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Pentecost Issue Summer 2012
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Summer 2012
A Hungry Hearts Ministries Publication
Making the effort to secure and attain God’s Truth
A Hungry Hearts Ministries Publication
Issu
e 8
Sum
mer
2012
2 PURSUIT
FREEDOM
UNDER THE LAW
OF GOD
How God gave you life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness in the Torah.
“Bind up the testimony and seal up the
law among my disciples.”
Isaiah 8:16 NIV
“Jesus lived that Law perfectly. And, He
died so that you can have the freedom to
live by God’s Law through the power of
His Spirit. He did not intend for you to go
out and live like the heathen. The walking,
talking advertisement of the Kingdom of
God that you should be, is to live by the
Law of God like Jesus did.”
~Bill Shults, author of Freedom Under
the Law of God
To receive a copy of this book, please contact
Hungry Hearts Ministries:
PO Box 10334
Jackson, TN 38308
(731) 736-1055
Book Donation: $15.00
Summer 2012 3
From Pastor Bill 4
Mission Updates 5
Our World: Prophecy
Update 6
Pentecost at a
Glance 7
Commonly Asked
Questions 8
Treasured Possession 9
Pentecost: The Feast
of the Rescue 11
Inside this issue:
TURN from evil and Do GOOD;
SEEK Peace and PURSUE it.
~Psalm 34:14 NIV
Table of Contents
Uncover His Feet 17
Baptism of the
Holy Spirit 21
Meet Hungry Hearts
of Lonerock, WI 23
Centerfold: Passover
Pursuit Magazine is published by
Hungry Hearts Ministries
PO Box 10334
Jackson TN 38308.
(731) 736-1055.
Editor, Deacon Kelly McDonald
Design, Kelly Vonner
Contributors, Elder Bill Shults, Deacon Kelly McDonald, Kelly Vonner, Michelle
Loncar.
Published at Allegra Print and Imaging, Jackson TN.
Pursuit Magazine is published for FREE Distribution in the Public interest.
4 PURSUIT
Last issue, I focused on
the manifest Presence of
the Lord Jesus Christ in the
life of a Believer. Pentecost
is the Feast of His Pres-
ence. Whether you call the
festival Pentecost, which means count fifty, or Sha-
vuot which means weeks, this festival in one based
around intimacy with your Creator. HHM is built
around a personal worship experience with Jesus
Christ. This festival brings together in one celebration
the many aspects of our Ministry. We are Torah ob-
servant, Spirit filled. The Law of God was given on
Shavuot so many years ago, and the Spirit was given
on Pentecost several hundred years later. This feast is
the feast of the encounter.
God instructed Moses
to bring the children
of Israel to the Moun-
tain of God, Mount
Horeb in Arabia. This
is the same mountain
where Moses saw the
burning bush. When
he went up to investi-
gate the sight, Moses
had an encounter with
the Living God. One
of the things that God
told Moses to do was to bring the Children of Israel
to that mountain to meet with their God. After keep-
ing the Passover in Egypt, they arrived at Mount
Horeb just before the Feast of Weeks, or Shavuot.
God told them to consecrate themselves for three
days prior to His coming down onto the mountain in
the sight of all Israel. This was the most tremendous
encounter with the Living God ever recorded.
Roughly two million people saw the fire of the God
of Israel and heard His voice from the mountain top.
This is when God gave us His Law.
It is important to obey God’s Law. God’s Law brings
the adherent many blessings and benefits. What is
often overlooked about living by God’s Law is that it
prepares the person for an intimate encounter with the
True and Living God. What blessing could be greater
than an intimate encounter with your Maker? What
benefit could any human being enjoy more than a
close personal relationship with your Savior?
After Jesus Ascended into Heaven, the disciples were
gathered in Jerusalem. They only knew that Jesus had
told them to wait. When they gathered to celebrate
the feast of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit broke out
among them with a mighty roaring wind, tongues of
fire and they all spoke in tongues, manifesting a new
level of Holy Spirit power among humankind. These
men all began to live a different kind of life, moving
by the Spirit of God,
rather than with the
plans of men. Miracles
were experienced by
the common members
and not the religious
leaders. The book of
Acts records that sev-
eral of them had en-
counters with the Risen Christ.
The Law of God prepares the body and mind of the
Believer for an encounter with his God. The fire of
the Holy Spirit prepares the heart and the spirit within
the Believer for an encounter with his God. This great
early summer Feast of God, clearly shows the way to
have an encounter with the True and Living God. As
we prepare to keep this Feast, let’s all focus on pre-
paring to meet our Maker. Let’s all focus on pursing
the Presence of the Living Jesus Christ.
From Pastor Bill
What is often overlooked
about living by God’s Law
is that it prepares the per-
son for an intimate encoun-
ter with the True and Liv-
ing God. What blessing
could be greater than an
intimate encounter with
your Maker?
Summer 2012 5
Pastor Josphat emailed me that the Kenyan military
has restored the peace among the villages. As a result
he is going back into the area of
Erimet to try and restore a
church there. We have only
heard from one of the three pas-
tors: Erega Moses. Pastor
Moses emailed me and wrote
that his home was looted and
burned. He and his family lost
everything that they owned.
They are staying at Pastor Jos-
phat Kaberia”s home. He is in need of everything.
Pastor Moses told me that the fighting was between
the Turkana tribe and Muslim rebels. The rebels are
trying to force the Turkana off of their land. This is
becoming an international crisis, and our brethren are
right in the middle of it. Pastor Moses told me that
35 have been killed, and 564 displaced as refugees.
I have not heard from Pastor Moses in Kisii. I know
that he needs additional funds. The last report that I
have indicates about 75 people in church.
Josphat wrote that he played the DVDs of the Feast
and everyone was excited to see us, and hear us teach
the Word.
Pastor G John has legally
changed his name to G. Mohana-
rao. He sent me a photo of his
legal ID regarding the change.
The last report that I have from
him indicates about three desiring
water baptism at Passover. They
are working hard in the three
churches. They are in need of
Telegu Bibles, the cost is $3.00 each.
The brethren in India had a great Passover. They
were very thankful for the funds we sent. Pastor G
Mohanarao wrote that for many of them it was the
best meal that they ever had.
They also had the chance to watch the DVDs and
were excited to see us as well as hear us preach the
Word.
We have not heard from Pastor
Dale Whitworth in some time.
The man who oversees the con-
gregation on the outside has
had heart surgery. We did send
funds for the Passover and we
have not heard back. I did get
some paperwork from the
Texas Prison System that indi-
cates they refused to deliver the
magazines that we sent to the McConnell congrega-
tion. Please pray for them.
Many of these People need our prayers and donations.
Please consider your situation, and if you are able,
please help our brothers in need. Please mark your
contribution: Kenya, India, or McConnell Unit.
HUNGRY HEARTS MISSIONS UPDATE
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in
heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go
and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded
you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of
the age.”
