Chag sameach Shavu'ot kol beit Yisra'el and Mishpachah! Welcome to this assembly for the fourth of Yahweh's annual moedim, appointments or festivals which He has commanded us to observe at least until the end of the Millennium in honour of His Son, Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ).

We have counted the omer from the second day of the Passover Season (the first day after Pesach or Passover, which is a Sabbath) which is the first day of the week-long Chag haMatzah (Feast of Unleavened Bread), consisting of 7 creation sabbaths plus 50 days, which is about 100 days, give or take a day, depending on the lunar cycles...this year it was 101 days precisely.

The Hebrew word shavu'ot literally means 'weeks' so its proper name is the 'Feast of Weeks' (7 creation weeks + 50 days), not 'Pentecost' which comes from the Greek word pentécosté meaning 'fiftieth'. It was the Talmudic Rabbis, ever changing Yahweh's ordinances, who lopped off the 7 sabbaths and renamed the moed from 'Feast of Weeks' to 'Feast of 50 Days' which was then translated into the Greek and called 'Pentecost'. So those of you who are new to us will understand why we celebrate Shavu'ot later than Christians and most Messianics. It corresponds to the wheat harvest and is a summer, not a spring, festival [1].

Oh, and incidentally, the fact that "new wine" was available at Shavu'ot, as we shall see in Acts 2:13 in a short while, which it wouldn't have been as early as May or June in the Promised land (because the first of the grapes were not ready for harvesting until July) is a further proof of many proofs that Shavu'ot was far later and far more than 50 days after the first day of Chag haMatzah (Feast of Unleavened Bread). It was at least 100 days afterwards when grapes were around to be picked, pressed and allowed to ferment into new wine.

Shavu'ot or the Feast of Weeks has the distinct honour of being the only annual festival never to have a fixed day in the calendar. Pesach (Passover) is on Aviv 14. Chag haMatzah (Feast of Unleavened Bread) starts on on Aviv 15 and lasts to the 21st. Yom haBikkurim (Firstfruits) is on Aviv 16. Yom Teruah (Trumpets) is on the first day of the 7th month. Yom haKippurim (Day of Atonements) is on half of the 9th day of the 7th month and half on the 10th day of the 7th month. And Sukkot (Tabernacles) is on days #15-22 of the 7th month with an extra day tacked onto those. But not Shavu'ot! There is no fixed day in the calendar year for the Feast of Weeks! All you need to calculate for this is Aviv 1, by observing the nearest new moon to the spring equinox, and then all you have to know is observe the new moon to know when each of the other 11 or 12 months begins. Then you count the days from the beginning of each month to the festival day concerned. Today we don't even need to do that (once we know what Aviv 1 is) because computers can do the number-crunching because we know with extraordinary precision what phase the moon is going to be in at any point on the earth on any day of the year. We can work out ancient calendars and look deep into the future, barring any disasters which might change the way the heavens appear! Yet Shavu'ot (Weeks) does not have a fixed month and day. Instead we make a count-down of 7 sabbaths and 50 days (which is roughly 100 days - the uncertainty arises because of the 7 sabbaths and whether there are any intercalculatory days that need to be added) from the first day of Chag haMatzah.

So here's my question: Why has Yahweh designed the moedim (appointments) in this way? Is there a meaning behind the calculation of Shavu'ot being so especially different? Of course, and that meaning is tied in to the prophetic significance of this the fourth annual moed (appointment) which had its messianic fulfilment in the days of the apostles. It is the last of the festivals to have been fulfilled so far! The remaining three autumnal festivals - Yom Teruah (Day of Trumpets/Shouting), Yom haKippurim (Day of Atonements - better known as Yom Kippur) and Sukkot (Tabernacles) - have yet to be prophetically fulfilled. And when they are it will all be within a very short space of time, just as the three spring festivals were.

To answer that fascinating question we have to make some further scriptural observations. Shavu'ot or 'Weeks' may be said to have two phases or two aspects:

• 1. The Pre-Messianic Phase: the giving of the Ten Commandments or Torah - Yahweh's Instructions to Israel - to Moses on Mt.Sinai; and
• 2. The Messianic Phase: The Anointing or Endowment of the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) to the first talmidim (disciples) by the resurrected and ascended Messiah, Yah'shua (Jesus).

