NKJV 365 / Pentecost

NKJV 365 Day Reading Plan

Day 78 of 365 The Feast of Pentecost also sanctified the time and life of Israel as a sign pointing to the coming of the Holy Spirit and the harvesting of the Church. It was precisely seven full Sabbaths (forty-nine days) plus one day after Pascha, and marked the completion of the grain harvest. Here, the offering was not a sheaf of grain, but rather baked loaves, signifying the Church. Thus, Pentecost also sanctifies the time and life of the Church each year, but not as a sign. For Christ is the sheaf, the firstfruit. The loaves are the many from the harvest, those from Christ and in Christ- in the Church. In Jn 12:24 Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain." This grain is the Church, harvested by the Holy Spirit. Hence, the ancient Feast of Pentecost prophetically prefigures the birth of the Church through Christ and the Holy Spirit. At the same time, it also signifies the beginning of the end of the age. On the Day of Pentecost, fifty days after the Resurrection of Christ, the apostle Peter quoted the prophet Joel to explain what was taking place, "'It shall come to pass in the last days, says God, / That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh" (Acts 2:17). The gifts of the Spirit for the age of God's kingdom are given to the people of God C215while still living in this age, as a foretaste of the world to come. Taken from The Orthodox Study Bible Leviticus 23:15-21 NASB 15 'You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete sabbaths. 16 You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the L ord . 17 You shall bring in from your dwelling places two loaves of bread for a wave offering, made of two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of a fine flour, baked with leaven as first fruits to the L ord . 18 Along with the bread you shall present seven one year old male lambs without defect, and a bull of the herd and two rams; they are to be a burnt offering to the L ord , with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the L ord . 19 You shall also offer one male goat for a sin offering and two male lambs one year old for a sacrifice of peace offerings. 20 The priest shall then wave them with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering with two lambs before the L ord ; they are to be holy to the L ord for the priest. 21 On this same day you shall make a proclamation as well; you are to have a holy convocation. You shall do no laborious work. It is to be a perpetual statute in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.