40
PROOFS Pentecost
Is
Sivan 6th!
The truth about
Pentecost cannot remain buried under error
and deception forever.
The day is soon coming when the
WHOLE WORLD
will celebrate God's Holy Day on the
right day -- at the right time -- in the right manner! Here
are 40 Questions -- and 40 Proofs -- you need to ask your-
self, and your minister or church -- about Pentecost!
William F. Dankenbring
Proof #1 -- Regarding Pentecost,
Deuteronomy 16:9 says to "count seven weeks" (49 days). Leviticus
Question: Why does Worldwide Church of God, Church
of God International, and others, insist the word in Leviticus 23:15 can only
refer to the weekly Sabbath -- what is a WHOLE OR COMPLETE "SABBATH"?
Proof #2 -- Pentecost is known
as the "Feast of Weeks," or Shavuot, in the Hebrew -- not the
"Feast of Sabbaths" (Num.28:26; Deut.16:10).
Question: If Pentecost is to be figured by counting
7 literal "Sabbaths," then why isn't its Hebrew name "Feast of
Sabbaths" instead of "Feast of Weeks"?
Proof #3 -- 15 Bible
translations translate the Hebrew shabbat and shabbatoth as "weeks" in Leviticus 23. For example, the Moffatt, New International Version, and Hebrew Tanakh.
Question: If "shabbat"
CANNOT be translated as "week" or "weeks" as CGI, WWCG, and
others maintain, WHY DO LEADING SCHOLARS AND TRANSLATORS OF THE BIBLE translate
it that way?
Proof #4 -- Deuteronomy 16:9
uses the word shavuah which ALWAYS
means "week," NEVER "sabbath." It parallels Leviticus
Question: This being the case, HOW can "shabbat" in Leviticus 23:15 possibly refer to "sabbaths,"
since the parallel expression in Deuteronomy 16:9 can NEVER refer to the sabbath?
Proof #5 -- The Greek
Septuagint, translated by 70 Hebrew priests and scribes about 250 B.C.,
translated the passage in Leviticus 23 as "weeks," and states clearly
that the counting is to begin the day after the "FIRST SABBATH" or
holy day of Passover and Unleavened Bread! -- NOT the "weekly sabbath" during the Feast!
Question: How could the Septuagint have been in
error on such a most important matter, and the calculation of one of the annual
holy days?
Proof #6 -- The Septuagint was
the OFFICIAL Jewish translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, during the
time of the
Question: If The Septuagint
was in error, then, WHY didn't the priests and scribes back in
Proof #7 -- The Septuagint was
often quoted and used by Christ and the apostles in the New Testament. Their quotations from this
version shows that it was accepted by them for instruction, and highly
valued in spreading the message of Christ to the whole Greek-speaking
world.
Question:If the
Septuagint was wrong in Pentecost, then why didn't Christ or the apostles ever
point this fact out, and state it clearly, so people would not be confused?
Proof #8 -- In the Greek and Syriac languages, the word "week" and "sabbath" are interchangeable -- that is, the word
"sabbath" can and does sometimes mean
"week" (Matt.28:1; Mark 16:2, 9).
Question: Since all scholars admit in the Greek
language "sabbath" can and often should be
translated "week," and Greek is very similar to Hebrew and derived
from Hebrew originally, then why wouldn't the same be true of the Hebrew
language?
Proof #9 -- The word "sabbath" can also be translated "cease,
celebrate, rest, put away, fail, rid, still, take away," as well as
"week," "seven" (Lev.25:8).
See Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, Hebrew dictionary word
#7673. Obviously, it does NOT always have to mean "sabbath." Of course "Sabbath" comes from
"shabbat"!
That is not the issue. The
issue is, whether"shabbat" can ever be
translated OTHER than "sabbath" -- and all
Bible Concordances and Lexicons show it can!
Question: Then why do CGI and Worldwide and others
belabor the point that 'sabbath" can NEVER mean
"week," and try to prove this point by showing a whole page from
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, listing the places the word "sabbath" occurs, and pointing out that in every case
IT derives from "shabbat"? Am I missing something here? SO WHAT????