Matthew 28: 18-20
6 PURSUIT
For years Christians have been looking in the wrong
places to see Bible Prophecy fulfilled. Europe is where
the action is. For years the Sabbath community was
predicting the fall of the Berlin wall and the re-
unification of Germany. No one saw it coming, except
Herbert Armstrong. With all eyes on the Middle East,
Europe is again about to produce the impossible.
For decades the Economy of Europe was slow and
choked with Socialist economic policies. Germany
was even called the sick man of Europe because of the
socialist policies crippling its industry and commerce.
Now the German economy is rebounding. Germany
has freed itself of restrictive labor policies and is
unleashing the power of its first class companies. This
is producing unprecedented economic growth. Ger-
many is doing so well that its unemployment rate is
now 5.5%. This is driving the GDP growth of the EU.
The EU is already slightly larger than the US, but with
Germany coming to life, the EU will quickly dominate
world trade.
The current European debt crisis had threatened to de-
rail the rise of the EU. But, the German Government
has formulated a plan to rescue the troubled econo-
mies and put them on the German program of eco-
nomic growth. What is being built right now in the EU
is an economic power house of the kind no on could
have imagined only a few years ago. No one, except
Herbert Armstrong, who predicted this kind of revival
in Europe back in the 1950’s. if the plans currently
underway in France, Spain and Italy come together,
then the
combined
fiscal profile
will be sub-
stantially
better than
that of the
US. Europe
could start
growing at 4
-5% a year, which would leave the US in the dust.
As we sink into a quagmire of debt, with our economy
moribund and strapped by excessive regulation, we
well might implode. As our economy refuses to out-
grow our political commitments, our currency will
suffer debasement. As we reel from the lack of posi-
tive economic growth, with the collapse of the dollar
and stifling debt, we will lose the ability to field a
world class military. Already our debt is forcing dra-
conian cutbacks in weapons systems, cuts in personnel
and the closing of forward operating bases. As we are
no longer able to defend the free world or even our
selves, the EU will rise to world dominance. This will
be the final resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire.
This is the single biggest story in Bible Prophecy.
These are exciting times.
~Bill Shults
Our World: Prophecy Update
Summer 2012 7
In life we usually end up going against the grain
when we start living as the Lord truly expects us to
live. Everyone has experienced this to some degree
when family or friends turn their backs on us. We
have even been called crazy or any number of other
words. Just like wood is polished, so we too are pol-
ished by God to achieve His will in our lives. As ser-
vants of the Most High God we are to live out His
word and be His living examples here on Earth. He
has given us His Holy Day cycle to help us learn and
draw closer to Him. “The Scriptures teach that there
are seven annual Feasts and Holy Days which were
ordained by God to be observed as special com-
manded convocations. These Feasts and Holy Days
portray God’s plan of salvation for mankind. The ob-
servance of these holy convocations is a sign between
God and His people” (Scripture Reference, 1349). One
important thing for us to remember is that there is a
difference between a Holy Day and a Feast day. A
Holy Day is a day where no work can be done. A
Feast or moed is an appointed time for us to meet with
God. Sometimes Holy Days and Feast Days coincide
with one another. For instance, Passover is not a Holy
Day because work can be done on
the day, but it is a Feast day
where we meet God.
Pentecost is the third annual Holy
Day in God’s cycle as well as an
annual feast day (Exo. 23:16,
34:22-23; Num. 28:26; Deu. 16:9-
12; Acts 2:1). Pentecost is to be a
sacred assembly and no regular
work is to be done (Lev. 23:21).
So many people take this out of context and say no
work can be done at all, but that is not what God is
saying in these verses. He clearly says no regular
work. Preparing meals for this day is acceptable but
going to work at your place of employment is not. We
should be joining with our church family and spending
time with God in His word studying His Laws so He
can sharpen our spiritual sword. We are to meet with
God at the place He puts His name and not where ever
we want to meet. This is because God places His pres-
ence where He places His name (Deut. 14:23).
This feast has several names such as Feast of
Weeks, Feast of Harvest, and Pentecost. In Hebrew its
name is Shavuot and in Greek it is called Pentecost. In
Greek, Pentecost means count fifty. Some people start
counting from the second night of Passover. This re-
sults in keeping Pentecost on Sivan 6, which does not
line up with the
Bible. We are
asked to count
seven Sabbaths
from the regular
weekly Sabbath
that falls during
Unleavened
Bread and then add one day (Leviticus 23:15). This
means Pentecost is always on the first day of the week
or Sunday on the modern Gregorian Calendar.
Also, it is at this time that the barley harvest
from Passover is ending and the wheat harvest begins.
Thus, it is the first fruits harvest of the wheat harvest.
The wave offering of the first fruits on this day ex-
pressed dependence on God for the harvest and for
daily bread (Lev. 23:11-25). Remember that there has
been one harvest up to this point - the barley harvest.
Barley represents those who will be rescued. The
wheat harvest corresponds to the actual Rescue and
the beginning of the tribulation. It represents those
Christians who will go into the Tribulation
This day in the Old Testament was when God
gave His laws to the Israelites through Moses at
Mount Sinai on Pentecost (Exo. 19:16-19). “The Feast
of Weeks not only marks the end of the grain harvest
at Passover time, but also signifies the process of free-
dom started with the Exodus at Passover, and con-
cluded with the proclamation of the Law at Si-
nai” (Sampson, 231). Today we are still expected to be
obedient to His laws out of love and a desire to live
pleasing to Him. All we have to do is open our Bibles.
We do not have to dig out stone tablets, although we
may have to pray that God will soften our stony
hearts. He has given us His word, The Holy Bible, and
the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us. He has also given
us His Holy Days and moeds, or feast days, as a living
Pentecost at a Glance By Michelle Loncar
8 PURSUIT
example to further our growth and draw us closer to
Him. In the New Testament, we see the church receiv-
ing the Baptism of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. The
Holy Spirit was given to teach, comfort, and guide us
in drawing nearer to Him. It was given to set us on fire
to obey His way of life!
As aforementioned, Pentecost is the time pe-
riod when God gave the Law to Moses and the Israel-
ites. This should be our time to study and make sure
we are walking correctly in accordance with God’s
laws. Are we like the Israelites, telling God we will
obey Him and then not acting on what we said? Are
we actually following through with obedience to
God’s ways with all our mind, body and spirit? If not,
then now is a really good time to correct our errors.
Each of us should be willing to allow the Holy Spirit
to lead, guide, comfort, and inspire us (John 16:13). It
is not the letter of the law we strive to keep, and the
law does not save us. It is the Spirit of the Law we are
to keep. We obey His law because we love Him so
much for sending His one and only begotten son Jesus
Christ to die and save us from our sins. It is the Holy
Spirit living in us and guiding us that brings us into
submission to God’s law. Without the Holy Spirit we
could not keep it because the flesh lives in enmity to
His law (Rom. 8:7).
