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Pentecost Part One
History, Background and Instructions
Calendar Accounting on Sabbath

Transcribed from video
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For as in Adam all die, even so in Messiah shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Messiah the firstfruits; afterward they that are Messiah’s at his coming.
(1Co 15:22-23 KJV)

“Oh beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain for purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain”, so goes the first stanza of verses from the patriotic song America the Beautiful written by Katherine Lee Bates in 1893.

Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed and it’s from the genus triticum. Wheat is grown on more land than any other food crop. In 2014 it is estimated that 550 million acres of wheat were harvested. World trade in wheat is greater than all other crops combined and in recent years world production has grown to some 825 million tons making it the second most produced cereal after corn, 825 million tons of wheat grown in the last couple of years.

There are three uses for this grain; the first being is animal feed, the second is for cereal like we eat for breakfast. The third is flour for baking bread and that is exactly the connection to today……..Pentecost, the Feast of Leavened Bread. Not the Feast of Unleavened Bread observed 50 days prior to this Feast. We will see why I nicknamed this day the Feast of Leavened Bread as we go through this study.

Part One includes the history, background, instructions and history on the calendar. There are different methods of counting to Pentecost that we see when we study into it. The subsequent parts coming up will be about a variety of topics that all relate to Pentecost or Shavuot. Next we will look at the historical journey that the Israelites took from Egypt to Mt. Sinai ending there on or approximately at Shavuot during the giving of the Ten Commandments.

There are two leavened loaves in part three that are offered during the instructions that were provided in Leviticus that we will look at in detail in Part 3. The two leavened loaves have significant meaning and we will look at them. We will rehearse the Day of Pentecost when it happened in 30 CE.

In Acts chapter two we will see Peter’s proclamation and look at what Joel the prophet had to say about the day. We will talk about the fact that YHWH’s spirit was given and made available to all, and the final session will be about the bread from heaven. We will discuss the techniques for sowing and look at the parable of the sower in Matthew 13.

Holy Days – Agrarian Foundation

First, we are going to build the foundation in part one. The Holy Days themselves are about the agrarian society and foundation that the Israelites were living back in the time of Moses and during the time they were going into the Promised Land.

Barley harvest initiates the annual Holy Day cycle. That would be celebrated 50 days before Pentecost which is Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. These are all connected and the significance of the connection has a lot of meaning to it. Some 50 days after Passover season and starting of the barley harvest, the wheat harvest occurs. We call it the Feast of Pentecost or Shavuot.

Passover happens in the early spring and it celebrates and rehearses the first fruits of the barley harvest. Fifty days later is Pentecost and it is also about first fruits, but there is a difference. Pentecost is from the wheat harvest. I know when I talk about this that the terminology for spring is in the dialogue. I understand there are only two seasons from a scriptural standpoint, spring and winter. Our secular calendar and way of accounting today makes sense to talk about the spring time, which are the March, April and May time frame on our Gregorian calendar.

One of the first scriptures to look at happens to be in Deuteronomy chapter 8. It talks about what the Israelites would find in terms of agriculture in the Promised Land. It turns out that there are 7 species that are listed.

A land of 1 wheat, and ² barley, and ³vines, and ⁴ fig trees, and ⁵pomegranates; a land of ⁶oil olive, and ⁷honey; A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass. When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless YHWH thy Elohim for the good land which he hath given thee. (Deu 8:8-10 KJV)

Apiary or dates?
Of interest, as we start out in our discussion on Pentecost, the seven species end up with honey. We ask if this honey is from bees or is it some other type of honey. Some say it is dates also and it might primarily be, although because my wife and I have taken up beekeeping we have an operational apiary so we are curious about the honey side of this. It turns out that King Solomon knew about bees so there must have been some bee hives around. Proverbs 6:8 in the Brenton says:

Or go to the bee, and learn how diligent she is, and how earnestly she is engaged in her work; whose labours kings and private men use for health, and she is desired and respected by all: though weak in body, she is advanced by honouring wisdom.

And yes, these little critters are quite industrious, they just go and go and little by little, day by day they build their honey comb, brood and reproduce with a queen. It’s really an amazing cycle to see. It is a blessing to have them around.

The fact that there is honey mentioned in the scripture in Deuteronomy leads us to believe, particularly since Solomon knew about bees that he must have observed them as we have. The honey mentioned may be from dates but it could have come from bees too.

The day of Pentecost or Shavuot is referred to by several different names.
5 Names Refer to the Same Day

1 And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field. (Exo 23:16 KJV)

2 And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks ^{H7620= shabua=literally, sevened} , of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year’s end. (Exo 34:22 KJV)

3 Also in the day of the firstfruits, when ye bring a new meat offering unto YHWH, after your weeks be out, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work:
(Num 28:26 KJV)

These first three names of this day we find in the scripture in the Old Testament. In the New Covenant we see that the day is referred to as Pentecost in the Greek.

4 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. (Act 2:1 KJV)

Now there is a fifth reference to this name as you will see if you study into this subject but you don’t find it in the scriptures, or at least I haven’t found it there, and what you see are some commentaries reference Pentecost as the Feast of First Fruits. This is certainly an apt name for this day. It reflects the meaning of Pentecost but you don’t find an actual reference in the Hebrew text. The first fruits that required offerings during the Days of Unleavened Bread was barley so as we sort this out, we will see that the first fruits during the Days of Unleavened Bread are different first fruits than the Day of Pentecost which was the first fruits of wheat. Those are the common names that you will see.

Background
Rabbinic Traditions – Shavuot
The reason it’s called “Shavuot”, by the way is from the word “shabua” and we will get to that shortly. When I use the term Shavuot just know it’s interchangeable with Pentecost. The Rabbinic traditions that we see that have developed are known in Judaism and the first one and probably the primary one is that on Shavuot the law was given at Sinai.

Giving of law at Sinai
The Ten Commandments were given in Exodus 19 and 20. The Talmud and the Mishnah tell us that this was on Pentecost or Shavuot. We will look at the calendar that gets us there in our next session and I would say there is a lot of good circumstantial evidence although I don’t think it’s technically provable; there isn’t a scripture that says precisely that the law was given on Shavuot.

The Book of Ruth being read is another rabbinic tradition. You might wonder why that is, but if you have studied the Book of Ruth you will know that Ruth came into Bethlehem during the barley and wheat harvest, and she gleaned the fields of Boaz. The story has such incredible legs on it is quite a story to study. Bethlehem of course is the same location of the birth of Messiah, and Bethlehem means house of bread. Beth is house, and lechem means bread. Also the tradition of Ruth being read has to do with her “conversion to Judaism” when she married Boaz. King David was said to have been born and died on Shavuot, and if you know the genealogies, which we will get into later in a little more detail, Yahushua Messiah was through the genealogy of Ruth and Boaz to David. There is no scriptural evidence that David was born and died on Shavuot. This is again the rabbinic traditions that have developed.

More recently, 1500 CE is recent in the scheme of things but more recently a few centuries ago a practice started with an all-night Torah study in Judaism. The Jews that lived in this area of the world dating back to around 1500 CE started an all-night Torah study on Shavuot. Of interest, and certainly a more recent time just after the war of 1967 with Israel, the all-night Torah study was going on and the Israelis recaptured the old city of Jerusalem if you recall the events in that time period.

