Monthly Archives: December 2022

SEEING JESUS IN THE FEASTS OF ISRAEL – LESSON 4 Concl

Christian Life, ,

THE BETROTHAL PERIOD

The Feast of Pentecost marked the birth of the Church, the Bride of Christ, and the beginning of the betrothal period which has significance for both the bride and groom.

THE BRIDEGROOM’S PREPARATION

According to Jewish custom, the groom’s task was to return to the father’s house to prepare the bridal chamber for the consummation of the marriage. When the groom’s father was satisfied with the groom’s preparation, he would give permission for the bridegroom to fetch his bride for the wedding.

Before His return to the Father’s house, Jesus assured His disciples, in the language of a marriage proposal, that He was going to prepare a place for them.

”In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you may also be where I am.” John 14:2, 3 NIV.

THE BRIDE’S PREPARATION

During the betrothal period, the bride’s preparation was twofold:

She was to separate herself from all other men.

“I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to Him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, you minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:2, 3 NIV.

We are called to be holy – separated from sin to God.

“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14.

“Question: “What does the Bible say about holiness? What does it mean to be holy?”

“Answer: In 1 Peter 1:13-16, Peter writes to believers, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behaviour; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.'” Peter is quoting from Leviticus 11:44 and Leviticus19:2.

“First, let’s look at God’s holiness. What does it mean that God is holy? Passages like 1 Samuel 2:2 and Isaiah 6:3 are just two of many examples of passages about God’s holiness. Another way to say it is absolute perfection. God is unlike any other (see Hosea 11:9), and His holiness is the essence of that “otherness.” His very being is completely absent of even a trace of sin (James 1:13; Hebrews 6:18). He is high above any other, and no one can compare to Him (Psalm 40:5). God’s holiness pervades His entire being and shapes all His attributes. His love is a holy love, His mercy is holy mercy, and even His anger and wrath are holy anger and holy wrath. These concepts are difficult for humans to grasp, just as God is difficult for us to understand in His entirety.

“Next, what does it mean for us to be holy? When God told Israel to be holy in Leviticus 11and19, He was instructing them to be distinct from the other nations by giving them specific regulations to govern their lives. Israel is God’s chosen nation and God has set them apart from all other people groups. They are His special people, and consequently they were given standards that God wanted them to live by so the world would know they belonged to Him. When Peter repeats the Lord’s words in 1 Peter 1:16, he is talking specifically to believers.

“As believers, we need to be “set apart” from the world unto the Lord. We need to be living by God’s standards, not the world’s. God isn’t calling us to be perfect, but to be distinct from the world. 1 Peter 2:9 describes believers as “a holy nation.” It is a fact! We are separated from the world; we need to live out that reality in our day-to-day lives, which Peter tells us how to do in 1 Peter 1:13-16.

“Finally, how can we become holy? Holiness only results from a right relationship with God by believing in Jesus Christ as Saviour (accepting His gift of eternal life). If we have not placed our faith in God’s Son alone to save us from our sins, then our pursuit of holiness is in vain. So, we must first make sure we are born-again believers (see John 3).

“If we truly are believers, then we recognize that our position in Christ automatically sets us apart from the world (1 Peter 2:9). After all, we have a relationship with the living God! Then we must daily live a set-apart life, not trying to “blend in” with the world, but instead living according to God’s Word as we study the Bible and grow in it.”

http://www.gotquestions.org/holiness-Bible.html

           She was to prepare her bridal gown.

“Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:        “Hallelujah!                                                                                                                 Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory!                                                                                                  

For the wedding of the Lamb has come,                                                    and His bride has made herself ready.

Fine linen, bright and clean,                                                                                 

was given her to wear.”

(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.). Revelation 19:6-8 NIV.

In Matthew 25, Jesus told three parables; one about ten virgins awaiting the coming of the bridegroom, one about a wealthy business man who entrusted his money to three servants and went on a journey, and one about the end of time when the Son of Man returns and separates the people of the nations as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

Whenever Jesus told parables in sequence, known as a string of pearls, one must look for the common thread in the parables rather than try to interpret all the details.

