Toward the end of his public ministry Jesus made an announcement to his disciples about the formation of his “church.” When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15″But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. – Matthew 16:13-18 The word “church,” was the normal Greek word for “assembly.” Literally, it meant to “call out,” as when the people of the city would be called together for a town meeting. Later the concept of being “called out” would take on special meaning. It would come to mean that the followers of Jesus should consider themselves no longer members of the old fallen world system (cosmos), but they are now citizens of a heavenly country, ambassadors from a far country serving in the world as sojourners and aliens. Down through history every generation of Christians has had to rediscover this pilgrim-nature of our calling. Like many important teachings of Christ, the Disciples did not understand what Jesus meant at the time when he said that he would build a church that would assault and ultimately conquer the very strongholds of evil (Matthew 16:18). In fact, in the same chapter Jesus also revealed that he would soon die and be raised again on the third day. Peter actually argued with him about that! (Matthew 16:21-23). It was only after Jesus’ resurrection that they remembered his teaching (Luke 24:7-8). The fact that the Church was not described by Christ at this time is significant in the light of his teachings, sometime later, about future things. In his great discourse on the future, known as “The Olivet Discourse” (because it was delivered on The Mount of Olives), he spoke of Israel’s future trials, but made no reference to the Church. That is why the events of the future seem to be imminent. The entire church period, including the rapture of the Church, was still a mystery, not yet revealed. This vast new body of revealed information was later made known to the Apostles (including Paul). It would have only have confused his disciples had it been given to them in the tumultuous transitional period toward the end of Jesus‘ earthly life. It would take time for them to comprehend the important differences between Israel and Jesus‘ new Church.
Beginnings at Pentecost
It is interesting that even during the last week before his crucifixion, while Jesus was giving many important instructions; the subject of the Church was not specifically addressed. Everything he taught would later be applicable to the Church, but it was not about the Church per se. This, again, was because the nature of the Church had not yet been revealed. During the forty days Jesus spent with the Disciples, between the time of his resurrection and the time of his ascension into Heaven, he still did not give details about the Church. But he did tell them to wait for a special gift from the Father. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” – Acts 1:11 This, incidentally, corresponds exactly to the Old Testament prophecy of the coming of Messiah at the end of the age. Jesus will return to the same Mount of Olives from which he departed almost 2000 years ago. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. – Zechariah 14:4 In obedience to the parting words of their Lord, the fearful, powerless little band of about 120 Jewish followers of Jesus gathered in the Upper Room. They waited there for about one week until the Day of Pentecost, a Sunday morning. It was part of a time period on the calendar known as the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Harvest. This was one of the major events of the year for which Jewish men were expected to travel to Jerusalem. Because of this, the city was full of Jewish believers from all over the known world on this great day. The Book of Acts describes the amazing “gift” from the Father for which the Disciples had been waiting
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. – Acts 2:1-6 This filling with the Holy Spirit was followed by a powerful message by Peter to the crowds that had gathered. He made many references to the Hebrew Scriptures, and showed how Jesus was indeed the long-awaited Messiah (Acts 2:14-40). Three thousand out of the gathered crowd became believers that day and were all baptized immediately (Acts 2:41). This was the beginning of the Church. As mentioned before, all the first believers were Jewish, and all of them understood that what they were doing was totally compatible with their Jewish history and Scriptures. The word “church” is very similar to the word “synagogue.” The Greek word for church was ekklesia, which means “called out,” “an assembly.” The Greek for synagogue is sunagoge, meaning “gathering together.” Neither of these words are used in the Book of Acts until a little later (“church” in Acts 5:11 and “synagogue”–implied in Acts 6:9, and actually used in Acts 13:14). When the words were used, it was always clear that the Church referred to the new sect of Christians, while the synagogue referred to traditional Jewish groups. Therefore, there are both similarities and differences between the new “church” and the old “synagogue.” The differences were not contradictory. The new group saw itself as a continuation of the old, believing that Jesus (Jesus) was the fulfillment of the promise of a Messiah.
