The Feast of Weeks

So we're going back to the book of Leviticus and to the second chapter. Now I'm going to try to cover a lot this morning, so you'll have to be really thinking. Leviticus chapter 2, we'll read verse 1. And when any will offer a meat offering, and that of course is a meal offering, unto the Lord his offering shall be of fine flour, and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon.

Now that whole chapter is about a meal offering. Come down to verse 4. Leviticus chapter 23, and we'll read verse 15. Leviticus chapter 23 and verse 15, and ye shall count, and you will underline the word count, one time that it appears and the only time, and ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering, seven sabbaths shall be complete, even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days, and ye shall offer a new meal offering unto the Lord.

Ye shall bring out of your habitation two wave loaves of tenth deals, and they shall be of fine flour. They shall be bacon with leaven. They are the first fruits unto the Lord.

We'll not read any more just there, but we'll come over to the New Testament, to the book of Acts chapter 2. The book of Acts, the Acts and chapter 2. Acts chapter 2, and we will read verse 1. The book of Acts chapter 2, and we're reading the second verse, first verse. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place, and suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues of like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and speak to, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Now the epistle to the Ephesians and chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 14. Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 14. For he, the Lord Jesus Christ, is our peace, that is both Jew and Gentile, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of partition between us, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the commandments of contained in ordinances, for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace, and that he might reconcile both Jew and Gentile unto God in one body, you should notice one body, by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby.

Just down to verse 18. For through him we both have access, that is Jew and Gentile, by one Spirit unto the Father. Now one more verse in 1 Corinthians chapter 12.

1 Corinthians chapter 12, and we will read the 13th verse of the chapter. 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 13. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jew or Gentile, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

Now that's all that we're going to read, and we know that God will add further his blessing to the reading of his precious word. The feast that we're looking at now is the Feast of Weeks on the chart, but it's also known as the Feast of Pentecost. The Greek word for this feast is Shabbat, which means simply Pentecost, and you know that Pentecost means 50.

So Pentecost is 50, or 50 days. We're going to notice that in just a moment. Now this feast is identified by three different words, or three different expressions.

I'm going give you the Hebrew for them, but you know, you won't remember that, but you will think about the meaning of the Hebrew word. And so three times in your Bible, this is referred to in the Hebrew word in the Old Testament as Hag HaShabbat. Hag HaShabbat is interpreted in your Bible as the Feast of Weeks, and for a reason that might become evident in a moment, we have called this on the the Feast of Weeks.

It is also identified by the Hebrew term Yom Habakkarim. Yom Habakkarim, interpreted in the Bible once, is a Feast of Firstfruits, and so this is the Feast of Firstfruits of the barley harvest. This is a Feast of Firstfruits of the wheat harvest.

This is trans, or the Hebrew word Hag HaKatzir is called the Feast of Harvest, because this is the harvest of the grain of the wheat. So it's called the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Firstfruits, the Feast of Harvest. It's also called Pentecost, because Pentecost means 50.

So it has a number of different identifications in your Bible. We have noted that this is one of the feasts when all the men of Israel must come to Jerusalem, and so the Passover, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles, they all had to make their way up to Jerusalem. This is a one-day feast, and as we notice concerning this feast, they could not keep it in the wilderness.

They had no crops. This feast as well could only be kept in the land, so when you be coming to the land. Feast of Weeks, and I noted the counting of days, and so the counting of days will take place for these first four feasts, but the counting of days ends when you come to the Feast of Weeks and the end of the Feast of Weeks.

So from the Feast of Weeks onward, we're going to notice there is no counting of days. That expression count is only found once, and that is when you come to this Feast of Weeks, and so we are told here that they were to observe seven Sabbaths. So this feast, the Feast of Firstfruits, was offered on the morrow after the Sabbath.

Seven Sabbaths would pass before they would come to the Feast of Weeks, and so that's a very simple mathematical calculation. 49 days. So count the days.

49 days will pass, and then because this feast, like the previous feast, will be offered on the morrow after the Sabbath, so you have to add one day, and so the one day added to the 49 days makes this feast exactly 50 days after the Feast of Firstfruits and the offering of that sheaf of barley. And so Pentecost takes place 50 days after the resurrection of Christ, and so we have noted in this feast the resurrection of Christ, and then 50 days later, what this feast represents is going to take place. So there is the counting of days.