My dear friends -- what else would you EXPECT "Sabbath" to be
translated from?
Proof #10 -- The word
Ha-Shabbat, "The Sabbath," in Leviticus 23:11 denotes one of the
preceding festival days. The context is
talking about the Sabbaths or Holy Days of Passover and Unleavened Bread. If the weekly Sabbath were intended here,
then to avoid confusion, the verse should clearly show that fact by stating
"from the weekly
sabbath" -- but Ha Shabbat
clearly would suggest that the ANNUAL Passover Sabbath just discussed was the
subject of the verse.
Question: In order to avoid this confusion, then why
didn't God inspired Moses to speak of the "weekly
sabbath" here?
Could it be because He didn't mean the weekly Sabbath?
Proof #11 -- The word "sabbath" is also used in Leviticus 23 in reference to
the holy day of Atonement (verse 32), the Feast of Trumpets (verse 24), and the
Feast of Tabernacles (verse 39).
Therefore, the use of the word "sabbath"
in verse 11 to refer to the First Day of Unleavened Bread is not unusual or out
of place.
Question: Since "Sabbath" can and often
does refer to the annual holy days, WHY do CGI and Worldwide and others insist
that it cannot mean the First Day of Unleavened Bread in Leviticus 23:11?
Proof #12 --
Most of the early Christians were Jews,
Pharisees, who were staunch upholders of the Law, Torah, and customs of the
Jews. The Jewish people during the time
of Christ, led by the Pharisees, observed Pentecost on Sivan 6th. Jesus began His ministry by preaching a
sermon in a Jewish synagogue on the "day of weeks," or "feast of
weeks" -- Pentecost (Luke
Question: If the Pharisees were observing Pentecost
on the wrong day, why did Jesus preach to them on that very day in their
synagogue? Why was He worshiping with
them on that very day? And if they were
meeting on the wrong day, why didn't He take that opportunity to tell them so?
Proof #13 -- Jesus Christ said
that the Pharisees "sit in Moses' seat" and that we are to observe
and do "everything" they tell us to from the law
of Moses (Matthew 23:1-2). Thus Jesus
acknowledged the authority of the Pharisees in matters of the law, including
the holy days. Where He disagreed with
their severity, He plainly showed us in the gospel accounts. Thus His quiet acceptance of the Jewish
Pentecost PROVES He did not disagree with their reckoning.
Question: Since Jesus Christ acknowledged the
authority of the Pharisees as
"sitting in Moses' seat," shouldn't we do the
same? What right do we have to criticize
what our Messiah and Saviour has endorsed?
Proof #14 -- The apostle Paul
said he was a Pharisee, was taught at the feel of Gamaliel,
and as a Pharisee observed all the laws of God blamelessly (Acts 23:6;
Phil.3:4-6). Paul said, "Follow me
as I follow Christ" (I Cor.11:2).
He kept Pentecost on Sivan 6, setting us an example.
Question: Was Paul a liar? Was his example invalid for us?
Proof #15 -- Josephus plainly
says the wave sheaf offering was made on Nisan 16, the day after the Passover
feast, and that the count of the omer began on that
day (Antiquities, bk.3, chapter 10, part 5). He was also of the priestly
line, and a Pharisee. He shows that the
people all followed the teachings of the Pharisees -- not the Sadducees (
Question: Why then do critics of the Sivan 6,
Pharisee calculation of Pentecost, reject the Pharisees and cling to a practice
of the small number of Sadducees, whom the people did not follow?
Proof #16 -- Who were the
Sadducees? Josephus tells us they were a
sect to which only the rich, priestly class belonged, and did not believe in
angels, demons, a resurrection or afterlife.
