The Feast Of Pentecost
The Feast of Pentecost is a type of the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit. THIS IS THE HARVEST GENERATION. All of the church's efforts to bring in the harvest will fail if she does realize her total need to be in union with JESUS, the Head of the Church. Because she fights the Holy Spirit, the one whom Jesus sent to testify of him, we may miss the greatest time in God's prophetic timetable of events. This feast precedes the feast of Trumpets, a type of the rapture, which is soon to take place.

By Chris McDonald

 

Text: Acts 2:1..And when the Day of Pentecost was fully come....

As we celebrate this Pentecost season, we must ask the question, "why did the Holy Spirit outpouring take place on the Day of Pentecost?" Why was it simultaneous with the Hebrew Festival of Harvest? Why not just any day? We know from scripture that the Feast of Passover, which typified the death of the Lord Jesus, had taken place 50 days earlier. The reason we know this is that the DAY OF PENTECOST is by definition the "50th” day after Passover. Passover commemorated the killing of the Paschal Lamb, with the placing of the blood on the doorposts of Egypt. This caused the death angel to literally "pass" over the children of Israel during the 10th plague. Blood was applied to the doorpost and life was spared. Primarily, a Passover celebration renews the thought of lives saved by the sacrifice of the Lamb of Glory. His Death upon the Cross brought saving life to all those who believe. We preach Christ Crucified, foolishness to them who perish, but to those like this writer who embrace the glorious Work of Sacrifice of our Lord, it IS the power of God.

The lamb of Passover was merely a symbol of Jesus, who offered Himself for us, as OUR PASCHAL LAMB on the commemorating of the Passover. The killing of the Paschal Lamb was the type – the prophetic foreshadowing of Jesus’ later role as Paschal Lamb for the world. It's sad that millions of unbelieving Jewish families celebrate the Passover in a historic setting yet do not realize the prophetic significance of the ceremony in that it pictures the CHRIST, the Lamb of Glory, who has come that ALL the world be saved through Him! Blindness has come in PART to National Israel the Apostle states, and that blindness remains to this day. The issue in Israel today is not over land or politics or government; the issue is JESUS CHRIST! The Jews claim Him to be an impostor and will one day accept a false Messiah who will plunge their lives into the greatest time of bloodshed known to men. There is a growing opposition even as we write these words to the message of Jesus in Israel today.

Like the Feast of Passover, the Feast of Pentecost has special significance as well. Also known as the Feast of the Firstfruits as described in Exodus 23:16, it was the “thanksgiving” of Israel’s economy and religious festivals. It was a time set aside by God for His children to think about "Harvest.” This Pentecost Day manifestations of the Holy Spirit baptism was the introduction to the “last days” outpouring foretold in Joel 2:28-29, which Peter referred to in Acts 2:16-21. It represented the “Firstfruits,” or “ingathering” of the abundant harvest of souls that was to follow and has taken place to this moment in time. Pentecost was the establishment and enduement of power of the early Church and as a result, there was a tremendous harvest of souls – 3,000 on the day of Pentecost and a few days later, nearly 5,000 more.

Acts 2:16-21 - But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Joel 2:28-29 - And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

Acts 2:41 - Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

Acts 4:2-4 - Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide. Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.

Under the Law, the celebration of Pentecost took place 50 days after Passover.

Lev 23:15-16 - And ye shall count unto you from 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 ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.

Exod 23:16-17 - And the feast of harvest, the Firstfruits of thy labors, 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 labors out of the field. Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD.

This scripture in Leviticus refers to “a new meat offering” unto the Lord. Just as the heavenly fires fell on the sacrifice presented on the altar of Elijah in 1 Kings 18, so the cloven tongues of flame came down on each person on the Day of Pentecost. This manifestation of fire from heaven fell upon YIELDED, submitted believers, offering themselves up as a living sacrifice, bound in love and obedience. The Holy Spirit did not fall upon unbelieving, cynical hearts who felt these things had "gone away" with the prophets or that these signs were demonic in nature. God help us. He fell upon those WAITING FOR THE ENDUEMENT OF POWER FROM ON HIGH!

This year's Pentecost celebration is just days away and as we draw closer to this event, we can clearly see God's prophetic timetable for Israel and the Church outlined in the seven feasts of the Lord. Passover, Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits spoke of Messiah's death, burial and resurrection. Pentecost speaks of the great outpouring of the Holy Ghost as well as commemorating the giving of the Law upon Sinai; Jesus told His disciples that after He ascended to the Father, the Holy Spirit would descend upon them in Jerusalem if they would but obey His COMMAND and TARRY and WAIT to be endued with this power from on high!

Acts 1:4 - And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5 - For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. 

Jesus spoke more about the Holy Spirit in the last three weeks He was on earth than He did the entire 3 1/2 years He spent with the disciples. The reason was because He knew the deep impact the Holy Spirit would have on the ministries of the men Jesus called to lay the foundation of what we now know as the Church age. He was saying to the 12 - "don't start churches, don't start ministries, don't start missionary trips, don't start any ministry effort UNTIL the Holy Spirit would come and endue you with power." It's something the early Church TOTALLY understood. It's an understanding the 21rst Century must regain if she is to reap the harvest that I believe THIS GENERATION has been entrusted with before Jesus comes.

The FEAST OF PENTECOST was the last of the SPRING feasts prior to the beginning of the Feast of Trumpets which starts the succession of FALL FEASTS. All the SPRING feasts speak of Messiah's work in the PAST. All the FALL FEASTS speak of events yet future and prophetic. We are living in the "FEAST" of Pentecost prophetically, waiting on the Feast of Trumpets! THIS IS THE HARVEST GENERATION.

Pentecost is the spiritual fulfillment and type of this great outpouring and the time we live in today. We are in the age of the HOLY GHOST. This time is referred to in scripture as the FORMER and LATTER rain. The FORMER rain took place on the DAY OF PENTECOST; the latter rain started in 1900 with the Azusa Street outpouring which swept this mighty nation with one of the greatest moves of God America has seen in her entire history. We are living in the LAST DAYS, WAITING for the FEAST OF TRUMPETS! The Feast of Trumpets is in type a picture of the RAPTURE of the church. That's how close we are to the coming of Jesus!!!!

