The Day of Pentecost by Frederick C. Gilbert

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Mar 1, 1906

The Day of Pentecost

By Frederick C. Gilbert

F. C. GILBERT

Much labored effort has been and is being put forth to show that the Pentecost of Acts 2 occurred on the first day of the week, commonly called Sunday. In fact, there is a growing tendency to believe that Pentecost and the other feasts given to the Israelites, always occurred on the same day of the week. One special reason for this doubtless is a desire to prove that the first day of the week, commonly called Sunday, is the day that Christians should observe for the Lord's day, or Sabbath, instead of the seventh day, which the Lord gave originally, and which was confirmed by the Lord Jesus both in his life and by his death. John 15:10.

Now all the feasts which God gave to Israel occurred annually, and were to be observed only at the time when they were due, save the Passover, which was allowed to be kept the same day of the month in the second month, by those who, on account of ceremonial uncleanness, were unable to keep it in the first month. Num. 9:1-14.

The origin of the feasts is given as follows: “Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: . . . and the feast of harvest, the first-fruits of thy labors, . . . and the feast of ingathering.” Ex. 23:14-17; 34:23; Lev. 23:4, 5, 10, 26-32, 33, 34, 37. Thus it is clear that the Passover, feast of first-fruits or feast of weeks (Deut. 16:16), and the feast of harvest occurred but once a year. Ex. 13:10; 23:16.

The Bible recognizes twelve months to the year. See 1 Chron. 27:1-15. The months were regulated by the new moons. In fact, the Hebrew word for month is the identical word for new moon. There is but one Hebrew word, Cho-desh, which means new moon, and which also means month. To this very day the orthodox Jews observe the Rosh Cho-desh, beginning of the new moons, otherwise called months. Therefore, these feasts, whenever they came, were regulated not by the days of the week, but according to the times of the new moons, or months. It is evident to every thinking person that the new moons could not fall on the same day of the week as they came one by one; therefore the months could not begin the same day of the week, month by month, as they came. Consequently the yearly feasts could not come on the same day of the week, year by year, as they came. The Bible plainly says they are annual feasts, governed by the revolutions of the year. Ex. 34:22, margin. The word “end” in this last verse referred to, is Te-koo-fa, the identical word which in Ps. 19:6 is translated circuit. It literally means “revolution.”

Now with this in view, let us examine what the Scripture says concerning the “Pentecost,” or “feast of weeks,” “feast of first-fruits.” Acts 2:1; Deut. 16:16; Lev. 23:9, 10; Ex. 23:16. It is also known as the “feast of the fiftieth day,” the “feast of the conclusion,” the “season of the giving of our law.” See Josephus, “The Jewish War,” book 2, chap. 3, par. 1. All these terms of this feast are recognized by the Jews even to the present day. The command concerning this feast is given in Leviticus 23, as follows: “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest unto the priest: and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the Lord. . . . 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: even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord.” Verses 9-16.

Here the Lord states that they were to count to them seven sabbaths complete, which literally is seven full weeks complete (verse 15. Hebrew Sheva Shab-bathos T’me-moth, seven perfected or completed weeks), from the day they brought the wave sheaf. This seventh full week, which was begun the day after the sabbath, was to reach to Pentecost.

Now the question involved is, What does this sabbath in verse 15 refer to? By reading verses 7, 8, and comparing them with verses 34, 35, 38, 39, it will be seen that the first and last days of every feast were to be days of holy convocation, also said to be sabbaths. The people were to perform no servile work in them; but they were to rest on those days from their labors. Thus the first day of the Passover was a sabbath, a day of rest from toil, irrespective of the day of the week.

