The Mystery of the Omer and the
Why Do We Count the Omer from Passover to Pentecost?
Why does God
say we are to "count fifty days" from
The Passover to
determine the date and observance of
Pentecost? What is
the vital significance of "counting"?
What is the
"omer"? Why didn't God just
say we are to
observe a particular date like the other festivals? Here is
wonderful NEW
TRUTH!
William F. Dankenbring
Herbert Armstrong, in his booklet "Pagan Holidays or God's Holy Days -- Which?", wrote his opinion that the reason God commanded us to count the days to Pentecost was as follows:
"All other
holy days or festivals come on definite days of definite
months. But this one annual Sabbath must be determined
by counting.
It is very simple and
plain.
"It is of very grave
importance that we figure the right day.
This day,
and
this day only, is made holy by the Eternal Creator" (p.9).
Armstrong then went on
to say that the Pharisees gained control of Jewish religious observations
shortly after the middle of the first century, A.D. -- that prior to that time,
the high priests of the family of Boethus, who were Sadducees, were in control,
and points out that they counted Pentecost from the day after the weekly
Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and not as the Pharisees do,
counting from the first High Holy day Sabbath.
He also mentioned that the Samaritans and Karaites also counted like the
Sadducees.
Herbert
Armstrong was correct in pointing out that the Boethusians counted Pentecost
from the weekly Sabbath. But he was
absolutely wrong and incorrect to state that they controlled the
"The Jews,
AT LEAST AS EARLY AS THE DAYS OF CHRIST,
connected
with the Passover, and commemorated on the 6th Sivan,
the
giving of the Decalogue. It was made out
from Exodus ch.19
that
the law was delivered on the fiftieth day
after the Exodus. It
has
been conjectured that a connection between the event and the festival
may
possibly be hinted at in the reference to the observance of the law in
Deuteronomy 16:12. The Pentecost was ESSENTIALLY LINKED TO
THE PASSOVER -- that festival
which, above all others, expressed the
fact
of a race chosen and separated from all other nations -- and was the
solemn
termination of the consecrated period" ("Festivals," p.356).
What's Wrong With a Permanent Sunday
Pentecost?
However,
Angus Bible Dictionary points out that the opinion of the Boethusians
(Sadducees) means that every year Pentecost, or the "Feast of Weeks,"
would of necessity fall on a Sunday -- without exception! Notice!
"The
Boethusians and the Sadducees in the time of the second temple,
and
the Karaites since the 8th century of the Christian era, have taken
'Sabbath' in the sense of
the seventh day of the week, and have main-
tained that
the omer was offered on the day following the weekly
Sabbath which might happen to fall
within the seven days of the
Passover. This would make Pentecost always come on the
FIRST
DAY OF THE
WEEK" (ibid.).
Notice
this carefully! This interpretation, if
followed, always makes Pentecost to occur on a SUNDAY! What's wrong with that?,
you might wonder. The answer is
simple: If Pentecost always occurred on
a Sunday, it would be the only Festival of God which would always
occur on a SUNDAY -- the day of the SUN-GOD BAAL!!
But
is this reckoning of the Sadducees correct?
The truth of the matter is, as history proves, and you can check this
out yourself just by visiting a library, and reading about the Sadducees, that
they perished with the destruction of the
We
read in Antiquities of the Jews concerning the Pharisees:
". . . the
Pharisees, who are one of the sects of the Jews . . . These have SO
GREAT A POWER OVER THE
MULTITUDE, that when they say anything
against
the king OR AGAINST THE HIGH PRIEST, they are presently
believed.
. . . the Pharisees have delivered to the people a
great many obser-
vances
by succession from their fathers, which are not written in the law of
Moses; and for that reason
it is that the Sadducees reject them . . . concerning
these
things it is that great disputes and differences have arisen among them,
while
the SADDUCEES ARE ABLE TO PERSUADE NONE BUT THE RICH,
AND HAVE NOT THE PE0PLE OBSEQUIOUS
TO THEM, but the PHARI-
SEES HAVE THE MULTITUDE ON THEIR SIDE . .
