It is almost time for Pentecost!
PENTECOST IS SUNDAY, May 23, 2021
(Another 2 Timothy 4:2 Lifestyle article from a collection of our SEASONS topics.)
If you have been counting the Omer with me, you are realizing that the 49th day arrives on a Saturday evening at sunset and the 50th day occurred on Sunday after sunset this year on May 16th of the secular calendar. The 50 days are up – but Pentecost isn’t on our calendars until Sunday, May 23; so what gives?
You have to follow the scriptures found in Leviticus 23:15 which says: 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.
The 7th Sabbath after Passover was the 15th; but the 50 days of counting didn’t end until sunset on the 16th; and so we celebrate on “the morrow after the Sabbath” next; which would be Sunday, May 23rd.
Therefore; Pentecost happens on Sunday, May 23rd; 50 days after Passover. https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/counting-the-days-explained/
Consequently, many different homes and churches will be celebrating Pentecost on this Sunday. So; we often call the day “Pentecost Sunday.”
PENTECOST IS A TIME OF SEASONAL FULLNESS
All of this “fullness” of life happening between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day and right before Memorial Day is certainly going to create an extra lot of festivities during the months of May.
However, it is such a blessing to be celebrating so many special seasons of life all through the spring and summer months.
God is outside of time; but for us inside of time He keeps the clock ticking, and his way of keeping time is always perfect. When we reach the Day of Pentecost; we have had several months to ponder the wonder of how God sends His Holy Spirit to us. https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/gods-calendar/
NO GIFT COULD BE GREATER THAN PENTECOST
What greater gift has ever been given to equal the blessings of God’s People receiving of God’s Holy Spirit?
The only thing comparable or greater would be the gift of salvation given by Christ who sacrificed His life for us in order to make this very special day called “Pentecost” possible.
Hence; this Day of Pentecost arrives as our Groom’s special wedding gift to His Bride. He sends this gift ahead with His love.
THERE IS SO MUCH ANCIENT HISTORY HIDING WITHIN PENTECOST
Certainly, God’s faithful have celebrated Pentecost since ancient times.
The very first generations of all of the faithful did not even understand or comprehend the full meaning of the day, because it had not been fulfilled in their time. Most importantly, they had hope and they had faith while they waited patiently on God to bring His will about. Further; they were obedient without question. These people were part of the first part of the story; the beginning part.
Today; we can celebrate with the fullness of the whole story. Looking back, our generation knows the rest of the story; and we gladly celebrate the happy ending.
Though ancient people and present day people may have celebrated Pentecost from different views and perspectives; one concept runs the same through The Day of Pentecost for all generations; the similar concept of God’s provision and the fact that we should be thankful and offer praise to God for the abundance of life He has given to us.
LOOKING BACK AND LOOKING FORWARD
Therefore; in today’s times, when the Day of Pentecost arrives, we will offer up our thanks for the gift of God’s Holy Spirit living within us; making our lives rich and full.
In ancient times they offered thanks for God’s provision of the bountiful wheat harvest which made their lives rich and full. It was the BEST harvest of the year; the one they looked forward to the most.
During the Day of Pentecost in ancient times; the people would bring their first-fruits offerings up to God’s altar.
For instance; for seven weeks; starting after Passover and the barley harvest, continuing right up to the season of Pentecost, they were always waiting patiently and counting their days.
On this Day of Pentecost, they were ready to move on from the giving of the earlier barley harvest offerings. In addition, it was time for them to begin bringing the best and the first of the wheat harvest offerings up to God.
As a result; this time was known as the times of latter first-fruits.
It eventually came to be called Pentecost.
The later first-fruits harvest was the time for the most cherished crops of the wheat harvest to be offered up to God in Thanksgiving.
After that offering, the rest of the wheat could be happily consumed by the people in the meals at their tables as they gathered together in their homes during the days that made up their daily lives.
A PATTERN SIMILAR TO THE DAYS OF NOAH
The pattern of the rituals which were set in place actually go all the way back to the days of Noah.
Noah was very familiar with the first-fruit offerings of Pentecost.
At the end of the flood, God caused a great wind to blow over the earth and the waters receded.
Does that sound familiar?
“It was like the sound of “a mighty rushing wind.”
In the meantime, Noah sent out three separate doves to see if the waters were low enough for his family to leave the ark.
THE FIRST DOVE
However, that first dove returned to Noah, without finding a safe place to rest it’s head. Consequently; Noah took the dove back into the boat.
This dove is symbolic of people living without the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit. For example; all things seem unsettled; unsafe, uncomfortable.
A SECOND DOVE
Next; the second dove Noah released returned in the evening with an olive branch held within its beak.
Therefore, this dove is symbolic of today’s Christians, living with a portion of God’s Holy Spirit residing within their hearts.
