Christian Churches of God
No. 115Z
Summary:
Pentecost at Sinai
(Edition 3.1 19940514-20000510)
This paper deals with who gave the law at Sinai and how. The sequence of the planned Exodus and the reissuing of the law on Pentecost are reviewed.
Christian Churches of God
PO Box 369, WODEN ACT 2606, AUSTRALIA
E-mail: secretary@ccg.org
(Copyright ã 1994 (Revised 1995, 1997, 2000) Wade Cox
Summary by Diane Flanagan, Ed. Wade Cox)
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Pentecost at Sinai
The sequence of the Exodus from Egypt under Moses is reviewed in the paper The Passover (No. 98). The journey was a planned action that commenced on the 15th of the First Month from an assembly area at Rameses. From there, a force of six hundred thousand men, women and children, plus the mixed multitude of non-Israelites and their stock, departed in groups for Succoth (Ex 12:37-38). (From the beginning we see non-Israelites included with Israel, which has significance for the last days)
Israel clearly was Monothestic in their system of worship. They understood who Eloah was and understood that other beings were subordinate to Eloah’s direction.
The Israelites understood that the Angel of the Presence, or the Angel of YHVH, was a subordinate being through whom God chose to reveal His Law to them (Judg. 2:1-3). This messenger bore the Presence of God, he carried the Authority of God (Ex. 23:20-23), and the name of God. This Angel was the Angel in the cloud of the Exodus at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness (Acts 7:36). He was the Angel in the bush who spoke to Moses (Acts 7:30,35). He was the Angel who gave The Law to Moses (Acts 7:38,53; Gal. 3:19). He was the Angel who spoke for God at Sinai (Acts 7:38). This Angel was the spiritual meat and drink with which Israel partook in the wilderness having been baptized to Moses by the Angel in the cloud (1Cor. 10:2). That spiritual meat and drink was the spiritual Rock who followed them. That Rock, the Angel of YHVH, was Jesus Christ (1Cor. 10:4). God is the Rock or mountain from which Christ was hewn. See the paper The Angel of YHVH (No. 24) for more details.
The Church of God, from the first century, accepted that the Angel who spoke to Moses from the burning bush, who gave the Ten Commandments at Mr. Sinai, who led Israel through the wilderness, and the one who conversed with Moses in the first person, was Christ before his human birth (1Cor. 10:1-4). They understood Christ to be the Angel of God (Gal 4:14). The calculation for Pentecost is noted in Leviticus 23:9-21. Pentecost means to count 50. There are 7 perfect weeks in the count to Pentecost, and the Jubliee and the following day/year is the 50th day or year. The count for Pentecost is initiated from the morrow after the Sabbath within the days of Unleavened Bread. Unleavened Bread must be eaten for the entire 7-day period. New grain may not be eaten until the Wave Sheaf Offering has been waved. Christ was the first offering to be accepted of Eloah, and which was waved on Sunday 30 CE at 9:00 a.m. (see the paper The Wave Sheaf Offering (No. 106b)).
The morrow after the Sabbath was interpreted as being the weekly Sabbath by first century Judaism and the Church of God. It was only after reformation of the calendar under rabbi Hillel II in c. 358 CE that Pentecost became the fixed date of Sivan 6. This obviously destroys the need to count 50 days. A Sivan 6 Pentecost suits both Judaism and modern Christianity for different reasons, but it is completely incorrect and impugns the Sign of Jonah. The Messiah had to be the Wave Sheaf Offering on Sunday 30 CE or Israel has no acceptance and no redemption.
The significance of the sacrifice of Pentecost is as follows from Leviticus 23:15-21:
The two leavened loaves represent the operation of the Holy Spirit from the two advents of the Messiah as priest Messiah and as king Messiah of Israel. Leaven here is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the mechanism for this firstfruit harvest of the elect, which occurs from Pentecost 30 CE.
The seven lambs represent the seven spirits of God as the angels of the seven Churches.
The bullock, or young bull, is the Bull of Ephraim; the Unicorn is Messiah (Deut. 33:17 cf. Num. 23:22 see also Jer. 31:18).
The two rams represent the two witnesses of the last days.
The sin and the peace offerings represent the reconciliation of the elect as the precursor to the general Atonement.
The ten steps or stages of the Exodus also have significant symbolism. Just as there are 10 lampstands in God’s temple, there were 10 progressive steps to leaving Egypt. Rameses was not counted in the progression just as John the Baptist was not counted in the ten lamps of the restoration.
From Succoth the Israelites went to Etham, Migdol before Pi-hahiroth, Marah, Elim, Wilderness of Sin, Dophkah, Alush, Rephidim and on to Sinai to receive the law (Ex. 13:20; 14:1-3; 15:22-23; Ex.17:1). At Marah, which means bitter, the waters were made drinkable by the tree that was Messiah (Ex 15:25).
Elim (meaning palm trees; Bene Eliym means Sons of God) (Ex 15:27; 16:1; Num. 33:9-10). There were twelve springs of water symbolizing the 12 tribes and each fed from one of the 12 judges of Israel. The seventy palm trees were to symbolize the seventy elders (Ex. 24:1,9), the Sanhedrin, and the later council of elders (Lk. 10:1, 17) which were a representation of the council of God’s court of 70 (plus 2) spiritual beings.
Just as in this age, before the Church entered the wilderness of the last 2000 years after Messiah, the tree made the Holy Spirit available to them through God’s extended council.
At Rephidim there was no water, which also pictures the famine of the word in the last days. While at Rephidim (Ex. 17:8) the Israelites were attacked by the Amalekites, which also reflects the attack of the last days of Revelation 12:15-16.
These ten stages represent the ten stages of the restoration from Messiah through the 7 Churches, and to the arrival of the 2 witnesses prior to the period of Just Rule. Prior to the commencement of the 7th millennial day the Law of God will be restored on this planet.
On the 3rd New Moon the Israelites set out for Sinai. Moses was set apart and then commanded to come up on the mountain. He was given the law in Exodus 20. The first 4 commandments represent the One True God and how to worship Him. The last 6 commandments focus on how to love our fellow man. The law proceeds from the nature of God. The elect, through the Holy Spirit, become partakers of the divine nature (2Pet. 1:3-4). Therefore, the elect are judged on the spiritual intent of the law.
From the receipt of the Ten Commandments at Pentecost we see that the power of God is to be made available to us all. The nature of God stems from the whole Law of God and His Holy Spirit. Pentecost on Sinai pointed forward to the receipt of the Holy Spirit by the Church in 30 CE.
Satan was created perfect but forfeited his position by his rebellion against God’s law (Ez. 28:11-19). Satan is to be cast down and his power removed. He will be made a man and have the opportunity to repent and live God’s way. He can qualify to be a spiritual being again but he will never be restored to his former position of covering cherub. The fire that destroys Satan is the spiritual force that he had and corrupted. It fuels the lake of fire and destroys the entire rebellious system. It will burn as a memorial to remind mankind of the consequences of rebellion.
Christ qualified by obedience as the High Priest and reconciled man and Host to God the Father. Satan was judged against Christ’s actions, just as the fallen Host will be judged against our actions during the Millennium.
The Holy Spirit is the power of God. It stems from our understanding of the One True God, our repentance, baptism, and the keeping of the Commandments and Passover. It is through this process we inherit eternal life. It is through the Holy Spirit we become partakers of the Divine Nature of God. Let us never quench or grieve the Holy Spirit.
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