In closing, Pentecost represents the wedding
feast. Christ married Israel on this day, and He will
also marry His Bride at the same time! For centuries
these important feasts have been kept and celebrated
by Israelites all over the world. Mt. Sinai was the
starting place for a group of weary travelers that
would become the nation of Israel. It is here in His
Holy Days and moeds where the traditions of men end
and the ways of God begin!
References:
Pierce, Linda & Robin Sampson.
A Family Guide to the
Biblical Holidays with
Activities for All Ages.
Stafford, Virginia: Heart
of Wisdom, 2004. Print.
Scripture References. Coulter,
Fred R. The Holy Bible in Its Original Order.
Hollister, California: York, 2009. Print.
Commonly
Asked
Questions:
How do we know that Exodus 20 occurred on
the feast of Pentecost?
Some people dispute Pentecost occurring in
Exodus 20 based on Exodus 19:1, which reads, “In the
third month after the Israelites left Egypt—on the very
day—they came to the Desert of Sinai.” It is clear that
the Israelites came to Mount Sinai in the third month.
The dispute has always been over the phrase “on the
very day”, referring to the very day that they left
Egypt. The day the Israelites left Egypt was the fif-
teenth day of the first month, which is the first day of
Unleavened Bread. Because of this, some assume that
“on the very day” spoke of in Exodus 19:1 is the fif-
teenth day of the third month. However, the phrase
“on the very day” does not refer to the day of the
month in which the Israelites arrived at Sinai, but in-
stead refers to the day of the week. If we study the
timeline in Christ’s last Passover, we can see that the
first day of Unleavened Bread during his time began
on a Wednesday Evening. Since the events in the
timeline of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection are a
fulfillment of Exodus 12, they will happen at the exact
same time, even day of the week, as the events in Exo-
dus 12. If the Israelites left Egypt on a Wednesday
Evening, which was the first day of Unleavened
Bread, this means they arrived at Mount Sinai on
Wednesday Evening in the third month. God said in
Exodus 19 that He would descend on the mountain on
the third day. The third day from Wednesday Evening
is Saturday Evening/Sunday during the Day, which
would have been the Feast of Pentecost.
~Kelly McDonald
Summer 2012 9
“If one of your fellow
Israelites becomes poor
and sells some of their
property, their nearest
relative is to come and
redeem what they have sold (The Holy Bible New In-
ternational Version, Lev.25.25).…while we wait for
the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our
great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself
for us to redeem us form all wickedness and to purify
for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do
what is good (Titus 2.13-14). The story of Ruth and
Boaz is a story of faithfulness and redemption that
takes place during the era of the judges. It is a story
read every year during Pentecost, and it epitomizes
our relationship with Yeshua Messiah as our kinsman
redeemer. Ruth’s faithfulness was her treasured pos-
session, and her decision at Passover led to her out-
pouring at Pentecost.
The Decision
Famine and death were their lot. Naomi and
her two daughter-in-laws were widows without proper
provision in Moab. Hearing that the Lord had pro-
vided food to his people, the women started their jour-
ney back to Judah. While on their journey, Naomi at-
tempted to dissuade Orpah and Ruth from continuing.
Ruth is faced with the decision to “go back to her peo-
ple and her gods” (Ruth 1.15) or go with Naomi and
serve her God. She has the opportunity to go back to
the familiar. She has the opportunity to go back to
death, but instead she chooses life.
She tells Naomi, “Don’t urge me
to leave you or to turn back from
you. Where you go I will go, and
where you stay I will stay. Your
people will be my people and
your God my God” (Ruth 1.16).
Her decision not to return home
was monumental. The Word says
Naomi and Ruth arrived in Bethlehem “as the barley
harvest was beginning” (Ruth 1.22). Barley is first
harvested during the Passover season. So, Ruth ac-
cepted the Way of the Lord and chose to be one of
God’s treasured possessions at Passover. Just as the
Lord said to Moses, “Now if you obey me fully and
keep my covenant, then out of all the nations you will
be my treasured possession” (Ex 19.5).
As the body of Christ, we made a decision at
Passover to walk blamelessly before the Lord. We
must earnestly desire to rid ourselves of our Moabite
and Egyptian characteristics. We have to continue to
walk in the decision that leads to life; we have to be
ready for the harvest.
The Blessing
The dictionary defines the word glean as to
gather slowly and laboriously, bit by bit or to gather
(grain or the like) after the reapers or regular gather-
ers. The Word of God says, “And Ruth the Moabite
said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up
(glean) the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes
I find favor…” (Ruth 2.2). Ruth’s strength was dis-
played by her humility, and it was her work ethic and
character that set her apart in the eyes of
Boaz. Because of her hard work, Boaz said to Ruth,
“My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in an-
other field and don’t go away from here…I have told
the men not to lay a hand on you. And whenever you
are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the
men have filled.” At this point, she bowed down with
her face to the ground. She asked him, “Why have I
found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a
foreigner?” Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about
what you have done for your mother-in-law since the
death of your husband—how you left your father and
mother and your homeland and came to live with a
people you did not know before. May the Lord repay
you for what you have done. May you be richly re-
warded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose
wings you have come to take refuge” (Ruth 2.8-12)
One of the definitions of blessing is “the in-
voking of God’s favor upon a person.” Ruth was of-
fered a job, protection, and free access to water be-
cause of the Lord’s favor. In additional, Boaz ordered
his harvesters to leave sheaves for her on purpose
(Ruth 2.15-16).
Are we as believers remaining under the wings
of the Living God? Are we tempted to work in fields
that do not belong to the Most High? Can the Lord
distinguish us from the rest of the world? Does our
work ethic for the kingdom of God set us apart in his
eyes? Do we possess the humility to glean the pages
of God’s Word until he is ready to leave sheaves of
revelation on purpose? Can the Almighty trust you
Treasured Possession
10 PURSUIT
with his blessings?
The Outpour
The grain har-
vest, which lasted
seven weeks, began
with the barley harvest
during the Passover
Season and ended with
the wheat harvest at Pentecost. “Now Boaz, with
whose women you have worked, is a relative of ours.
Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing
floor. Wash, put on perfume, and get dressed in your
best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but
don’t let him know you are there until he has finished
eating and drinking. When he lies down, note the
place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet
and lie down. He will tell you what to do” (Ruth 3.2-
4).
Ruth had been unknowingly preparing for this
night since her arrival to Bethlehem. She would have
the opportunity the lay at the feet of her kinsman re-
deemer and submit her request. In the middle of the
night something startled the man; he turned—and
there was a woman lying at his feet! “Who are you?”
he asked. “I am your servant Ruth, “she said. “Spread
the corner of your garment over me, since you are a
guardian redeemer of our family” (Ruth 3.8-9). Ruth
did not go to the threshing floor to steal his harvested
grain or commit sexual immorality. She was asking
Boaz to take her under his wings. She wanted to be
under his covering as his wife. What boldness! What
awesome character!