I emphasize that because from then on you cannot count the days in Leviticus chapter 23, even though these feasts will notice the days that they are on, but there is no counting of days. Now some have tried to use Leviticus chapter 23 and the counting of days to figure out the date when the Lord will come, and the old hymn writer, I think it was Francis Haverhill, knew far more than some do because she penned the words, knowing not the day or hour, but entered safe within the veil. And so there's nothing in the Bible and certainly nothing in Leviticus chapter 23 that gives us any authority to set a date for the rapture.

The rapture could take place at any time. And so when we come to the feast then, we're going to notice for the last time that this was the Passover chosen on the 10th day of the month, sacrificed on the 14th day. I'm going to emphasize a Friday.

And so then we have the Feast of Unleavened Bread commencing on the day after the Feast of the Passover, but also referred to, we notice once, commencing on the 14th. And then we have the Feast of Firstfruits on the 16th of the month. So these three feasts all take place within three days of each other.

Now, 50 days later, we're going to come to the Feast of Weeks. Now, I have a problem for you, and you're going to be thinking about this. I'm going to have to give you the answer because I can't send you home to think about it.

So I'll have you think about it just for a moment, and then I'll give you an answer. I had some of my brethren back home thinking about this, and they came up with all kinds of answers for the problem that I'm going to present to you. And I said, no, always look for the simplest solution.

And so here's the problem. Throughout the course of the centuries, from the Passover, the first time in the land of Egypt, the Passover coming on the 14th day of the month quite often never comes on a Friday. And more often comes on another day of the week.

And so if the Passover comes on another day of the week, then we have all of this thrown out of order. For example, if the Passover comes on a Monday, the Feast of First Fruits cannot be offered until eight days later because it has to be offered on the morrow after the Sabbath. And so we notice that here, this is the morrow after the Sabbath in Leviticus chapter 23.

But if it came on a Monday, then it doesn't come for another eight days because it must be the morrow after the Sabbath. And so for the centuries, throughout the centuries, most of the time, it's very rare, in fact, for the Passover to come on the Friday. Now, I didn't check and I didn't have a calendar.

I don't know when the Passover came this year, what day it was, but I know last year it was not on a Friday. So that's a problem. It's not always the same day.

And so you're maybe you're thinking about that. But I said, look for the simplest solution. And yet the simplest solution is a tremendous solution.

Turn to Galatians, you don't do it right now, but if you turn to Galatians chapter four verse four, you have the answer. So in Galatians chapter four and verse four, when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his son. And so on this chart, at the far end of the chart, we have from eternity to eternity.

And I think one of the brethren in worship this morning made mention of the purposes of God in eternity. And so in eternity, when the purposes of God were all decided, God decreed when he created the heavens and the earth and the moon and the sun and the stars and started the whole thing in motion for one purpose. That when the Lord Jesus Christ was on this earth, this Passover would come on a Friday.

That was the purpose of God. And God set the whole thing in movement. Remember, he did that when he wanted to get Joseph and Mary from Nazareth down to Bethlehem.

So he had a heathen king way off in the city of Rome issue a decree. When God's purposes are in due, God will have his purposes fulfilled. And so whatever day throughout the centuries, the Passover comes on this particular day, God ordered the whole universe so that his son would be crucified on this Friday.

That's a tremendous thing. God is never behind time. And he's never ahead of time.

God is always on time. And God had to create the whole movement of the universe so that the Lord Jesus Christ would be upon this earth and crucified on this particular day. And so all of these feasts will come in the order that they come in Leviticus chapter 23.

So the Lord Jesus was crucified on the Friday, rose on the morrow after the Sabbath. And with a group of my Chinese friends, I asked them, how many days was the Lord upon earth after he was crucified and rose again? And one little fellow, I don't know how he ever discovered this, said immediately 40 days. And when I said, where'd you get that from? He said, from the Bible.

Well, he got it from the Bible, but he wouldn't be able to tell me where. Well, if you were to turn to the book of Acts chapter one in verse three, you would discover that the Lord Jesus was upon this earth 40 days. For 40 days after his resurrection, he moved amongst men.

They saw him for that period of time. And he indicated by many infallible proofs and by his appearances that he had risen from the dead. Now, of course, this is impossible.

