The 10 Commandments and God’s Way of Life. Christ’s Example of Sabbath Observance. Statin Muscle Toxicity.

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The 10 Commandments and God’s Way of Life

“Our Creator God knows what is good for us and what is bad for us. What does the Bible tell us God wants us to do? Why did God give the 10 Commandments?

God knows what is good and bad for us, and He has recorded this information in the Bible to save us from the heartache and suffering that the wrong choices—what the Bible calls sins—bring.

But humanity as a whole has chosen to try to discover right and wrong by trial and error. Even worse, most people choose to experiment for themselves, not even learning from the mistakes of others!

The 10 Commandments show the right way

Jesus Christ summarized the right way in two great commandments: Love for God and love for others (Matthew 22:37-40 ). This basic approach is further defined by the great law God thundered from Mount Sinai—the 10 Commandments.

The rest of the Bible further magnifies the holy, just and good law of God. It reveals a way of life that produces great benefits in this life and that Jesus said is a prerequisite to entering eternal life (Matthew 19:17 ).

How can we know how to love God except He tells us? How can we avoid the pitfalls of human relationships unless we accept the wisdom revealed in God’s law?

And how can we know what sin is unless God defines it? In 1 John 3:4 sin is defined: “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” The Contemporary English Version translates this as “sin is the same as breaking God’s law.”

Importance of the 10 Commandments as guardrails

Many seem to think of the laws of the Bible as burdensome and restrictive. But the apostle John shows the opposite:

“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3).

God’s commandments are expressions of His love for us, and obeying them allows us to show we appreciate that and love Him in return. So instead of viewing them as burdensome, we can look at the 10 Commandments as the protective guardrails that can help guide us away from going over the edge of the cliff.

God’s laws show the way to good relationships and eternal peace and joy. Breaking God’s laws does the opposite—damaging relationships and causing unhappiness, conflict, suffering and ultimately death.

God’s commandments are not complicated or convoluted, like so many of man’s laws are. But they can guide us in all areas of life and provide a structure for understanding the other complementary teachings of the Bible.

Disagreements about the 10 Commandments

Some argue that Christ’s death did away with the need to obey the 10 Commandments. But if they honestly look at each commandment, the vast majority wouldn’t say that it is okay to kill, commit adultery, steal or lie. They wouldn’t advocate for blasphemy or idolatry or covetousness. Generally, the only commandment most object to is the Sabbath command.

But did Jesus, the “Lord of the Sabbath,” who said it was made for our benefit (Mark 2:27-28), really repeal the Sabbath commandment? See more about this in our article “Lord of the Sabbath” and related articles.

Different numbering of the 10 Commandments for Jews, Catholics and Protestants

One other disagreement should be mentioned here—how they are numbered. The Bible itself doesn’t number the 10 Commandments, but it does tell us there are 10 in Exodus 34:28 and Deuteronomy 10:4. This is also reflected in the Greek word that came into English as Decalogue.

But you may notice that different religions number those same commandments differently. We follow the numbering also used by most Protestant groups. But many Jewish resources will show Exodus 20:2 as the First Commandment, while we consider that verse a prologue since it doesn’t include a command. These resources then combine verse 3 (which we call the First Commandment) and verses 4-6 (which we call the Second Commandment). From there, the numbering matches the way we list them.

The Catholic numbering combines the ones we call the First and Second Commandments, calling the combination the First Commandment. From there, their numbering is one less than the list we use. For example, in the Catholic list, the Sabbath command is called the Third Commandment, rather than the Fourth Commandment in our list.

To come up with 10, the Catholic list breaks the law against coveting into two parts. For Catholics, the Ninth Commandment is to not covet your neighbor’s wife. The 10th Commandment is to not covet your neighbor’s goods.

Considering that coveting your neighbor’s wife does not come first in Exodus 20 (it does in Moses’ retelling of the law in Deuteronomy 5), we believe it makes more sense that the law against coveting is all one commandment.

Of course, the important point is not the numbering or how they are grouped, but making sure none of the commandments are neglected. When the 10 Commandments are only looked at in short form, such neglect is a distinct danger. See “10 Commandments List” for a look at these Jewish and Catholic lists.

Learn more about the 10 Commandments

See more about how God wants us to live—for our own benefit—in this section on “The 10 Commandments and God’s Way of Life.” Articles in this section explore God’s laws and examine the continuity of God’s law between the Old and New Testaments. Articles on each commandment examine the meaning of the 10 Commandments in simple terms and how they apply today.” From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/10-commandments/?

