Paul is anxious to return to Yerushalayim for the feast of Shavuot (Pentecost), but on his way he receives dire warnings of what would face him when he gets there. The events that occur in Yerushalayim start the process of Paul’s journey to Rome.
Tag: Pentecost/Shavuot
Paul’s third journey through Asia (modern Turkey), Macedonia and Greece continued. After being run out of Ephesus, Paul traveled to Greece through Macedonia. He planned to sail from Greece to Syria, but the discovery of plot on his life prompted a return tour through Macedonia and western Asia (modern Turkey). During the journey, Paul’s prolific preaching made Eutychus “fall asleep in the LORD” literally and euphemistically, but Paul resurrected him. In another city, Paul confided to the elders of Ephesus that he was “innocent of the blood of all men” by fearlessly proclaiming the good news about God’s mercy for Jew and non-Jew through Messiah Yeshua, yet the Spirit was telling him continually that part of completing his task involved “facing the music” in Yerushalayim.
https://hallel.info/wp-content/uploads/file/080830%20Acts%206vv7-10.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 43:42 — 7.5MB)Subscribe: RSSActs 6:7-10 shows us that many priests who witnessed the words and wonders of Acts 2-5 believed in Yeshua (Jesus) as Messiah, as many Pharisees had. We also begin to see God’s servant Stephen emerge as a powerful, faithful witness.
On the day after Shavuot (Pentecost), the priesthood in God’s temple are on trial, even as they put Peter and John on trial, as to whether they will cling to their presuppositions about God — that He created then vacated — or submit to the massive displays of God’s power in His house of prayer testifying to the reality that Yeshua is God’s Messiah.
There are language cues in Acts 3 that strongly suggest that it is a description of an event on the afternoon of Pentecost. Thus this is a continuation of the events of Acts 2. The Spirit of God is on display in the temple with power, a display meant to prompt Israel to “turn back” from their rejection God’s Messiah and be restored by God’s Spirit.
Peter’s Pentecost sermon not only made A’s for power of the Spirit but also for being “politically incorrect” in condemning the listeners. Why did Peter say what he said this particular Pentecost? What are the consistent lessons of Pentecost, called Shavuot in Hebrew for “sevens” or “weeks”?
Richard considers another possibility other than the three main methods for determining the timing of Shavuot/Pentecost related to encampments the people of Israel during their exodus from slavery in Egypt leading up to their receiving the 10 Commandments from God at Mt. Sinai. Richard contends that a connection to the weekly Shabbat has an important bearing on what God is trying to teach with the festivals of Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits and Shavuot.