FROM WEAKNESS TO POWER

Prayer vigil during the fifty days between the Resurrection and Pentecost

”But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Ac 1:8)

Resurrection Sunday on the Christian calendar[i], commemorating the resurrection of Yeshua from the dead, also means the beginning of counting the fifty days between the Resurrection and Pentecost. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul describes the basics of the gospel as follows:

“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.[ii]” (1 Co 15:1-4)

The foundation of the gospel is that Jesus died and rose again according to the Scriptures. In verse 20 Paul then writes about the resurrection of the Messiah: “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” The firstfruits refers to what is written in Leviticus 23:9-11 about the first sheaf that was waved before the Lord in the Temple on “the day after the Sabbath” during Passover:

”And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest, and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, so that you may be accepted. On the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.’”

Then it says about the Feast of Pentecost:

“You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the Lord. You shall bring from your dwelling places two loaves of bread to be waved, made of two tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour, and they shall be baked with leaven, as firstfruits to the Lord.” (Lev 23:15-17)

Passover and Pentecost, which come from the Greek word pentekoste, meaning “fiftieth,” are connected to each other by a count of fifty days from the day after the Sabbath when the sheaf of wave offerings was presented before the Lord.

During Passover, only unleavened bread is eaten, which is a picture of the new life we ​​have received through the resurrection of the Messiah from the dead. “Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” (1 Co 5:7) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Co 5:17) “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Pet 1:3)

It says that when man was created by God, “then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” (Gen 2:7) On the evening of the resurrection day, it says that the Messiah breathed on his disciples. “And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” (Jn 20:22) They received new life through the resurrection of Yeshua.

At Pentecost, according to the Law, leavened bread was presented before the Lord, “two loaves of bread … baked with leaven, as firstfruits to the Lord”. These leavened breads constituted “a grain offering of new grain to the Lord” (Num 28:26) presented as firstfruits to the Lord. The two loaves of bread from the new crop baked with leaven are a picture of the new resurrection life in us that has now had time to grow and mature during the fifty days between Easter and Pentecost.

Luke writes about the fifty days between the resurrection and Pentecost:

“In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, ‘you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’ … When the day of Pentecost arrived [Lit. When the fiftieth day arrived], they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” (Ac 1:1-5; 2:1-4)

Pentecost, the fiftieth day, marks the conclusion of the celebration of the Messiah’s resurrection and the completion and confirmation of the new covenant through the gift of the Holy Spirit. See Heb 8:7-12! “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.” (Eph 1:13)

The disciples' transformation during the fifty days

On the first day, when the resurrection took place, they were doubtful and afraid, locked behind closed doors. Three days before, they had argued with each other about who was the greatest, and then they all broke their word and abandoned their Master. “Then all the disciples left him and fled.” (Mt 26:56) It was a total failure for all of them. And the leader among them had publicly denied his Master no less than three times! The big-mouthed Peter could not even stand up for what he believed before a servant girl!

But step by step they were transformed. After forty days they were all forgiven and restored, a united group, full of faith, seeking God in prayer. It says, “All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer.” (Ac 1:14) After fifty days, the Holy Spirit came upon them and they became bold like young lions, ready to appear before all Israel. They were completely transformed!

During the fifty days between Resurrection and Pentecost, we pray for a mighty transformation in our own lives, where we go from strength to strength, and we also pray for a new outpouring of the Spirit that will transform the church from division and weakness to unity and power in the Holy Spirit!

