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WHEN
DO WE BEGIN THE COUNT UNTO PENTECOST?
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Study and written by: Felicia A. Trecek The following list of scriptures are direct or indirect facts used in counting unto Pentecost. Together, these facts equate to parameters. The parameters are: words, phrases, and individual scriptures. All of these; words, phrases and individual scriptures, are in harmony and must be considered and used to determine the count unto Pentecost. We are not allowed to add or subtract from these parameter facts unless additional individual scriptures posed are evidently shown to be additional parameters within the parameter whole and are used to bring further clarity to the subject of counting unto Pentecost. Leviticus 23:10 reads, "...When you come into the land which I give you, and shall reap the harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest to the priest." Leviticus 23:11 reads, "And he shall wave the sheaf before YHWH, for your acceptance. On the morrow after the Sabbath the priest waves it." Leviticus 23:12-13 reads, "And on that day when you wave the sheaf, you shall prepare a male lamb a year old, a perfect one, as a burnt offering to YWHW, and its grain offering: two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering by fire to YHWH, a sweet fragrance, and its drink offering: one-fourth of a hin of wine." Leviticus 23:14 from Green's Interlinear reads: "And Bread, or roasted grain, or new grain not you shall eat until you have brought the offering of your Elohim. It is a statute never- ending for your generations in all your dwellings." (The offering mentioned here is in direct reference to the wave sheaf.) Leviticus 23:15 reads, "And from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you shall count for yourselves: seven completed Sabbaths." Leviticus 23:16 reads, "until the day AFTER THE SEVENTH SABBATH, count fifty days." Deuteronomy 16:9 reads, "Count seven weeks for yourself. Begin to count seven weeks from THE TIME YOU BEGIN TO PUT THE SICKLE TO THE GRAIN." Joshua 5:10-12 informs us of the event when the Israelites entered the land. Firstly they performed the Passover to YHWH on the 14th day of the first month on the plains of Jericho, in Gilgal. Secondly, they entered the land on the first day of Unleavened Bread, the 15th day of the first month. On the 15th day, the first day they were in the land, they ate:
Deuteronomy 16:16 reads, "Three times in a year, your males appear before YHWH your Elohim in the place that He chooses: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and at the Festival of Weeks, and at the Festival of Booths. And NONE SHALL APPEAR BEFORE YHWH EMPTY-HANDED," (v:17) "but each one with the gift of his hand..." Exodus 12:15 reads, "Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread..." Leviticus 23:7 reads, (referring to the first day of unleavened bread...) "On the first day you have a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work." Any true doctrines of the bible must be based upon more than one scripture which follows the "two or three witnesses" rule in Deuteronomy 19:15 and Matthew 18:16. And, all of the scriptures that are within the parameters whole of said doctrines must harmonize. There must not be any seemingly conflicting scriptures (discrepancies) within the parameters whole or ones own theory is possibly faulty. Either the fundamental premise is wrong, or ones understanding of a particular scripture is wrong. Or, both wrongs could apply simultaneously. If there are seemingly conflicting scriptures, then the theory remains only a theory and it should not be purported as doctrine. The sad reality exists in which there are at least two or more doctrinal beliefs based upon personal understandings on any given biblical ordinance and/or observance. Although, as everyone agrees, there is only ONE set of doctrinal truths. The obstacle is determining truth from error. DETERMINING THE CORRECT DAY FROM WHICH TO START THE COUNT Before specifically addressing the two differing beliefs, a few scriptures need examination. People on both sides of the argument base their belief upon Joshua 5:10-12 as a frame of reference to which they apply the commandments. So, Joshua 5:10-12 will be the first passage of scripture under examination. Joshua 5:10-12 is the recorded event of when the children of Israel entered the promised land. The purpose for using Joshua 5:10-12 as a frame of reference is because it is a demonstration of the commandments surrounding the wave sheaf. All of the commandments in Leviticus 23 will not apply to the incorrect day, only to the correct day when the count begins. JOSHUA