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Christ’s Example of Sabbath Observance

Luke 4:31  Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.

“As we discussed concerning the passages in Mark 1:21 and Mark 6:2, Jesus Christ’s custom was to observe the Sabbath. The Bible teaches us to follow Christ’s example and to walk as He walked (1 Peter 2:21; 1 John 2:6).

The apostle John explained: “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). So why do so few Christians follow Christ’s example of keeping the Sabbath commandment? Why do so many neglect this gift from God?

For more about what Jesus Christ expects of His followers, see our article “How to Keep the Sabbath Holy.”       From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/christs-example-of-sabbath-observance/?

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Statin Muscle Toxicity

Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the video at https://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/

“Video updated 3/5/2012 to reflect new FDA warning labels citing risks of confusion, memory loss, new onset diabetes, and muscle injury. Even people who don’t experience pain or weakness on cholesterol-lowering statin drugs may be suffering muscle damage.”

“Last week, February 28, 2012, the FDA announced newly mandated safety labeling for cholesterol-lowering statin drugs—such as Lipitor, Mevacor, Crestor, Zocor, and Vytorin. The FDA issued new side effect warnings regarding the increased risk of brain-related side effects, such as memory loss and confusion, an increase in blood sugar levels, and risk of new onset diabetes associated with taking this class of drugs. 

One prominent cardiologist described the Faustian bargain to the Wall Street Journal. Apparently, “1 to 2 out of 100 patients at risk for a heart attack will avoid one” by taking statins. But research now suggests for every 200 people taking a statin, 1 will develop diabetes. 

Wouldn’t it be great if there were some way to lower the risk of heart attacks and diabetes at the same time?

First, let me address the third side effect newly addressed by the FDA: the risk of muscle injury. We’ve known that about 1% to 5% of patients suffer enough muscle damage to cause pain and overt weakness, but only about 1 in 6,000,000 or 7,000,000 actually suffers enough muscle damage to kill them. It’s called fatal rhabdomyolysis, where your muscles break down so rapidly your urine starts looking like this, as you literally start peeing your muscles down the toilet. Then your kidneys fail, and you die.

But that’s like winning the lottery chances. There’s a 1 in 2 chance we’ll die of heart disease—so, no surprise Lipitor is the #1 prescribed drug on the planet Earth.

But then, this study was published. Normally, if you have muscle pain on a statin, you go to a doctor, and they take blood to see if you have elevated levels of muscle breakdown products in your bloodstream. Now if you don’t, they basically say, oh, it’s all in your head—go home, keep taking your medicine.

What these researchers did, though, was they instead took these people, and got muscle biopsies, and proved that even though their blood levels were normal, they were indeed suffering muscle damage. The damage just wasn’t leaking into their bloodstream. Well, if that’s the case, if you can’t pick it up with the test, maybe everyone taking statins is suffering muscle damage—whether they’re experiencing pain or not.

And that’s exactly what they found. Clear evidence of skeletal muscle damage in statin-treated patients—all statin-treated patients. This is what a muscle is supposed to look like under a microscope. This is your muscle; this is your muscle on statin drugs.

But, the degree of overall damage was slight. Most people don’t even feel any pain with statins, so what’s the big deal?

This is the big deal. New study on statin therapy, muscle function, and falls risk. Hundreds of older men and women followed for a few years, and those who were on statins suffered greater declines in muscle strength and muscle quality, and greater increases in falls risk.

So we don’t want to be taking this drug unless we really need it. The problem is, because heart disease remains our #1 killer, most everyone does need to take a statin drug like Lipitor every day for the rest of our lives—except for one group. This is from the editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Cardiology: “Only pure vegetarians for practical purposes do not need statins. Most of the rest of us do!”    So, it’s our choice.”            From: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/

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Why is Shavuot Important? Pentecost For Kids. How Much Cancer Does Lunch Meat Cause?

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Shavuot in Scripture: Why is Shavuot Important?

Pentecost is today, Sunday, 28 June, 2023.

“Most Christians today don’t celebrate or are knowledgeable about Jewish (Old Testament) holy days. Yet, there is great benefit to believers in digging into and experiencing the culture and meaning behind the various festivals. Today, we’re looking at why Christians should celebrate Shavuot.

Perhaps you desire to know more or want to connect the Old Testament and New Testament in a way that will help your kids remember it.

