Hello John and Doves,For the last few years, I've written letters about another way to count to the day of Pentecost. My recent letters this year have covered "the usual ways" but I included comments that not everyone agrees with these"usual ways." Dr. Barry Awe, Luis Vega, and others (including me) have talked or written about another date for Pentecost. The New Wine Festival. (Although we differ as to when the New Wine Festival is. Luis had two letters to Doves last week about this Festival.)What got me asking questions a few years ago about the traditional way we 'get to' the day of Pentecosteach year, was what Luke wrote about the men accusing the "Holy Spirit filled Galileans" of being drunk. Luke wrote, "But others mocked them and said, "They are drunk on NEW wine." Acts 2:13. How can NEW wine be available to anyone in that area of the world in May? The grapes are not harvested until June at the earliest. Once the grapes are harvested and the juice stored in new wine skins/jars then fermentation can take place...that takes a while. So one can not get drunk on 'new' wine. This shows that a Pentecost in May is way too early!And the traditional counting to Ascension Day has come into question also:In one of my recent letters about Ascension Day, I wrote about the counting of the 40 days...In Acts 1:3 it says that Jesus was with them over a span of forty days. Even Dr. Awe covers this - we're not sure when to start counting these 40 days. There were gaps given in the gospel for Jesus' appearances after He was resurrected - John 20 and 21. The traditional way of counting starts with Jesus' resurrection plus 40 days. But is this accurate? Maybe not when considering John 20/21!In this recent letter to Doves, 14 May, I wrote about Acts 1:12 - how those who witnessed Jesus' ascension were a "Sabbath day's Journey" from Jerusalem. This was important for Luke to include in his message because it was Jewish Law that on a Shabbat OR a High Holy Day/Feast Day - Jews were limited in how far they could travel. So "Ascension Day" was either on a Shabbat or the next Feast Day - the next Feast Day was Shavuot/Feast of Weeks/Firstfruits. Dr. Awe believes Ascension Day is Shavuot - which could absolutely be correct given the above information to back it up. Also, all through Acts, Luke tells us "this happened on a Sabbath day", "that happened on a Sabbath day"....several times he specifically mentions Sabbath days - yet, on Ascension Day he does not write "this happened on a Sabbath day". That's another clue that Ascension Day was not on Shabbat...that it was indeed on a High Holy Day and that would have been Shavuot.
Ascension Day 2023
AScension Day was on Shavuot/Feast of Weeks of a Sabbath dayAlso, the "offering of NEW grain to the Lord" at Pentecost is the wheat offering. It takes spring wheat about 115 days to mature...June is too early for the spring wheat harvest/offering. Spring wheat, planted in March/April, would be harvested in July at the earliest (not June)...this is about a 4 month time for planting to harvest. Leviticus 23:17 at the Festival of Weeks/Firstfruits: "...bring two loaves...as a wave offering of fristfruits to the Lord." This is the first of the wheat harvest...before anyone else can eat of the wheat harvest...the firstfruits are brought before the Lord.Remember Jesus reminded the disciples of the saying..."there are yet four months, then comes the harvest." John 4:35.Leviticus 23:16 says they are to give a NEW grain offering to the Lord - there were two wheat harvests in Israel - one from the wheat that was planted in the fall (the traditional or old grain) and one from the wheat planted in the Spring (the NEW grain). This new grain is harvested in July at the earliest. This is the one that the Lord wants.Dr. Barry Awe Ascension Day and Pentecost Day Studies:Dr. Barry Awe has a three part presentation "Rapture 7 Years Before 2030 Messiah". In this he explains that the 15th day of the third month is Shavuot. And Ascension Day is Shavuot. He refers to John 20 and John 21 for help with the 'forty days' - that's it's not that simple to just count 40 days from Jesus' resurrection. And that Pentecost is at the Feast of New Wine on 9 Av.run time 1:05:30run time 1:29:03Part 3 isn't posted as of 5/23.The Temple ScrollThe Temple Scroll of the Dead Sea Scrolls (some believe the Essenes authored the Dead Sea Scrolls) tells us about three bikkurim (firstfruit) festivals - wheat, wine and oil.According to the Temple Scroll:The Wheat Festival is on 15 Sivan.The New Wine Festival is on 3 Av. (Dr. Awe says this is 9 Av)The New Oil Festival is on 22 Elul.These are FIRSTFRUITS festivals where the first of the harvests are brought to the Temple and offered before the Lord. So on 3 Av, the New Wine Festival, the new wine would have been brought to the Temple. So no one could drink the new juice (the new wine) until after the new wine was offered to the Lord. So Pentecost could not take place before 3 Av. If Pentecost did take place on the New Wine Festival - on this very day the new wine was being presented to the Lord - so no one could be drinking it until after this presentation by the High Priest. (Dr. Awe believes 9 Av is Pentecost.)The New Wine Festival in the Temple Scroll is on the 3rd day of the 5th monthThe Three Bikkurim's of the Lord:In the Bible we often read about the wheat (grain), the wine (grapes), the oil (olives) - all referenced together. That the Lord blessed Israel with all three of these. "In Deuteronomy, God promises that if the Iraelites keep the commandments, they will gather "grain, wine and oil". Similarly, when biblical texts wish to describe the plenty of the land, they reference its "grain, wine and oil" and when they want to threaten that it will be destroyed and made barren, they describe the loss of "grain, wine and oil."
The Three Shavuot Festivals of Qumran: Wheat, Wine, and Oil - TheTorah.com
Pentecost as Shavuot as the New Wine Festival would have better timing later in summer as these Three Firstfruit Festivals (Wheat, Wine, Oil) which are all 50 days apart - "seven weeks" - end only three days before the first of the seventh month - Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah). If the Tribulation Period is to start with the Fall Feasts - then the Wheat Festival, the New Wine Festival, the New Oil Festival will all be complete.Using the chabad calendar or the torah calendar:This year, 15 Sivan is June 3/4.This year, 3 Av is July 20/21. And 9 Av (Tishah B'Av) is July 26/27This year, 22 Elul is September 7/8.This year, Rosh Hashanah is September 15/16.IF this is correct, the Rapture could be on 15 Sivan/Shavuot/Ascension Day. - June 3/4. The Essene's day and Dr. Barry Awe's day (he doesn't mention the Essenes - as I recall) or New Wine Festival, 3 Av or 9 Av could be the correct time of Pentecost.Just a couple more Rapture possibilities on specific days.It just seems crazy that the Jewish calendar has been so 'lost' - and we have to try and figure out so many aspects of their calendar!!Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!Maranatha!Chance