The Feast of Weeks, referred to in the New Testament as the “Pentecost,” was celebrated 49 days after the Day of Firstfruits. On the fiftieth day, the Israelites presented a sheaf of the first grain to the LORD as a wave offering. The reason that this feast was named the “Feast of Weeks” was that there were seven Sabbaths between the Day of Firstfruits and the Pentecost (Lev 23:15-16).
- Origin of the Feast
On the fortieth day after crossing the Red Sea, Moses went up to Mount Sinai for the first time. God spoke to Moses, telling him all His instructions, and when Moses came down from the mountain he revealed God’s will to the people. Ten days later—on the fiftieth day after the Israelites had crossed the Red Sea—Moses returned to Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments. God commanded the people to commemorate the day He had given them the Commandments, the origin of the Feast of Weeks (Ex 24:1-18).
- Prophecy and Fulfillment
The Feast of Weeks—that is, the Pentecost—is the day when God poured out His Spirit, the motivating power that spurred the growth of the gospel during the time of the Early Church (Ac 2:1-47).
After the Pentecost, though, the Church became increasingly secularized, and the fire of the Holy Spirit grew cold. Eventually, God completely withdrew His Holy Spirit from the Church, but even this was clearly disclosed through the prophecies of the feasts. When Moses came down from the mountain, after he receiving the two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments, he saw God’s people worshiping an idol, a golden calf. Outraged, Moses threw the tablets out of his hands and they shattered at the foot of the mountain. This event was a prophecy to reveal that the Holy Spirit, which was given to the Apostles on the day of Pentecost, would be withdrawn because of secularization and the inherent corruption of the Church.