Celebrating the Feasts of our Lord is the best teaching tool we as parents and grandparents can use to instill God’s Word, story, and truths in the hearts of our children.

If you have a longing to teach them all that God is and why it matters, this is a great addition to family traditions. I still remember stories that were told to me when I was very young. In fact, in grade school our music teacher was also the music leader at his church. So our musical in 4th grade school was Daniel in the Lion’s Den. I ‘ll never forget those songs or stories.

The same is true today. As we teach God’s Word to our kids – let them sing the stories, read the stories, enact the stories, and celebrate the stories – they too will never forget. I hope you agree that these are great reasons as to why Christians should celebrate Shavuot.

Shavuot In Scripture

Let’s turn to the Bible for a moment. In Scripture, Shavuot is known as “the Feast of Weeks.” Later, in the New Testament, it becomes Pentecost. The following Bible verses show us what the Bible says about this special feast.

Exodus 34:22  You shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks, that is, the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.

Numbers 28:26 ‘Also on the day of the first fruits, when you present a new grain offering to the Lord in your Feast of Weeks, you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work.

Deuteronomy 16:10 Then you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with a tribute of a freewill offering of your hand, which you shall give just as the Lord your God blesses you;

Acts 2:1-4 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.

Now let’s talk about why Shavuot (or Pentecost) matters.

Why Is Shavuot So Important?

Shavuot is one of those favorite stories to relive. God has something important to convey in it and that’s why He set it aside as one of the Feasts of our Lord.

In fact, it was so important that God commanded the Jewish people to come to Jerusalem each year to celebrate Shavuot, also known as the Feast of Weeks.

But why is the festival of Shavuot so important to us today?  Glad you asked.

This is my personal take on Shavuot and why we as Christians should celebrate this Jewish tradition every year.

1. God's Holy Law

Shavuot is a reminder of God’s laws (the ten commandments) written on the tablets of stone. It helps to always be reminded of how God delivered the laws on Mt Sinai and read as a family the verses where the experience was recorded.

And all the people were watching and hearing the thunder and the lightning flashes, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it all, they trembled and stood at a distance. Exodus 20:18   Lightning, flashes, thunder, smoke (fire). Things we can all relate to.

Jewish teachings relay that Moses received the Law on the 50th day after Passover. (Exodus 19:1)

We can also note that when Moses came down from the mountain 40 days later, there was a golden calf waiting for him. The people had rebelled against the God who rescued them out of slavery and sustained them day-to-day and created their own god.

The Lord was understandably angry. On that day around 3,000 Israelites were killed.

God is very serious about His Words and His promises!

2. Promise Delivered

We see Shavuot celebrated in the book of Acts as the disciples, who were Jews, plus many more people gathered together.

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a noise like a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And tongues that looked like fire appeared to them, distributing themselves, and a tongue rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with different tongues, as the Spirit was giving them the ability to speak out. Acts 2:1-4

This experience told to us by Luke is an example of God delivering on His promise from the book of John.

…but an hour is coming and now is when true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth for such people the Father seeks to be His worshippers. God is spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4:23-4

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit who the father will send in my name he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you! John 14:26

That is reason enough to celebrate the Feast of Weeks – Shavuot!

We need reminders of what God has given us. We need the Holy Spirit to bring to remembrance all that God’s Word teaches us.

Jesus the Messiah delivered on His promise! And He is still delivering on His promises today.

Shavuot is about deliverance from bondage and also deliverance from the evils of this world. These are amazing promises of the Lord!

The Feast of Weeks is celebrating God’s faithfulness in maintaining His covenant and fulfilling His promises. There’s a distinct connection between fulfilled promises of the Lord and Pentecost, when Shavuot begins, in the early church.

This particular Pentecost, or Shavuot, is when God gave the law written in the hearts of the people through the Holy Spirit.

3. Languages

In my upbringing, we rarely talked about the early disciples’ Pentecost experience because it brought up the hard-to-answer question about ‘tongues’.

This is not hard to explain when it’s learned in the context and original language of the time.

When God delivered the tablets of stone – the laws – in Exodus 20:18,  it says “the people perceived the thunder and lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking and when the people saw it they trembled and stood at a distance.”

This thundering is each person hearing God’s voice.  The Israelites on the mountain were hearing God speak.

The tongues in Acts are the languages to spread the Gospel to all peoples.  The people outside the room where the disciples were being given the gift of the Holy Spirit heard the Gospel for the first time in their own language.  People traveled from miles around, there would have been people in Jerusalem from all over. Some authorities say there could have been a million people in Jerusalem that day.  The sound coming from the room to the outside was the Gospel and those hearing it were being saved in their own language.  Around 3,000 were saved that day.