." (
The early New Testament
Church was composed primarily of Pharisees and common people, who listened to
and respected the Pharisees. The
Sadducees were so far gone, spiritually, that they denied the resurrection from
the dead, and argued with Christ over this teaching
(Matt.22:23-28). Jesus said to them,
"Ye do ERR, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the
power of God" (verse 29). That is a
fatal flaw of the Sadducees, which Christ Himself addressed. He labeled them as erring heretics, who did
not understand or teach the Scriptures correctly!
Why,
then, do modern day sects and churches insist -- against all good teaching and
truth -- that they will follow the Sadducees, "come hell or high
water"? It is very strange. But rather than repent, some would rather
"cut off their nose to spite their face," as the expression
goes! Or, to put it another way, they
would rather go to Hell, than submit to Heaven!
The
apostle Paul himself was a Pharisee. He
was brought up "at the feet of Gamaliel," who was one of the chief
exponents of the Pharisees (Acts 22:3).
Paul says he was "TAUGHT according to the PERFECT MANNER OF THE LAW
of the fathers, and was zealous toward God" (same verse). He could not have said such a thing if he had
been taught falsely or incorrectly concerning such a vital matter of the LAW as
the proper date for observing Pentecost, could
he? Of course not!
When
Paul was brought before the Jewish Sanhedrin, because of his faith in Christ,
he gave a resounding defense of his actions:
"But when
Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the
other
part Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I
AM
A PHARISEE, THE SON OF A PHARISEE: of
the hope and
resurrection
of the dead I am called in question. And
when he had so
said,
there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees:
and
the multitude were divided. For the
Sadducees say that there is no
resurrection,
neither angel, nor spirit: but the
Pharisees confess both.
And there arose a great
cry: and the scribes that were of the
Pharisees'
part
arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a
spirit
or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God"
(Acts
23:6-9).
Paul explained before king Agrippa, on a later occasion,
"My manner
of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine
own
nation at
beginning,
if they would testify, that AFTER THE MOST STRAITEST
SECT OF OUR RELIGION, I
LIVED A PHARISEE" (Acts 26:4-5).
Paul had lived his life
as a STRICT Pharisee. He wrote to the
Philippians, saying that he was
"Circumcized
the eighth day, of the stock of
an
Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the LAW, A PHARISEE; concerning
zeal,
persecuting the church; TOUCHING THE RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH
IS IN THE LAW, BLAMELESS"
(Phil.3:5-6).
We have seen that the
Bible shows the Sadducees were apostates, whom Christ Himself derided and
accused of "not knowing the Scriptures." We have seen that the Pharisees were the ones
who were in control of the religious worship of the Jews, whom the multitudes
followed -- as the Jewish historian Josephus attests. We have seen that Paul himself was a
PHARISEE, and laid claim to this title even 25 years after his conversion, in
62 A.D., when he appeared before the Jewish Sanhedrin and King Agrippa! And as such, he observed God's laws
"blamelessly"!
Even
though some of the Pharisees during the time of Christ were wicked men,
self-seeking, proud, arrogant, and evil-tempered, and guilty of many sins, as
Christ Himself stated very plainly in Matthew 23, where He called them
"snakes," "fools," "blind," and so forth,
nevertheless, He NEVER hinted, intimated, declared, or stated, that they had NO
AUTHORITY concerning the Scriptures or the Word of God.
Rather,
He Himself told the multitudes, along with His own disciples:
"The
scribes and PHARISEES SIT IN MOSES' SEAT:
ALL therefore
WHATSOEVER THEY BID YOU
OBSERVE, THAT OBSERVE AND
DO; but do not ye after their works [their own wicked deeds]: for they
say,
and do not" (Matt.23:2-3).
