Chapter two of the book of Acts opens with 120 of the disciples of Jesus Christ gathered in one place on the Day of Pentecost. Rather than power through the first verse of this chapter, it is important to stop and reflect on what is happening. The disciples are gathered on a day some Christians say is a Jewish holiday, but this is not the case. According to Lev. 23:2, these days are “feasts of the Lord.” Hebrew 10:1 shows that the ceremonial law of these days was a “shadow of good things to come.” The logical conclusion is that God established these days to reveal His intention in providing an acceptable sacrifice for the sins of mankind and providing mankind with another opportunity to live the way God intended us to. Christians must learn that the feasts of Lord memorialize the work of Jesus Christ and God’s plan for mankind.  

Stop and reflect on how many times Jesus gave analogies and parables about farming, fruit, and harvesting, Notice the following verses: 

“After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.² Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.” (Luke 10:1-2) 

What many fail to realize is that God the Father is conducting a farming operation. This is why there are so many verses in the New Testament about bearing fruit. God is planting His word in men and growing for Himself sons. (Read Luke 8:11-15 for confirmation.) Please take a moment to contemplate this.  

Have you ever studied the appointed feasts that are a shadow of good things to come? If you have, then you should be able to see the obvious connection between the feast days and the farming operation of God the Father. In John 15:1, Jesus says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.” The discussion continues with Jesus explaining how His disciples must grow the way the Father intends. The Father takes away branches that bear no fruit and He purges those that do bring forth fruit. The word purge is translated from the Greek word kathaírō which means to cleanse, i.e. (specially) to prune; figuratively, to expiate. If you have done any husbandry (gardening or farming), then you know how essential it is to prune a plant of diseased or fruitless extremities. These auxiliary branches take away energy and nutrition from fruit bearing branches. God the Father cleans us up by pruning the bad out of our lives that takes away from our ability to be fully fruitful. This pruning process causes the most fruitful branches to grow stronger and become even more fruitful. Take some time to read John 15:1-6 and study the topic of pruning for a full understanding.  

Pentecost 

What does this have to do with the feast of Pentecost? The answer to this question is extensive. This one Bible study could not possibly cover the topic in totality; however, we will lay a foundation in which you can use for farther study of the topic.  

First, recognize that the saints of this age are referred to as the firstfruits in the New Testament. For example, the apostle James wrote: 

“¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.¹⁸ Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” (James 1:17-18) 

What does James mean by the phrase firstfruits of His creatures? To find the answer to this question we must investigate Pentecost in the Old Testament.   

The second point that must be made is that Pentecost was known as the feast of the harvest or the feast of weeks. The first mention of this feast is found in Exodus 23:16 where it is referred to as “the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field…” Verses 14 and 17 shows us that this was one of three feasts where all males of the congregation of Israel were required to appear before the Lord. Remember, Jesus referred to the Father as the Lord of the harvest. These three feasts were arranged around the harvest cycle and required ten percent (a tithe) of the harvest to be brought before the Lord in gratitude for His blessing.   

The command for this feast is repeated in Ex. 34:22 where it reads “thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest…” This feast is to be kept year by year seven weeks and one day (50 days) after the wave sheaf offering which happens during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The wave sheaf offering is described in Lev. 23:10-14 and the Feast of Weeks is described in Lev. 23:15-22.   

Verse 17 of Leviticus 23 reads, “Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals; they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the Lord.” 

This Spring Holy Day represents God’s initial harvest of mankind. Despite what is commonly taught, God is not deliberately sowing His word into every human being. You do not have to take my word for this. For proof, you can read Matt. 13:10-17 where Jesus explains this fact to His disciples.  

Any farmer will tell you that there are two harvests: one in the Spring and one in the Fall. God being the Lord of the harvest has organized the physical growing season to mirror the sowing and reaping of His word and the spiritual growing season. Those whom God has called out of this present age represent the fruit of the Spring harvest; the firstfruits.  

