Topical Bible: The Feast of Pentecost: To be Perpetually Observed

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The Feast of Pentecost, also known as the Feast of Weeks or Shavuot, is a significant biblical festival with deep roots in both the Old and New Testaments. It is celebrated on the fiftieth day after the Passover Sabbath, marking the completion of the seven-week counting period known as the Omer. This feast holds profound theological and historical significance, symbolizing both the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the early Church.

Old Testament Foundations

The Feast of Pentecost is first instituted in the Torah, where it is described as a harvest festival. In Leviticus 23:15-16 , the Israelites are commanded: "From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you are to count seven full weeks. You shall count fifty days until the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD." This period of counting, known as the Counting of the Omer, culminates in a celebration of the firstfruits of the wheat harvest.

Deuteronomy 16:9-10 further instructs: "You are to count off seven weeks from the time you first put the sickle to the standing grain. And you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God with a freewill offering that you give in proportion to how the LORD your God has blessed you." This feast is a time of thanksgiving and joy, acknowledging God's provision and faithfulness.

New Testament Fulfillment

In the New Testament, Pentecost takes on additional significance with the coming of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:1-4 records this pivotal event: "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw tongues like flames of a fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them."

This outpouring of the Holy Spirit marks the birth of the Church and the beginning of the apostles' ministry to spread the Gospel to all nations. The Feast of Pentecost thus becomes a symbol of spiritual harvest, as the early believers are empowered to gather souls into the Kingdom of God.

Perpetual Observance

The perpetual observance of Pentecost is rooted in its dual significance as both a commemoration of the giving of the Law and the giving of the Spirit. The continuity of this feast is seen in its fulfillment in Christ and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in the Church. As a perpetual ordinance, it serves as a reminder of God's covenantal faithfulness and the transformative power of the Holy Spirit.

The Apostle Paul, in his epistles, emphasizes the importance of living by the Spirit, which is the essence of the Pentecost experience. Galatians 5:16 exhorts believers: "So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh." The Feast of Pentecost, therefore, is not only a historical event but a continual call to live in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion

The Feast of Pentecost remains a vital observance within the Christian tradition, embodying the fulfillment of God's promises and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. Through its celebration, Christians are reminded of their spiritual heritage and the call to be witnesses of Christ's redemptive work in the world.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Leviticus 23:21
And you shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation to you: you shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Sensual and Spiritual Excitement.
... them all to-morrow"but it is that being perpetually on the ... of the Spirit on the day
of Pentecost acting under ... who had come to be present at the annual feast. ...
/.../robertson/sermons preached at brighton/ix sensual and spiritual excitement.htm

[Endnotes]
... the disciples before the day of Pentecost (Acts 1 ... martyrdom probably occurred about
the feast of Tabernacles ... It has been observed that, according to the ideas of ...
//christianbookshelf.org/killen/the ancient church/endnotes.htm

Period iii. The Dissolution of the Imperial State Church and the ...
... all things, and those of them which have been neglected in the past because of the
circumstances of the times shall hereafter be observed perpetually; so that ...
/.../ayer/a source book for ancient church history/period iii the dissolution of.htm

Of the True Church. Duty of Cultivating Unity with Her, as the ...
... worthy and unworthy indiscriminately to that sacred feast. ... moreover, that they should
perpetually perform this ... the Church, since the Church began at Pentecost. ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 1 of the true.htm

Fifthly, as this Revelation, to the Judgment of Right and Sober ...
... beings are under some particular laws and restraints, yet it can never be proved
that they are under such restraints universally, perpetually, and without ...
/.../xiv proposition xiv fifthly as.htm