Pentecost/Shavuot/Feast of Weeks

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Shavuot/Pentecost/Feast of Weeks, 5783/2023

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Pentecost/Shavuot/Feast of Weeks, Prophecy with tags Acts 2, Apostle Peter, church, God, Gospel, Holy Spirit, Israel, Jesus Christ, Judaism, Law, Leviticus 23, milk and honey, Moses, Mount Sinai, Pentecost, Shavuot, Temple, torah on May 23, 2023 by paulthepoke

Leviticus 23:15-16 ‘You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete Sabbaths. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the Lord.

On a Gregorian calendar, we are in the year of 2023, the holiday of Shavuot/Feast of Weeks/Pentecost begins at sunset on Thursday, May 25th. The God Appointed holiday ends at sunset Saturday, May 27th. The Feast takes place in the month of Sivan on the 6th and 7th of a Hebrew calendar. This is the Hebrew year 5783.

Provisions for the holiday include two loaves of bread, sacrificial lambs, a bull, two rams, a goat, and a drink offering of wine. The holiday is also a day of rest with no work (Leviticus 23:17-21).

In the Old Testament and in the Hebrew, this holiday is referred to as Shavuot. The word means: weeks.

Shavuot is one of the three holidays where Jewish men are required to come to Jerusalem (Exodus 23:14-17). The men were to make their presentation and sacrifice before God at the Temple.

As stated in the Leviticus passage, it is seven weeks after Passover. It is a celebration of the completed grain harvest. The holiday is also a celebration of God giving the Torah (instruction or law) to nation Israel. Because of this, Shavuot is considered as the beginning or birth of Judaism.

The Law was given on Mount Sinai roughly 1,500 years before Christ. Nation Israel honored this holiday every year. Eating and drinking dairy products are part of the celebration of Shavuot. Many think the custom of dairy products is in reference to Bible verses referring to a promised land flowing with milk and honey.

Exodus 3:8a “So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey…

http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/why-dairy-on-shavuot/

Fast forward to 33 AD. Nation Israel is celebrating and living the holiday.

Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they (apostles) were all together in one place.

In the Greek New Testament, Shavuot (Hebrew) is translated as Pentekoste (Greek). Per Strong’s Concordance, it means: the fiftieth day; the second of the three great Jewish feasts, celebrated at Jerusalem yearly, the seventh week after the Passover, in grateful recognition of the completed wheat harvest. We have transliterated the word to Pentecost (English).

Pentecost or Shavuot is the day promised by Jesus of the giving of the Holy Spirit.

John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

It is seven weeks after the death of the sacrificial lamb, Jesus. Shavuot or Pentecost is also the day God the Father gave the Holy Spirit. Because of this, Pentecost is considered the beginning or the birth of the church (believers in Jesus Christ).

http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Spring_Holidays/Shavuot/shavuot.html

Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit…”

https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

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30 WAYS PENTECOST FORESHADOWS THE RAPTURE by T.W. Tramm

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Pentecost/Shavuot/Feast of Weeks, Prophecy, Rapture, Resurrection with tags 50, Bride of Christ, church, end times, First Fruits, God the Father, Harvest, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Mosaic Law, Paul, Season of Return Ministries, seven weeks, T.W. Tramm, wave offering, wedding, wheat on June 1, 2022 by paulthepoke

Author and Bible-researcher T.W. Tramm is the founder of Season of Return Ministries, an organization whose mission is to equip the reader with critical knowledge related to the unfolding of Bible prophecy in our time. Tramm’s books, articles, and commentary can be found on numerous eschatological-themed websites. The author makes his home in Washington State.

T.W. Tramm’s materials can be reviewed on the following:

https://www.facebook.com/twtramm

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVxcqsgEKvYtscqyYJpTxbQ/videos

https://www.theseasonofreturn.com/

NO MAN KNOWS the day of the Rapture (Matthew 24:36–44).

There is, however, a day on God’s calendar that strikingly foreshadows this event.

The following is a summary of 30 correlations between the biblical festival Pentecost and the catching away of the Church.

. . .

30 WAYS PENTECOST FORESHADOWS THE RAPTURE

1. A HARVEST FESTIVAL

The most telling feature of Pentecost is that it is one of three harvest festivals, during which all Israelite males are required to appear before the Lord:

“Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me. ‘Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread … the Festival of Harvest [Pentecost] … and the Festival of Ingathering [Tabernacles] … Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord God’” (Exodus 23:14–17).

A harvest and gathering before God denote a resurrection or rapture (Matthew 13:30, 39; 2 Thessalonians 2:1; Revelation 7:9–14).

Furthermore, the three harvest festivals correspond to the “order” of resurrections mentioned by Paul: “But each [will be resurrected] in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:23).

The harvest at Unleavened Bread corresponds to Jesus’ resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20).

The harvest at Pentecost corresponds to the Church’s resurrection–rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13–17).

The harvest at Tabernacles corresponds to the resurrection of tribulation saints at the Second Coming (Revelation 20:4–6).

2. A GREAT MULTITUDE

Of the three harvest festivals, Pentecost typically saw the largest crowds. This is because the other harvest festivals occurred in the early spring and fall when adverse weather could interfere with travel from distant lands. A large crowd gathered in Jerusalem on Pentecost corresponds to the great multitude gathered before God’s throne at the Rapture (Revelation 7:9).

3. FIRSTFRUITS OF THE WHEAT

Pentecost celebrates the firstfruits of the wheat harvest (Exodus 34:22). The Rapture is when the first of the “wheat,” symbolic of believers, is harvested and gathered into God’s “barn” (Matthew 13).