In all three parables the main character went away and returned.

In the first parable, the bridegroom went away to prepare the bridal chamber for his bride. Ten virgins, possible bridesmaids, awaited his return for the wedding celebration.

In the second parable, the wealthy businessman placed his money in the hands of three servants to work with and went on a journey. On his return he callsed his servants to account for what they had done with his money.

In the third parable, the Son of Man returns to the earth to take His throne and to judge the nations. The people are separated into two groups as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. The standard for judging them is the way they have treated needy people who represent Him.

In all three parables the ones left behind had been entrusted with a task.

In the first parable, the virgins had to have enough oil to keep their lamps burning as they      wait for the bridegroom’s return.

In the second parable, the servants had to work with their master’s money to increase it while he is away.

In the third parable, the people of the nations were supposed to be taking care of the needs of the hungry, the stranger, the naked and the prisoner.

In all three parables, some did what they were expected to do and others neglected their duty.

In the first parable, the five wise virgins had sufficient oil to keep their lamps alight when the bridegroom came while the five foolish virgins neglected to bring extra oil.

In the second parable, the first two servants made 100% profit on the master’s money while the third servant buried the money and returned it to his master unchanged.

In the third parable, the sheep were the ones who had fulfilled their duty to the needy while the goats neglected to do anything for them.

In all three parables their actions had consequences.

In the first parable, the five wise virgins went into the wedding feast while the five foolish virgins were shut out.

In the second parable the two diligent servants were rewarded while the lazy servant was thrown outside into the darkness.

In the third parable, the righteous, i.e. those who took care of the needs of the destitute experienced eternal life while the ones who neglected the needy were sent away to eternal punishment.

The first parable is particularly relevant to understanding the bride’s preparation of her bridal gown. The “oil” does not mean the Holy Spirit as is erroneously interpreted. The five wise virgins had lamps that were full of the “oil” of righteous deeds (tsidiqah – generosity) and were ready to go into the wedding feast when the bridegroom came. The five foolish virgins tried to borrow “oil” from the other five but it was not possible because they needed to fill their lamps with their own oil. It was the virgins’ duty to ensure that they had enough “oil” to keep their lamps alight until the bridegroom arrived.

Jesus used the imagery of light in Matthew 5:14-16, light representing the ability to see the needs of others and do something about it – “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand and it give light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and praise your Father in heaven.”

The bride’s preparation for the wedding includes having a compassionate heart like her bridegroom and doing what she can to alleviate the suffering of others, not to earn salvation, but to reflect her love for and oneness with her bridegroom so that her lamp will be full of oil when He comes.

SUMMARY AND APPLICATION

The summer feast of Pentecost is a thanksgiving festival for the ingathering of the harvest.

Pentecost fell on the same calendar day as God’s proposal of marriage at Mount Sinai. God’s Old Testament bride was unfaithful to Him, and three thousand died for worshipping the golden calf.

On the day of Pentecost the church, the bride of Christ was born and three thousand were gathered in as the beginning of the great harvest. The bride is preparing herself for her eternal union with her bridegroom when He returns.

 

SEEING JESUS IN THE FEASTS OF ISRAEL -LESSON 4

Christian Life, ,

LESSON 4

FEAST OF PENTECOST

THE FEAST OF
PENTECOST
50 days counted out from First-fruits is Shavuot or Pentecost. God comes down to His covenant people in an earth-shaking day of visitation. It is a betrothal leading into magnificent future glories. 		 

“From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord. From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of first-fruits to the Lord. Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the Lord together with their grain offerings and drink offerings – an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering and two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering. The priest is to wave the two lambs before the Lord as a wave offering, together with the bread of the first-fruits. They are a sacred offering to the Lord for the priest. On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.” Leviticus 23:15-21.

