Today, Sunday May 31, 2020, is Pentecost Sunday. It is the day that the Holy Ghost first began to be poured out and the New Testament church officially began.

After His death, burial, resurrection, and forty days in which He showed Himself alive by many infallible proofs, Jesus spoke to His disciples. (Acts 1:3, 1 Corinthians 15:3-7)

"And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from 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 Ghost not many days hence." - Acts 1:4-5 KJV

"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy 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. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight." - Acts 1:8-9 KJV

"Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey. And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room...These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication… (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)" - Acts 1:12-15 KJV

"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

“And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." - Acts 2:1-4 KJV

"And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? ... We do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God." - Acts 2:5-8, 11 KJV

"And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?  Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine." - Acts 2:12-13 KJV

"But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.

But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: and on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:" - Acts 2:14-18 KJV

Peter, standing with the eleven apostles, preached to them Jesus.

"Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." - Acts 2:36 KJV

"Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

“And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. ... Praising God, and having favour with all the people.

“And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." - Acts 2:37-42, 47 KJV

The New Covenant – A New Marriage

God, as Husband to the Jewish people, promised them a new covenant. This new covenant would be one in which their iniquities would be forgiven, and their sin no longer remembered. Because God was forgiving their iniquity, they could receive the infilling of His Spirit. With the infilling of His Spirit, there would be a close relationship between God and His people. This is how we can know Him. (Acts 2:38).

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." - Acts 2:38 KJV

"And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." - Jeremiah 31:34 KJV

It was necessary that God robe Himself in a flesh and blood human body so that He could release the Jewish people from their marriage covenant of the Law from Mount Sinai. God came to die for His wife. By His death, they were free to marry Him in His new covenant of the Gospel. God came in His name Jesus, His name of salvation which is above every name, which brings mercy and grace.

The Church is God’s wife through His new covenant. (Acts 2:38).

"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." - Acts 20:28 KJV

"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 KJV

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." - Ephesians 5:25-27 KJV [“word:” Thayer’s - others take ῤήματι here as equivalent to 'the gospel,']

Shavuot, a Jewish holiday we call Pentecost, began this evening. Shavuot is a two-day holiday, celebrated from sunset on May 28 until nightfall on May 30. It coincides with the date that God gave the 613 commandments of the Law to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai more than 3,300 years ago.

It is celebrated with a festive meal, then staying up all night and learning Torah. The following day (Friday), they go to hear the Ten Commandments. The earliest source for this custom of all-night study writes, “this practice was a preparation for and in honor of the “bride’s” (the Jews) upcoming marriage to the “groom” (G‑d, or the Torah).” [from Chabad dot org]

The Jews were commanded in the Old Testament, "Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty: Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee." - Deuteronomy 16:16-17 KJV (The “feast of weeks” is Pentecost).

This is why, when the church began, with about an hundred and twenty in the upper room in Jerusalem, "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place...there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven." - Acts 2:1, 5 KJV

This is how there were witnesses that understood the tongues of the disciples that had just been filled with the Holy Ghost. Each Jew, devout men, out of every nation, were there for Shavuot (Pentecost). Each one was able to recognize at least one of the disciples speaking in the language of his nation. It was a sign to them all that God was doing something miraculous.

The Jewish people entered into a covenant with God at Mount Sinai, when they accepted God’s Law.

The Jewish people, as well as God, consider this covenant to be a marriage covenant. Throughout the Old Testament, from the time of the giving of the Law, God refers to Himself as Husband to the Jewish people.

Then, God spoke about making a new covenant. But what about their covenant at Sinai? How could they be released from this covenant to enter into a new covenant with God? (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

Apostle Paul explains to the Jewish people – them that know the Law - God’s plan. He explained how, according to the Law, God made a way of escape for them.

"Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? [the law applies only while a person is living].

“For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. [When a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband as long as he is alive. But if he dies, the laws of marriage no longer apply to her.]