4. A GATHERING FROM EVERY NATION

At the Church’s first Pentecost, devout people from every nation, tribe, and language were gathered in Jerusalem (Acts 2:5, 6). At the Rapture, devout people from every nation, tribe, and language will be gathered in heavenly Jerusalem (Revelation 7:9).

5. GATHERED IN ONE PLACE

On the Church’s first Pentecost, all the believers were gathered in one place (Acts 2:1). The next time all believers will be gathered in one place is at the Rapture (Revelation 7:9).

6. A TIME OF REJOICING

Pentecost is a time to rejoice before the Lord: “Celebrate the Festival of Weeks [Pentecost] … and rejoice before the LORD your God” (Deuteronomy. 16: 10, 11.) The ultimate time of rejoicing before the Lord will be immediately after the Rapture (Revelation 7:9–12; 1 Thessalonians 2:19).

7. THE WAVE OFFERING

The wave offering of the grain-sheaf during Unleavened Bread is a picture of Jesus’ resurrection (Leviticus 23:10; 1 Corinthians 15:20). Thus, the subsequent wave offering of baked loaves on Pentecost is a picture of the Church’s resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:23). The ripening of grain during the seven weeks between Passover and Pentecost symbolizes the growth and maturation of the Body of Christ during the Church Age. The grain transformed into bread on Pentecost represents the Church in a state of fullness, or completion, at the Rapture.

8. A TIME OF ACCOUNTABILITY

When the Israelites appeared before the Lord on Pentecost, they were required to bring an offering proportionate to the blessings God had bestowed upon them (Deuteronomy 16:16, 17). The requirement to bring a proportionate offering recalls how one’s fruits will be judged at the end of the age: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required” (Matthew 25:14–30; Luke 12:48).

9. SEVEN WEEKS PRECEDE MESSIAH

Pentecost is the festival preceded by a count of “seven weeks” (Leviticus 23:15, 16). In Daniel 9, a count of “seven weeks” precedes an appearance of Messiah the Prince: “From the going forth of the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks” (Daniel 9:25).

10. PAYDAY FOR REDEMPTION

The sending of the Holy Spirit on the Church’s first Pentecost is called the “down payment” on our redemption (Ephesians 1:14). Since the down payment for redemption occurred on Pentecost, it is logical for the final payment, the redemption of our physical bodies at the Rapture, to occur on Pentecost (Romans 8:23).

11. A TIME OF SEALING

Pentecost is the day on which the Church was first sealed by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2). At the Rapture, the first fruits of Israel will be sealed by the Holy Spirit (Revelation 7:3, 4). If the sealing of the Church on Pentecost was the model, the sealing of Israel at the Rapture may occur on Pentecost as well.

12. THE THIRD DAY

Moses ascended Sinai to receive the Commandments on the “third day,” corresponding to Pentecost (Exodus 19). In John chapter 2, Jesus attends a wedding on the third day and alludes to the fact that He will be resurrected on the third day (vv. 1, 19–21). Thus, Pentecost is symbolically a “third day,” a day associated with weddings and resurrections.

13. THE 50th DAY

The Greek word translated Pentecost, Pentēkostē, means “fiftieth.” Fifty is the number of redemption, pertaining to the Jubilee (Leviticus 25:9, 10). Also, wherever the number 50 appears in Scripture it denotes fullness and completion, pointing to the fullness of the Gentiles at the Rapture.

14. A WEDDING DAY

The wedding between God and Israel occurred on Pentecost (Exodus 19).

Similarly, the betrothal of the Church to God occurred on Pentecost (Acts 2; Ephesians 4:30). This is significant because, according to the ancient wedding tradition, the bridegroom comes for the bride around the anniversary of the betrothal.

15. RUTH

In the Book of Ruth, the wedding of the Jewish redeemer to the Gentile bride—a picture of the Wedding of Messiah at the Rapture—occurred around Pentecost (Ruth 4:9–10).

16. RAPTURE ALLEGORY IN SONG OF SOLOMON

In Song of Solomon, the shepherd comes to gather and spirit away His beloved Gentile maid—a picture of the Rapture—in late spring, around the time of Pentecost (Song of Solomon 2).

17. ENOCH’S RAPTURE

According to Jewish tradition, Pentecost is when Enoch, a prophetic type of the Church, was taken up, or raptured, to be with God (Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5).

18. POSITIONALLY, PENTECOST DENOTES THE CHURCH AGE

Pentecost’s parenthetical placement between the first and last harvest festivals, Unleavened Bread and Tabernacles, is suggestive of the Church Age.

19. INFERENCE VIA FESTIVAL ATTENDANCE

Scripture mentions Jesus going to Jerusalem for the harvests at Unleavened Bread and Tabernacles but not Pentecost (John 2:23; 5:1; 7; Luke 2:41–43). Conversely, Scripture mentions Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, going to Jerusalem for Pentecost but not the other harvests (Acts 20:1–6). Jesus’ nonappearance at Pentecost may foreshadow His appearing only in the clouds at this festival’s fulfillment. Similarly, Paul’s attendance at Pentecost may point to the Church being in heavenly Jerusalem on this day.

20. THE SHORT AND ABRUPT HARVEST FESTIVAL

The first and last harvest festivals, Unleavened Bread and Tabernacles, both last for seven days (Leviticus 23). In contrast, Pentecost is a one-day harvest festival, comparatively short and abrupt like the Rapture of the Church.

21. THE FESTIVAL WITH NO SET DATE

Pentecost is the only harvest festival with no assigned date in Scripture; it is instead calculated by counting seven weeks from the “day after the Sabbath” (Leviticus 23:15). That Pentecost has no assigned date means “no one knows the day” (Matthew 24:36).

