THE TIME OF THE END: THE EVERLASTING GOSPEL – Discourse 1

Compiled by Solomon Tweneboah

“And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.’” (Revelation 21:3, NKJV.

Everything happening in the world currently attests to the fact that we are not living in any ordinary time. We are, indeed, living in the final moments of earth's history and everything happening around us brings to mind that the end of the world has already began. Considering the ongoing devastations, the world is indeed in a stupendous crisis and the handwriting is on the wall. Many prophets, in the olden days - like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, etc. spoke about how the last days of the world would be. Daniel wrote, “¹ At that time Michael shall stand up, The Great Prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. ¹⁰ Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand” (Daniel 12:1,10). Apostles Paul, Peter, John, etc. were all given inspired understanding of the end time, which they wrote down for our admonition. But today, although we are witnessing all the warning signs, some people just ignore them because they do not understand.

Christ Jesus gave vivid signs and instructions about the end time to His disciples. After He had viewed Jerusalem from afar and had lamented over the city because of the hard-heartedness of His own people, He also prophesied about the utter destruction of the city and all its magnificent buildings including the Jewish temple due to the wickedness of the people. The laments of Jesus startled the disciples so they inquired of Him, “And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?’” (Matt. 24:3). Note that the disciples wanted to know: (1) the time when the destruction of Jerusalem, which Jesus talked about, shall be, and (2) the ‘sign’ (not signs) of His coming, and of the end of the world.

In answer to their questions, Jesus foretold the events that would occur prior to the destruction of Jerusalem. Also, He told His followers what they needed to do in order to escape (Matthew 24:15-20). And about the ‘sign’ of His coming and of the end of the world, Jesus said, “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30). But before giving His ‘sign’, Jesus foretold all the events that would occur universally from generation to generation until, finally, His ‘sign’ is seen in heaven at the end of time. He mentioned these worldwide signs: there will be deceptions, wars, rumours of wars, nations will rise against nations and kingdoms against kingdoms, (famine, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places), tribulations, false prophets, abundance of lawlessness, preaching the gospel in all the world, false christs and false prophets showing great signs and wonders to deceive; and immediately after the tribulations, the sun shall be darkened, the moon shall not give her light, the stars shall fall from heaven, the powers of the heavens shall be shaken, and finally, His sign in heaven signifying the end of all things.

Then Jesus added, “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So likewise you, when you shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled” (Matt 24:32-34). Now, the question is: Has this present generation seen all these signs and events Jesus mentioned? Then, indeed, this generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled. Jesus made it clear that the day and hour of His coming was only the prerogative of the Father to make known (Mark 13:32). But He showed all the signs and events even to the final generation, and declared, “this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled”.

In Numbers 32:13, the Bible says, “And the LORD'S anger was kindled against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the LORD, was consumed.” This suggests that a generation spans 40 years. Jesus was born approximately 2000 years ago, therefore, 50 generations have already passed and we are currently in the middle of the 51^st generation. This present generation has seen too many dramatic, record-breaking devastations – be it environmental or natural tragedies, climate change or pollution, political or governmental, food or water, disease or health, financial or economics, … the same message runs through: the world is on the verse of a stupendous crisis, which gives a clear indication that we are living in the final generation. 

The world was already in a crisis before COVID-19 pandemic struck, and today, shortages in global food supply with its associated economic hardships make matters even worse, without any foreseeable hope. The Bible says in 2Timothy 3:1-5, “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” Because the heart of man enjoys indulging in all these evils, we should expect more crazier years ahead of us. A storm is coming; the world will grow worse and worse, times will become harder and harder until it reaches its limit at the return of Jesus, and only the wise will observe these signs and events and understand.

