Counting to Pentecost: The Firstfruits of God's Plan

Unlike other biblical festivals with fixed calendar dates, Pentecost must be counted. From the day of the Wave Sheaf offering during Unleavened Bread, God instructs, “Count fifty days… then you shall offer a new grain offering to the LORD” (Leviticus 23:16). This is why the Greek name Pentecost—meaning “fiftieth”—endures today.

But this counting has caused debate for centuries. Pharisees counted from the first High Day of Unleavened Bread, fixing Pentecost to Sivan 6. The Sadducees, however, counted from the weekly Sabbath during Unleavened Bread, always landing Pentecost on a Sunday. The Hebrew text, mimmacharat haShabbat—“from the morrow after the Sabbath”—strongly supports the weekly Sabbath interpretation.

In 2025, this distinction is especially relevant. The weekly Sabbath (April 12) falls before the Feast begins, but the following Sunday (April 13) is still within Unleavened Bread—making it the biblically consistent day for the Wave Sheaf offering and the proper start to the count.

Pentecost, also called the Feast of Weeks or Feast of Harvest, marked the first major grain harvest in Israel—and spiritually, it marks the beginning of the Church. On this day in Acts 2, the Holy Spirit was given, and 3,000 were baptized. It represented the start of a spiritual harvest—the firstfruits.

Pentecost reminds us that salvation unfolds in stages. God is calling a small harvest now, preparing them to help in a much greater harvest to come. It is a day of beginnings, of covenant, and of transformation—rooted in obedience and crowned with promise.

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