The Passover began on the fourteenth day of Abib, afterward called Nisan. Deut. 16:1; Esther 3:7. The lamb was slain on that fourteenth day, between the two evenings, between twelve and six. Ex. 12:6, margin. The night following was to begin the first sabbath of the feast, for the day in the Bible begins at sunset. Gen. 1:5, 8, etc.; Deut. 16:6; Mark 1:32. The lamb being offered on the fourteenth day in the afternoon, the evening following would begin the fifteenth day of Nisan, or the first sabbath of the Passover. This would continue till the evening of the next day. When the sun would set this next day, irrespective of the day of the week, three men with baskets in their hands, and with sharp sickles, would cut down the sheaf, after they had asked several questions of the bystanders, in order to bring out the distinctiveness of the ceremony.

Now the Lord Jesus Christ, just before he was crucified, said to the disciples that after two days was the Passover. Matt. 26:1, 2. He greatly desired to eat this last Passover with them before he suffered. Luke 22:15. So the disciples came to him, at the proper time, and asked him where he would like to have them prepare for him to eat the Passover. Matt. 26:17. He gave them their instructions, and they made ready the Passover. Verse 19. When the proper time came, he sat down with the twelve. Verse 20.

It is therefore evident that the Saviour ate the Passover at the proper time with his disciples. The disciples knew when the Passover had to be slain, even though they did not then recognize that Christ was to be offered as the paschal lamb to fulfil the type. The typical lamb was killed, therefore, according to the law, on the fourteenth day of Nisan. But this was on Thursday, for the next day, the day he was crucified, was the preparation for the Sabbath of the Lord. Luke 23:54, 56. It was always allowable that when the Sabbath of the Lord immediately followed any festival sabbath, necessary preparations be made on this festival sabbath for the rest of Jehovah. This was universally recognized among the Jews at the time of Christ, and is extant to this present day.

The Saviour ate the Passover on the fourteenth, and was crucified on the fifteenth, which was the first sabbath of the Passover. About the time the Saviour was taken down from the cross, at the beginning of the Sabbath of the Lord, the wave sheaf was cut, thus showing that he was a type of the wave sheaf also, the first-fruit. The next day therefore, the sixteenth of Nisan, was the beginning of the counting of the Omer, or the seven weeks, which culminated on the last day of the seventh week from this time. The first day of the seven weeks was the seventh-day Sabbath; the Sabbath of Jehovah; the day after the last day of the seven weeks must also have been the Sabbath of Jehovah. Lev.

23:15, 16. Therefore it is perfectly clear that the wave sheaf, or Omer, was offered in the temple on the Sabbath of the Lord; and, therefore, the Pentecost, or the fiftieth day, must also have come on the seventh day of the week. Pentecost, therefore, the year the Saviour was crucified and rose, was on the seventh day, or Saturday, the Sabbath of Jehovah. Acts 2. This is evident according to the Word of God.

There are many reasons which might be given to show why Pentecost should fall on the Sabbath of Jehovah, but we will submit just one. It was a universal belief at the time of Christ that the ten commandments were given on Pentecost. Exodus 19. In fact, the Jews never considered the Passover was fully ended until Pentecost was reached. For the whole fifty days of the Omer which were counted between the Passover and Pentecost bore the same relation to the Pentecost as the days of the week do to the Sabbath. Their exodus from Egypt was on the Passover; its climax was reached when they heard the voice of God at Sinai. Therefore as Jehovah gave his law in flaming fire and with blazing glory on the day which was to be observed ever after as the feast of first-fruits, or Pentecost (Deut. 33: 2), to the people who were to be the representatives of his glorious truth, so again on Pentecost he poured out the Holy Spirit upon those men who were to be the representatives of his blessed message of salvation. The glory of Christ shone at Sinai at the giving of the law; for he was Jehovah the lawgiver (James 4: 12); and the glory of Christ shone at Pentecost, because by his sacrifice he showed the glory of the law. He sent the fire upon those men that they might go everywhere and proclaim this majestical truth. Fitting time indeed, the blessed rest of Jehovah Jesus, to fulfil so glorious a plan and purpose. Jesus has always honored the holy Sabbath; he always will. “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” John 13: 17.

South Lancaster, Mass.