But if you had John standing here and Peter standing here, they would be dogmatic that the Lord rose from the dead. They saw him. Peter says he was an eyewitness, not only of the sufferings of Christ.

Peter saw him. John saw him. The disciples saw him.

A number of women saw him after he rose from the dead. Interesting that at the commencement of his public ministry, there are 40 days that pass. And in those 40 days in the wilderness, he was tempted by Satan.

And so we know the three temptations, but that's not all of them by any means. And for 40 days in the wilderness, the Lord Jesus Christ came face to face with Satan and was tempted by Satan. And that proved the immaculate, the pure, the holy life of the Lord Jesus Christ for those 40 days that he could not be tempted by Satan to sin.

A futile thing on the part of Satan. Forty days. Now, 40 days at the conclusion of his sojourn here, he's going to spend these 40 days upon this earth.

Now, most of the appearances of the Lord Jesus in those 40 days took place in the early part of them. It is likely for the 30 days, there were very few appearances of the Lord Jesus upon this earth. But in the first part of those 40 days, he appeared a number of times onto his own until the moment came that he's going to lead them out to the slopes of the Mount of Olives.

Interesting to trace the Mount of Olives in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ, because the Mount of Olives was a very special place to him. And the Mount of Olives will become a very special place to him. And so he led them out to the slopes of the Mount of Olives.

And he's speaking to them. He's surrounded by this small group of men. And as he is speaking to them, he's giving to them his parting words.

They're not aware at the moment that he's speaking what's going to happen. The moment came when his feet began to leave earth. You know, we're all impressed, I'm sure.

When we see from Cape Canaveral, one of those rockets go up in space with the space capsules and all the power that puts that rocket up into space. These men saw something far more remarkable than that. They saw a man.

And they were watching as his feet left earth and he began to go up to the heavens. I don't think he went up quick like the rocket. I think they saw him as he slowly went up and their eyes were riveted on what they were seeing until the angel said when he disappeared out of their sight, ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven so? That word gazing, that simply means that their eyes were actually glued on the heavens.

They couldn't take their eyes off the heavens where they saw him when he disappeared out of their sight. And the angel said this same Jesus shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go up into heaven. That's not the rapture.

He's going to come to the earth, but he left the Mount of Olives in Acts chapter 1 and he's going to come back to the Mount of Olives. And we're he's coming back to earth and he's going to come back to the very place where he was crucified. He's coming back to this earth.

And so when we come to the feast that we have here, now again 40 days he was upon earth and on the 40th day he went back to heaven. Now do a little mathematics, very simple. He was in heaven for 10 days because Pentecost means 50.

And so 10 days now will pass and these disciples were meeting in the upper room. It would almost seem that they never left that upper room very much. And so for those 10 days in prayer and worship and occupied with the Lord Jesus for 10 days in that upper room before he sent the Spirit of God.

Now at the end of this meeting if you were to ask me what he was doing in heaven for 10 days I would say I don't know. And you don't know. And there's no point in using your imagination or trying to hypothesize or come up with something because we simply don't know.

But the Bible indicates very clearly that he was in heaven for 10 days. They were meeting in that upper room for those days for a good part of those days. And then another event is going to happen.

And that's the event that we're coming to here on the Feast of Pentecost. And so he did what he said he would do. So if you went back in your Bible to John chapter 14 and you read I think first 10 of that chapter.

And this is what he said. And these are very important words. He said I will send another comforter.

Now I have to give you two Greek words. You'll pardon me for doing this. There are two words in your Bible that are translated another.

One is the Greek word Elos. The other is a Greek word Herod. They are both translated by one English word another.

But they are two different words. They have two different meanings. Now the translators were correct in their translation.

But we have to dig a little deeper. And so that second word that I gave you just a moment ago. I didn't pronounce it to you.

Heros. That second word means another of a different kind. But the word Elos means another of the same kind.

Now that's quite important. I remember as a young believer getting that into my head and the significance and the importance of that. Another of the same kind.

And so what the Lord Jesus was saying was simply this. I'm going to send from heaven the Spirit of God. And the Spirit of God is another of the same kind.

Another just like me. And so all of the attributes of deity that were possessed by the Lord Jesus Christ. That one little simple word Elos.

Another of the same kind. Tells me that the Lord Jesus was God. And every aspect of deity just like the Lord Jesus Christ was God.