The 10 Commandments and all the other instructions given by Yahweh to Israel represent the lifestyle that all true believers are supposed to live both so that we can come to know the true heart and character of the Heavenly Father and so we can live in peace and love with each another.

• 1. In the first phase, Yahweh supernaturally wrote the 10 Commandments on stone tablets which have since been copied onto paper and may be read by us in our Bibles;

• 2. In the second phase, since Messiah came, Yahweh has supernaturally written these mitzvot or commandments in the very hearts of all truely surrendered, overcoming believers so that they become a part of redeemed human nature as it is restored to New Creation living.

So there is a process at work that begins on the outside and ends on the inside. That supernatural transformation of the heart, that as a result becomes '10 commandment-natured' - that is to say, our nature is changed into the nature of the One who authored the 10 Commandments because we are now living Yahweh's lifestyle - that supernatural transformation is the work of the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit). The Ruach (Spirit) continues to operate on anyone inwardly who will accept Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) as their Master (Lord) and Deliverer (Saviour) who maintains that acceptance, daily, through emunah (faith). That original salvation, and its maintenance, results and continue for everyone who consciously and sincerely repents of their sins which is the same as choosing to walk a life of obedience as citizens of the Kingdom. The one who so inwardly transformed spiritually then does spontaneously - because it's already inside them - what was previously commanded externally to the nation of Israel in the pre-messianic phase of Shavu'ot. We still have the written Torah that they had in order to remind us what of what we are supposed to be doing if we are truly living a Ruach- or Spirit-filled life trusting in Christ.

Why is this still necessary - this external reminder in the form of written Scripture? Because, as we all regrettably know, we have, in moments of weakness or carelessness, when we are seduced by the Enemy who never relents, a tendency of turn our gaze away from Yah'shua (Jesus) and back onto the 'flesh', which is the fallen Old Creation life. It's an all too real, all too common, part of the burden of having free agency. What is it specifically that does this 'reminding' and keeps us accountable? It's called a b'rit or covenant.

The first Shavu'ot (Weeks) on Mt.Sinai is perhaps best remembered because Yahweh caused the nation to enter into a covenant, which is a contract we take, or an agreement we enter into, with Yahweh our Heavenly Father to be obedient to His mitzvot (commandments) all the days of our life in exactly the same way that a wife enters into a covenant of obedience with her new husband to be obedient to his domestic law - the law of his home in which he is the Family Head and to which her children must also submit and which she is obliged to teach. Both Yahweh and the human husband make promises which they bind themselves to fulfil, some unconditional and some conditional.

That is why Shavu'ot (Weeks) is also described as a Betrothal Covenant between Yahweh (the Bridegroom or Husband) and Israel (the Bride or Wife), the Torah being the terms - or in Hebrew, the ketubah - of that marriage contract. Notice that I described this as a 'Betrothal' and not a full marriage. This is purely the covenantal stage - the full marriage - the final consummation of the marriage agreement (which is binding...you can't pull out of it as you might break off an engagement) - the final consummation does not come until the 7th festival, which is Sukkot or Tabernacles. Marriage in ancient Israel was always in three stages (though latterly the first of these three was lost or discontinued), represented by the three Pilgrim Festivals, namely:

• 1. Pesach (Passover) - Dedication (the equivalent of today's 'Engagement');
• 2. Shavu'ot (Weeks) - Betrothal; and
• 3. Sukkot (Tabernacles) - Full Marriage.