“Are we to wait until the fulfilment of the prophecies of the end before we say anything concerning them? Of what value will our words be then? Shall we wait until God's judgments fall upon the transgressor before we tell him how to avoid them? Where is our faith in the word of God? Must we see things foretold come to pass before we will believe what He has said? In clear, distinct rays light has come to us, showing us that the great day of the Lord is near at hand, “even at the doors.” Let us read and understand before it is too late” (Testimonies for the church, vol. 9, 20.1). From the beginning of time until now, God always warns His people before any crisis hit. In the garden of Eden, God warned Adam and Eve to choose life and live; God warned the people of Noah’s day to choose life and live; God warned the people of Sodom and Gomorrah to choose life and live; God warned the people of Nineveh to choose life and live; God warned the people of Israel at the time of Jesus to choose life and live; and He warns us today too to choose life and live. Just knowing that a storm is coming is not enough to get us through it; the only thing that will give us peace amid the storm is knowing Jesus as a friend.

In the old covenant, God revealed His redemption plan to His people, pointing out timelines in His plan using symbols of feasts or festivals which also indicated the time of the end. By repeating the feasts year by year, it was God’s purpose to imprint His plan in the minds of His people. Old covenant Israel had seven great feasts that were prescribed by God and those feasts are discussed throughout the Bible, in both Testaments, but in Leviticus 23, all the seven feasts are listed in chronological sequence. Clearly, God used the symbolism of the feasts to indicate the timelines His church will pass through until the second advent of Jesus when the saints will be raptured to be with the Lord forever in His kingdom. The feasts foreshadowed Christ's work in the new covenant, but sadly, Israel observed the physical feasts without recognizing their real significance. As new covenant Israel, Christians need guidance from the Lord in order to comprehend the significance of these feasts in this era.

The Feasts of the Lord (Leviticus 23)

“These are the feasts of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times” (Lev. 23:4). The appointed time of each feast is a significant revelation to the church because the time points directly the timeline of the Christian church from the time of Christ’s first advent until His second advent. It will be a real blessing to know these feasts and their significance.

1. The Lord’s Passover

“In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening, is the LORD's Passover” (Lev. 23:5).

When Israel was under bondage in Egypt, the month Abib (Nisan) was not the first month of the year. But when God took them out of Egypt, God instructed them that the month Abib (Nisan) should be the first month of the year to them. “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you” (Exodus 12:2). “Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover to the LORD your God, for in the month of Abib the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt by night” (Deuteronomy 16:1).

On the Hebrew calendar, as the Lord gave them, the month Abib/Nisan corresponds to March/April of the circular calendar we use in the world today. Israel was commanded to celebrate the feast of Passover on the 14^th day of Abib, and the first Passover was observed when Israel was about to be delivered from slavery in Egypt. God spoke through Moses, demanding that Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, should release His people – Israel, from bondage. But in spite of a series of devastating plagues, Pharaoh refused to do so, and so, in preparation for the final and most terrible plague – the death of every Egyptian first-born, God gave Moses specific instructions through which the children of Israel were saved.

From the 10^th day of Abib, God commanded the children of Israel to start preparing a male lamb or goat without blemish for the Passover feast. In the evening of the 14^th day of the month, each household was supposed to kill the animal, roast it in fire, and eat all of it that night. 

“And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.” “And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD'S Passover. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:1-14). 

The feast of Passover, like all the other feasts, was a type, shadow or picture of something much greater; it was a symbol of the redemption of God's elect through the sacrifice of the perfect, sinless Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Apostle Paul makes it clear that in the new covenant, Christ Jesus is our Passover. “Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us” (1Corinthians 5:7). When Jesus died on the cross, the thick second veil in the earthly sanctuary that separated the holy place and the most holy place was torn into two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). This incidence meant ‘type’ had met ‘anti-type’; things that were done in shadow had given way to the real thing. The real Lamb of God has been sacrificed, and that, offering of sacrificial animals were no longer needed. All the laws governing the sacrificial offerings as well as the Levitical priesthood have given way for the new covenant in Christ Jesus.

