TAKE A SECOND LOOK, PENTECOST THIS YEAR- WHY IT IS STILL A VERY HIGH WATCH DATE!
The study is a second look at Pentecost as a high watch date, and why it still could be fulfilled this year with the rapture of the Church!
I will focus on two points why I have had to take a second look at Pentecost this year and why it may still be fulfilled this year.
First point- admittedly, I have always been in the camp of thinking that the Feast of Trumpets, Rosh Hashanna would fulfill the rapture.
I thought about Pentecost that there were many similarities and much symbolism in common with the rapture, which I will not go into because many better teachers already have; but I thought a Pentecost rapture was unlikely because Pentecost was already fulfilled at the giving of the Holy Spirit - or was it?
Was Pentecost fulfilled with Moses at the giving of the Law? All would agree, no. So then can we prove that it was definitely fulfilled at the giving of the Holy Spirit? It would seem so, and I had always thought so - but then a thought popped into my mind - was Yeshua, Jesus present during Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was given? Of course no, He had ascended 10 days earlier. That's when it occurred to me, since Jesus IS the HIGH PRIEST - He must be present and make the offering to fulfill the feast.
He was present at Passover, Unleavened bread and Firstfruits to make the offering (Himself) to the Father - but did He make an offering on Pentecost? Not to our knowledge, He gave us a Great gift to be sure, but it may be that no offering has been made to the Father yet and this feast may still be yet to be fulfilled.
In fact many teachers better than I have commented that there are two "wave" offerings in Leviticus 23, the Feasts of the LORD - the first is Firstfruits, fulfilled by Jesus in His resurrection/ascension and the second wave offering is at Shavuot/Pentecost which could represent us being raptured/waved in the air by High Priest Jesus before the Father/ ascending as Jesus the first fruits did - perhaps in this our High Priest will fulfill this feast.
OK so that was my second look at Pentecost and its potential as a high watch date for the rapture, but now many are saddened because Pentecost has come and gone rather uneventfully this year.
Maybe, maybe not- maybe we need to take a second look at this as well.
There are many watchers out there looking at signs pointing to something going on in the first week of June, lunar eclipse, transit of Venus, visions of numbers and sudden destuction indicating the first week of June.
But something didn't set right in my spirit.
There have been many such signs in the heavens and would the God of creation prefer one of these random signs over one of His appointed Feast days? Would He allow Pentecost to come and go without a fuss, only to rapture His bride on some lesser random day?
Especially, if as I mentioned above, especially if Pentecost has not been fulfilled and is due next to be fulfilled?
I had to take a second look at how the omer is counted for 50 days and how Pentecost is reckoned because we may have been in error this year and I think I can prove it by Scripture.
Something in my spirit told me that the answers I need would be in Leviticus 23 and here is what I found:
First of all Leviticus 23 opens up by describing the "common" or weekly Sabbath and it is called the seventh day and in Hebrew "Shabbat Shabbaton" - VERY IMPORTANT because while we have all come to recognize the Feasts of the LORD as "special sabbaths" (myself included) because the Scripture clearly tells us not to work on those days - the Scripture (in Hebrew) doesn't actually call these days sabbaths, but rather "miqra kadosh" or "holy convocations.
The only Holy day called a "Shabbat Shabbaton" in addition to the weekly Sabbath is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
So why is this so important? As far as reckoning when to start counting down to Pentecost, basically we are told we are to start the day after the Sabbath following the Passover.
This is how it was done during that Holy Time when Jesus was crucified on Passover, a couple of days later was the common weekly Sabbath, and then He was resurrected on the First day, which became the Feast of Firstfruits and began the 50 day count to Pentecost.
Here is where it gets interesting, and this is not to be contentious or argue over which day is to be celebrated as Sabbath - that is not important nor is it the point or the message of this study - however this past year in 2012, the Passover fell on the common Jewish Sabbath. Passover began on a Friday night and ended on a Saturday night, just as the Jewish Sabbath did.
Now if one considers that Saturday to be the common Sabbath, one could call the next day (Easter Sunday) day one of the countdown to Pentecost. Or if one considers Easter Sunday as the next Sabbath, the countdown could begin the following Monday. In either case, by either of these reckonings, Pentecost has come and gone this year without much ado.
But what if neither of these is true?
What if the way God sees it Passover was a holiday that overshadowed the weekly common (Jewish) Sabbath as Leviticus 23 seems to indicate? And as was practiced in Jesus' fulfillment of these feasts- they must take place each individually in order, Passover, then a weekly Sabbath (the two cannot be combined as they were this year), then Firstfruits the next day starting a 50 day countdown to Pentecost?
If this is the case we are still in countdown mode and Pentecost will not be until next Sunday, June 3rd 2012.
I would not be so bold or so foolish as to think that somehow I had discovered the date of the rapture, but it is the Blessed Hope and while I watch for it every day, I will be especially hopeful in the timeframe surrounding next Sunday the 3rd.
I will sign off with my pen name because if I am correct on any of this To God Be The Glory!
I do not want to be credited except by my Savior if I have done His will.
Be encouraged saints! It surely must be near, humble your hearts to keep your garments clean and keep looking up!
Remnant Navi
http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/may2012/navi530.htm
Fair use for educational and discussion purposes ~
“Behold, you are fair, my love! Behold, you are fair! You have dove’s eyes.” — Song of Solomon 1:15
“You will be like the wings of a dove covered with silver, And her feathers with yellow gold.” — Psalm 68:13
“O that I had wings like a dove then I would fly away and be at rest.”
“You will be like the wings of a dove covered with silver, And her feathers with yellow gold.” — Psalm 68:13
“O that I had wings like a dove then I would fly away and be at rest.”