It was called the Six Day War and they ended it one week before Shavuot. The Israeli army actually opened up the western wall for the first time in quite a number of centuries, and in 1967 over 200,000 people went to visit the Western Wall in 1967 after their all night Torah study. That tradition carries through to today. People that live in the area make that all night Torah study and then walk to the Western Wall and give their alms and prayers. Before 1948 none of this was available and it was quite an event as it was certainly off limits to Israel, and Judah particularly who lives there now.

Background – Shavuot Parallel Events
We will start to unfold some parallel events. Technically the giving of the Ten Commandments is unsubstantiated circumstantially it fits that the Israelites would have been at Mount Sinai on or about Shavuot. There are a few scriptures to look at and we’ll start in Exodus chapter 19.

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.  (Exo 19:1 KJV)

We know from this marker, the third month, the same day of the week is what we believe this is talking about. The same day of the week they left they came into the wilderness of Sinai, so from a practical standpoint you can pretty easily go backwards and see that this is about 45 days after they left. They left on the 15^th of the first month and then there was a full second month and now they are in the beginning of the third month. Some 45 to 48 days or so have gone by and there were three days preparation before the giving of the law at Mount Sinai. We see that in verse 11.

And be ready against the third day: for the third day YHWH will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.  (Exo 19:11 KJV)

It’s easy to add up the days and add three more, it gets you to 48 or 49 days and depending upon which day of the third month they came to Mount Sinai on, this easily adds up to be on Pentecost. We will go into the details of it coming up in the second part. Effectively this is the birth date of the nation of Israel. They came together at Mount Sinai, they were given their covenant, and we know from studying the covenant that showed us there were actually two different versions of the covenants given at Mount Sinai, and then a third version given at Moab.

Also in this period of time during the wheat harvest, an interesting series of events unfold in Samuel.

And Samuel told all the words of YHWH unto the people that asked of him a king. And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: (The people wanted a king, and he’s telling them that they really didn’t want a king. You shouldn’t have a king and here’s why.) He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, (they will make perfumes) and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth (a tithe) of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and YHWH will not hear you in that day. (1Sa 8:10-18 KJV)

Here are the repercussions of assigning your own king. He’s going to start to take a tithe of all your stuff. Guess what’s happened? The kings of the day, the many of the leaders of today’s church organizations have taken the tithes of the brothers and sisters that are a part of their assembly and made it to themselves. I just saw that some unnamed leader has taken to buy a Gulfstream 7 for himself; it’s a 70 million dollar aircraft to preach the Good News around the world. The kings like to have things for themselves. Going on we see the end result of this and why am I bring this example up. We see where this has led to in 1 Samuel chapter 12.

Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, (In between these chapters they went ahead and did it anyway) and whom ye have desired! and, behold, YHWH hath set a king over you. If ye will fear YHWH, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of YHWH, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following YHWH your Elohim: But if ye will not obey the voice of YHWH but rebel against the commandment of YHWH, then shall the hand of YHWH be against you, as it was against your fathers. Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which YHWH will do before your eyes. Is it not wheat harvest to day? (That’s the reason why I bring this up. You go looking for examples when Pentecost occurred and they are pretty thin in the old contract. You certainly see Mount Sinai which is a circumstantial account that occurred on Pentecost, but this account here where Samuel was talking to the Israelites and telling them they didn’t want a king. This appears to have happened just at or after Pentecost. Is it not wheat harvest today? When you read this you get the flavor that they just got started on their wheat harvest. When would that be? The day of or after Pentecost they make their offering and then they can start their harvest. They say thank you and offer the two leavened loaves that we will talk about in some detail later.) I will call unto YHWH, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of YHWH, in asking you a king. (We see thunder and rain again, the same kind of meteorological events happened on or around Mount Sinai. The mountain was a smoke it says, I’m not sure that it says rain but it definitely gives you the same kind of weather indicators, thunder and rain.) So Samuel called unto YHWH; and YHWH sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared YHWH and Samuel. (1Sa 12:13-18 KJV)

Ruth takes place during barley and wheat harvest (ca. 1275 BCE) – One reminder of that and we will see a little bit more of this in a subsequent session.

So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt with her mother in law. (Rth 2:23 KJV)

Gleaning of the harvest is an important side discussion and we will hit on that again in Part Three. We see the connection in this verse to this time of year, especially Pentecost. Also, the book of Joel is quoted in Acts chapter 2 by Peter and we will take a look at that scripture. When you read through Joel, notice that Joel is a real interesting book being only three chapters long. It’s the book that has the grasshopper plagues and the grasshoppers that effectively destroy the entire land and it says it is yet a future event. When we get to this section we see that this is the culmination of the Day of YHWH. Chapter 2 is about the Day of YHWH.

And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am YHWH your Elohim, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed. And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; (This is what Peter quoted on Pentecost in 30 CE, it was this section of scripture right here) 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. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day (or awesome would be a better way to say this) of YHWH come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of YHWH shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as YHWH hath said, and in the remnant whom YHWH shall call. (Joe 2:27-32 KJV)

This scripture in the context is about the Day of YHWH and His return and overcoming the Babylonian system that has overtaken and completely absorbed the earth. From reading this you don’t really get that it’s about Pentecost, although Peter used this scripture for a good set of reasons, and we will go into the details of that in part 4 when we look into Acts chapters 1 and 2 in detail. Even though this scripture is associated with Pentecost, I think it’s there for a different purpose, not specifically this event that we just read happens on Pentecost, but it might. The culmination of the Day of YHWH may have its culmination on Pentecost but I don’t think the evidence is strong with that.

Also on the Day of Shavuot or Pentecost in Acts 2 as we will study is about the birth date of the New Assembly or new contract church, the ecclesia, the people that are called out.

Background – Old Covenant – Shavuot
There is a little bit about the background about the name, or the term Shavuot or Pentecost. Shavuot is derived from this word found in Strongs, number H7620 = shabua it means sevened, a week (of years), seven, week. The plural of it appears to be this word that we use for Shavuot, the uot signifying the plural on the end of shabua, or shavua. I don’t see that we find Shavuot in the scriptures, you see shabua, and you see the word for week commonly translated as shabua in the scriptures. I don’t see that you actually find this name Shavuot but that is what it has grown to be called. Shavuot means that it is about the counting of weeks. The Hebrews or the Israelites had more of a circular mentality when it came to logic. Counting in weeks and cyclical weekly patterns is why this word is used it being shabua or Shavuot.

When we get to the New Testament the Greeks took over translating and the word Shavuot became Pentecost. Pentecost derives from 50^th, or counting to 50. It is derived from meaning the 50^th so if you look in the New Contract, you will see that Strongs has it identified as G4005. G4005 = pen-tay-kos-tay= fiftieth, from Passover, the festival of Pentecost. We will get into the Passover week and how it’s counted later.

A couple of anchors to have in your mind and the first being the Passover wave sheaf offering is the barley harvest. Barley harvest initiates the count to Shavuot. That omer as it is sometimes called during the Passover week; during the Days of Unleavened Bread is what initiates the count to Shavuot. The Barley harvest wave sheaf offering is the day after the weekly Sabbath during the days of Unleavened Bread. I will get into the proof of why we think that’s the case rather than another alternative, and we will look into the other alternative so you can make up your own mind.

In Leviticus 23 the first instruction we will read.

Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap (notice that it says reap, not sow) the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: And he shall wave the sheaf before YHWH, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. (Lev 23:10-11 KJV)

This is talking about the instruction of the day after, the morrow after the Sabbath is when the priests should wave this offering. It’s a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest. When you study into this you will realize that this has to be barley at this point of the year. Barley was the first crop at is point and time in the year what we would call the springtime or early spring. This is the barley harvest that’s talked about and it initiates the count to Pentecost. It’s important to keep that in mind because the days are linked together and they are significantly associated with one another as a result of this term called first fruits. Of note, in Joshua chapter 5 the scripture says:

And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho. (This is at the end of the 40 year period of time just before the Israelites went into the Promised Land and of course Joshua, the first Yahushua was in charge and the scriptures tell us here that they kept the Passover and it also gives is insight into counting the to the day of Shavuot under a certain set of circumstances when Passover occurs on the weekly Sabbath. This next verse and I won’t go into details of it so that you have it as part of the foundation, but it gives us some insightful information that in some years is actually useful. A couple of years ago this exact situation happened on the Gregorian calendar.) And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day. (Jos 5:10-11 KJV)

What this is telling us in one short sentence is that the day after the Passover, and so you wonder what day was that? They obviously had to make an offering because they not only ate the old corn, and this means the old grain of the land. This grain was before the new barley harvest was ready to go, and they ate that. By the way, they didn’t sow it, they only reaped it. It was already put there by the Canaanites, the Amalekites and tribes that were indigenous to the land now being dispossessed by the Israelites coming. The crops were already there grown by the natives and the Israelites were picking of them. They ate the old corn and unleavened cakes and the key to this is parched corn on the selfsame day. Selfsame is the word eht-sem that we’ve looked at in the past and eht-sem, when you see this word selfsame particularly when it’s eht-sem. To me it’s a heads up because it’s significant what this is saying. The old corn or grain is eaten as well as the new grain on the same day.

If you look into subsequent verses you see that the manna stopped the day after. What’s all going on here is that the Passover would have had to have been on the weekly Sabbath because we know that the omer or wave sheaf offering happened on the day after the Sabbath which would be the following day or Sunday on our calendar. This was the First Day of Unleavened Bread. This scripture puts all of that together in a very short 2 sentence verse and it’s helpful in some years in accounting.

Instructions – Counting Emphasis is in several different places so we want to review them.

Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread we will start with the Passover and the Days of Unleavened bread.

And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame (eht-sem) day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.(On the selfsame day) In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. (These two words leaven and leavened are actually different Hebrew words. One of them is seor and the other is leavened bread. This is another set of instructions that we go into detail in Session 3.) Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread. Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. For YHWH will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, YHWH will pass over the door, and will not suffer (permit) the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. (Exo 12:17-24 KJV)

These are the instructions of the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread and jumping ahead to Exodus 23

Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. (Exo 23:14 KJV)

This is the first time that you see this in the scriptures and it’s notable when it is. It’s when they first arrived at Mount Sinai. This is during the Ten Commandments event when the stones, or the Ten Commandments were given on the mount. Another series of legislation was given between Exodus 19 and 23. These were what YHWH had in mind as the eternal rules of housekeeping. He says that there are three feast seasons and goes on to describe them.

Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:) (Of note, I want to show you that oftentimes today, this scripture is used during Holy Day meetings and the context it’s used in is sad because whoever is making the offertory will say to use this scripture and tell the audience or all of the parishioners that are in the Assembly they will say “for in it you came out of Egypt and you shouldn’t come before me empty” meaning without your checkbook. That isn’t what this says, the word empty is a Hebrew word and it means to come emptily, ineffectually, undeservedly, without cause, empty, in vain and void. So the word is describing your attitude not your checkbook. Now certainly I understand and agree that making financial donations is the thing to do, but this scripture is talking about the ineffectual attitude of coming before YHWH on these Holy Days. It’s not about your bank account, the second feast season is:) And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field. (Exo 23:15-16 KJV)

Notice that the Feast of Ingathering referring to Tabernacles or booths is in the end of the year. What happens next? A new year starts so we might have this upside down that the idea the new year starts in the spring. The first month starts in the spring; Abib in the scriptures says that it’s the beginning of months. It doesn’t say that it’s the beginning of the year. This scripture shows us when the year ends and when the new begins. There are a number of other scriptures and we will hit this with a little more detail in a subsequent session.

Exodus chapter 34 we see another reference to this time of the year:

And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, (We know for sure looking at this that the Feast of Weeks, Shabua is about the wheat harvest) and the feast of ingathering at the year’s end. Thrice in the year shall all your men children appear before YHWH, the Elohim of Israel. (Exo 34:22-23 KJV)

We see from these the details of the three feast seasons. Going on in Leviticus 23 the instructions about the wave sheaf and how to count and this starts to be what’s important in terms of getting to the proper date for Shavuot.

Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: And he shall wave the sheaf before YHWH, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto YHWH. And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto YHWH for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin. (I think it’s notable and again we are planting a foundation now, and we will come back to some of these details but notice that the offering during the Days of Unleavened Bread during this wave sheaf is two tenths deals of fine flour and it’s a fourth part of hin of wine.) And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your Elohim: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, (so this is how we start our count to Pentecost) 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 YHWH. Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto YHWH. (Lev 23:10-17 KJV)

The nickname that I have put on this presentation that you probably hadn’t heard before is the Feast of Leavened Bread and the reason that’s there is because of this instruction. The two loaves that are offered are baked with leaven. This is a good instruction set and we go back to verse 11 because I want to highlight it from the Septuagint because it’s of interest. You will see that it says on the morrow after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. Remember I told you there were different counting methodologies. Look what the Septuagint says in this same verse.

and he shall lift up the sheaf before YHWH, to be accepted for you. On the morrow of the first day the priest shall lift it up. (Lev 23:11 Brenton)

What this is getting at is it’s the day after the first day shall the priest lift it up. But it begs the question, the day after the first day of what? It would be the First Day of Unleavened Bread. This is a reference to counting from the annual Holy Day. Are they Sabbaths? What are they? Are they Holy Convocations? They certainly are Holy Days because the scriptures tell us that. The Septuagint shows us that it is saying that it’s the morrow after the first day. I believe this is insinuating the First Day of Unleavened Bread. It’s somewhat of interest that it is there. You will find these differences when you start comparing the Septuagint and the Masoretic Text versions.

The bottom line is that you count seven Sabbaths, and the next day, the fiftieth day you offer two loaves with leavened bread.

Deuteronomy 16:1, 8-12, 16 – Feast of Weeks
Deuteronomy 16 gives us some final instructions to look at. Keep in mind that Deuteronomy was written at Moab some forty years after the Israelites left Egypt.

Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto YHWH thy Elohim: for in the month of Abib YHWH thy Elohim brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.
(Deu 16:1 KJV)

Jumping down to verse 8

Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to YHWH thy Elohim: thou shalt do no work therein. Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks (Shabua) from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn. (This word corn is a King James usage, old King James usage of corn is grain) And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto YHWH thy Elohim with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto YHWH thy Elohim, according as YHWH thy Elohim hath blessed thee: And thou shalt rejoice before YHWH thy Elohim, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, (The Gentile) and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which YHWH thy Elohim hath chosen to place his name there. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes. (Deu 16:8-12 KJV)

The same instruction that we’ve read previously is found in Deuteronomy as well.

Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before YHWH your Elohim in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before YHWH empty: ( empty means ineffectually, empty, void, vain) (Deu 16:16 KJV)

We see some amount of scripture that shows us how to count and what YHWH had in mind in the methodology. I want to show you the emphasis on first fruits as we continue. Exodus 22 will start this thought process.

Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me. (Exo 22:29 KJV)

YHWH wants the first, He wants the best, He wants the beginning and you shall not delay to offer the first of your ripe fruits. Because of our farming background where we live, we love to offer, thank and pray to YHWH when we see the first of anything from our garden. We just had the first of asparagus, then lettuce. What a blessing it is when we see the first of things that come available. When that happens we stop to thank YHWH, whether it’s apples, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, grapes or whatever it is we have the first of, there is always the first picking of something. What a blessing it is to honor YHWH with the first of these blessings that he provides us.

In Leviticus 23 we continue with the instructions in verse 10. Verses 10–13 are about the wave sheaf. To refresh what we read earlier:

Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: And he shall wave the sheaf before YHWH, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto YHWH. And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto YHWH for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin.
(Lev 23:10-13 KJV)

Verse 14 talks about not eating any of the new until you have this particular wave sheaf offering.

And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your Elohim: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. (Lev 23:14 KJV)

Verse 15 you go on from there and count 50 days:

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:
(Lev 23:15 KJV)

A couple of points that are in here, first are the two perfect lambs mentioned in verses 17-19.

Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves (leavened) of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto YHWH. 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 YHWH, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto YHWH. 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. (Lev 23:17-19 KJV)

I’ll show you in a couple of sessions from now a little more about the peace offering, and it is an offering made with leaven. This relates to that.

Pentecost is referred to as the Day of First Fruits so when we see first fruits mentioned associated with Pentecost, we certainly don’t want to confuse that with first fruits that are associated with the Days of Unleavened Bread. In English we use the same words first fruits, but take a look at the two different kinds of first fruits. You will see that in this particular section of scripture. The first kind is found in verse 10. This is the offering that is given, and the first fruits that are associated with the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread.

Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits ^{H7225= ray-sheeth =the first in place, time, order and rank} of your harvest unto the priest: (Lev 23:10 KJV)

In contrast going down to verse 20, so even though it’s translated first fruits in English, this means the first fruits of the crop. Perhaps this helps to turn on some lights. The first in time, order and rank ray-sheeth is what is offered during the Passover season. That which is the first of the crop or bik-kor is what is offered during Shavuot. Obviously this has allegorical implications. The ray-sheeth first fruits are pointing to Yahushua Messiah. Yahushua is the first in time, order and rank obviously.

And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits ^{H1061=bik-kor=the first of the crop} for a wave offering before YHWH, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to YHWH for the priest. (Lev 23:20 KJV)

In the first from the crop are those Believers of The Way that follow. That is what is being represented with the use of bik-kor, the first of the crop.

One thing that just recently came up in studying this chapter in Leviticus 23, it became apparent to me that there are three types of Holy Convocations.

Feasts of YHWH – Three Types of Holy Convocations (Leviticus 23:2) these Holy Convocations are the names that are associated with these Holy Days. We start with a word associated with some of the days which is Shabbat, and another word that is associated with other Holy Days which is Shabbathon. A third group doesn’t use association of Shabbat or Shabbathon and they are called a Sacred Meeting and Holy Convocations and are Sabbaths Shabbath – H7676 Intermission, specifically the Sabbath. We see that the Sabbath day is referenced the weekly Sabbath with the word Shabbat. We also see that Atonement is associated with Shabbat and that the Sabbatical year as well as the Wave sheaf day.

When we go through this set of scriptures we see that the Memorial of Trumpets is associated with the Shabbathon as well as the Feast of Tabernacles and the Eighth Day after the Feast of Tabernacles. The land Sabbath itself is referenced as a Shabbat and a Shabbathon.

I’m mentioned the weekly Sabbath and all of the Fall Holy Days but the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread and Shavuot are not specified as a Shabbat or Shabbathon. It was a surprise to me to see this. We commonly say the Sabbath not only referring to the weekly Sabbath but all of the special Holy Days. The special Holy Days include the spring and fall Holy Days but when we look into the scriptures we see that the first and last days of Unleavened Bread and Shavuot are specified as Holy Convocations and a sacred meeting but they are not called out as specifically Sabbaths.

Going all the way back to Genesis we get some very early calendar instructions in Genesis chapter one.

Feast appointments set at creation

And Elohim said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, ^{H226=signal, flag, beacon} and for seasons, ^{H4150=moad=appointment, fixed time, festival, assembly} and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And Elohim made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And Elohim set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and YHWH saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. (Gen 1:14-19 KJV)

The lights in the heavens are for signals, signs and beacons and therefore seasons.

The fourth day is when the signs in heaven the sun and moon were made, yes and the stars also although the sun and the moon are the main signs that are being talked about. The stars are made, yes he made them, but he made the sun and moon for what is called seasons. The word seasons is the Hebrew word 4150 and it means moad , an appointment, fixed time, festival, and an assembly. This word is used in a number of places not necessarily translated as just seasons but we will see when we look at the instructions in Leviticus that it’s an appointment, a festival and an assembly.

It’s stunning to see that in the beginning, in Genesis the instructions for Holy Days. The moad, fixed times and festivals are given to us and the instructions of what we look to in order to count them. The instructions include the sun and the moon.

And Elohim spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, concerning the feasts of Elohim, which ye shall proclaim to be holy^{H6944=kodesh=sacred, dedicated, consecrated} convocations ^{H4744=miqra=called out public meeting, rehersal} , even these are my feasts ^{H4150=moad=appointment, fixed time, festival, assembly}. (Lev 23:1-2 KJV)

These are sacred and dedicated being Holy Convocations and the word convocations means to be called out, it’s a rehearsal. A rehearsal for what? It would be a rehearsal for YHWH’s plan of salvation through these Holy Days. Even these are my feasts, here the word moad is translated feasts. It is the same word that we just read being H4150=moad=appointment, fixed time, a festival, assembly. It’s the same word we read in Genesis and it means these are the festivals, these are the assembly times. If you need a list of YHWH’s appointed times and his festivals, you can find this in Leviticus 23 which gives us a good detail of all of them.

Taking a look at a couple of examples so you can see in the Hebrew what I’m talking about.

Shabbath – H7676 Intermission, specifically the Sabbath
Seventh day Sabbath Leviticus 23:3
No work of any kind Sabbath ^H7676 of rest ^H7677

Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath ^{H7677=rest, shabbathon, special holiday} of rest, an holy convocation ^{H4744=mik-raw=something called out, rehearsal, public meeting, assembly}; ye shall do no work therein: it is the Sabbath ^{H7676=intermission} of YHWH in all your dwellings. (Lev 23:3 KJV)

All three words are being used here, the Shabbat shows us in this instruction that the weekly Sabbath is all three. No work of any kind. Jumping down in this chapter to verse 27:

Atonement Leviticus 23:27-32
No work of any kind Sabbath ^H7676 of rest ^H7677 Every rehearsal, every appointment of YHWH is a holy convocation, but not all of them are Shabbats. This one is.

Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto YHWH. And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before YHWH your Elohim. For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people. And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people. Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be unto you a Sabbath ^{H7676 intermission} of rest ^{H7677 special holiday, Sabbath}, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.
(Lev 23:27-32 KJV)

We understand the start and the end of the day from even to the end of the day the next even. When we look for the terminology that is associated with Shabbat, this is what we find.

