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CLICK HERE FOR TERRY LAW'S LECTURE
ON THE ANGELS OF DEATH AND HADES
This feast occurred on the 1st day of the week (Sunday)The Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. Leviticus 23:9-11
Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Day of First Fruits were observed in the same season of the year and at the same gathering. Only when Israel entered the Promised Land, were they allowed to keep and celebrate this feast. It could not be kept in the wilderness, as it was the place of wandering where Lord God provided Israel with manna from heaven
The Feast of Unleavened Bread was a distinct feast from Passover. The first and seventh days were Holy Convocations (coming together). All leaven (a type of sin) was to be taken away from the household. The Jews went all through the house looking for any crumbs of bread that may have been made with yeast (leaven.) Failure to remove all leaven brought the death penalty. Exodus 12:15-20
On the 14th day of the 1st month, Abib (called Nisan after the Exile) the Passover Lambs had been killed at 3:00 PM and prepared for eating. At 6:00 PM the Passover began and lasted until the following sundown. (A Jewish day begins at sundown)..... At 6:00 Saturday (The start of Sunday) the day of First Fruits began. On Sunday morning a sheaf or handful of early barley harvest was reverently cut and the barley removed, filling a bowl. It was then taken to the Temple and waved before the Lord. The counting of the Omer began at the feasts of First fruits. An Omer is a half-gallon of barley. The last grain to ripen was the wheat and the first fruits from this harvest were offered 50 days, later at Pentecost.
Paul commands us to purge out the least bit of sin from our lives and from the Church, for Jesus has become our Passover Lamb.. 1 Cor. 5:7 - Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us:
Paul states that Jesus at His resurection became the First Fruits and the hope of our resurrection from the dead. I Corinthians 15:23. In Psalm 126, we find the Song of degrees. It speaks of him who sows in tears, but returns later rejoicing, bringing with him the sheaves of the harvest (verses 5 & 6). This Psalm may be applied to our precious Messiah Jesus, for He is the Lord of the harvest. In His first advent, He went forth weeping bearing precious seed. At the Second Coming, He will come with rejoicing at the time of the great harvest, bringing His sheaves with Him. The single sheaf presented to Yahvah God on Firstfruits, prophetically speaks of Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. For He is the sheaf of the Firstfruits ..I Corinthians 15:20-23 The Children of Israel clearly understood the meaning of this feast and that which were the firstfruits of their labour. It spoke of the firstfruits of the harvest and of the firstborn of both man and beast. The firstfruits were considered the choicest. The firstfruits were holy unto the Lord. Jesus is the firstborn of Miriam (Mary) ... Matthew 1:23-25. He is the first begotten of the Father (Hebrews 1:6). He is the first born from the dead (Colossians 1:18). He is the beginning of the creation of God (Revelations 3:14). He is the firstfruits of the resurrected ones. "But now Messiah is risen from the dead, and has become the Firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Messiah all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Messiah the First fruits, afterward those who are the Messiah's at His coming" 1Corinthians 15:20-23.
THE EVENTS OF HOLY WEEK- PALM SUNDAY TO EASTER SUNDAY On Palm Sunday Jesus made His Entry into Jeruasalem just as King David on a Royal donkey. ... John 12:12
On Monday Jesus cursed the fig tree and cleansed the Temple the second time .....Mark 11:13-19
On Tuesday Jesus answers questions about His authority ... Mark 11:27 - 12:34 , Rebukes the religious Leaders .... Mark 12 38-40, Matthew 23:13-36 and gives His Prophetic Discourse to the Disciples .... Matthew 24:1 - 51
On Wednesday Jesus may have rested as there is no record
On Thursday preparation was made for the Passover ... Mark 14:12 - 16 ... at evening the Passover meal was eaten ...Matthew 26: 20 - 35
On Thursday just after midnight Jesus was arrested by the Temple Police. At the first light, the rooster crowed during the hearing of Annas and Caiaphas followed by the trial before the Sanhedrin. At 9 AM Friday following the Roman trial Jesus was crucified.
