Now let’s come back to Exodus 19, and let’s read what happened on that third day, which was the day of Pentecost.  Let’s understand something and look at it very carefully because I want to lay a little groundwork for understanding Pentecost that the trumpet is also blown on Pentecost.  Now many times in the past we’ve been taught that we are resurrected on the day of Trumpets, plural.  But when we get to the New Testament we’ll see about that tomorrow, that the trumpet will sound, not trumpets.  Now let’s notice the same thing right here.

Exodus 19:16, “And it came to pass on the third day in the morning…” Probably about the same time as Acts 2, as we will see a little later on.  “…That there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet…” So there is a trumpet blown on Pentecost.  Numbers 10 says, “On all of your solemn feasts the trumpet shall sound”, which means there’s a trumpet blown on the first day of Unleavened Bread, on the last day of Unleavened Bread, on Pentecost. On Trumpets then is a memorial of trumpets, blowing of trumpets all day long.  Then the trumpet is blown on Atonement.  And then also on Atonement every fifty years there’s a special trumpet blown, which is the trumpet of jubilee, the release, the year of liberty.  Then the trumpet is blown on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, and also on the Last Great Day.  So we have right here, I want you to tie in this setting and just picture this now in your mind.  Then when we come to Acts 2 we’re also going to look at some things which are very important there.

“…The voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.  And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.  And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.  And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.  And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.  And the LORD said unto Moses, “Go down…” We’re going to see Moses did a lot of going up the mountain, coming down the mountain.  “…Charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.  And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them” (Ex. 19:16-22).  So Moses went down and he told them.

Now here is the great account then of receiving of the Ten Commandments.  Now then brethren, how can anyone say that we don’t have to keep any of the Ten Commandments when they were given on the day of Pentecost.  Now we’re going to see something very important.  The Ten Commandments were given on the day of Pentecost.  Right here the very first Pentecost when they were at Mt. Sinai.  Now I won’t go through and read all the Ten Commandments but it was an awesome sight.  Let me ask you a question.  Can you recite the Ten Commandments by memory all the way through?  Not the short version, the long version.  You might try that.  I think you’ll find it most interesting if you do.  So then you know the rest of the story.  Then the people said we’ll do all that Moses said, we will do.

Now let’s come back here to Acts 2 and let’s see something very important.   Here in Acts 2, I just want to cover a little bit right now because I’m going to go back and cover it a little bit more in detail in just a little bit.  We want to cover a couple of things first so that we can get the whole sequence of it.  But here in Acts 2 we find something very spectacular.  We find even some of the same elements don’t we?  Only this time instead of God speaking, God inspired the speaking.  Instead of a literal fire, there were tongues of fire.  But it was on the day of Pentecost, and let’s read it right here, verse 2, and I’ll come back to verse 1.  We’ll cover that in just a bit.

“And suddenly there came a sound from heaven…” Just like God descending from heaven on the first Pentecost that began with the children of Israel, now on the first Pentecost that begins with the Church.  They are at the temple area.  It is in the morning.  The trumpet is blown on Pentecost, and here’s what happened.  “…Suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing wind, and filled all the house where they were sitting.  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire…” (Acts 2:2-3).  Just like fire came was on top of Mt. Sinai when God came down on it.  Now in this case it’s the Spirit of God, not the literal presence of God.  But we find then that God, instead of speaking personally spoke through the apostles, and they spoke with other languages.  Now there are a lot of people who go through and try and tell us that this happened on a Monday.  No it did not happen on a Monday.  We’ll look at that in just a minute but let’s finish this first.

So “…there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them [that is on all the apostles].  And they were all filled with the Holy [Spirit] Ghost…” (vs. 3).  Now what does the Holy Spirit enable us to do?  Now God didn’t give the Holy Spirit to the children of Israel.  But the Holy Spirit enables us to what?  Have the laws and commandments written in our heart and in our mind that we may do them.  And so the first Pentecost with the Church fulfills what was missing from the first Pentecost with Israel.  Now the Holy Spirit is given and then it gives the account of all that took place.

Let’s go back and look at some things now that I want to cover concerning how did they know when to count.  Now let’s understand something very important, that the week that Jesus was crucified had the same sequence of days as we saw on the original chart for the original Passover leading up to Pentecost.  Exactly the same sequence of days.