Shabbathon – H7677 = Special Holiday
From H7676, a sabbatism (strict observance of the Sabbath)
Trumpets – Leviticus 23:24 – no servile work

Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath ^{H7677=shabbathon=special holiday, rest}, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. (Lev 23:24 KJV)

A few verses later, verse 34 it shows us that the Feast of Tabernacles falls into this same category:
Feast of Tabernacles Leviticus 23:34-35, 39 – no servile work

Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto YHWH. On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. (Lev 23:34-35 KJV)

Eighth Day – Leviticus 23:36, 39 – no servile work

Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto YHWH seven days: on the first day shall be a Sabbath ^{H7677=shabbathon} , and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath . ^{H7677=shabbathon} (Lev 23:39 KJV)

Solemn assembly – Numbers 29:35 (H6116=atsarah)

Land Sabbatical – Leviticus 25:5 Last occurrence of H7677

The land Sabbath is somewhat a special case and this happens every 7^th year on a 49 year basis and then an intercalated 50^th year which is a separate year in the count. The Jubilee is a 50 year count but notice the Sabbatical count:

That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest ^{H7677=shabbaton=rest} unto the land. (Lev 25:5 KJV)

That year of rest is a Shabbaton and it goes on to say:

And the sabbath ^{H7676 intermission, rest} of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee. (Lev 25:6 KJV)

The land Sabbath is somewhat a special case, the land is resting just as you rest on the seventh day Sabbath. The seventh day, the seventh year Sabbatical is a land rest for the same, it’s not just a land rest it’s a forgiving of debts, and it’s a reset of a number of the financial items that go along with the society. Not the same reset, the master reset is on the 50^th year when property is returned, there isn’t such a thing as a fee simple land transaction in YHWH’s instruction it’s more like a lease. This gives us a little insight into how the shabbathon is used in scripture.

The last is the Holy Convocation, these are all holy convocations so far, but you will note that the Passover is not, nor do people consider the Passover as a Sabbath, it’s a special meeting that you have associated now with the New Covenant and a renewal of your commitment to Yahushua through the taking of the emblems of the bread and wine that we take just before the Days of Unleavened Bread to signify our re-commitment in the New Covenant. We don’t see the term Shabbat or Shabbathon associated with the Days of Unleavened Bread.

Holy Convocation – Sacred Meetings are not specified as Sabbath and by the way, if you go look in other places I think you’ll find the same thing. By the way, if you look in other places I think this is all in agreement and in harmony with the rest of the scriptures.
Passover – Leviticus 23:5

In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is YHWH’S Passover. (Lev 23:5 KJV)

First Day of Unleavened Bread – Leviticus 23:6-7 – no servile work

And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto YHWH: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation ^{H4744=mik-raw=meeting, rehearsal}: ye shall do no servile work therein.
(Lev 23:6-7 KJV)

Doesn’t say anything about a Sabbath, only a holy convocation and perhaps this is intended to be interchangeable terminology, but it certainly doesn’t say. I think YHWH’s word is precise and accurate and to the point. That which is a Sabbath he calls a Sabbath, and that which not specifically a Sabbath is not called a Sabbath. We haven’t changed any of our practices here, we honor these days and know they are holy convocations. Pentecost is no different.

Last Day of Unleavened Bread – Leviticus 23:8 – no servile work, solemn assembly
Deuteronomy 16:8 (H6116-atsarah)

But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto YHWH seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation ^{H4744=mik-raw=meeting, rehearsal}: ye shall do no servile work therein.
(Lev 23:8 KJV)

We’ve learned from this that the personality and the practice and the demeanor of these days and what we are to do and what pleases YHWH.

Solemn assembly – Deuteronomy 16:8 (H6116=atsarah)
Shavuot – Leviticus 23:21 – no servile work

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. (Lev 23:21 KJV)

Looking through this it’s interesting to make these distinctions. The many years we’ve been keeping these feasts up until now we have always been referring to the Days of Unleavened Bread are Sabbaths and I think when I see these scriptures I see it’s not the case. They are holy convocations, yes there are Sabbath days and the Day of Atonement is specifically a Shabbat and the land rest is a Shabbat for the land but I think the terminology speaks for itself. Once you see this, you start to see in the scriptures there seems to be note of these three distinctions. A couple of examples are:

Spring Feasts not identified as Sabbaths – cf. 1 Chronicles 23:31, Nehemiah 10:33,
Ezra 45:17

And to offer all burnt sacrifices unto YHWH in the Sabbaths ^{H7676=shabbat=intermission} in the new moons ^{H2320=kodesh=month}, and on the set feasts ^{H4150=moade=appointment, signal} by number, according to the order commanded unto them, continually before YHWH:
(1Ch 23:31 KJV)

It seems to be that these are three distinct types of feasts and festivals that YHWH is talking about. The new moons being separate category that we haven’t addressed here, we don’t believe and see that the new moon is a Sabbath day and never have but it is a special note to it because it is how we count. It’s noteworthy to keep track of the new moons and we do here. Another example is in Nehemiah.

For the shewbread, and for the continual meat offering, and for the continual burnt offering, of the sabbaths¹, of the new moons², for the set feasts³, and for the holy things, and for the sin offerings to make an atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our Elohim. (Neh 10:33 KJV)

Nehemiah ordered it in this same way. Ezekiel 45 is of interest in this dialogue from a couple of perspectives. Ezekiel 45:17 is likely looking forward to sometime during, the thousand years millennium when there will be a third Temple after Solomon’s, then Ezra, Zerubbabel and Nehemiah rebuilt the original Temple and of course there was Temple 2.1 with Herod, but we don’t count that as a new Temple. This Temple that’s talked about here in Ezekiel seems to be yet in the future. The dimensions of the property and the locations are different and much grander in scale than the previous Temples that we know about. This is the section that some people tend to try to relate that there will be sacrifices in the millennium, and we will discuss that in a bit.

And it shall be the prince’s part to give burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and drink offerings, in the feasts¹, and in the new moons², and in the sabbaths³, (You see this same terminology feasts #1, new moons #2, and Sabbaths #3 mentioned here in Ezekiel. It is thought that these offerings are going backward to the Levitical system of offering animals) in all solemnities of the house of Israel: he shall prepare the sin offering, and the meat offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make reconciliation for the house of Israel. (Eze 45:17 KJV)

Obviously this is forward looking and it’s obviously a Temple that hasn’t been built. In vision Ezekiel is writing about this and when you take a look at chapter 40 he’s writing about it on Rosh Hashanah on what is likely a 50^th year Jubilee. People think when they read this that obviously the easy conclusion is that there are animal sacrifices again. Let me show you what this word prepare means.

The prince is doing this and the prince, I think arguably, is the Messiah Yahushua is making these offerings. He is preparing the sin offering and it’s easy to jump to the conclusion that he’s preparing actual animal sacrifice. Let’s look at what this word prepare means. It’s from H6213, aw-saw, to do or make, to become, to bear, to bestow, to bring forth. Instead of prepare you could translate this word to become, to bear or to bring forth. He shall prepare is what it says, but he could bring forth the sin offering. He could do or make the sin offering and he could be it himself and I think that’s exactly what this is getting at.

