More Members of Abraham’s Seed

7. What was the Festival of Weeks?

⁷ Jesus was the Seed who was promised in Eden and by means of whom Jehovah would “break up the works of the Devil.” (1 John 3:8) However, when Jehovah spoke to Abraham, He indicated that Abraham’s “seed” would be more than just one person. It would be “like the stars of the heavens and like the grains of sand that are on the seashore.” (Genesis 22:17) The appearance of other members of the “seed” was foreshadowed by yet another joyful festival. Fifty days from Nisan 16, Israel celebrated the Festival of Weeks. The Law about this states: “To the day after the seventh sabbath you should count, fifty days, and you must present a new grain offering to Jehovah. Out of your dwelling places you should bring two loaves as a wave offering. Of two tenths of an ephah of fine flour they should prove to be. They should be baked leavened, as first ripe fruits to Jehovah.”b​—Leviticus 23:16, 17, 20.

8. What outstanding event took place at Pentecost 33 C.E.?

⁸ When Jesus was on earth, the Festival of Weeks was known as Pentecost (from a Greek word meaning “fiftieth”). At Pentecost 33 C.E., the greater High Priest, the resurrected Jesus Christ, poured out holy spirit upon the small group of 120 disciples gathered in Jerusalem. Thus those disciples became anointed sons of God and brothers of Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:15-17) They became a new nation, “the Israel of God.” (Galatians 6:16) From small beginnings, that nation would finally number 144,000.​—Revelation 7:1-4.

9, 10. How was the congregation of anointed Christians foreshadowed during Pentecost?

⁹ The congregation of anointed Christians was foreshadowed by the two leavened loaves waved before Jehovah each Pentecost. The loaves’ being leavened showed that anointed Christians would still have the leaven of inherited sin. Nevertheless, they could approach Jehovah on the basis of Jesus’ ransom sacrifice. (Romans 5:1, 2) Why two loaves? That may have pointed to the fact that the anointed sons of God would eventually be drawn from two groups​—first from natural Jews and later from Gentiles.​—Galatians 3:26-29; Ephesians 2:13-18.

¹⁰ The two loaves offered at Pentecost came from the firstfruits of the wheat harvest. Correspondingly, those spirit-begotten Christians are called “certain firstfruits of his creatures.” (James 1:18) They are the first to have their sins forgiven on the basis of Jesus’ shed blood, and that makes it possible for them to be granted immortal life in the heavens, where they rule with Jesus in his Kingdom. (1 Corinthians 15:53; Philippians 3:20, 21; Revelation 20:6) In that position, one day soon they will “shepherd the [nations] with an iron rod” and see ‘Satan crushed under their feet.’ (Revelation 2:26, 27; Romans 16:20) The apostle John said: “These are the ones that keep following the Lamb no matter where he goes. These were bought from among mankind as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.”​—Revelation 14:4.