It was day fifty and the time of waving the firstfruits of harvest.
On this day many thousands of Jews were in Jerusalem to observe Shavuot. This day is also celebrated as the annual celebration of Moses receiving the two tables of stone upon which religious Israel would be built. There are observances of honoring the sacred scrolls containing the Ten Commandment covenant between Israel and God.
On the day of Pentecost the men of Israel united in worship and honor of God, they held in high esteem the God who gives bread from the ground. This was the feast of the wheat harvest.
Firstfruits, giving to God an offering of thanks from the tongue and lips.
For the 120 who were in the upper room, the day began with morning prayer. They did not go to the Temple Mount. To be honest, after the bloody event of the crucifixion of Jesus that the Temple Cult had carried out against their Messieh, they did not want to go there. Besides, Jesus told them to tarry in Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high. He did not direct them to do so at the Temple. The Temple on the day of Pentecost may have been filled with Jews, but the presence of God was going to be manifest nearly 2,500 feet away in an upper room on Mount Zion.
At 9am in the morning, when the day of Pentecost had fully come, the city was filled with thousands of Jews from all over the known world. At the precise hour of the day when the priest raised in his hands the wave offering, the 120 had joined in a community prayer with tongues and lips. Here in the upper room were the real firstfruits of God's harvest from the ground. We are not speaking wheat here. We are speaking about a new fruit from the ground. These souls were gathered in obedience to Jesus who had been resurrected from the ground. The Temple cult still mocked and rejected the resurrection of Jesus. But 120 believers who had seen Jesus after this resurrection were assembled in one mind and one accord. The real Pentecost had come. The real firstfruits from the ground were praising God with tongues and lips.
We know they were expecting the "promise of the Father." And we also know they were expecting "power from on high." We know in addition they were told the Holy Spirit would come upon them.
How can there be any mistake here with these three things known by all of them?
They also knew according to Mark 9:1 the kingdom would come with power. In Act 1 the power was to come with the Holy Ghost. And now that the Holy Ghost was coming with power, and knowing the promise of the Father was in his hands: they knew the promise of God was the birth of the Kingdom at the same moment the Holy Spirit came upon them.
The birth of the Church was the beginning of the Kingdom.
Peter had the keys to this Kingdom: Matthew 16:18-19.
The day of Pentecost is also to many of us "Rock Day."
Yes, upon "this rock," Jesus said he would build his Church. Jesus is our ROCK because our ROCK is God (2Sam 22:2-3). He did not say he would build it upon two tables of stone. Jesus was greater than Moses. Jesus replaced Moses. Moses predicted Jesus (Acts 3:22-23). This became the deciding difference later between Calvary and Grace and Mt Horeb and the Law, between the new Covenant Jesus and the old Covenant Moses.
Peter was not the rock as Peter in Hebrew is petras and means "stone." Jesus is the Rock. And the name of Jesus is the name of the Rock. It is upon the name of Jesus, he would build his Church. He would build the Church-Kingdom upon himself and his name. It is right here I proudly, lift up the name of Jesus higher than any other name or title of God. The Church is a collective group of men, women, boys, girls, children: who are "JESUS ONLY."
What is the Church?
It is an assembly of born again of water and Spirit believers. The first Church had 120 exactly like this. Why should any subsequent Church be any different? Only those with these faith experiences can really celebrate the day of Pentecost. To all others it will be only a day of ritual or dead religious observance. To the elect it will be a day of tongues and lips praising Jesus.
The Church is a group of "called out ones." We get our first glimpse of what this means when we acknowledge the first 120 were not part of the Temple worshippers on the day of Pentecost. They were a separate called out group who specifically were joined in faith waiting on the power and the Holy Ghost. It is only AFTER a person is water baptized in Jesus Christ's name and filled with the Holy Ghost that they are a part of the "called out ones." So, no one can be a true member of the Church until they have come into the body of called out ones with water and Spirit baptisms.
The day of Pentecost gives the people of God an annual day to check up. The Pastors and Ministers must line back up with the Truth. The Gospel of the Kingdom must come center stage and take over again for the next year. We seek another year for souls of the harvest. As we worship with tongues and lips, giving up to our God praises to his name, there is just one purpose on our minds: "the power of the Holy Ghost."
Power to overcome all evil, trials, and temptations.
Power to walk in the Spirit and do what is pleasing to God.
Power to witness to others about salvation and stopping the future wrath of God (preaching the Gospel).
Power to have faith for the impossible, including miracles of healing.
Power to cast our demons and the devil.
Power to keep ourselves unspotted from the world.
Power to learn, teach, lead, and win the lost.
Power to build Churches, establish Bible Schools, and missionary works.
Power to fulfill all that God has a purpose in our lives.
If any has fallen short of the work of the power, let them go back to the altar and have a Pentecost restoration. Go back to the Rock. Go back to the day of worship with tongue and lips.
The day of Pentecost is all about Jesus and us. Yes, it is a day to gather and celebrate the bread from the ground, the firstfruits.