Over the last three weeks we have been talking about the Agapé Meal and the Master's (Lord's) Supper, haven't we? The Agapé Meal or 'Lovefeast', in its final fullness, corresponds to the week-long celebration known as the 'Marriage Supper of the Lamb' (Rev.19:19) which is what Sukkot (Tabernacles) is all about. Shavu'ot (Weeks), which we are here observing today, is to remind us of our Betrothal Covenants to Messiah which we call Bar- (or Bat-) Mitzvah, Confirmation or Chrism (depending which Christian or Messianic tradition you follow). Like all covenants, there is an inner and outer component - the inner, which is the intent of the mind or the mind and heart, and the outer which (in this case) is a spoken verbal agreement. Remember:

"If you confess with your mouth {outer}, Yah'shua (Jesus) is Master (Lord), and believe in your heart {inner} that Elohim (God) raised Him from the dead, YOU WILL BE SAVED" (Rom.10:9-10, NRSV)

Under the Old Covenant, such covenants were cut or confirmed with animal offerings or 'sacrifices'. In the New Covenant of Messiah they are 'cut' by the entrance of the Ruach (Spirit) into our hearts. Similarly, under the Old Covenant, admission to Israel was 'cut' by the physical ordinance of circumcision, which involved the shedding of a small amount of blood. In the New Covenant in Christ we are circumcised in our hearts by the metaphorical 'cutting' of the Ruach (Spirit) which admits us into Messianic Israel, which is the Kingdom of our Messiah. It is as Paul testfied:

"...a man is a Judahite (Israelite) if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Ruach (Spirit) (in the New Covenant), not by the written code (of Torah)" (Rom 2:29, NIV).

Messianic (New Covenant) Shavu'ot (Weeks), then, is an inward, spiritually transformative event. It includes a verbal agreement but it is not the personal, private, one-to-one agreement made between an indiviual and Yahweh through Yah'shua (Jesus) at Pesach/Passover ('Dedication') which is sealed in the presence of witnesses at Yom haBikkurim (Day of Firstfruits) through the covenant ordinance of water-immersion or baptism in the presence of witnesses. Shavu'ot (Weeks) is a communal, group, national or corporate agreement made between Yahweh (the Bridegroom) and the Nation of Israel (the Bride) which in the New Covenant of Messiah is Messianic Israel which is the Messianic Community or 'Church'.

Here, then, is the Timeline or ongoing Story. Since the time of the spring festivals, the spiritual child has been maturing into an adult and is now entering at Shavu'ot (Weeks) what amounts, spiritually- and symbolically-speaking, to a polygamous betrothal because there are many souls (both men and women - remember this is an allegory, not literal) - many souls who together represent a mystical Bride.

In other words, the initial salvation received through the New Birth at Pesach (Passover), which was confirmed outwardly at Yom haBikkurim (Firstfruits) in water baptism, has now been transformed into a communal salvation event at Shavu'ot (Weeks) represented by Israel (Jacob) the overcoming polygamist. Indeed, an important reason this plural marriage practice is positively legislated for in the Torah, the reason why Yahweh so blessed His righteous servants like Abraham, Jacob and David who lived this way, is precisely because those men who have a shem tov or good name, and precisely because their "honourable wives" (Ps.45:9, Geneva Bible) of "noble character" (Prov.31:9, NIV), are chosen by Yahweh to be a picture or illustration of what echadness or unity in the Body of Messiah in a Mystical Betrothal between Yahweh and His Messianic People is supposed to look like and to reveal the struggles required of all concerned for such unity to be achieved.

A reason there is not unity in the worldwide Messianic Community or Body of Christ is precisely because men and women refuse to overcome the fleshy nature, refuse to make a complete repentance, refuse to die to self, refuse to surrender, which is the essential prerequisite to this oneness that Yah'shua (Jesus) prayed for in His High Priestly Prayer (Jn.17) and therefore the fulfillment of the spirit of Shavu'ot (Weeks). You can only approach this moed (appointment) in the Ruach (Spirit) if as a community you are "of one accord" (Jer.5:5, NIV; Ac.2:1, NKJV; Phil.2:2, NKJV) or "of one mind". There can be no return of the Divine Presence in its fullness until all of this has happened. Only then will the prophecy of Isaiah be fulfilled:

"Then Yahweh will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over all the glory will be a canopy (sukkah - singular of sukkot). It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain" (Isa.4:5-6, NIV).

But first there must be a cleansing:

"In that day the Branch of Yahweh will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called qadosh (holy, set-apart), all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem. Yahweh will wash away the filth of the women of Zion; He will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire" (Isa.4:2-4, NIV).