Man’s unfaithfulness to the commandment of God brought ruin and eternal death upon man. Man’s fate was imminent death, because the sin that man committed had a price tag – “the wages of sin is death, …” (Romans 6:23). Man had no means to free himself but to face eternal death. But God, loving man with everlasting love, gave man a chance to live by putting upon Himself the wages of man’s sin. God paid the price of man’s sin with His own life. Since the price tag of sin is eternal death, no angel could pay that price because angels do not have eternal live in themselves which could make atonement for man. Only the person who has eternal life in Himself could pay the price of sin, and Christ Jesus – The Word of God, being equal with The Father in personality, purpose, and mindset (John 1:1) gave Himself up for man. “For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself” (John 5:26). But the Word of God is Spirit just as the Father is Spirit. Therefore, God had to become human, take human nature, and live as humans do in order to pay the price. So the Word of God left His omnipotence, His omnipresence, His immortality, His sovereignty, and all the glory He had with the Father before the world begun in Heaven, and was incarnated. “Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure.” (Hebrews 10:5-7; Psalm 40: 6,7). The literal body prepared for Jesus gives His followers an understanding of His spiritual body – the church.

The New King James version of the Bible says that the Passover lamb was to be killed in the ‘evening’ (Exodus 12:6). However, the literal Hebrew reads – "between the evenings." In the Bible, a day is divided into two 12-hour periods (John 11:9). The evening runs from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. and the morning runs from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Each 12-hour period is divided into two smaller portions; from 6:00 a.m. to noon is the morning part of the day and from noon to 6:00 p.m. is the evening part of the day. The phrase, "between the evenings" refers to the middle period of the day that goes from noon to 6:00 p.m., which is exactly 3:00 p.m. This is the ninth hour of the day counting from 6:00 a.m. Note that Jesus died on the cross at exactly on the ninth hour of the day; the exact time the Passover lamb was killed. “⁴⁶ And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken me? ⁵⁰ And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.” (Matthew 27:46,50).

The first Passover was celebrated on the 14^th of Abib at 3p.m. and almost two thousand years later, Jesus Christ – the Lamb of God, was crucified on the 14^th of Abib at the same time. Jesus shed His blood on the cross to save mankind from eternal death, just as that Passover lamb died instead of the first-borns of Israel. The Passover marked the beginning of the old covenant which God made with Israel, so also Jesus Christ – The New Covenant Passover, was crucified to signify the beginning of the new covenant. We must put the blood of Jesus on the doorposts of our heart just as the Israelites did symbolically. We should submit our will and lives to God and allow Christ to wash us clean in His cleansing blood. A few hours to His crucifixion, Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper, as a new covenant feast where, in faith, believers would eat His body and drink His blood (1Corithians 11:23-26).

From eternal ages it was God's purpose that every created being, from the bright and holy seraph to man, should be a temple for the indwelling of the Creator. Because of sin, humanity ceased to be a temple for God. Darkened and defiled by evil, the heart of man no longer revealed the glory of the Divine One. But by the incarnation of the Son of God, the purpose of Heaven is fulfilled. God dwells in humanity, and through His saving grace the heart of man becomes again His temple (Desire of Ages 161.1).

2. Feast of Unleavened Bread

“And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; seven days you must eat unleavened bread” (Leviticus 23:6).

God appointed another feast that was to begin the very next day after Passover, on the fifteenth of the first month, Abib. This feast was called the "Feast of Unleavened Bread" and it lasted seven days. On the first and seventh days, there were to be holy convocations. The Israelites were supposed to eat unleavened bread for seven days and to remove all leaven from their homes before the feast began. On this feast the Israelites would put grains into the ground and pray to God to "give them life out of the ground," thus the Lord should grant them bumper harvest the coming season. 

The Feast of Unleavened Bread foreshadowed the burial of Jesus Christ.

“Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1Corinthians 5:8). Here, Apostle Paul uses “leaven” to signify sin, and admonishes us to avoid the leaven of malice and wickedness. We can only do this if we have a close, intimate and personal relationship with God.  We need Jesus constantly in our lives because ‘He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them’ (Hebrews 7:25).