Fifty days later when the day of Pentecost was fully come, Acts 2:1, when the crops were ready to harvest, the Church was born
The Meaning and Time of Firstfruits Firstfruits marked the beginning of the cereal grain harvests in Israel. Barley was the first grain to ripen of those sown in the winter months. For Firstfruits, a sheaf of barley was harvested and brought to the Temple as a thanksgiving offering to the Lord for the harvest. Firstfruits was an early spring feast. Scripture specifies the day as Sunday "on the day after the Sabbath."
The regulations for Firstfruits were outlined by the Lord Leviticus 23:9-14 - And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, [10] Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the Firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: [11] And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. [12] And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the Lord. [13] And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the Lord for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin. [14] And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
A sheaf (Heb. omer, meaning "measure") was to be brought to the priest at the Temple who would wave it before the Lord for acceptance. There were accompanying sacrifices: an unblemished male lamb of the first year, a drink offering of wine, and a meal offering of the barley flour mixed with olive oil.
The people were forbidden to use any part of the harvest until after the FIRSTFRUITS were offered to the Lord. To neglect these firstfruits offerings (or any others) was considered robbery of God according to Scripture. ... Leviticus 23:14 - And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. ... Malachi 3:8 - Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
The Importance of Firstfruits Firstfruits marked the beginning of the grain harvest in Israel, and the countdown to the Feast of Weeks. Forty-nine days (or seven sevens) were counted, and on the fiftieth day, the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost was celebrated. The Lord commanded this in Leviticus 23:15-16 - And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: [16] Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord.
As a result, this period of time is known as the Sefirat Ha-Omer (Heb. "the Counting of the Omer") because of the counting of days from the omer (Heb. "sheaf, measure") to the Feast of Weeks. Each spring, Israelite farmers of set their firstfruits apart. Farmers, followed by skipping children, ventured into the fields to mark the best of their fruits. These were set apart to the Lord as each farmer declared, "Behold, these are the firstfruits." Excitement mounted daily as the firstfruits ripened and were finally harvested for the Passover pilgrimage to Jerusalem. One morning the winding streets of Jerusalem were alive with the smell of baking matzah, the sound of laughing children, the excited shouts of a woman, a baby's cry, the nervous bleating of sheep, and the soft cooing of turtledoves. Jerusalem was waking to the Feast of Firstfruits. Its early spring so it's usually cool. Outside the gates of the temple, a melody of flutes quickens the hearts of those who arrive. Many reply, "Praise God in His sanctuary." (Psalms 150:1). Inside the Temple gates, Levitical choirs led the worship music with Psalm 30: "I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up. And have not let my foes rejoice over me..." That scene would continue throughout the day as the Jewish nation flocked to the sanctuary of the Lord.
Inside the Court of Priests, one could see flames on the brazen altar leaping toward heaven as a column of steam and blue smoke drifted slowly toward the east. A host of priests were there: some tending fires, some slaughtering sacrifices, some pouring the drink offerings, and some waving the Firstfruits offerings before the Lord.
In the Court of the Israelites, a steady stream of men could be seen on the 15 steps of the Nicanor Gate, solemnly presenting their offerings to the priests under its impressive archway. Many led small white lambs on ropes. The poor brought turtledoves, the acceptable offering for those unable to afford a lamb. As the priest held the lambs and turtledoves, the men offered a prayer to God confessing their sins and the sins of their household (including their servants).