The Jewish feast of Pentecost holds several keys to the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit that is taking place in these last days. Pentecost took place 50 days after Passover. The Holy Spirit descended 50 days AFTER Jesus died. Pentecost means "50th." Let's take a closer look:

Shavuot - The Feast of Weeks

The Jewish Feast of Shavuot, Israel's fourth holy day, actually has no "date" associated with it in Scripture. Yet, ask any observant Jew concerning Shavuot and he will answer that it is always celebrated fifty days after the Feast of Firstfruits.  Names are also very important in the ancient Jewish world. They usually reflected the significant character, history, or meaning of that to which they were attached. Three separate names were used by the Hebrew Scriptures for the feast of Shavuot which in the Hebrew means, Weeks. Each name emphasized a different facet of its observance. The most common Hebrew designation was "Hag Hashavuot," meaning, "The Feast of Weeks," typifying the fact seven weeks were counted from the Feast of Firstfruits until the observing of this feast. The primary meaning of the feast was also reflected in the Hebrew name, "Yom Habikkurim," or the "Day of Firstfruits." since Shavuot was the day on which the first fruit offerings of the summer wheat crop were brought to the Temple.

Exodus 34:22 - And thou shall observe the feast of weeks, of the FirstFruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end. 

Deut. 16:10 - And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the Lord thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the Lord thy God, according as the Lord thy God hath blessed thee: 

2 Chron. 8:13 - Even after a certain rate every day, offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts, three times in the year, even in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles. 

Numbers 28:26 - Also in the day of the firstfruits, when ye bring a new meat offering unto the Lord, after your weeks be out, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: 

Thus, Shavuot marked the BEGINNING of the SUMMER WHEAT HARVEST even as Israel's earlier First of Firstfruits marked the beginning of the SPRING BARLEY HARVEST.

The third designation, "Hag Hakatzir," of "The Feast of Harvests, reflected the fact this festival was the official beginning of the summer harvest season. In addition to the biblical designations, the Talmud and Josephus referred to this festival as Atzeret, meaning "CONCLUSION." They viewed Shavuot as the conclusion of the Passover season and of the seven-week spring harvest since there are no other major Jewish holy days until the autumn. In the Greek language, Shavuot was known as Pentecost meaning fiftieth since it was celebrated on the 50th day from the Feast of Firstfruits.

Thus the Feast of Pentecost had four main names:

· The Feast Of Weeks
· The Feast of Harvest
· Pentecost
· The Day of Firstfruits

A Holy Convocation

Leviticus 23:21
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 for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

Like the Sabbath and many of the other feast days, Shavuot was a holy CONVOCATION or rest day (Lev. 23:21; Num: 28:26). Therefore, no work was permitted. According to the Bible, it was forbidden to eat of the new new barley crop until the barley First Fruits (omer) were offered on the Feast of Firstfruits. The same principle was applied to the wheat crop. Therefore, the numerous meal offerings and showbread for the sanctuary were not made from the new wheat crop until AFTER the wheat First Fruits were presented on Shavuot. The Temple services for Shavuot followed much the same pattern as that of the Feast of Firstfruits since both holy days were celebrated with first-fruit offerings. However, the offering for Shavuot was unique. It consisted of two long, flat, LEAVENED loaves of wheat bread as commanded by the Lord:

Leviticus 23:17 - Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven; they are the First Fruits unto the Lord. 

The loaves were not burned because the Lord had forbidden leaven on the altar: "You shall burn no leaven nor any honey in any offering to the Lord made by fire." Instead, these loaves and two lambs as a peace offering formed the WAVE OFFERING for Shavuot which we will discuss in detail later in this journal. The priest waved them before the altar forwards and backwards, then up and down. Afterward, they were set aside for "the priest." (Lev. 23:20) and formed the festive meal eaten by priests later that day in the Temple. Thus, the term FEAST of Pentecost. The Spirit's work of "burning out" the leaven is seen in this feast! He is called by Isaiah the "spirit of burning," and the "spirit of judgment" whereby the "FILTH" of our flesh is cleansed and removed!

Isaiah 4:4
When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.

Those loaves represented the believer, full of flaws, sin and "leaven," yet cleansed by the fires off the brazen altar! We are the Wave Offering before the Lord and as such the Holy Spirit is at work to burn out ALL leaven inside us! Paul called this leaven "malice," and "hypocrisy," and all such MUST GO if we are to be like Christ.

1 Cor. 5:7-9
Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us: [8] Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. [9] I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:

Judgment must begin at the HOUSE OF GOD! Before we can expect harvest in the world, we the church, must be cleansed and judged by the Holy Spirit's work of burning and conviction! The modern church world, at least a majority of it, wants nothing to do with this ministry of the Spirit! We want our entertainment centers, our self-help philosophies and our new age guru leaders to show us the "way," to enlighten ourselves and enrich our pocket books. Neighbor, when the Holy Spirit is working in our midst, there is not much He leaves untouched and "unjudged!" That is His name and HIS ministry to the Church today.

