Feast of Weeks And Bible Prophecy By. Dr. August Rosado 6/6/24

The Feast of Weeks, or known in Hebrew as שָׁבוּעוֹת, Shavuot. This is the harvest feast described in Leviticus 23:15-25. After First Fruits the Jewish people were to count seven sabbaths, 7x7=49. They were to count forty-nine days. On the 50th day they were to observe the feast of Weeks. So, this feast would occur fifty-days after the feast of First Fruits. The Rabbis regarded Feast of Weeks as the compliment or the conclusion of the Passover celebrations. The Feast of Weeks is a summer feast, Passover in the spring, and Tabernacles in the fall.

 God required the Jewish people to make, ‘aliya’, (ascend, go up), to Jerusalem three times a year to observe these three feasts, Passover, Weeks, and Tabernacles, (Duet 16:16). The Jewish people were thankful to God for the abundant harvest and crops beginning with First Fruits and culminating with the harvest feast of Weeks. In the Greek, you better know the feast of weeks as Pentecost. Pentecost means 50.

In Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit was poured out upon 120 Jews and we have the birth of the Church, (Acts 2:47). This happened fifty days after Jesus the Messiah ascended back up into heaven from the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. Jesus sent the promise of the Father as He said He would, (John 14:16-18; 14:26; 15:26; 16:7-11). This was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost when we saw a harvest of souls saved. Acts 2:41 tells us 3,000 Jews came to faith that day.

How do I know they were Jews? First of all, this is in Jerusalem, the holy city and capitol of the Jewish people since David took it from the Jebusites one thousand years earlier, (2 Sam 5:6-7). Also, as I stated before God required Jews to be at Jerusalem for Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles, (Duet 16:16). These Jews came from all over the region to be at Jerusalem and were not familiar with the Hebrew language. In Jerusalem they spoke Hebrew. In the Galilee they spoke Aramaic.

The 120 Jews in whom the Holy Spirit was poured out began to speak in different dialects familiar to these Jews who were outside the land. We know this based on their response in Acts 2:6, "every man heard them speak in his own language”. In Exodus 32:28, 3,000 Jews perished at Mt. Sinai. At Pentecost 3,000 Jews get saved in Acts 2:41. Jesus fulfilled the first four feast in which:

He was crucified at Passover, (1 Cor 5:6-7)

He was buried on Unleavened Bread, (1 Cor 5:7)

He rose from the dead on First Fruits, (1 Corn 15:20)

He sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, (Acts 2).

Three feasts are yet to be fulfilled:

Trumpets, (second coming, Matthew 24:31), not the Rapture per se since these are Jewish feasts.

Day of Atonement, when the Jewish people look on Him whom they have pierced, (Zech 12:10; Rev 1:7)

Tabernacles, the 1000-Year Kingdom reign of Messiah from Jerusalem, (Rev 20:2-7).

Jesus kept the first four feasts of Leviticus 23 and He will indeed keep the last three according to Bible prophecy. At the Rapture a trumpet will sound. That is for the Church comprised of Jewish and Gentile believers. Seven years later another trumpet will sound to call God’s elect, Israel, (Isa 45:4), and the saved Gentiles of the tribulation to Jerusalem for the inauguration of the Millennial Kingdom. Bible prophecy will be fulfilled and Shavuot, Pentecost reminds us that God will keep His word.