Pentecost is the anniversary of the beginning of Christianity under the New Covenant. It was on Pentecost that God first made His Spirit available to all who would repent—thus beginning the Church, which He commissioned Christ to build (Matthew 16:18). Also, according to a respected Jewish tradition, God gave the ten commandments from Mount Sinai on the Day of Pentecost and covenanted with ancient Israel that they would be His holy people.

After Christ was resurrected He told His disciples “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). In other words Christ gave the disciples and the members of the Church down through the ages the job of preaching the Gospel message to the world. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19)

The Festival of Pentecost annually acknowledges and celebrates the importance of the Church and its work in God’s plan. God’s gift of His Spirit began the fulfillment of the prophecies in Jeremiah 31:31-33 and Ezekiel 36:26-27 which will be completely realised at Christ’s return.

The annual festivals that follow Pentecost point to God’s plan for bringing the rest of humanity to repentance. The aspects of God represented by the first three spring festivals —Passover, Unleavened Bread and Pentecost—have already occurred. But the prophetic implications of the last four festivals, observed in the autumn of each year, are yet to be fulfilled and look forward to prophetic events yet to occur.