Quelling the Controversy of Counting the Feast of Weeks
The proper way to count the days to the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) has
been a controversial subject for at least two thousand years. It was a divisive issue
between the Pharisees and the Sadducees during Yahshua's earthly ministry. Even today the
controversy continues to divide many groups.
It appears as though the majority of feast-keeping groups today lean toward counting from
the day after the weekly Sabbath that falls within the Feast of Unleavened. Counting fifty
days from that time causes one to always keep Pentecost on a Sunday. The Jews have
historically counted fifty days from the day after the high sabbath of Abib 15. Concerning
this, the Jewish historian Josephus remarks in his work entitled 'Antiquities of the
Jews,' "But on the second day of unleavened bread, which is the sixteenth day
of the month, they first partake of the fruits of the earth, for before that day they do
not touch them. . . .They also at this participation of the firstfruits of the earth
sacrifice a lamb, as a burnt-offering to [Yahweh]." (Ant.,3.10.5). The reference to
the firstfruits in this account refers to the "sheaf of firstfruits" that was
waved "on the morrow after the Sabbath" (Lev.23:10,11). Josephus, incidentally,
wrote this in the first century C.E..
Why do the Jews believe the "sabbath" of Lev.23:11 & 15 is the high sabbath
of Abib 15 and others believe it is the weekly Sabbath? One reason is based on a
superficial study of the Hebrew text. The Hebrew for "sabbath" is
"shabbath" which is normally used in reference to the weekly Sabbath. Therefore,
it is easy to assume the sabbath of Lev.23:11,15 is also the weekly Sabbath. However, an
in depth study of "shabbath" will reveal that it is also used in reference to
the Day of Atonement which is considered a high sabbath. In Lev.23:32, the Day of
Atonement is called a "sabbath" (Hebrew "shabbath").
Those who believe in counting from the weekly Sabbath go to great lengths to show how
"shabbath" refers to the weekly Sabbath and "shabbathown" refers to a
high sabbath. Lev.23:32 clearly shows that a high sabbath can be called a
"shabbath." If the high sabbath of the Day of Atonement can be called a
shabbath, then the high sabbath of the first day of the Feast of Unleavened (Abib 15) can
also be called a shabbath. In fact, that is exactly what the New Testament calls it in
Jn.19:31; "The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should
not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day , (for that sabbath
day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that
they might be taken away." The "high day" was the first day of the Feast of
Unleavened (Abib 15). It is here called "the sabbath day" because that is what
it is, as are all other annual sabbaths. The Greek word used for "sabbath day"
is the same Greek word used for "sabbath day" in Mt.12:2 & 24:20.
Shabbath is also used in reference to the seventh year sabbath rest for the land. In
Lev.25:4, the seventh year is "a shabbath for Yahweh." It is also called a
"sabbath of rest" or "shabbath shabbathown." It certainly cannot be
said that the seventh year is the weekly Sabbath simply because the word
"shabbath" is applied to it.
We have seen how a high sabbath and a sabbath year can be called a shabbath. But can a
weekly Sabbath be called a shabbathown which, supposedly, can only refer to a high
sabbath? Ex.16:23 reads, "And he said unto them, This is that which Yahweh hath said,
Tomorrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto Yahweh: bake that which ye will bake
today, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be
kept until the morning." The underlined phrase reads "shabbathown shabbath"
in Hebrew. This verse clearly calls the weekly Sabbath a "shabbathown of the holy
Sabbath." See also Ex.35:2 and Lev.23:3.
Not only can shabbath (spelled shin, bet, tau [SBT] in Hebrew) be used for the weekly
Sabbath, a high sabbath and a sabbath year, but the same Hebrew letters without vowel
points can be translated several other ways in English. In the KJV, for example, SBT was
translated as; cease, ceased, celebrate, rest, rested, put away, put down, puttest away,
fail,rid, still, and took away. Remember, there were no vowel points in the ancient Hebrew
text.
The Septuagint Version of the Old Testament translates Lev. 23:11b as follows; "On
the morrow of the first day the priest shall lift it up." This version was the only
one available to non-Hebrew speaking converts who were called out by Yahweh. It was first
translated about 250 B.C.E. during the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus at Alexandria, Egypt.
It was also quoted from by several writers of the New Testament.
