Auxano Ministry
By the grace of God I am what I am:
1 Cor. 15:10a
Fully Come to Israel
Pentecost: Part II
Hopefully by now you are seeing Pentecost was a legal feast of Israel and when it had “fully come” it came to and for Israel. Its fulness was a promise by God to Israel and He keeps His promises.
Passover had been completed forever with the true sacrifice. Unleavened Bread, which opens with the Passover meal, was addressed only to those under the Covenant. Unleavened Bread symbolized leaving behind the influence of Egypt. Feast of Firstfruits was completed with the ultimate presentation to God of the perfect sacrifice. Pentecost closes the book on the Spring feasts. A feast of great thankfulness to God for His bounty and His release from bondage. Israel considered Pentecost as a celebration of having received God’s Law at Mount Sinai. Pentecost began as a feast of physical things but its fulness was a spiritual reality.
Acts 2:1a
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come...
The words “fully come” are one word in the Greek, sympleroo. Sympleroo means to fill completely, to be fulfilled, to complete entirely.
What does it mean when we read Pentecost is completely filled?
Basically, it means Pentecost has been fulfilled and will be no more. What Pentecost pointed to had come. All the Spring feasts have been fulfilled and are no longer necessary or celebrated. Unless you are an unbeliever.
Both the Talmud and the historian Josephus called Pentecost Atzeret, which means conclusion. It was the conclusion of Spring feasts and some aspects of the Mosaic Law. But it was the beginning of the end for unrighteousness and those who rejected Jesus Christ.
Remember Deuteronomy, “I set before you life and death and blessing and cursing.” To accept the accomplished work of Jesus Christ was life, to reject his accomplished work was death.
Consider the 67th Psalm, which was read each day between the Feast of Firstfruits and the Feast of Weeks. You do not see it in the English but in the Hebrew language the 67th Psalm has 49 words, the number of days between the feasts.
Psalm 67:1-7
God be merciful unto us and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah. That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations. Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously and govern the nations upon earth. Selah. Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.
You can clearly see in these verses God’s mercy and blessing to Israel, God’s wholeness and deliverance for all nations. God’s righteous judgment in the Revealing Administration and rule in the Millennial Kingdom. Even with the increased population in the Millennial Kingdom the earth will produce God’s bounty. Further you can see Israel’s commission, later given to the apostles by Jesus, to take God’s Word to the nations in the Revealing Administration. No wonder this Psalm was repeated each day between the Feast of Firstfruits and the Feast of Weeks.
Also recognize that as Israel takes the Word of God over the world in the Revealing Administration, they accomplish a promise made to Abraham.
Genesis 22:18
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed because thou hast obeyed my voice.
That is our God, whose goodness leads men to repentance. Even as the wrath of God approaches and Israel is about to enter a covenant with the anti-christ, God moves to offer salvation to all who will change their mind, to all who will repent.
After hearing Peter’s teaching on the day of Pentecost what did some say?
Acts 2:37
Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
Peter answered their cry with directions for salvation.
Acts 2:38
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call.
Be baptized, baptizo, have your identification in Jesus Christ for therein is forgiveness, in Jesus Christ there is life. Reject Jesus Christ and you have the righteous judgment of God.
When shall they receive their remission of sins?
Acts 3:19-21
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
Their sins would be “blotted out,” they would receive remission of their sins when the times of refreshing shall come in the presence of the Lord. When Christ returns and the restitution of all things shall take place.
Help Word-studies defines blotted out as, “properly, to rub (smear) out, i.e., completely remove (wipe away); obliterate; remove totally from a previous state with the outcome of being blotted out (erased)." They go on to say, “eksaleíphō) was used for canceling obligations or entitlements (extended benefits or liabilities).]"
Contrary to what Israel will receive, in the Administration of Grace we are justified the moment we believe.
Romans 3:24-26
Being justified [present tense not future] freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
I have said it before, but it is worth repeating. Christianity has a saying for the word justified.
Just as if I’d never sinned.
Our sins are gone at the moment of belief. We are not under a covenant; we do not have to wait for a covenant to be completed.
The book of Ruth was also read between the Feast of Firstfruits and the Feast of Weeks. Christ is exemplified as the kinsman redeemer in the book of Ruth. I have told you in past teachings that Jesus Christ was the subject of God’s Word beginning with Genesis 3:15.
The actions in the book of Ruth are by Boaz and Ruth but the real subject is how Jesus Christ, as a kinsman to the nation of Israel, would redeem Israel from the hand of the Adversary. In this account you can also see why I do not refer to individual accounts in the Old Testament as stories. Stories are what Aesop told; what Shakespeare wrote. What we have in God’s Word are specific accounts, selected by God, to foretell of the accomplishments of His chosen Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
What is a kinsman redeemer?