Subsequently, the olive leaf represented food and nourishment for the spirit. It spoke of peace.
THE THIRD DOVE
So; Noah waited seven days after the return of the second dove; and then he sent out the third one.
The third dove never returned.
This is symbolic of the day when God will give man immortality.
It is a time when God will breathe the breath of eternal life into all of mankind who have followed Christ. Therefore; they will live forever inside God’s Kingdom, a place of peace and comfort and plenty.
This will be the last flood that covers the earth; a complete pouring out (flooding) of God’s Spirit to mankind; a life-giving flood as opposed to a life-taking flood.
On that day, those who already contain a portion of God’s Holy Spirit will be completely filled up; and they will live forever in a world made completely new by God.
CHRIST’S CAREFUL CONCERN FOR HIS FOLLOWERS
Jesus knew after His Resurrection and Ascension that we would all feel lost without Him.
As a result; The Holy Spirit resolved that problem.
God’s Holy Spirit connected heaven and earth, similar to Jacob’s ladder in the story of Jacob when he dreamed in a place called Bethel.
Consequently; the Holy Spirit connects the Messiah and His Bride (The Church) even when they are separated by time and space.
LEARNING AND WAITING ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST
For the last fifty days (in the time that has passed between Passover and Pentecost) God has been teaching us much like He taught our ancestors as they were wandering in the wilderness. We have been learning how to come out of Egypt and become God’s people. 
The ancient harvest offerings were only physical in nature; but today those who are faithful will observe the custom by bringing and offering the first and the best from all of their spiritual gifts as well as material and physical offerings.
PASSING THROUGH SEVEN WEEKS
Further; from the day of our early first-fruits offerings and the beginning of this latter-first-fruits offering, we have been counting through seven weeks. The church has been passing through seven holy Sabbaths together. All the while we have been trying to open our eyes wider to the will of God within our daily lives.
We’ve spent seven times seven days (7 weeks) of counting while waiting for God’s appointed sacred time called Pentecost.
This is the day our Jewish brothers call “Shavuot.”
Each day during our counting we studied the attributes of God and attempted to apply what we know of His loving kindness and goodness to our own lives.
In short; we sought after His holy traits and His holy character and imitated them as best we could.
It was our own version of a type of the journey that our ancestors took through the wilderness; only for us it was a spiritual journey instead of a physical journey.
OUR OWN PERSONAL JOURNEY THROUGH THE WILDERNESS OF THE WORLD
During the whole time of waiting (for seven sevens – seven weeks of seven days), we were listening for God’s voice and very carefully remembering that HE IS GOD.
We pondered the fact that we came from the dust of the ground and humbly realized that we must depend solely on God for our sustenance and life.
Nothing comes to us unless He allows it.
Meanwhile; our souls similar to the ancients, celebrated the giving of Torah; and we wrote more of its words inside our hearts as we waited on the day of God’s fulfillment and the giving of His Holy Spirit.
We pondered the fact that while living in the wilderness God’s people received the best ways to live directly from God the Father. It was considered that our daily lives in this world are all about learning to be obedient to him and trying to follow these ways.
RECEIVING THE WAY TO MAKE TORAH WORK
In the Holy City of Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost in the time after Jesus had Ascended into the Heavens; God’s people received the way to make Torah work inside their hearts. It happened through God’s Holy Spirit living within them.
These two precious wedding gifts of The Bride of Christ (salvation and the sending and giving of God’s Holy Spirit) have been received and opened by The Bride of Christ with great thanksgiving!
With the progression of God’s appointed Holy Days from Passover to Pentecost; The Bride (God’s Church filled with God’s Spirit) has now received salvation and a whole new supply of all she needs for sanctification through God’s Holy Spirit.
WITNESSING THE REVERSAL OF BABEL
Now; an amazing thing has happened!
The gift of God’s Holy Spirit at Pentecost has reversed the damage that was done at the Tower of Babel.
With the gift of tongues people who have always spoken different languages, who never understood each other at all; are now able to fully communicate and to share a full capacity for love and understanding.
Hence; the language of love sent down from the very heart of God is allowing God’s people to communicate like they have never communicated before.
This beautiful gift of God’s Holy Spirit will break down the divisions of the cold, hard hearts which Babel put up.
Because of this new language of love, the knowledge of The LORD will one day again fill the earth.
TRADITIONS
In modern times some people choose to wear red to remember the appearance of the flames of fire above the heads of the disciples of Jesus on the first day that this amazing blessing occurred among The People of God.
Many also use the symbol of the dove for Pentecost because God’s people know (just like Noah knew) that doves mate for life and a dove always returns for its mate, and it takes its mate back to their first home together.