Paul, in the book of Acts, confirms this (Acts 23:6-8). The Sadducees, therefore, were far from the
truth of God. They set no example for
the
Question: WHY then do the modern remnant churches of
God REJECT the Pharisees, and embrace the error of the apostate Sadducees? Why do the CGI and WWCG and others side with
the Sadducees who were after Paul's head -- the ENEMIES of the gospel?
Proof #17 -- Jesus Christ also
rebuked the Sadducees, saying, "Ye do ERR, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God" (Matt.22:29). He had nothing good to say about them. Although He rebuked the Pharisees on occasion
because of their spiritual hypocrisy and wickedness (Matt.23), at other times
He acknowledged them when they were right.
But He never said that about the Sadducees, whom He called
"ignorant"!
Question: Why do the modern churches of God follow a
sect of whom Jesus Christ had NOTHING GOOD TO SAY, BUT CALLED THEM
"IGNORANT OF THE SCRIPTURES"?
Proof #18 -- The Sadducees, who
counted the wave sheaf from the Sunday following the weekly Sabbath during
Unleavened Bread, were antedated in this practice by the Samaritans. The Samaritans were a religious sect north of
the Jews, who were Gentiles that settled in the land of the northern ten tribes
after they went into captivity (II Kings 17).
They were pagans. They blended or
amalgamated their pagan beliefs, and combined them with the Torah, or laws of
Question: Should we follow the practices of the
apostate Samaritans?
Proof #19 -- The Sadducees, therefore, were
following the apostate tradition of the Samaritans, who learned it from the
apostate priests of Jeroboam -- whose kingdom was taken into captivity because
of their sins and idolatry and error!
Question: If we follow this example and practice,
then won't we suffer the SAME PUNISHMENT, and go into captivity and
slavery?
Proof #20 -- Jesus Christ
discussed the Samaritan religion. He
said to a woman of
Question: Should we follow the pagan Samaritans,
whom Jesus said worshipped they know not what?
Should we follow the customs of the IGNORANT and idolatrous Samaritans?
Proof #21 -- Jesus Christ said
the Sadducees had no legal authority or spiritual power or understanding or
knowledge (Matt.22:29-34). Nor did the
Samaritans, He stated (John
Question: Should we follow
the ignorant and spiritually bankrupt if we hope to achieve and receive
salvation? If salvation is of the JEWS,
as Jesus said, should we follow the Samaritans and Sadducees instead?
Proof #22 -- Paul was taught by Gamaliel, a highly regarded scholar and leader of the
Pharisees (Acts
Question: If we must be MORE righteous than the
Pharisees, who obeyed God's Law and observed Pentecost on Sivan 6, what will happen to us if we are
LESS righteous, and BREAK God's Law, and observe Pentecost on a DIFFERENT DAY?
Proof #23 -- Paul observed the
"day of weeks" or "feast of weeks," even on his missionary
or evangelist travels to
Question: Why was Paul going into a synagogue on
Sivan 6, to observe the "feast of weeks," if he followed a different
tradition and observed a different day?
Proof #24 -- Paul "hasted,
if it were possible for him, to be at
Question: Why does the entire New Testament nowhere
mention ANY CONTROVERSY AT ALL if Paul and the early Christian Church observed
a different day than the Pharisees and the vast, overwhelming majority of the
Jews?
Proof #25 -- Paul told king
Festus, when brought before him, "Neither against the law of the Jews,
neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended any thing
at all" (Acts 25:8). If he were
observing a different Pentecost than Sivan 6, this statement would have been an
outright lie, and Paul would have been guilty of perjury. The Pharisees would
have easily repudiated his testimony. To
declare the Pharisees wrong on Pentecost would have been a "great
offence"!
Question: Since Paul did not transgress the law of
the Jews, or offend in any thing AT ALL concerning the Law, how could he have
been observing a DIFFERENT DAY OF PENTECOST?
Proof #26 -- Paul told the Jews
in
Question: By following the traditions and teachings
of the Samaritans and Sadducees, in this matter, are not the
Proof #27 -- Paul came to
Question: If Pentecost had followed right after the
weekly Sabbath, wouldn't Paul and his company have gone down to the riverside,
'where prayer was wont to be made," on the weekly Sabbath as well?