It was never about confusion. That’s a misinterpretation. Tongues mean languages. It was and always is about the Gospel. And the people who needed to hear it. Heard it in their language. Today we have the power of the Holy Spirit to share the Gospel with all people. God will supply the words. We are not to let nationalities or languages cause us to hesitate our call.

4. Thanksgiving

Shavuot is a feast of thanksgiving. Thanking God for the harvest, historically wheat and barley. People bring gifts as a sacrifice, gifts from their produce.  We too need to celebrate with a feast of thanksgiving.  Thanking God for the complete assurance of salvation by grace through faith in Christ Jesus.  Gratitude for the gift of the Holy Spirit, who is our helper. Celebrating Shavuot helps us teach our kids about the Holy Spirit and how He guides us on a daily basis.

Are you interested in learning more about the feasts of the Lord and how we can celebrate them?

For free celebration guides, devotionals, decor ideas, activities for kids, and quick, easy teachings on each feast (including Shavuot), click here.

5. Leaven

At Passover, we removed all the leaven from the home. (Leaven represents sin in our lives.)  During Shavuot, we’re given new leaven.  Leaven also means teachings.

Yeshua (Jesus) explained that leaven represents teachings and we are not to learn from the Pharisees, who focus on traditions and doctrines. Instead, we’re to learn from God’s Word. In the first chapter of the Treasures of Healthy Living Bible Study, we discuss how there’s as much to unlearn as there is to learn. As we study scriptures for ourselves and teach our kids to do the same, the Holy Spirit guides us. There are many gifted and blessed teachers we can learn from. Yet the Word is always the final authority.

Celebrate Shavuot

As we celebrate Shavuot, it doesn’t have to be in the traditional Jewish nature.  We celebrate with music, singing, sharing praises, enjoying a feast, fellowship, and reading the story of Ruth with some fun antics added in.  Then we pray for our nation and for Israel.  Consider Acts 2:42-43: They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship to breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.

Later, in chapter 3, a man was healed. And leaping up, he stood and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God. Acts 3:8-9  This is why we celebrate the Feasts of Our Lord. We are to live in such a way that people say, “Times are hard. Why are you walking and leaping and praising God?”

Our world can be chaotic and worrisome. Just in the most recent times our gas was shut down, we have COVID fear, and bombs are going off in Israel. There are always a host of hard, painful, and tragic things occurring in this broken, fallen world. Yes, I know these things. I don’t ignore them, but I know the God who knows all and loves me beyond all measure. That He is still good and He is still in control.

Therefore, I’m going to walk and leap and praise God. The Bible isn’t just great stories. It’s Jesus in real time. And because of Him, we rejoice in His Word, His revelation, His redemption, and so much more.

Shavuot is another great opportunity to take a break from our normal routines and set aside special time to remember and celebrate God’s faithfulness.

Are you ready to celebrate Shavuot with your family? I hope and pray so!”  From: https://thebiblicalnutritionist.com/why-christians-celebrate-shavuot/

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See also: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/plan-of-salvation/pentecost/from-pentecost-to-pentecostalism/

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“Almost 2,000 years ago, on the Day of Pentecost, God gave His Church a powerful gift: His very Spirit.

We may not have visible tongues of fire on our heads today, but

with God’s Spirit we can miraculously transform our hearts and

minds daily and take on God’s character.”

“Learn about the significance of the wave sheaf offering

and its connection to the festival of Pentecost.”

“Refresh your understanding on what it means to be

a “firstfruit” and on what the character of a firstfruit

looks like.”

“Discover the power that can guide and direct us daily,

enabling us to have the mind of Christ.”

“Have a refreshing and joyous Feast of Pentecost!”

Join other parents, grandparents and guardians to discuss how they are using the EEI Parenting Manual to teach their children in our Facebook Group.

From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/learning-center/youth-development/the-word-of-god/feast-of-pentecost/?

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How Much Cancer Does Lunch Meat Cause?

“Why does the leading cancer and diet authority recommend we avoid bacon, ham, hot dogs, sausage, and all other processed meats—including chicken and turkey?

How many years of life are lost to potentially preventable cancers? Every year, more than five million expected years of life are lost to lung cancer, breast cancer, and colorectal cancer alone. Therefore, identifying and improving strategies for prevention of cancer remains a priority, especially since not more than 2% of all human cancer is attributable to purely genetic factors. The rest involve external factors such as our diet.