A kinsman redeemer is someone who freely accepts the responsibility to deliver another family member who is in distress, apparent trouble, or has great need.
Leviticus 25:25
If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold.
The Law of the kinsman redeemer runs on in the context through the chapter. The law of the kinsman redeemer is at least still spoken of in the days of Jesus as the Sadducees try to trick Jesus with a question about the kinsman redeemer in Luke 20:27-33.
The account, in Ruth, begins with basic information about Naomi and her two daughters-in-law. Naomi’s husband has died, and her two sons have died. She is living in Moab and desires to return to Judah. Naomi tries to send her daughters-in-law away to live their lives but one, Ruth, has a different thought concerning the future.
Ruth 1:16
And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:
Ruth has a tremendous love for her mother-in-law and is not about to leave her on her own. For Ruth to declare. “…thy God my God” is an amazing statement since Ruth is a Gentile of Moab.
Naomi recognizes she has a wealthy relative of her husband’s family and decides to attach herself and Ruth to his fields. Ruth decides to go to the fields of Boaz, the brother of Naomi’s husband, to glean grain so that she and Naomi can eat and live.
Ruth 2:2
And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.
The word translated “corn” in this verse means grain or the head of the grain, the Spring harvests are barley and wheat. Naomi and Ruth have arrived in Judah in time for the barley harvest or the early Spring feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits.
Boaz notices Ruth in the fields and asks for information about the woman. After he is informed about her being with Naomi, Boaz speaks with Ruth about going to no other field.
Ruth 2:10
Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?
Ruth is not just a stranger to Boaz; she is a stranger to Israel and the Mosaic Law being a Gentile.
Ruth 2:11-12
And Boaz answered and said unto her, it hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.
There are some very insightful statements in these verses. First, remember this book is being read as Israel approaches Pentecost.
Boaz is not changing the laws and customs of Israel to fit the Gentile; Ruth is adhering to the Law of Moses. Boaz is not claiming credit to himself, as in “I am so generous,” rather he gives all the glory to the God of Israel. Then finally, Boaz says, “under whose wings thou art come to trust.” This phrase “thou art come” is in the perfect tense making it a completed action in the past and therefore should be translated, “under whose wings you have come to trust.” Ruth followed through on her statement to Naomi back in Moab. Naomi’s God became Ruth’s God.
These words are enlightening considering when Pentecost would come fully for Israel who was to take God’s Word to the world.
The Gentiles will be proselytes, specifically proselytes at the gate, meaning no circumcision. Like Ruth they will have to come to trust the God of Israel. Israel is not to change or water down their doctrine to accommodate the Gentiles, the Gentiles will need to change, to repent. Notice also, the ones who enter a covenant with the anti-christ in the Revealing Administration are the ones still practicing the Law of Moses. When you practice the wrong doctrine for the administration you live in, life becomes confusing and frustrating. Consider how many Christians today practice doctrine from another administration or mix administrations in their doctrine. A Christians walk is hard enough with accurate knowledge.
Back to our account. Ruth continues to glean in the field of Boaz for the remainder of the barely harvest and the wheat harvest after Pentecost.
As time went on Naomi mistook Boaz as her near kinsman, the one who could redeem Naomi and Ruth from their troubles. So, Naomi gave Ruth instructions, according to their customs to propose marriage to Boaz.
Ruth 3:9
And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.
The New International Version translates it better.
Ruth 3:9
“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.”
New International Version
Ruth requests the custom of kinsman redeemer which is for Boaz to marry her and raise up a child to her husband who has died childless. She is asking Boaz to protect her and care for her.
Genesis 38:8
And Judah said unto Onan, go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.
This verse speaks of some of the responsibilities of a kinsman redeemer. To raise up seed, to have a child so that the family name continues in Israel. Boaz is honored with the actions Ruth has taken and describes her as a virtuous woman. But Boaz has surprising information for her. He is not the kinsman her redeemer, there is another before him.
Ruth 3:12
And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I.
So, Boaz went to the city gates the next morning, the place where the city elders may sit and judge, to ask this other kinsman if he will be the kinsman redeemer of Naomi. Although the law of the kinsman redeemer is part of the Mosaic Law, it is not a mandatory aspect of the law.
God gives directions on how to do it correctly and why to do it at all. But to do it…is a choice.
Ruth 4:3-4
And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech's: And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know for there is none to redeem it beside thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it.