It is written about the heroes of faith: They “were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.” (Heb 11:34) Paul wrote: “For in [the gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” (Rom 1:17) “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” (2 Co 3:18) It says about God’s people, “They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.” (Ps 84:7)

Here are 9 examples of how the disciples were transformed during the fifty days between the Resurrection and Pentecost:

1. From weakness to power

”… seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, ‘You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.’ But he denied it, saying, ‘I neither know nor understand what you mean.’” (Mk 14:67-68)

”And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.” (Ac 4:33)

2. From fear to boldness

”On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews.” (Jn 20:19)

”But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.” (Ac 2:14)

3. From doubt to faith

”but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. ” (Luk 24:11)

"the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.” (Ac 3:16)

4. From internal strife to loving unity

”A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest.” (Lk 22:24)

”When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. … Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul.” (Ac 2:1; 4:32 NKJV)

5. From ignorance to revelation

”O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!.” (Lk 24:25)

”But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:” (Ac 2:16)

6. From hard hearts to burning hearts

”Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart.” (Mk 16:14)

”And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.” (Ac 2:3)

7. From resignation to an awareness of a divine mission

”Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We will go with you.’” (Jn 21:3)

”one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” (Ac 1:22)

8. From betrayal to faithfulness

”Then all the disciples left him and fled.” (Mt 26:56)

”Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” (Ac 4:19-20)

9. From trusting in themselves to trusting in God

”Peter said to him, ‘Even though they all fall away, I will not.’” (Mk 14:29)

”Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?” (Ac 3:12) 

It is the same radical transformation we are to pray for in ourselves and in the church during these fifty days, so we become powerful witnesses of the resurrection of the Messiah! Let us believe God for answer our prayers! “… you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (Ac 1:5) The fire of the Spirit in our lives makes us invincible! During the fifty days between Passover and Pentecost, we are to pray for a powerful transformation in our own lives and a new baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire!

Counting the Fifty Days

The first sheaf that is brought before the Lord during Passover, “the day after the Sabbath,” is called the Omer in Hebrew. The counting of the fifty days is therefore called the counting of the Omer among the Jews, because it was to begin on that day. The Omer, the sheaf of firstfruits, is a picture of the resurrection of Messiah and his new life in us. He is the Omer. The counting of the Omer is a fifty-day long celebration of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, which is the very foundation of our faith.

“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Co 15:17-20)

Every evening, immediately after sunset during the fifty days, when a new day begins, Jews count these days before the LORD. The traditional ceremony found in all Jewish prayer books looks like this. First, the commandment is quoted:

“I am ready to fulfill the positive commandment of counting the Omer, as it is written in the Torah: ” You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the Lord.” (Lev 23:15–16)

Then follows a prayer from Psalm 90. ”Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!.” (Ps 90:17).

This prayer for blessing is associated with Moses' blessing of the children of Israel when they had built the Tabernacle in the wilderness in obedience to God. ”And Moses saw all the work, and behold, they had done it; as the Lord had commanded, so had they done it. Then Moses blessed them.” (Ex 39:43)

Immediately following the prayer from Psalm 90, is a thanksgiving and praise to God for the privilege of being able to fulfill and obey one of God's commandments.

“Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer Today is ___ days, which is ___ week and ___ day of the Omer.”

After this blessing, the entire Psalm 67 is prayed.

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!

The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!

Messianic Jews add the following prayer:

“We give thanks to You, Father, for our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, who was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by His resurrection from the dead, in order that, just as He was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. May Your Spirit be poured out on us according to Your promise: He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire!”

Psalm 67 is a powerful, prophetic psalm. What happened on the Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem was a fulfillment of the prayers in this psalm. We can imagine that the apostles and disciples prayed this psalm during the ten days before Pentecost in the upper room. From the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, God’s way and his salvation became known among all peoples through the preaching of the gospel. This is what we should pray for in our time as well!

In Jewish Bibles, “Let the peoples praise you, O God” in Psalm 67 is translated as “Let the peoples acknowledge you, O God!” That is what we need to pray for our nations! 

”May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. … O God; let all the peoples acknowledge and praise you! … let all the ends of the earth fear him!”

The church is called to be a light

“The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. … Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.” (Rev 2:1, 5)

Psalm 67 contains in Hebrew, in addition to the introduction, seven verses and 49 words, i.e. as many verses and as many words as the number of weeks and days in the count of the Omer up to Pentecost, the fiftieth day. The introductory words to the psalm express the extra weight associated with this psalm by using four different calls for praise: 1 For the choir director, 2 with stringed instruments. 3 A psalm, 4 a song.