As time went on, since the Passover overlapped with the feast of Unleavened Bread, the Israelites merged the two feasts and celebrated them for eight days (Luke 22:1). But from the original intent, that God gave two separate feasts.

3. Feast of Firstfruits / Feast of Wave Sheaf

“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it” (Leviticus 23:10,11).

Passover took place on the 14^th of Abib and the feast of Unleavened Bread started the next day. The feast of Firstfruits took take place on the day after the Sabbath, which is Sunday – the first day of the week. In ancient Israel, since barley ripened some weeks before wheat, the feast of Firstfruits marked the starting point of the spring harvest of barley. On this feast, the children of Israel were commanded to bring a sheaf of the firstfruit barley to the priest, the priest would take the sheaf, lift it in the air and wave it in the presence of God. 

The firstfruit was the first mature grains that were reaped before the general harvest was reaped, and it was waved before the Lord as a token of the greater harvest which was anticipated. It was an act of thanksgiving and celebration for that which was certain, according to the consistency of God’s providence.

The feast of Firstfruits typified the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the death, which occurred on Sunday, the first day of the week. “Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons” (Mark 16:9). Christ resurrected from the dead on the third day after His crucifixion (Luke 24:46; Mark 9:31; 10:33,34; Matthew 12:40; John 2:19-22). This is, indeed, an indication that Christ died on Friday, 14^th day of Abib and resurrected on the third day, 16^th of Abib, as the Firstfruits of those who will rise from the dead.

“But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming” (1Corinthians 15:20-23). The wave sheaf of the firstfruits of the harvest was a type or symbol of Christ, the ‘Firstfruits’ of the great harvest that will occur when all the righteous dead are raised at the second coming of Jesus. As the first sheaf was a pledge and assurance of the ingathering of the entire harvest which was to follow, so also the resurrection of Christ is a pledge that all who put their trust in Him will be raised from the grave at His second coming.

Furthermore, it is significant to note that during the Firstfruits ceremony, the priest did not wave just one head of grain to the Lord, but a whole sheaf or a bundle of barley. Similarly, on that Sunday morning, Jesus did not come forth from the grave alone. Instead, when He resurrected, “graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many” (Matthew 27:52,53). Who were these saints that resurrected with Jesus? In the feast of Firstfruits, as the first sheaf of barley was offered to God in anticipation to the coming harvest, so also the saints who resurrected with Christ ascended to Heaven with Him as a demonstration of His power to resurrect all who sleep in the grave. Christ presented the resurrected saints to the Father as a token of the anticipated harvest at the end of the world. In Revelation, John describes some 24 elders who are currently in Heaven (Revelation 5:8), and many theologians believe those 24 elders are the wave sheaf who ascended to heaven with Christ. This is because the 24 elders declared in their song of adoration to the Lamb that, “…you were slain, and have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:9,10). This assertion seems to confirm that the 24 elders were the ones taken with Christ at His ascension.

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive; Christ is our guarantee of eternal life. The presence of the 24 elders in Heaven also assures every Christian that when Christ appears the second time, countless multitudes of believers who sleep in the dust will resurrect, and those believers who will be alive at His coming will be changed in a twinkling of an eye, and we will all be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we be with the Lord forever (1 Corinthians 15:51-55). This is not a fairy tale; it is the reality of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

4. Feast of Pentecost / Feast of Weeks 

“And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the LORD” (Leviticus 23:15,16).

God specifically told the Israelites to count seven weeks (49 days) from Firstfruits, and then on the 50^th day, they were to offer a new grain offering to the LORD. As seen earlier, the Feast of Firstfruits marked the beginning of the spring barley harvest but the feast of Pentecost marked the wheat harvest festival which occurred precisely on the fiftieth day after the feast of Firstfruits.