This word, prepare, is in five different places in this series of scriptures. Every time we see prepare, we think of animal sacrifices. I think what this is telling us is the prince became or is making himself to be the sacrifice. Seven days of the feast he shall become a burnt offering to YHWH. This was yet in the future when he did that. You can study this on your own. The point of this was primarily to show you the differences in the three different categories that we are talking about.

There is one scripture that I want to draw to your attention because it’s somewhat an anomaly to this and we find it in John 13. It’s about the high day, which is called the Sabbath. This is just after the crucifixion of Yahushua and the discussion of we can’t be leaving that body on that stake because there is a Sabbath day coming. We call it a Sabbath day and here’s why.

The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day, (for that Sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
(Joh 19:31 KJV)

Here we see in John, and I think this is the only reference you see about the high day. This high day means mega day. It’s associated and called a Sabbath here in this particular scripture. John was the one that talked about the Feast of the Jews. John says it’s the Feast of Passover of the Jews, the Feast of Tabernacles of the Jews so it’s no surprise to me that he would have this. I know that the Temple had become very corrupt at this point in time. We will see evidence of that as we go. The Temple had been corrupt so they are calling this day of Unleavened Bread a Sabbath day but there isn’t any legislation that you see in the Torah that shows us that. I think you’d have to agree with that and it may be a surprise, you may not like it, but it’s what it shows us as we look at the scripture in Leviticus 23.

In no way shape or form am I saying we should not be observing these Holy Convocations, Shabbats and Shabbathons, we observe all of them and think it’s important in YHWH’s plan of salvation and rejoice to have the opportunity to do just that.

Shavuot Instructions – Leavened Bread Specified

Shavuot instructions mark the conclusion of the fifty day count after the barley, the omar, that’s mentioned in Leviticus 23. Fifty days later, after seven complete weekly Sabbaths, Shavuot is celebrated. Shavuot comes at the end of the barley harvest. We see that from several different scriptures. It acknowledges when the produce from the new grain, which is the wheat is offered by the priest. The first fruits are waved as an offering at Shavuot.

The Torah specifies that leavened bread is used during this period of time. I thought leaven had to do with sin, that’s what a lot of commentaries and study that people have done. When you read about it, many groups use leaven totally as sin. Well yes, we got rid of leaven when we left Egypt, but now fifty days later we have to have it again. Are we going back into sin? We will address that question in more detail in the fifth part of this series, but it’s an interesting question because in Leviticus 23 it says:

Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto YHWH. (This meat offering is bloodless; it doesn’t mean meat like animal. It’s a bloodless offering that’s being talked about.) Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto YHWH. (Lev 23:16-17 KJV)

We were to do one of these during the first wave sheaf at the Days of Unleavened Bread. Now we are to do two of these loaves, they shall be of fine flour. However, they are baked with sin. Oh! But it says leaven. Now is this leaven sin? What does this represent? If they are baked with leaven and they are first fruits, is there anything wrong with them? Of interest, what is the size of this? When you read this, it is two tenth deals. A deal means an omer, so a tenth of a deal is a part of an omer. We know from Exodus 16 the relationship; it says:

Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah. (Exo 16:36 KJV)

An omer is the tenth part of an epah so when you study into this, you will find that a deal and an omer is one in the same. An omer is thought to be 2 dry quarts. Two tenth deals is about one gallon. We are talking about a gallon of dough here to make each loaf of leavened bread.

Significance of the Wave Sheaf – Old Covenant – and to summarize this section, we see that the sheaves of barley harvest are brought to the priests and presented to YHWH. The wave sheaf marks the beginning of the harvest season. Barley is the first crop.

Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: (Lev 23:10 KJV)

The wave sheaf is offered the day after the weekly Sabbath.

And he shall wave the sheaf before YHWH, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. (Lev 23:11 KJV)

The barley harvest begins immediately after the Wave Sheaf so once the Wave Sheaf happens then you can harvest.

Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn. (Deu 16:9 KJV)

The Barley First Fruits is tantamount to an agricultural “thank you” to YHWH. It commemorates the first fruits of the spring harvest.

The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of YHWH your Elohim. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk. (Exo 23:19 KJV)

All of this initiates the fifty day count to Shavuot.

Calendar Accounting – Shavuot – Two main calendar alternatives, there are several.
I have labeled them the Pharisee protocol and the Sadducee protocol (same as Karaite). You don’t find this terminology in the scriptures but it’s a way to label something so we can understand which we are talking about.

The Pharisee protocol is thought to be that which counts to Pentecost starting on Abib 16, which is the day after the First Day of Unleavened Bread. It’s unassociated with a fixed day of the week and is noted in the Septuagint version of that instruction. The Septuagint dates back to 200 -250 BCE and the beginning of the serious corruption of the Temple, so it’s not surprising to see that in there. The Pharisee protocol and the development of the Pharisees date back to those dates also. The count ends with Pentecost on the third month which would be Sivan in the Babylonian calendar which they now call the Hebrew Calendar on Sivan 5 or 6, fifty days later. Again Pentecost is unassociated with a particular day of the week. The Pharisee protocol starts and counts from the day after what they would call the Annual Sabbath, or the Annual High Day as it was seen in John 19:31 that we read earlier.

In contrast, the Sadducee protocol counts from the day after the weekly Sabbath. This is the same as what you would see the Karaite groups today and how they count. It’s the weekly Sabbath during the Days of Unleavened Bread, and it is important to say it’s during the Days of Unleavened Bread, not outside of. That ends up with Pentecost always on a Sunday fifty days later. Now some would say Monday, and the difference between whether it’s always Sunday or always Monday is dependent if you are counting inclusively or exclusively. In other words, it is zero on the count or is it one? We think it’s one, so when we count to Pentecost we end up with Pentecost on a Sunday. You have to do your own homework on that.

There are a couple of other permutations of this and one of them that is of interest is what the Essenes did at Qumran. The Essenes had their own protocol for this because they used what was known as the Enoch or the Qumran Calendar. Someone called it the Jubilee’s Calendar. The Jubilee’s Calendar, Enoch or the Qumran Calendar fundamentally are the same. There are some minor variations as far as I saw when I looked into it. It’s a 364 day fixed calendar. It’s divided up into four sections of 91 days each. There are two 30 day months followed by a 31 day month and that cycle is repeated. Interestingly enough, the start of the year is the day after the spring equinox. That day on the Qumran Calendar always starts with a Wednesday.

If the Qumran Calendar was in effect today would be a good businessman’s calendar because every year is a repeat of the previous year. The days of the week and the association of the Holy Days fall out to be exactly the same year to year. The Qumran Calendar though has the Wave Sheaf day one on the count of fifty and always occurs on the 26^th day of the first month which is a Sunday. The resulting fifty days later always occurs on the 15^th day of the third month which is a Sunday. They count from the day after the weekly Sabbath after the Last Day of Unleavened Bread so they count outside of the Days of Unleavened Bread.

Other permutations to this would include what we would call today the Hillel Two Calendar, or the Calculated Hebrew Calendar. Many people use this calculation, the Churches of God generally use the Calculated Hebrew Calendar but there are certainly some exceptions. Certainly Judaism, as they count to Shavuot uses the Calculated Calendar.

Another permutation of that of course is the first visible new moon crescent calendar. That is the calendar we use ourselves. We wait for the first visible crescent to be visible in Jerusalem and then since the law proceeds from Zion, we know that Jerusalem is the center of the earth. We count the calendar from that perspective.

