Leviticus 23:1-22
Verses 5-14 always occurs during Passover and the days of Unleavened Bread.
Verses 9-14 Explains the “Wave Sheaf” offering of the Old Covenant.
It was always on the day after the weekly Sabbath during the days of Unleavened Bread. Always on Sunday.
I had never embraced an observance of the Wave Sheaf Offering, since I could not connect anything in the New Covenant to it, other than just only counting to Pentecost.
But now, I see a connection to the New Covenant, and that’s Christ.
Another name for “Wave Sheaf Offering Day” is “Feast of First Fruits”, which is typically use to refer to Pentecost. But it’s important to notice that in Leviticus 23, there was an offering at both the beginning and ending of the 50 day countdown to Pentecost. (But no commanded gathering/Sabbath at the beginning unless it falls on the 1st day of Unleavened Bread.)
:10 The sheaf of new grain is called “the first-fruits”.
1 Corinthians 15:20 Christ is the First-fruit of the harvest of souls.
John 16:7, 17 Christ had to ascend before The Holy Ghost could be given to mankind.
John 14:27-28 Jesus said that He must go to the Father and then come back to the disciples in connection to leaving Peace with them.
John 20:1-29 The resurrection of Christ.
:17 Jesus wouldn’t allow Mary to touch him because He had not yet ascended to The Father in Heaven.
:19-21 In the evening of the 1st day of the week, Sunday, the 1st evening after his resurrection, He says that The Father has sent him, and He says “Peace be with you” as connected to John 14:27 of the coming of The Holy Ghost.
Notice also in verse 19, the doors were shut. He appeared to them despite the doors being shut/locked because of fear of the Jewish leaders. He obviously had been glorified, now being able to appear inside locked rooms.
:22 He breathed The Holy Ghost to the disciples. This was 50 days before Pentecost.
He must have ascended before He could breath The Holy Ghost to anyone.
:27 Thomas allowed to touch him. (Doors locked/shut again.)
Mark 16:1-20 Describes the 1st ascension of Christ, on Sunday, the 1st day after the resurrection.
:14 Notice that He came to them as they were eating and reclining at the table.
But in Acts 1:4-6 He had gathered them. So Acts 1 shows the 2nd and final ascension.
John 12:20-25 Jesus himself spoke of his death and glorification as a grain that dies but thereafter bears fruit (after it springs back to life as a seed.)
Yes Christ ascended twice. First to be offered and glorified. And the second time to remain with The Father until He returns.
What this means to us: 3 things:
1. Now we are able to answer the question about why Jesus would not allow Mary to touch him after the resurrection, but yet He did allow Thomas 8 days after the resurrection.
2. To acknowledge the date of his 1st ascension. But not as a commanded holy day of Sabbath/rest or gathering unless it occurs on the 1st day of Unleavened Bread, which sometimes it does.
3. To always begin the count to Pentecost within the week of Unleavened Bread, even if Passover occurs on the weekly Sabbath. Don’t begin with Sunday after the days of Unleavened Bread ends.
New Moons Clarification:
The 1st day of each new biblical month (New Moon) must occur when the moon is illuminated at least 1%. It’s not visible to the naked eye at less than 1%.
However, the 7th New Moon, Fiesta of Trumpets, of September 19, 2028 is officially only 0.94%. That is so extremely close to 1% that it might be possible to see if the sky is otherwise dark without city lights and under the right conditions of relationship to the sun and atmosphere conditions, etc.
The Fiesta of Trumpets is traditionally known as the “Day that No One Knows”, because it’s the only commanded Holy Day on which the New Moon occurs, and people in ancient times didn’t know for sure if the New Moon would be visible or not. They didn’t have NASA calculations as we do today.
But even if NASA calculations, in 2028, it’s not certain if the moon will be visible on September 19, or if Trumpets will be the 20th, therefore also putting at doubt the date of the Day of Atonement, in which the church will be caught up into Heaven for The Marriage Supper. Thereby fulfilling Jesus’ words that no one knew the hour or the day. He was speaking in the present tense of the time-frame of when He was walking on Earth in the flesh, before He was glorified. He now of course knows the day of his return, and so will the true church, his true bride, won’t be caught unaware. At most, we’ll be only a day off.
Upon further examination, of the moon phase in Jerusalem at sunset on Sept. 19, 2028, https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/location.html says 2% illumination which is visible. This confirms it should be visible despite 0.94% being the “official” statement by NASA and others which is probably based on a different time of day and different time zone.
Upcoming Tomorrow or Later Today:
Corrections to the 2025 Holy Day calendar, and brand new calendars for 2026-2028.