The Feasts and Fulfilled Prophecy
Since the Holy Spirit was given on the Day of Pentecost, and this is considered the birthday of the Church, it is helpful to study the connection between other major Feasts of Israel and God’s prophetic timetable. Leviticus 23 -is the key passage that describes the original seven feasts. The Passover Supper (Pesach) – Leviticus 23:4-5 The Feast of Unleavened Bread – Leviticus 23:6-8 The Feast of Firstfruits – Exodus 23:19; Leviticus 23:9-14 The Feast of Weeks – Leviticus 23:16-21 (Also called Pentecost- meaning 50 days after Feast of Firstfruits) (Also called The Feast of Harvest) Rosh Hashanah – New Year’s Day – Leviticus 23:23-24 (Also called The Feast of Trumpets) Yom Kippur – The Day of Atonement – Leviticus 23:26-32 The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) – Leviticus 23:33-34, 42-43 (Also called The Feast of Booths and The Feast of Ingathering) Since that time several others have been added. These include: Purim Feast of Lights (Hanukkah) These holy days were symbolic of things to come. Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. – Colossians 2:16-17 It is surprising how many of the most important events in Jewish and Christian history have occurred on one of these dates, especially when one notices the correlation between the events and what the corresponding feast originally signified. Grant Jeffrey points out that all of the feasts and fasts of Israel have had significant historical events occur on their anniversaries. Of the seven prescribed feasts of Moses, the first three all have something to do with the First Coming of Christ, the last three have to do with the Second Coming, and the one in the middle, Pentecost, is the birth date of the Church. Let us look at them more closely:
The Passover Supper (Pesach) — Fourteenth of Nisan
Leviticus 23:4-5 The event known as the “Last Supper” was actually the observance of Passover. Jesus told his disciples, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15). Instructions for the first Passover were given to Moses just before the Israelites left the land of Egypt. Each family was to kill a year-old male lamb or goat without defect and paint some of its blood on the sides and the tops of the door frames of their homes. Then they were to roast the animal and eat it with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. That night the tenth plague was visited upon Egypt. The Lord killed all of the firstborn males in the land that night except where He saw the blood on the believers’ houses. He passed over those homes, sparing them from the terrible plague. And they were told to observe this event as a “festival to the LORD–a lasting ordinance (Exodus 12:5-14). This feast was a reminder of their deliverance from slavery in Egypt. It was mentioned often in their literature, and was to be commemorated yearly forever. It became the perfect occasion for education of the young about the story of their sojourn in Egypt, the Ten Plagues, the Exodus, and their Wilderness experience. The central issue of the feast is the death of the lamb in the place of the firstborn. When John the Baptist first saw Jesus, he cried out, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) Jesus said this about himself: The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”- John 10:17-18 During the Passover meal, Jesus used well-known ceremonies of breaking bread and drinking the cup to institute a “New Covenant” with his followers: And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 20In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.‖ – Luke 22:19-20 The Apostle Paul actually called Christ “our Passover lamb” (1 Corinthians 5:7). So we see that it was not a coincidence that Jesus was crucified for our sins during the Passover season. The exact date of his final arrival in Jerusalem and his rejection, which led to his death on the cross, had been foretold by Daniel the prophet approximately 500 years earlier.9 The Feast of Unleavened Bread — Fifteenth of Nisan Leviticus 23:6-8 This feast was to be celebrated the day after Passover (Exodus 13:3). It marked the beginning of seven days of eating unleavened bread. In Jesus’ time, it appears that the Jews had combined the Passover and this first day of unleavened bread (Mark 14:12). Separation from yeast is symbolic of purification from sin. It symbolizes the purification of Christ’s disciples. This, of course is the result of his death: believers are delivered from the penalty and power of sin. The Feast of Firstfruits — Seventeenth of Nisan Exodus 23:19; Leviticus 23:9-14 This feast was prescribed in Leviticus 23:9-14, while Israel was still wandering in the wilderness, but it was not to be celebrated until they entered the land. When they did finally enter the Promised Land, Joshua 5 records the sequence of events. On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. 11 The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. 12 The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate of the produce of Canaan. – Joshua 5:10-12 On the fourteenth day of the month they celebrated the Passover. On the next day, the fifteenth, they ate “some of the produce of the land.” The Hebrew word for “produce” in verse 11 meant “stored grain.” On the next day, the sixteenth day of the month, Manna was given for the last time. The next day, the 17th, would have been their first day of food from the new land. The Hebrew word translated “produce” in verse 12 is a different word meaning “income,” or “fruit.” All of this speaks of their new life in the Promised Land. Just as the Feast of Firstfruits was celebrated three days after Passover, so the resurrection of Jesus was on the third day. The concept of the “first fruits” is most appropriate since, as Paul explains, But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. – 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 Pentecost — Sixth of Sivan (50 Days after Feast of Firstfruits) Also called the Feast of Harvest, and the Feast of Weeks Leviticus 23:16, 21 Deuteronomy 16:9-10 It is surely no coincidence that this feast, being next in the order, was the occasion of the giving of the Holy Spirit to the Church, as explained above (Acts 2:1-4). This leaves three of the primary seven feasts for possible symbolic meaning in regard to future prophetic events. A Warning about Date Setting! It is important that the reader does not think, from the remarks on the following three feasts, that we can set exact dates for future events. For a brief discussion of this topic, please see Appendix D: Warnings and Cautions. We do not believe in setting dates, and Jesus warned his disciples against the temptation to do that. However, it does seem likely that, in some way, future events will be tied in to the meaning of these feasts. Using the Passover, and Christ’s crucifixion, as an example, it seems that he and his disciples celebrated Passover early in order that his death could take place, and his body could be removed from the cross before the beginning of the sacred day itself. Thus, even if one could have known he was going to die on Passover of that year, they still would not have been able to set the exact date. In the same way, even if we could know that the rapture would take place on Rosh Hashanah (and we can not know this), we would still not be able to predict with certainty whether it would be the exact day, or near the day, for his own purposes. Furthermore, we can not know whether it will be this year, next year, or twenty years from now. For the past several years, people have presented elaborate schemes “proving” that the rapture would be in a certain year. All such attempts have only succeeded in causing some people to doubt the whole subject of biblical prophecy.
