Level 1 Pentecost

"There are three levels of significance for Pentecost, and each level represents a
new expression of God's blessing. The three levels picture three things God wants
to accomplish in our lives when the Heaven open! Each level is a doorway we
must pass through to enter the release of God's power. If we understand the three
dimensions of Pentecost we will catch a glimpse of what God wants to do in our
lives (Heidler, 2006, pg 185, para 3)."
What is Pentecost? Most people believe that the first Pentecost is written about in
Acts 2:
"When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And
suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled
the whole house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared to them tongues
as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. 4 And
they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as
the Spirit was giving them utterance."
However Pentecost was being observed by God's people long before Jesus walked
on earth:
"From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave
offering, count off seven full weeks.
16 Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present
an offering of new grain to the LORD.
17 From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of
the finest flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of first fruits to the LORD.
18 Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect,
one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the LORD, together
with their grain offerings and drink offeringsa food offering, an aroma pleasing
to the LORD.
19 Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering and two lambs, each a year old,
for a fellowship offering.
20 The priest is to wave the two lambs before the LORD as a wave offering,
together with the bread of the firstfruits. They are a sacred offering to the LORD
for the priest.
21 On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work.
This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live
(Leviticus 23:15-21)."
Pentecost is a season of blessing, of an outpouring of God's gifts and Holy Spirit,
Pentecost is the climax of the season of Blessing! Interestingly enough Pentecost
is the day that God gave the Law to Israel by mouth and little tongues of fire
could be seen through the camp and God's voice was loud like booming thunder
to the point that the people begged to hear no more and to have Moses as Liaison
between God and man!
I cannot help but shiver at the history of Pentecost; God has made a pattern of
giving His blessing and Spirit on Pentecost, what does that mean for us in the
future?
It is very important to understand the weight of Pentecost, Israel left Egypt on the
15th day of the first month [Exodus 12]. The fifteenth day of the second month
would be 30 days after leaving Egypt. From the 15th of the second month to the
end of the month would be another 15 days making a total of 45 days. The first
day of the third month would be the 46th day. On the 47th day after leaving
Egypt, Moses went up Mount Sinai to meet with God. God revealed His plan for
Israel, which was to make Israel a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, and a people
for His own possession [Exodus 19:1-11]. To receive these benefits, Gods
requirements are simple: obey His voice and keep His covenant.
This timeline is important because God came down on Mount Sinai on the 50th
day, Pentecost!
God commanded Israel to keep a feast every year on the 50th day after Passover.
It is called the Feast of Pentecost. The experience of Israel at Mount Sinai is a
prophetic picture, a type or shadow. Understanding this helps us understand the
importance of Pentecost in Acts 2.
On the 50th day, God came down on the mountain in fire and smoke and Mount
Sinai became like a furnace of fire. The whole mountain began to shake violently
in an earthquake. The voice of the trumpet sounded louder and louder. Moses
said something to God and God answered him back with a loud voice. God called
Moses up to the top of the mountain and told him to go down and tell the people
not to come up the mountain.
Since this is a type or shadow picture of Pentecost, it is important to understand
what really happened on the 50th day.
And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet,
and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak
with us, lest we die. And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove
you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. (Exodus 20:18-20)
Because the people were afraid, they told Moses that they wanted Him to hear
from God and speak what he heard to them. It set the tone for Israels
relationship with God until the Word became flesh and walked among us and
spoke to us Gods words directly. Moses repeated what God tells him throughout
the book of Numbers and Deuteronomy, showing that what God spoke on
Pentecost is of extreme importance, for His will is literally delivered by words and
according to Stephen was delivered by Angels on this early Pentecost (Acts 7:53)
While this scripture sounds like God spoke the 10 commandments and wrote
them on stone tablets at the same time, there were actually about 40 days
between God speaking the 10 commandments and writing them on the stone
tables. After God spoke the 10 commandments to Israel at Mount Sinai, He called
Moses to come back up the mountain to speak to Him. This was Moses fourth
trip up the mountain to speak to God [Exodus 19]. God told Moses to go down,
come back up, and bring Aaron with him [Exodus 19:24]. It was on this occasion
that God gave the statures, ordinances and judgments, which detailed the
interactions between the children of Israel, servants, violence, animals,
restitution requirements, Sabbaths, the feasts and Gods commandments
concerning the heathen living in Canaan. Then God told Moses to bring Aaron
and his sons along with the 70 elders on his next trip up the mountain.
Understanding the timeline is important, during the days leading up to Pentecost
God was doing awesome things; He led the people out of Egypt guiding them with
pillars of fire and cloud, splitting the waters in half allowing the people to walk on
DRY ground, (think of the ocean floor being so dry that you can easily walk across
it, no mud, no sinking!), God miraculously fed the people with manna and quail,
God miraculously provided water. Realize they left the morning after Passover
meaning on the very first day of counting the Omer God worked miracles non-
stop leading right up to the 50th day when He spoke the very Law, His
ordinances, His government to the people, the day that is "a Sabbath and no work
shall be done," Amazing! The timeline is unquestionable and when we fast
forward to the New Testament what do we find?
Jesus was arrested on Passover, beaten and crucified on Unleavened Bread
(purging of sin), He Resurrected on the Feast of First Fruits and Day 1 of the
counting of the Omer, He raised 50 elders from the dead, he walked and taught,
on day 40 f the count He ascended with a promise to send a helper and ten days
later on the Feast of Pentecost the Holy Spirit of God descended onto man!
Amazing.
The first level of Pentecost is being thankful for the provision of God and He has
shown us over centuries of time that He will open the store houses and pour out
His Blessings and His Spirit if only we will receive it and how do we receive it?
We must be in covenant with God (sanctified by God):
"But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'You shall surely observe My
Sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations,
that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you (Exodus 31:13)."
This is why during the time of provision, the time of Blessing on the climax of
blessings and outpouring the very government of God was delivered to man in a
form we can physically see, it is the key to living in harmony with the Creator and
Savior. We must as believers contemplate, if all these things are written for our
benefit and scriptures say that God never changes what will He do this Pentecost
and future Pentecost? As we near the end of the age and prepare to dwell with
Him what will Pentecost hold?