The Light of Christ Journey

Encouraging people on their journey with Christ

Pentecost symbolized a new beginning for God’s people as they left Egypt. They had moved to Egypt as families of the twelve sons of Jacob. They lived in Egypt for 430 years, most of it in slavery. As slaves, their overseers had always told them what to do.

Then God came and worked through Moses to free His people from bondage. It took ten plagues for Pharaoh to release the people. The Hebrew people witnessed the miracles of the plagues and experienced the protection of the Passover lamb. Then God parted the Red Sea and fed them with food and quail in the wilderness. Finally, God brought them to the foot of Mount Sinai.

There God would begin to make a group of twelve tribes into one people and nation through the Law. It was a new beginning for the nation of Israel.

Pentecost was the Beginning of the Church

Jesus came to earth and at the age of thirty began His ministry. He chose twelve men to be His followers. Jesus mentored these men for three years and trained them to continue His ministry when He returned to the Father.

Acts 1: During the forty days after he (Jesus) suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.

Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with  water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”[1]

Jesus knew His disciples would need the empowering of the Holy Spirit to carry out the task He had trained them for. They were obedient and waited in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit. When it fell on the Festival of Pentecost, it was the beginning of the church.

Luke gives us insight into how the church grew. Acts 2: 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— 47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.[2]

Pentecost Still Symbolizes a New Beginning for Each of Us

It is through the power of the Holy Spirit that God draws us into a relationship with Him. Ephesians 2:19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. 20 Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21 We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. 22 Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.[3]

To hear how Pentecost symbolized a new beginning, listen here:

https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/the-festival-of-pentecost


[1-3] Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. 

We see a surprising and an unusual offering requirement in the Festival of Weeks. God asks for two loaves made of the flour from the new crop of wheat and made with yeast. In addition to these loaves, He also requires multiple burnt offerings, a sin offering, and a peace offering.

Leviticus 23:17 From wherever you live, bring two loaves of bread to be lifted up before the Lord as a special offering. Make these loaves from four quarts of choice flour, and bake them with yeast. They will be an offering to the Lord from the first of your crops. 18 Along with the bread, present seven one-year-old male lambs with no defects, one young bull, and two rams as burnt offerings to the Lord. These burnt offerings, together with the grain offerings and liquid offerings, will be a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 19 Then you must offer one male goat as a sin offering and two one-year-old male lambs as a peace offering.[1]

Why an Offering Made with Yeast?

We just learned that in the second Holy Day, the Festival of Unleavened Bread, listed in Leviticus 23, there was to be no yeast in the bread for eight days. God’s people were commanded not to eat leavened bread. And God commanded them to remove all leaven from their homes. This was so important that if an individual used yeast during the Festival of Unleavened Bread, they were to be excluded from the Jewish community. Leaven is an image of the corruption of sin.

We have also learned that the Festival of Weeks, or Pentecost, coincided with the anniversary of the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai. God wrote the Law on two stone tablets. These laws revealed the people’s sin. The Pentecost offering of two loaves represented the two tablets, and the leaven represented the sin of the people. These two loaves were wave offerings, as it was illegal to burn leaven on the Temple altar.

In addition to the two loaves of bread, there were multiple blood sacrifices, a sin sacrifice, and a peace sacrifice. Thus, sinful man can only be accepted when there is a blood offering for sin and when peace is made with God.

Two Leaven Loaves and the Giving of the Holy Spirit

At the Pentecost celebration of Acts 2, both Jewish and Gentile believers were present. The two leavened loaves picture the two ethnicities coming together just as they were with their sin. But Jesus didn’t let them stay in their sin. Instead of the blood of lambs and bulls paying the price for their sin, Jesus, as Messiah, had paid the blood price on the cross. Hence, the people could find cleansing of their sins and a new life in Jesus.

The Pentecost offering pictured the Gospel message. We are sinful, but we can come together because of the cross. This provided the disciples an opportunity to preach the Good News of Jesus in the languages of all the people. They would put a new twist on an already familiar offering. To hear more about an unusual offering, listen here:

https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/the-festival-of-pentecost


[1]Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.

About fifty days after leaving Egypt, God’s people had a Mount Sinai experience. God had appeared to Moses in a burning bush on Mount Sinai as Moses was shepherding sheep. God called Moses to return to Egypt and would use him to free the Hebrew people from the Egyptians. After a short debate, God gave Moses a sign. Exodus 3: 12 God answered, “I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.” [1]

God instituted the Festival of Weeks as a second first fruit celebration. This time, it was the first fruit of the wheat harvest, not the barley harvest. Yet, the timing of the festival, fifty days after Passover, was also the time of the people’s arrival at Mount Sinai. As a result, the Hebrew people also celebrated the giving of the Law at Sinai during the Festival of Weeks, or Pentecost.