1 Peter 4:16-17
Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. [17] For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

There was a well-known evangelical leader who died a few days back who led the Moral Majority in America for years. His favorite slogan was it was the church's responsibility to "clean up America." His theory had the period in the wrong place of the movement's motto. The motto SHOULD have been "the church needs to clean up." We can't clean up America because we can't clean up ourselves! ONLY THE SPIRIT OF GOD CAN DO THAT THROUGH THE SPIRIT OF BURNING AND JUDGMENT! We have a problem when the leading evangelical preacher called "the next Billy Graham" gets on television and says that a President who supports abortion and homosexuality will be ok to vote for as long as he is "equitable" and "fair" to the African American community. That's being a real light to a world steeped in racism, idolatry and killing babies by the millions per year without thought or conscience. That's a REAL clear way to clean up our nation. The reason we will never clean up America is we in the church are as guilty of most sins within the world if not worse!! Self-righteousness produced the motive and heart to Crucify Christ 2,000 years ago among Israel's religious; it's the same root of bondage in the religious of today as well

When the Spirit of Burning does His work in us, there is no room left to boast of anything; there is only room to see ourselves as horrible, miserable and wretched in the light of a HOLY GHOST and declare ourselves as Isaiah did "unclean," and "undone," and REPENT of who we are in sackcloth and ashes. ONLY THEN WILL THE CHURCH be able to take ANY moral high ground. The only moral high ground we have in the church is the CROSS OF CHRIST which declares ALL MEN SINNERS, including this writer, yet declares those who believe in the blood of Jesus, "JUSTIFIED," or NOT GUILTY, in the sight of God! That is the finished work of the Spirit of burning that the church world wants none of today. The church world, mainly in the Pentecostal realm, cries "we want Pentecost, we want Pentecost, we want Pentecost," without realizing what we're asking for! We're asking for the Spirit of Burning to purge us and destroy everything in us and around us that is not of Christ! Neighbor that is a scary thought when we see ourselves in the light of the Cross. We literally must become like Job feeling that if the Lord slay us, we will still believe HIM!

When we allow the Spirit of Burning to do His work, we then can experienced what also was prophesied of Him and that was He would bring a "rest," wherein the weary could rest and a refreshing to those who believed.

Isaiah 28:11-12
For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. [12] To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.

Through Isaiah, the Lord said that even though He spoke to them through stammering lips and unknown tongues, THEY WOULD NOT LISTEN! The Holy Spirit is SPEAKING TO HIS PEOPLE in THESE LAST DAYS, yet we are NOT LISTENING. All of our efforts in the flesh are in vain when it comes to battling the powers of darkness. All our efforts of the flesh are USELESS when it comes to bringing in the harvest. Our people run hither and thither, go here and there, run from one conference to the next, jump church to church, looking for rest and refreshing when the ONLY SOURCE for either IS THE HOLY SPIRIT. I'm talking about more than just a great sermon or a pep talk on Sunday. I'm talking about a move from heaven. I'm talking about a sound from heaven. I'm talking about something that money cannot buy. Education cannot learn. Influence cannot attain. It's something that only God can give. It's something that only JESUS sends. It's the anointing, the power, the glory and refreshing wind of the HOLY SPIRIT. Glory to God. I'm talking about the FEAST OF PENTECOST!

The Mountain of Fire - Sinai

Exodus 19:1
In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.

Rabbinical Judaism suggests that Pentecost occurred simultaneously on the day that the Torah (Mosaic Law) was given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. This was not done arbitrarily. The giving of the Law occurred in the third month, the same as Pentecost. (Exodus 19:1) There are other similarities and symbolic connections to the two which the Rabbinical community proclaim; thus, the idea of the giving of the Law and the birthday of Judaism quickly caught on and became the dominant motif of the modern Pentecostal festival. Shavuot became known as "Zeman Mattan Toratenu," or "the Time of the Giving of our Law."

During Israel's early history, it was customary to decorate synagogues with greenery and beautiful floral arrangements for Shavuot. Some synagogues hang an embroidered green curtain over the ark (where the scrolls are stored) while some synagogues braid a crown of branches and flowers for the Torah scrolls. Others weave a canopy of flowers over the reading area. The reason for these decorations is the Shavuot emphasis on harvest, and according to tradition, these are also a reminder that Mt. Sinai was at one time covered with green trees and grass.

The ancient scripture readings for Shavuot always were passages out of Ezekiel and Habakkuk (Ezek. 1:1-28; 3:12; Hab. 2:20-3:19). These date back to the days of the Temple. They describe the brightness of God's glory. In Ezekiel's vision he witnessed WIND, FIRE and VOICES:

Ezekiel 1:4 - And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire in folding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire. 

Ezekiel 3:12 - Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his place. 

Habakkuk 2:20-3:19
But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.  [3:1] A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth. [2] O Lord, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy. [3] God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. [4] And his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand: and there was the hiding of his power. [5] Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet. [6] He stood, and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting. [7] I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction: and the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble. [8] Was the Lord displeased against the rivers? was thine anger against the rivers? was thy wrath against the sea, that thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots of salvation? [9] Thy bow was made quite naked, according to the oaths of the tribes, even thy word. Selah. Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers. [10] The mountains saw thee, and they trembled: the overflowing of the water passed by: the deep uttered his voice, and lifted up his hands on high. [11] The sun and moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear. [12] Thou didst march through the land in indignation, thou didst thresh the heathen in anger. [13] Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, even for salvation with thine anointed; thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked, by discovering the foundation unto the neck. Selah. [14] Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages: they came out as a whirlwind to scatter me: their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly. [15] Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses, through the heap of great waters. [16] When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble: when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops.  [17] Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: [18] Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. [19] The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.

Habakkuk saw the Lord revealed at the Messiah's coming in FIRE and BRIGHT LIGHT:

Habakkuk 3:3-5 - God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. [4] And his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand: and there was the hiding of his power. [5] Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet.

To this very day, the entire celebration of Pentecost in Messianic circles, reflect the commemoration of the giving of the LAW;  (Exodus 19-20 is included the Shavuot Scripture readings. These chapters describe God's revelation on Mt. Sinai and the Ten Commandments. When the Ten Commandments are read in the synagogue service, it is customary to stand.) It was also a Shavuot or Pentecost custom to read the Book of Ruth in the synagogue. Several reasons are usually given. Most important, the story of Ruth took place during the spring barley harvest, and Shavuot is the celebration of the conclusion of the barley harvest and the beginning of the summer what harvest. Secondly, Ruth the Moabites willingly embraced the God of Israel and His Law (Torah). Therefore her story is read on this holiday which today focuses on the giving of the Law. As great as the Law of God is, let the reader understand CLEARLY and without hesitation that LAW cannot save nor keep us saved! Law cannot sanctify us nor keep us sanctified! That is the message and picture of Pentecost!