Notice! This is a plain statement -- a clear cut
commandment. Jesus did not mince
words. He said we are to OBEY
"ALL" that the Pharisees commanded us to do, so long as it is founded
truly on the words of Moses – the Torah of God!
Note
that He said “WHATSOEVER” they told us to observe – it is not up to us to “pick
and choose”! Of course, He was not
endorsing any FALSE teaching, but He was endorsing every teaching truly derived
from the LAW of God!
Such
a powerful, unequivocal statement plainly includes the question of WHEN TO
OBSERVE PENTECOST! In other words, if
there is ANY DISPUTE as to the time of observance of Pentecost, as there was
between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, then Jesus Christ -- the FINAL JUDGE and
TRUE ARBITER of all arguments and discussions -- RULED THAT THE PHARISEES SAT
IN MOSES’ SEAT – NOT THE SADDUCEES!
Therefore, WE MUST FOLLOW THE PHARISEES, ON QUESTIONS ON THE LAW, and
NOT the opinions of the Sadducees!
What
could be PLAINER?
What
does it take to convince you? What does
it require to OPEN YOUR MIND? WHAT must
we do to "pry open your brain," and install some TRUTH there? How can we help you empty your mind of the
cobwebs of confusion, doubt, and error and falsehoods, that have lodged there,
that have taken roost there, that have been fed into your brain by ignorant or
false ministers, wicked false prophets and apostate teachers?
What
will it take? Only YOU can make that
final determination. God will not do it
for you. Christ will not FORCE you to
admit the truth. He will force you to
worship Him, and even break your legs if necessary, to get you to bow before
Him -- eventually (Phil.2:9-11). But
those who have to be forced, will inevitably be cast
into the ever-burning
Herbert
Armstrong was wrong to follow the custom of the erring Sadducees, who
themselves followed the wicked Samaritans, the historic enemies of God's people
(see II Kings 17:24-41), who in turn followed the abominations of the apostate
king Jeroboam of northern Israel who rebelled against the House of David (I
Kings 12:1-22), and who established his OWN pagan CULTIC religion (I Kings
12:25-33), and thereby led Israel into grievous SIN!
Jesus
Himself said the Samaritans knew not what they worshipped (John
The
truth is, they were worshipping DEMONS, disguised as
"angels of light." And modern
day ministers who follow their teachings, are also
following "doctrines of demons" (I Tim.4:1-2). As the apostle Paul
warned, "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming
themselves into the apostles of Christ.
And no marvel: for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his
ministers also be transformed AS the ministers of righteousness; whose end
shall be according to their works" (II Cor.11:13-15).
Why
do modern Christian leaders, who even profess to keep the holy days of God,
follow the pagan practices and observances of Jeroboam the Apostate, the Samaritans,
and the wicked and devious Sadducees?
WHY
do modern ministers -- even those who CLAIM to follow and endorse the LAWS of
God -- follow doctrines of DEMONS?
WHY DO THEY DENY AND REJECT THE VERY WORDS OF JESUS
CHRIST on the Holy Days and LAWS of Almighty GOD?
Yes,
WHY?
The
Angus Bible Dictionary goes on to state, concerning the Sadducean
interpretation of the observance of Pentecost, that it poses innumerable and
serious difficulties. Notice:
"Against
this [the Sadducean conclusions] MANY ARGUMENTS are
presented,
showing that such an OPINION involves MANY ARBITRARY
AND
IMPROBABLE ARRANGEMENTS.
Commenting on Lev.23:15-22,
K. and D. (Com. in loco)
say that 'Sabbaths (v.15) signifies WEEKS.
Consequently, the
"morrow after the seventh Sabbath" (v.16) is the day after
the
SEVENTH WEEK, not after the seventh sabbath.'
It is therefore evident
that
the JEWS, who DURING THE SECOND TEMPLE KEPT PENTECOST
FIFTY DAYS AFTER THE 16TH
NISAN, RIGHTLY INTERPETED THE
INJUNCTION in Leviticus
23:15-22" ("Festivals," p.357).