Now that's a tremendous thing. Every person here is involved by the Spirit of God. We're involved by a divine person.

And that divine person is God. And if that doesn't kind of stagger your mind a little, it kind of should. And so the Lord Jesus sent the Spirit of God.

And the Spirit of God is God. Now I have gone back to Leviticus chapter 2 for a reason. In Leviticus chapter 2 there is a meal offering.

And you know that all of those offerings in the early chapters of Leviticus 1, 2, 3, 4, probably to verse chapter 7. All of those offerings are types of Christ. Just as these are types of Christ. We touched a little bit on the type and the anti-type.

So all of those offerings are types of Christ. That meal offering is a beautiful picture. It could be prepared in three ways.

Could be prepared in an oven. Could be prepared on a flat pan. Could be prepared in a frying pan.

But the significant thing to note in view of what we're touching upon here is that that meal offering in Leviticus chapter 3 had no leaven. And so it could be placed upon the altar. It could be burned as a sacrifice on the altar because there was no leaven.

That meal offering reminds me or speaks to me or presents to me the wondrous person of the Lord Jesus Christ. No leaven. All of those offerings are types of Christ.

And so the Lord Jesus Christ lived an absolutely sinless life upon this earth. And while we might repeat that over and over and over, it needs to be repeated over and over that he was impeccable. That was the word I was thinking of just a moment ago.

And so his life was absolutely pure, absolutely holy. And so when that meal offering in Leviticus chapter 2 was being prepared, there was to be no leaven in it. But the Jew must have wondered when it came to these two loaves.

Because we have read that these two loaves in the hands of the priest, and there are two loaves, that these two loaves had leaven in them. They couldn't eat leaven at the Passover or the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This offering in Leviticus chapter 2, no leaven.

But a strange thing. They must have wondered when they were making the two loaves out of the first of the wheat harvest or they were composed of the wheat harvest. They must have wondered.

We couldn't have leaven in the Passover or the Feast of Unleavened Bread. We had to put that leaven out. But now we are being told to make two loaves of bread with leaven in them.

And they would ponder that. They would wonder at that. And there's no Jew today that likely understands that.

But in light of the Word of God and the New Testament, and so we have a little understanding, a little significance tonight, today, of those two loaves. And so I want you to think for a moment then that the leaven in those two loaves speaks of us. In the offering in Leviticus chapter 2, no leaven, that speaks of Christ.

And so in some way, these two loaves would speak of us. Two loaves. And that's why I have read here in the Epistle to the Ephesians chapter 2, hath broken down the middle wall of partition.

That is the Jew looked at the Gentile as an unclean dog. Peter was criticized when he went into the house of Cornelius because he went into the house of a Gentile and he ate with Gentiles and he had an association with Gentiles criticized for that. The Gentile was unclean, unacceptable, a wall of partition divided Jew and Gentile.

But now, something has happened. And that middle wall of partition has been broken down. And we have read in verse 15 of Ephesians chapter 2, hath made both one.

So what's happened? Well, these two loaves on the day of Pentecost represent Jew and Gentile. And to be made both one, and you'll notice if you can't see it from where you're sitting, but at the bottom of that, right where that pointer is now is the birth of the church. Now, I'm being very careful.

I discussed this with a couple of brethren yesterday and we had a pretty good discussion. And if there is a type of the church in the old Testament, it is this, the day of the feast of weeks when the spirit of God came and the church was brought into being composed of Jew and Gentile. That's what I told you about my friend, Jewish man.

And so we can have fellowship together. He's in assembly fellowship and conversation with him is very precious. In fact, we have discussed this chapter together and interesting.

He acknowledged to me that before he was saved, he had no idea what that meant. I had no understanding of the significance of what was taking place in Leviticus chapter 22, but he does now. And that middle wall of partition has been broken down and now Jew and Gentile together can remember the Lord Jesus Christ.

So what happened on the day of Pentecost when the spirit of God came and indicated by the cloven tongues on the bottom of the chart, cloven tongues, divided tongues. And so you must make a connection between two loaves of bread and divided tongues. And so one aspect of the tongue was to the to the Jew first in the early days of the day of grace, then to the Gentile.

And so the two loaves, one loaf, the Jew, one aspect of the tongue, the Jew, one loaf, the Gentile, one aspect of the tongue, the Gentile spirit of God came and clearly 50 days after. So get the beauty of this chapter, the wonder of it. And for everything falls into its proper order.