22. AN HOUR WE THINK NOT

Jesus tells His followers that He is coming at an hour they “think not” (Matthew 24:44). Because there is disagreement around which Sabbath to count the seven weeks from, the correct date of Pentecost is in question. It is thus possible that God’s true Pentecost is on a day most would “think not.”

23. THE FESTIVAL OF GOD’S TRUMP

The first time God’s trumpet was sounded was on Pentecost, when He descended in a cloud on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19). If the model holds, the next time God’s trumpet is sounded, at the Rapture, may be on Pentecost as well.

24. PETER PROCLAIMS THE DAY OF THE LORD ON PENTECOST

On the Church’s first Pentecost, Peter stood up and quoted a prophecy from Joel:

”Then Peter stood up … raised his voice and addressed the crowd: ‘Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you… this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people …. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord’” (Acts 2).

It makes sense that Peter would quote the part of Joel about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as this is what was occurring that day. However, the question arises: why would Peter, at that time, quote the part of Joel about the coming Day of the Lord? Peter’s quoting of a prophecy about the onset of the Day of the Lord on Pentecost suggests the two are connected.

25. JUDGMNET DAY FOR TREES

In Judaism, it is taught that Pentecost (Shavuot) is when fruit trees are judged. In Scripture, fruit trees represent people (Psalm 1:3). The trees that do not produce “good fruit” by way of a relationship with Jesus are “cut down” and thrown into the “fire” of Tribulation (Matthew 3:10–12; 7:17–23; 25:11–13).

26. ANCIENT SCRIPTURE READINGS

Since ancient times, the Jewish scripture readings associated with Pentecost describe the Lord judging the earth (Ezekiel 1:1–28; 3:12; Habakkuk 2:20–3:19). If Pentecost is mainly about the giving of the Commandments or the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as commonly taught, why do the passages read on this day depict the Lord coming in judgment?

27. THE FESTIVAL PRECEDING SUMMER

Pentecost is the harvest festival that occurs in late spring, just before summer begins. In Matthew 24, summer is a metaphor for the end of the age (Matthew 24:32).

Moreover, in the Old Testament, summer is when . . .

• The “godly people” are said to have “vanished” from the earth (Micah 7:1, 2 NLT).

• The Jews lament not being saved at the harvest (Jeremiah 8:20).

• Israel is deemed ripe for judgment (Amos 8:1, 2).

28. THE TIME OF RIPENING FIGS

Pentecost, occurring in late spring, is when early figs ripen. With this in mind, it is interesting to note that . . .

• Figs represent Jews (Amos 8:1, 2).

• Figs that ripen early are said to be very good, or desirable (Hosea 9:10).

• Early ripe figs, because they are desirable, are quickly “snatched up” (Isaiah 28:4 NLT).

Could the figs that ripen early, around Pentecost, be symbolic of believing Jews “snatched up” at the Rapture?

29. THE FESTIVAL PRECEDING THE GRAPE HARVEST

In Scripture, the harvesting and crushing of grapes symbolizes the judgment of nonbelievers at the Day of the Lord (Revelation 14:14–20). In ancient Israel, grapes were the first major crop to ripen after Pentecost.

30. THE FESTIVAL OF NEW BEGINNINGS

Pentecost marks the beginning of new dispensations in Scripture, namely the Age of Law and the Church Age (Exodus 19; Acts 2). If the pattern holds, Pentecost may mark the beginning of the next dispensation, the Day of the Lord.

With the above summary in view, it is fair to say that Pentecost, better than any other festival, embodies the types and themes of the Rapture: harvest, fullness, completion, redemption, resurrection, a wedding, a gathering, a new beginning, an unknown date, and the sounding of God’s trumpet.

The fundamental theme of Pentecost is, again, the harvest. There are three main harvest festivals and three main resurrections in God’s plan of redemption, suggestive of the following scenario:

• Unleavened Bread (First Coming)

• Pentecost (Rapture)

• Tabernacles (Second Coming)

Pentecost clearly foreshadows the harvest of the Church. What is less clear is whether the harvest will occur on the day marked Pentecost on our calendars.

A DAY NO ONE KNOWS

While the preliminary fulfillment of Pentecost, the sending of the Holy Spirit, occurred on the day the festival was observed by the early Church (Acts 2), one cannot be as certain about the ultimate fulfillment, the Rapture, as the day of this event is said to be unknown (Matthew 24:36). That the day is unknown is why Jesus implores us to “keep watch” and not assume He is delaying if He fails to appear at an expected time (Matthew 24:42–51; 25:1–13).

Paul emphasizes that the day is unknown in a letter to the Church at Thessalonica:

“Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:1, 2).

According to Paul, there is no need to discuss dates because it is already understood that Jesus is coming like a thief. Question: on which day does a thief show up? Answer: no one knows. One might know generally when a thief may show up—e.g., late at night or when nobody is home. However, to try and pinpoint the day or hour would seem futile. So if our reading of 1 Thessalonians is correct, the Lord could appear on a day not expected.

To reconcile the notion of an unexpected day with an appointed time such as Pentecost, I have considered two possible scenarios.

The first possibility is that Pentecost, the harvest festival with no fixed date, is not about a date at all but rather points symbolically to a time of fullness or ripeness. Recall that Pentecost is the 50th day, and the number 50 symbolizes fullness or completion. In this scenario, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Church’s first Pentecost represents the planting of a ‘field,’ the Church-field, which has been growing and maturing for almost 2,000 years. No one knows when exactly the last believer will be sealed by the Holy Spirit and the Church-field deemed ripe for harvest in accordance with God’s timetable.