SINAI

“Fifty days after the first-fruits of the barley harvest were waved before the Lord as a terumah or wave offering, (fifty days from the morning after the Sabbath following Passover), was Shavuot or the Day of Pentecost. Rabbinic scholars believe that it was on this day that God came down on Mount Sinai to give His people His ketubah – 10 Word marriage covenant – and to betroth them to Him to be married. It was the day on which the nation of Israel was born. Because the people broke the covenant soon afterwards by worshipping a golden calf, 3,000 of them died at that time.

“The Old Covenant was a national covenant between YHVH-God and His covenant people. And so the nation of Israel was established. They agree to follow Him in devotion and obedience. In spite of past failures the nation of Israel will indeed be restored. The Jewish House of Judah will be saved and the throne of David in Judah will be established upon this earth under Messiah.

“But that is not all. The lost sheep of the House of Israel, the lost ten tribes of Israel, will be found and brought back home to Israel again. (See Ezekiel 37). The nation and kingdom of Israel along with Messiah’s Melchizedek priesthood will be fully restored as a single elect and chosen people.

PENTECOST

“50 days from the day the first-fruits of the barley harvest were waved before the Lord, (that is 50 days from the morning after the weekly Sabbath after Passover), in the summer of the year of Yeshua’s passion, YHVH-God visited His people by His Holy Spirit. This is another earth-shaking day of visitation and betrothal. But on this occasion God’s Presence is not as unapproachable as on the former visitation back at Sinai. Moses had ordered 12 boundary markers placed around the foot of the mountain to hold back the people lest the fire of God flash out upon them. Amidst the thundering and lightning God came down as a consuming fire and blackened the entire summit.

“Back at Sinai it was a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. But this next Pentecostal visitation was quite different. God had intervened through the atoning sacrifice of His perfect Passover lamb, to remove the barrier of sin and restore His people to fellowship with Himself. The curtain of the temple that separated Him from the people had been ripped from top to bottom, indicating that the way into the Most Holy Place was open to everyone (Matthew 27:51). A new High Priest had been installed, one whose perfect and endless life meant that He was always there to make intercession for His people (Hebrews 7:23-25).

“On this Day of Pentecost, tongues of fire descended from heaven to rest upon consecrated individuals gathered to wait upon God. All of them had received Messiah and had come to know Him in a personal way in the New Covenant. Just as Moses had seen the burning bush that was not consumed, the fire came down and rested upon the 120, (probably in the temple, waiting for the high priest to fulfil the ceremony of pouring oil through the two loaves of leavened bread and declaring that the Day of Pentecost had fully come) not to consume them but to fill them with the Holy Spirit and bathe them in the glory of God.

“This day of wonder sees the Holy Spirit descend in a splendid flooding wave. This was the beginning of the Holy Spirit outpouring. And Joel saw this coming to a peak at the 6th seal at the very end of the latter days. See Joel 2:28-32. The revival spreads out from the Jerusalem epicentre as the disciples go out into the streets of the city proclaiming the Good News of salvation. Whereas 3,000 had died under the Law on the previous visitation, 3,000 are now saved by grace as the Apostle Peter preaches to the crowds coming up to the Feast. And so on this awesome day in holy history, the 7th day of Sivan on the Hebrew calendar, the Feast of Pentecost comes to its appointed New Covenant fulfilment.

THE GOD OF ISRAEL IS A GOD OF CELEBRATION AND ON HIS HOLY DAYS HE PERFORMS HIS WONDERS.

“On the Day of Pentecost the God of Israel comes down to His people. God comes down to visit His people, first nationally, (in the Old Covenant), and individually and personally, (in the New Covenant). He reveals Himself to His covenant people in power and great glory. Pentecost unfolds in the Old Covenant as YHVH-God is betrothed to a nation. And Pentecost unfolds in the New Covenant as YHVH-God is betrothed to individuals personally inside their hearts. So the overshadowing glory of God descends down Jacob’s ladder on two spectacular days of wonders. The first is at Sinai 3500 odd years ago. And the second is in Jerusalem during the Day of Pentecost 50 days after the First-fruits Resurrection of Jesus Christ/Yeshua Hamashiach in the summer of the passion year.