And what, are we told, will happen before that, before this beautiful "Branch of Yahweh" arises?

"...seven women will take hold of one man and say, 'We will eat our own food and provide our own clothes; only let us be called by your name (shem). Take away our disgrace!'" (Isa.4:1, NIV).

What will have taken place beforehand for such to happen in the Messianic Community (Church)?

"Instead of fragrance there will be a stench;
instead of a sash, a rope;
instead of well-dressed hair, baldness;
instead of fine clothing, sackcloth;
instead of beauty, branding.
Your men will fall by the sword,
your warriors in battle.
The gates of Zion will lament and mourn;
destitute, she will sit on the ground" (Isa.3:24-26, NIV).

As you read the rest of the chapter you will see that a Day of Judgment must preceed this Restoration, a day of much destruction and sorrow caused by sin, apostacy and rebellion We are verily at the very dawn of that day which could burst upon us at any moment. This prophecy has not been fulfilled yet because nothing like the supernatural presence of a cloud or fiery pillar has been seen since Israel's wanderings in the desert under Moses. That is another reason Shavu'ot (Weeks) is so important because there must be unity before such power returns. And that is why I preach it so insistently and so often.

The Besorah (Gospel) of Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) has become so watered down over the centuries, and disunity so great, that few indeed ever come as spiritually far as Shavu'ot (Weeks)! Yet there is a denomination, and its offshoots, which amazingly names itself after this Annual Festival. Which one is that? The Pentecostals and the Charismatics! They are most insistent that they have this power possessed by the first century believers yet they have brought so much confusion and disunity to the Body of Christ since the 'Azuza Street Revival'. It is little wonder, since they positively hate the Torah (which was what the pre-messianic festival was all about, was it not?) It was what Israel gathered at the foot of Mt.Sinai to receive! They also they hate echad marriage which is a prophetic picture of the unity that is supposed to prevail when this 'pentecostal' anointing comes upon the qodeshim (saints)! For a movement to name itself after one of the divine moedim (appointments) and then totally contradict by its beliefs and practices almost everything that moed (appointment) represents is surely one of the greatest oxymorons in Christendom. They can never approach the spirit of 'Pentecost' - Shavu'ot - until they embrace, love and live Torah! They yet remain as 'Passover Christians'.

The Baptists calling themselves 'Baptists' I can understand because they practice water-baptism or full immersion as their name suggests; the Catholics calling themselves 'Catholics' I can understand because they are indeed a 'catholic' or 'worldwide' church. The Anglicans calling themselves 'Anglicans' I can understand because they represent, the state-sanctioned English or Anglican Christian community. The Presbyterians calling themselves 'Presbyterians' I can undertand because they are led by Presbyters or Elders, and the Episcopalians calling themselves 'Episcopalian' I can understand because they (like the Anglicans) are led by Bishops. The Mormons calling themselves 'Mormons' I can understand because they believe in the Book of Mormon and the Jehovah's Witnesses calling themselves 'Jehovah's Witnesses' because they believe the name of God is 'Jehovah' even if I profoundly disagree with both. The old Methodists calling themselves 'Methodist' I can understand because they used to be extremely methodical in their scripture studying. I can understand the names that most denominations give to themselves - from Messianics to Eastern Orthodox - because they are mostly consistent with what their name represents them as being.

But the 'Pentecostals'? Apart from the fact that the name itself is a misnomer, what the earliest talmidim (disciples) did on the First Messianic Shavu'ot or 'Pentecost' is anything but what the 'Pentecostals' do, or at least very, very rarely indeed. It would be more accurate were they to refer to themselves as 'Primitive Corinthians' because that is where all the babbling first broke out to cause such confusion. What did those first Messianic 'Pentecostals' in fact do? Let's turn to Acts 2 see for ourselves:

"Now when the Day of Pentecost had fully come (lit. 'And after the days of Shavu'ot/Weeks were fulfilled' - AENT), they were all with one accord (united, in agreement, with one mind, as one, echad) ['assembled' - AENT) in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house (not the 'upper room' -Ac.1:13 - but the Temple [2]) where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) and began to speak with other (heteros, 'different') tongues (glossa, 'naturally acquired languages'), as the Ruach (Spirit) gave them utterance.