The most comprehensive summary of evidence on diet and cancer ever compiled recommends we should eat mostly foods of plant origin to help prevent cancer. This means centering one’s diet around plant foods. Not just whole grains and beans every day, but every meal.

And, when it came to foods that may increase cancer risk, they were similarly bold. Unlike many other dietary guidelines that wimp out, and just advise people to “moderate” their intake of bad foods, like eat less candy. The cancer guidelines didn’t mince words when it came to the worst of the worst. For example, don’t just minimize soda intake, avoid it. Don’t just cut back on bacon, ham, hot dogs, sausage, and lunch meats, but avoid processed meats, period, because data do not show any level of intake that can confidently be shown not to be associated with risk.

Processed meat cannot only be thought of as a powerful multi-organ carcinogen, but may increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Red meat was bad, but processed meat was worse, and that included white meat, like chicken and turkey slices. So, with more heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, it’s no surprise processed meat consumption has been associated with increased risk of death.

In Europe, they calculated that reduction of processed meat consumption to less than 1/4 a hot dog a day [sic – – should be half a hot dog] would prevent more than 3% of all deaths.

This was the second largest prospective study ever done on diet and cancer, a study of more than 400,000 people. The largest ever, 600,000, was done here in the US, the AARP study. They found the preventable fraction to be much higher, suggesting, for example, that 20% of heart disease deaths among women could be averted if the highest consumers cut down to like less than a half strip of bacon a day.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.

DOCTOR'S NOTE

“The World Health Organization recently published a report that puts chicken nuggets, deli turkey slices, bacon and other processed meats in the same category as cigarettes and asbestos: known carcinogens. According to independent research cited by the WHO, the deaths of 34,000 people from cancer every year are attributable to diets high in processed meat, in addition to the 800,000 additional deaths due to cases of diabetes and heart disease. That’s a meat-borne epidemic every year.”  From: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-cancer-does-lunch-meat-cause/

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More on processed meat can be found in videos such as:

• How to Avoid Phosphate Additives
• Autopsy of Chicken Nuggets
• Bacon, Eggs, and Gestational Diabetes During Pregnancy
• Why Is Meat a Risk Factor for Diabetes?
• The Palatability of Cancer Prevention
• Meat Industry Reaction to New Cancer Guidelines
• How Much Cancer Does Processed Meat Cause?
• IARC: Processed Meat Like Bacon Causes Cancer

But cancer risk has been associated with unprocessed meat as well via a variety of potential mechanisms:

• PhIP: The Three Strikes Breast Carcinogen
• Meat Fumes: Dietary Secondhand Smoke
• How Many Cancers Have Been Caused by Arsenic-Laced Chicken?
• Prevent Cancer from Going on TOR
• Starving Cancer with Methionine Restriction
• Zeranol Use in Meat and Breast Cancer

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What was Pentecost in the Old Testament? Pentecost Proves the Sabbath. Can Pesticides Be Rinsed Off?

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What Does Pentecost Mean?

“Pentecost, (Sunday, May 28th, this year) has special meaning for people of all nationalities and backgrounds. It marks the beginning of the Church, the gift of the Holy Spirit and more.

Pentecost is a festival observed by Catholics, Protestants, Jews and the Church of God. Many people don’t know the background of this holy day or why these groups often celebrate it on different days.

Within mainstream Christianity (Catholics and Protestants alike), many congregations recognize the biblical teaching that Pentecost was the day the Holy Spirit was first given to Christians. They consider it, in effect, to be the birthday of the New Testament Church.

Some congregations, however, give no special attention to this festival. The reasons some within mainstream Christianity choose not to observe Pentecost vary.

Some suggest that there are so many events in church history and on church calendars that it is hard to know which ones to observe. Others don’t celebrate Pentecost because of an uneasy feeling about anything connected with charismatics, who mistakenly believe it is necessary to recreate the supernatural events of the first Pentecost today.

In this article, let’s consider what the Bible teaches us about this day and some of the questions surrounding it.

What was Pentecost in the Old Testament?

Pentecost is one of the annual holy days God revealed to the ancient Israelites.

The seven feasts of the Lord are found in Leviticus 23. They are Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks (called Pentecost in the New Testament), the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles and the Eighth Day.

