Pentecost, also known as the 'feast of weeks', takes place in the late spring. Pentecost represents the firstfruits of God's spiritual harvest. On the first Pentecost after Jesus Christ's resurrection, the New Testament church received the Holy Spirit, and true Christians have been celebrating the annual Sabbath of Pentecost ever since.
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Are God's Holy Days To Be Kept Today?
Martin Collins insists that if we do not keep God’s Holy Days, we will deprive ourselves of the knowledge of God’s plan or purpose. Ancient Israel was termed the Church in the Wilderness, a type of the Church of God. Leviticus 23 enumerates the feast... |
Belief and the Firstfruits
David Grabbe, reflecting on Michael Crichton"s statement in his book State of Fear that "the past history of human belief is a cautionary tale," emphasizes that what people believe will determine the kind of lives they lead or the frui... |
Law and Spirit Together
God has given us two valuable tools, which if used in proper proportions, bring about character and spiritual fruit. Used independently, like all polar or dichotomous thinking (going to one ditch or the other), over-emphasis on one has the tendency t... |
Numbering Our Days
Richard Ritenbaugh reiterates that Pentecost is the only festival that requires calculating or counting- instead of being fixed upon a specific date. The number fifty seems to symbolize the years of accountability (or period of conversion or sanctifi... |
Of One Accord
Observing that more controversy exists about the counting of Pentecost than for any of the holy days, John Ritenbaugh suggests the confusion may be a function of the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19). Confusion, separation, and division have been o... |
Pentecost and Speaking In Tongues
John Ritenbaugh contrasts the genuine miracle of tongues or language at the first Pentecost from the bogus glossolalia practiced in Pentecostal groups, inappropriately called "speaking in tongues." In Acts 2, the crowd actually heard the di... |
Pentecost and Hope
Richard Ritenbaugh, reflecting on the account of Simeon in Luke 2:25-30, speculates about the specific things Simeon did to sustain his hope. Simeon's life serves as a precursor to that of God's called-out ones, demonstrating the elements necessary t... |
Pentecost and the Book of Ruth
Richard Ritenbaugh, focusing upon part of the festival scrolls (the Megilloth) read during Pentecost, reveals that although many of the lessons allude to Old Covenant teachings, Ruth prefigures New Covenant principles also, including (1) God's mercy ... |
Pentecost and the Holy Spirit
In this Pentecost message, John Ritenbaugh emphasizes that the receiving of God's Holy Spirit is not so much for our use as it is for God's use that He might carry out His creative effort in our lives. Metaphorically, the Holy Spirit can be compared ... |
Pentecost and the Wave Offerings
David Grabbe, reflecting on the prophecy in Daniel 7 about Satan's attempt at wearing out the saints, suggests that Satan is doing a good job at distracting us and wearing us out. A means of avoiding this is found in the symbolism of the wave offerin... |
Pentecost, Consistency, and Honesty
John Ritenbaugh, clearing up the needless confusion about the proper day to begin counting to Pentecost, examines the basic passages on it. Because Pentecost does not have a specific date, God commands us to count from the day after the weekly Sabbat... |
Peter's Pentecost Sermon
Richard Ritenbaugh, focusing upon Peter's Pentecost sermon, suggests that the accompanying signs attracted attention, confirmed God's Word through His servants, and provided symbolic meaning to the unseen effects of the Holy Spirit. Both wind and fir... |
Powerful Effects of the Holy Spirit
After debunking the popular assumption that this is the only day of salvation, Martin Collins describes the miniscule spring harvest (the first resurrection) and the abundant fall harvest (the second resurrection), which are the respective times of c... |
Principled Living (Part 6): Becoming Holy
Richard Ritenbaugh, reflecting on the many cultural pressures to conform, insists that Pentecost forces us to stand out from the rest of the crowd, separated as firstfruits for the purpose of sanctification and holiness. The two wave loaves, baked wi... |
Spiritual Maturity
Richard Ritenbaugh, citing a recent article in the Barna Report on research conducted by David Kinnaman, reveals that great confusion exists in defining spiritual maturity. In contrast to some definitions, spiritual maturity cannot be measured with n... |
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part 23)
In this twenty-third installment of the Covenants, Law and Grace series, John Ritenbaugh focuses upon two sets of verses (Colossians 2:16-18 and Galatians 4:9-10) which certain Protestant theologians have blasphemously charged that Paul was referring... |
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part 5)
In this fifth installment of the Covenants, Grace and Law series, John Ritenbaugh reminds us that under both the Old and New Covenants, refusal to keep to keep God's Law severs our relationship with Him. Like loving parents who give rules to their ch... |
The Firstfruits Offering
In this offertory message, David Grabbe, referring to Deuteronomy 16:9-12, states that the offering was to be given on the basis of Israel's appreciation of how God had blessed them, including being released from physical bondage. We, as the Israel o... |
The Pentecost Offering
Richard Ritenbaugh, on this 1972nd anniversary of Pentecost focuses upon the uniqueness of the offering instructions in Deuteronomy 16:10, emphasizing tribute - a gift given by a subject to a ruler, acknowledging his authority and his rulership. In t... |
The Right Use of Power
Of all creation, man is the only creature made in God's image and given dominion over the rest of creation. When God breathed in the spirit of man (Genesis 2:7) to enable thinking, feeling, and creating, He imbued God-like characteristics, giving man... |
Unity
John Ritenbaugh suggests that the symphony orchestra is perhaps the most finely tuned metaphor of unity and cooperation ever devised by man, and yet when compared to God’s accomplishments on the cellular and multicellular level (with one human ... |
Unleavened Bread and Pentecost
In this sermon on the meaning of Unleavened Bread, John Ritenbaugh warns that emphasizing our initiative at putting out sin is wrong. Unleavened bread serves as a memorial of God's initiative of delivering us from the bondage of sin. Like our forebea... |
Wavesheaf Day in the New Testament
David Grabbe shows that the phrase "first day of the week" in the various gospel accounts of Jesus Christ's appearance should be translated "first of the weeks" (mia sabbaton). This is the wavesheaf day -- the day after the Sabbat... |
When Pentecost Was Fully Come
In this sermonette on the 1974 doctrinal change on counting Pentecost, John Ritenbaugh explains the confusion of our previous understanding, resulting from the idiomatic use of counting "from" in English speaking and Hebrew speaking culture... |
Why Count Fifty Days?
Richard Ritenbaugh explores the significance of the number fifty, counting fifty, and the myriad applications of the number fifty throughout the Bible, such as in the measurements of the Tabernacle and Millennial Temple, as well as the 50 year Jubile... |
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For more information on Pentecost, the receiving of the Holy Spirit by the New Testament church, speaking on tongues, the feast of weeks, and the wavesheaf offering, see the Pentecost Articles page.