First we will examine the Pharisee protocol if we model the 30^th year CE when Yahushua was crucified.

Josephus Testimony – Josephus (a Pharisee) wrote historical accounts showing both counting methods. He has some dialogue about this ad I think it’s of interest to look at this. We see that the Pharisee method is found in Josephus. When we studied this going back 6 to 8 years ago, one of the arguments that you see that the Pharisee protocol, or the Pharisee method is correct is that Josephus says that’s what was going on in the first century. Certainly it would say that Josephus is a solid historian and we use his material a lot to look into history but it is not scripture. We consider it good reference material. This is what he says in Ant 3.10.5, and starting in verse 4:

4. Upon the fifteenth day of the same month, when the season of the year is changing for winter, the law enjoins us to pitch tabernacles in every one of our houses, (This is talking about the Feast of Tabernacles, and on the 8^th day and going on into the next paragraph he goes on)

5. In the month of Xanthicus, (He’s talking about the Holy Days) which is by us called Nisan, and is the beginning of our year, (He says it’s the beginning of the year. The scripture says it’s the beginning of months) on the fourteenth day of the lunar month, when the sun is in Aries, (We see from this that the sun is in Aries and we know the window of time that occurs. That is fundamentally from the spring equinox, March 21^st to April 20^th or so, give or take a day, so that’s when the sun is in Aries. That is when they were celebrating Passover in his time. He goes on to say, he’s talking about Passover) …….and so we do celebrate this passover in companies, leaving nothing of what we sacrifice till the day following. The feast of unleavened bread succeeds that of the passover, and falls on the fifteenth day of the month, and continues seven days, (So far, so good)

But on the second day of unleavened bread, which is the sixteenth day of the month, they first partake of the fruits of the earth, for before that day they do not touch them. ……they offer the first-fruits of their barley……after this it is that they may publicly or privately reap their harvest.

This seems to be solid evidence of how the first century Pharisees and Sadducees and particularly Judaism were keeping the count. I will suffice it to say that this was written after the fall of the Temple. Before the fall of the Temple the Sadducees were in charge and after the fall of the Temple the Sadducees disappeared and the Pharisees took over. It’s no wonder he would have written it this way. Those that are advocates of this method use this historical dialogue from Josephus to say, “See, here is how they were doing it in the first century.” The problem is, and I didn’t discover this until a year or two after I knew about this record, but there is a Sadducee method mentioned by Josephus as well. For those who aren’t aware of this, take a look in Antiquities 13.8.4. It is a time previous to the first century so this actually goes back to the second century BCE, so this is some 150 or 200 years earlier in Josephus’ Historical record. This guy who’s name was John Hyrcanus was in charge. He was of the Hasmonian Dynasty and lived around 120 BCE.

But Hyrcanus opened the sepulcher of David, who excelled all other kings in riches, and took out of it three thousand talents.

That’s a lot of gold. A talent is thought to be about 75 pounds and some say up to 90 pounds. 3,000 talents is a lot of gold. But this is a story of the history when there was some conflict going on and there was a Seleucid king whose name was Antiochus, a follower of Antiochus Epiphanes, it’s not the same guy but in that period of time.

“When Antiochus had erected a trophy at the river Lycus, upon his conquest of Indates, the general of the Parthians, he staid there two days. It was at the desire of Lyrcanus the Jew, (Lyrcanus would be John Hyrcanus) because it was such a festival derived to them from their forefathers, whereon the law of the Jews did not allow them to travel.” And truly he did not speak falsely in saying so; for that festival, which we call Pentecost, did then fall out to be the next day to the Sabbath. (The weekly Sabbath) Nor is it lawful for us to journey, either on the Sabbath day, or on a festival day. Antiquities 13.8.4

This is a real golden nugget buried here in Josephus that in this period of time of John Hyrcanus the Pentecost was kept following the weekly Sabbath. After the Temple it was kept counting from the day after the day of First Day of Unleavened Bread and Josephus goes on to say in a subsequent section in 13.10.6, he talks about the corruption of the Pharisees.

What I would now explain is this, that the Pharisees have delivered to the people a great many observances by succession from their fathers, which are not written in the laws of Moses; and for that reason it is that the Sadducees reject them, and say that we are to esteem those observances to be obligatory which are in the written word, but are not to observe what are derived from the tradition of our forefathers. And concerning these things it is that great disputes and differences have arisen among them, while the Sadducees are able to persuade none but the rich, and have not the populace obsequious to them, but the Pharisees have the multitude on their side. Antiquities 13.10.6

Because they catered to the bourgeoisie, the common man, to the poor and so they had a lot more people associated with them and they influenced a lot more people to do what they said to be correct but that has to do with the traditions of the fathers. This is an interesting study, somewhat of a side bench to discuss but it’s interesting to dig into.

Because grandpa Mattathias was the first of the Maccabean family and his great grandfather was Hasmos, it became Hasmonean or the Hasmonean Dynasty; I think is how this goes. I don’t know that it’s provable of that being the case but I believe it’s the best explanation of why it’s called Hasmonean. The guy we are talking about is John Hyrcanus and he lived in the early 100 BCE timeframe. Of course to highlight this dynasty of Maccabean or Hasmonean’s ended up with an Edomite. An Idumaean whose name was Herod married the daughter of Alexander whose name was Mariamne . Herod declared himself a Jew and King of the Jews. The rest of the story is amazing as it unfolds from there.

Pharisee Protocol represented the common man and the count initiated the day after the First Day of Unleavened Bread. Keep in mind, after the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE the Sadducees were no longer in control. The historical records became corrupted and biased toward the Pharisee’s because they no longer had Sadducees trying to rule them. We see the Talmud and the Mishnah develop that has these rulings from the elders and the fathers and are Pharisee in background and nature. What morphed into rabbinic Judaism today came from that background. It’s not a surprise that the Pharisee counting protocol is widely used today.

Tradition of the elders though is something that Yahushua took them to task on. It says in Mark:

For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables. Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of YHWH, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of YHWH, that ye may keep your own tradition. (Mar 7:3-9 KJV)

Caveat emtor; beware of the tradition of the Pharisee’s. If you were to take a look at a calendar back in 30 CE and put the crucifixion of Yahushua and the Holy Days on this calendar, we see the Passover was on Thursday in 30 CE, it wasn’t on a Wednesday and it wasn’t on a Friday it was on a Thursday. The first Day of Unleavened Bread was on a Friday and the Wave Sheaf Day according to the scriptures was on a Sunday, the same day as the Resurrection. But according to what the Pharisee’s would have calculated this year, but I’m not sure if they were actually calculating it this way, I know that’s what they ultimately did. The Sadducees were in effect and in control. They were the head priests so they probably over-ruled the Pharisees in a lot of their traditions. There are a couple of alternatives. There might have been two different Wave Sheaves depending upon which political group you were in, the Pharisees or the Sadducees. There might have only been a Sadducee option. In any case, if the Pharisees had their way, they would have had the Wave Sheaf on the weekly Sabbath, the day after the First Day of Unleavened Bread, or the 16^th day of Abib. That would count down to Pentecost being some fifty days later and that would fall out on the weekly Sabbath in this particular year. Keep in mind the Pharisee protocol can start on any given day and it will end on any given day fifty days later. It’s not attached to a day of the week.