5:10-12, DETERMINING THE DAY OF THE WAVE SHEAF Joshua 5:11 makes a list of what they ate on the 15th day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The list is as follows: 1) stored grain, 2) unleavened bread, and 3) roasted grain. They ate ROASTED GRAIN on the 15th day of the first month, and Leviticus 23:14 mandates the Israelites were to refrain from eating ROASTED GRAIN until AFTER the sheaf had been waved. Leviticus 23:14 reads: "And you DO NOT EAT BREAD or ROASTED GRAIN or FRESH GRAIN until the same day that you have brought an offering to your Elohim..." This mandate is predicated upon a previous statement by YHWH in Leviticus 23:10, "When you come into the land...and you shall reap its harvest..." In other words, the Israelites could not eat roasted grain upon entering the promised land UNTIL they waved the sheaf. Because the Israelites ate roasted grain in Joshua 5:11, Joshua 5:11 demonstrates that the Israelites must have waved the sheaf on the 15th day, the first day in which they entered the land. They must have waved the sheaf on the 15th day in order to comply with the law in Leviticus 23:14. Again, Leviticus 23:14 commands refraining from eating roasted grain until after the sheaf had been waved. Joshua 5:11 demonstrates that the belief to wave the sheaf on the 16th day (the day after the first day of U.B.) is incorrect. The Israelites clearly must have waved the sheaf on the 15th day or else they violated the explicit commandment in Leviticus 23:14. The only scenaro that works for the Joshua 5 event when the Israelites entered the promised land - assuming that the Israelites didn't violate any of the mandates in Leviticus 23 - is this scenaro: the Passover fell on the 7th day weekly Sabbath, and the first day of Unleavened Bread (the 15th day) fell on the first day of the week (a Sunday). Consequently, the Joshua 5 story is this: the Israelites camped at Gilgal and performed the Passover on the seventh day weekly Sabbath. The Israelites entered the promised land on the first day of the week (a Sunday and it was also the 15th day of the first month). They immediately cut a sheaf and waved it. Afterward; on the self-same day, the Israelites raided the barns containing the stored grain, roasted the grain, and ate it. This said scenaro harmonizes with all the mandates in Leviticus 23. No other scenaro fits. DEVIATION The word "BREAD" in Leviticus 23:14, in the Masoretic Text is questionable. In the Dead Sea Scrolls Text the word "BREAD" is absent. Why is this important? The importance is this: is this commandment in Leviticus 23:14 only a one time applicable commandment...when the Israelites walked into the promised land, or does it continuously apply? Confused? I'll explain. For example if Leviticus 23:14 continuously applies and the word "bread" is suppose to be present in the sentence: what happens when the 15th day of Unleavened bread falls on a Wednesday? According to the belief that the wave sheaf day always falls on a Sunday, bread cannot be eaten for four days until the sheaf is waved. This scenario is in direct conflict with the commandment "eat unleavened bread for seven days," because the 15th day would be one of those days unleavened bread is mandated to be eaten. (Ref: Ex 12:15) I [the author] currently believes that the word BREAD should not be included within Lev 23:14, OR that Lev 23:14 was a one time applicable commandment...when the Israelites walked into the promised land. In other words, this particular commandment did not apply thereafter. WAIT! Okay, those of you that believe the 50 day count ought to start after the first day of unleavened bread (on the 16th day), you always have this same problem. Although, you would always be left with one day rather than four as is in my example above. Therefore, my proposed answers to this quandary remain. There is one more important aspect to this quandary that needs to be