When Pentecost Fully Comes

We are at a crossroad…  Romans 11:22 says “Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.”

While the context of this scripture speaks of the eventually grafting in of Israel back into the Lord’s tree of life; the picture of the Father’s goodness and severity is repeated throughout His word, and again: we are at a crossroad.

Through the study of scripture and the diligent pursuit of the truth concerning what happened to the church immediately following the book of Acts* I have by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ had revealed to me the meaning behind the words recorded in Acts 2:1 “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.”

At this time there existed within the Jewish faith over twenty sects, and with this reality came much disagreement concerning when the day of Pentecost actually was.  This is why the scripture says “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come...” 

The reason I have not released this until today is the incredible struggle surrounding accurately laying out the conclusion I reached through the scriptures as I was led by the Holy Spirit.  Quite honestly the scriptural and historical dynamics involved in proving what the Lord has spoken would require a book to weave together the various arguments for WHEN Pentecost should be celebrated.   To go down this path of discovery and document what I have learned is far beyond the scope of what I am sharing here.  The immediacy of the message towards the end of this release leaves no time for an exhaustive review of this topic.

Instead; without in anyway endorsing or refuting the practices and doctrines of the Eastern Orthodox Church; let me just make this historical observation.  When the division between what became the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church occurred; the counsel of Nicea that was held in 325 A.D.; began constructing a framework that rebuilt the wall of separation mentioned by Paul  in Ephesians 2:14.   This wall of separation was designed to again divide  Jew from Gentile.

This wall of separation also brought a greater divide in the practices of the Eastern and Western Church as certain aspects of the Eastern Orthodox Church continued to draw from the Jewish roots of their faith.  In part; this division between East and West can be seen in the determination of when to observe various holy days.

While the practices and doctrine of both the east and west have strayed significantly from the “faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3b); the Eastern Church was initially more closely aligned with the church in Antioch and was heavily influenced by Messianic Jews of the first century.  They kept what I believe was the most accurate calendar; knowing the true day of First Fruits as a result of being witnesses of the resurrection of Christ… the first fruits of the resurrection from the dead.  This first century community of Messianic Jews (the church) also had first hand knowledge of the day of Pentecost as they witnessed the giving of the Holy Spirit to the church.

This Pentecost which had “fully come” is what I am writing about today.  According to the method used for determining the actual day of Pentecost or as the Jews call it “The Counting of the Omer” this is a fixed date beginning on the 15^th of Nisan and ending on Sivan 6…  This method of determining the day of Pentecost is practiced today by Messianic and Orthodox Jews worldwide with that date this year being June 13, 2005.  

While I am in close relationship with a number of Messianic Jews, and have been for years; I disagree with their reckoning of this date as I see it more as an attempt by our Messianic brothers to be recognized and flow in unity with the broken off branch of Judaism.  In this attempt they seek to be seen by Jews as being part of a greater Jewish community for the purpose of opening a door for the gospel. 

While this is admirable and even necessary to “become all things to all men” it is in some ways a point of confusion for the church.  Rather than become contentious with Jews who are not born again; I believe our Messianic Jewish brethren have set aside this disagreement  in order that lost Jews might be saved.   The point that need to be highlighted here is that the Modern Messianic Jews do in fact take a different stance than the first century Messianic community concerning the issue of WHEN the day of Pentecost actually is.

And while I do not want to be contentious with others in bring this forth; if you will receive it… according to the Eastern Orthodox calendar that was birthed at Antioch and which I believe follows closely the instructions given in Leviticus 23 for the “counting of the Omer” the day when Pentecost will “fully come” THIS YEAR is this Sunday… June 19^th 2005… which is also FATHER’S DAY.

As I have been praying about sharing this; strangely enough the confirmation came today as I was reading an article about the Brownsville revival in Pensacola Florida that also began TEN years ago on FATHER’S DAY as well.  As TEN is the number that speaks of completion; I felt this was the confirmation I was looking for.

The Severity of God – At the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai; which is celebrated by the Jews as the first Shavout (or Pentecost); “about three thousand men of the people fell that day”  (Exodus 32:28)

The Goodness of God – At the giving of the Spirit when the day of Pentecost had “fully come”… “about three thousand souls were added to them.”

I believe the Lord has been speaking to me saying that this Pentecost will begin a much more intense separation from the world among the Remnant of the Lord’s people as they experience in greater and greater measures; the goodness of God.

I believe if you have truly been preparing your heart and you have fully given yourself to the purposes of the Lord and have embraced the dealings of the Holy Spirit in your life up to this point; then you are about to receive Power as the Spirit of God is released more fully this Pentecost. 

Power ministries are about to manifest as the more rare gifts of the Holy Spirit are about to be released among those who have prepared their hearts; greater measures of faith, gifts of healings, and gifts of miracles.  Keep in mind that while this will be a widespread release of His power; the governing of the Holy Spirit will determine how this will manifest.  "But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills." (1Corinthians 12:11)

As the goodness of God is about to overtake your life like never before as you have drawn near to God; even so those who have resisted the Lord are about to experience the severity of God in their lives like never before; as THE FATHER WILL HAVE A HARVEST and the increasing fire of His judgments and the increasing frequency of calamities in the earth will be for this purpose. 

Understand if your church has not been preparing for the release of these things, then this refreshing will not be evident or widespread in your congregation.  In these cases you may find one, possible two that have been endued with a greater authority to bring a witness to those congregations who were not prepared.  They will not be there long if their witness is not received.  The activation and acceleration of Matthew 10:14-22 will now begin to be fully realized.  These things must occur as the wheat and tares... as the sheep and goats... and as the Holy and profane must now be separated.

A few years ago the Lord gave pastor Cho of South Korea a word which said the revival that began in Brownsville Assembly was going to manifest next in _______.   The reason I leave this blank is that I have heard so many variations of this prophetic word as to WHERE the next move of God will occur that I now believe the next manifestation of this revival is about to break out every where that there is a people who have been seeking the face of God; worshipping in Spirit and in Truth, and everywhere that His people have drawn near to Him… While I do have first hand knowledge of a couple of places where the anointing and refreshing of God is increasing already; sharing WHERE these things are beginning to occur is not necessary.  These things are coming to your congregation IF YOU HAVE BEEN PREPARING YOUR HEARTS... 

We are now seeing only the beginning of the manifestation of the following scripture:

"Then the earth shook and trembled;
The foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken,
Because He was angry.
 Smoke went up from His nostrils,
And devouring fire from His mouth;
Coals were kindled by it.
He bowed the heavens also, and came down
With darkness under His feet.
And He rode upon a cherub, and flew;
He flew upon the wings of the wind.
He made darkness His secret place;
His canopy around Him was dark waters
And thick clouds of the skies.
From the brightness before Him,
His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire."  (Psalm 18:7-12)
 

To those who have been crying out with their whole heart...

The LORD is about to bow the heavens and come down on your behalf. 

This is an increase of His government in the earth.  It is a quickening of the two-edged Sword of the Spirit...

It is a greater measure of the goodness and severity of God...

“In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.”

Allen, a bondservant of Jesus Christ

Shilohouse

6-15-05

* For those interested in understanding further some of the dynamics working in the first century and what in part happened to that church: CLICK HERE