On Mt. Sinai, Israel the nation looked at the mountain of fire and trembled, not wanting to approach a holy God. Instead they told Moses to go into the mount, receive from God the things He wanted them to do, and then come back and tell them those things. In response to that, they promised Moses, "we will do all that He commands us to do." Sadly, Israel did not do "all that He commanded them to do" nor has ANY man done "all" we've been commanded to do. Sinful, fallen man can never do what the Law of God demands. That is why the HOLY GHOST had to come through the Finished Work of Christ on the Cross - to redeem fallen man and apply the blood of Jesus to our hearts so we thusly stand "JUSTIFIED" and "SANCTIFIED" before a HOLY GOD.

 Only reborn man with a new heart and new spirit under the NEW COVENANT, which came on the DAY OF PENTECOST, in the person of the HOLY GHOST. Look at the symbolism:

Exodus 19:1-15 - In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. [2] For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount. [3] And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; [4] Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. [5] Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: [6] And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shall speak unto the children of Israel. [7] And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the Lord commanded him. [8] And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord. [9] And the Lord said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the Lord. [10] And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes, [11] And be ready against the third day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai. [12] And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever touches the mount shall be surely put to death: [13] There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount. [14] And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes. [15] And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives. 

Paul illustrated this scene in Hebrews when he compared the two covenants of Law and Grace. Under Law, man stood afar off from God, condemned under it's penalty. Under Grace, God provided the POWER for man to not only draw near to God, but the power to KEEP THE LAW that was written under the Old Covenant on tables of stone. Under the New Covenant, it is now written on our hearts through the power of the Holy Ghost and by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Hebrews 12:18-25 - For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, [19] And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: [20] (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: [21] And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:) [22] But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, [23] To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, [24] And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. [25] See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spoke on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: 

Paul said Israel COULD NOT ENDURE the voice that spoke from Sinai. They did not want it to be spoken to them anymore; instead they wanted Moses to go into the mount and listen FOR THEM. The mountain was such a horrific site to behold; the Bible says that the Glory of God so enveloped the mountain that if even a beast touched the mountain while it was on fire - it was to be put to death. It was the same GLORY that we ALL have fallen short of! ALL have sinned and come short of the GLORY OF GOD! That was what the Holy Spirit through Paul referred to in Romans in declaring the universal guilt of ALL mankind before God.

Romans 3:23
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

What glory was he referring to? The GLORY on Mt. Sinai! The GLORY that made the mountain burn with fire; caused it be in blackness, tempest and darkness. Even Moses exceedingly feared and quaked under the sight of the GLORY of God.

Let me tell you this friend. The fire on the mountain typified the coming Holy Spirit and His work of FIRE in the hearts of those believers who seek after more of God! It was a type of the coming events on the Day of Pentecost!

Acts 2:1-4
And when the day 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.

The fire that sat upon the mountain, was in type the TONGUES, like as of FIRE, that sat upon those 120 gathered in the Temple square 2,000 years ago!  Listen to me man of God. Listen to me pastor. Listen to me denominational leaders. Listen to me child of God. WHOSOEVER TOUCHES THE MOUNTAIN TODAY dies as well! You don't play around with the anointing of God! You don't mock the moving and operation of the Holy Spirit. Denominations have died because they have touched the mount in protest. Churches are dead because they have touched the mount. Believers have lost their unction and anointing because they have touched the mount. Just as Mt. Sinai, burned with fire, contained the sound of a trumpet, and voice of words, and was in blackness, so does the believer today experience the awesome power of God when they are filled with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking with other tongues. You cannot touch this mountain and not die. I say it again: even an animal that touched this mountain when it burned was put to death. Moses said, "I exceedingly fear and quake." The sight of this mountain speaks to us of the need for a revival of the fear of God in the church world today which has lost its reverence for the Lord in these last days.

We have lost the revelation of the severity and judgment of God. We must have both to keep us on the path of life. Fearing the Lord is more than just reverence. The devils reverence God but they don't obey Him. We must get the attitude of Sinai back. The people feared God so much they were not flippant in their attitudes. The sight of God's glory on Sinai was so great they didn't even as much want to HEAR HIS VOICE anymore. Grasp that. Think about that. Pause to consider the flippancy and showmanship in the church today. Think about the Hollywood-style antics we portray to the world leasing our "Jesus" out to them in exchange for their money and attendance in our churches. God is not someone who we can just snap our fingers to and expect Him to do our bidding. Jesus Christ is not our bellhop and the HOLY SPIRIT is not our busboy. Intimacy with God should be our HIGHEST GOAL, not building buildings, not entertaining the masses with our so-called Christian concerts, not out Bingo games on Thursday night or our sports.

The Lord wanted so deeply and desperately for Israel to draw nigh to the Mount through faith, not Law! This is the Father's same desire for us today. He loved us so much that He sent His only Son to pay a terrible price so we cold come BOLDLY before HIS THRONE. This is certainly the greatest privilege in all of creation - to have such access to the MOST HIGH GOD. The angels even marvel at the Lord's special affinity for man. However, the church has become so familiar with God, we have lost our intimacy with Him. Why? Because we have choked the One Heavenly and Divine Agent Who brings us into that intimacy with the Son - THE HOLY SPIRIT!  We cannot expect intimacy with God if we continually FIGHT and RESIST the moving and operation of the Holy Spirit. Stephen asked Israel long ago, as he looked upon this same GLORY of God in the face of Jesus Christ, "HOW LONG DO YOU RESIST THE HOLY SPIRIT?"

Acts 7:51
Ye stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

Acts 7:55-57 - But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up sted fastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, [56] And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. [57] Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,

The echo of Stephen's word roll down to this generation of religious leaders, especially here in America: HOW LONG DO YOU RESIST THE HOLY GHOST; AS YOUR FATHERS DID DO YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (SORRY HONEY FOR THE NUMEROUS ! I was doing well till then)

Listen friend and listen closely. Judas was familiar with Jesus, yet John was intimate. It was JOHN who wrote in his gospel the words of Jesus which said when the Holy Ghost came that HE WOULD TEACH THE CHURCH the things of JESUS and SHOW JESUS to the CHURCH:

John 14:16-18 - And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; [17] Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for He dwells with you, and shall be in you. [18] I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. 