In the book of Acts, after His resurrection, Christ spent forty days on Earth before ascending to Heaven. Acts 1:3 says, “to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” And then, shortly before He was taken into Heaven, He “commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father …” (Acts 1:4). Christ also told them, “for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5). How long were the disciples to wait in Jerusalem? Jesus knew that the Feast of Pentecost would take place 50 days from the Feast of Firstfruits, and from the day He was speaking, it was only 10 days away. Thus, Christ could tell them “not many days from now” something was to happen.

But why did the disciples have to wait 10 days? The Bible says during the 10-day “waiting time” the disciples did in-depth heart searching, and then put aside their differences and “were all with one accord in one place” (Acts 2:1). But this heart preparation on the part of the disciples was not the primary reason for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. Pentecost foreshadowed the work of Jesus Christ for man in the new covenant, not primarily about the disciples. Thus, Pentecost was not about an event on Earth, but principally about a very significant event in Heaven that had to do with Jesus.

On the day of Pentecost, in Peter’s sermon, he explained that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was the culmination of Christ’s glorification and enthronement in Heaven: “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear” (Acts 2:33). “Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Saviour, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins” (Acts 5:31). In the heavenly courts, Christ received again all the power, glory and sovereignty which He had with the Father before the world began, before His incarnation (John 17:5). Also, Christ was ordained as Priest – the Intercessor of the new covenant. Thus, Christ was ordained and enthroned as both Priest and King according to the order of Melchizedek.

In the book – The Desire of Ages, the writer gives a wonderful description of the scene of Christ’s ascension and the day of Pentecost as the fulfilment of Psalm 24:7-10. “All heaven was waiting to welcome the Saviour to the celestial courts. As He ascended, He led the way, and the multitude of captives set free at His resurrection followed. The heavenly host, with shouts and acclamations of praise and celestial song, attended the joyous train. As they drew near to the city of God, the challenge is given by the escorting angels, “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; And the King of glory shall come in.” Joyfully the waiting sentinels respond, - “Who is this King of glory?” This they say, not because they know not who He is, but because they would hear the answer of exalted praise, - “The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle! Lift up your heads, O ye gates; Even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; And the King of glory shall come in.” Again is heard the challenge, “Who is this King of glory?” for the angels never weary of hearing His name exalted. The escorting angels make reply, - “The Lord of hosts; He is the King of glory.”

Then the portals of the city of God are opened wide, and the angelic throng sweep through the gates amid a burst of rapturous music. There is the throne, and around it the rainbow of promise. There are cherubim and seraphim. The commanders of the angel hosts, the sons of God, the representatives of the unfallen worlds, are assembled. The heavenly council before which Lucifer had accused God and His Son, the representatives of those sinless realms over which Satan had thought to establish his dominion, - all are there to welcome the Redeemer. They are eager to celebrate His triumph and to glorify their King. But He waves them back. Not yet; He cannot now receive the coronet of glory and the royal robe. He enters into the presence of His Father. He points to His wounded head, the pierced side, the marred feet; He lifts His hands, bearing the print of nails. He points to the tokens of His triumph; He presents to God the wave sheaf, those raised with Him as representatives of that great multitude who shall come forth from the grave at His second coming. He approaches the Father, with whom there is joy over one sinner that repents; who rejoices over one with singing. Before the foundations of the earth were laid, the Father and the Son had united in a covenant to redeem man if he should be overcome by Satan. They had clasped Their hands in a solemn pledge that Christ should become the surety for the human race. This pledge Christ has fulfilled. When upon the cross He cried out, “It is finished,” He addressed the Father. The compact had been fully carried out. Now He declares: Father, it is finished. I have done Thy will, O My God. I have completed the work of redemption. If Thy justice is satisfied, “I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am” (John 19:30; 17:24).