Many do not realize that human life will not cease to exist at the coming of Jesus Christ. In fact, prophecy indicates that both the young and old will reach 100 years of age before being judged (Isa. 65:19-20). Please note that verse 17 of Isaiah 65 shows this is happening under a new heaven and new earth, therefore this is during the kingdom of God. This means God will continue to harvest unto Himself sons from the seed mankind!!! Additionally, Rev. 20: 11-15, shows that those who have died in the past will be raised from the dead and judged at the end of the 1000-year reign of Jesus Christ. Some will be given life and others will be destroyed in the lake of fire.  

Again, God is harvesting to Himself sons from the seed of men, but in His own time frame. Some are called now and are considered the firstfruits of His creatures (as mentioned by James). Others will be brought into the house of the Lord in a later harvest as depicted by another holy day known as the Feast of Tabernacles.   

Also note that Jesus Christ is said to be the firstborn of them that slept and the firstborn of many brethren (I Cor. 15:20 and Rom. 8:29). He is the first being who lived in a fleshly body to be resurrected and given eternal life. He was the first of the firstfruits who ascended to the house of God as the first of the firsfruits of the harvest was to be brought to the house of the Lord on earth (read Ex 23:19; Ex. 34:26) 

Firstfruits of the Spirit 

Now, here in Acts chapter two, we see the disciples of Jesus Christ gathered to celebrate the Holy Day that represents the early group that God is calling unto Himself. Remember, it is God the Father who is drawing in sons (John 6:44). These men had been called by the Father to receive His Spirit and become His sons. Recall that Jesus told them to wait in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-8). Romans tell us that those who have the Spirit of God are adopted into God’s family and are the children of God (Rom. 8:14-16). Also read the following verse carefully:  

“And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” (Rom. 8:23)  

This concept of the firstfruits can be found throughout the Bible. Realize that this verse is saying that those who have the firstfruits of God’s Spirit are groaning within themselves in anticipation of the resurrection along with the whole creation (read Rom. 8:18-22 for context). Upon the return of Jesus Christ and the resurrection of the firstfruits (the early harvest of God’s children), the creation will be freed from corruption!!! The meaning of Pentecost is far deeper than what many espouse. It is a day representing the first harvest (resurrection) of those God has planted His Spirit in. The resurrected saints will be given rulership with Jesus Christ and will participate in the preparation for the second harvest.  

In Acts 2:2-13, we read of an amazing miracle. This group of faithful disciples of Jesus received the promise of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God gave them the ability to speak in different languages so that the people in the crowd could understand what they were saying. These disciples did not speak gibberish. They were heard by every man in the language of the nation he was born in (Acts 2:8). There was no interpreter because each man understood. This miracle helped to open the hearts of some of the people to hear Peter’s message.  

Because of the length of Peter’s sermon, we will discuss it in a separate installment. Let’s recap what we have seen so far: 

1. Jesus commanded His disciples to wait at Jerusalem to receive the Holy Spirit.  

2. The disciples received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.  

3. Pentecost is not an Old Testament celebration for the Jews. It represents God’s first harvest of humanity into His family. This is why the firstfruits must be brought into the house of the Lord as recorded by Moses.  

Christians should memorialize the days that God has established. We are not to be like the Pharisees and scribes of Jesus’ time. They picked and chose what commandments they wanted to keep and rejected God’s commands for their own traditions (Mark 7:9). Most people who profess to be Christians do not recognize the feast of Pentecost, yet they use it as support for Sunday services. The true disciples of God kept His holy days sacred (this can be proven by thoroughly studying the book of Acts). What set them apart from the Jews was the understanding that the sacrifices represented the work of Jesus Christ.  

Many of the martyrs of God were killed for Judaizing, meaning they kept the feasts outlined in the Old Testament. The saints of the end times also need to recognize that the feasts days foreshadow the good work of God (Heb. 10:1). Memorializing these days as the original apostles did will help us maintain hope in the fulfillment of God’s promise of eternal life. Surviving the end times will require us to keep our minds on this promise and the triumphant return of Jesus Christ which is memorialized by the Feast of Trumpets.