John 16:7-11 - Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. [8] And when he is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: [9] Of sin, because they believe not on me; [10] Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; [11] Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. 

John 15:24-27 - If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. [25] But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause. [26] But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceeded from the Father, he shall testify of me: [27] And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning. 

Millions today are familiar with Him, but DO NOT KNOW HIM IN HIS GRACE AND FULLNESS OF MERCY AND COMPASSION! Many have not made the trip to the Cross and denied themselves, repented, and lost their life in HIM, so HIS LIFE can live through them! We have something in the church world today called the "born again syndrome," meaning we have all the symptoms of being saved, but we don't have the real thing! Only the Holy Ghost can produce the REAL THING and the REAL THING is not a "THING" it's a person - JESUS CHRIST and Him Crucified!

Many of us, including myself, have gotten to points in our life where our familiarity with God has been our biggest downfall. When we lose our FEAR of the Lord, we will depart from the path of life. It may well be that the lack of a pure and holy fear of God is one of the greatest causes of the unholy behavior in much of the modern church today. We do the things we do, we say the things we say and we go to the places we go because we DON'T REALLY FEAR THE LORD!

Proverbs 16:6 - By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil. 

Proverbs 28:14 - Happy is the man that fears always: but he that hardened his heart shall fall into mischief. 

Isaiah the prophet proclaimed and asked the question, "Why Oh' Lord have you HARDENED us to your fear?" (Isa. 63:17)

Isaiah 63:17
O Lord, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants' sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.

One of the Bible's most scathing denunciations of the condition of mankind, Romans 3:10-18, which is a compilation of quotes from the OLD COVENANT (SINAI), concludes with the reason for this great corruption:

Romans 3:18 -There is no fear of God before their eyes. 

Jeremiah equated not having the fear of the Lord with forsaking the Lord:

Jeremiah 2:19 - Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord God of hosts. 

There is a teaching which many have that this fear is simply a REVERENCE, or a RESPECT, for God. Certainly this is a part of this fear I'm talking about, but we must understand that this is a reverence and respect to a higher degree. When either the OLD or NEW Covenant saints encountered the living God, we would be hard pressed to call their reaction "respect or reverence." They were so afraid that they were surprised they lived through it! John the beloved was the Lord's very best friend; this friendship won him the privilege of leaning his head upon His breast, relaxing with the Lord in a beautiful picture of intimacy. Yet, near the end of a life spent in faithful service to Him, when he encountered the Risen Lord on Patmos, HE FELL TO THE GROUND, "as a dead man." (Revelation 1:17)

Rev. 1:17
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

As the Psalmist declared, "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." (Psalm 111:10). Isaiah further said, "the fear of the Lord is his treasure." (Isaiah 33:6b). Proverbs 2:1-5 links these two great thoughts together in one of the great biblical exhortations:

Proverbs 2:1-5 - My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; [2] So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; [3] Yea, if you cry after knowledge, and lifts up thy voice for understanding; [4] If you seek as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; [5] Then shall thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. 

Just as the wisdom of the HOLY SPIRIT is such a treasure, hard to find and easy to lose, so too is the fear of the Lord.  Many new born converts are never taught to fear the Lord which is why most continue to live in sin throughout the majority of their Christian lives! Even Solomon, the wisest man to walk the earth until Wisdom HIMSELF came, fell into apostasy at the end of his life because he lost the fear of God.

The church's greatest problem in this area is we are busy gathering knowledge and forming doctrines we preach, but we're doing very little to live by the TRUTH which alone can set us free! Knowing the truth without living it ONLY BRINGS JUDGMENT against greater light. We may feel secure in our position and condition because we have had spiritual experiences, or attend church regularly, pay tithes, submit ourselves to other spiritual disciplines, but the LORD repeatedly warned in His teaching that many who know the truth and EVEN DID GREAT WORKS, would not enter the KINGDOM.

Matthew 7:20-22
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
[21] Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. [22] Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

All of the other graces and blessings of the Lord are protected by the grace of the FEAR OF THE LORD. If we really have a heart to fear the Lord, we will spend our time SEEKING HIM, not another experience or more knowledge so we can rightfully argue a doctrine. 

The blackness of Mt. Sinai made Israel TREMBLE at the sight of God. When the HOLY SPIRIT came on the day of Pentecost, it was a celebration of that mountain quaking, shaking and burning with fire. The same God that was on Sinai, is IN US TODAY THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT! Just as Israel feared Him then, WE SHOULD FEAR HIM NOW!! The problem is the message the Western Church has preached in this last century has spoiled us by an easy salvation. This is not to imply that salvation is not easy because there is absolutely nothing we can "do" to earn it or attain it. And furthermore, there is absolutely nothing we "do" to receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit. For the first three centuries of the church the message centered around one renouncing their old life in embracing the Cross, the symbol of death.  Now the message is keep your old life and come to Jesus without feeling any need to give up anything. That is NOT Biblical salvation!

Salvation in the days of the early church required the sacrifice, or at least the risk of losing, everything that one possessed to become a Christian. At times this even included life itself.

This modern salvation and Christian life under the NEW COVENANT being preached today reflects an addiction to convenience, which brings into question whether or not some of our concepts of salvation or the Christian life are even biblical. Tragically, many are being made to feel spiritually comfortable even though their eternal lives are in serious jeopardy. WHOSOEVER TOUCHED THAT MOUNTAIN OF FIRE DIED!!!!! There were NO EXCEPTIONS, man or beast. And if we keep tinkering and messing with the message of salvation and the Holy Spirit in this last hour we are going to die too! Let me be a bit more blunt. WE ARE DYING. Churches are dying by the score losing their members to false religions left and right and we don't know what to do about it. We can't compete with the entertainment industry so we just offer gimmicks like the world does; we just put a Christian label on it. When we reject the Power of Pentecost, we are left with no choice but to embrace such stupidity and error.

