (Passover); He was our sin
sacrifice; He was our peace offering and our trespass offering.
In other words, each sacrifice given to Israel was but a
perspective of the Messiah who was to come. Now the reality
has come. We have faith in the Messiah who covers many of the
sacrifices of the Old Covenant. Christ was some of these
sacrifices in our stead and He was some of the other sacrifices as
our example.
Some believe that the 50-day period after the Passover is a type
of the betrothal period. If this is true, it means that in the
panorama of time we are still waiting for the real Pentecost! In a
type, we can play out the betrothal and there can be more than
one type in a Holy Day. We consider each type on its own
merits. The Old Covenant was a marriage agreement between
God and Israel. So for them the type would indicate that they
were ransomed by their Lover, "the knight in shining armor"
destroying all the first born of Egypt and carried over the
threshold of the Red Sea and taken to His special Mountain
where He married His bride. For them, the first Pentecost was
the reality. However, it was only a type for us! Their physical
reality is a type of our relationship with God. The forty-nine
days from Passover to Pentecost types our entire lifetime, after
God calls us out of the world.
We are still in the betrothal period and will only realize the
marriage when the Messiah returns to marry His bride.
However, the miracle of the first Pentecost of the New Covenant
was to give us the desire to keep our part of the covenant, which
was lacking with the Israelites in the Old Covenant. The fact
that God gave the holy spirit on the first Pentecost of the New
Covenant is strong indication that He gave the law at Mt Sinai on
the first Pentecost of the Old Covenant.
Exodus 34:28 And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty
nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the
tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
The Messiah came and died for our ransom and for our sins.
Each of us has his own ransom from the world (Passover) and his
own forgiveness of sins (baptism in the Red Sea) and his own
personal Pentecost (Betrothal-Covenant with God). Seven days
after the Messiah went back to the Father, He sent the holy
spirit on the day of Pentecost to make possible the later marriage
that is to take place between Him and His bride. Our betrothal
period begins with our personal Pentecost when God gives us His
holy spirit to seal the covenant with us. It is possible that our
marriage to the Messiah will take place on the day of Pentecost
in the near future just as it did between God and Israel long ago.
In any case, Pentecost is a type of both the betrothal and the
marriage, for the New Covenant believer.
The importance of Pentecost, for us, is the giving of the
covenant. There are two parts of the covenant: The law and the
desire to keep the law. God gave the first part to the Israelites
when He brought them into covenant with Himself. God gives
the second part to us when He brings us into covenant with
Himself, but God gave the Covenant to the church on the first
Pentecost of the New Covenant. God did not eliminate the first
part of the Covenant. If that were true, there would be no need
for the second part of the Covenant. There would be no need to
give us the holy spirit if God had eliminated the law!
Pentecost signifies to us our betrothal and marriage to God! We
are still at the foot of the Mountain and God is thundering His
laws to us, but He is also sending His holy spirit so we can keep
those laws until the reality dawns upon us. God is etching our
spirit with the right principles of living. When we shed this
fleshly body, we will stand before God a perfect being with a
perfect desire to keep the covenant. Only then will we have
entered into the reality. Only then will we be married to God the
Messiah.
ICor 15:42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in
corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it
is raised in power:
44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a
natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
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