PENTECOST; THE POWER OF THE GOD IN ISRAEL AND THE CHURCH; 
DESTINED TO SAVE ISRAEL AND THE CHURCH, BRINGING BOTH INTO VITAL RESTORATION AND UNION; ALL THESE WONDERS WILL GLORIOUSLY UNFOLD IN THE LATTER DAYS.

“Pentecost in the New Covenant establishes the Congregation of Israel as an “ekklesia”, a congregation, or an “Assembly” of “called out” individuals. This was the original meaning of the word “church”.

“The Congregation of Messiah/Church has a vital unfolding Kingdom connection to Israel through Christ, the Messiah of Israel. Jesus Christ is the promised Seed of Abraham, (Gal. 3:29). The saving blood of Christ is the blood of Israel’s promised Sacrifice Lamb. This is the only atoning covering for sin this world will ever know. But because of her worldly political, commercial, and ecumenical connections the present day western Church still refuses to acknowledge her ultimate national identity in Israel through Jesus Christ/Yeshua Hamashiach the promised Seed of Abraham. He is the Seed, (singular), who gives rise to a myriad of spiritual descendants as numerous as the sand of the sea and the stars of heaven. This wonderful visitation all comes to pass by a pro-active God who comes down to His covenant people nationally and personally in a glorious wave of true and genuine Pentecostal power.

“Our God speaks to us in His Righteous Law and in His Grace and Mercy. Herein lies the two-fold witness we see in the two leavened loaves lifted up at Pentecost. These two offices of the Kingdom and the Priesthood emerge in Pentecostal power from the double anointing of the Order of Melchizedek which is found in Messiah.

Description: Description: http://endtimepilgrim.org/2loaves.jpg

“Two leavened loaves are waved before God as Pentecost is celebrated. God is lifting up, dealing with, and bringing together two entities that are not unleavened and not without sin, even Israel and the Church. What a righteous and gracious God we serve!

“The God of Israel has been making Himself known to His covenant people for a long time. The pilgrimage of the children of Abraham has always been an adventure and it has always been a romance in God. And so it continues to this day. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has chosen to communicate His divine Message through His Word under the ministrations of His Holy Spirit. We hear His voice as we read the pages of the Bible. YHVH-God ministers into the lives of His covenant people on a day by day basis by His Holy Spirit. His personal, national, and congregational dealings with His covenant people continue.

“Our God likes to celebrate. He likes to party with His people. And He parties big! (See John 2:1-11, Rev.7, and Rev.21) One of the names by which He is known is “Emmanuel”, which means, “God with us”. It is in His Spirit of fellowship that YHVH-God has set forth special times of the year for partying holidays. He marks out and sets aside special dates on the Hebrew calendar to celebrate with His nation and His covenant Congregation, even as He did with His “church in the wilderness”http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=Church+in+the+wilderness&searchtype=all&version1=9&spanbegin=1&spanend=73 gathered at Sinai. There are seven, (perhaps eventually eight), Feasts of the Lord. These holy days are celebrated in the Spring, in the Summer, and in the Fall. They are the Seven Feasts of Israel.”

http://endtimepilgrim.org/pentecost.htm

SEEING JESUl IN THE FEASTS OF ISRAEL – LESSON 3 Concl

Christian Life, ,

THE FEAST OF FIRSTFRUITS  

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: “When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. He is to wave the sheaf before the Lord so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the Lord a lamb a year old without defect, together with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil – an offering made to the Lord by fire, a pleasing aroma – and its drink offering of a quarter of a hin of wine. You must not eat any bread or roasted or new grain until the very day you bring this offering to your God. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.” Leviticus 23:9-14.  

