Have you ever considered the connections between Pentecost (Shavuot) and the Restrainer of the End times?
2 Thessalonians 2:1, Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6 And now ye know what withholdeth (Strong’s #2722) that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth (Strong’s #2722) will let, until he be taken out of the way.
Paul is trying to clear up some misconceptions about the order of events that will occur as they relate to those in Christ at His coming and their gathering together unto Yeshua. He makes it clear that some people will be deceived and think that it occurs before the revealing of the man of sin, the Antichrist, and before the falling away occurs. He corrects them on this error knowing it would be a common error. He then indicates that someone or something “what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time” (2 Thessalonians 2:6). It seems quite apparent that Paul had an expectation that something “withholds” the Antichrist to ensure he is revealed in his time. And “he” who withholds the Antichrist from being revealed until “he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.” Could this “he” who lets and “what” that withholds the Antichrist...be the Man-Child (144,000), the First-Fruits of the resurrection? Clearly the Man-Child is revealed by being a “wonder in heaven” via his ascension to the throne of God in heaven.
Revelation 12:1, And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered… 5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
Notice Paul is writing to the Thessalonians who are a Gentile church and are not of the twelve tribes of Israel. They are wondering where they fit into the resurrection and the coming of Yeshua. Paul cautions them that their gathering together to be with the Lord is withheld by a “he” that ensures the Antichrist will be revealed in “his” time. This “he” appears to “let” or withhold until “he” is taken out of the way. Could this be the ascension of the Man-Child, the First-Fruits of God, the 144,000? Paul appears to say that Israel’s redemption is of key importance.
Romans 11:7, What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. 8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. 9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway. 11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. 12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? 13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:14 If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them. 15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? 16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.
It would appear that Paul is saying that the resurrection of the dead will occur when Israel’s fullness has occurred. Perhaps it is the fulfilling of this full count from Israel that prevents, withholds, and lets (keeps) the resurrection of the gentiles from occurring. Notice he says that the lump cannot be made holy without the First-Fruits as they are what makes the rest of the lump holy, just as Yeshua makes the redeemed holy.
Romans 11:25, For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Just as the Gentiles cannot be gathered until “he” who withholds is “taken out of the way”, Israel cannot be saved until the “fullness of the Gentiles” occurs. The Talmud refers to Shavuot as Atzeret [6] (Hebrew:עצרת, literally, "refraining" or "holding back"[7] (Wikipedia)
Before Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) can be fulfilled, first Shavuot (Pentecost) must be fulfilled. Here we see a clear connection between the “First-Fruits” (144,000) and the “holding back” (withholding) and the “letteth” (restrainer or refrainer). Could it be that the sign indicating the time is near is associated with Pentecost?
Matthew 24:31, And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
It appears that Yeshua is saying the gathering together will be known to be near when the branch puts forth leaves and then we know summer is nigh. Could there be an underlying understanding that we have missed?
According to the Midrash, Mount Sinai suddenly blossomed with flowers in anticipation of the giving of the Torah on its summit. Greenery also figures in the story of the baby Moses being found among the bulrushes in a watertight cradle (Ex. 2:3) when he was three months old (Moses was born on 7 Adar and placed in the Nile River on 6 Sivan, the same day he later brought the Jewish nation to Mount Sinai to receive the Torah). [17] For these reasons, many Jewish families traditionally decorate their homes and synagogues with plants, flowers and leafy branches in honor of Shavuot.
Some synagogues decorate the bimah with a canopy of flowers and plants so that it resembles a chuppah, as Shavuot is mystically referred to as the day the matchmaker (Moses) brought the bride (the nation of Israel) to the chuppah (Mount Sinai) to marry the bridegroom (God); the ketubah (marriage contract) was the Torah. Some Eastern Sephardi communities actually read out a ketubah between God and Israel as part of the service. The Vilna Gaon cancelled the tradition of decorating with trees because it too closely resembles the Christian decorations for their holidays. (Wikipedia)
Could this “putteth forth leaves” be alluding to the actual fulfillment of Pentecost where the removal of the “withholder” that occurs is actually the ascension of the Man-Child (144,000) and the First-Fruits of Israel?
“Atzeret,” means “refraining” or “holding back.” On all festivals, in addition to refraining from work unconnected to food preparation, there is also a special mitzvah to perform: on Pesach one eats matzah, on Sukkot one sits in a sukkah and takes the four species, on Rosh Hashanah one blows the shofar, and on Yom Kippur one fasts. Shavuot, however, has no special mitzvah connected to it, except for refraining from work. Thus, we emphasize that the obvious mitzvah of the festival is “Atzeret” — refraining and holding back from doing any forbidden work. (Chabad. org)
Just as resurrection is a restoration of the original Image of God, resting in the Garden of Eden, unfallen and sinless, Shavuot depicts this same imagery of rest in a resurrected state. We cannot miss the fact that those who were to be first become last and the last become first.
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