Another reason for believing the count begins with the day after the weekly Sabbath is
based on the meaning of Lev.23:15; "And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after
the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths
shall be complete:" It is believed that "seven sabbaths shall be complete"
refers to counting seven full weeks beginning with the first day of the week (Sunday) and
ending with the weekly Sabbath. If you don't count from Sunday to Saturday it is not a
complete week, they say. However, the word "complete" refers to the fact that
seven full days must be counted. That is why the additional instruction of verse 15 is
given; to make sure seven full weeks totaling 49 completed days are counted.
Once again, quoting from the ancient Septuagint Version, we read in Lev.23:15c,16a;
"seven full weeks: until the morrow after the last week you shall number fifty
days." So, at least as far back as 250 B.C.E., it was believed "seven
sabbaths" meant seven weeks.
The Hebrew of Lev.23:15 uses the word "shabbath;" "seven shabbaths shall be
complete." However, in Deut.16:9,10, which also directs us on how to count, the
Hebrew uses "shabuah." Deut. 16:9-10, "Seven weeks [shabuah] shalt thou
number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks [shabuah] from such time as thou
beginnest to put the sickle to the corn. And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks [shabuah]
unto Yahweh thy Elohim with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou
shalt give unto Yahweh thy Elohim, according as Yahweh thy Elohim hath blessed thee:"
As you can see in verse 10, this feast actually gets its name by counting weeks, not
Sabbaths. Shabuah is never used in reference to the weekly Sabbath, however, shabbath is
used when referring to weeks of years in Lev.25:8; "And thou shalt number seven
sabbaths [shabbath] of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the
seven sabbaths [shabbath] of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years."
Obviously, counting seven weekly sabbaths here will not suffice.
Consider also the following verses;
Ex.34:22 - "And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks [shabuah]"
Num.28:26 - "Also in the day of the firstfruits, when ye bring a new meat offering
unto Yahweh, after your weeks [shabuah] be out"
2 Chr.8:13 - "and in the feast of weeks [shabuah]"
Jer.5:24 - "he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks [shabuah] of the harvest.
The emphasis, when counting to Pentecost, is on seven weeks or 49 days, not on seven
weekly Sabbath days.
Let us now consider Joshua 5:10-12. "And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal,
and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho.
And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover [Abib 15],
unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day. And the manna ceased on the morrow
after they had eaten of the old corn of the land [Abib 16]; neither had the children of
Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that
year."
Proponents of a Sunday Pentecost have tried to use these verses to prove their case. They
say, since the Israelites ate of the "produce" of the promised land on Abib 15,
the omer or wave sheaf had to have been offered on Abib 14 (Lev.23:14 forbade eating the
produce of the land until the sheaf was offered). In their mind, that would make Abib 14 a
weekly Sabbath that year; for the omer had to be offered "on the morrow after the
[weekly] sabbath."
First of all, their primary premise is wrong. It is assumed that since they ate the
"produce" on Abib 15, the sheaf was offered on Abib 14. The truth is, in
obedience to Yahweh's command, the Israelites offered the sheaf on Abib 16 but did not eat
of the produce until after the sheaf was offered. According to the Mishnah, the sheaf was
reaped just after the high sabbath ended and offered before 9:00 am. The Israelites were
permitted to eat the produce anytime after the sheaf was offered. Therefore, they ate
after approximately 9:00 am on Abib 16. That is when they "did eat of the fruit
[produce - Heb. tebuwah] of Canaan" (verse 12). Once the manna had ceased on Abib 16
and the omer was offered, they ate from the produce of the land.
If that is true, then what was it they ate on Abib 15? Josh 5:11 says they ate "old
corn," "unleavened cakes," and "parched corn ." The
word "corn" in "parched corn" appears in italics in the KJV which
means it is not found in the Hebrew. "Unleavened cakes" is a translation of the
Hebrew word "matstsah." "Old corn" is a translation of the Hebrew word
"abuwr." The only use of abuwr in the scriptures is found in Josh.5:11,12. It is
#5669 in Strong's Concordance and means, "passed, ie. kept over; used only of stored
grain." Abuwr comes from "abar" meaning, "to cross over;" It is
also translated as, "carry over, bring, pass over, send over." It is obvious
that "old corn" refers to the "victuals" that Joshua commanded the
Israelites to prepare for their journey across the Jordan in Jos.1:10-11. "Then
Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, Pass through the host, and command
the people, saying, Prepare you victuals ; for within three days ye shall pass
over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which Yahweh your Elohim giveth you to
possess it." The Israelites were not eating any produce from the promised land on
Abib 15. They were eating provisions that were carried over the Jordan from land that was
not part of their inheritance. Eventually two and one half tribes settled on the east side
of Jordan where the old corn came from, but that wasn't the original land of inheritance.