Boaz told Ruth that he would do all that she
asked, but there was one relative that was more
closely related than he. He assured her if the other
relative was not willing that “as surely as the Lord
lives I will do it” (Ruth 3.13) Ruth told Naomi every-
thing he had done for her and said, “He gave me these
six measures of barley saying, ‘Don’t go back to your
mother –in-law empty-handed’” (Ruth 3.17). The rela-
tive more closely related than Boaz refused to redeem
her. Boaz then successfully redeemed the property of
Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon. The elders and the peo-
ple blessed him and said, “We are witnesses. May the
Lord make the woman who is coming into your home
like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family
of Israel…” (Ruth 4.11).
In the same manner as Boaz presented Ruth
with a dowry, Yeshua Messiah has given us the dowry
of his Holy Spirit as a promise of marriage. Have we
labored diligently from Passover to now? Where does
the Lord want us to get stronger? Are we allowing
God to purify us through his Word? Have our deci-
sions led to a true outpour? Are we entering his
threshing floor with pure hearts? Are we seeking to be
at the feet of Messiah, and would we be found worthy
of the six measures? The Israelites met God at the foot
of the mountain. Are we ready to go up?
It is not until we are faithful to his Word and
obedient to his voice that we become the Lord’s treas-
ured possession. Deuteronomy
26:16-18 says, “The Lord your
God commands you this day to
follow these decrees and laws;
carefully observed them with
all your heart and with all your
soul. You have declared this
day that the Lord is your God
and that you will walk in obe-
dience to him that you will keep his decrees, com-
mands and laws— that you will listen to him. And the
Lord has declared this day that you are his people, his
treasured possession as he promised, and that you are
to keep all his commands.”
References:
"blessing." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Ran-
dom House, Inc. 23 Feb. 2012. <Dictionary.com
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/blessing>.
“glean." Online Etymology Dictionary. Doug-
las Harper, Historian. 23 Feb. 2012. <Dictionary.com
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/glean>.
The Holy Bible. New International Version.
Michigan: Zondervan, 2011. Print.
~Kelly Vonner
Summer 2012 11
The Feast of Pentecost is the day when the
Law was given on Mount Sinai and it is when the
Baptism of the Holy Spirit was poured out (The Holy
Bible, New International Version, Exodus 19-23 and
Acts 2). Since these events where in the past, many
people think that the Feast of Pentecost has been ful-
filled and has no future meaning. Just when we think
we have it figured out, God reveals to us something
we have never seen. You would be surprised to realize
that Pentecost actually has a future fulfillment! It has
commonly been taught that Christ will come and Res-
cue His Bride from the Great
Tribulation on the Feast of
Trumpets. I even believed this
at one time! One of the main
reasons for defending this is
because Paul said that Christ
will return at the last trump (I
Corinthians 15:52). Because the
phrase “last trump” is used,
some of us assumed that this
must be a reference to the feast
of Trumpets. Think again! The “last trump” is a spe-
cific trumpet blast. While it was blown on the Feast of
Trumpets, it was also blown on the Feast of Pentecost.
When we examine the Scriptures on the Feast of Pen-
tecost and compare it to verses concerning Christ’s
return, we learn that the feast of the Rescue is Pente-
cost and not Trumpets!
Some people use the term rapture to refer to the Bride
being taken away from earth before the Tribulation. At
Hungry Hearts we use the term Rescue. First of all,
the traditional rapture theory says that all Christians
are taken from earth before the Tribulation. The Bible
does not teach that all Christians will be taken. Some
are “left behind” as Jesus himself points out in Mat-
thew 24 and other places. Secondly, we use the word
Rescue because there is a pattern of rescue found in
the Bible. This includes Enoch, Noah, Lot, and even
Elijah. In each of these examples, destruction came
after the person had been taken from harm’s way. Je-
sus even compared his coming to the days of Noah
and Lot. This means that their examples of Rescue are
types and shadows of how the Bride of Christ will be
rescued before the Tribulation comes. Third, we use
the term rescue because it is found in the Bible. He-
brews 9:28 reads, “…so Christ was sacrificed once to
take away the sins of many people; and he will appear
a second time, not to bear sin but to bring salvation to
those who are waiting for Him.” The word translated
as salvation is listed in Strong’s Concordance as
meaning rescue. Christ is coming to bring Rescue to a
Bride who is prepared, sanctified, and red-hot on fire
for Him!
To understand how Pentecost ties in with the Rescue,
we must examine Israel’s first Pentecost in Exodus 19
-20. This event gives us vital clues as to why the Res-
cue happens on Pentecost! In Exodus 19, the Israelites
are at the base of Mount Sinai. In verses 3-6, God says
to Moses, “This is what you are to say to the house of
Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel:
‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and
how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to
myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my cove-
nant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured
possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will
be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’
These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”
In verse 4, God says that “You yourselves have seen
what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’
wings and brought you to myself.” This same lan-
guage is used of a future prophetic event involving the
Bride of Christ. In Revelation 12, there is a war in
Heaven between the Devil and His Angels and God’s
Angels. Michael, the Angel over God’s people, throws
Satan the devil from Heaven. Verses 13-17 continue
the prophesy: “When the
dragon saw that he had been
hurled to the earth, he pur-
sued the woman who had
given birth to the male
child. The woman was
given the two wings of a
great eagle, so that she
might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert,
where she would be taken care of for a time, times and
half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. Then from his
mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to over-
take the woman and sweep her away with the torrent.
(Continued on page 14)
Pentecost: The Feast of the Rescue
12 PURSUIT
Hungry Hearts Passover 2012 Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you
really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us
keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness,
but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.
1 Corinthians 5: 7-8
Summer 2012 13
14 PURSUIT
But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth
and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed
out of his mouth. Then the dragon was enraged at the
woman and went off to make war against the rest of
her offspring—those who obey God’s commandments
and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” Paul says in Gala-
tians 4:19 that he was in “in the pains of childbirth un-
til Christ is formed in you.” Christ is formed in us just
as a child is formed in the womb. This woman, who
gives birth to Christ, represents the Bride of Christ.
Just as Israel was brought to God on eagle’s wings, so
this woman, who represents the Bride of Christ, is
given two wings of a great eagle. She is given these
two wings so that she can fly to the place prepared for
her for times, time, and half a time, out of the serpents
reach. The serpent can reach anywhere on earth during
this first three and one-half years because he lost his
place in Heaven. Michael kicked him out! This means
he cannot reach there any longer. This means the
woman must be taken away from earth. She has to use
these two wings to fly away from the earth! In fact,
the Greek word translated as fly is only used for flying
in Heaven! So much for the argument that we will be
protected on earth during this time! It is simply not
true! Some quote the scripture “No man hath ascended
into heaven…” (John 3:13) to argue that this woman
does not go into heaven and that no man can go into
heaven. In the Bible, no man can ascend into heaven.
