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Shavout falls fifty days after Firstfruits of the Barley Harvest which is the first Sunday after Passover. The English name for the Festival is Pentecost. It comes from the Greek (Pentecost) which means “Fifty.” It specifically means fifty days after the Passover. Shavuot is a Hebrew word meaning ‘weeks.’ The reason for the Hebrew name is that it comes seven weeks after the Firstfruits of the Barley Harvest as seen in Vayikra (Leviticus) 23.15-16 …
In the days of Yeshua the counting of these days, known as the Counting of the Omer were a very hotly debated issue. The Pharisees said to start counting on the day after the first day of Chag ha-Matzah, Unleavened Bread. The Sadducees however, said to begin counting on the day after the weekly Sabbath. In the above mentioned verses it would appear to be quite plain that the Sadducees were right. The issue becomes complicated by the fact that the first day of Chag ha-Matzah is also a Sabbath no matter what day it falls on.
This means that the fifteenth of Aviv was also a Sabbath, even if it was on a Monday, Tuesday, etc. It is called a special Sabbath. There are seven special Sabbaths in the scriptures, all found in Vayikra (Leviticus) chapter 23. These Sabbaths are not to be confused with the weekly Sabbath. There must be seven weekly Sabbaths in a fifty day period, no more. no less. The only way to guarantee that there will be seven Sabbaths in a fifty day period is to use the Sadducees method of counting. Although the Sadducees were wrong in much of what they believed, on this point they were right on the spot and as we look at the resurrection of Yeshua we will be able to prove it even further. Many people now know that Yeshua did not die on a Friday. There is a saying, “hind sight is 20/20.” This is not always the case. Many leaders in the Christian community know this to be true but will not admit it, for to admit it would mean that one had to admit that they have been wrong for all these decades and have even created a special day for it, Good Friday.
There are many however, in the Christian leadership who have come
to the correct understanding and rather that follow man made
traditions they
teach the truth of Why is it so important to get the date of the death of Yeshua correct. The reason is that it is proof that he is the Messiah. The Pharisees asked for a sign from Yeshua that he was the Messiah, His answer....
With this verse we can determine that Yeshua was indeed in the earth for three days and three nights. He himself said that this would be the only sign that he would give. According to Yochanan (John) 20.1 we know that Yeshua rose on the first day of the week....
This verse says that Miriam (Mary) at the tomb before sunrise. This is very important as we shall soon see. There have been those that say that Yeshua rose at the end of the Sabbath, before the changing of the day. There are also those that say that Yeshua was buried on Wednesday. It is the belief of this writer that Yeshua was raised on Sunday and buried on Thursday evening. Thus making the three days and three nights. The chart below will show the progression of these days. The chart will tie Roman time with Jewish time in attempt to help you follow the counting of these days Please remember that the Jewish day starts at sundown, we will use 6:00 p.m. as a general term for sundown.
Yeshua was put in the grave before sundown on the 14th of Aviv. This can be confirmed in Yochanan 19.31.... "Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away." If he was put in the grave before sundown , that day will count as a whole day. The first day was Thursday. When the sun set it became Friday. Remember Bereshit (Genesis) 1.5.... G-d called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. Evening is the starting of the day. Therefore Friday starts at night. That would make Friday evening the first night. Friday morning will make the second day and Sabbath evening will make the second night. Following in order we will next come to Sabbath morning, the third day and at sundown the third night. Yeshua rose sometime before sunrise on the first day of the week. One may be assured of this. He fulfilled the Feast of Firstfruits of the Barley Harvest. As mentioned earlier, some believe that Yeshua was resurrected at the end of the Sabbath. Their reason being that that was the time the barley was cut loose from the earth and they feel that Yeshua was cut loose from the earth at the same time. However, the cutting of the barley was nothing more than a preparation for the Firstfruits of the Barley Harvest, it is not the Festival itself. Yeshua was to fulfill the festival, not it's preparations. The other belief is that Yeshua was slain on a Wednesday. The reason for this is because of a belief in each day being exactly 24 hours. The problem with this reasoning is that the Feast of the Firstfruits of the Barley Harvest must fall on the first day of the week. If Yeshua was put in the grave on Wednesday before sundown, then he must rise before sundown on the Sabbath to make three 24 hour periods. To believe this view you must believe that Yeshua did not rise on the Feast of the Firstfruits of the Barley Harvest. Yet the scriptures clearly says in 1 Cor. 15.20 & 23 that Yeshua is the Firstfruits of them that rise from the dead.... But now Messiah is risen from the dead, and has become the Firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. But each one in his own order: Messiah the Firstfruits, afterward those who are Messiah's at His coming. In looking at any of the Festival's we must remember Col. 2.16-17.... So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a Festival or a New Moon or Sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Messiah. The word for shadow is Skia, it means more than just a shadow. It refers to the thing casting the shadow. The verse could and probably should read, 'which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance of the shadow is the Messiah.' With this better understanding of the word 'Shadow' we can see the true meaning of this verse as Shaul (Paul) meant it to be understood. The Festival's were and are to teach us about the Messiah. He is their substance. Now that we have determined when the Firstfruits of the Barley Harvest was to be, let's move on to the next aspect of this Festival. The children of Israel have been traveling in the desert toward Mt. Sinai for forty-seven days since they came up alive on the other side of the sea. On the third day of the third month they come to the mountain....
How do we know that the day is the third of Sivan? The scripture says the third month, since we are after Shemot 12.1 we will begin using the Religious Calendar. The third month of this calendar is the month Sivan. The phrase, "on the same day," means the same day as the month. Since it is the third month, it will also be the third day.
The children camp at the foot of the mountain and Moshe goes up to
meet with
On the third day
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