We have written quite a bit lately on speaking in other tongues, yet let the reader be clear that the Pentecostal message is much more than just speaking in tongues. It's the operation and moving of the HOLY SPIRIT in general which includes not just tongues, but prophecy, interpretation of tongues, words of wisdom, words of knowledge, and all the gifts and operations listed in 1 Corinthians 12. The working of miracles and healing the sick also happen when the Spirit moves. But the NUMBER ONE office of the Holy Spirit is the office of CONVICTION when He comes and brings us into realization of our soul's condition. The fire of Holy Ghost conviction is the same fire Israel and Moses witnessed in the fires of Mt. Sinai!

That is what Pentecost is about. Peter preached with the FIRE of Mt. Sinai and it pierced 3,000 souls that day and 5,000 more souls a few days later. That's what we are missing in the 21rst Century Church. It's the secret of God's wisdom we're not listening to. Why? Because we have lost the reverence and fear of Mt. Sinai in the celebration of our Pentecost today. The SECRET of the LORD is for those who FEAR HIM.

Psalm 25:14
The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant.

See That We Do Not Refuse Him Who Speaks From Heaven

Hebrews 12:25-29 - See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spoke on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: [26] Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. [27] And this word, Yet once more, signifies the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. [28] Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: [29] For our God is a consuming fire. 

Paul said if they (ISRAEL) did not escape who refused him that spoke on earth (MOSES), how much more shall we not escape HIM WHO SPEAKS FROM HEAVEN?? That's the message the Feast of Pentecost proclaims to us today. Pentecost is a celebration, a memorial to the events on Mt. Sinai, yet pointing us to a NEW COVENANT, not based on law and works, but GRACE and POWER that enables man to live righteous and Holy before a consuming Almighty God who is a CONSUMING FIRE!

We are no longer under the curse of the LAW, but we're UNDER THE BLOOD of the New Covenant! Glory to God! When the Holy Spirit is in control however, He keeps the fear of God in our hearts in that we strive not to break the law! The true child of God fears and reverences the Lord as to not do anything that is displeasing to Him and to bring His chastisement on our lives.

Yes, we have forgiveness in Jesus. Yes, we have grace. Yes, we have the blood covering. But let us not mistake God's grace for God being mocked and putting up with rebellion in His children without responding. We will pay a price for our sin be it under the OLD COVENANT or under the NEW COVENANT. Our God is a consuming FIRE and that FIRE RESTS on us Hallelujah.

The Wave Offering - A Type Of the Jew and Gentile Being Waved Before the Lord

Leviticus 23:15-21 - And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: [16] Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat 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 baked with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the Lord. [18] And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the Lord, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savors unto the Lord. [19] Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings. [20] And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the Lord for the priest. [21] 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 for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. 

Another important part of Pentecost was the WAVE OFFERING. It was one of three solemn feasts where all Israel's males were to appear before the Lord. After the readings from the scriptures, all the males would bring a peace offering (usually a lamb) and two loaves of bread baked with LEAVEN to the priest. The loaves of bread used in Passover were to be baked WITHOUT LEAVEN. Why? These loaves were the final offering of harvest, the first being the "First Fruits" of the harvest two days after Passover. If this was the final harvest, why would God allow leaven to be in the bread since He detested it so much that He threatened DEATH to anyone who had leaven in their house during Passover? Because these two loaves represented pitiful, fallen, flawed, sinful, wicked humanity, REDEEMED by the PASSOVER Lamb's BLOOD! 

The bread at Passover represented CHRIST and HIS SINLESS PERFECTION, while the bread at Pentecost represented the CHURCH, the Jew and Gentile. No matter how you slice the bread, pardon the pun, we are not "perfect" yet! God is still working on His church. We have our flaws and failures, yet the Lord SEES THE LEAVEN and He KNOWS what's in the bread. Despite that, He still LOVES US and cherishes our fellowship and communion with Him. He still bids us "come" into His presence on a daily basis through the Blood which cleanses the leaven through the anointing and power of the Holy Ghost.

The priest, who would be a type of Christ, our Great High Priest, and us as earthly priests, would take the two loaves, stand before the brazen altar which burned night and day with fire that burnt sin offerings of animals (that fire would NEVER GO OUT), hold the loaves HIGH in the sky - toward heaven and wave them before the altar upwards, downwards, backward, forwards. This motion continued for a short span. In John 6, Jesus, lifting his hands toward heaven typifying the day when He would lift us up to God, cried saying:

John 6:32-37 - [32] Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. [33] For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. [35] And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. [36] But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. [37] All that the Father gives me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. [38] For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 

At the end of this same great message, lifting his hands to heaven HE CRIED:

John 7:37-39 - In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. [38] He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. [39] (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) 

Jesus preached HE WAS THE BREAD OF LIFE and those who come to Him in Faith shall never THIRST. Think about that statement. Why didn't he say hunger? Why did He tie the fact that He was the Bread of Life into the analogy of water and thirst? Because He was looking ahead to this GREAT FEAST of Pentecost when the HOLY SPIRIT would come and infill us like RIVERS OF LIVING WATER. The bread and the water are tied together in Pentecost. Wave the bread before the altar, the Cross, and the water will flow. He was also telling the church, THERE IS NO SALVATION IN THE CHURCH! There is no salvation in the institution of the church. There is no salvation in our doctrines. There is no salvation in our prayer rituals. There is no salvation in Rome; there is no salvation in Springfield; there is no salvation in Nashville; there is no salvation in Washington D.C.; there is no salvation in Cleveland, Tennessee.

JESUS IS THE TRUE AND LIVING BREAD FROM HEAVEN. Israel ate the manna that fell from heaven and died in the wilderness. Jesus came down from heaven as the same manna but if we partake of HIM through faith, which is what He meant by "eating His flesh," we will never die. Eating his flesh and drinking his blood is a term that simply means intimacy and simply means we have a heart void of any other idol than the Lord Jesus Christ. It means we are ONE WITH HIM. 