Now let’s turn back here to Acts 1, and let’s show that there was somewhat of a counting.  Let’s read it.  Acts 1:1, and it says, “The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after that He through the Holy [Spirit] Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom He had chosen: to whom also He shewed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days…” Now that becomes important, doesn’t it?  So we have 40 days.  And what did Jesus tell them on that 40^th day?  Let’s follow it through because Jesus ascended into heaven on that 40^th day, then there were 10 more days until Pentecost correct?  Yes.  And if He ascended on the 40^th day, that means that there is some sort of counting going on here and we’ll look at some of this counting.

“…Forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: and, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart form Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith He, ye have heard of Me.  For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy [Spirit] Ghost not many days hence.”  Ten days until Pentecost.  “When they therefore were come together, they asked of Him, saying, Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:1-6).  And everyone wants to know, “Is this going to be it?”  Well you know, knowing when Jesus is going to return and the resurrection is pretty much like counting Pentecost isn’t it?  It is absolutely certain that it’s going to take place, correct?  But unless you have the right beginning and the right ending, and the right count, and the right understanding you’re not going to know.  And so the counting of Pentecost teaches us that.  That it’s going to be sure, but exactly the day we don’t know.

Now let’s read on.  “And He said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own [authority] power.  But ye shall receive power [dunamis, that is the power of the Holy Spirit], after that the Holy [Spirit] Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (vs. 7-8).  Now that is a prophecy and it has not yet been fulfilled, so there’s a lot of work to be done till that is done.

Verse 9, “and when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight.  And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men…”, or that is two angels, probably the same ones that were at the tomb when Mary went out there on the day that He ascended to the Father.  “…Stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven” (vs. 9-11).  So that was quite a message, wasn’t it?  And everyone has wanted to know from that day to this day, “Lord, when?”  The answer is, the Father has kept that in His power.  Now we’ll see a little bit more about that tomorrow.

Now let’s come over here to John 20, and let’s see something.  John 20:19, this is the same day, the day that Jesus ascended into heaven to be accepted of the Father, the wave sheaf offering day, and this is going back.  Now we’re going back in time 40 days.  “Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews…”  They weren’t there to hold a special meeting on the first day of the week, please understand that.  They were there because they were afraid of the Jews.  “…Came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them [now Jesus all of a sudden, phsst, there He is, you can see Him], Peace be unto you.  And when He had so said, He shewed unto them His hands and His side.  Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord” (John 20:19-20).  Now let’s come over here to verse 26.  “And after eight days…” So we have one day here, don’t we?  Yes we do.  “And after eight days again His disciples were within, and Thomas with them…” Then Jesus came, you know the rest of the account.

Now let’s go over here to Matthew 28 and let’s see another event that occurred during those 40 days.  Now after He was ascended, verse 16, “Then the eleven disciples went away in to Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.  And when they saw Him, they worshipped Him: but some doubted.”

Now Paul said that during that 40 days we also have something that’s very important here in 1 Corinthians 15.  1 Corinthians 15 tells us some of those things that those who saw Him.  Now let’s pick it up here in verse 3, “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures…” Now I believe that verse 3, “according to the scriptures”, is Old Testament scriptures, and verse 4 is New Testament scriptures with a reference back to John.  “And that He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: after that, He was seen of about five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.”  And then “…He was seen of James, then of all the apostles.”  And that was where we saw right there in Acts 1.  “And last of all He was seen of me also, as of one born out of due [season] time.  For I am the least of the apostles…” (1 Cor. 15:3-9), and so forth, because he persecuted the Church of God.  So there we have a numbering of the days, don’t we?

Now let’s go back and see something very important.  Let’s come to Matthew 28, and we’re going to look at Matthew and then Mark and then Luke and then I’m going to show you another chart.  And then we will come back to Acts 2 and lead in to the fulfilling of the day of Pentecost.  Now then, let’s read it in the King James, Matthew 28:1.  “In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week…” Now we’re talking about counting, are we not?  First day of the week, which is what?  The day when Jesus ascended to be accepted of the Father as the wave sheaf offering.  The wave sheaf offering symbolized the premiere sheaf, the first of the harvest.  That was Christ.

Now let’s go to Mark 16, and let’s see the same thing.  Let’s begin here in verse 1, “And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had brought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint Him.  And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.”  Now they weren’t going out for sunrise worship.  It is, they were trying to get out there as soon as they could.  Now let’s look at the account in the book of Luke, then I want to show you what the Greek is really telling us in these verses.