“The Feast of First-fruits came on the day following the Sabbath, (the weekly or 7th day Sabbath), after Passover.  

“It was the first day of the week and a workday, a workday to commence the barley harvest. It was a national and congregational celebration by Israel of the First-fruits of the barley harvest, as the first sheaves of barley were brought up from the fields by the reapers that year. So the agricultural significance of First-fruits was this first reaping of the barley harvest in the springtime month of Abib, just as the barley became “Abib”, that is “ripe”.  

“The month of Abib, an agricultural reckoning of the first month of the religious year, was also named the month of Nisan. Nisan was an astronomical reckoning of the first month of the year. It was the first moon that was going to come to fullness after the spring equinox. This celebration of the first-fruits of the barley harvest had special meaning for the people of Israel as they set the Hebrew calendar for the year and gathered as a people for their special appointed times. But, (as we shall discover), this celebration, this waving of the First-fruits of the barley harvest before Yehoveh-God, was destined, in the fullness of time, to take on a further much deeper meaning. “The barley harvest was the first harvest celebration of the year. Then, counting out fifty days from First-fruits as day #1 and going out seven full weeks or seven full Sabbaths as stipulated in Leviticus 23:15,&16, came day 49 and then on the next day, the fiftieth day, and on the first day of the week came the Feast of Pentecost. This summer feast day celebrated the beginning of the wheat harvest.” http://endtimepilgrim.org/firstfruits.htm  

JESUS, THE FIRSTFRUITS OF THE RESURRECTION  
In order to understand the resurrection of Jesus, we must first examine the importance of the terumah or first-fruits offering in Scripture which cannot be underestimated.   God requires the first of all increase to be given to Him. The firstborn of the flocks and herds, and the firstborn son in every family belonged to Him.   “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether man or animal.’” Exodus 13:1, 2.  

FIRSTBORN OF THE LIVESTOCK AND FIRSTBORN SONS  
The firstborn of man and animals belonged to God   “After the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites and gives it to you as He promised on oath to you and your forefathers, you are to give over the Lord the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the Lord. Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem every firstborn among your sons. Exodus 13:11-13.  

After it had been offered to God it was given to the high priest and his family to take care of their material needs.  

“The Lord said to Aaron…Everything in Israel that is devoted to the Lord is yours. The first offspring of every womb, both man and animal that is offered to the Lord is yours. But you must redeem every firstborn son and every firstborn male of unclean animals…’” Numbers 18:14, 15. (Read Numbers 18:16-20)  

 “The Lord also said to Moses, ‘Take the Levites in place of the firstborn of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites. The Levites are to be mine. I am the Lord. To redeem the 273 firstborn Israelites who exceed the number of Levites, collect five shekels for each one, according to the sanctuary shekel which weighs twenty gerahs. Give the money for the redemption of the additional Israelites to Aaron and his sons.’” Numbers 3: 44-48.  

FIRSTFRUITS OF THE HARVEST  
The first-fruits of the harvest, generally reckoned between 1/40 and 1/60 of the harvest, was to be offered to the Lord by a wave- or heave-offering (terumah), and given to the high priest – placed in the hands of their spiritual authority – and his family for their support.  

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest…You may not eat any bread, or roasted or new grain until the very day you bring this offering to your God.” Leviticus 23:9, 14.   “Then the Lord said to Aaron…‘I give you all the finest olive oil and all the finest new wine and grain they give the Lord as the first-fruits of their harvest. All the land’s first-fruits that they bring to the Lord will be yours.’” Numbers 18:12, 13a.  

The Feast of Firstfuits was essentially an expression of thanksgiving to God for the beginning of the barley harvest and an expression of trust in God that will bless the rest of the harvest.  

THE PRINCIPLES AND BLESSING OF FIRSTFRUITS  
Commanded and demanded by God.
“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether man or animal.’” Exodus 13:1, 2.   First-fruits must be the first of its kind. “The best of all the first-fruits and of all your special gifts will belong to the priests.” Ezekiel 44:30.  