“So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man." - Romans 7:1-3 KJV [So while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law and does not commit adultery when she remarries.]

The way that God would release His people from their binding marriage covenant of the Law was to die.

But how could God die?? He is an eternal Spirit, He cannot die.

Yet, when God robed Himself in flesh and blood, born of a woman, His flesh was able to die. God released His people from their marriage covenant with the Law by His death, burial, and resurrection so that they could enter His new covenant of mercy. (1Timothy 3:16, Acts 20:28, Jeremiah 31:31-34).

Apostle Paul then explains what the Jewish people must do.  

Just as Christ died, was buried, and rose again, the Jewish people must die to sin, be buried with Jesus by water baptism in Jesus name, and rise to live a new holy life in His Spirit.

"Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ [You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ.]; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead [and now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead], that we should bring forth fruit unto God." - Romans 7:4 KJV

The Jewish people are now free to enter the New Covenant of grace by marriage to their very own husband that has brought them grace, Jesus Christ - God manifest in the flesh - that rose from the dead. (John 1:17)

"For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. [When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death.]

“But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. [But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.]" - Romans 7:5-6 KJV

On Pentecost, (the Jews call this day Shavuot), the Jews remember their marriage covenant they made with God at Mount Sinai when they accepted God's Law. (Exodus 19:3-8).

The Law, however, proved to be a covenant with God they were unable to keep. (Acts 15:10).  

God would make a new covenant with the house of Israel.

"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

“Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:

“But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel;

“After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD:

“For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." - Jeremiah 31:31-34 KJV

This new covenant officially began on the Day of Pentecost, the same day remembered by the Jews as the day they accepted their covenant of the Law, and God became their Husband.

Here again, God calls Himself their Husband.

In this new covenant, God would write His law in their hearts. He did this when He began pouring out His Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. (Acts 2:1-4).

We know Him when we are filled with His Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:9-16, Hosea 2:19-20, 1 John 5:20, 2 Corinthians 4:6).

Our iniquity is forgiven and our sin remembered no more when we repent and are baptized in Jesus name. (Acts 2:38, Acts 10:43, Acts 13:38-39, Ephesians 1:7).

God is promising this new covenant to the Jewish people. (He also promised this new covenant for the Gentiles as well. (Hosea 2:23)).

Did God make a way for the Jews to be released from their covenant of the Law, their marriage covenant with God?

To be continued…

God refers to Himself as the Husband of the Jewish people.

"For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall he be called." - Isaiah 54:5 KJV

"Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you…" - Jeremiah 3:14 KJV

When did God marry the Jewish people?

Jewish Sages compare Shavuot to a wedding oath between God and the Jewish people. The Jews consider this day as their marriage to God. We call Shavuot “Pentecost.” It was on Shavuot that God gave the Law through Moses to the Jewish people.

"And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.

“Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel." - Exodus 19:3-6 KJV

"And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him. And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD." - Exodus 19:7-8 KJV

Israel’s response is compared to the oath of a bride to a groom when she says, “I do.” The Jewish people responded, “We will do.”

Pentecost: An Acceptable Sacrifice Consumed By the Fire and Filled With the Spirit

"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." - Acts 2:1-4 KJV

When Solomon dedicated the first temple in Jerusalem with sacrifices, God accepted the sacrifices by consuming them with fire from heaven. They were acceptable sacrifices. And the glory of the LORD filled the Temple.

"Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house." - 2 Chronicles 7:1 KJV

The hundred and twenty that were gathered in the upper room in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost were disciples of Jesus. Because of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, and their repentance and baptism in Jesus name, these disciples were acceptable sacrifices to God. (Leviticus 22:20, 1 Peter 1:18-19, Romans 12:1, Romans 15:16).

"And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them." - Acts 2:3 KJV

Then, the glory of the Lord filled their temple.

"And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." - Acts 2:4 KJV

Consumed by the fire of the Holy Ghost, filled with the Spirit, they became the newly dedicated temple of God.

"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." - 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 KJV

"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 KJV