Sermon: Feast of Pentecost, Written in 2002

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TEXT: 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.
 

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 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.

It was only 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. The Jews today still celebrate the Passover as a historic occasion, not realizing its prophetic significance in regard to Jesus Christ.

Like the Feast of Passover, the Feast of Pentecost had special significance as well. It was 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. It was the establishment and endowment of power of the early Church. 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 days 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 that heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.

The significance of God’s choice of the Day of Pentecost as the time of this initial Holy Spirit outpouring is obvious. 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.

Exodus 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 those who YIELDED. These were submitted believers, offering themselves up as a living sacrifice, bound in love and obedience. We will soon be celebrating the Jewish feast of Pentecost that takes place this June. As we draw closer to this event it is imperative we see God's prophetic timetable through the events outlined in the seven feasts of Israel. We have studied the feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits that speak of Messiah's death, burial and resurrection. Pentecost speaks of the great outpouring of the Holy Ghost that Jesus told His disciples would come after He ascended to the Father:

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 He did is 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 something 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 reason I say that is the FEAST OF PENTECOST was the last of the SPRING feasts prior to the beginning of the Feast of Trumpets that 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. We are living in the "FEAST" of Pentecost prophetically. THIS IS THE HARVEST GENERATION! Without the Holy Spirit, the Church will MISS her greatest hour!

Pentecost is the spiritual fulfillment and type of this great outpouring. It 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

Holidays are almost universally celebrated on specific calendar dates. For example, New Year's Day is always January 1, and America's Independence Day is always July 4. Likewise, one does not usually count the number of days between holidays. However, just the opposite is true for the Jewish feast of Shavuot, Israel's fourth holy day. No date is actually associated with it in the Bible. 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 that 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.” Shavuot was called the Feast of Weeks because seven weeks were counted from the Feast of Firstfruits until the observing of this feast. The primary meaning of the feast was reflected in the Hebrew name, Yom Habikkurim, or the "Day of Firstfruits." since Shavuot was the day on which the Firstfruits 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 shall keep the feast of weeks unto the Lord thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shall 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, "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

As stated earlier, in Bible days, Shavuot was a particularly important Jewish feast. Seven divinely appointed feasts were given to Israel. We have studied four so far. Of these seven, THREE were decreed by the Lord as "SOLEMN FEASTS" during which all Israelite men were obligated to present themselves before the Lord in the Temple. Shavuot was the SECOND in this exclusive triad of solemn feasts, the other being UNLEAVENED BREAD and TABERNACLES.

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 barley crop until the barley Firstfruits (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 Firstfruits 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 Firstfruits 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 that 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 terms “FEAST of Pentecost.”

Isaiah said that when the Holy Spirit would come, He would bring a REST and a REFRESHING to those who believed. The Lord also prophesied through Isaiah that even though He spoke to them through stammering lips and unknown tongues, THEY WOULD NOT LISTEN! The Holy Spirit is SPEAKING in THESE LAST DAYS. All of our efforts in the flesh are useless 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 go here and there looking for rest and refreshing and 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.

The Time of the Giving Of Our Law

Pentecost has its roots in Mt. 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. Although the Bible never associated Pentecost with Sinai this was chosen because the giving of the Law had also occurred in the third month (Exodus 19:1). There is great spiritual significance with this event. 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. So 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). 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 Shavuot emphasis as a harvest festival. 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 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.

The entire celebration of Pentecost focused on the giving of the LAW (Exodus 19-20 was included the Shavuot Scripture readings. These chapters describe God's revelation on Mt. Sinai and the Ten Commandments. When the Ten Commandments were read in the synagogue service, it was 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 Moabitess 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. In this regard, many synagogues also hold Shavuot confirmation services for their teenage youth to recognize their childhood studies and confirm their commitment to live according to the Mosaic Law. What a beautiful picture. On Mt. Sinai, Moses received the LAW of GOD.

Israel 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." Sinful, fallen man can never do what the Law of God demands. Only reborn man with a new heart and new spirit under the NEW COVENANT. That New Covenant came on the DAY OF PENTECOST. 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 shall 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 that 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 that 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 its 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. They wanted Moses to go into the mount and listen FOR THEM. And if even a beast touched the mountain while it was on fire - it was to be put to death.

That mountain typified the Holy Spirit and the believer filled with the FIRE OF THE HOLY GHOST. 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. Even an animal that touched this mountain when it burned was put to death. Moses said, "I exceedingly fear and quake."

The church has lost its fear of God in these last days. The church has 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 building bigger churches, not growing our Sunday school rolls.

This is the Father's own desire for us. 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 agent that brings us into that intimacy with the Son, THE HOLY SPIRIT! Judas was familiar with Jesus, John was intimate. It was JOHN who wrote in his gospel the words of Jesus that 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.

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. 66:7) 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 that 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).

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 searches for her as for hid treasures; [5] Then shall thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

Wisdom is a great treasure. Treasure is not found just laying on the ground, or growing on trees. What makes something a treasure is that it is either rare, or very hard to get to. The wisdom of the HOLY SPIRIT is such a treasure. It is hard to find and easy to lose. The fear of the Lord is the same way. Many newborn converts are never taught to fear the Lord. That's one reason they continue living in sin throughout a majority of their Christian lives. Even Solomon, the wisest man to walk the earth until Wisdom HIMSELF came, LOST HIS WISDOM and FELL at the end of his life.