considered. This aspect throws a wrench into one of my proposed quandary answers directly above. Leviticus 23:14 reads: "And Bread, or roasted grain, or new grain you shall not eat until you have brought the offering of your Elohim. It is a statute never-ending for your generations in all your dwellings." (The offering mentioned here is in direct reference to the wave sheaf.) Does the phrase, "It is a statute never-ending for your generations in all your dwellings" refer back to the wave sheaf, or is it all inclusive with the "you shall not eat roasted grain," etc.? If this "statute" is all inclusive with the 'you shall not eat' phrase, then the word 'BREAD' was incorrectly added by a scribe in the Masoretic text. If not, the ancient Israelites were left with a huge problem no matter which day the count began from. There is absolutely no way around it that I can currently see. I won't take the time to type-out all the erroneous scenarios and show you which commandments they violate. But, I'll give you one more example besides the two I presented in the third and fourth paragraphs in this section. Let's back the day up to the 15th day - the first day of U.B. Let's say the wave sheaf occurs on the 15th day, and it is day one of the count for this last example. If this is the case, then Leviticus 23:14 (you shall not eat bread[?], roasted grain, etc.) would never pose a problem. But, this scenario then violates the mandates to wave the sheaf A DAY AFTER the Sabbath. (Ref: Lev 23:11,15,16) As you can hopefully see, one way or the other, a problem remains. One or more commandments are in conflict/violation if the word "BREAD" was truly meant to be written in Leviticus 23:14, and/or the "you shall not eat..." phrase mandate in Leviticus 23:14 was meant to be continuous. (Side note: for those people that believe that Christ/Messiah was the wave sheaf reality, the mandate phrase - you shalt not eat bread, roasted grain, etc., before the sheaf is waved, does not apply to NT Christians.) LEVITICUS 23 SHOWS A SEVENTH DAY WEEKLY SABBATH, NOT THE 15th DAY OF THE FIRST MONTH
The wave sheaf is clearly commanded to occur ONE DAY AFTER the Sabbath. The word "SEVENTH" in Leviticus 23:16 poses a problem for the people who believe that the count begins one day after the first day of U.B. Holy Day. The word "SEVENTH" is referring to the seventh day of the week. There isn't any way that the 15th day of the first month can be interpreted as a "seventh" Sabbath. Leviticus 23:16 reads, "until the day AFTER THE SEVENTH SABBATH, count fifty days." This scripture is twisted by some people to be understood as: count seven Sabbath's. In so doing, the word AFTER is ignored and omitted. COMPARING
OTHER COMMANDMENT PARAMETERS TO JOSHUA 5:10-12 Is taking the sickle, cutting one sheaf, and then taking it to the priest on the 15th day of Abib - the first day of unleavened bread - considered servile work? Based upon the findings in Joshua 5:10-15, the answer is no. It is not SERVILE work. Servile pertains to servitude toward others or toward self. Servile work never applies to performing mandates unto YHWH. For an example: the Levitical priesthood had many mandates to which they performed offerings unto YHWH on Holy days. For one scripture out of many demonstrating this fact, Numbers 28:16-25 outlines the burnt animal sacrifices that were offered on the 15th day of Abib. The priests had to butcher animals on a Holy day. Deuteronomy 16:9 reads, "Count seven weeks for yourself. Begin to count seven weeks from THE TIME YOU BEGIN TO PUT THE SICKLE TO THE GRAIN." Putting the sickle to the grain on the 15th of Abib in Joshua 5:10-12 occurred. However, putting the sickle to the grain doesn't necessarily mean continue to cut the grain until the entire field has been harvested. There is NO direct command that reads, "when you put your hand to the sickle, don't stop cutting." Putting the sickle to the grain for the purpose of gathering the entire field would begin on a regular day of the week opposed to a Holy day. Leviticus 23:10 reads, "...When you come into the land which I give you, and shall reap the harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest to the priest." Comparing Deuteronomy 16:9 and Leviticus 23:10, the mandate should be understood to mean: when you put the sickle to the grain, count 