"And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Judahites ('Jews'), devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, 'Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born (native tongue)? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Judahites ('Jews') and proselytes (converts), Cretans and Arabs -- we hear them speaking in our own languages (tongues) the wonderful works of Elohim (God).' So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, 'Whatever could this mean?' Others mocking said, 'They are full of new wine ['and have become drunk' - AENT].'

"But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, 'Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken by the navi (prophet) Joel:

'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says Elohim (God), That I will pour out of My Ruach (Spirit) on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Ruach (Spirit) in those days; And they shall prophesy. I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapour of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of ['the Master' - AENT] Yahweh. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the Name of ['the Master' - AENT] Yahweh shall be saved'" (Acts 2:1-21, NKJV).

What were these first 'Pentecostals' doing? First, were they speaking in unknown tongues - gibberish - or were these known languages? Second, what were they saying in these languages?

• 1. They were speaking, supernaturally, by the Ruach (Spirit) in Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin, Greek (the languages spoken in Judea), Parthian, Median, Elamite, Mesopotamian, Cappadocian, Pontian, Asian (not modern 'Asia'), Phrygian, Pamphylian, Egyptian, Libyan (Cyrenean dialect), Cretan and Arabic - they're listed for us so there was nothing 'unknown' about them - they were not gibberish; and

• 2. They were prophesying "the wonderful works of Elohim (God)" in accordance with the prediction made by Joel:

  "And afterward,
  I will pour out my Ruach (Spirit) on all people.
  Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
  your old men will dream dreams,
  your young men will see visions.
  Even on my servants, both men and women,
  I will pour out my Ruach (Spirit) in those days.
  I will show wonders in the heavens
  and on the earth,
  blood and fire and billows of smoke.
  The sun will be turned to darkness
  and the moon to blood
  before the coming of the great and dreadful day of Yahweh.
  And everyone who calls
  on the name of Yahweh will be saved;
  for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
  there will be deliverance,
  as Yahweh has said,
  among the survivors
  whom Yahweh calls" (Joel 2:28-32, NIV).

More importantly for today's commemoration at least is this question: what was the purpose of having believers speak known foreign languages supernaturally on this particular festival of Shavu'ot (Weeks)? The two primary reasons - which do not exclude others - were:

• 1. To symbolically mark the end of the curse of the the division of languages pronounced at Babel for rebellion by enabling individual members of the Messianic Community (Church) hereafter to supernaturally communicate in languages they had not naturally learned for the purpose of evangelising, and prophesying to, unbelievers on the day of the first Messianic Shavu'ot (Weeks) itself, but also beyond into the future - for as it is written:

  "Therefore tongues are for a sign - a blessing and a demonstration of authority - not to those who believe but to unbelievers" (1 Cor.14:22, NKJV).

• 2. As a one-off sign to Israel of imminent judgment for sin, rebellion and apostasy, as it is written in Isaiah the navi (prophet):

  "For by people of strange lip and with a foreign tongue Yahweh will speak to this people (Israel), to whom He has said, 'This is rest; give rest to the weary; and this is repose; yet they would not hear'" (Is.28:11-12, ESV).

  Paul quotes this passage in 1 Corinthians 14:21, and then having made the Tanakh (Old Testament) proclamation, the apostle applies it to their day, saying tongues have the same meaning now (around 50 AD) as they did back in Isaiah's day, saying:

  "Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is not a sign for unbelievers but for believers" (1 Cor.14:22, ESV)

It's very important you understand this. Tongues are only ever for unbelievers, and in this particular situation, those unbelieving Israelites or Judahites who refused to be obedient. Let us go to Isaiah 28:7-12. The year is 586 BC. This passage tells of imminent judgment because of unbelief and wickedness for the House of Judah and was a warning that they were about to go the same way as the northern tribes who were taken into captivity by the Assyrians in 722 BC:

"And these also stagger from wine
and reel from beer:
Cohenim (priests) and nevi'im (prophets) stagger from beer
and are befuddled with wine;
they reel from beer,
they stagger when seeing visions,
they stumble when rendering decisions.
All the tables are covered with vomit
and there is not a spot without filth.