Let’s go to Luke 24, and let’s see the account here and then we’ll look at the chart and I think we’ll find something very interesting and profound.  Now if you have the Berry Interlinear you can get that out and look at it and follow along if you like and you can see that what I’ve done on the chart is to reproduce those things out of the Interlinear so we can see the Greek, so we can understand something about how this relates to counting.

Now, Luke 24:1, “Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.”  Now, why, or how do we know, and what is the significance of this in the original Greek?  Now we’re going to take a look at a couple of charts that I have made up showing the Greek and the English in those phrases, so that we’re going to understand exactly what it says and the meaning to show that this is the beginning of the counting toward Pentecost, and it is in fact day one.  Now when we get done with all of this you’re going to understand, there is no way that Pentecost can be as the way the Pharisees count it from the day after the holy day, nor can it be as some people do, they ignore the day after the Sabbath and they begin counting Monday as day one and they end up with a Monday Pentecost.  Now the only one who ever came up with that was Herbert W. Armstrong, and there are only two men who still believe it.  And when it was on a Monday it was an error.  God allowed that.  Now it didn’t have to be that way, but because of certain stubbornness by certain people it stayed that way for over 40 years.  We finally got it corrected.  Now there are only two who still believe it.  But the truth and the preponderance of scripture shows that Pentecost cannot ever under any circumstances be on a Monday.

Now let’s take a look at the chart and let’s see what these verses are really telling us.  Go ahead and take the chart that is the same as this one.  Notice what I have, the first day of the Sabbath, or the first day of the Sabbaths (plural).  Now why do I have Sabbaths plural?  I’ll show you in just a minute.  Or the first day of the weeks.  Now first of all let’s read the King James again, Matthew 28:1.  And it says, “In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week…”  Now here is the Greek.  I want you to compare Matthew 28:1 and Mark 16:1.  Now let me read first of all Matthew 28 and I’ll show you what we are looking for.

“Now late on [after the] Sabbath[s]…” Now why is it plural?  It’s plural in the Greek.  Here’s the Greek word.  You see these last three letters I have underlined…those three letters are pronounced ton.  So the whole word is sabbaton.  This is plural.  Or it should read sabbaths.  “Now after the sabbaths…” Why plural here?  How many Sabbaths were there during the week that Jesus Christ was crucified?  The holy day on Thursday, and the weekly Sabbath on the Sabbath, correct?  “Now after the sabbaths [two of them] as it began to dawn on [or toward] the first day of the weeks.”  Now notice again it’s plural, sabbaths.  But this could also be weeks.  So here’s the proper translation.  “Now after the sabbaths as it began to dawn on the first day of the weeks.”  What is the first day to begin counting the seven weeks to Pentecost?  But on the morrow after the weekly Sabbath, correct?  Yes.  So there it is.

Now let’s look at Mark 16:1 (Berry) because we have the singular Sabbath here.  I want you to notice the difference in the spelling.  “And being past the sabbath…” or as it should read when in proper word order, “When the sabbath was past…” Now I want you to notice the Greek.  Here is the word sabbatou, which then is singular Sabbath.  Notice the difference in the ending of the word, tou, sabbatou verses sabbaton.  That becomes very important in the Greek.  So here we have Matthew showing the holy day Sabbath and the weekly Sabbath.  And Mark just showing the weekly Sabbath.

Now let’s look at continuing on in Mark 16:2 (Berry).  “And very early on the first of the week[s]…”  Now I want you to look at this in the Greek.  And this is very early.  This word is on the first of…this is “first” and this is “of the weeks”.  Again plural, sabbaton.  This word is mias, which means “first of the weeks”, and day is implied which then is the beginning of counting toward Pentecost.  That’s what they are telling us.

Now let’s go to Luke 24:1 (Berry).  “And on the first of the week[s]…” Now notice it here, which is tyde  mia ton sabbaton.  Now you see these three letters here, ton, correspond with the three letters at the end of sabbaths, sabbaton.  This is the plural article, this is the plural ending.  “And on the first of the weeks…” Now that can only have reference in counting to Pentecost.

Now then let’s go to Luke 4:16 for just a minute.  Let’s turn there, and here we have something that we do not have translated in the King James.  But now then we have another expression similar to ton sabbaton, but with a little bit different emphasis.  Now Luke 4:16 (King James), “And he came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up: and, as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.”  Now we’ll get back and we will read the rest of this and find out that this is a day of Pentecost message.