The voice of God is heard proclaiming that justice is satisfied. Satan is vanquished. Christ's toiling, struggling ones on earth are “accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6). Before the heavenly angels and the representatives of unfallen worlds, they are declared justified. Where He is, there His church shall be. “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other” (Psalm 85:10). The Father's arms encircle His Son, and the word is given, “Let all the angels of God worship Him” (Hebrews 1:6). With joy unutterable, rulers and principalities and powers acknowledge the supremacy of the Prince of life. The angel host prostrate themselves before Him, while the glad shout fills all the courts of heaven, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing” (Revelation 5:12). Songs of triumph mingle with the music from angel harps, till heaven seems to overflow with joy and praise. Love has conquered. The lost is found. Heaven rings with voices in lofty strains proclaiming, “Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever” (Revelation 5:13).

The Bible says there is no night in heaven (Revelation 22:5), so the celebration which began on the day Christ ascended into heaven continued until His ordination and enthronement ceremonies were completed, and Christ officially taken His seat on the “right hand of the Father.” And when all the ceremony was completed in heaven, on earth, it had taken 10 days; and the day of Pentecost had fully come. This is why in Acts 2, Peter repeatedly pointed to Christ as being on the throne: The Son of David is “on the right hand of the Father” (v. 25); the resurrected Christ “sits on the throne” (v. 30); Jesus is exalted at “the right hand of God” (v. 33); and the Lord of David is “on the right hand” (v. 34). The apostle writes, “Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,” (Hebrews 8:1). So, Jesus seats on the right hand of the Father, not only as a King, but also as a High Priest; Priest and King according to the order of Melchizedek.

Indeed, Christ was glorified, even with the glory which He had with the Father from all eternity, and as soon as the ceremony was completed, He poured out the Holy Spirit in rich currents onto the disciples on the Day of Pentecost as evidence that He is on the throne. It was His first “executive” act, signalling to the whole world that He had now taken His seat on high, and that He would do everything possible to save humanity. This is what Peter was explaining when he said: “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear… Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:33,26).

In John 7:39, The Holy Spirit could not be poured out without Christ being first glorified. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost and the bestowal upon the disciples of the gift of the Holy Spirit can best be understood in the light of Christ’s glorification in Heaven. The man from Nazareth whom men put to a shameful death 53 days earlier was now glorified in Heaven, having all power and authority! This was the Good News that all people in Jerusalem and beyond had to know. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the bestowal of the gift of tongues enabled the disciples to communicate this message clearly in about 18 different foreign languages. The people who heard the disciples knew about the feasts listed in Leviticus 23, but when they heard their real meaning, and knew that they were all about Jesus, “they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). On that day, 3000 souls repented and were baptized. Pentecost was all about Jesus Christ, all power in Heaven and Earth was given to Him, and having taken His place again in the heavenly courts, He could dispense these blessings to all who receive Him. The church was baptized with the Holy Spirit’s power.

Because Jesus is on the throne, at the right hand of majesty in heaven;
1. He is now our Prince and Saviour, offering us repentance and forgiveness (Acts 5:30,31).
2. He is now our High Priest; we can go boldly to the throne of grace (Hebrews 8:1,2; 7:25).
3. He will not condemn but will save all who call upon Him (Romans 8:34; 9:24).
4. He is in control over all things (Hebrews 1:3,13; Ephesians 1:20-33; 1 Peter 3:22).
5. He can help us live victorious lives, as we set our eyes on things above (Colossians 3:1,2).
6. Jesus will help us endure to the end in the Christian race (Hebrews 12:1-3).
7. He will give us courage, even in the face of death (Acts 7:55-60).
8. He has given us the Holy Spirit to guide us, comfort us, and equip us in all things (Acts 2:33).
9. Because Jesus is on the throne we will not be moved (Acts 2:25).
10. We shall be overcomers just as Jesus also overcame (Revelation 3:21).
The first four feasts, namely Passover, Unleavened bread, Firstfruits, and Pentecost, occurred in spring season of the Hebrew calendar, while the last three, namely Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles occurred in autumn/fall. The last three feasts will be discussed in the next discourse.

God bless you.