The other scenario I have considered to reconcile an unexpected day with an appointed time is that the Rapture will indeed occur at Pentecost. However, due to confusion around the correct reckoning of the festival, the day marked Pentecost on our calendars may not represent God’s true Pentecost.

For the above reasons, it is wise to think of Pentecost as a ‘season,’ rather than a mere 24-hour period.

Better yet, be ready always!

Jesus is coming soon.

. . .

*Visit the author’s website: www.theseasonofreturn.com

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVxcqsgEKvYtscqyYJpTxbQ

IMPORTANT MESSAGE: No one knows the day or hour of Jesus’ return (Matthew 24:36). However, a convergence of biblical signs and timelines suggests it is near. To escape the judgment reserved for a God-rejecting world, one must be in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. If you have not yet done so, call on His name and believe that He is the Son of God who died for your sins and was raised from the dead (Romans 10:13). Do it today. Time is running out.

For PDF of post, click on the link below.

https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-35306783/documents/afcd3014bc7d43b3aa7d11e4b89e264a/Pentecost%20and%20the%20Rapture%20rev%20a.pdf?fbclid=IwAR17pgspJCBAFvTdRtIEZHYtvcWRdqMNLcn__z7RXWGnUAZpvGl2b8yAxsg

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Shavuot/Pentecost/Feast of Weeks, 5782/2022

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Pentecost/Shavuot/Feast of Weeks, Prophecy with tags Apostle Paul, church, Ephesians 2, Gentiles, God's Appointments, High Priest, Jesus Christ, Jews, leaven, Leviticus 23, sin, two loaves bread on May 29, 2022 by paulthepoke

On a Gregorian calendar in the year of 2022, the holiday of Shavuot/Feast of Weeks/Pentecost begins at sunset on Saturday, June 4. The God Appointed holiday ends at sunset Monday, June 6. The Feast takes place in the month of Sivan on the 6th and 7th of a Hebrew calendar. This is the Hebrew year 5782.

Exodus 23:14-17 “Three times in the year you shall keep a feast to me. You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. None shall appear before me empty-handed. You shall keep the Feast of Harvest, of the first fruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor. Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord GOD.

Shavuot is one of the three holidays where Jewish men are required to come to Jerusalem. The men were to make their presentation and sacrifice before God at the Temple. This holiday is one of seven holidays appointed by God.

Shavuot/Pentecost, Part 1

Two loaves of bread are made from the new wheat harvest. The loaves are made with leaven. The Biblical symbol for sin is leaven. The two loaves of bread at Shavuot are the only sacraments made with leaven.

Some believe that one loaf represents the Jewish people and the other loaf represents the Gentiles. The loaves represent the church which is comprised of Jews and Gentiles. Sinful people, Jews and Gentiles, are formed with the first fruits of the wheat harvest. (And yes, the church was and is still sinful despite being saved by the grace of God.) The loaves are brought and waived by the Son, the High Priest, before the Father.

http://www.messiah3.org/pentecostfeast.htm

Ephesians 2:11-22 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands, remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that He might create in Himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Together, sinful Jews and sinful Gentiles sealed with God the Spirit worshiping God the Father through the sinless God the Son.

Which begs the question…

How long before the two loaves of bread, the church, are waived by our High Priest before the Lord in Heaven?

Shavuot/Pentecost, Part 2

https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

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There Shall Be Seven Weeks: Feasts (Pentecost, Solid Food)

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Angels, Pentecost/Shavuot/Feast of Weeks, Prophecy with tags 2 Corinthians 1, cheese, church, Hebrews 5, Hebrews6, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Leviticus 23, milk, Pentecost, Shavuot, torah on July 19, 2021 by paulthepoke

Daniel 9:25b …there shall be seven weeks…

The context of this series of posts is the course of the Jewish people for the initial 49 years of the 483 year period communicated from the angel Gabriel to the prophet Daniel. The city of Jerusalem has been rebuilt post exile. These events are covered in Nehemiah 8-13. Israel is returning to God’s Law. The focus has shifted to God’s appointed holidays. This week, Pentecost remains in focus. This is the second of two posts on what is known as Shavuot in the Hebrew.

Hebrews 5:12-14 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

The author of Hebrews is addressing believers. God’s word is being equated with milk. Grow up! You are going in the wrong direction. Stop acting like a baby! Babies drink milk. They do not eat food. At this point as believers in Christ, there should be more maturity. These believers should be ready to eat real, solid food and should be getting off of the liquid diet. Moreover, they should be teaching others about Christ.

Hebrews 6:1-4 Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. And this we will do, if God permits. For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit…

According to the text, these are the fundamentals of Jesus Christ: repentance of dead works, faith toward God, instruction about washing and laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

There is also a reminder. At the time of the writing of Hebrews, Jewish men had been coming to the Jerusalem for over 1,500 years per God’s instruction for Shavuot (Exodus 23:14-17) since the time of Moses. God gave the instructions for Shavuot to Moses on Mount Sinai on this ordained holiday (Leviticus 23).

Shavuot and Pentecost are synonymous. Shavuot is often associated with God giving the Torah, the birth of Judaism. Pentecost is often associated with God giving the Holy Spirit, the birth of the church. Part of the celebration of the holiday includes eating and drinking milk products. The author of Hebrews is equating milk with the holiday as a reminder.

http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/shavuot-101/

Today, the tradition of eating and drinking dairy products continues with Shavuot. In addition, the book of Ruth is read. There is a reminder to us as well. As believers in Jesus Christ, we have the Holy Spirit of God within us. We are sealed with the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.