{Start of false prophets and priests speaking with a mocking tone:}
"Who is it he is trying to teach?
To whom is he explaining his message?
To children weaned from their milk,
to those just taken from the breast?
For it is:
Do and do, do and do,
rule on rule, rule on rule;
a little here, a little there.
{End of false prophets and priests speaking with a mocking tone}

"Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues
Elohim (God) will speak to this people,
to whom He said,
'This is the resting place, let the weary rest';
and, 'This is the place of repose' --
but they would not listen" (Isa.28:7-12, NIV).

Verse 7 in particular is a condemnation of the nevi'im (prophets) and cohenim (priests) who were in a drunken stupor and vomitting all over their tables. For warning them, Isaiah was mocked, scorned, chided and derided. These prophets and priests regarded themselves a 'cut above the rest' and resented Isaiah for treating them like little children, by repeating the simple truths of Torah over and over again to them and calling them to make teshuvah - to repent.

Paraphrasing, Yahweh's response through Isaiah was as follows: 'You wouldn't hear the simple, repeated, childlike message of Isaiah, so I'm going to talk to you in a language you'll never understand,' the language of the Babylonians, who were already surrounding the city of Jerusalem and who would slaughter them and take them into exile as the Israelites to the north had been by the Assyrians. Yahweh was saying to them: 'When you hear the unintelligible language of Babylon, you will know that Judgment has fallen upon you.' And that judgment came - swiftly and terribly.

This was 6 centuries before the first Messianic Shavu'ot (Weeks) in the New Testament but it was not the first time this message had been given - in fact it had been given through Moses far earlier in the Pentateuch:

"Yahweh will bring a nation against you from far away, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle swooping down, a nation whose language you will not understand" (Deut.28:49, NIV).

A similar warning was given by the navi (prophet) Jeremiah:

"'O house of Israel,' declares Yahweh, 'I am bringing a distant nation against you -- an ancient and enduring nation, a people whose language you do not know, whose speech you do not understand'" (Jer.5:15, NIV).

Remember that prophecy typically has multiple layers and though it usually has a primary target it is often repeated historically in a cyclical manner - this kind of prophecy, starting with Moses, has been fulfilled at least three times already:

• 1. When the Assyrians conquered the northern 10 Tribes of Israel (722 BC) and took them into captivity;
• 2. When the Babylonians conquered the southern 2 Tribes of Judah and Benjamin with Jerusalem in the reign of Hezekiah (586 BC) and took them into captivity; and
• 3. When the Romans utterly destroyed Jerusalem along with the Temple (AD 70) and built a pagan city - Aelia Capitolina - on the rubble.

So when Paul quoted Isaiah 28 in 1 Corinthians 14 in connection with the speaking of tongues at Shavu'ot (Weeks), what was he saying? What was his point? Remember that what transpired at the first Messianic Shavu'ot (Weeks) took place publicly in the Temple, before believing and unbelieving Judahites, and not privately in the 'upper room'. They were overheard by all those visitors coming up to Jerusalem for the festival. Normally we are asked to believe that 'pentecost' took place in an 'upper room' in some suburb of the city and the masses of pilgrims down on the street below, who just happened to be in that suburb, overheard the goings-on in the little room above them through a small window. What did they do? Climb up a ladder and peer in the room? Burst into the house and climb the stairs to the upper room? Does the scene recorded in Scripture sound anything like that to you?

"...when this sound (of a rushing of wind and speaking in tongues) occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language" (Acts 2:6, NASU).

Where would such a crowd have been on a High Holy Day like Shavu'ot? In the spacious Temple of Herod or immediately adjacent to it. And this was what Paul was saying to his Corinthian readership. Paraphrasing again:

'Just as Moses, Isaiah, and Jeremiah spoke or wrote these prophecies to unbelieving Israelites, Judgment and exile followed, so what was the sign to the unbeliving Judahites - who were witnesses when this event that took place in the Temple - what was the sign to them that Yahweh was about to execute His Judgment? People speaking in unfamiliar, foreign languages to all but those who lived in the places where these languages were spoken! In other words, this was a terrible sign for unbelieving Yahwist Judahites - if you don't repent, Peter had said, your city of Jerusalem and what's left of your nation will be destroyed!'