Each sacrifice is prepared in accordance with the Law of Moses (Lev. 1:14-17) "And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the Lord be of fowls, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons. [15] And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off his head, and burn it on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the altar: [16] And he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes: [17] And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder: and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord." Many watch the fire and remember the days of their father Abraham who offered Isaac on this very spot. Standing face-to-face with the Priest, the observer repeats the familiar Firstfruits prayer:.... And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the Lord thy God, that I am come unto the country which the Lord swore unto our fathers for to give us. [4] And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the Lord thy God. [5] And thou shalt speak and say before the Lord thy God, A Syrian (Aramean) ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous: [6] And the Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage: [7] And when we cried unto the Lord God of our fathers, the Lord heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labor, and our oppression: [8] And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders: [9] And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey. [10] And now, behold, I have brought the Firstfruits of the land, which thou, O Lord, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the Lord thy God, and worship before the Lord thy God: Deut. 26:3-10
With the Thanksgiving prayer complete, the priest sets the basket in front of the altar and casts a handful of the grain upon the fire. The Jewish male participant falls on his face to worship the Lord, then returns to the outer courts to rejoin his family. The commandments for the holy days are fulfilled. The participants rejoice in the new harvest from the Lord. This is experienced by thousands on the day of Firstfruits.
Redemption First things are an important theme of Scripture. God declared that, in general, the firstfruits of all agricultural produce belonged to Him, from grain, to wine, to oil, to fleece.
Exodus 22:29a - Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy vine:
Exodus 23:19a - The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord thy God.
Deut. 18:4 - The firstfruit also of thy wheat, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him.
Deut. 26:2 - That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the Lord thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place his name there.
Numbers 15:20-21 - Ye shall offer up a cake of the first of your dough for an heave offering: as ye do the heave offering of the threshing floor, so shall ye heave it. [21] Of the first of your dough ye shall give unto the Lord an heave offering in your generations.
Exodus 34:19-20 - All that opens the matrix is mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is male. [20] But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty.
Numbers 18:15-16 - Every thing that opens the matrix in all flesh, which they bring unto the Lord, whether it be of men or beasts, shall be thine: nevertheless the firstborn of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem. [16] And those that are to be redeemed from a month old shalt thou redeem, according to thine estimation, for the money of five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs.
Numbers 3:13 - Because all the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am the Lord.
According to Mosaic Law, each firstborn male was to be presented to the priest so that the firstborn could be redeemed. At this dedication ceremony, called a Pidyon Haben (Heb. "redemption of the Son."), it was possible to redeem the son through the payment of five shekels (pieces of silver) to the priest (Numbers 8:16) The Pidyon Haben held true for all except priests and Levites. They were obligated to serve in the Temple and, therefore, could not be exempted or redeemed.
Jesus was taken to the Temple for His Pidyon Haben. Mary and Joseph presented Him to the Lord: "As it is written in the law of the Lord, 'Every male who opens the womb shall be holy to the Lord.'" (Luke 2:23). It was on this occasion that Jesus was publicly declared to be the Messiah. The godly Simeon took the Child in his arms and blessed God: "For my eyes have seen Your salvation" (Luke 2:30). As a second witness, Anna, the prophetess, declared "to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem." (Luke 2:38) The meaning of the Pidyon Haben ceremony was given by the Lord: "Because all the firstborn are Mine. On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself ALL the firstborn in Israel." (Numbers 3:13) When God redeemed Israel out of Egyptian bondage, He did so through the blood of the Passover lamb. All firstborn were under the curse of death and judgment. Escape was possible only by exhibiting faith in God through the blood of the innocent Passover lamb.
All are sinners just as Adam, and therefore, are under the curse of death and in need of redemption. Escape is possibly by exhibiting faith in God through the redemptive blood of Jesus the Messiah, the true Passover Lamb, sacrificed as our substitute.
Romans 5:17 - For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) 19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
FirstFruits - A type of The Resurrection from the dead
1Cor. 15:12-25, 50-55 - . [12] Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? [13] But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: [14] And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. [15] Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. [16] For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: [17] And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. [18] Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. [19] If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. [20] But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. [21] For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. [22] For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. [23] But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. [24] Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. [25] For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. [26] The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. [50] Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. [51] Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, [52] In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. [53] For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. [54] So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. [55] O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
1 Thes. 4:13-18 - But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. [14] For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. [15] For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. [16] For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: [17] Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. [18] Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
EASTER: The ancient Anglo-Saxons celebrated the return of spring with a carnival commemorating thei goddess of springtime, Eostre or Ishtar (pronounced "easter"). The offerings were rabbits and coloured eggs, bidding an end to winter.
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