Spread the Word. It is time to get off the teat…

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There Shall Be Seven Weeks: Feasts (Pentecost, Beginnings)

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Angels, Pentecost/Shavuot/Feast of Weeks, Prophecy with tags Acts 2, Apostle Peter, church, God, Holy Spirit, Israel, Jesus Christ, Judaism, Law, Leviticus 23, milk and honey, Moses, Mount Sinai, Pentecost, Shavuot, Temple, torah on July 11, 2021 by paulthepoke

Daniel 9:25b …there shall be seven weeks…

The context of this series of posts is the course of the Jewish people for the initial 49 years of the 483 year period communicated from the angel Gabriel to the prophet Daniel. The city of Jerusalem has been rebuilt post exile. These events are covered in Nehemiah 8-13. Israel is returning to God’s Law. The focus has shifted to God’s appointed holidays. First Fruits was covered last week. This week, Pentecost is in focus. This is the first of two posts on what is known as Shavuot in the Hebrew.

Other provisions for the holiday include two loaves of bread, sacrificial lambs, a bull, two rams, a goat, and a drink offering of wine. The holiday is also a day of rest with no work (Leviticus 23:17-21).

In the Old Testament and in the Hebrew, this holiday is referred to as Shavuot. The word means: weeks.

Shavuot is one of the three holidays where Jewish men are required to come to Jerusalem (Exodus 23:14-17). The men were to make their presentation and sacrifice before God at the Temple.

As stated in the Leviticus passage, it is seven weeks after the Sabbath. It is a celebration of the completed grain harvest. The holiday is also a celebration of God giving the Torah (instruction or law) to nation Israel. Because of this, Shavuot is considered as the beginning or birth of Judaism.

The Law was given on Mount Sinai roughly 1,500 years before Christ. Nation Israel honored this holiday every year. Eating and drinking dairy products are part of the celebration of Shavuot. Many think the custom of dairy products is in reference to Bible verses in Exodus referring to a promised land flowing with milk and honey.

Exodus 3:8a “So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey…

http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/why-dairy-on-shavuot/

Fast forward to 33 AD. Nation Israel is celebrating and living the holiday. Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they (apostles) were all together in one place. In the Greek New Testament, Shavuot (Hebrew) is translated as Pentekoste (Greek). Per Strong’s Concordance, it means: the fiftieth day; the second of the three great Jewish feasts, celebrated at Jerusalem yearly, the seventh week after the Passover, in grateful recognition of the completed harvest. We have transliterated the word to Pentecost (English).

This is the day promised by Jesus of the giving of the Holy Spirit.

John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Spring_Holidays/Shavuot/shavuot.html

Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit…”

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Day 7: Hamas & Israel, Shavuot 5781/2021

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Gaza Strip/Philistia, Pentecost/Shavuot/Feast of Weeks, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags Feast of Weeks, golan heights, Hamas, Hezbollah, IDF, Iron Dome, Israel, Israel Defense Forces, Pentecost, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Quneitra, Shavuot, Syria on May 16, 2021 by paulthepoke

May 16, 2021: The fourth of seven God Appointments, Shavuot or Pentecost, is scheduled to begin Sunday, May 16th at sunset. For Shavuot, Jewish men have been commanded to come to Jerusalem and the Temple for over 3,500 years since the time of Moses.

For more details on the Appointment, click on the link below.

https://paulthepoke.com/category/pentecostshavuotfeast-of-weeks/

For additional information and analysis, click on the YouTube video below.

It would appear Israel’s military is not stopping their intervention to formally recognize the holiday.

“The party that bears the guilt for this confrontation is not us, it’s those attacking us,” Netanyahu said in a televised speech. We are still in the midst of this operation, it is still not over and this operation will continue as long as necessary.” -Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Over 2,300 missiles and rockets have been fired into Israel since Monday. Today is day 6 of the conflict. Watch the Iron Dome anti missile battery in action.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad continue to fire rockets from Gaza toward Israeli civilians.

We will continue defending Israel. pic.twitter.com/SjUpmauay1
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 15, 2021

Below is an interesting message and response from Twitter. The social media site blocked the IDF from sending messages regarding missile and rocket warnings to the citizens of Israel.

We tried to tweet about sirens sounding in Beersheba but Twitter wouldn’t let us.

We know it’s repetitive—but that’s the reality for Israelis all over the country. pic.twitter.com/nqyhfbxrWI
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 14, 2021

The press is now further upset with Israel. A building that housed Middle East Eye, Al Jazeera, the Associated Press, and other press outlets was destroyed with a precision munition. The building was destroyed with surgical precision. Accounts indicate the building was empty of human personnel.

The IDF gave a one hour notice and multiple warnings to evacuate the building. The IDF indicated the building was home to Hamas intelligence.

“…entities belonging to the military intelligence of the terrorist organization Hamas.”

Click on the video below from Middle East Eye.

#BREAKING Israeli forces bomb a tower block in Gaza City housing several international media offices including Middle East Eye and Al Jazeera pic.twitter.com/UhQwuMBrkX
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) May 15, 2021

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recently issued a statement in English in regards to the events taking place over the last week. Listen for yourself the Prime Minister’s complete comments.

PM Benjamin Netanyahu:
"It has been 5 days since Hamas brazenly fired rockets at Jerusalem and other Israeli cities in a totally unprovoked attack. This past week, millions of Israelis were forced into bomb shelters as missiles rained down on our cities."https://t.co/ToeJPuwMCB pic.twitter.com/qCuvnfYkIB
— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 15, 2021

We continue to keep an eye on the northern border of Israel.

NBC News Analyst Evan Kohlmann tweeted out the following. Upwards of 5 rockets were fired towards Israel. Currently, the Quneitra Province in Syria is home to Russian, Syrian, Iranian, Hezbollah, UN Troops and other factions. This is different than the three rockets fired from Lebanon the day before.