Sadducee Protocol by contrast is a count from the day after the weekly Sabbath during the Days of Unleavened Bread. The Sadducees were representative of the rich, the aristocracy; they were few in number but mighty in their political authority. They controlled the Temple and if you recall Luke 16, beginning in verse 19, the man that fared sumptuously every day and he dressed in great purple clothes and he led a full and complete lifestyle. That’s talking about Annas and Caiaphas, his sons and that whole series of scripture is just fascinating to read through. Associated in contrast is Lazarus, this poor man.

The Sadducees represented the aristocracy and their count ended fifty days on what we would call Shavuot and if they started to count from a Sunday it would end on a Sunday in our calendar. They controlled the Temple administration until 70 CE and it’s noteworthy to remember as you read the scriptures. You will see the loss of the tracks of them and the emergence of only the Pharisees and the rabbinic system developing after 70 CE. Keep in mind the Wave Sheaf occurs after the day of Shabbat it says. That word Shabbat was H7676. If you remember what I showed you on the analysis of the Shabbat, Shabbathon and Holy Convocations there wasn’t a Sabbath or Shabbathon associated with the Days of Unleavened Bread in 23 so by deduction you would have to say counting from the Sabbath is supported only by the scriptural seventh day Sabbath. It’s not supported by the Sabbath being the day of Unleavened Bread because the Day of Unleavened Bread isn’t specified as a Sabbath in that scripture.

And he shall wave the sheaf before YHWH, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. (Lev 23:11 KJV)

That has to be the weekly Sabbath. Originally, many years ago, I kept this Sadducee protocol and then because of the reading in Josephus, I changed to the Pharisee protocol, but after more study of it I’ve changed back. I know I’ve been wrong somewhere along the way. Hopefully we have it right today.

If you are a good Sadducee here’s what 30 CE would look like in terms of counting to Pentecost. If Passover being on a Thursday the 14^th of Abib, and the First Day of Unleavened Bread being on that Friday, we would start counting the first of the seven weeks on Sabbath and counting 7 Sabbaths plus one more day is Pentecost which would be Sunday. In 30 CE the counting would be one day different. In any given year in today’s calendar you will see one or two days difference and sometimes a whole month different depending on the new moon cycle and so forth. You will see quite a variation on different dates on when Shavuot really occurs but hopefully this gives you a bit of ammunition so you can make your own determinations.

Also for those who have an interest in some more technical parts of the calendar, there is a calendar program called Biblical Calendar that comes from a group in Australia. I would highlight their website url is www.chcpublications.net. It is a good website with a lot of information and you can install the software on your computer to help you with calendars. There is another calendar program from a man named Dr. Roy Hoffman out of Jerusalem. This information is on our website and you can download them yourself.

New Covenant – Pentecost- First Fruits that are talked about in Pentecost relate to some scripture that goes into the New Covenant, particularly the Resurrection of Yahushua. We see the first fruits are now ready to be presented to the Father. We see that in the Old Covenant, but John 20 actually has this same kind of account and you have to be aware of the first fruits legislation in order to understand this.

The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Yahushua loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Master out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. (Notice this as a sidelight, we are in the book of John. Who wrote the Book of John? John wrote the Book of John. Notice as he writes this, that John says that Mary runs and comes to Simon and to the other disciple. The other disciple was John who Yahushua loved.) Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, (Joh 20:1-6 KJV)

With that background after they left, Mary was still there and jumping down to verses 11 and 17.

But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, (Joh 20:11 KJV)

Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my Elohim, and your Elohim. (Joh 20:17 KJV)

What’s he talking about? Well, it’s Wave Sheaf Day. He hasn’t been offered to the Father yet and that’s what he’s saying. He had just been resurrected; he was resurrected early that morning. He wasn’t resurrected the Sabbath day before at sunset, he was resurrected that morning. You really have to bend the scriptures and have a number of work-arounds to get to a resurrection that’s on the weekly Sabbath at sunset. He was resurrected early that morning before daybreak and he hadn’t risen to the Father yet, and so he said “don’t touch me” until I go to the Father. Apparently this happened very quickly because it wasn’t long after this they were touching him. In any case, it seems though this is a reference to the first fruits believers being represented to the Father through this wave sheaf.

Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (Mat 3:12 KJV)

His wheat is referenced as the First Fruits Believers that he is representing as that Wave Sheaf being sent to the Father at that very moment. Mathew chapter 13 has a good section about wheat farming and we see starting in verse 24.

Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
(Mat 13:24-30 KJV)

The significance of this is pretty stunning. What this wheat is representing is the Believers and the tares represent those that are corrupted, and are those that don’t belong with the crop. We will get into that in Part 5.

Yahushua became first of first fruits during Days of Unleavened Bread, 1 Corinthians chapter 15 is the tagline that we will be using in this series of presentations. You will see it on the front and the end of the presentations and it’s particularly striking and meaningful so I hope you will read this and study it on your own. Contemplate it and pray to YHWH to give you discernment.

But now is Messiah risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Messiah shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Messiah the firstfruits; afterward they that are Messiah’s at his coming.
(1Co 15:20-23 KJV)

Here is the hierarchy of the first fruits and it’s showing us that there is the first of first fruits and then there are first fruits. Fifty days later after the first fruits are given on the day after the weekly Sabbath on the Days of Unleavened Bread

YHWH’s Spirit was given on Pentecost. Act 2:38-39

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Yahushua Messiah for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Spirit. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as YHWH our Elohim shall call. (Act 2:38-39 KJV)

What we know in all of this, and we want to be clear that this Old Covenant is abolished but the Holy Days are not and we that see in 2 Corinthians chapter 3 where this word katargeo is used.

For if that which is done away ^{G2673= katargeo=useless, do away,make void} was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away ^{G2673= katargeo=useless, do away,make void} in Messiah. (2Co 3:11-14 KJV)

Finally, we want to always keep in mind the significance of Yahushua’s sacrifice for us in all of this. This isn’t about the ceremony of a wave sheaf offering, it points forward to the Messiah. It points to His resurrection. It points forward to the day that we will come after him and be resurrected and be glorious with him, Hebrews 10.

For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. (Heb 10:14 KJV)

If there is one offering there isn’t need for new offerings during this millennial time that we talked about in Ezekiel 45:17. This is one of the proofs that we don’t have sacrifices later. One offering, he’s perfected forever.

For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Spirit also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith YHWH, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Messiah, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of YHWH; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) (Heb 10:14-23 KJV)

This provides a background for us and a foundation hopefully for the day of Shavuot or Pentecost. We will move on from this foundation next time and look forward to making the next series in this presentation. There is lots of opportunity to do your own homework, don’t accept what I am saying.

Prove ^{G1381=test, discern, examine} all things; hold fast that which is good. (1Thess 5:21 KJV)

This scripture in Acts is always appropriate when you are studying the word and especially when you are listening to someone’s commentary or presentation. People in Thessalonica searched, be like them.

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched ^{G350=scrutinize, examine} the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. (Act 17:11 KJV)

For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Master; walk as children of light: for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth; proving ^G1381=test, examine what is acceptable ^{G2101=fully agreeable}, well pleasing unto the Master.
(Eph 5:8-10 KJV)

Study to shew thyself approved unto YHWH, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing ^{G3718=make a straight cut} the word of truth. (2Tim 2:15 KJV)

Transcribed from video
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