In Lev.23:10-11, Yahweh makes it clear that the wave sheaf or omer must be from the
harvest of "the land which I give unto you." The food that was prohibited in
Lev.23:14 were foods from the harvest of the promised land. They could not eat
"bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears" made from that harvest until they
offered the omer. Josh.5:10-12 makes no mention of green ears [karmel], bread [lechem], or
parched corn [kahlee]. It only mentions old corn [abuwr], and unleavened cakes [matstsah]
that were parched.
One more point about Joshua 5:12. It states the manna ceased the day after they ate the
old corn (or food that was carried over the Jordan). The miracle of the manna in Exodus 16
taught the Israelites that manna would always cease on the weekly Sabbath. Sunday
Pentecost keepers claim that Abib 14 was a weekly Sabbath that year. That would mean the
manna ceased on a Monday. If Yahweh is consistent, the manna of Josh.5:12 would have again
ceased on the weekly Sabbath. That means Abib 14 was, in reality, a Thursday.
There is a big problem associated with always observing the Feast of Weeks on a Sunday.
The rule for counting from a Sunday says you must "count from the day after the
weekly Sabbath that falls within the Feast of Unleavened." First, where in
scripture does it say that? Second, if Passover (Abib 14) coincides with the weekly
Sabbath, then that Sabbath is not within the Feast of Unleavened. That would mean you
would begin counting a full week later on Abib 22. Abib 21 would be the Sabbath that falls
within the feast. That means the wave sheaf would not even be a part of the feast. The
truth is, Yahweh commands the count to begin with one of the greatest events in Israel's
history, the exodus from Egypt (Num.33:3).
Those who keep a Sunday Pentecost question counting from Abib 16 based on a tradition
practiced by the Jews of today. The Jews always observe Shavout (Feast of Weeks) on Sivan
6. Therefore, some say, "If Yahweh had meant Pentecost to be observed on Sivan 6
every year, then why is this not mentioned, and why did Yahweh command us to count 50 days
to establish the correct day?" The answer is simple. When the law was given to Moses
a fixed calendar did not exist. Months began by the visual sighting of the new moon.
Depending on whether there was 29 or 30 days in the first and second months, Pentecost
could fall on either Sivan 5,6, or 7. The current fixed calendar of the Jews is
unscriptural and should not be followed. We must still count 50 days, starting with Abib
16, to arrive at the correct date for Pentecost.
A final objection to counting from Abib 16 stems from the fulfillment of the wave sheaf in
the New Testament. Yahshua's resurrection fulfills the act of reaping the firstfruit of
the harvest. His ascension to heaven fulfills the offering of the firstfruits or wave
sheaf. We all agree that he ascended sometime Sunday morning. It is believed he ascended
after his meeting with Miriam in John 20:17. Those who keep a Sunday Pentecost point to
this fact to prove the wave sheaf was offered "on the morrow after the [weekly]
Sabbath" (Sunday). They say, if Yahshua died on a Wednesday Passover (Abib 14), then
he would be lying in the tomb on Abib 16 (Friday) and therefore, could not fulfill the
wave sheaf.
That assumption would be quite correct if, in fact, Yahshua died on a Wednesday. If,
however, he died on a Friday as has been believed for hundreds of years, the Sunday he
resurrected would have been Abib 16. That, indeed, was the case. Following is an in depth
look at the issue of when Yahshua resurrected.
For many centuries it was believed that Yahshua died on a Friday and resurrected on the
following Sunday. Out of that belief arose such venerated days as "Holy
Thursday," "Good Friday," and "Easter Sunday." It also resulted
in changing the weekly Sabbath from the seventh day to the first day of the week in honor
of Messiah's resurrection on that day. In recent years, however, a belief that Yahshua
died on a Wednesday and resurrected at the end of the weekly Sabbath came to exist. The
intent of that doctrinal change was to refute the veneration of Sunday as the
"Christian Sabbath." If it could be proven that Yahshua resurrected on the
seventh day, then there would no longer be a foundation for a Sunday sabbath.
Those of us who continue to keep the seventh day sabbath holy do not have to rewrite
history in order to support sabbath keeping. Yahweh's commandments are immutable. If He,
His Son, or the Apostles did not change the sabbath commandment, then it must continue to
be observed on the seventh day of the week despite what others do.