According to an old Jewish tradition, God revealed Psalm 67 first to Moses and then to David, by them seeing in a vision a shining plate of pure gold in the shape of a seven-branched candlestick. The seven verses (in addition to the introduction) were written on the seven branches of the candlestick, one verse on each branch like this.

Psalm 67 written in Hebrew as a seven-branched candlestick. The introduction is written at the top under the candle flames. Then the seven verses follow in the shape of the seven branches of the candlestick from left to right.

The church is called to be a light. The lampstand is a picture of the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. When Zechariah saw a golden lampstand with seven lamps, the angel said to him, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.” (Zech. 4:6)

The seven-branched candlestick describes the Spirit’s resurrection power in our lives. “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” (Ro 8:11)

The number three is repeated four times in the description of the candlestick.

”He also made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered work. Its base, its stem, its cups, its calyxes, and its flowers were of one piece with it. And there were six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it; three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on one branch, and three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on the other branch—so for the six branches going out of the lampstand. And on the lampstand itself were four cups made like almond blossoms, with their calyxes and flowers.” (Ex 37:17-20)

Three is the number for resurrection and the number four stands for the whole world with the four directions. Likewise, it says that the cups should be shaped like almond blossoms. The almond blossoms also symbolize life and resurrection just as Aaron's staff sprouted before the LORD with almond blossoms. "On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds." (Num 17:8) The other staffs had no life.

We need to pray for more of the Spirit's revelation and resurrection power in the church in our Nordic countries and Europe, just as Paul prayed:

“I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places.” (Ef 1:16-20)

Prayer points during the fifty days between Passover and Pentecost

There is power in prayers of agreement based on God's word. Take time between Passover and Pentecost to pray for a new outpouring of the Spirit upon yourself and for the church to be transformed from division and weakness to unity and power in the Holy Spirit!

1. Pray Psalm 67 and the Messianic addition (see above!). Let faith and expectation grow every day!

”wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, ‘you heard from me;  for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’” (Ac 1:4-5)

2. Take time for fellowship with the Lord during these fifty days!

“He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.” (Ac 1:3)

3. Deal with all sin in your life and confess it before the Lord!

”If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 Jn 1:8-9)

4. Thank God for the resurrection of the Messiah from the dead and that all who believe in him share in that resurrection power!

“… in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Rom 6:4)

5. Pray that God blesses the church so that God's way and salvation become known in the nations!

”May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. … O God; let all the peoples acknowledge and praise you! … let all the ends of the earth fear him!” (Ps 67:1-3, 7)

6. Pray for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation for a correct knowledge of the Messiah!

“that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.” (Ef 1:17-18)

7. Ask God for a new outpouring of the Spirit upon the church!

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Lk 11:13)

8. Pray that God sends his fire upon us!

”I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled!” (Lk 12:49)

“And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.” (Ac 2:3)

9. Pray that the church will be transformed

- from weakness to power

- from fear to boldness

- from doubt to faith

- from internal strife to loving unity

- from ignorance to revelation

- from hard hearts to burning hearts

- from resignation to an awareness of a divine mission

- from betrayal to faithfulness

- from trusting in ourselves to trusting in God

”But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Ac 1:8)

10. Pray for a great harvest where many to come to faith!

“The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us.” (Ps 67:6)

May the Spirit of God rest mightily upon you as you pray and seek Him during these fifty days between Passover and Pentecost, from the resurrection to the outpouring of the Spirit!

Lars Enarson

Norden 7:14

Lars Enarson

Norden 7:14

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NOTES

[1] In connection with the first church council held in Nicaea in 325, the church under the leadership of Emperor Constantine decided to leave the biblical calendar that Jesus' apostles and the first Christians had adhered to, as the celebration of the resurrection did not always take place on a Sunday but always on "the third day", i.e. 16 Nisan.

[2] Yeshua was resurrected on the first day of the week, that is, on a Sunday (Mt 28:1). But the foundation of our faith is that he was resurrected according to the Scriptures on the “third day,” not that it happened on the “first day of the week.”