Proof #28 -- Those who insist we
must follow the example of the Sadducees insist that they were the ones in
control of the
"Amid all the changes of government under the Romans
and Herodians
the Pharisees maintained their spiritual authority. Consistency with
principle was on their side, and this consistency procured
them the
spiritual supremacy. Although the Sadducean
high priests were at the
head of the Sanhedrin, the decisive influence upon PUBLIC
AFFAIRS
was in the hands of the PHARISEES. 'They had the bulk of the nation
as their ally, and women especially were in their
hands. They had the
greatest influence
upon the congregations, SO THAT ALL ACTS OF
PUBLIC
WORSHIP, PRAYERS, AND SACRIFICES WERE PER-
FORMED ACCORDING TO THEIR INJUNCTIONS. Their sway over
the masses was so ABSOLUTE that they could obtain a hearing
even when
they said anything against the king or the high priests. . .
. Hence, too,
THE
SADDUCEES, IN THEIR OFFICIAL ACTS, ADHERED TO THE
DEMANDS
OF THE PHARISEES, BECAUSE OTHERWISE THE
MULTITUDE
WOULD NOT HAVE TOLERATED THEM"' (p.854).
Clearly, then, there is nothing
to the claim that the Sadducees, because they were priests, and often the high
priest was a Sadducee, controlled the
Question: Why, then, do the WWCG, CGI, and other
churches still continue to insist that we must follow the Sadducees and observe
Pentecost on a day it was NEVER kept in the Temple, with the Temple services,
during the time of Christ?
Proof #29 --- How did the
Pharisees see to it that the
"At the end of the
high priests, who were of the Sadducean
faction, nevertheless performed
the service in the proper Pharisaic manner. One of the means of Pharisaic
control was the segan, who attended the high priest when he
ministered
and so could see that HE DID NOT DEVIATE FROM THE FORM
PRESCRIBED BY PHARISAIC TEACHING. The holders of the office
of segan who are known by name were ALL
PHARISEES" (vol.15,
p.974).
With the Pharisees exercising
absolute and total control of the
Question: Since the Sadducean
high priests performed all Temple rituals and sacrifices ACCORDING TO THE
PHARISAICAL DICTATES, including Pentecost services at the Temple, then WHY ON
EARTH DO WWCG, CGI, and others STILL FOLLOW Sadducean
theology and interpretation, which was NEVER VALID or used for the public
Temple worship during the time of the 2nd Temple? WHY?
Proof #30 -- Those who cling to the Sadducean
Pentecost often resort to criticizing the Pharisees, claiming that Jesus
rejected them totally, and referred to them as
snakes, hypocrites, and warned His disciples to beware of their doctrine
(Matt.16:6). But clearly Jesus took
issue with particular teachings of the Pharisees, where they added human
customs to the divine words of God, such as their condemnation of healing on the
Sabbath (Mark 2:28-29), and different washings (Matt.15:1-11). Says the Encyclopedia Judaica, Jesus
"did not oppose any prescription of
the Written or Oral Mosaic Law, and
that
He even performed Jewish religious commandments . . . Jesus' major
polemical
sayings against the Pharisees describe them as hypocrites, an
accusation
occurring not only in the Essene Dead Sea Scrolls
and, indirectly,
in a
saying of a Sadducean king, Alexander Yannai, but ALSO IN RAB-
BINIC
LITERATURE, which is an expression of TRUE PHARISAISM.
In
general, Jesus' polemical sayings against the Pharisees were far meeker
than
the Essene attacks and not sharper than similar
utterances in the
talmudic
sources. Jesus was sufficiently
Pharisaic in general outlook to
CONSIDER
THE PHARISEES AS TRUE HEIRS AND SUCCESSORS
OF
MOSES" (vol.10, p.13).