Representatives of Iraqi Shiite insurgent faction Ashab al-Kahf are insisting that "your Iraqi brothers participated" in the rocket attack earlier today targeting the Yesud HaMaala/Kfar Blum area in northern Israel launched from Syria's Quneitra Province.
— Evan Kohlmann (@IntelTweet) May 15, 2021

And the sirens continue to blare throughout the land of Israel…

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Shavuot Offering Reenactment, 5780/2020

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Pentecost/Shavuot/Feast of Weeks, Trend Update with tags kohan, kohanim, lamb, Levitical priests, Temple Institute, two loaves bread on May 28, 2020 by paulthepoke

The following is courtesy of the Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.

This year’s First Fruits & Twin Loaves reenactment took place in Itamra, in the Shomron. It was led by Rabbi Yisrael Ariel of the Temple Institute and Professor Hillel Weiss, and performed by the kohanim of the Nezer HaKodesh School for Kohanim.

Thanks to Professor Hillel Weiss for providing this footage.

33 YEARS of the TEMPLE INSTITUTE SHOW YOUR SUPPORT: https://www.templeinstitute.org

Click on the link below to watch the reenactment.

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Shavuot/Pentecost/Feast of Weeks, 5780/2020

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Pentecost/Shavuot/Feast of Weeks with tags Bethlehem, Boaz, go el, kinsman redeemer, Leviticus 23, Ruth on May 24, 2020 by paulthepoke

On a Gregorian calendar in the year of 2020, the holiday of Shavuot/Feast of Weeks/Pentecost begins at sunset on Thursday, May 28. The God Appointed holiday ends at sunset Saturday, May 30. The Feast takes place in the month of Sivan on the 6th and 7th of a Hebrew calendar. This is the Hebrew year 5780.

In the Old Testament and in the Hebrew, this holiday is referred to as Shavuot. The word means: weeks.

Shavuot is one of the three holidays where Jewish men are required to come to Jerusalem (Exodus 23:14-17). The men were to make their presentation and sacrifice before God at the Temple.

Jewish traditions for Shavuot include reading the book of Ruth. Jews also stay up all night and study the Torah. Although not indicated in the Bible, an interesting tradition of the holiday is King David died on Shavuot.

The story is about a gentile widow, Ruth. She was married to a Jewish man who died. His name was Elimelech (meaning “My God is King” per Strong’s Concordance). Ruth freely decided to follow her Jewish mother in law after her husband’s death.

Ga`al is the Hebrew word used in the book of Ruth of Boaz who is the kinsman redeemer. Boaz is a pattern or type for Jesus Christ. The custom of the kinsman redeemer is played out in Ruth 4.

There are two conditions for Boaz or any kinsman redeemer to meet. The land of the relative has to be purchased or redeemed and the bride of the deceased relative must be acquired if the deceased was married. In this case, Elimelech was the deceased relative.

The legal transaction was made in front of ten city elders. Another relative of Elimelech was on board with land acquisition. But he was not interested in acquiring Ruth, the gentile Moabite. Boaz stepped in and exercised his full right as a kinsman redeemer. Boaz purchased the land and acquired Ruth.

The legal contract was a sandal. Witnesses were present and confirmed the transaction.

Ruth 4:7 Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning the redemption and the exchange of land to confirm any matter: a man removed his sandal and gave it to another; and this was the manner of attestation in Israel.

It is from this prophetic transaction, blessing would come to Israel and the world. Over 1,000 years later, a Savior would be born in Ephrathah, the area in and around Bethlehem.

Ruth 4:11 All the people who were in the court, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel; and may you achieve wealth in Ephrathah and become famous in Bethlehem.

So a Jewish groom born in Bethlehem purchases a gentile bride…

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Shavuot/Pentecost/Feast of Weeks, 5779/2019

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Pentecost/Shavuot/Feast of Weeks, Spring Feasts with tags cheesecake, church, Deuteronomy 26, Exodus 23, Feasts of the Lord, Hebrews 5, Holy Spirit, Law, Leviticus 23, milk and honey, Moses, Mount Sinai, Promised Land, torah on June 1, 2019 by paulthepoke

On a Gregorian calendar in the year of 2019, the holiday of Shavuot/Feast of Weeks/Pentecost begins at sunset on Saturday, June 8. The God Appointed holiday ends at sunset Monday, June 10. The Feast takes place in the month of Sivan on the 6th and 7th of a Hebrew calendar. This is the Hebrew year 5779.

https://prettysimplesweet.com/new-york-cheesecake/

For Shavuot, Jewish men have been commanded to come to Jerusalem for over 3,500 years since the time of Moses. One of the traditions of Shavuot is the consumption of dairy products. God’s word is being equated with milk. A favorite during the holiday is cheesecake. Some think the reason for cheesecake is a reminder the Promised Land flows with milk and honey. There are at least twenty references to a Promised Land flowing with milk and honey in God’s word.

Deuteronomy 26:9 and He has brought us to this place and has given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.

Get into God’s Word and eat some good food! Celebrate with cheesecake!

Hebrews 5:12-14 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

Shavuot, Feast of Weeks and Pentecost are synonymous. Shavuot is often associated with God giving the Torah, the birth of Judaism. Pentecost is often associated with God giving the Holy Spirit, the birth of the church. God chose His appointed holiday to reveal aspects of who He is.

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Shavuot & Replacement Theology, A Jewish Perspective

Posted in Pentecost/Shavuot/Feast of Weeks, Prophecy, Spring Feasts with tags Christianity, Jesus Christ, Judaism, Replacement Theology on May 19, 2018 by paulthepoke

The following article from Breaking Israel News is a fascinating read. It is written from the view point of an Orthodox Jewish Theologian. The article is a good faith effort to point out the differences in observance between Judaism and Christianity as seen by the author in regards to the holiday of Shavuot/Feast of Weeks/Pentecost.