In human terms, the Cross was one of the most perverted and cruel exhibitions of the demented human mind, yet it represented what the Lord is trying to do to us today. He is not trying to CHANGE US, He's trying to KILL US! I can tell you from experience that sometimes the Lord will take our desires and dreams and literally "kill" them inside of us so He can bring forth life from them. Ever since an awful divorce in 1996 I have so wanted to come back into the ministry and preach again like I did in the early 1990s. Looking back on those years I see how I exhibited so much flesh and so little of Christ. It was more horrible than the divorce and the residual backsliding that took place afterwards. In 1999 I felt the Lord renew the call again but for the past 7 years very few doors of ministry have opened to be frank. It has felt like at times heaven is not listening when I ask God to open doors to preach.

You see I have had a call of God on my life to preach since I was a child. I remember when I was 7 and 8 years old standing in my aunt Florence's front yard preaching the gospel, screaming "you need to repent!" I remember feeling the tug for the first time in earnest in 1985 that the Lord was wanting me to be a minister of the gospel. Yet, my flesh and own selfish will blinded me for many years to allowing the nature of Christ to be formed within me.

This call of God is something the enemy certainly has fought throughout my life and due to my own weaknesses and failures he has won a few battles. I didn't say he won the war because that has already been won through Christ! About three or four years ago the desire just "died," inside me to be frank. I gave up hope of any ministry calling and just hit the road selling portraits. It had to be one of the most awful feelings in my heart to literally have the desire of ministry "KILLED" inside yet it had to be so in order it could be birthed again and fresh.

Believe me - what I speak of is not a pleasant experience. But friend, unless the Holy Spirit produces the ministry - it will only bring forth death and destroy you in the process as well! I have operated nearly all my adult life in the flesh and not the Spirit. I have learned through many failures and disappointments it's just better to wait on God to produce what He wants to produce instead of seeking to produce something yourself. If God doesn't produce it - then WAIT - don't move! You're better off just sitting down and seeking God's face over time than to jump out and do something you're not called to do or do it in the wrong timing. I know when this process of re-training and re-directing is over, and it's really never over, I will come forth as gold and I will be back in the pulpit one day preaching the gospel!

This is what all true Christianity is about. It requires our whole life being placed on the altar, just as the "whole burnt offering" was placed on the altar under the Old Covenant. It was before the fires of the brazen altar that the wave loaves would be waved constantly before the Lord. The fire on the Brazen Altar typified the CROSS and represented the fact the Lord is not just interested in just a few minutes of our day - He wants every thought taken captive and brought into obedience to HIM. The priests who served in doing this were usually covered in blood and guts. It was not a pretty sight, just as the Cross was not the pretty stained glass window scene the church world of today has made it. Pentecost is not a "moving on" from the cross, it's a REMINDER and MEMORIAL to the CROSS!!!!!!!!! Charismatic people who refuse to embrace this always wind up in error and delusion! Paul said he did not GLORY in his gifts, wisdom on even his call, but the CROSS OF JESUS CHRIST!!

1 Cor. 1:17-19- For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. [19] For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 

The Pentecostal way or celebration is a celebration of not only harvest and Mt. Sinai, it's a celebration of the CROSS. The ONLY WAY THE LEAVEN WILL BE PURGED OUT OF THE CHURCH IS NOT BY A NEW DOCTRINE BUT BY THE FIRES OF THAT BRAZEN ALTAR!!!!!!!!

Mal 3:3 - And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

Matt 3:12 - Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Luke 3:17 - Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.

1 Cor 5:7 - Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us:

2 Tim 2:21 - If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

Heb 9:14 - How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Many Christians are paralyzed in their walk with God because of the LEAVEN in their life?  WAVE THE OFFERING! WAVE THE OFFERING. God is not looking for cooperation, He's looking for submission. He don't need a corporate church board on earth to carry out His plans for humanity. He don't need the approval of the Assemblies of God, the Southern Baptist Convention or the United Methodist Church. He don't need the approval of denominational headquarters to POUR OUT HIS SPIRIT ON ALL FLESH!! We are living in the greatest time in all of human history and God is going to succeed in HIS PLAN FOR MAN!! Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ went to glory and brought before the Father two loaves of bread, the Jew and Gentile, lifted us up out of sin, and PURGED US to become fit vessels for the HOLY SPIRIT!

As Paul said, HOW MUCH MORE shall the BLOOD OF CHRIST WHO THROUGH THE ETERNAL SPIRIT PURGE our conscience from dead works to serve the living God! Glory! I'm sitting here writing this and shouting at the same time. This is powerful. This is the time we are living in right now; living the day of Pentecost waiting on the Feast of Trumpets!

Some of you are reading this about to drown under a load of guilt because of condemnation the Devil has brought concerning the leaven in your life. Tell the Devil, the bread has been waved before the altar! Tell the devil you are in the hands of OUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST and you have been to the ALTAR where the FIRES will never go out. The FIRES of the HOLY GHOST have purged your sin through the precious blood of Christ and because you have been WAVED before the altar you are FREE today in the name of Jesus!  Lord, bring us back to the Cross, bring us back to Calvary, bring us back to the nail-scared hands of Jesus where the blood flowed and liberated humanity from sin, sickness, death and hell! Bring us back to the Cross where Jesus set man free from sickness, from drugs, from alcohol, from stealing, from lying, from pornography, from dysfunctional, from delusion, from error! I WILL GLORY IN THE CROSS. That's the PENTECOSTAL WAY! That's the FEAST OF PENTECOST!

Pentecost Speaks Of The Harvest

Pentecost speaks of harvest. It was the end of the wheat harvest, and the start of the barley harvest. We are in the harvest generation. This is the time of the latter rain. Joel prophesied before the great and terrible day of the Lord. While Joel was mainly referring to the Great Tribulation it is a reference to the time we are living in now as well. We are just now beginning to see the start of it and it will increase in intensity. The harvest will be lost not because of the world's influence but by our own selfishness, ambition, self-righteousness and pride. Those are the only factors that will keep the church from her destiny. The Lord Jesus said HE was the LORD OF THE HARVEST. Through Him we can do ALL THINGS.