Now let’s read it here, this one phrase, Luke 4:16 (Berry), “…on the day of the [weeks]…”  And that is a literal translation from the Greek.  Notice, en te hemera ton sabbaton.  There it is the te ton sabbaton, “in the day of the weeks” or Sabbaths.

Now we find the very same expression in Acts 16:13.  Again you do not get this in the English translation of the King James so let’s go back to Acts 16:13 and let’s read it from the King James so we’ll have it all read into the record and then we will go back and review Luke 4 for a few more details here.

Acts 16:13, “And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.”  You would think this is just a regular Sabbath.  But this is not a regular Sabbath because the Greek for Acts 16:13 is right here, which is, “And on the day of the [weeks]”.  Again we have tyde hemera ton sabbaton.  Now you can see, you don’t have to know much Greek.  It’s Greek to me, it’s Greek to you.  But you can see by looking at it this is the plural.  The plural article, the plural ending ton sabbaton, “the weeks”, “the day of the weeks”.  And the only day that could be is Pentecost.  Same way with Luke 4:16, ton sabbaton, “the day of the weeks”, or Pentecost.  Here we have “And on the first of the [week]…” So we have the beginning of the counting, do we not, in Luke 24:1, in Mark 16:2, in Matthew 28:1.  We have the beginning of the counting which then ends as we come on down the line here, which is, “and on the day of the weeks”, “and on the day of the weeks”.  Now we’re going to see that there is another expression for these when we come to Pentecost and how on earth did we get the name Pentecost for the Feast of Weeks?

Now let’s continue on in Luke 4.  Let’s pick it up in verse 16 and then let’s read the message that Jesus brought.  And then we will read in Isaiah 61 where it came from.  And then we will go to Acts 2.

Verse 16, “And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up: and, as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the [day of the weeks]…”,  as it should read.  The particular day.  This is a Pentecost service.  “… And stood up for to read.”  Now here is the message of Pentecost.  Let’s understand it, and let’s see how this ties in with the first Pentecost, and then tomorrow we’re going to see how it ties in with the last Pentecost.  Again we have a beginning and an ending.

Now here verse 17, “And there was delivered unto Him the book of the prophet Esaias.  And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written…”  The proper place to be read on the day of the weeks, the day of Pentecost, the 50^th day.  “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”  Now He stopped right there in the middle of a sentence, as we will see.  “And He closed the book, and He gave it to the minister, and sat down.” (vs. 17-20).  Now why did He stop there?  Why did He not continue reading?

Let’s go back to Isaiah 61 and let’s see it.  Because this helps us understand also the reason why Pentecost is going to be the day of the first resurrection, not the Feast of Trumpets.  Let’s go back and read it and we’ll read that missing clause and you gotta come back tomorrow to get the final answer for it.

Verse 1, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings [the gospel] unto the meek; He hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn…” (Is. 61:1-2).  Now why did He stop at the day of vengeance?  Because that is to be fulfilled later.  And as we will see tomorrow God promised every one of the saints that they would see the vengeance of God.

Now let’s go back to the book of Acts, chapter 2, and let’s understand what this is telling us.  Let’s understand there are a couple of things that are very important.  Now if you don’t have the booklet, “The True Meaning of Acts 2:1”, or if you have it and haven’t read it recently or reviewed it, go back and do so because there’s a lot of information in there.  Now I know that it’s a little bit technical, but you see we are to understand every word of God as much as we can.  And one of the ways that we understand it is to realize that the underlying Greek text for the New Testament and the underlying Hebrew text for the Old Testament becomes the final authority for making any doctrine.  Now some people falsely say that they have a top ministers and a committee who determine doctrine.  Well now that will only work brethren, if they follow the scriptures.  And if they know that, and if they’re dealing with the original language.  And we’re going to see why that is so important because one of the greatest mistakes ever made concerning counting Pentecost to a Monday is made by misreading Acts 2:1, so let’s read it.