The foundation of a Wednesday impalement and death is based on a literal interpretation of
Mt.12:38-41; "Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying,
Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and
adulterous generation seek after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the
sign of the prophet Jonah: For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's
belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it:
because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and, behold, a greater than Jonah is
here."
Proponents of a Wednesday death say that the sign of the true Messiah was that he would be
in the tomb exactly 72 hours, just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and
three nights. They go on to say that anyone who believes in a Friday death and Sunday
resurrection is believing in a false messiah. To understand the true meaning of these
verses we must study all that the scriptures say concerning this event.
A parallel account to this encounter with the Pharisees is found in Lu.11:29-30; "And
when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation:
they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonah the prophet.
For as Jonah was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this
generation." Here Yahshua specifically tells us that the sign was Jonah himself. He
also says that he, the Son of man, would be the sign to the current generation of Israel.
The emphasis is not on how long those men were entombed in their respective prisons but on
the men themselves and on the message of repentance that they preached. The Ninevites were
quick to repent after hearing Jonah's message, however, the evil generation of Israel
would not respond to the greater message of the greater messenger.
A sign is something that is visible to the sign seeker. The Jews wanted a visible sign
that was even more convincing than the miracles that Yahshua performed. The question is,
"In what way was Jonah's journey in the fish's belly a sign to the Ninevites?"
According to Jonah 2:10 - 3:3, after he was vomited out of the fish's mouth he was to go
to Ninevah. No one from Ninevah saw Jonah being spewed out of the fish, nor did he tell
them of his encounter with it. Since they did not know or see what had happened to Jonah,
it could not have been a sign to the Ninevites. Jonah himself, as a preacher of repentance
sent from Yahweh, was the sign, not his three days and three nights in the fish. In the
same way, Yahshua himself, as a preacher of repentance sent from Yahweh, is the sign to
the evil generation of Israel. The emphasis is on the man and his message, not on the time
element involved.
Concerning the Hebrew word for "night" and the phrase, "three days and
three nights," we read the following from, "The Theological Wordbook of the Old
Testament," by Harris, Archer and Waltke, pages 478 & 479; "Instructive, in
this connection, are three days and three nights of 1 Sam 30:12. Verse 13 plainly says,
'Today is the third [day].' Therefore it may be concluded that the expression is a
stereotyped formula which applies when any part of three days is involved, not an
affirmation that seventy-two hours have expired." In other words, it is an idiom, an
expression peculiar to the Hebrew language. An example of an English idiom is, "It is
raining cats and dogs." If someone unfamiliar with English idioms read that phrase he
may think cats and dogs were literally falling from the sky. The phrase, "three days
and three nights," is a Hebrew idiom that is not to be understood literally.
This type of counting, that would include any part of a day as a whole day, is called
"inclusive reckoning." An example of this is found in the counting of the days
to Pentecost. Lev 23:16 specifically says to "number fifty days," however, the
feast begins as soon as the fiftieth day begins, not after the fiftieth day is ended. The
count of sabbatical years leading to Jubilee is also inclusive reckoning. The "Jewish
Encyclopedia," Vol.4, pg.474, confirms this method of reckoning time. It reads,
"A short time in the morning of the seventh day counted as the seventh day;
circumcision takes place on the eighth day, even though, of the first day only a few
minutes remained after the birth of the child, these being counted as one day."
According to the Rabbis who lived close to the time of Messiah, "A day and a night
make an "Onah" (natural day), and a part of an "Onah" is as the
whole" (Rabbi Eliezar Ben Azariah). Rabbi Ismael also computes part of the Onah for a
whole. Therefore, Messiah may truly be said to have been in the grave three Onoth, or
three natural days, even though the greatest part of the first day had expired and the
greatest part of the third day was yet to occur. For "a part of an Onah" is,
according to the traditional way of reckoning time in Israel, considered a whole day.
Forcing Mt.12:40 to have a literal meaning results in forcing many other clear scriptures
to say something they don't. For example, one Sacred Name group tries to prove the visit
to the tomb in Mk.16:2 took place just after sunset ending the weekly sabbath. The KJV
translates the Greek word "anateilantos" as "rising," in reference to
the sun, implying the event took place on Sunday morning. They, however, go to great
lengths to prove "anateilantos" means "setting." If that were true,
all verses using that word, or a form of it, should be translated the same way. Judge for
yourself whether the following verses warrant a translation of "setting"
(Mt.5:45; Ja.1:11; Lu.12:54; Mt.4:16; 2 Pe.1:19).