Satan tried this and it did not work (Isaiah 14:3-21).
However, a person can be caught up into the third
heaven! Paul even says that He was caught up to the
third Heaven and saw things that were unlawful in II
Corinthians 12:1-4! Paul uses the same language to
describe the Rescue in I Thessalonians 4:17 when he
said that we would be “caught up together with them
in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” Jesus even
tells us He will take us into Heaven in the gospels,
which we will examine later in this article.
After speaking of bringing the Israelites to himself on
the wings of an eagle, God said to the Israelites in
Exodus 19:5 that He would make them His treasured
possession. In Malachi 3, God is speaking to the
prophet Malachi about the day of the Lord. The Day
of the Lord is a reference to several events, one of
which is the Rescue! In Malachi 3:17-18, God says,
“‘They will be mine,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘in
the day when I make up my treasured possession. I
will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares
his son who serves him. And you will again see the
distinction between the righteous and the wicked, be-
tween those who serve God and those who do not.’ ”
Christ is making up His treasured possession right
now, and He will spare his treasured possession during
the Great Tribulation. In this act He will make a dis-
tinction between those who serve Him and those who
do not. When those who are rescued are taken into the
air, it will be quite clear who followed God’s ways
and who did not.
In Exodus 19:10-11, 13b, the parallels between the
Rescue and the Feast of Pentecost continue. In these
verses, God said to Moses, “And the LORD said to
Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today
and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be
ready by the third day, because on that day the LORD
will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the
people…. Only when the ram’s horn sounds a long
blast may they go up to the mountain.” God tells
Moses to have the people ready by the third day. God
said that when the trumpet sounded, they were to
come up to Him. Here, we see more language that par-
allels to the Rescue. In the Bible, there is a prophetic
time scale where one day represents a thousand years
to God. This is found in Psalms 90:4. It has been over
two thousand years since Jesus lived on earth and al-
most two thousand years since He died and resur-
rected! This would equate to two days. On the third
day, or third thousandth year, Christ will return at the
sound of the trumpet!
When God came down on the Mountain, He spoke to
them the Ten Commandments and other laws and de-
crees. This is recorded in Exodus 19-23. Christ then
had a covenant meal with Moses, Aaron, Nadab,
Abihu, and the 70 elders of Israel. This covenant meal
sealed the marriage covenant between Israel and
Christ. For this reason, Pentecost is often called the
Feast of the Wedding.
Christ also uses wedding language to describe the
Rescue. Matthew 24 is a chapter on the signs of the
end. In Matthew 24:36-41, Christ said, “No one knows
about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven,
nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days
of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
For in the days before the flood, people were eating
(Continued from page 11)
(Continued on page 15)
Summer 2012 15
and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to
the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing
about what would happen until the flood came and
took them all away. That is how it will be at the com-
ing of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field;
one will be taken and the other left. Two women will
be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and
the other left.” In the Jewish wedding, once the bride
and groom had completed the betrothal phase of the
marriage, the groom would leave for an unspecified
period of time. He was not to marry his bride until his
father told him it was time to retrieve her. Therefore,
no one knew the day or hour except the groom’s fa-
ther. In the same way, no one knows when the Son of
Man will return to Rescue his bride except the Father!
The Greek word translated as “taken” in Matthew
24:36-41 is used of a man taking a woman to himself
in marriage. The Greek word translated as “left” in
Matthew 24:36-41 means to be sent away in divorce.
When the Lord returns to this earth, He is going to di-
vorce or leave behind those Christians who refused to
live His ways. Those who were red-hot on fire for
Him will be taken to the wedding supper of the Lamb.
While the Groom was awaiting His Father’s command
to go retrieve His Bride, he would build a canopy
called a chupah onto his fa-
ther’s house. This would be
where the wedding celebra-
tion would take place for
seven days and also where
the Bride and Groom would
consummate the wedding. Amazingly, Christ uses this
same language in describing what He is doing now! In
John 14:1-4, Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be
troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Fa-
ther’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would
have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for
you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will
come back and take you to be with me that you also
may be where I am. You know the way to the place
where I am going.” Jesus is at the Father’s House in
Heaven building the chupah for you and I right this
moment. Jesus even tells us where this wedding cele-
bration will happen. In verse 3 “…I will comeback
and take you to be with me that you also may be
where I am.” Interestingly enough, the word translated
as “take” in John 14:1-4 is the same word translated as
“taken” in Matthew 24. Where is Jesus? He is sitting
at the right hand of God in the third Heaven (Hebrews
10:12). This is yet another verse supporting that we
will be in Heaven during the Tribulation. This is in
agreement with Revelation 12, which says that the
woman will be taken from earth. At the end of the
seven day wedding celebration, the bride and groom
would have a great wedding celebration. In the same
way, there is a great wedding celebration called the
wedding supper of the Lamb after the seven year
tribulation. We then will return to earth to rule with
Him!
Paul describes how this process will take place in I
Thessalonians 4:15-17: “According to the Lord’s own
word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are
left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not pre-
cede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord him-
self will come down from heaven, with a loud com-
mand, with the voice of the archangel and with the
trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise
first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will
be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet
the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord
forever.” The language Paul uses in this passage was
used in ancient times to describe a King would make
an official visit to a city. In ancient times, when a
King would make a visit to a city, a delegation of peo-
ple would go outside the city gates to greet him. They
would celebrate with him and then return back with
him to their original location. We can see from this
how Christ is going to manifest His second coming:
He is going to call His Bride up from the earth at the
sound of the Trumpet, just as He called Ancient Israel
up to himself at the sound of a Trumpet in Exodus 20.
We are then going to celebrate the wedding supper of
the Lamb. We will return with Him to planet earth to
rule and reign once the seven-year tribulation is over
as written in Revelation 17:14 and Revelation 19:11-
21.
Even Christ’s ascensions follow this same pattern. Be-
fore Christ’s first ascension into Heaven, He appeared
secretly and suddenly to Mary Magdalene. Mary tried
to touch Jesus, but He told her not to touch Him be-
cause He had not yet ascended to His Father. Christ
could not be touched because He was consecrated to
apply His blood to the Ark of the Covenant in Heaven.
Later, Christ appeared to the disciples and asked them
to touch the scars in His hands. He then stayed with
(Continued from page 14)
(Continued on page 16)
16 PURSUIT
the disciples for a period of forty days before He as-
cended into Heaven a second time. His appearance to
Mary before His first ascension was private, secret,
and unannounced. He then appeared to His disciples,
openly announcing His identity. Christ’s coming will
follow the same pattern. In the first part of Christ’s
return, He will appear secretly and suddenly to take
the Bride to the wedding banquet. After the seven-year
tribulation is over, Christ will return
publicly so that all the nations see Him.