First-fruits honours God and guarantees His blessing on the rest of the harvest.
“Honour the Lord with your wealth, with the first-fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” Proverbs 3:9, 10.
 
First-fruits must not be touched or claimed until offered.
“Jesus said to her, ‘Do not hold on to me for I have not yet returned to the Father.’” John 20:17. Mary was not to hold onto Jesus because He had not yet presented Himself to the Father.  

God’s favour rests on the person who brings a first-fruit offering.  “Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. But Abel brought fat portions of the some of the firstborn of his flock. The lord looked with favour on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering He did not look with favour.” Genesis 4:2b-5

MESSIAH THE FIRSTFRUIT
Jesus was both a sin offering and a terumah. He was the perfect lamb offered as a substitute for the sin of the world, and He was a terumah or first-fruits offering by being “lifted up” –

“But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all me unto myself.” John 12:32 – and placed in the hands of His spiritual authority – His Father – “…Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” Luke 23:46b, and He became the First-fruits of the resurrection. Just as the first sheaf of the first-fruits of the harvest was offered to God, which guaranteed God’s blessing on the full harvest, so Jesus became the first-fruits of the resurrection, guaranteeing that those who die in him will be raised to be like Him in an incorruptible body like His body.

“And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so we shall bear the likeness of the man from heaven….For the trumpet shall sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’” 1 Corinthians 15:49; 52b-54 NIV.

“It was on the first day after the Passover Sabbath that the empty tomb of Y’shua was discovered. As Passover lambs were being slain in the Temple, Y’shua Himself was sacrificed. As the Wave sheaf was being cut outside Jerusalem at the end of the weekly Sabbath, He was resurrected. While Israel’s risen Messiah was presenting Himself before the altar in heaven that day as the First-fruit of the resurrection, Israel’s priests were in the Temple waving the first-fruits of the barley harvest before a torn veil in the temple (Matthew 27:51; 28:9).

“A sheaf in the Bible is used to typify a person or persons (Genesis 37: 5-11). The festival of the sheaf of the first fruits was prophetic of the resurrection of Y’shua. He prophesied that He would rise again after being three days and nights in the earth after His crucifixion (Matthew 12:38-40; 16:21; Luke 24:44-46). This was foreshadowed prophetically in type through Jonah (Jonah 2:1-2).

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” 1 Corinthians 15:20 NIV.  

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF FIRSTFRUITS
“The first-fruit offering speaks of Messiah’s ascension and presentation of Himself in the Father’s House, the true tabernacle in heaven, in His resurrected, glorified body. The sheaf had been reaped from the earth and waved before Yahweh in the heavenly sanctuary when He arose from the grave and ascended to the Father on resurrection morning. He instructed Miriam not to touch Him prior to His presentation before the Father. See John 20:17

“Passover had prophesied Messiah’s death on the stake, while the Sheaf offering prophesied the first-fruits of a coming harvest through Messiah’s resurrection from the dead. He was the representative sheaf of the harvest that was to come, the first of a kind, a second “Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:47). His presentation to the Father of the work of atonement secured the complete redemption and sanctification of the elect, the souls which the Father had given Him. (John 17:12) All He had promised them of being with Him where He was, glorified in the Father, was accomplished when He arose triumphant from the grave. (John 17: 1-10, 24)

“After His presentation to the Father, He came and imparted to them the Spirit of truth which He had promised them, to make them one in Him, one body of believers indwelt by the Spirit. (John 20:19-22) “This impartation was the deposit of the Spirit which elevated them spiritually to be where He was positionally, in the likeness of His resurrection (Romans 6: 5). The outpouring of the Spirit upon them came fifty days later at Pentecost which anointed them with power to bring them, as a seed which had been planted, to perfection (Acts 2: 4). The assembly, which is His Body, is accepted in the Head, the Messiah. When He arose, we arose with Him as that first-fruit harvest, presented before the Father. (Colossians 2:12-13; Ephesians 2:7) It typified the spiritual resurrection of the believer, now reconciled to God, to walk in newness of life in Him.