Of course the Jews were
right! The
Jesus
Christ never corrected the Pharisees on this point of the Law. He never quibbled with them, or charged them
with error, on the date they calculated and counted Pentecost! If they were in error, such an error would
have warranted His scathing denunciation and condemnation. But He was silent. His silence speaks volumes. Why, it is perfectly obvious. He agreed with them – totally!
In
fact, there is even evidence that Jesus kept Pentecost WITH the Jews! Notice the astounding proof of this
fact! In the gospel of Luke we read
these straight-forward, simple words concerning the practice of Jesus Christ
the Messiah:
"And he
came to
HIS CUSTOM WAS, he went
into the SYNAGOGUE [which were
all
controlled by Pharisaic rabbis in
SABBATH DAY [Greek,
"day of the SABBATHS"], and stood up
for
to read" (Luke
In this verse, the
expression in Greek translated "sabbath day" is literally, "Day
of the Sabbaths" -- plural. It
could just as readily be translated as "Day of the Weeks." The annual Sabbath Day of Pentecost is
derived by "counting the WEEKS" until seven weeks have passed. It is also therefore called, "The Feast
of WEEKS" (Deut.16:9-12). The Jews
to this day generally call Pentecost the Feast of "SHAVUOT" which
means, literally, "weeks."
Therefore,
this Gospel verse could well be an allusion to the fact that Jesus, on the
"Feast of Weeks," or "Day of Weeks," -- that is, Pentecost!
-- went into the synagogue to preach the gospel, and to announce His Ministry
(Luke
This
same expression is used in Acts
In both of these verses, the identical Greek expression is used that is found in Luke 4:16 -- which literally is "the day of sabbaths," or "The Day of Weeks." Notice, now, an astonishing admission!
An Amazing FACT from the
Bible Correspondence Course!
The old Ambassador College Correpondence Course of
the Worldwide Church of God admitted, in Lesson 35, "The Church In God's Master Plan," that these verses referred to
PENTECOST! Notice! Here is their own
testimony:
"5. Does the Greek New
Testament refer to Pentecost as the day of
Weeks
anywhere in the New Testament?
Acts
"COMMENT: In Acts 13;14, the
'Sabbath' day Paul kept in
of
Pisidia can properly be translated, 'day of WEEKS'!
"In Acts 16:13, the
Sabbath meeting held by the river in
actually
the annual Sabbath of Pentecost! Again,
the word 'Sabbath' should
be
translated 'WEEKS' from the Greek word 'sabbaton', which means either
'sabbaths'
or 'weeks.'"
Could this "day of
Weeks," be a reference to a Sunday Pentecost, as the Worldwide
Church of God NOW observes? Or could it
refer to even a Monday
Pentecost, as they used to observe, and some small
fragmentary groups still cling to?
In
Acts 16, verse 12, Luke the Church historian records that Paul and his group
left Neapolis (v.11), and from there traveled to Philippi, and says, "and
we were IN THAT CITY ABIDING CERTAIN DAYS.
And on the SABBATH [Greek, "day of weeks" -- Pentecost!] we
went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made . .
."
Do
you get it? They abode in the
city at least two or three days. Then on
PENTECOST they left the city, to hold a Bible Study and worship service, at a
special place where prayer was made.
There undoubtedly was no synagogue in that city, or they would have gone
to it. But they celebrated Pentecost in
a special setting where they could conduct a Bible Study!
But
this begs the question -- if Pentecost was celebrated on a Sunday or a Monday
(Monday is when the Worldwide Church of God used to observe Pentecost, and some
break-away groups still do, and Sunday is the day they now observe it, along
with Church of God International, Philadelphia Church of God, and others) --
then WHY DIDN'T THEY VISIT THIS PRAYER SITE ALSO ON THE WEEKLY SABBATH, which
would have been only one or two days before?