The final connection between Pentecost
and the Rescue is found in the harvest
cycle of Ancient Israel. In Ancient Is-
rael there are three main harvests with
prophetic significance: barley, wheat,
and grapes. The barley harvest begins during the Pass-
over Season and continues until a little after the wheat
harvest. Barley is harvested by winnowing. In this
process, the grain is thrown into the air and the wind
blows the chaff away from the seed. The wheat har-
vest begins at Pentecost. Wheat is harvested by thresh-
ing because it has a hard exterior. It is threshed under
a sledge called a Tribuline and even Oxen are used to
trample the head of grain so that the seed is separated
from the exterior. Grapes are harvested in the summer
months just before the fall feasts. Once grapes are
picked from the vine, they are put in a wine press and
crushed until the juice comes out of the grape. For this
reason wine is sometimes called the blood of the
grape. The first harvest, barley, represents those Chris-
tians who are rescued. They are sensitive to God’s
Spirit and let His Wind or Spirit blow the sins away
from their lives. The next harvest, wheat, represents
those Christians who have hard hearts to God’s law
and God’s Spirit. They are stubborn and refuse to let
the Spirit of God gently blow out their sins. They have
to be threshed in the Tribulation to understand why
they needed to be strong for God’s laws and ways.
The last harvest, grapes, represents the wrath of God.
In Rev 14:19-20, and Rev. 19:15, the wrath of God is
even compared to a wine press.
Many people have said that the Rescue would occur at
the feast of Trumpets, but the Feast of Trumpets hap-
pens after the grape harvest. This means Trumpets
cannot represent the Rescue because the Rescue hap-
pens at or before the beginning of the Tribulation.
Since Pentecost marks the beginning of the wheat har-
vest and the Tribulation, Christians must be rescued
on or before this day! When the Tribulation begins, if
a Christian has not been resurrected or rescued, they
will be martyred during the Tribulation. They did not
repent during the easy times when they could let the
Spirit or wind of God gently show them their sins.
They were hard hearted and refused to live God’s way
of life. They refused His law, His Spirit, and did not
use their talents or abilities.
The Feast of Pentecost is the
Feast of the Wedding. It is when
Christ married ancient Israel, and
it is when He will Rescue His
Bride. They will then celebrate
the seven year Wedding Supper
of the Lamb. This rescue will happen before the
Tribulation period begins. Christ said to the church of
Philadelphia, “Since you have kept my command to
endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour
of trial that is going to come upon the whole world
to test those who live on the earth” (Rev. 3:10). The
Tribulation is going to come upon all who live on the
earth, but you can be kept or protected from it! You
must be sensitive to God’s Spirit and God’s law. Let
God’s Spirit blow the chaff or sin out of your life so
that you can be rescued before it’s too late!
Works Cited
All Scripture notations, unless otherwise noted, come
from The Holy Bible. The New International Version.
International Bible Society. Grand Rapids, Michigan:
Zondervan Bible Publishers, 2002. Print.
All language references, unless otherwise noted, come
from Strong’s Concordance. Strong, James. Nashville:
Abingdon, 1980. (accessed via e-sword application)
~Deacon Kelly McDonald
(Continued from page 15)
Summer 2012 17
The seven weeks between
Passover and Pentecost detail
important steps in the life of
every Believer. These weeks
help to explain the things that we go through in our
lives as Christians, and they help to explain the impor-
tance of our testing to prepare us as the Bride of
Christ. The events experienced by the Children of Is-
rael parallel the events in the life of Ruth, in part be-
cause they cover the same seven weeks between festi-
vals. The story of the time between the festivals is the
story of Believers preparing themselves to be the peo-
ple of God. It is the story of a Bride preparing herself
for the Wedding. It is the story of preparing for a God
Encounter.
The Apostle Paul writing in the letter to the Ephesians
compared the church and the Lord Jesus Christ to a
husband and wife. He urged us to prepare ourselves to
be the Bride of Christ. “Husbands, love your wives,
just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for
her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing
with water through the word, and to present her to
himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle
or any other blemish, but holy and blameless”•
(Ephesians 5:25-27). We are encouraged to get into
the Word of God, the Holy Bible, and to remove the
stains from this world and the wrinkles from our hard
times, so that we can be that spotless Bride of Christ.
The lessons from the seven weeks in both the life of
ancient Israel and Ruth show us the way.
The story of Ruth is the story of the determined deci-
sion of the will to make a total commitment to the God
of Israel. Ruth made that commitment. “But Ruth re-
plied, “Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back
from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay
I will stay. Your people will be my people and your
God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will
be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so
severely, if anything but death separates you and me”.
When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go
with her, she stopped urging her” (Ruth 1:16-18).
When we come out of the Passover, we realize that
Jesus passed over our sins, therefore, we need to make
the commitment to love Him with our obedience. We
need to make that commitment to serve Him by fol-
lowing His commandments, and to live our lives by
His Word. We need to put Him first.
When the children of Israel left Egypt they wandered
around in the desert of Shur. For three days they did
not find water. After we get saved, we often go
through times in our life that are very dry. It is easy to
forget the miracles that God has done in our lives, it is
easy to begin to grumble about our problems. It is easy
to become bitter over our trials, rather than to pray
them through in the Spirit. “For three days they trav-
eled in the desert without finding water. When they
came to Marah, they could not drink its water because
it was bitter. ( That is why the place is called Marah. )
So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What
are we to drink?”• (Exodus 15:22-24). These people
had just left Egypt and had seen the mighty acts of
God, yet with the first test, they turned bitter like the
water. Praying in the Holy Spirit is how to sustain
yourself during those dry times of testing. It is how to
prosper in times of trial.
In the story of Ruth, Naomi could not sustain herself
during trials, so she became bitter. “Don’t call me
Naomi, she told them. Call me Mara, because the Al-
mighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full,
but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call
me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty
has brought misfortune upon me” (Ruth 1:20-22). We
are so quick to blame God when things go wrong. We
are very slow to accept any personal responsibility for
our own shortcomings. We need to pray in the Spirit
more, so that we can see our own actions more clearly
and be able to see God’s hand in bringing us good out
of our bad situations. Those who want to become inti-
mate with the Living God must acknowledge that He
rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
The Holy Seventh Day Sabbath is very central in
God’s plan of Salvation for all humanity. In all of His
dealings with human kind, the Almighty brings up the
Sabbath. When the Children of Israel went hungry in
the desert, he gave them bread from Heaven to eat. He
gave it to them on the six days they should work, and
Uncover His Feet
18 PURSUIT
gave them none on the Sabbath. Even in the giving of
manna from Heaven, God was adamant about them
keeping His Sabbath holy. “Then the LORD said to
Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you.
The people are to go out each day and gather enough
for that day. In this way I will test them and see
whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth
day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is
to be twice as much as they gather on the other
days” (Exodus 16:1-5). Are you willing to follow the
Lord’s instructions? He has given you the Sabbath as
well as them, will you keep it holy? He pours out His
Spirit on the Sabbath every single week, can you per-
ceive it?
“Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the sev-
enth day to gather it, but they found none. Then the
LORD said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to
keep my commands and my instructions? Bear in mind
that the LORD has given you the Sabbath; that is why
on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Eve-
ryone is to stay where he is on the seventh day; no one
is to go out”. So the people rested on the seventh
day” (Exodus 16:27-30). As the Spirit filled people of
God, living in the last days, we do not have the luxury
of disobeying God on this level. We need to use the
gifts of His Spirit to bring our lives into conformity
with His Word. A vital part of living in harmony with
the Almighty God is keeping His Sabbath holy. God’s
holy word is presented on the Sabbath, along with the
sweet “water”• of the Holy Spirit.
Ruth also had to learn how to glean before she could
learn how to harvest. “Now Naomi had a relative on
her husband’s side, from the clan of Elimelech, a man
of standing, whose name was Boaz. And Ruth the
Moabitess said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and
pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes
I find favor.” Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my
daughter.” So she went out and began to glean in the
fields behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she
found herself working in a field belonging to Boaz,
who was from the clan of Elimelech. Just then Boaz
arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters,
“The LORD be with you!” “˜The LORD bless you!”
they called back. Boaz asked the foreman of his har-
vesters, “Whose young woman is that?” The foreman
replied, “She is the Moabitess who came back from
Moab with Naomi. She said, “Please let me glean and
gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.” She
went into the field and has worked steadily from morn-
ing till now, except for a short rest in the shel-
ter” (Ruth 2:1-7). We have to work in the Holy Scrip-
tures, gleaning God’s precious truth from the words on
those pages. We must make the time to learn correctly
form the Bible. Of all the things that we do, nothing is
more important in this life, and in the life to come than
learning God’s Word.
“The whole Israelite community set out from the De-
sert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD
commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was
no water for the people to drink. So they quarreled
with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.”
Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do
you put the LORD to the test?” But the people were
thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against
Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of
Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of
thirst?” Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What
am I to do with these people? They are almost ready
to stone me.” The LORD answered Moses, “Walk on
ahead of the people. Take with you some of the elders
of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which
you struck the Nile, and go. I will stand there before
you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water
will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses
did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he
called the place Massah and Meribah because the Is-
raelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD
saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”•(Exodus
17:1-7).
There is an outpouring of
the Holy Spirit that is com-
ing on God’s Remnant
church. It will not come on
those who are grumbling
and complaining about the Lord’ provision. It will
come on those who have prepared their hearts and
minds in His Word. It will come on those who recog-
nize the body of Christ among the end time believers.
It will come on those who are sensitive to the Sprit of
God. It will come on those who are both thirsty for
(Continued from page 17)
(Continued on page 19)
Summer 2012 19
and trusting in the provision of God. God is ready to
pour out His latter rains baptizing many believers in
the Holy Spirit. We need this level of intimacy with
God to complete His end time work. “So Boaz said to
Ruth, “My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean
in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay
here with my servant girls. Watch the field where the
men are harvesting, and follow along after the girls. I
have told the men not to touch you. And whenever you
are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the
men have filled” (Ruth 2:8-9). We need to drink
deeply from the water jars of the Holy Spirit filled by
the servants of Jesus Christ. We need to stay in the
fields gleaning the precious word of Truth. This is
how to prepare ourselves to be His bride. This is how
to prepare ourselves for an encounter with Him during
the Feast of Pentecost.
Before any major outpouring of God’s Spirit, before
any major manifestation of His Presence among the
people, God sets His house in order. Before God came
down on Mount Horeb, He had Moses set the people
in order. “Moses listened to his father-in-law and did
everything he said. He chose capable men from all
Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials
over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. They served
as judges for the people at all times. The difficult
cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they
decided themselves” (Exodus 18:24-26). In these last
days God is setting order among His people. We need
to embrace that order and be an active part in it. God
does everything in order, and we should support those
God has placed in authority.
As we begin to conform our desires to His desires, He
will begin to bless us. When we conform to the order
that He has placed in the church, then we will begin to
receive more from His Word. “At mealtime Boaz said
to her, “Come over here. Have some bread and dip it
in the wine vinegar.” When she sat down with the har-
vesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all
she wanted and had some left over. As she got up to
glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, ‘Even if she
gathers among the sheaves, don’t embarrass her.
Rather, pull out some stalks for her from the bundles
and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke
her.” So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then
she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it
amounted to about an ephah. She carried it back to
town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had
gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what
she had left over after she had eaten enough” (Ruth
2:14-18). Just like Boaz ordering his men to put extra
on Ruth for her diligence in gleaning grain, Jesus will
pour out extra anointing to study the scriptures and
extra revelation to reward your diligent efforts in His
Word. This extra provision, more than enough, comes
after drinking from the water jars of His Spirit. Jesus
operates in us with His Spirit.
On that ancient day of Pentecost there was a major
encounter with the Living God. God required the peo-
ple to consecrate themselves in preparation for this
encounter. “And the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the
people and consecrate them today and tomorrow.
Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the
third day, because on that day the LORD will come
down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. Put
limits for the people around the mountain and tell
them, Be careful that you do not go up the mountain
or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain
shall surely be put to death. He shall surely be stoned
or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on him.
Whether man or animal, he shall not be permitted to
live. Only when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast
may they go up to the mountain” (Exodus 19:10-13).
God is telling them to prepare to meet Him. When we
come into any Holy Day season, but especially Pente-
cost, then we need to prepare to meet Him. The weeks
of preparation, the weeks of instruction should have
prepared this people for an encounter with the Living
God. As we move over these weeks and review these
lessons from the past we, also, should make the prepa-
rations to encounter our God.
At the last Trump, the long, loud blast of the shofar,
God is telling these people to come up on the moun-
tain and have an encounter with Him. In the New Tes-
tament, the Apostle Paul talks about the last trump.
“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven,
with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel
and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in
Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive
and are left will be caught up together with them in
the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessaloni-
ans 4:16-17). There is supposed to be an encounter,
during Pentecost at the Last Trump. Is there a connec-
tion between Pentecost and the Rescue of the Saints?
20 PURSUIT
In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he mentions that he
will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost. “But I will stay
on at Ephesus until Pentecost” (1 Corinthians 16:8).
This is right after the resurrection chapter of 1 Corin-
thians 15. Is Paul working on his message? Why is
Pentecost on his mind after that chapter? In 1 Corin-
thians 15:37 he mentions wheat. Wheat is harvested at
Pentecost. I think that there is a connection between
Pentecost, the Rescue, and the last trump and that the
children of Israel were supposed to go up on the
mountain for a God encounter at the last trump.
The book of Ruth is supposed to be read at Pentecost.
It is the story of a gentile woman who turns to the God
of Israel. As Christians all of us have gone astray, and
all of us have had to return to the God of Israel.
