This weekend marks one of the most important occasions in the history of the Christian Church. It is the day of Pentecost, and you may not know that it is actually a lot older than the church. Considering what happened on that day, I am surprised that there are so many Christians who know so little about it and what it signifies. Consider one statement from the Book of Acts to explain what I mean:

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they [the disciples of Jesus] were all with one accord in one place.

Now, that the disciples were there observing the festival is beyond dispute. They were all Israelites, they had observed this festival all their lives, and there was absolutely nothing in all the teachings of Jesus up to this point to suggest any change in that practice.

In fact, there were three pilgrimage festivals—that is, feasts where they were expected to come to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple. They were Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles. So they were there. (Jesus had told them to wait in the city and not return home.) There is one curious thing about this feast. The other two occur on specific dates. But no date is specified for Pentecost. So, how do you know when it has fully come and finally arrived? Well, you have to count. We’ll find out how in Leviticus, chapter 23.