This same group tries to prove Lu.24:1 occurs after sunset ending the weekly sabbath. They
say the Greek word "batheos," translated "very early in the morning"
in the KJV, means "earliest dawn" or "the dawn of a new day." Since
days begin at sunset, that would mean the end of Sabbath. This group, however, fails to
translate "orthrou," meaning "the time before daybreak, in the morning
early." The same word in various forms was used in Acts 5:21, Jn.8:2, and Rev.22:16.
Again, judge for yourself what the meaning of "orthrou" is in these three
verses.
According to historical sources, the keeping of Sunday began as early as the middle of the
first century (150 C.E.). People at that time believed the resurrection took place on
Sunday and honored it as Israel had honored the Sabbath. They concluded a Sunday
resurrection based on oral accounts passed down from one generation to another and by the
Greek copies of scripture. They were not influenced by the KJV which was not yet
published. Therefore, arguments about specific Greek words are irrelevant since people
back then knew their true meaning, and yet, still observed Sunday.
The most common expression Yahshua used concerning his resurrection was "the third
day." Yahshua gives us a clear example of what he means by "the third day"
in Lu.13:32; "And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out
devils, and I do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected."
Yahshua refers to "today" as day 1, "tomorrow" as day 2, and "the
third day" as day 3. Regardless of how much time remained in day 1, it was still
included in Yahshua's count. In Yahshua's mind, the third day is the day after
"tomorrow." "Tomorrow" is the day after "today," and
"today" is the day he was speaking. The day Messiah died, Abib 14, was
"today." Abib 15 was "tomorrow" and Abib 16 was "the third
day." With that in mind we can understand some other references to three days.
In Lu.24:13-35, we read of the encounter between Cleopas, his companion, and Yahshua. The
meeting takes place on the same day the women came to the tomb and found it empty. Verse
29 shows it was late in the day, therefore their conversation must have taken place during
the daylight hours of Sunday, or as Lu.24:1 states, "the first [day] of the
week."
The conversation with Yahshua begins in verse 17. "And he said unto them, What manner
of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? And the
one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in
Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? And
he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Yahshua of Nazareth,
which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before Yahweh and all the people: And how the
chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have [impaled]
him. But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all
this, today is the third day since these things were done."
The last sentence is very important. The day they were speaking was the third day since
the things they were speaking about took place. What were they speaking about? Cleopas
began his account of past events with the arrest of Yahshua and ended them with Messiah's
death. Cleopas said "today is the third day since these things were done."
Therefore, Sunday was the third day or day 3; Saturday was the second day or day 2; and
Friday was the first day or day 1. Referring to Yahshua's understanding of counting days
in Lu 13:32, we see that day 1 was counted as one day regardless of how much time remained
in that day. That Friday was Abib 14, Passover. Yahshua was killed at the same time the
Israelites were killing their Passover lambs, 3:00 in the afternoon. Even though only
about three hours remained in that day, it was still day 1.
If we try to apply a full 72 hours to Yahshua's entombment we create problems with this
text. Saturday, at approximately noon, would comprise one 24 hour period; Friday, at noon,
the second 24 hour period; and Thursday, at noon, the third 24 hour period. Cleopas ended
his account of "these things" with Yahshua's death which did not take place on
Thursday afternoon. There are no scriptural grounds to end "these things" that
were done with the sealing of the tomb on Thursday.
In fact, a review of the following 13 scriptures clearly shows the count of three days
begins with the death of Messiah, not his entombment (Mt.16:21; Mt.17:23; Mt.20:18,19;
Mt.27:63,64; Mk.9:31; Mk.10:34; Lu.9:22; Lu.13:32; Lu.18:33; Lu.24:7; Jn.2:19-21; Acts
10:39,40; 1 Cor.15:3,4).
What about Mt.27:63 and the phrase "After three days?" Can a Sunday resurrection
be considered "after three days" if Yahshua died on Friday? The Pharisees were
referring to Yahshua's statements in Jn.2:19-21, when they were speaking with Pilate. In
John's account Yahshua said "in three days." This shows that "after"
can be an idiom for "in." We see this in 2 Chr. 10:5-12 as well. In verse 5, the
people are told by king Rehoboam to return "after three days." In verse 12, the
people return "on the third day." It appears as though "after,"
"on," and "in" are all used interchangeably. Therefore, "after
three days" does not necessarily mean "after the third day ends." It most
likely means "after the third day begins," which is in keeping with the Hebrew
way of counting part of a day as one day.