Some people refer to these observances as the feasts of the Jews. But, while God did indeed give these to Israel, including the Jewish people, it is important to note that God says, “These are My feasts” (Leviticus 23:2), and that Moses referred to them as “the feasts of the LORD” (verse 44).

What we note from these passages is that Pentecost is a feast of God. These festivals do not belong solely to the Jews. They are God’s feasts and are to be observed by His people, no matter what their nationality or ethnic background might be.

What does Pentecost mean in Greek?

Pentecost holds an interesting distinction among God’s commanded holy days. Of all the annual observances given by God to the ancient Israelites, this is the only one that has been commonly known to Christians since the first century by its Greek name—Pentecost, meaning “the fiftieth day” (Thayer’s Greek Definitions).

“The fiftieth day” is related to the name of the festival in the Old Testament—the Feast of Weeks (Exodus 34:22; Numbers 28:26; Deuteronomy 16:10)—and the way the date of its observance was determined. God’s instructions were to “count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath” and that day was to be proclaimed “a holy convocation” (Leviticus 23:16, 21).

The Feast of Weeks was also called “the Feast of Harvest” in Exodus 23:16, because it was associated with firstfruits—the early part of a harvest and the first harvest of the year in Canaan.

As Numbers 28:26 says, “Also on the day of the firstfruits, when you bring a new grain offering to the LORD at your Feast of Weeks, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work.”

Pentecost: what happened?

Consider the events that led up to the momentous Pentecost of Acts 2.

Three days and three nights after His crucifixion, Jesus rose from the dead, and during the next 40 days He appeared multiple times to His disciples (Acts 1:3).

In addition to talking to them about the Kingdom of God, Jesus Christ told them to wait in Jerusalem because “you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:4-5).

Just a few days later, as His disciples assembled in Jerusalem to observe Pentecost, Christ’s promise that they would receive “power from on high” came true (Luke 24:49). As the Holy Spirit descended upon His faithful followers, it appeared as tongues of fire, and His disciples began to miraculously speak in foreign languages (Acts 2:3-4).

These awesome events on the Day of Pentecost in A.D. 31 launched the New Testament Church. That same day an additional 3,000 people responded to a moving message by the apostle Peter. They repented of their sins, were baptized and then received the Holy Spirit.

From this amazing beginning, the Church of God began to rapidly expand throughout the Roman Empire.

What Pentecost means today

Pentecost is an annual festival commemorating the beginning of the New Testament Church of God. Even more important, it is a reminder for each of us that God’s Holy Spirit is now available to all who repent of their sins, are baptized, and continue to follow and obey Him (Acts 5:32).

As Peter explained almost 2,000 years ago, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

There is still another meaning to Pentecost that is overlooked by many because they don’t understand that God’s plan of salvation for mankind has several stages.

The concept of firstfruits—the first part of a harvest—was an integral part of the Old Testament observance of this festival, and it continues to have meaning for us today. God must first call people before they can repent of their sins and receive the Holy Spirit, which identifies them as Christians who will receive eternal life.

Jesus emphasized this point, saying, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44).

Those who are called by God during this present age and who respond to God’s call are the “firstfruits” of His plan of salvation for mankind. They have a part in preparing for an even greater harvest of people to follow.

Our merciful God, who wants all to be saved, has planned more than one time or age for humans to be called and have their opportunity for salvation. God determines when each person will be given the opportunity for salvation.

How is Pentecost calculated?

Although many religions observe Pentecost, albeit with different names and meanings, they celebrate it on different dates.

• Judaism observes Shavuot on Sivan 6, according to the Hebrew calendar.
• Mainstream Christianity observes Pentecost on the 50th day after Easter, inclusive of both days.
• The Church of God observes this holy day on the 50th day starting with the Sunday during the Days of Unleavened Bread.

Why are there so many variations in calculating this festival?

How most churches calculate Pentecost

The reason for mainstream Christianity’s date for Pentecost is pretty obvious to students of history. It’s connected with the change from the biblical Passover to Easter.

The misguided, breakaway version of Christianity, which separated itself from the original Christianity founded by Jesus and His disciples, changed Passover to Easter (the name of a pagan goddess of spring and fertility). At the same time, they also changed its date and meaning.

Those who celebrate all seven feasts of the Lord and rehearse their meanings each year continually find deeper meaning in them. Although there is no biblical directive to observe Easter, the leaders of this church decided that they would observe it to honor the resurrection of Jesus—rather than observe the biblical Passover to commemorate the death of Christ.

This version of Christianity set the method for calculating Easter so it could not fall on Passover.

