Steve Coerper (29
May 2009)
"Re: WE KNOW THAT THE' RAPTURE IS ON PENTECOST' BUT 'WHEN IS PENTECOST' ?"
I checked out the site and I don't think it's authoritative.
Firstfruits
is calculated from the new moon after the vernal equinox. Neither
of those points depends on the Gregorian calendar. As I
understand it, the numbering of the days shifted by ten with the
calendar correction in 1752, but the sequence of the days was
unaffected. In other words, Wednesday September 2nd was followed
by THURSDAY, September 14th. They didn't count forward twelve
days and designate September 14th as a Monday. This preserves the
order of the days from antiquity.
This means the order of
the days in Biblical times has stayed the same. And this means
the calculation of Pentecost was unaffected by the calendar
change. Pentecost was and remains the day after the seventh
sabbath following the weekly sabbath after Unleavened Bread. And
since this year is a "year of perfect order" we see Nisan 10 on the
first day of the week, Passover on the 14th, Unleavened Bread on the
15th, a weekly sabbath on the 16th, and Firstfruits on the 17th.
Fifty days after the weekly sabbath brings us to Sunday, May 31st.
The
question of the correct date for Shavuot/Pentecost arises from a
dispute between the Pharisees and the Sadducees regarding which sabbath
is in view from which the 50 days are calculated, since Passover week
has two sabbaths: Unleavened Bread being the "high" sabbath and
the day after that being the weekly sabbath. The Sadducees got
this one right, it appears. But even if not, it moves Pentecost
only one day.
We'll know the answer to that in less than 40 hours.
Very best,
Steve