Did they repent? No! The Judgment - the destruction - didn't happen for nearly another 40 years and when people whose ears are dulled by sin hear prophecy they usually expect immediate fulfilment or they refuse to believe the messenger because they aren't tuned into the Ruach (Spirit) and so can't recognise Elohim (God) when He is speaking through an authentic navi (prophet). 20 years or so later, when Paul wrote to the Corinthians, it still hadn't happened - there were about another 15 years to go.

These wicked Judahites rejected their Messiah, and crucified Him. And for their wickedness and the curse they deliberately called down upon themselves and their children, when they shouted, "Crucify Him...We have no King but Caesar!" (Jn.19:15), their Temple (along with the sacrificial system) and City were destroyed and finally they were expelled for the second time, finally bringing the Old Covenant completely to an end. Yah'shua's (Jesus') prophecy was fulfilled, the prophecy made by the Heavenly King whom they rejected (Jn.2:19).

What if I were to suggest to you that this process might soon be enacted again - for a fourth time - at a Shavu'ot (Weeks) not too far in the future? When once again this gift of tongues - the genuine one, not the counterfeit gibberish you hear spoken by those and their offshoots who have stolen the name of the festival - when this happens again, in power and with the obvious authority of Yahweh resting upon newly called apostles (the signs will not leave you with a shred of doubt as to their authenticity when coupled with other signs), then you will know that the Zionist entity in the Holy Land - the resurrected Kingdom of Esau which calls itself 'Israel' - will be utterly destroyed in due course. That is why I have been warning Israeli friends (Jewish and Arab) for years to get out and counselling Messianics not to emmigrate there or thereabouts. We can only speculate what the "foreign lips and strange tongues" will be this time but I don't thing the selection is very big. Perhaps Russian or Chinese...who can say.

Shavu'ot (Weeks), wrongly labelled 'Pentecost', is therefore very bad news for anyone espousing lawlessness or maintaining an anti-Torah attitude. The 'Day of Pentecost' is supremely about the Torah and on it we traditionally renew our Ketubah or Betrothal Covenant in Messiah to continue doing so - not in our own strength, which is impossible (as Old Covenant Israel discovered), but in His. Shavu'ot is supremely the 'Kingdom' moed (appointment). Yes, "the kingdom of Elohim (God) is within you" (Luke 17:21, NIV), as Yah'shua (Jesus) taught, and, yes, it's implanting there is by the power of the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) which comes through faith in, and surrender to, Messiah Yah'shua (Jesus), but when it manifests outwardly, its 'shape' is that of the Torah - that is to say, our 'savedness' in Christ is reflected outwardly in the Torah lifestyle we live, remembering that the core message of the New Covenant is that it - the Torah - has now been written on the heart by the pen of the Ruach (Spirit) as Jeremiah taught (Jer.31:31-34). Thus now, instead of starting with circumcision which was the proceedure under the Old Covenant to become a member of the Nation of Israel, membership starts with coming to Messiah, whatever nation you may be a part of, who then reshapes us into a Messianic Israelite such that we become authentic citizens of Messiah's Kingdom.

Not so in so-called 'Pentecostalism' and the 'Charismatic Movement' most who declare openly that they are 'done' with the Torah and commandment-keeping. The thing is this: if you dismiss the Torah out of your life, you are dismissing the outward manifestation of the Kingdom (whether in whole or in part); and if you dismiss the Kingdom you are dismissing the King...ultimately, or at the very least consigning yourself to a very low place or position in that Kingdom. Need I remind you of what Yah'shua (Jesus) taught on this matter? For the sake of those who are listening in or reading this later, it is important you know what the Saviour said to anyone contemplating going round the Law:

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Torah (Law, Teaching) or the Nevi'im (Prophets); I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them (bring them to completion). I tell you the emet (truth), until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Torah (Law) until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these mitzvot (commandments) and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these mitzvot (commands) will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Torah (Law), you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt.5:17-20, NIV)