Question: Since Jesus was far more Pharisaic in His
general outlook than Sadducean, and considered them
the true heirs and successors of Moses (Matt.23:1-2), THEN WHY DO THE WWCG,
CGI, AND OTHERS identify themselves with
the SADDUCEES?
Proof #31 -- The Sadducees denied the existence of angels,
spirits, and the resurrection (Acts 23:8).
But the Pharisees confessed the existence of all three. These are major tenets of the true followers
of Christ!
Question: Then why should God's people orient
themselves and identify with those who deny such basic, underlying, spiritual
TRUTHS?
Proof #32 -- The Sadducees
denied the inspiration of the Prophets and Writings of the Old Testament. They only believed in the first five books of
Moses. This fact alone suggests that
their theology dates back to the time of Jeroboam and the Samaritans, his
successors, because at that time most of the prophets and writings were not yet
written! Thus the Sadducees had a very
limited and narrow view of the Word of God and denied the inspiration of the
vast majority of Scripture, which Jesus and the apostles taught was divinely
inspired (John 17:17; 10:35; II Tim.3:14-16).
Question: Does it make any sense that God's people
should follow such a narrow, restricted, limited vision of the truth of God,
which denies ALL the major teachings of Christ and the early New Testament
Church?
Proof #33 -- The Sadducees hated
Jesus because of His prophecies of the destruction of the Temple (Matt.21:12;
Luke 19:44). The chief priest who struck
a bargain to betray Christ to the authorities was a Sadducee (Mark
14:53-55). Caiaphas,
the high priest who condemned Christ, was a Sadducee (Matt.26:57).
Question: Does it make any sense for God's people to
IMITATE the religious practices of the very sect which was instrumental in
CONDEMNING CHRIST and having Him
crucified?
Proof #34 -- The Sadducees were
also the prime movers in the persecution of the early church and the apostles
and had them put in prison (Acts 5:17-18).
It was a Pharisee, Gamaliel, who defended
the apostles before the Sanhedrin (Acts 5:34-39).
Question: Should true Christians follow the
teachings and precepts of our PRIMARY PERSECUTORS?
Proof #35 -- Some have argued
that if Pentecost is Sivan 6, then why doesn't Leviticus 23 just state that it
is Sivan 6 -- in other words, WHY "count" Pentecost? If the count is from Nisan 16, they argue, then
there would be no need to count! It
would always be Sivan 6! But this
argument falls flat on its face, because there are three distinct reasons why
Pentecost must be counted. First,
it is directly connected to Passover,
and is really the "final feast day" of the spring festival, beginning
with Passover. Therefore, it is directly
linked to Passover (in Leviticus 23 it is not even "named"). Secondly, Pentecost was the date the Law was
given to Israel on Mount Sinai, representing the completion of liberty and
deliverance. God not only saved His people,
He gave them His law to guarantee their liberty and safety, if obeyed! On Pentecost, God "married"
Israel. Thus, we "count down"
till Pentecost, with an air of excitement, a looking toward fulfillment, and
completion, a looking toward Liberty and the Marriage of Israel, even as a
young bride counts the days of her betrothal until the marriage ceremony! Thirdly, the Hebrew calendar was not fixed in
the days of old, and therefore months
could have 29 or 30 days, and Pentecost could fall on Sivan 5, 6 or 7!
Question: Why should we count Pentecost from the
weekly Sabbath which has no real connection with Passover, since Pentecost is
directly linked to Passover and completes the spring harvest?
Proof #36 -- Jesus was crucified
on Passover, a Thursday, and was in the grave for three days and nights
(Matt.12:40). He arose early Sunday morning before daybreak (John 20:1-2). He was the "firstfruits"
from the dead (I Cor.15:20-23). Some
claim that the wave sheaf offering had to be done on the Sunday after the
weekly Sabbath during Unleavened Bread, and this perfectly pictures Jesus as
our "firstfruits." But this picture does not hold up for most
years. When Passover falls on Friday,
Saturday, or Sunday, or Tuesday, the wave sheaf offering on Sunday would NOT be
exactly three days after the crucifixion!
