The Feast of Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and the counting to Shavuot/Pentecost is a source of tremendous disagreement among those in Judaism, Christianity, and Messianism.
Today, I am putting an end to the discussion and the differences.
Contained within Leviticus 23 are the complete instructions to obey but almost no one follows them or thinks logically about what is presented by YHVH.
A curious disobedience seems to have its root in those who choose to eat whatever they want to eat for the 7 days of Unleavened Bread yet maintain an unleavened cracker on their plate claiming to keep the Feast.
The curiously disobedient are willing to overlook the fact that the Israelite’s ate nothing but unleavened bread cakes for 7 days. For whatever reason the curiously disobedient do not want to share in the Feast of Unleavened Bread with those first Israelite’s.
Today, Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Shavuot/Pentecost are “celebrated” on a wide array of dates and times.
But what everyone knows is there is only one correct timing for these things and all facets of the Feast must be kept in the right way and in the right place to be valid. Most people have simply quit caring whether what they do is valid or not.
So, I say to all today that almost no one keeps these Feasts correctly although there is MUCH EFFORT in various arguments to defend each group’s ways.
Leviticus 23:14 settles the entire argument and puts to silence all those various arguments and folks who choose to not eat ONLY unleavened bread for the 7 days. Unleavened Bread is a Feast of YHVH not a side item on your meal plates!
Leviticus 23:14 You shall eat neither bread (lechem) nor parched grain nor fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your God; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
A simple, logical examination and test of Leviticus 23:14 reveals First Fruits to be on the day immediately after the 7 days of Unleavened Bread.
Take the verse in Exodus 20 “You will not commit adultery”, for instance. The INVERSE of committing adultery is living in total harmony with your wife or husband (and YHVH) keeping YHVH’s Torah with total devotion to your spouse and in all things you do in your marriage.
So, we examine Leviticus 23:14 in the same way. Leviticus 23:14 gives a list of foods not to be eaten until the day the offering is made. Is this a complete list? Absolutely not. Just like Matthew 19:18-19 where Yeshua does not give a complete list of commandments, YHVH is not giving anyone a complete list of foods to eat after the offering. Those with a little understanding realize you can eat whatever CLEAN food you want to eat, after the offering.
Next, we take the INVERSE of Leviticus 23:14 and the piece of the puzzle jumps out at us as to what we are to eat BEFORE making the offering to YHVH.
You shall eat unleavened bread THEN make the offering!!!
And how long do we eat unleavened bread?
For 7 days.
The Israelite’s got this Commandment from YHVH and quickly made unleavened bread dough, packed what they could carry, and left Egypt in a big hurry with no time whatsoever to make any other provisions. When they got to Succoth they baked those highly nutritious unleavened cakes and ate them for the next several days until they arrived at the Red Sea on about the 7th Day. How do I know it was the 7th Day? Simply examine the mileage to the Red Sea at Nuweiba, total the hours, subtract hours for camping 3 times, and notice the miles per hour walked… Very simple!
The evening of the 8th Day, at the start of the 8th day after sundown, they walked across dry land in the midst of the Red Sea, and arrived in Arabia as the First Fruits, after Pharaoh and his army were killed by YHVH. That is pretty much like a harvest and when Moses waved goodbye to the Egyptians at the same time he waved the First Fruits of YHVH’s harvest.
Case closed.
See Joshua 5:11 for reinforcement of the same instructions.
Shavuot for 2017 begins June 7 at sundown and ends June 8 at sundown.
Shalom!
PS… If you failed to eat nothing but unleavened bread cakes for 7 days, just as those who came out of Egypt, I have very good news for you! You can still do it now. Simply repent from bad teachings, keep the 7 day Feast, and count correctly to Shavuot. Notice in 2 Chronicles 30 that keeping the 7 day Feast of Unleavened Bread a second time was a very joyous occasion! Those folks were in total connection with the FREEDOM and JOY of obeying YHVH just as all those who walked out of Egypt were. Now, for perhaps the first time in your life, you realize WHY Acts 2:1 is translated as Shavuot FULLY COME. Celebrate the Feast with gladness and an open heart to doing ALL of YHVH’s Will.
Interesting how YHVH can hide His Truth in plain sight and it is not seen until we meditate on it day and night just like Psalms 1 says to DO and obey it fully…