Dear Brethren and Co-workers with Christ,
Let me begin with some good news. The problem I mentioned in last month’s member/co-worker letter that went out to those of you in the United States regarding the local post office has been rectified. All mail is flowing to us once again as it had been for nearly two decades. There was a change in personnel at the post office and an honest misunderstanding arose over the previous arrangement we had with the post office involving two different U.S. P.O. Box addresses. We apologize to any of you who had mail returned to you.
Sunday, June 16, is the biblical Feast of Pentecost—an important day with profound meaning. Many of the churches that celebrate Pentecost celebrated it a month early, but I’ll leave the technical explanations about the difference for another occasion. I would rather focus for now on the profound multi-layered meaning of this day. Many know of it as a time when God poured out His Holy Spirit, people spoke in “tongues,” and 3,000 people were baptized. But even here, there are significant questions that need to be asked and answered: What is the Holy Spirit, what was the nature of tongues speaking, why baptism, and why was the Church meeting on that day?
God commanded Israel to observe seven annual Festivals. One was called the Feast of Weeks and also the Feast of Firstfruits (Numbers 28:26). There was great significance to each Festival long before the Christian era. On the first Passover, the Israelites slaughtered lambs or goats (Exodus 12:5) in Egypt and painted the doorposts and the lintels of their homes with the blood of the sacrificed animals to protect their firstborn from death. Not coincidentally, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God (John 1:29), was crucified on the day of Passover. The lambs in Egypt typified a far greater sacrifice to take place nearly 1,500 years later (1 Corinthians 5:7).
It took Israel seven days to escape the bondage of Egypt and during that time they did not have time for their bread to rise, thus the second of God’s Festivals—the Days of Unleavened Bread. This is not for the Jews only. Paul told the Gentile Corinthians to keep this Feast with the understanding that we are to remove enslaving sin from our lives. “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. 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” (1 Corinthians 5:7-8).
This Festival has one Holy Day at the beginning and another at the end. It was on day seven that Israel escaped Egypt by crossing the Red Sea. This was a type of baptism, as Paul explains in the same letter: “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (1 Corinthians 10:1- 2). The New Testament significance of Passover and Unleavened Bread should be obvious. Jesus Christ is our Passover who shed His blood and died to remove the guilt of our past sins. We must respond to His great sacrifice by putting sin—typified by Egypt, and the leavening of malice and wickedness— behind us. Baptism pictures the burial of the old self and coming up to a new way of life, just as the Israelites did when they left Egypt behind.
The next Festival we come to is the Feast of Weeks, also known as Feast of Firstfruits, and known in the New Testament as Pentecost. Just as significant events occurred with Passover and Unleavened Bread for ancient Israel, so something significant occurred on this special day for the New Testament Church of God. We are commanded to count 50 days to the day after the seventh week (Sabbath) from the beginning of the spring harvest—thus the name Pentecost, which means fiftieth (Leviticus 23:15-16). Both Jewish tradition and the biblical account point to this day when God thundered the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai and entered into a covenant with Israel. But, what is the connection with Pentecost in 31 A.D.?
The One who became Jesus Christ was the One who gave those Commandments at Mount Sinai. We are told emphatically that no one has seen God at any time (John 1:18; 1 John 4:12), yet 74 men saw the God of Israel (Exodus 24:9-11). Look this up and read it for yourself. The member of the God Family who worked with Israel when they came out of Egypt was none other than the one who became Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 10:1-4). No human being has ever seen God the Father, but some saw the Son, even before His human birth.
This is important, because many sincere professing Christians believe that Jesus did away with the commandments, that the New Covenant somehow abrogates the law. Nothing could be further from the truth! After repeating the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy 5, we read that the Word (John 1:1) bemoaned the fact that Israel did not have the heart to obey God, even though the Commandments were for their good. “Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!” (v. 29).
The solution to that problem would become apparent at Pentecost in 31 A.D. The New Covenant, far from doing away with the commandments, solved the problem of man’s heart. Yes, God writes those same commandments on our minds and in our hearts (Hebrews 8:6-13)! He takes away the stony heart and replaces it with a heart of flesh, but how? The answer was foretold long ago. “Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 11:19). Why? “That they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God” (v. 20).
But there is another layer of understanding of which almost all of professing Christianity is ignorant. Pentecost, along with the fall Festivals (fall, that is, in the northern hemisphere), teach us that God is not in a contest with Satan to save the whole world at this time. Pentecost was originally called the Feast of Firstfruits (Exodus 23:16; 34:22; Numbers 28:26). Why? Because it pictures the early harvest in Israel. Simple observation should tell us that the overwhelming majority of humanity is not saved according to the biblical definition. But God does have a plan for everyone to have a fair opportunity. This absolutely profound truth is explained in our booklet, Is This the Only Day of Salvation? If you do not have a copy of this resource (free, of course), please order it today. If you have a copy and have not read it, I plead with you to do so, as this is one of the most encouraging truths you can ever discover. It answers so many questions.
God is calling a relatively small number of people in this age to be kings and priests (teachers) in the Kingdom of God at Jesus’ return (Luke 19:12-27; Revelation 5:9-10; 20:4-6). Pentecost is the Feast of Firstfruits and pictures God pouring out His Spirit on a few during this age (James 1:18), that they might collectively be the “bride of Christ” to rule with Him at His return and bring peace to this troubled world (Revelation 19:7-9). Many more will be called and chosen during the thousand-year reign of Christ and will effectively become the children of the relationship between Christ and the Church. That is pictured by the Feast of Tabernacles which occurs at the time of the great harvest at the end of Israel’s growing season. Then there is the Last Great Day when God will give a full and complete opportunity to accept Christ as Savior to all those who have ever lived, but never had a chance to accept Him. Again, this is explained fully in our resource—Is This the Only Day of Salvation?
Most of you understand these things. However, I wanted to take time to review these wonderful truths for all of you, especially for any of you who may not yet understand the full love of God and His amazing master plan.
Dear members and co-workers, thank you for your vital part in this work. We are commanded to preach the Gospel as a witness to all the world. However, we realize that unless God opens the mind, it will only be a witness (John 6:44, 65). We will not convert the world at this time. We will remain the “little flock” (Luke 12:32) until Christ returns to save humanity from total destruction.
Thank you once again for your prayers and support.
Sincerely, in Christ’s service,
Gerald E. Weston
P.S. You may be aware that Mr. Richard Ames—long-time evangelist, writer, and telecast presenter— was in the hospital. He is now in a rehab facility where he works and keeps up with what is happening in the Work. However, this ongoing rehab has limited his work, and apparently, for some time going forward. He and his wife will appreciate your prayers.