It might be one or two days later, or as many as seven days later! The wave sheaf represents the sacrifice of
Christ being accepted by the Father, but this acceptance was NOT after His
resurrection, but immediately, when He died on the stake and was buried -- when
He PAID the penalty of our sins! Thus,
the wave sheaf was offered the day AFTER the high holy day -- the first
available "work day"!
Question: How could the wave sheaf offering prove a
Sunday Pentecost since Sunday usually is
NOT three days after Passover, the date Jesus was killed?
Proof #37 -- The Sadducean sect perished and disappeared from history with
the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D.
They did not survive the Diaspora, but became extinct.
Question: Does it make sense that God would have us
follow a group who disappeared from history, whom God did not preserve or
protect?
Proof #38 -- But the Pharisees
survived, and prospered, and became the preservers of Judaism, and preserved
the calendar and oracles of God (Romans 3:1-2).
They are the true predecessors and progenitors of modern Rabbinical
Judaism. They are the ones God has used,
preserved, protected, and who in turn have built a "fence" around the
law, published the Talmud, and the Mishnah, to
preserve Jewish customs, faith and knowledge!
Question: Could the very ones whom God used to PRESERVE
HIS LAW, ORACLES AND WORD be mixed up and confused as to the correct day and
way to figure Pentecost?
Proof #39 -- New evidence from
the Dead Sea Scrolls shows conclusively that the Pharisees were in charge of
Temple services and religious rites during the time of the 2nd Temple, and the
time of Christ. Notice what Lawrence Schiffman, Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New
York University, says in Bible Review::
"With new evidence from the DEAD SEA
SCROLLS it is now possible to
demonstrate
that FOR MUCH OF THE HASMONEAN PERIOD PHARISAIC
VIEWS
WERE INDEED DOMINANT IN THE JERUSALEM TEMPLE.
In
short, the reports of the religious laws, or Halakhah,
attributed to the
Pharisees
in late Talmudic texts ARE BASICALLY ACCURATE" (Bible
Review,
June, 1992, p.30-31).
The "Halakhah"
that Schiffman mentions here is the obligatory, legal
side of Judaism -- which includes Jewish practices and observances covering
daily life, FESTIVALS, dietary laws, purity rituals and criminal and civil
law.
This means that the idea of some
modern scholars that there is no proof that modern Judaism truly traces back to
the Pharisees, and that there is no proof that the Pharisees really controlled
the Temple and religious life of the Jews during the time of Christ, is proved
to be patently FALSE!
One of the scrolls found in a
cave in the vicinity of the Qumran community throws light on the PROMINENCE the
Pharisees enjoyed in the period PRIOR to
the destruction of the Temple. This
text, known as MMT (4Q Miqsat Ma'as
eh ha-Torah), is a diatribe against the community's opponents and often
describes the views of the PHARISEES. According to Schiffman:
"MMT is a foundation text of the
Qumran sect. It was written in the early
Hasmonean period when THE TEMPLE WAS MANAGED AND ITS
RITUALS
CONDUCTED
IN ACCORD WITH PHARISAIC VIEWS. The Hasmoneans
made
common cause with the Pharisees in order to CLEANSE the Temple of the
EXCESSIVE
HELLENIZATION that they blamed to a great extent on the
SADDUCEAN
PRIESTS WHO HAD BECOME, IN THEIR VIEW, TOO
HELLENIZED."
Schiffman continues:
"Thus,
evidence of the ideological underpinnings of Pharisaism
and its halakhic
principles
can be found in the Qumran corpus [body of writings]. Sensitively
read,
the Qumran corpus reveals the role of the Pharisees as allies of the Hasmo-
neans. More
importantly, it CAN NO LONGER BE CLAIMED
that there is no
evidence
for the Pharisees earlier than the tannaitic
materials and the first-century
Jewish
historian Josephus, who wrote after the Roman
destruction of Jerusalem.
In
fact, the scrolls provide extensive and wide-ranging testimony about the pre-
destruction
history of the Pharisees and their ideology.