50 days. This does NOT mean, count 50 days after you completed your harvest. Deuteronomy 16:9 and Leviticus 23:10 are not in conflict. During the month of Abib (the first month of the year in the spring) the grain was ripe for harvest in the land of Canaan. This means, the entire field, not just one or two grain heads in one geographical location, and one or two heads of grain in a separate geographical location. The entire field was ripe for harvest. This is the meaning behind Leviticus 23:10 when it reads: "when you reap the harvest". This denotes entire fields of grain were ripe for harvest, not just a few spots of grain. During ancient times, according to the Judaica Encyclopedia, the beginning of the year was determined upon both; a new crescent moon and the growth state of the crops. The state of the crops had to be ready for harvest or very near ready for harvest in order for the Sanhedrin to proclaim the new year - the first month, Abib. THE
SYMBOLISM OF THE WAVE SHEAF In the land of Israel, the first spring harvest was barley. And, the wheat harvest immediately followed which was considered the second spring harvest (Ruth 1:22, 2:23, Ex 34:22). When the wheat harvest culminated, it was celebrated on the day of Pentecost, also known as the Feast of Weeks (Lev 23:16). Therefore, the mandated wave sheaves were barley, because they were the very first cut; the commencement of the barley harvest during the feast of unleavened bread. And, they were brought as an offering unto YHWH in Jerusalem. (Lev 23:10-11, Deut 16:9, Joshua 5:10-12). Each wave-sheaf was commanded to be waved in Jerusalem, by a priest on the same day the count unto 50 (Pentecost) began which was during the festival of unleavened bread. The wave sheaf itself was the focus of this festival harvest, not the harvest ingathering finale. The barley wave sheaf represents Yahushua Messiah. Messiah, the first of the first-fruits, was given unto us. (Deut 26:1-2,10, Col 2:6). Messiah was "delivered" to the priest in Jerusalem to be condemned, and Messiah was "raised" from the dead unto heaven. (John 20:16-25, Mark 16:9-19, Romans 4:25) This event is likened to the Israelites who "delivered" the first-fruit barley sheaf to the priest in Jerusalem, and the priest "raised" and waved the sheaf for their acceptance. (Lev 23:10-11, Deut 26:1-11) Romans 4:25 reads, "Who (Messiah) was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification." (KJV) Yahushua Messiah was the first of the first-fruits to be taken into the House of YHWH [in heaven]. (Ex 34:26, 1 Cor 15:20) The waving and acceptance of Messiah occurred on a first day of the week as like the waving of the sheaves within Leviticus 23 always occur on the first day of the week since the count and waving begins the day after the seventh day of the week. To demonstrate Messiah's ascension to heaven and acceptance by His Father in heaven occurred on the first day of the week, read John 20:17. On the first day of the week (John 20:1), Yahushua Messiah spoke with Miryam (Mary). Messiah said in John 20:17; "Do not hold on to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father. But go to your brothers and say to them..." In John 20:19, Yahushua Messiah appeared in the midst of the disciples in the evening of the first day of the week. This evening was within the same day which Yahushua Messiah spoke with Miryam (Mary). He showed them His hands and His side in verse 20 of John 20. Luke 24:33-40 is another witness account of this same event in John 20:19-20. And, in Luke 24:39 Messiah told His disciples, "... Handle Me and see. ..." Recall, Messiah told Miryam (Mary) not to handle Him since He had not yet ascended unto heaven. But, later in the day when He spoke with His disciples, He told them to handle Him. These two events directly imply that Messiah ascended into heaven between the event with Miryam (Mary) and the event with His disciples. Messiah was raised into heaven and the believers, Messiah's followers were accepted. The symbolism of the wave sheaf portrayed our Savior Yahushua Messiah. He was "raised" so that we could and can be accepted just as like the wave sheaf in Leviticus 23:10-11 and Deuteronomy 26:1-11 was rasied and waved for the Israelites acceptance. THE
SYMBOLISM OF THE WAVE SHEAF IS AN IMPORTANT ASPECT CONCLUSION |