The First Mount Sinai Experience

God wanted to meet with His people at Sinai and gave instructions on how they should do this. God appeared in smoke and fire, which frightened the people. They asked Moses to meet with God on their behalf. So, Moses went up the mountain to meet with God. But the people thought that Moses was taking too long. Perhaps this God of fire and smoke may have killed Moses.

Exodus 32:1When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.”[2] So the people built a golden calf and began to worship it instead of the true God.

God was angry and sent Moses back down the mountain. As a result of the judgment of God, three thousand Hebrew people died because of their sin. Moses then interceded for the people, and the Lord forgave them.

A Second Mount Sinai Experience.

The Apostle Paul trained Luke, who wrote the book of Acts. Paul would have trained Luke in a Jewish worldview. Just as there was smoke and fire at the first Sinai experience, there were tongues of fire and wind at Pentecost. At the first Sinai experience, the people’s sin caused 3,000 to die. But after the Holy Spirit enabled the disciples to tell the good news in multiple languages, three thousand people were added to the church.

Acts 2:40 Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” 41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.[3]

The Law given in the original Mount Sinai experience reveals the sins that condemn us, but the Holy Spirit, who came on Pentecost, reveals a Savior who saves us. So, God revealed the fulfillment of the Festival of Weeks as He sent the Holy Spirit. To hear more about a Mount Sinai experience, listen here:

https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/the-festival-of-pentecost


[1-3] Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. 

The fourth holy day of Leviticus 23 is known as the Festival of Weeks, Shavuot, or Pentecost. Why so many confusing names? It depends on the language. The English translation would be the Festival of Weeks, while the Hebrew word for weeks is Shavuot. Later, this holiday was known as Pentecost in Greek. This was because it referred to fifty days.

Institution of Shavuot

While God’s people were still wandering in the wilderness, He gave instructions for celebrating this holy day when they entered the promised land. Leviticus 23: 15 “From the day after the Sabbath—the day you bring the bundle of grain to be lifted up as a special offering—count off seven full weeks. 16 Keep counting until the day after the seventh Sabbath, fifty days later. Then present an offering of new grain to the Lord.[1] 

This fourth Holy Day was also a first-fruits celebration; this time, the first of the wheat harvest, rather than the earlier barley harvest. It was to be a “week of weeks” or seven times seven days plus one day after Passover. Therefore, the day is known as Shavuot, which means “weeks” in Hebrew. The Festival of Weeks was always fifty days after Passover. When Greek became more dominant, this Holy Day came to be known as Pentecost because “pente” means fifty.

The Festival of Weeks is Always Connected with Passover

The foundation for the Festival of Weeks, like Unleavened Bread, and the Festival of First Fruits, is Passover. The Festival of Weeks would not have been possible if God had not taken His people out of Egypt and placed them in the promised land.

Years later, Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit would not have been possible without the death and resurrection of Jesus. The foundation of our faith is Jesus and His work on the cross. Jesus would leave this earth, but would send a helper for us. John 14: 26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.[2]

As 21st-century Christians, we don’t think of Pentecost as an ancient celebration. But it is. God instituted it 1400 years before Christ walked this earth. Jesus gave a new meaning to Passover, the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and the Festival of First Fruits. And now, after the cross, Jesus gave Pentecost a new, deeper meaning. It now represents the coming of the Holy Spirit to build the church of Jesus.


[1,2] Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. 

The Apostle Paul tells us that, in the end, we have victory over death. Now this is a future event, but it has compelling implications for each of us. If Jesus did not really rise to a new life in a physical body, we might as well live for this earthly life and do as we please.

But the resurrection is true, and Jesus is coming again. Even if we die before Jesus returns, He will raise us at His coming and we will stand before Him in a glorified body.

Paul Gives Insight into Victory over Our Final Foe

1 Corinthians 15: 51 But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! 52 It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. 53 For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.

54 Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:

“Death is swallowed up in victory
55 O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”

56 For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.[1]

Our God of Victory

In the above passage, Paul quoted from Isaiah. Isaiah 25:There he will remove the cloud of gloom, the shadow of death that hangs over the earth. He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears. He will remove forever all insults and mockery against his land and people. The Lord has spoken! In that day the people will proclaim, “This is our God! We trusted in him, and he saved us! This is the Lord, in whom we trusted. Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!”[2]

This is the God we serve, a great God who gives us victory over death. He even cared enough to foreshadow what He would do through the Messiah in the yearly festivals of Leviticus 23. As we allow the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to God’s insight, our faith continues to grow, and we have hope for the future.