Why
didn't they hold a Bible Study at this spot on the WEEKLY Sabbath, since they
were there in
This
Scripture gives additional proof and weight to the fact that Pentecost was NOT
observed on a specific day of the week every year -- such as on a Sunday or
Monday -- but rather on a specific day of the month, fifty days from
Nisan 16! This date could vary a day or
two in the old days, when an observed calendar was used, and the second month
Iyar could have either 29 or 30 days.
Thus both Paul and the New Testament Church, and Jesus Christ as well, all observed "the Day of Weeks" or Pentecost WITH THE JEWS, who were also observing it in their synagogues, on the day approved by the Pharisees! Shouldn't we, today, do the same, following their example?
But
Why, Then, Should We Count Fifty Days?
In
Leviticus 23:13, the Hebrew word for "count" is
"safar." There are several
different, but accurate, meanings for "safar." It is only Judaism which provides the
internal history necessary to discover which meaning is intended to be
understood in the Biblical text.
Although "safar" can mean to count up the total in order to
arrive at a sum, it can also just as easily and accurately mean to inscribe by
making a mark, to enumerate, or to celebrate.
Judaism
teaches that the intended meaning of "safar" in Leviticus
"In the
Jewish practice, an Omer (sheaf) of the new barley was offered
to
the
the
priest. The Omer began to be counted
daily from the second day
of
Passover for seven weeks, at which point the festival of Shavuot
('weeks')
was celebrated. 'Counting the Omer'
until the seven weeks
were
concluded became a recognizable stretch of Jewish life with its
own
traditions . . ." (p.69).
This same author adds:
"The
seven-week period from Passover to Shavuot had a ritual in which
a
sheaf of grain from the new harvest was offered to the priest every day.
Every offering was COUNTED
OFF DAILY until the forty-ninth day,
after
which Shavuot was celebrated" (p.71).
It should be clear that
this ritual of "counting" was performed EVERY YEAR, as a special
adjunct to the Passover celebration, at which the spring harvest BEGAN, and
continued for forty nine days, until Pentecost, when the spring harvest was
COMPLETED! Since the spring harvest is a
TYPE of the "firstfruits" of God's creation -- true converted people
of God, from the time of the patriarchs down to true Christians -- the period
of time from Passover to Pentecost represents the TIME OF GOD'S SPIRITUAL
SPRING HARVEST -- with Christ Jesus, our Passover, being Himself the "the
firstfruits" from the dead unto God (I Cor.15:20), "Christ the
firstfruits" (verse 23); "afterward they that are Christ's AT HIS
COMING" (same verse).
True
Christians are they "which have the FIRSTFRUITS of the Spirit"
(Rom.8:23). Paul spoke of a certain
believer Epaenetus, "who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ"
(Rom.16:5). The apostle James wrote,
"Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a
kind of FIRSTFRUITS of his creatures" (James
At
Christ's coming, He will MARRY the Church, the "firstfruits"
(Rev.19:6-9), just as He "married" Israel when He came down to Mount
Sinai on that first Pentecost, or Feast of Weeks (Exodus 19-20; 24:9-11). Thus the daily "counting of the
omer" is a ritual which REFLECTS THE SPRING HARVEST OF TRUE CHRISTIANS and
all the holy men and women of old who will be in the FIRST RESURRECTION, and
who will "MARRY" Christ at His coming!
The
vast, overwhelming majority of Christians do not even begin to realize or
recognize this amazing, wonderful TRUTH!
Every day, from Passover to Pentecost, when WE COUNT THE OMER, as we
pray to God, reciting, "This is the ___ day of the Omer," and
continue on in our prayers, we are LOOKING FORWARD TO and ANTICIPATING JOYFULLY
our coming UNION with CHRIST the MESSIAH at His Coming! The daily "counting of the omer,"
then, beginning with the first Omer, representing Christ Himself, risen from
the dead, continues for forty nine days, or until Pentecost -- and spiritually
symbolizes the FIRSTFRUITS OF THE CHURCH OF GOD which have been
"harvested" throughout the centuries and millennia leading up to the
great day of CHRIST'S COMING, when Christ will COMPLETE THE HARVEST OF
FIRSTFRUITS, and then MARRY HIS BRIDE!