“When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was
in good spirits, he went over to lie down at the far end
of the grain pile. Ruth approached quietly uncovered
his feet and lay down. In the middle of the night some-
thing startled the man, and he turned and discovered a
woman lying at his feet. “Who are you?”he asked. “I
am your servant Ruth,” she said. “Spread the corner
of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-
redeemer.” “The LORD bless you, my daughter,” he
replied. “This kindness is greater than that which you
showed earlier: You have not run after the younger
men, whether rich or poor. And now, my daughter,
don’t be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All my
fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of noble
character. Although it is true that I am near of kin,
there is a kinsman-redeemer nearer than I. Stay here
for the night, and in the morning if he wants to re-
deem, good; let him redeem. But if he is not willing, as
surely as the LORD lives I will do it. Lie here until
morning. So she lay at his feet until morning, but got
up before anyone could be recognized; and he said,
“Don’t let it be known that a woman came to the
threshing floor.” He also said, "Bring me the shawl
you are wearing and hold it out.” When she did so, he
poured into it six measures of barley and put it on her.
Then he went back to town”• (Ruth 3:7-15). Here
Ruth has gleaned from Boaz’s fields, drank from his
water jars, and now she goes to him with an offer of
marriage, an old custom asking him to cover her with
his tallit. Have you been gleaning from the precious
word of God? Have you been drinking deeply from
the water jars of God’s Holy Spirit? Have you set your
life in order? Are you ready for a offer of marriage to
Jesus Christ? Are you ready to ask Him to cover you
with His Tallit? Pentecost is the Feast of the Wed-
ding? Are you ready for an encounter with the Living
Jesus Christ? Come to Pentecost and ask Him to cover
you with His tallit.
~Bill Schults
Do not cast me
from your
presence or take
your Holy Spirit
from me.
Psalm 51:11
Summer 2012 21
When John the Baptist
came to prepare the way
for the Lord, one of the
messages He preached was the Baptism of the Holy
Spirit. While preaching near the Jordan River, John
the Baptist said, “I baptize you with water. But one
more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose
sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you
with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (The Holy Bible,
New International Version, Luke 3:16). This Baptism
of the Holy Spirit was so important that people had to
know about it before the Messiah’s ministry began! In
fact, it is one of the reasons that Jesus came down to
earth - to Baptize us with the Holy Spirit. If we ne-
glect this, then we are neglecting one of the reasons
Christ came! John even asked for it when He was pre-
paring to baptize Jesus in water (Matthew 3:13-14).
After Jesus died and resurrected, He spoke to His dis-
ciples about this Baptism in Acts 1:4-8. In this chap-
ter, Jesus spoke to the disciples for about 40 days after
His resurrection. He spoke to them about the Kingdom
of God, and one of the key aspects of that Kingdom
He told them about was the Baptism of the Holy
Spirit. Think about this for a moment: Of all the King-
dom topics that Jesus spoke about in a 40-day period,
the one that God chose to be in your Bible has to do
with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit! This Baptism of
the Holy Spirit was so important that He told them to
tarry until it had been poured out upon them. It was so
important that they could not go anywhere until they
had received it. It is so important that we should not
go anywhere without it as well!
The disciples tarried
in Jerusalem, and on
the day of Pentecost
in Acts 2 this Bap-
tism of the Holy
Spirit was poured out. This event is also referred to as
being filled with the Spirit. Just as water Baptism is an
immersion in water, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is
an immersion in God’s Spirit. It is literally a complete
infilling of God’s Spirit to the point of overflowing.
This is why Jesus compared it to a river flowing out of
you in John 7:37-38. When this event happens, the
Spirit of God literally wells up, flows out of you, and
into your surroundings. In Acts 2, this infilling of the
Holy Spirit was accompanied by the evidence of that
infilling and overflowing - speaking in tongues. There
has been much controversy about this topic over the
years, but the purpose of this article is to remove any
confusion! Many people confuse this manifestation of
tongues for all believers with the spiritual gift of
tongues in I Corinthians 12. There is actually a huge
difference. I Corinthians 12 is a chapter on nine spiri-
tual gifts, and one of the gifts listed is called “different
kinds of tongues” or “divers kinds of tongues.” In the
Greek language, this phrase means a different kind of
tongue than what normally manifests. This language
indicates that there is a form of tongues for all believ-
ers but that some believers will have
an additional manifestation of
tongues that is of a different kind.
This is further confirmed by God’s
Word. To understand how, consider
that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is
also referred to as the Promise of the
Holy Spirit. Jesus, in Acts 1:4-5, re-
fers to the Baptism of the Holy
Spirit as the Promise of the Father.
Peter refers to it as a promise in Acts 2:33 when he
describes how the disciples were filled with the Spirit
and spoke in tongues. He refers to it again in Acts
2:38-39: “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized,
every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift
of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your
children and for all who are far off—for all whom the
Lord our God will call.” The promise of the Baptism
of the Holy Spirit is for all who are called. It is not just
for a specific type of church or group of people, but
for everyone the Lord calls. The language used here is
much different than the language used in I Corinthians
12 describing the nine gifts of the Spirit. In Acts 2:38-
39, Peter says that these gifts are for all who are
called. This means everyone. In I Corinthians 12, we
are told that the gifts are distributed among the Body
of Christ. This means that not every believer will have
every spiritual gift. This means that God wants every
believer, including you, to have the Baptism of the
Holy Spirit and speak in tongues, but He may also
give a special, separate gift of speaking in an addi-
tional kind of tongue to some believers.
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit
22 PURSUIT
The purpose of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is to set
you on fire for God and his Kingdom work. The
tongues that flow out of this experience is a personal
language just between you and the God of the Uni-
verse. It is expressed by speaking, praying, or singing
in a language known to you and Him. This Baptism
melts your heart of stone and ignites zeal in your heart
and mind to seek the Kingdom of God. It creates a
new love in your heart for God and for other people.
This gift is for every believer in Jesus Christ and will
be given freely to all who ask (Luke 11:5-13). This
Baptism is for you and I, especially in the last days!
Works Cited:
All Scripture notations, unless otherwise noted, come
from The Holy Bible. The New International Version.
International Bible Society. Grand Rapids, Michigan:
Zondervan Bible Publishers, 2002. Print.
~Kelly McDonald
Therefore, since we have been
justified through faith, we have
peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ, through who we have
gained access by faith into this
grace in which we now stand. And
we rejoice in the hope of the glory
of God. Not only so, but we also
rejoice in our sufferings, because we
know that suffering produces
perseverance; perseverance,
character; and character, hope. And
hope does not disappoint us, because
God has poured out his love into our
hearts by the Holy Spirit whom he
has given us
Romans 5: 1-5
Summer 2012 23
Meet Hungry Hearts of Lonerock, Wisconsin
Passover 2012
Congregational Leader:
Starlet Joles
24 PURSUIT
Mark Your Calendar: October 1st-8th
Request a copy the
Tabernacles 2012 Feast Planning Guide today at
Feast of Tabernacles 2012
The Worshippers Feast
Jackson, TN