We were NOT GIVEN THE HOLY SPIRIT so we would tingle and jingle but so we would have the POWER to be witnesses and be an instrument of harvest in this last hour. That's the purpose of Pentecost. That's the purpose of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1:8 - But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. 
 

The Holy Spirit has several things to say about the harvest:

Matt 9:37 - Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest. 

Matt 13:39 - The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

Mark 4:29 - But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest is come.

Luke 10:2 - Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest. (KJV)

John 4:35 - Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. (KJV)

Rev 14:15 - And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. (KJV)

These verses speak several things of the coming harvest:

· The harvest is plenteous
· The laborers are few
· The LORD OF THE HARVEST, or Jesus, has the power to SEND laborers into the harvest
· The harvest is the END OF THE WORLD
· The fields are ripen NOW for harvest; today is the day of salvation
· The events of the present age are leading us to the ultimate conclusion of harvest - Armageddon
 

This means more than just carrying around a tract and going door-to-door. The Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses do that but they do it without the TRUTH. HOW MUCH MORE should the Pentecostal world who boast to have so much be doing for the spread of the gospel in the world today???? We need a new revelation of harvest. Time is running short.

Pentecost Was The Last Spring Feast Before The First Fall Feast - TRUMPETS

The Feast of Pentecost signified the end of barley harvest season. The next time Israel would gather for a celebration of this magnitude would not take place again till the FALL of the year - TRUMPETS. Glory to God. You get the picture? We're LIVING in the day of Pentecost, WAITING for the FEAST of TRUMPETS. The feast of trumpets is when the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a SHOUT and the VOICE OF THE ARCHANGEL and the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up to meet those in the air. The next great event on the prophetic calendar of God is the RAPTURE of the church. Oh neighbor. It's not time to be buying canned goods and hiding in a cave. It's time to get ready for the rapture! It's time to get ready to meet Jesus. It's time to repent and clean our spiritual houses in preparation for the Bridegroom. What we are witnessing in the outpouring of the Holy Ghost in this last hour is the ALARM that Joel said to SOUND in the hills of ZION. Joel was the Holy Ghost prophet of the OLD TESTAMENT!

Joel 2:1 - Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand; 

Joel 2:12 - Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: [13] And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. 

Joel 2:23 - Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. [24] And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil. [25] And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. 

Joel told the inhabitants of Zion to do three things in response to the coming outpouring of the Holy Ghost:

· SOUND AN ALARM  - That is the church's job in these last days - "sound an alarm!" We're not called to give people a book to read and tell them after 40 days of purpose they are going to be like Jesus.
· TURN TO THE LORD WITH FASTING, WEEPING and MOURNING - The church needs to REPENT
· BE GLAD THEN AND REJOICE - We need to REJOICE AND BE GLAD!!

Why? Because the Lord had given them the former rain moderately and He would bring the LATTER RAIN in abundance. We are living in those times. We are living in the DAY OF PENTECOST!

Deut. 16:10-11 - And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the Lord thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the Lord thy God, according as the Lord thy God hath blessed thee: And thou shall rejoice before the Lord thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to place his name there. 

The Lord said of the Feast of Pentecost, "and thou shall REJOICE." I'm reminded of a little chorus we used to sing in our church in Florida so long ago, "Oh, "the Holy Ghost will set your feet to dancing, the Holy Ghost will thrill you through and through, oh, the Holy Ghost will set your feet to dancing, and set your heart to dancing too" That's what only Jesus can do. That's what the baptism in the Holy Ghost will do for you. That's what the infilling of the Holy Spirit will do for you friend! He'll set your feet to dancing and your heart to singing too. The Feast of Pentecost is more than speaking in tongues; Pentecost is the power of the Holy Spirit who produces the JOY OF THE LORD that causes us to laugh at the devil (it's really the HOLY GHOST laughing at Him) when all hell is breaking loose and declaring "JESUS IS LORD!" I have a great friend in South Carolina and when I call her sometimes I get her message which ends with "JESUS IS LORD!" My friend has had some tough days recently but she still shouts each time I call her "JESUS IS LORD!" Human wisdom and power won't allow you to do such! Only the power of the HOLY GHOST can do that!

Pentecost is walking in union with Jesus when the storms of life rage. The power of Pentecost is knowing that we have a power inside us greater than all of hell. Pentecost is knowing that the demon powers sent by Satan to destroy our families, our homes and our church want NOTHING to do with the HOLY GHOST. Glory, GLORY, GLORY. This is the Feast of Pentecost.  This is the Feast of Weeks. This is Shavuot. This is the DAY OF PENTECOST. This is why we celebrate and are not ashamed to say we're "Pentecostal." I'm not holding up a denominational movement, but I'm holding up a Biblical lifestyle of worship, prayer, reverence, holiness and POWER - the power of the HOLY GHOST!

We're not a denomination because the Holy Spirit is not a denomination! We're part of a celebration that began 2,000 years ago and has not stopped since. And millions more will be filled with the Spirit before Jesus comes despite all of hell and backslidden decadent religion. The greatest number of people on the face of this earth INCLUDING Catholics and all Protestant denominations are people who are filled with the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking with other tongues. Pentecost is for today neighbor. The Holy Spirit's power is for you. Celebrate the Feast of Pentecost this year not only in substance and ceremony but in our heart. Receive the Holy Spirit in 2007!!!

Heavenly Father, we pray for everyone who reads this and is seeking this mighty experience. I pray in Jesus name that everyone reading will be filled with the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking with other tongues and they did on the day of Pentecost; as they did in the house of Cornelius; as Paul did when he received his sight; as those Ephesus believers did that day Paul laid his hands on them; as the people of Samaria did when Peter and John came down and laid their hands on them; Fill them in Jesus name. Remove the doubts and fears and tradition that has blinded them to your will for their life. We bind the voice of the enemy who would lie to them and tell them this experience is not for them. Be filled with the Holy Ghost in Jesus name!!

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ChrisMcDonald@spiritjournals.com