To hear more about victory over death, listen here:

https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/the-festival-of-first-fruits


[1,2] Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.

The First Fruit offering given at the Temple was a pledge of hope that the full harvest would follow. The people were not allowed to eat any of the new crop until the offering was made.

By the time of Jesus, the Temple had specific fields that were “harvested” a few sprigs of barley at a time. Several fields and different parts of these fields had grain gathered to form a representative sheaf to take to the Temple. The priest waved this sheaf, and gave the corresponding offerings. At that point, the people could resume the full harvest. There was a specific order to the way things were done.

Paul Explains the Pledge of the First Fruits

1 Corinthians 15: 20 But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. 21 So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. 22 Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. 23 But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.[1]

The Pledge of Hope Comes in Surprising Timing

The Jews had looked for the Messiah to come and free them from the Roman political machine. But Jesus came in an unexpected way. They had anticipated that everyone would be raised at the end of history. Instead, here is one person, Jesus Christ, who was raised in the middle of history. When Paul speaks of the “order of resurrection,” I believe he is referring to two distinct things.

First, is the chronological order of events. Jesus has become the first to rise from the dead. Others had risen from the dead in both the Old and New Testaments. Examples of each would be Elijah raising the widow’s son (1 Kings 17:17-24) and Lazarus (John 11). Each of these came back to earthly life, but eventually died again. However, Jesus rose never to die again.

Secondly, eventually, in Jesus’ second coming, everything that sin had corrupted would be made right again. We have hope that in this second coming, we will be raised in our new bodies to live eternally with Jesus.

The Festival of First Fruits foreshadows Jesus acting as a pledge for the final harvest. We have a pledge of hope of eternity with our Maker through what Jesus did on the cross. To hear more, listen here:

https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/the-festival-of-first-fruits


[1] Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.

The Apostle Paul encouraged the believers in Corinth that “your faith has not been in vain.” A group of heretics had slipped into the congregation. They claimed that only the spiritual was good and anything physical was bad. Therefore, Christ had not really risen in a physical body. While this sounded pious, it is not Biblical.

Faith is in the True Resurrection

This heresy tripped Paul’s theological trigger finger, and he fired away at his critics. 1 Corinthians 15:12 But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? 13 For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either.

 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. 15 And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. 16 And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised.

 17 And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. 18 In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! 19 And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.[1]

A Bodily Resurrection was Required For Christ to be the First Fruit

We have seen how the Jewish Festivals foreshadow Christ’s work on the cross. Jesus became the Passover Lamb and died on Passover. He removed our sins, just as the Feast of Unleavened Bread pictured the “leaven” of sin that must be removed. The timing is amazing. The priests offered the sheaf of new grain at the temple. Concurrently, Jesus rose from the dead on the Festival of First Fruits.

As Paul explained above, if Jesus had not risen bodily, we would have no hope of being raised. That would mean our faith is useless and we are a pitiful lot. There is much riding on a true physical resurrection of Jesus.

The Festival of First Fruits again foreshadows that Christ rose from the dead to act as a pledge of our future resurrection. To hear how your faith has not been in vain, listen here:

https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/the-festival-of-first-fruits


[1] Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.

For the Festival of First Fruits to foreshadow the cross of Jesus Christ, Jesus had to have died and had a true resurrection. If Jesus had not really risen from the dead, then he couldn’t be the first fruits of the dead.

Swoon Theory Against the Resurrection

The swoon theory states that Jesus did not die on the cross. He but simply passed out, and the cool of the tomb revived Him. Jesus was declared dead by professional Roman executioners. It was their job to make sure that their “clients” died, or it would be their lives on the line.

The Jews didn’t want dead bodies displayed over the Sabbath and so had ordered those on the cross to have their legs broken to hasten death. John 19: 34 One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. 35 (This report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account. He speaks the truth so that you also may continue to believe.[1] Jesus was already dead, and so there was no reason to break His legs.

John’s testimony here counters those who thought Jesus was only in a coma. The piercing itself would have killed Jesus, it showed He was already dead as the separation of blood and water revealed. Jesus did indeed die a human death.

Jesus’ Body was Stolen and Not Resurrected

The Pharisees did not want news of a missing body to add drama to an event that they tried to forget. Matthew 28: 11 As the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and told the leading priests what had happened. 12 A meeting with the elders was called, and they decided to give the soldiers a large bribe. 13 They told the soldiers, “You must say, ‘Jesus’ disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.’ 14 If the governor hears about it, we’ll stand up for you so you won’t get in trouble.” 15 So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews, and they still tell it today.[2]

Evidence for Resurrection from the Tomb

If someone had attempted to steal the body of Jesus, they would have had first to open the tomb, then remove the heavy grave clothes, and try to sneak the body away. Yet, when Peter and John enter the grave, John gives this information.