The stumbling block is none other than Jesus Himself. The work of Jesus is the fulfillment of the Spring holidays in His death, burial, and resurrection. And because of these events, humanity was blessed with the Holy Spirit at the advent of the church at Pentecost. The author of the article recognizes the event takes place on the God ordained appointment of Shavuot but draws no connection.

This notion of Jesus in the Mosaic Law Appointments is considered Replacement Theology in Judaism. Jewish Scholars understand the implications if Jesus is the Messiah. They have thought about what if Jesus…

Judaism does not believe Jesus is the fulfillment of the Spring Feasts. They do not believe Jesus is the Messiah. Yeshua HaMashiach is not, so they say…

Romans 11:25-27 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will banish ungodliness from Jacob; and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”

https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/107981/should-christians-celebrate-shavuot/

Although Christianity’s Pentecost occurred during Shavuot, the assumption that the two holidays are directly linked should not be made by Christians, according to Orthodox Jewish theologian David Nekrutman, who heads the Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation (CJCUC) in Israel.

“Christians may intend to connect to the Judaism practiced by Jesus by celebrating Shavuot but it is important to understand the uniqueness of the Jewish holiday and its theological ramifications prior to partaking in it,” Nekrutman noted.

Holiday Divide: Shavuot vs. Pentecost

With Judaism celebrating Shabbat on Saturday and Christians on Sunday, the divide separating the two faiths is further intensified by their vastly disparate observance of holidays: Christianity’s Christmas, Easter and Pentecost commemorating the Crucifixion, the resurrection of Jesus, and the birth of Church. Christian holidays are centered around Jesus. With the advent of Jesus, according to mainstream Christian teaching, the holidays mentioned in the Torah such as Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Passover, Sukkot, and Shavuot as well as Chanukah and Purim (not mentioned in the Bible) became obsolete.

A movement within Christianity is now advocating for a more Hebraic roots approach to their faith which includes incorporating Jewish holidays and other practices into their journey with God, it should be noted that this is a relatively recent phenomenon and considered quite controversial in Christian circles. Some Church leaders are concerned the Hebraic roots approach is Judaizing Christianity but the major concern is that Jewish practice will eventually become essential in the salvation of a Christian. Those within the Hebraic roots movement of Christianity feel that practicing aspects of Judaism is emulating what Jesus did in his life. This approach is not about salvation but, rather, living a life of sanctification and holiness.

What is Shavuot and What is Pentecost?

To begin, it is important to understand the basics of the two holidays. Shavuot is an annual Jewish holiday, one of the three Biblically mandated pilgrimage festivals when, in Temple times, Jews ascended to Jerusalem. It is observed after the Jews complete the mitzvah (Torah commandment) of counting seven complete weeks.

You must count until the day after the seventh week—fifty days; then you shall bring an offering of new grain to Hashem. Leviticus 23:16

An agricultural festival, Shavuot comes at the end of the winter during the grain harvest and as such, is observed in the Temple by an offering of two loaves of bread. Shavuot was also the beginning of the period in which the bikurim (first fruits) were brought to Jerusalem.

In comparison, Pentecost, according to Christian tradition, is the birth-day of the Church as recorded in the second chapter of the Book of Acts. It commemorates the coming of the Holy Spirit onto the early followers of Jesus. According to the New Testament, this occurred fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus, during Shavuot holiday. This epiphany bestowed upon each of them the authority to spread the Gospel to the world. The phenomenon that took place included a sound from heaven like the blowing of a violent wind and “tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them,” allowing every believer in Jesus to witness to others.

The Apostle (disciple of Jesus) Peter interpreted these signs as a fulfillment of a prophecy in Joel.

After that, I will pour out My spirit on all flesh; Your sons and daughters shall prophesy; Your old men shall dream dreams, And your young men shall see visions. Joel 3:1

“Peter requested the followers to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus,” Nekrutman said, explaining the Christian New Testament. “Afterwards, 3,000 people were added to the beginnings of the early Church on that day which was greatly expanded following this event.”

“Though Pentecost happened on Shavuot, it is clearly not related to Shavuot for the Jews,” Nekrutman said. Nekrutman explained that Shavuot in Judaism and Pentecost in Christianity are completely different in their essence.

Replacement Theology and Shavuot Cannot Coexist

“For a Christian to celebrate Shavuot with the Jewish people would entail a paradigm shift of seismic proportions,” Nekrutman said, noting the Temple based origins of the holiday. This aspect of the holiday is incompatible with Christianity which had obviated the function of the Temple service in the belief that Jesus serves the purpose of the sacrifices.

“In Replacement Theology, Jesus fulfilled everything so there is no longer any reason for sacrifices. For a Christian, the Biblical Temple-based aspect of Shavuot is no longer relevant,” Nekrutman explained.

But Shavuot is also an agricultural holiday deeply rooted in the land of Israel and the study of the Bible.

“For mainstream Christians who subscribe to Replacement Theology, Jesus not only replaced the Temple, but he also replaced the Land,” Nekrutman explained. “For Christians, Jesus also replaced the Torah. For those within the camp of Replacement Theology, the Torah was simply a band-aid approach until Jesus arrived to replace it. Even a biblically based Shavuot would no longer be relevant since these laws have been fulfilled in Jesus.”

“Without the concept of Israel, the nation, and the land, at its core, Christians cannot fully grasp Shavuot in its Jewish sense,” he explained.