When Noah released his dove from the ark; he knew it would be searching for their original home; the place and the state of where they lived together in peace before the flood. The instincts of this dove was the only way that Noah had of ever finding such a place again.
THE HEART OF MANKIND IS ALWAYS DESIRING TO GO BACK TO THE GARDEN OF EDEN; THEIR FIRST HOME WITH GOD
When God gave His Holy Spirit to mankind on the Day of Pentecost; God knew mankind would always be searching in his heart for his first home; the time in the garden when man lived with God in peace and abundance; before evil and sin covered the earth.
Like Noah’s dove searching for home and a place to land; God’s Holy Spirit is always searching for a place to land within our hearts. He will search and search until we find Him.
ENTERING INTO NEW LIFE AFTER BAPTISM
When God’s Holy Spirit takes up residence inside our hearts; we are cleansed and refreshed and renewed just as the earth after the flood in the days of Noah.
We step out after our Baptism and we enter into a whole new way of life.
After the flood; the earth had to start anew with producing green growing things.
For the first time ever, the earth did not have an immediate offering to offer up to God for that year at the appointed time of the early first-fruits.
We are like that new earth after we receive salvation and are baptized.
There is a time of starting the whole new process of becoming fruitful.
Good fruit takes time to grow.
This “growing” time is the time of sanctification that one goes through in the wilderness of this life.
STAYING FAITHFUL, BEING PATIENT AND GROWING
The fifty days that we count every year from Passover till Pentecost remind us to stay faithful and be patient and keep growing.
They remind us to prepare and to keep pursuing the One we love with all our heart.
We should never give up!
The end of the time of counting will come and there will be gifts from God!
CHRIST WILL COME AGAIN
One day, just like the dove’s mate waiting patiently in the ark of Noah; we will look up and see our Beloved coming in the clouds of glory.
He will be coming to tell us that our heavenly home has been prepared and is now ready.
Our Beloved will take us away with him to The Marriage Supper of The Lamb.
There will be a great wedding in Heaven.
We will have a set aside time with our Groom before we return again with Him in order to rule and reign with Him on the earth.
This will be a great time for the restoration of all things.
There will be 1000 years of peace with a short time of war afterwards when Satan and His demons will be defeated and destroyed forever.
We will see The New Jerusalem coming down from the Heavens and God will dwell in the midst of us forever and ever.
LIKE A BRIDE WAITING ON A GROOM
The fourth, fifth and sixth weeks of the counting of the omer are huge growing times as we are approaching the end of the waiting on the Day of Pentecost.
Our focus becomes even more clear.
We begin to feel a sense of urgency.
The reality of our meditations begins to sink in and we begin to act and think like a bride who is seeing the calendar days tick off just before her wedding begins to unfold.
She gets to begin to put more and more of the things she has learned and planned for her Groom into practice.
The Bride knows in her heart that the time for thinking and planning are drawing to a close; she is much closer to reaching the time for DOING.
Her clothing is a pure white gown and she has oil in her lamp and her attendants are watching and ready.
By the end of the seventh week of the waiting; it is exactly time to be responding to the One she loves.
COMING OUT OF THE ARK
And so it happened in the second month and the twenty-seventh day that God spoke to Noah and said “Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your son’s wives with you.”
God was giving them the gift of a clean, new world.
In our present age; Jesus has given us a portion of such a gift called The Holy Spirit.
During the age to come there will be a New Jerusalem coming down from Heaven.
The Holy Spirit is an engagement present from Christ that says to the Church; “Keep this until I come for you. It is to remind you that I am close; and I am coming again! It is to help you to know that you have my heart at all times.”
A SPECIAL DELIVERY PACKAGE FOR THE BRIDE
So at the end of all the counting of the days; Pentecost arrives like a special delivery wedding gift from our Groom in Heaven.
This day from God, one that He appointed and planned so long ago; is like an official invitation for mankind to leave the world and come inside the ark of Heaven where we will find rest with God forever.
One day the earth will be made new again; and we will reign with Christ forever.
The Messiah will be waiting (like Noah at the bow of the great ship); looking for and seeking His Bride (The Church.)
KEEPING OUR TEMPORARY SHELTERS UNTIL THE WEDDING
When God’s Holy Spirit comes to live within us; our bodies become temporary shelters; little temples or tabernacles designed to house The Holy Spirit of God.
A small portion of God comes to live within us; and we can now take a portion of Him with us wherever we go.
NEW BEGINNING FOR GOD’S CHURCH
With Pentecost accomplished, just like that brand new world that Noah’s family stepped into; a clean, whole, new-beginning comes to God’s Church.
My favorite quote from the lips of Jesus can be applied here:
“I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW.”
Praise to Almighty God for The Sacred Appointed Day of Pentecost that draws us ever closer to our Father in Heaven.