On this coming Sunday, let all the true Men of God preach about the real purpose of the day of Pentecost.
Let all those who are born again of water and Spirit, the true Pentecostals, make known to the world the purpose of the New Testament Church.
At Jesus House we will do our best to celebrate.
Happy Birthday bride of Christ.
Happy Birthday Church of the Living God.
Bishop Reckart
A Rock Man and proud of it.
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How the Catholic church deceived the Jews.
Many years ago I believed the Jewish method of counting the 50 days to Pentecost. I used Jewish books to support my beliefs. I thought if anyone would know it would be the Jews. But boy was I wrong.
I think it was around 1974 I discovered the Jews were wrong. It all happened in a simple personal Bible study. I encourage everyone to study their Bible and rightly divide the Scriptures. Do not mislead yourself by personal opinions that cannot be validated. I had done just that. I had validated nothing at this point about the day of Pentecost. I had just receive the traditions of the Jews. But this was to suddenly change when the light of Truth came into my eyes.
It all happened when I received a booklet called "Plain Truth" from Herbert Armstrong. In it he had an article about Easter and its paganism. That I already knew. But what got my attention was, when was Jesus resurrected. Armstrong held to a full 72 hours of 3 complete days and 3 complete nights in the grave. I also believed this since this seemed to fullfill the words of Jesus about Jonah. I decided to begin collecting the testimony of the resurrection. My first verse was Luke 24:21--"this is the third day since these things were done." I had never grasped that verse before. What shocked me was Jesus had been resurrected that morning and it was now about sundown and the two men said that was the "THIRD DAY." This meant Jesus was resurrected on the third day not the fourth to keep the 72 hour theory.
I then collected all the "third day" resurrection Scriptures:
Matthew 16:21
Matthew 17:32
Matthew 20:19
Matthew 27:64
Mark 9:31
Mark 10:34
Luke 9:22
Luke 13:32
Luke 18:33
Luke 24:7
Luke 24:21
Luke 24:46
Acts 10:40
1Corinthians 15:4
All are a third day resurrection. The overwhelming evidence was settled for me when I read Jesus' words in Luke 24:46. Why this was so important was that it was Jesus himself AFTER the resurrection who said he arose on the third day. That sealed it for me. Now, since Jesus was resurrected on Sunday morning and Sunday was the third day, I needed to count backward to determine the day of the crucifixion and the Lord's Passover. If Sunday was the third day, then Thursday night was the first night, meaning Jesus was crucified early that Thursday around 9am. This means the Passover was celebrated the evening before, which was Wednesday after sundown. This meant the 15th of Abib began sundown Wednesday. This was also the first day of Unleavened Bread and Passover.
The Catholic church holds that the crucifixion took place on Friday. This allowed for the deception of Jews as well as the rest of Christianity. Since the day of Pentecost fell on a Sunday it was needful then for the Jews to count 50 days beginning with Saturday sabbath the day after the Friday crucifixion. The Jews adopted the Catholic rule to start counting the 50 days on the day after Passover. This deception of the Jews has continued for many centuries.
Using the Catholic/Jewish method: we can easily see that if Passover occurred on a Wednesday evening then Pentecost would fall on a Friday. If on Thursday it would fall on a Saturday. If on a Friday it would fall on a Sunday. This would make it appear that the counting began with the day after Passover. It was then determined since Passover was a sabbath this was the true way to count the 50 days to Pentecost.
But this is false and the Catholic church deceived the Jews.
According to the Pentecost text of counting the 50 days there are to be seven weekly sabbaths. We are sure this is reference to the weekly sabbaths. The text say we begin counting on the weekly sabbath AFTER Passover which rules out counting Passover as one of the sabbaths. Regardless of what day of the week Passover fell, the counting did not begin until the next weekly sabbath. From that point forward, seven sabbaths would be complete. And the day after the seventh sabbath would be the day of Pentecost. The day of Pentecost cannot fall on any day of the week but Sunday.
When I discovered the corruption of Friday as the day of the crucifixion by the Catholic church, then was able to see the distortion of the counting of the sabbaths beginning the day after Passover, I was able to restore in modern times the true interpretation of how to determine the correct day of Pentecost.
It was in that year I never again followed the Catholic church in the calculation of the resurrection or the Jews in their calculation of the days of Passover or Pentecost. Both religious systems used deceptive practices that did not line up with the Scriptures. At the same time I escaped the deceptions of Rome I escaped the deceptions of the Talmud. And I was FREE! I never trusted Talmudic interpretations again about anything.
Counting the seven weekly sabbaths is a requirement to learn when the day of Pentecost will fully come.
Bishop Reckart
Making it plain for those whose eyes want to see.
Great Truth Bishop made very simple indeed.
ReplyDeleteI would that apostolic believers everywhere would grasp these precious truth.
I got it, but to others, do you?
Jesus Son
I got it! Thank you Bishop again for your sharing of great truths!
ReplyDeleteJesus bless you more and more.
Brother Greg