50 days after the resurrection of Christ is the coming of the spirit of God on the day of Pentecost. And on that day, the church was born, was brought into being, was brought into existence, something that never existed before as something that was new, a new period of time, a new dispensation, call it the day of grace, if you will, the dispensation of grace brought into existence when the church was brought into existence on the day of Pentecost. And we are told, Ephesians chapter two, where we have read that it was composed of Jew and Gentile.

Now in the early days, in the early chapters of the Acts, many of the early believers were Gentiles, or Jews, sorry. And then Gentiles began to be saved when the apostle Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. And so the two loaves on this day were waived as one.

Now in your mind, if you have your Bible still open, second Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 13, we have noted that in the writing to the Corinthians, Paul refers to the feast of Pentecost or the feast of Passover, Christ our Passover, sacrifice for us. We have noted that Paul refers to the feast of unleavened bread, let us keep the feast that is the life of the believer. We have noted that Paul refers to this feast in the Corinthian epistle, Christ the first fruit, afterward day that our Christ that is coming.

And now Paul is going to make reference to this feast. He is going to make reference to this feast where we have read in first Corinthians chapter 12, for we are all baptized by one spirit. And the baptism of that one spirit has formed the body of Christ.

Now there may be a little difficulty here for some. And if you know any sort of charismatic believers or Pentecostals believers, they will have a big difficulty here because the spirit of God came only once, once only. And we need to fasten that in our mind once only on the day of Pentecost, the spirit of God came.

And you and I who are saved were not baptized by the spirit on the day that we were saved. That took place only on the day of Pentecost. As I have emphasized two or three times that well some of these feasts will be repeated and particularly the Passover and the feast of tabernacles we're going to notice.

But the feast of Pentecost, the feast of weeks will never be repeated again. Because on one occasion and one occasion only, the spirit of God came sent from heaven by the Lord Jesus Christ 50 days after his resurrection from the dead. Now notice in Acts chapter 2 there are three things that must accompany the baptism of the spirit.

There must be a sight, there must be a sound, there must be a speech. And on only one occasion were those three things evidenced upon this earth. And so the sight, cloven tongues of fire, the sound, a mighty rushing wind from heaven, and the speech they began to speak in tongues.

Now there's only one time and one time only when those three things were all seen together. When the tongues of fire lit upon all those who were in the upper room and they heard that sound from heaven of a rushing mighty wind and they began to speak in tongues that has happened only once and will never happen again. And so then what about the baptism of the spirit then? Well the day that you and I were saved we were indwelt by the spirit, we were sealed by the spirit, we were anointed by the spirit, yes.

But what about this issue of baptism if it only happened once? Well let me just put it this way. I think we were reminded perhaps in a hymn that we were singing this morning that we were not at the cross when the Lord Jesus Christ died. I wasn't there.

I never literally saw him hanging on the cross. But the day that I was saved that became very precious to me and I entered into all of the good of what took place at Calvary which only took place once. He has appeared once in the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself and once only.

But the day I was saved all of the value of that and all of the preciousness of that event became mine. I was not in the upper room when the spirit of God came but I have entered into the good of what happened in the upper room. The baptism of the spirit only once, the death of Christ only once.

And but when we are saved we enter into the good and into the wonder of what took place at Calvary and in the upper room. Twice in your Bible in the New Testament the spirit of God is likened under the wind. One of them we have read probably well known.

The other one's an interesting place because I'm sure that all of the brethren here who have preached the gospel and many other brethren many other places who have preached the gospel have read this verse over and over and over and over and have never mentioned the significance of it. Well maybe you have if you have you're an exception because most haven't. That's found in John chapter 3. This is the verse verse 7. The wind bloweth where it listeth.

Now here is the sound thereof. Canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth. So is every one that is born of the spirit.

The wind is sovereign and so in John chapter 3 it's the new birth and it's only the spirit of God who can produce the new birth. There's a little statement that you need to question verse very severely. When someone says I led that soul to Christ well if if they did they did an awfully poor job because only the spirit of God can lead a soul to Christ and it's only the spirit of God that opens the understanding for a person to grasp the value of the death of Christ for them.