Another problem is created by a Wednesday impalement. Proponents of that belief quote Mk
16:1 which states the women bought spices after the sabbath ended. They believe that
sabbath was Abib 15, Thursday, a high sabbath. Then they quote Lu.23:56 to show the women
prepared the spices before the sabbath, which they say refers to the weekly Sabbath. Thus
they have two separate sabbaths, one on Thursday and one on Saturday. This forces them to
place two entire days between verses 55 and 56 of Luke 23. They say verse 55 occurs on
Wednesday and verse 56 occurs on the weekly Sabbath. A careful reading of those verses
will show that the women "returned" from watching where and how Joseph laid
Yahshua's body. There is no break in time between verses 55 and 56. The women already had
spices on hand when they returned from the tomb on Friday. They prepared what they had and
then rested on the weekly Sabbath. When Sabbath ended they obviously felt more spices were
needed so they bought more spices on Saturday night. They prepared them that same night
and returned to the tomb Sunday morning.
Believing the women bought spices after a Thursday High Sabbath creates further problems.
Mk.16:1,2 says the two women bought spices after the Sabbath ended and then came to the
sepulchre "at the rising of the sun." Luke's use of "orthrou" in
Lu.24:1 also shows this visit to be in the morning. John's account suggests a morning
visit as well. Despite these three morning accounts of the visit of these two women, those
who believe in a Sabbath resurrection try to prove Matthew's account is a different visit
occuring "late on the Sabbath." If the women found the tomb empty while it was
still Sabbath, why did they return the next morning and say, "Who shall roll us away
the stone from the door of the sepulchre?" There is no doubt that this was said in
the morning. The fact is, Matthew's account also takes place in the morning. Translating
Mt.28:1 to read "late on the Sabbath" forces one to translate the other three
evangels so as to have an evening visit.
Finally, how does all this relate to the "wave sheaf" and Pentecost? Let's take
a quick review. The day the sheaf was waved is day #1 in the count of 50 days to the Feast
of Weeks or Pentecost (Lev.23:15). Groups that always keep Pentecost on Sunday point to
Yahshua's resurrection and ascension as the fulfillment of the wave sheaf. That is because
they believe the "sabbath" referred to in Lev.23:11 and 15 is the weekly
Sabbath. Therefore, the wave sheaf would always be offered on a Sunday. The Jews of
Messiah's day and certain groups of believers today understand the "sabbath" of
Lev.23:11 & 15 to be the high sabbath of Abib 15. Therefore, wave sheaf day would
always be Abib 16 to them. This belief, combined with a belief in a Wednesday impalement,
means Abib 16 fell on a Friday the year of Messiah's death. This makes a fulfillment of
the wave sheaf impossible since Yahshua was still dead at that time. If, however, Messiah
died on a Friday, Abib 16 would be Sunday, thereby providing a fulfillment of the wave
sheaf with Yahshua's resurrection and ascension on Sunday.
Yahshua's death at exactly 3:00 pm on Abib 14 fulfilled the Passover sacrifice perfectly.
The wave sheaf was also fulfilled perfectly as we shall see. According to the Mishnah, the
sheaf was reaped shortly after the sun set ending the high sabbath of Abib 15. This
reaping was fulfilled by Yahshua's resurrection from the dead. He was the first of the
firstfruits of the spiritual harvest of souls. On the morning of Abib 16, the sheaf was
offered by the High Priest. That took place no later than 9:00 am. That offering was
fulfilled by Yahshua's ascension to heaven and his acceptance by Yahweh as the first of
the firstfruits. That took place early Sunday morning, after Yahshua's meeting with Miriam
in Jn.20;17.
Finally, consider Jn.19.31. John says the "high day" (Abib 15) was "the
sabbath day." If this sabbath day is the weekly sabbath day, then Yahshua died on a
Friday. However, if a Thursday Abib 15 is called "the sabbath day," then that
proves that the "sabbath" of Lev.23:11,15 can mean Abib 15 and not the weekly
sabbath. In other words, Wednesday impalement proponents cannot continue to reject a count
from Abib 16 because they believe "shabbath only refers to the weekly sabbath and not
to annual sabbaths."
The Jews have always been correct as far as when to observe Sabbath, Passover, and
Pentecost. The Christian churches and many Sacred Name groups have been keeping these days
at the wrong times because they misunderstand the scriptures. A correct understanding of
the wave sheaf and how to count to Pentecost will not only help in understanding when
Yahshua died, how long he was in the tomb, and when he resurrected, but it will also
assure us of observing the Feast of Weeks on the correct day.
Home