“The first-fruits offering in the temple consisted of the male lamb and the barley loaf with a drink offering of wine. “The burnt offering of the unblemished lamb represents the sacrificial offering of Messiah, the barley loaf made of a set measure of specially selected individual grains from the harvested crop, ground into fine flour mixed with oil, represents a corporate body of saints permeated by the oil of the Spirit to become one bread – one body indwelt by the Spirit. The disciples of Y’shua became that Body of believers after His resurrection, a barley loaf united by the Spirit, with the outpouring of the wine of the Spirit upon them.

“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies it produces many seeds.” (John 12:24). Y’shua was that corn of wheat which planted His life in the earth to bring forth an abundant harvest.

THE ENSUING HARVEST “Messiah was the first, of an anticipated first fruits company. Yahweh God is looking for a First-fruits harvest from the First-fruit, Messiah.

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” 1 Corinthians 15:20 NIV.
For, “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth that we might be a kind of first-fruits of all He created.” (James 1:18).

This first-fruits company is to comprise old and new covenant saints.

“But each in his own turn: Christ the first fruits, the, when He comes, those who belong to Him.” (1 Corinthians 15:23).

“As believers, we have been purchased with the blood of Messiah and sealed with the Spirit for the purpose of leading us on our journey through the wilderness of life to receive our promised inheritance. The promises are to those who overcome the fleshly nature. Just as Yahweh imparted a measure of His Spirit to the children of Israel and took them through the wilderness to purge them of their fleshly nature, so He does with us. The wilderness of this world will test our resolve to deal with our fleshly nature.

“Each believer is given the first-fruits of the Spirit, the initial impartation of the Spirit, to purge us from the flesh and bring us to a state of holiness whereby we may receive the promised inheritance. This initial impartation is a “first-fruits”, a deposit or down-payment and acts as a “guarantee” of the full measure of that which is to come.

“And you were also included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession to the praise of His glory.” Ephesians 1:13-14. wikibooks.org/wiki/Hebrew_Roots/Holy_Days/Firstfruits  

CONCLUSION  
This concludes the study of the Spring Feasts which focus on Messiah as the Suffering Servant. As the Israelites celebrated the feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread and First Fruits in order, so they were telling the story in prophetic symbols of what their Messiah would do to redeem them, not from slavery from Egypt, but from the bondage of sin which separated them from their God, so that He could bring them into union with Him as their “lover” and bridegroom.   Having espoused them to Himself, the betrothal period during which both bridegroom and bride would prepare for the wedding, began.   The church is now living in the betrothal period, making herself ready and waiting for the bridegroom’s return and for the wedding to take place.  

SUMMARY AND PRACTICAL APPLICATION
 
The three spring feasts. Passover, Unleavened Bread and First-fruits celebrate Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt through the sacrificial blood of a lamb, the removal of leaven signifying the removal of sin and First-fruits, a feast of thanksgiving to God for the beginning of the harvest.
 
“Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast – as you really are. For Christ our Passover lamb has been crucified. Therefore let us keep the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.” 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8.
 
Jesus rose from the dead on the Feast of First-fruits – “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” 1 Corinthians 15:20.
 
These three festivals celebrate the work of Messiah in His priestly role at His first coming.
 

SEEING JESUS IN THE FEASTS OF ISRAEL – LESSON 3 Cont

Christian Life, ,
1.  THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD “On the fifteenth day of that month the Lord’s Feast of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. For seven days present an offering made to the Lord by fire. And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.” Leviticus 23:6-8.  

“When the Israelites left Egypt, they left in haste. The bread they took with them was unleavened bread, baked in haste for a people who were on the move and preparing their victuals to travel. The Feast of Unleavened Bread commemorates the time when the Israelites left Egypt. Their next waypoint was the crossing at the Red Sea. The bread they took with them was not puffed up. It was baked without yeast. There simply was not time enough to allow the bread to rise.”