“For Judaism, Shavuot is part of a bigger picture of Israel’s identity that begins with the freedom from Egypt, which we express through Pesach, and continues when we receive divine instructions expressed in Shavuot. The identity of the nation of Israel is actualized in our mission in the Land of Israel since the fullest expression of Judaism can only be realized in the Land of Israel.”

The Rabbinic Tradition Implicit in Shavuot

“Even Christians who reject replacement theology need to work past everything they learned in order to understand any relevance of a purely rabbinic aspect of Shavuot,” Nekrutman said.

In a counterintuitive twist, removing the Temple elements of the holiday make it even more problematic for Christians.

“After the Second Temple was destroyed, Shavuot’s contemporary motif shifted from the rituals related to the Land and Temple to the notion of Z’man Matan Torahteinu – The Time of the Giving of our Torah,” Nekrutman explained.

The source of this aspect of the holiday, the sixth day of the month of the Hebrew month of Sivan being the day on which the Nation of Israel received the Torah at Mount Sinai, has no reference in the Torah. It is strictly a rabbinic tradition written in the Talmud. But it is this rabbinic aspect of the holiday that has become its focus since the destruction of the Temple.

“Not only are Jews mandated to stay up all night and learn the Bible, our synagogue services incorporate readings in Exodus, Ezekiel, and the Book of Ruth,” he explained.

These readings are focused on emphasizing specific themes; becoming a nation and receiving the Torah, the written and the oral tradition.

“The rabbinic tradition is not part of the Christian purview of learning,” Nekrutman said. “For a Christian to stay up all night and study Torah, which should be a positive experience for Bible-believing Christians, it is incredibly difficult to get to the point where they can take part in that rabbinic aspect of the holiday they think of as Pentecost.”

First Fruits and the Christians

“Even Christians who connect with the concept of a Jewish Temple have many difficult issues with Shavuot that will need to be worked out,” Nekrutman explained. “The aspect of Shavuot connected to Bikurim (first fruits) is even more problematic for Christians.”

Shavuot is referred to as Chag Habikurim (holiday of first fruits) in Numbers.

On the day of the first fruits, your festival of Shavuot, when you bring an offering of new grain to Hashem, you shall observe a sacred occasion: you shall not work at your occupations. Numbers 28:26

This aspect of the holiday is highly exclusive, focusing only on Jews living in Israel. Only first fruits grown entirely in the land of Israel are included in this mitzvah. Even first fruits grown by non-Jews inside the land of Israel are not considered bikurim. Upon presenting the first fruits to the Kohen in the Temple, the Jew recites an avowal from the book of Deuteronomy which begins with this self-identifying statement.

My father was a fugitive Aramean. He went down to Egypt with meager numbers and sojourned there; but there he became a great and very populous nation. Deuteronomy 26:5

Since this description excludes non-Jews, they would not make this statement even if they brought first-fruits.

Christians and Jews Count 50 Days Differently

“Even the timing of the holiday is problematic for Christians since it is calculated by a rabbinic exegesis of how to count the weeks,” Nekrutman said. “Historically, this was a source of conflict even within Judaism, with Jewish sects.”

It is important to note that the counting of the fifty days from Passover to Shavuot is from a rabbinic interpretation taken from Leviticus

You must count until the day after the seventh week—fifty days; then you shall bring an offering of new grain to Hashem. Leviticus 23:16

“Although a fundamental reading of the Hebrew verse would indicate that the counting begins on the Sunday after the first day of Passover, the rabbis said the counting of the Omer begins on the 16^th Day of Nissan, the second day of Passover,” Nekrutman said. “The date and the holiday customs of Shavuot are derived from Pharisaic traditions of Judaism.”

Shavuot: An Enormous Challenge to Christians Bearing Enormous Rewards For Those Who Succeed

“More than celebrating the theophany at Sinai, on Shavuot, we are also celebrating the Oral tradition – the revelation of our sages in its understanding and application of the Torah,” said Nekrutman. “It is an enormous thing to expect Christians to accept a holiday that celebrates the receiving of the rabbinic tradition. It is already difficult for Christians to accept the Hebrew Bible outside a Christological approach to it. To accept Shavuot as a holiday celebrating receiving Torah without any verse backing that up is a big leap for them.”

“Christians who celebrate Shavuot will be celebrating a Pharisaic holiday, not the Christian Pentecost which includes accepting the original rabbinic understanding of the Bible. Christians have a great deal to benefit since parts of the exegesis of the Bible they believe in were based on Midrashic, rabbinic, understandings of the Torah as well. This will help them as Christians to connect with the Judaism of Jesus.”

Author’s Note: The author and the editorial staff of Breaking Israel News are Torah Observant Jews with no personal theological connections to Christianity. The presentation of specific Christian and Jewish beliefs in this article were not meant to affect the beliefs of readers of either faith. It is our belief that Jews and Christians should connect for mutual benefit. It is our belief that his connection should be based on knowledge and understanding that lead to mutual respect. Christians have a belief in a Pentecost event and Jews have a congruent, though dissimilar, holiday called Shavuot. No disrespect was intended and any errors in understanding theology were unintentional. It is our hope that by understanding the differences, both sides can become stronger in their respective faith.

Note from David Nekrutman: While David Nekrutman does not advocate Christians taking on Jewish practices, he advises Jews who encounter Christians wishing to participate in Shavuot holiday to recognize and appreciate the theological hurdles the person had to overcome to reach to this point in his or her’s life. This should not be an opportunity for a Jew to convert a Christian to Judaism or marginalize mainstream Christianity. One must nurture this relationship with integrity and complete transparency, and make the Christian feel welcomed in the expression of Judaism’s Shavuot.

https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/107981/should-christians-celebrate-shavuot/