The church's greatest problem in this area is she is so busy gathering knowledge and forming doctrines but we are using it. Knowing the truth without living it ONLY BRINGS JUDGMENT. 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. 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 sacrifice and what YOU GAVE UP to come to Jesus. Now the message is what JESUS gave up to GIVE TO YOU. 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.

We have preached a salvation and a Christian life under the NEW COVENANT that 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 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! The Pentecostal message is more than just speaking in tongues. It's the operation and moving of the HOLY SPIRIT. Prophecy, interpretation of tongues, words of wisdom, words of knowledge, are all included in this arena. 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. That fire was born in the fire of Mt. Sinai. That is what Pentecost is about. Peter preached with the FIRE of that mountain and it pierced 3,000 souls that day and 4,000 more souls a few days later. That's what we are missing in the 21rst Century Church. It's a secret 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 <Psalms 25:14>

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 that 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 what the Feast of Pentecost is about. It's a celebration, a memorial to the events on Mt. Sinai. No, we are no longer under the curse of the LAW, but the fear of God over breaking that law remains! 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. 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 Food of Pentecost - Bread and Cheesecake - Milk And Honey To The Soul

One of the most popular traditions of Pentecost was the eating of dairy foods. The rabbis have suggested that this widespread practice is a reminder of the Lord since the WORDS of the Scriptures are like milk and honey to the soul. Among the most delicious and tempting of these dairy dishes are cheesecakes, cheese blintzes, and cheese kreplach. The blintzes are made of cheese rolled in pancakes and fried in a skillet. The kreplach are dough pockets that are stuffed with cheese for Shavuot. These kreplach are similar to ravioli noodles, only triangular in shape. The three corners of the dumpling are said to recall the statement of the ancient rabbis; "Blessed by the Merciful One who gave the threefold law - LAW, PROPHETS, WRITINGS - to a people made of three classes - PRIESTS, LEVITES AND ISRAELITES, through a third-born child (MOSES was born after Miriam and Aaron) in the third month Sivan) <Shabbat 88a>

It was also customary to bake two loaves of hallah bread on Shavuot which brings us to the second main part of Pentecost - the wave offering.

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 "Firstfruits" 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. It represented 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 may have our flaws and failures, but He SEES THE LEAVEN and He KNOWS what's in the bread. 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 gives 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 that 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 he that comes to me 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 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 your doctrine. There is no salvation in your prayers. HE WAS 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 eat HIM, we will never die. Eating his flesh and drinking his blood is a term that simply means intimacy. It simply means a heart void of any other idol than the Lord Jesus Christ. It means we are ONE WITH HIM.

The cross was one of the most perverted and cruel exhibitions of the demented human mind. But 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 saw 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 He didn't open any doors and for two years it has felt like 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. It is something the enemy certainly has fought throughout my life and due to my own weaknesses and failures has won a few battles. It's been one of the most awful feelings in my heart to literally have the desire of ministry "KILLED" inside so it can be birthed again and fresh. Believe me - it's 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 operated for nearly 8 years in the flesh - not in the Spirit of God. Then when temptation came, the foundation of flesh and self crumbled at the onslaught of hell. I fell into an oblivion so awful that words cannot describe. But when He brought me back from the dead literally – He didn’t bring ME back, but He brought back the glory of HIS SON - JESUS CHRIST - through ME. And I know when this process of re-training and re-directing is over - I will come forth as gold.

This is what true Christianity is all about. It requires the ultimate price - "the whole burnt offering" was laid on that brazen altar. Our whole life must be placed on that altar. It's before this offering that the wave loaves would be waved constantly before the Lord. The fire on that Altar typified the CROSS- it represents 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 we have often seen it portrayed as. 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 doesn’t need a corporate board on earth to carry out His plans for humanity. He doesn’t need the approval of the Assemblies of God, the Southern Baptist Convention or the United Methodist Church. He doesn’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. We're living in a time when the Lord is getting the church ready for His coming because that's what Pentecost is - the last feast before the FEAST OF TRUMPETS - the rapture!

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 your great high priest and you have been to that ALTAR and the FIRE that will never go out! 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. 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


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:

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

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 of the last days will take place! We as the church can change its way in order to participate in that harvest or we can watch the Lord raise up another generation of worshippers who WILL bring in the harvest! 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.
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 those of us who boast about being Spirit-filled 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. 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 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
• TURN TO THE LORD WITH FASTING, WEEPING and MOURNING
• BE GLAD THEN AND REJOICE

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!

Pentecost Was To Be Kept With A Freewill Offering And With JOY

Deut. 16:10-11 - And thou shall 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 shalt 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 Feast of Pentecost was to be celebrated with a freewill offering and with JOY. The Lord said "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. It'll set your feet to dancing and your heart to singing too. It's more than speaking in tongues; it's laughing at the devil when all hell is breaking loose. It's walking in union with Jesus when the storms of life rage. It's knowing that you have a power inside you greater than all of hell. It's knowing that the demon powers sent by Satan to destroy you want NOTHING to do with the HOLY GHOST. 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 being Pentecostal. We're 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. It's for today. It's for you. Celebrate the Feast of Pentecost this year not only in substance but also in your heart. Receive the Holy Spirit in 2002 and WALK in the power of HIS ANOINTING! The Holy Spirit is for YOU!