Sorry to take so long....another hectic day.
[Leviticus 23] is the chapter explaining the Feast Days the best. The seven annual Sabbaths are the "First" and "Last" Day of Unleavened Bread (verses 6-8); "Pentecost" (verse 21) counted 50 days from the day after the first Sabbath of unleavened; The "First" day of Trumpets (verses 24-25); Ten days later the "Day of Atonement" (verse 32); And the "First" and "Last" (verse 39) days of Tabernacles.
The three times a year that males were required to present themselves to the Lord were Passover (Pesach), Pentecost (Shavuot) and Tabernacles (Sukkot). [Exodus 34:18-24] 18 The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, at the time appointed in the month Abib, for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt. 19 All that openeth the womb is Mine; and of all thy cattle thou shalt sanctify the males, the firstlings of ox and sheep. 20 And the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck. All the first-born of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before Me empty. 21 Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest; in plowing time and in harvest thou shalt rest. 22 And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, even of the first-fruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the turn of the year. 23 Three times in the year shall all thy males appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel.
What is confusing sometimes to many is that the "First Fruits" is not Pentecost.....many think it is. First Fruits [Leviticus 23:9-14] is the offering of the barley harvest and it is done on the day after the First Sabbath of Unleavened Bread. The Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) [Leviticus 23:15-21] is the offering of the wheat harvest.....50 days later.
We are 9 days from Pentecost now and I truly don't know what is expected of one on that day, or the other two feast days, except to keep the days Holy, as we do the Sabbath.
There are two schools of thought on the fifty day count of the Omer from Passover to Pentecost. Many folks will begin their count on the Sunday after the first weekly Sabbath of Unleavened Bread. This is how the Sadducee's counted it but the Pharisee's always counted from the First Day after the First Sabbath (not first weekly Sabbath) after Unleavened Bread. Consequently, Pentecost will then always fall on Sivan 6....which will this year be a Wednesday.....the 23rd of May. Counting it this way keeps God's Festivals and Sabbaths rotating on a Lunar schedule....not the weekly schedule of a Sunday Pentecost.
I've always been partial to the Pharisee's way of counting because of what our Lord said: [Matthew 23:1-3] Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying The scribe's and the Pharisee's sit in Moses' seat. All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. They were hypocrites....but they taught the correct word of God, whereas the Sadducee's did not even believe in the resurrection [Matthew 22:23].
If you do know what to do on the Feast Days of the Lord....and you are observing them without the benefit of convocation.....do what the Spirit guides you to do.
This should say.....If you do "NOT" know what to do..........
Thank you for this information. I have company arriving today so I won't have time to study it until tonight. One question I have is, God's Festivals and Sabbaths rotating on a Lunar schedule.....
My understanding is that God wants us to be on a Solar schedule - we are children of the light. Prophecies given in months are lunar, of the dark and are for children of the dark - Satan.
Months - Rev. 9:10 .......and their power was to hurt men five months. (I would like to discuss this 5 months with you sometime too)
Rev. 11:2...given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
Days - as in the days of Daniel, Feast Days, the Day of the Lord, etc. Wouldn't the same hold true with the schedule for God's feasts? Shouldn't they be figured on a Solar calender? Saying that, I do understand that placing it on a Sunday isn't what is expected either.
Thank you again for replying with this information. I always know who to go to with Biblical questions.
Your friend.......Ping