FAQ: On what day does the CGG keep Pentecost?
We keep the day of Pentecost on the 50th day following the Sabbath that occurs during the Days of Unleavened Bread (see Leviticus 23:15). However, once in every nine years (on average) an unusual phenomenon occurs. The Sabbath that occurs within the Feast of Unleavened Bread falls on the last day of Unleavened Bread. On these years, many churches count Pentecost from the first day of Unleavened Bread (a Sunday), even though the Sabbath from which they count occurs on the day of the Passover, which is not part of the Feast. In these years, we count from the next Sabbath, which does fall within the Feast of Unleavened Bread, causing Pentecost to occur one week later. This method of counting to Pentecost is in accord with all the biblical instruction regarding Pentecost, its counting, and the requirements for the wave sheaf offering. This phenomenon happens again in 2008.
Additional Reading:
Countdown to Pentecost 2001
Wavesheaf Requirements and Joshua 5
The Wavesheaf and the Selfsame Day
Do Little Things Not Count?
Pentecost, Consistency, and Honesty
The Wavesheaf Offering
Does Doctrine Really Matter? (Part 6)
Pentecost Revisited: Counting Consistently
Pentecost Revisited (Part Two): Joshua 5