John 20: Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed— for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. 10 Then they went home.[3]

When God raised Jesus from the dead, the grave clothes were folded just as if Jesus vanished out of them. They were not torn nor in disarray. Later that day, Jesus would simply walk through locked doors (Luke 24:36). He had no need to open the tomb, as He could appear and disappear. God supernaturally opened the tomb to reveal that Jesus was no longer there.

Jesus Christ died a very human death and experienced a true resurrection of His body. To find out more, listen here:

https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/the-festival-of-first-fruits


[1-3] Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.

Jesus makes a puzzling expression to Mary Magdalene on the first Resurrection morning. Mary had gone out to properly embalm Jesus’s body because there hadn’t been time due to Sabbath restrictions.

When Mary arrived at the tomb, it was empty. She was understandably upset and sent for Peter and John. They both entered the tomb and inspected it. It seems that they finally understood that Jesus would rise from the dead. John 20: for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. 10 Then they went home.[1]

Mary is Puzzled by Jesus

Mary has assumed that the body of Jesus has been stolen and doesn’t understand that He has risen from the dead. Even when she looks in the tomb and sees the angels, they ask why she is crying. Then, as she is leaving the Tomb area, she sees a person she assumes is the gardener. Again, she asked if the body had been stolen, as she is willing to bring it back.

Jesus brought Mary back to reality by simply call her name. John 20: 16 “Mary!” Jesus said.. She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”). Mary recognizes her risen Lord. At this point it seems that she reaches out to cling to the one she loves.

John 20: 17 “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

18 Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message.[2]

I can understand that Jesus didn’t want Mary to cling to Him. But what does it mean when Jesus says, for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father…‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God?’”[3]

Scholars are Puzzled

The statement Jesus makes to Mary is even more puzzling in light of later statements that same day when Jesus invited the disciples to touch Him. (Luke 24:39). When Jesus was speaking to Mary, it sounded like He needed to ascend to the Father, but why?

While scholars have puzzled over this statement, understanding the Jewish context of First Fruits and its fulfillment in Jesus helps clarify it. Just as the earthly High Priest offered the sheaf of barley in the Temple, Jesus, as our High Priest, was going to offer His atonement to His Father in the heavenly Temple. He needed to bring the First Fruits offering to the throne of grace on our behalf. Once Jesus accomplished this, He invited the disciples to examine His body.

1 Corinthians 15: He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said…20 But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.[4]

To hear more about a puzzling expression, listen here:

https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/the-festival-of-first-fruits


[1-4] Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. 

The Festival of First Fruits is always connected with Passover. God connected this third festival time with Passover from the beginning. Leviticus 23: 11 On the day after the Sabbath, (following the Passover) the priest will lift it up before the Lord so it may be accepted on your behalf.[1] It was God’s timing that directed the celebration of this festival.

First-Fruits of the Barley Harvest

The timing of this festival would coincide with the barley harvest. The High Priest would present the wave offering so that the rest of the harvest would be accepted. It was the blood of the lamb that allowed the Israelites to be safe during the plague of the firstborn. Then the people had to be ready to leave the land of their slavery at a minute’s notice. Thus, they didn’t wait for their bread to rise, but simply baked unleavened bread. Now that they had entered the promised land, there was a new life freed from the slavery and oppression of Egypt.

The Festival of the First Fruits could not have happened without the original Passover.

The Resurrection of Christ Must be Connected to His Death

On the day after the Sabbath after the Passover, Jesus was raised bodily from the dead. Jesus died as the Passover lamb, which took away the sins of the world. He removed the “leaven” of sin on the First Day of Unleavened Bread. This festival was also a Sabbath, the year Jesus died on the cross. Just as the priests were waving the sheaf of the First Fruits in the Temple, Jesus was raised and made alive.

Years later, the Apostle Paul explained this to the Corinthian church. 1 Corinthians 15: I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said…20 But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.[2]

A Wilderness Journey

Just as the Israelites struggled through the wilderness to enter the promised land to celebrate the Feast of First Fruits, we experience a wilderness journey in this earthly life. It is only then that we will be able to experience the resurrection life without sin. The Passover Lamb had to be killed before it could be revived. The resurrection of Jesus must always relate to His death and suffering on the Cross.

Romans 8: 23 And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children including the new bodies he has promised us. [3]

To hear how first fruits is always connected with Passover, listen here:

https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/the-festival-of-first-fruits


[1-3] Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.