So, the other kinsman says he will redeem the land. Yet there is one more part to this equation. Naomi’s daughter-in-law no longer has a husband, so she is part of the redemption, to raise up seed to her deceased husband.
Ruth 4:5-6
Then said Boaz, what day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it.
God does not give us the full reason as to why marriage makes it too much for the other relative. But when marriage to Ruth is revealed, being the redeemer becomes too much for the other relative. Then Boaz, as next in line, declares himself to be the kinsman redeemer.
Ruth 4:9-10
And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi. Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day.
Soon, Boaz and Ruth had a son, and they name him Obed. Obed was the grandfather of David.
Deuteronomy 25:6
And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel.
When the kinsman redeemer was a brother, the child would carry the name of the one who died. But Boaz was the Uncle of Mahlon and thus he could name the child differently. However, the record of this redemption was kept by the elders and so, the name of Elimelech and Mahlon would be remembered in Israel fulfilling the purpose of a kinsman redeemer.
Jesus Christ, by his own choice, is the kinsman redeemer of Israel. He pays the prize for Israel to have her Promised Land. Yes, God, as overall sovereign of heaven and earth, gives this land to Israel. But Adam gave the Adversary a type of squatter’s rights on the earth and Israel walked away from God losing the land God had given. Jesus Christ ends Adam’s agreement and redeems the Promised Land for Israel. Further, Jesus takes Israel as his bride and raises up offspring, heirs of salvation, so that the name of God is honored and remembered.
While there were still things to be fulfilled from the Mosaic Law, for those who believed in Jesus Christ, their redemption and salvation was now fully known.
1 Peter 1:4-5
To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith [pistis = believing] unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Their salvation was ready to be revealed in the last times.
Pentecost was a celebration of how God had provided for the Nation in a bountiful wheat harvest and deliverance from the Adversary’s influence. Pentecost symbolized the bountiful spiritual harvest of redemption.
Deuteronomy 16:10-12
And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the LORD thy God, according as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: And thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to place his name there. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes.
Verse 10 states, “according as the Lord your God has blessed you,” and verse 12 says, remember you were a slave in Egypt.
Pentecost is a remembrance of God’s provision and a release from slavery. Pentecost is the bookend to the three earlier feasts of Spring, completing the picture of Israel’s spiritual freedom and redemption and soon to be restoration of their kingdom.
I say their “soon” restoration of things even though almost two thousand years have passed since Pentecost of 27 A.D. The Revealing Administration would have been, and will be, brief. It will end with the coming of the King, the beginning of the fulfilment of God’s Covenant with David.
The Revealing Administration only appears or seems long because God hid a mystery administration within Himself, the Administration of Grace, our administration. The Administration of Grace has continued now for almost two thousand years but the moment our administration ends God will return to the Revealing Administration. Israel will no longer be held in abeyance when the Administration of Grace ends.
The foundation and doctrine for the Revealing Administration has been set and written in the Gospels, the opening of the book of Acts, and the General Epistles. Once God has gathered together the Body of Christ, the believers from the Administration of Grace, His judgment will be swift against all unrighteousness. The rise of the anti-christ will also be swift for those who have rejected Christ to embrace unrighteousness, and have a longing for the things the anti-christ offers, remain after our departure.
1 John 2:15-16
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
However, they might want to double check those offers of power and wealth. Afterall, the anti-christ does represent the father of lies.
Matthew 24:21-22
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
It is not the 24 hours in a day that will be shorter but the overall duration of the Revealing Administration. Yes, even in those days, which will be the darkest days the world has ever experienced, God, in His great mercy, will shorten the time of this administration for His great love for those who turn to Him. Yes, even though the darkness and torment of these days are self-inflicted through unbelief, God will move to complete His covenant with David.
2 Samuel 7:8-13
Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel: And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth. Moreover, I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them anymore, as beforetime, and as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also, the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house. And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
This Covenant with David is an everlasting covenant brought to pass when Christ returns as King of kings.
Ezekiel 37:21-27
And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all. Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so, shall they be my people, and I will be their God. And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. Moreover, I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
This will be the beginning of the New Covenant, it will be a covenant of peace. This will be the Millennial Kingdom Administration. This is not Acts chapter 2.
Acts chapter 2 rewards the faithful who have believed in Jesus Christ. Then Acts chapter 2 opens the doors of redemption and salvation to those who had rejected Jesus when he walked among them.
This is our God, desiring all men to be saved and come to a True Knowledge.
© Auxano Ministry 2021
All verses quoted in this teaching are from the King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.
A Journey through the Book of Acts