“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come…”  Now we’re going to understand precisely what this means, but you know there are some people who believe that this means that after the 50^th day had ended.  So therefore Pentecost is on the 51^st day on a Monday.  But you have a problem with that because Monday is not the morrow after the seventh Sabbath.  It is not.  Cannot be.  Never has been.  Never will be.  Because you see Monday is the second day after the Sabbath.  Sabbath, first day of the week, second day of the week.  Or if you want to put it in Roman terminology, Saturday, and then Sunday, and then Monday.  So you find that Monday is the second day of the week and can never be the morrow after the seventh Sabbath.  And you cannot go back to Leviticus 23 and change ha shabbat to be shabua.  Shabua means week.  Shabbat means sabbath.  So there you have it.

Now, notice what they were.  “…They were all with one accord in one place.”  Now again, I want to look at a chart that I’ve made, taken from the booklet, “The True Meaning of Acts 2:1” and we’re going to understand exactly what this sentence means, “and when the day of Pentecost was fully come”, and we will see that it does not mean “after the day, the 50^th day had ended.”

Now let’s look at this chart, the Greek text, part of it from Acts 2:1 with a literal English translation.  Now it’s very important to understand the Greek, brethren.  You cannot understand truly the details of the Bible unless you understand the original language.  Now when I sent this material, “The True Meaning of Acts 2:1” to those who believe in a Monday Pentecost, they got all angry and all mad and didn’t want to read it.  One man even said, “Well you get into the Greek too much.  What are you doing getting into the Greek?”  Well the Bible was not written in the King James so if we are going to know the deeper things of the word of God we’ve got to know from the original language.

So let me read it to you here.  “The day, the 50^th day…”, which in the Greek is pronounced teen eemeran tees penteekostees , and that means 50^th.  Now you will notice there are two articles: tees and teen.  The day, the 50^th.  Now that’s something in the Greek, which is very unusual.  We don’t have it in English.  And there’s a reason for that.  And the reason for it is this: is that when you have the double article, it means that there is a particular emphasis.  When that particular emphasis is there it should read: the day, namely the 50^th day.

Now let’s come down to the next section, and I explain in detail in the booklet, “The True Meaning of Acts 2:1” about the present tense articular infinitive.  Now that’s a mouthful, isn’t it?  Present tense articular infinitive.  What does that mean?  Well that’s telling us since it’s present tense, that means that the 50^th day hadn’t ended.  If it were past tense then it would.  But the Greek is telling us that it’s present tense.  And so here is the actual literal translation from the Greek for the first part of Acts 2:1, “And while was being fulfilled the day, namely the 50^th day.”

Now, in English word order it can read, “And while the day, namely the 50^th day was being fulfilled.”  Present passive, “being fulfilled.”  So we have the present tense articular infinitive, which is here, “was being.”  And it’s interesting, when you have that, that means that it is setting the stage for everything to follow that is listed in Acts the second chapter occurred during the fulfilling of the 50^th day, or “while the day namely the 50^th day was being fulfilled.”  Now you can translate it just a little bit differently or, “and while the day, namely the day of Pentecost [taking penteekostees and transliterating it into the English word Pentecost] was being fulfilled.”  So there can’t be any past tense.  It cannot be the day after the 50^th day being the 51^st day, but during and upon and within we’re going to see that all the events in Acts 2 were taking place while the 50^th day was being [present tense] fulfilled.  Now you can take that and review it and please get the booklet “The True Meaning of Acts 2:1” and go back and study it and go over it.

So we have seen from the word of God how the first Pentecost began by going back and linking it with the first Passover, the first Feast of Unleavened Bread, and by counting the seven weeks and the 50 days, and coming to the 50^th day.  And on the 50^th day the Ten Commandments were given.  Now in Acts 2 on the 50^th day, or the day of Pentecost while it was being fulfilled.

Now tomorrow we’re going to go through Acts 2 in quite detail so that we can understand everything that took place on that day.  But let’s just finish this one by ending where we’re going, nearly where we’re going to begin in verse 41 of Acts 2.

“Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day…” The Day of Pentecost.  It can’t be any other day can it?  “…The same day was added unto them about three thousand souls.”  And so this shows us all the events leading up to it.  We see how that Matthew and Mark and Luke began the counting on the first day of the Sabbaths.  We saw how that on “the day of the Sabbaths”, or “the day of the weeks” Jesus stood up and preached in Luke 4, and Acts 16:13 Paul and Timothy and those with him went down by the river to observe the day of Pentecost where prayer was known to be made on “the day of the weeks”.  And so brethren, when we get in and really understand the word of God and apply it properly there is no reason why we cannot know the truth of God, when to count to Pentecost, and understand the events that these days picture and portray for us.