What
a wonderful truth! There is far more
involved in "counting the omer" than most of us have ever
realized!
In
the words of Pogo, "We have met the Omer, and it is US!"
How
could the end-time churches of God be so IGNORANT of this amazing truth?
Could it be that they are merely
following the traditions and ideas of MEN, and not searching the Scriptures to
learn and grow in obedience to the Word of God?
It
is also interesting to note that the "50 days" from Passover till
Pentecost also represent a "Jubilee" period of days. A Jubilee "cycle" of years is 50
years, according to the Bible. God
says,"You shall count off seven weeks of YEARS -- seven times seven years
-- so that the period of seven weeks of years gives you a total of forty-nine
years. Then you shall sound the horn
loud; in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month -- the Day of Atonement
-- you shall have the horn sounded throughout your land and you shall HALLOW
the fiftieth year. You shall proclaim release ["liberty"]
throughout the land for all its inhabitants.
It shall be a JUBILEE for you" (Lev.25:8-10, Tanakh).
But
in the case of Pentecost, or the Feast of Shavuot
("Weeks"), God says, "You shall count off seven WEEKS"
(Deut.16:9). The book of Leviticus has
it, "And from the day on which you bring the sheaf of elevation offering
-- the day after the sabbath -- you shall count off
seven weeks. They must be complete: you must count until the day after the
seventh week -- fifty days" (Lev.23:15-16, Tanakh). Notice the fascinating similarity. Countdown to Pentecost is a "daily"
TYPE of the countdown to the JUBILEE YEAR!
On the Jubilee year Christ the Messiah will return to earth, and bring
Interestingly,
by "counting off" forty nine weeks, we count seven times seven weeks,
symbolizing the TIME from the Passover (death and resurrection of Christ) till
His Second Coming -- a time which spans the entire CHURCH AGE.
The
prophecy of Revelation points out that during this time span there are seven
successive CHURCH ERAS -- the seven successive churches of Revelation,
beginning with Ephesus, the apostolic age, and ending up with Laodicea, the
present "End-time" degenerate and apostate final church era
(Rev.2-3). Thus, applying this prophecy
to the seven times seven "days" between Passover and Pentecost --
that is, between Christ's first coming and His Second Coming! -- we find that each of the seven churches of Revelation is
given ONE SYMBOLIC WEEK to do its "work" -- its "heyday" of
existence, if you will. The dominant
Church of the first century was the apostolic church, called "
As
we count the "omer," therefore, each successive week it would be good
to reflect on the history of God's Church down through the ages. The first week,
During
the count of the Omer, the Jews relate each week of the Omer Count to one of
the seven patriarchs – beginning with Abraham, then Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron,
Joseph, and then king David.
They also relate each week to a special
quality or character facet of the nature of God as He deals with mankind, which
we should we working on to build within our own character during these seven
weeks – as a pattern to be working on during the entire rest of the YEAR! These qualities are, in order,
Patriarch Hebrew
Quality
Abraham chesed loving kindness
Isaac gevurah strength of character
Jacob tifirat beauty, harmony, mercy
Moses netzach victory, triumph, perseverance
Aaron hod glory, majesty, humility
Joseph yesod foundation, strong support
David malkut kingdom, sovereignty, rulership
Notice
how this amazing parallel works out in church history:
Week Church
Feature History
1 Ephesus
Loving-kindness Apostolic
church, first century
2 Smyrna
Strength of character Persecuted
church,
3 Pergamos
Peace, harmony Albigenses,
4th-6th century church
4 Thyatira Victory, triumphant Waldensians, 8th-14th
century church
which preached the gospel widely, violently
opposed by Catholic church
5 Sardis
Majesty, Humility Sabbatarian
& Evangelical churches,
15th-21th
century, Wycliff, Tyndale,
George Mueller,