LEAVEN AS A SYMBOL OF WICKEDNESS
Leaven in the Scriptures is often, but not always, used as a symbol of sin. Before the Israelites celebrated the Passover, they were to remove all leaven from their homes, and they were to bake unleavened bread, i.e., bread baked without yeast, which was to be eaten for seven days during the festival, ending on the second Sabbath after Passover. Leaven was made by allowing grain soaked in water to ferment. It was then added to the dough to let it “rise” to make it more palatable. The process of fermentation was a process of decay symbolizing the decay that sin introduced to the human race. A small portion of the leavened dough was used to “set’ the next batch of dough, adding decay to the bread-baking process. Hence they were to remove all leaven from their homes and eat unleavened bread during the festival to symbolize the removal of sin from their lives by the sacrifice of God’s Lamb.

BREAD FROM HEAVEN IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
The Bread from Heaven was seen in the earlier history of Israel. 
The God of Israel provided manna in the wilderness for forty years. 
And the heavenly food of provision was spoken of by the prophets. 
The Bread of Heaven is seen repeatedly in the poetry of the Old Covenant. “In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven…” Nehemiah 9:15. “… He rained down manna for the people to eat, He gave them of the grain of heaven.” Psalm 78:24.  “…He satisfied them with the bread of heaven.” Psalm 105:40. 

JESUS THE FULFILMENT OF UNLEAVENED BREAD
“The typology of Christ as the Bread of Heaven is in the Holy Scriptures. It is taught in the New Testament and in the very words of Jesus Himself. Jesus Himself said that He was the “Bread sent from Heaven”.    “For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” John 6:33. “Here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread he will live forever. This bread I my flesh which I will give for the life of the world.” John 6:50, 51.  The Pharisees, the religious establishment of the time, knew very well what Jesus was talking about. They were well versed in the typology of the Messiah as the Bread of Heaven. They knew when He referred to Himself as the Bread of Heaven that He was claiming to be the promised Messiah, the Holy One of Israel. That is why they took up stones to stone Him. Jesus was the final and perfect sacrifice for sin. 
He was the Suffering Servant spoken of by the prophet Isaiah. 
(See Isaiah 53). His body, broken and humbled on the cross, was offered for our redemption. 
He was buried just as the eve of the Feast of Unleavened Bread approached. 
He was in the grave for the 15th of Nisan, according to the scriptures. 
And thus Jesus Christ/Yeshua Hamashiach fulfilled the Feast of Unleavened Bread.” Here are the words of the Apostle Paul on the matter. 

“Therefore purge out the old leaven, 
that you may be a new lump, 
since you truly are unleavened. 
For indeed Christ, our Passover, 
was sacrificed for us.
8. Therefore let us keep the feast, 
not with old leaven, 
nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, 
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” 1 Corinthians 5:7


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SEEING JESUS IN THE FEASTS OF ISRAEL – LESSON 3 Cont

Christian Life, ,
THE MEANING 
OF PASSOVER

Salvation comes by 
the atoning blood of 
Israel’s promised 
Sacrifice Lamb

On the 14th day of Nisan the sacrifice lamb is slain.                                        The blood of atonement upon the door brings salvation as the death angel passes overhead. It is the eve of the Passover.    The epic Exodus that follows sees God’s covenant people delivered from the bondage of Egypt.       

  

This was the Old Covenant 
fulfillment of Passover 
for national salvation.

Isaiah’s Prophecy 
of Messiah’s First 
Coming as the 
Suffering Servant

    

On the 14th day of Nisan
in 32 A.D., on the eve of Passover, Yeshua is crucified.  The blood of the promised Sacrifice Lamb is shed. This is the redemption God has provided. It brings salvation to His covenant people, delivering them from the bondage of sin and death.                                       


This is the New Covenant
fulfillment of Passover
for personal salvation.