Although this may not have been the direct intent of the calculation, other decrees by the Catholic Church clearly show that anti-Semitism was a driving force behind their reasons for abandoning worship on Saturday and the traditional, annual observance of Passover on the 14th day of the first month of the Hebrew calendar (Leviticus 23:5). Their founders despised the Jews and didn’t want their religion to look similar to that of the Jews.

How most Jews calculate Pentecost (Shavuot)

In the first century, when Jesus’ followers observed Pentecost and received the Holy Spirit, there is no mention in the Bible of any concern or disagreement over the date. Yet there were multiple Jewish sects—including the Sadducees and Pharisees—who had differing beliefs and practices.

The Sadducees, who were members of the priestly sect, were in charge of the temple and the worship that occurred there. But, as the Encyclopaedia Britannica explains, “The Sadducees and Pharisees were in constant conflict with each other, not only over numerous details of ritual and the Law but most importantly over the content and extent of God’s revelation to the Jewish people” (“Sadducee”).

In addition to their disagreements over whether there could be a resurrection, angels and spirit (Acts 23:8), these competing sects differed in how they understood the instructions for calculating Pentecost found in Leviticus 23.

The Encyclopaedia Judaica says, “The Sadducees (and later the Karaites) understood the term ‘Sabbath’ in these verses [Leviticus 23:11, 15, 16] literally, hence, for them Shavuot always falls on a Sunday” (1971, Vol. 14, p. 1319, “Shavuot”).

But after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in A.D. 70, the Pharisaic beliefs became the predominant teaching of Judaism. The way most Jews now calculate Shavuot is to count 50 days from the annual Sabbath of Passover (as the Jews call the first day of Unleavened Bread). This leads to a fixed calendrical date of Sivan 6 each year.

How the Church of God calculates Pentecost

The Church of God carefully follows the biblical instruction in Leviticus 23:16 to “count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath.”

Since the word Sabbath in this verse clearly refers to the weekly Sabbath rather than an annual Sabbath, we understand that the Sabbath that comes before the count to 50 must also be a weekly Sabbath—not an annual Sabbath.

The Church also notes that if God intended the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost, as it is known today, to be observed on a fixed date (Sivan 6), He could have inspired that date to be recorded in Scripture. All the other holy days have fixed dates, and Pentecost could have been designated on a fixed date as well—if that were God’s intent.

Instead, the scriptural account emphasizes that Pentecost has to be counted each year. The reason is that the day of the week when the Days of Unleavened Bread begin varies from year to year. By counting 50 days beginning with the Sunday during the Days of Unleavened Bread (as designated by Scripture), we always come to Sunday.

What does Pentecost mean for you?

Those who celebrate all seven feasts of the Lord and rehearse their meanings each year continually find deeper meaning in them. You can find the dates for Pentecost and other festivals according to the biblical calculation on our “Festival Calendar.”

What will Pentecost mean for you this year? Study more in our article “The Miracle and Meaning of Pentecost.”

What Is Pentecost to the Jews?

In Judaism the festival is called by its Hebrew name, Shavuot. This means weeks or sevens, which alludes to the instruction to count 50 days. This feast occurred during the first harvest of the land, and Jewish tradition says that this day commemorates God giving the ancient Israelites the 10 Commandments on Mount Sinai.

Jews often read the book of Ruth at this time of year. Their reasons for doing so “are that the book takes place at the time of the barley harvest, that Ruth’s assumption of Naomi’s religion reflects the Israelites’ acceptance of the Torah at Sinai, and that King David, who is alleged to have died at this time of year according to rabbinic tradition, is mentioned at the end of Ruth” (“Shavuot 101,” myjewishlearning.com).

What Is Pentecost Sunday?

Pentecost Sunday is the Sunday that many Catholic and Protestant congregations observe as the beginning of the New Testament Church and as the day the Holy Spirit was given. Unfortunately, they do not always do so on the biblically authorized date.

As previously noted, the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost, was to be determined by counting—beginning with the day after the Sabbath—“fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath” (Leviticus 23:15-16).

Since the biblical Sabbath has always been and continues to be on Saturday, the 50th day after counting seven Sabbaths will always be a Sunday.