MMT AND THE
TEMPLE
SCROLL PROVIDE EVIDENCE OF PHARISAIC DOMINANCE
OVER
THE TEMPLE RITUAL IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE HASMONEAN
PERIOD.
These Pharisees held views similar to those claimed for them in rabbinic
literature.
Moreover, they also expressed many positions -- substantive and theological
--
later found among the tannaim of the Mishnah" (ibid., p.54).
The corrupt Sadducees had become
too Hellenized and apostate. Therefore,
the religious life of ancient Israel was dominated by the PHARISEES, from the
early days of the Hasmonean period! This means, therefore, that the Pharisee's
calculation of Pentecost by counting from Nisan 16 was STANDARD PRACTICE DURING
THE TIME OF CHRIST! The Sadducees had no
say in the matter at all.
Question: What are the CGI, WWCG, and other churches
going to do with this powerful new archaeological evidence straight out of the
Dead Sea Scrolls themselves? How will
they answer this NEW PROOF that the Pharisees were indeed in charge of the
Temple and religious life of the nation of Judea?
Proof #40 -- There is no
archaeological evidence whatsoever to
substantiate a Sadducean dominance in the Temple
ritual and religious life of ancient Judea.
The wicked Sadducean high priests, who were
hand-picked by king Herod, and served at his convenience, obtained that post by
seeking to please the king. Some even
bribed their way into the office. It was
primarily a "political office," purchased by the highest bidder.
Says Flavius Josephus in Antiquities
of the Jews:
"Herod was then made king by the
Romans, but did no longer appoint
high
priests out of the family of Asamoneus; but made
certain men to
be
so that were of no eminent families, but barely of those that were
priests
. . . . Accordingly, the number of the
high priests, from the days
of
Herod until the day when Titus took the temple and the city, and burnt
them,
were in all twenty eight; the time also that belonged to them was
a
hundred and seven years" (Ant. XX, x, latter part).
These high priests served at the
bidding and pleasure of such corrupt despots as Herod and his family. On the average, they served for a period of
3.8 years, before they were replaced. No
wonder the people could not trust such leaders with their religious teaching,
doctrine, and body of beliefs! This duty
therefore fell to the Pharisees, and the Sadducees, insofar as religious power
was concerned, were mere "window dressing." The had no spiritual power, but only
political power.
Question: Would God have
entrusted His oracles, and Pentecost, to a series of corrupt, jaded,
politically-motivated high priests, such as the Sadducees who were utterly
subservient to a wicked and despotic king, and whose primary purpose was to
please him, not God?
The Conclusion of the Whole
Matter
Let's face it. There is absolutely no reason for anyone to
remain confused, misled, or deceived, on the matter of Pentecost, and how to
count it! In this article, I have
demonstrated 40 MAJOR PROOFS that militate against the Sadducean
Sunday Pentecost -- and I did not even mention that it also falls on a Sunday
which is calculated by the Roman
Catholic Church as exactly seven Sundays or weeks from EASTER SUNDAY, thus
showing its direct PAGAN connection and derivation!
The Sadducean
Sunday Pentecost is pagan to the core.
The number "40" -- the number of Proofs I have set forth in
this article -- is the "number of testing and trial." These forty proofs should be enough for
ANYBODY to "prove" the right day for Pentecost observance, once and
for all!
What about you? Are you convinced? Are you willing to study this matter out
thoroughly and completely?
Or are you just going to follow
men? Are you going to follow a Church,
or a man, whether he is right or wrong, because you are
"comfortable," you don't want to "rock the boat," and you
FEAR to change, and fear to have to leave your present Church affiliation? Do you fear MEN more than you fear the
judgment of Almighty GOD?
It does make a difference whether we observe the
right day! God says, "Choose you
this day whom you will serve" (Joshua 24:15). God says, "I have set before thee life
and death, blessing and cursing:
Therefore CHOOSE LIFE . . ." (Deut.30:19).
What about you? May God help you to make the right choice!