That is exclusively sovereignly the work of the Holy Spirit. What the other place where we have read in Acts chapter 2 and so in both places where the spirit of God is likened to the wind you have a birth. In John chapter 3 it's the new birth the spirit is sovereign and producing the new birth.

In Acts chapter 2 you have a birth. It's the birth of the church. So if you think of an infant for a moment an infant is born and mothers and fathers and I as a grandfather have held eight grandchildren in my arms and then you look down into their little face there they are an infant but that infant is going to grow and so on the day of Pentecost when the church was brought into being in its infant stage like an infant it's going to grow and it's going to grow in two ways it's going to grow because there has been spiritual gift given to provide for its spiritual growth so it has spiritual food to grow but it's going to grow in another way it's going to grow as souls are saved numerically others will be added and in John chapter 3 again by the mighty work of the spirit of God and so the moment that you and I were saved we became part of the church which is his body see the vast building see it grow the plan how great the work how wise and so there is being constructed if I can use that word here upon this earth in our day and this resulting from the day of Pentecost onward his building his church remember what the Lord Jesus said now notice what he said he said in Matthew chapter 18 chapter 16 I will build my church so if he is the builder and he said he was there can be no error there's no flaw there's no weakness in what he is building I will build my church and then he said the gates of hell shall not prevail against that and so if the gates of hell could be swung wide open and all of the demonic power of Satan could be marshaled against the church which is his body it is indestructible now the local assembly is something different but the church which is his body that was brought into being on the day of Pentecost cannot be destroyed now there's a group of brethren and I have met with some of them they're called exclusive brethren and they believe that sin can enter in to the church that the Lord is building and that's totally a wrong doctrine and so this is absolutely holy pure but notice something else then just in closing well two more things so these two lows on the day of Pentecost which represents you and Gentile and they have leaven in them and we have indicated that there is leaven in us but when you put dough with leaven in the oven and I will stand for correction by any sister here who has baked bread that the heat of the oven lessens the effect of the leaven and so while we know what it is to sin for John says if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us so someone has put it this way sin should be an accident in the life of the believer but not something is planned and so there is leaven in the lows and so again we should keep short accounts with God because there is leaven but notice this second world just in closing that I pointed out that with this particular feast the feast of first roots the resurrection of Christ there's no sin offering well how could there be a sin offering when the Lord Jesus cried it is finished everything is done sin has been answered for the death of Christ has answered for all of my sins all of them past sins present sins future sins all answered for in the death of Christ I do not need another sin offering and so in the feast of first fruits on this sheaf of barley that represents the resurrection of Christ that work is totally complete I have a sin offering person of Christ satisfied every claim of God and I'm satisfied I don't need a sin offering you see the big flaw in the Catholic church that every time that that that that communion is taken it's a fresh offering of the body of Christ I don't need that and the emblems this morning were not an offering of the body of Christ there are a memorial of our remembrance of his death but notice and we didn't read it but if you read it for this there is a sin offering there is a sin offering because there's leaven in the bread I said a few moments ago if we confess our sin so we do have sin well what does it mean if we confess our sin well it means then that what took place at Calvary 2,000 odd years ago is answerable for the sin that I commit now so if we confess our sin he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin sin was judicially dealt with at the cross but in my life I need to know what it is to live in fellowship with God so I go back to the cross and to the death of Christ I confess sin that has been dealt with at the cross and so that I can live a life and enjoy communion with God so the feast of Pentecost the feast of first fruits feast of weeks identified in a number of ways is a very important feast and I would suggest and I'm going to use the word if because I know that there are some who will disagree with this but if there is a type of the church in the new testament in the old testament it is these two loaves of bread represented here in the hands of the priest and the day of Pentecost now from then on so the spirit of God has come so move along on the chart to this period of time in the middle and we're going to deal with that on Monday night and you can take a look at the symbols that are there the the star speaks of the rapture the bright and morning star and the sun that's indicated the son of righteousness Malachi tells us will rise with healing in his wings and so this period of time is going to conclude with the rapture and with the Lord dealing with this nation of Israel that takes us on to the rest of the chapter so we're going to look at this period of time when the cleanings of the harvest are being brought in we're going to look at that in view of the year 2015 what are we doing today this is the period of time that we're living in I indicated this is the period of time between Daniel 69th and Daniel 70 weeks ties in with other passages of scripture it's our day presently our day of opportunity we'll pray our father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ we give thanks to thee for