It may be convenient for lawless Christians, especially those who claim to have been baptised with the same baptism as the early qodeshim (saints, set-apart ones) at the first Messianic Shavu'ot (Weeks) were, but unless they are obeying the Master in this instruction, then they are very likely not baptised with this Ruach (Spirit) but with something else. I am not saying they have not been born-again, that they have not put their trust in Christ, but I am warning them that if they persist in their reckless lawlessness, and teach others to do the same, that they will - because Scripture says so...because Christ says so - be counted as least in the Kingdom. And in case you are not aware of what the word "least" means, it means at the bottom of the pile, with the least honour. This is not the same as being humble, by the way - this is a different kind of 'least' to the 'last' in "the last will be first, and the first will be last" (Matt.20:16, NIV). It is never any credit to anyone to be lawless, it only brings condemnation. There is no reward - no blessing - for that. Rather, Paul teaches that such a willfully disobedient believer will inherit a lesser glory, which means, ultimately, an inferior resurrection.

So why is Shavu'ot so different to the other festivals in terms of locating its position on the calendar? Why not a fixed day like the 22nd day of the 4th month? Has anyone figured out the answer to that question which I posed earlier? No? Then, if I may, let me give you a clue from the Master's conversation with Nicodemus:

"I tell you the emet (truth), no one can enter the kingdom of Elohim (God) unless he is born of mayim (water) and the Ruach (Spirit). Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Ruach (Spirit) gives birth to ruach (spirit). You should not be surprised at My saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Ruach (Spirit)" (John 3:5-8, NIV).

Likewise in Israelite marriage, the bethrothed bride does not know when the bridegroom is coming to collect her until he has left and he can be heard and seen in the distance on the road leading to her parents' house. That is why she must be watchful always. Likewise, we do not know when our Heavenly allegorical Bridegroom is returning so we too must ever be watchful and vigilent, like the five wise virgins, having oil at the ready and trimmed lamps.

And herein lies the secret of the spiritual meaning of Shavu'ot (Weeks). The talmidim (disciples) were not told when the Ruach (Spirit) would come in a new way, nevertheless they were told to remain in Jerusalem and wait for it. We are never told far in advance when Shavu'ot (Weeks) events are going to take place, but there is always warning near the time, which is why Yahweh's people must always be alert. The same is true of Judgment as of blessings and as you know we are poised waiting for a Judgment having been told a few years in advance to get prepared. That is why this time is especially important. Israel under Moses had no idea what was going to happen at Mt.Sinai and Messianic Israel under the apostles had no idea what, if anything, was going to happen at the first Shavu'ot (Weeks) after Yah'shua's (Jesus) resurrection and ascension. And if the truth be known, we don't really have too much of an idea what to expect in our own time, even if we have speculated, and wonder, and hope. We just know that something 'big' is around the corner, about which, hopefully, I will have more to say in two days' time at Rosh Chodesh.

Tomorrow, Yah willing, since we have a regular Sabbath back to back with Shavu'ot this year, I want to talk more about the blessings of this festival and especially the Baptism of Fire. Until then, may Yahweh bless you as we keep our minds firmly fixed on Him these next couple of days. We shall conclude by renewing our Shavu'ot Covenant. If you are baptised and have taken your Bar- or Bat-Mitzvah, please repeat these words spoken by Israel at the First Shavu'ot:

"Everything Yahweh has said we will do"

Endnotes

[1] See Wrong Pentecost! Shavu'ot is Not in May or June and similar articles on the Shavu'ot website
[2] See Matthew12:4; 21:13; Luke 2:49; John 2:16-17. This was Shavu'ot so the talmidim (disciples) would have been gathered in the Temple. Luke 24:15 says that the talmidim (disciples) were "at all times in the temple" so the Ruach (Spirit) was poured out in open view of all those in attendance at the Temple, not in some hidden place. Yah'shua (Jesus) visited the Temple daily when He was in Jerusalem and in the early mornings He taught those who came to learn of the Kingdom of Elohim (God) (Luke 21:36-38)