The Torah gave us a blueprint for the future. The bible tells us the end is in the beginning, Isaiah 46:10. In Genesis chapter 18 the Lord visited Abraham to promise him a son. Then He proceeded to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah and the so on. We will talk about Gomorrah (עֲמֹרָה) in a moment.
There are 50 days of counting the Omer, עמר, that get us to Pentecost (Shavuot) from Firstfruits. The name ‘firstfruits‘, bikkurim, can also mean ‘firstborn‘. We are told to count from Firstfruits to Pentecost because there is a spiritual connection between them. There is a connection between to the two feasts. Of course Yeshua, the Son of God, rose from the dead on Firstfruits and the Holy Spirit came on Pentecost and the Congregation of Israel (Church) began in earnest. Both feasts are about sons. Prophetically we see that the promise to Abraham to have a son is actually being fulfilled through the church age through the good news of Yeshua HaMashiach.
Pentecost is the central feast of the 7 feasts. It has been partially fulfilled with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 2 but we are still awaiting the full outpouring in the latter days that Joel describes where the Sun turns to darkness and the moon to blood and there are palmtrees of smoke.
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
Joel 2:31
The word Omer also means sheaf.
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf <עֹמֶר> of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:
דַּבֵּר אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם כִּֽי־תָבֹאוּ אֶל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי נֹתֵן לָכֶם וּקְצַרְתֶּם אֶת־קְצִירָהּ וַהֲבֵאתֶם אֶת־עֹמֶר רֵאשִׁית קְצִירְכֶם אֶל־ הַכֹּהֵֽן׃
Leviticus 23:10
Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
וַֽיהוָה הִמְטִיר עַל־סְדֹם וְעַל־עֲמֹרָה גָּפְרִית וָאֵשׁ מֵאֵת יְהוָה מִן־ הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃
Genesis 19:24
Just as the work of building the church began on Pentecost with the former rain, so will it end with the latter rain outpouring in a time of judgement.
Wounding us to get our attention before His return
People are dying from the poke in the arm.
The Lord will even heal the blood of his people.
For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the Lord dwelleth in Zion. *
Joel 3:21
The Lord allows such trials in order to refine us, to shake His people and get our attention. I get down too. I hurt too. I feel for folks no matter what they have done. There is not too many families that are not feeling pain. The Lord is shaking all of us.
All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of thine iniquity; because thy sins were increased.
Jeremiah 30:14
The Lord is going to bring the remnant of his people from the USA. The Exodus will soon be upon us. So don’t look down, look up.
Pentecost (Shavuot) is all about the Son’s of God. As our nations turn to Sodom and Gomorrah we look to our faithful Saviour. His Kingdom is coming. Lord help us all to trust in Thee no matter what. Help us to keep the faith until the very end.
Love in Yeshua
and Chag Samaech
Rory