Although mainstream Christianity gets Pentecost Sunday on the right day of the week, it does not follow the biblical instruction to begin the 50-day count to Pentecost with the Sunday that falls during the Days of Unleavened Bread. Instead, mainstream Christianity begins its count from Easter. Some years (such as 2020) these dates coincide, but many years they do not.”  From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/plan-of-salvation/pentecost/what-does-pentecost-mean/

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Pentecost Proves the Sabbath

“In Leviticus chapter 23, God revealed a series of celebrations to be observed throughout the year. One of them is called Pentecost. It also goes by other names such as Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, and First fruits (of the wheat harvest). It is a unique festival in two aspects. Firstly, it is the only holy day that does not fall on a specific day of the Hebrew Calendar. Instead, we must calculate its timing. Secondly, we must know when the weekly Sabbath occurs.

The verses about this celebration are found in Leviticus chapter 23:15-22. We will look at a few of these verses: “15 And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. 16 Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord…21 And you shall proclaim on the same day that it is a holy convocation to you. You shall do no customary work on it. It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.”

Notice that Pentecost is the day after the seventh weekly Sabbath from Unleavened Bread. This means it always occurs on the first day of the week. Any church body who celebrates Pentecost on Sunday is acknowledging that the true Sabbath is from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. This includes the Catholic Church. Some of their authors and clergy have admitted this!

John Laux, an author of textbooks for Catholic schools, wrote: “If we consulted the Bible only, we should still have to keep holy the Sabbath Day, that is, Saturday, with the Jews, instead of Sunday…” (Laux, p 51).

John Gibbons, a Catholic Cardinal, wrote: “But you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify” (Gibbons, pp 72-73).

The Catholic Church acknowledges the timing of the Biblical Sabbath. Any church that celebrates Pentecost on Sunday reflects the same belief. Pentecost proves the Sabbath.”  From: Pentecost Proves the Sabbath – The Sabbath Sentinel 

Kelly McDonald, Jr, BSA President   www.biblesabbath.org

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Can Pesticides Be Rinsed Off?

“Researchers measure the impact of eating organic on the levels of pesticides in our children.

Produce can be contaminated by manure runoff, and conventional produce may be contaminated with pesticides. We’ve known for years that the 800 million pounds of pesticides used annually in the United States—herbicides, fungicides, insecticides—have clear-cut detrimental effects on farm workers and their families. That’s uncontroversial.

We can even do what are called hand-wipe studies to actually measure the pesticides in the hands of kids in California’s Central Valley. The planes come down and spray this fog. How much exposure urban and suburban and children are getting from food, however, has been unclear, until now. Twice daily, urine samples were taken from 3- to 11-year-olds for more than a year to see how much pesticide is flowing through our kids. These children were nowhere near farms, or fog-spraying planes. And to single out pesticides that were coming from the diet, as opposed to a lawn treatment or something, for two weeks of the year, the kids were put on organic diet. Guess which two weeks those were? So the two times during the year when they ate organic foods, there were undetectable, or nearly undetectable, pesticide residues in their urine, while their little bodies were basically swimming in it the rest of the year.

In my 2000 update, I told everyone about this disturbing study. Vegetarianism during pregnancy associated with having sons with a specific birth defect of the penis called hypospadias. They thought it might have something to do with the phytoestrogens in soy, but that didn’t make any sense since Japan, with the highest per capita soy consumption in the world, did not have high rates of the defect. I guessed that it might be low vitamin B12 levels leading to high homocysteine, which has been related to other birth defects, but we were all wrong.

Finally, though, the mystery seems to have been solved. The researchers reanalyzed the data for clues as to what could be found in the diets of vegetarians compared to meat eaters—other than more good things, like more fruits and vegetables. Unless, there is an endocrine-disrupting fungicide, called vinclozolin, that is sprayed on most of our conventional crops, which we now know causes hypospadias. So, researchers went back and split up the vegetarian moms into two groups: those eating organic produce, and those eating conventional produce. And while the vegetarian women eating conventional produce during pregnancy had indeed higher birth defects rates, there was not a single case in the organic group.

So it seems the hypospadias wasn’t due to vegetarian diets; it was that they were exposing their fetus to more pesticides. Can’t we just rinse our produce off? Well, it’s better than nothing, but this new study looked at three pesticides on apples. Levels start out at 100%. Rinsing seems to take off only about 15% of the pesticides. The only way to really cut down our dose is to peel the apple, eliminating about 85% of the pesticides—but also eliminating much of the nutrition.

So, eat organic foods whenever possible. Organic produce has more vitamins, more minerals, tastes better, stores better, and you get to not be complicit in poisoning farm workers and their families.”  From: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-pesticides-be-rinsed-off/

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.

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