Declaring the end from the beginning
“For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings” (Heb 2:10)
In Isaiah 46 God pronounced Himself as the Creator and sustainer of His creation. He is God and there is none other, “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying `My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure” (Isaiah 46:10 NKJ).
This pronouncement from the Creator is more than enough to wake us up in awe. He alone is the Omnipotent, the Omnipresent and the Omniscient. The all powerful the ever present and the all knowing God. The transcendent God that goes beyond space, time and matter. Daniel says about God, “He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him” (Daniel 2:22 NKJ all throughout).
God's plan to save mankind is in His seven festivals that most of the churches of God celebrate yearly. Three of these feasts are harvest seasons. It is during these three feasts that God require His people not to come before Him empty handed. These three feasts are listed in Deuteronomy 16:16. The feasts are the Days of Unleavened Bread, the feast of Harvest or Weeks or Pentecost. It had three names for varied reasons. The third feast is the Feast of Tabernacles in the seventh month. These three feasts are special to God as well as to us for they are times of resurrection.
It is also interesting to note that besides having three periods of resurrection, God had also three groups of people with their own order of resurrection. This order of resurrection is listed in 1Corinthians 15:22-23.
“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at His coming.” Check that the order is Christ first then the firstfruits and the last is the group listed as those that are Christ's at His coming.
Christ is first in the list for He is the first of the firstfruits. “The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God ....” (Exodus 23:19). It is important that He had to be cut first so He could be waved before God. He is the Wave Sheaf to be cut and offered and accepted by God. Christ is our Passover. This one time offering of Christ for our redemption is the signal that the rest of the harvests could be cut (Hebrews 7:27).
Christ had already been resurrected. Being the Wave Sheaf He was harvested ahead. He was then resurrected during the Days of Unleavened Bread. Christ had fulfilled all the requirements of God as our Wave Sheaf, firstfruit and Passover. The harvest of the next group could now commence.
There were, however, two groups called firstfruits. The firstfruits of barley where Christ was taken and the firstfruits of wheat harvested some 50 days from the wave sheaf offering during the Days of Unleavened Bread.
Notice, the FirstFruits of barley is to be resurrected next to Christ for He was of this crop. Christ is from barley and they are unleavened. Their harvesting is during this feast or Days of Unleavened Bread. We are told in Hebrews 2:11, “For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, For which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren.” This verse explains itself.
The other firstfruits is of wheat. People call wheat the rich man's grain while the barley is the poor man's grain. This information is of help later when we speculate. Both firstfruits were waved before God and accepted. The barley as the wave sheaf while the wheat as two waved loaves. Leviticus 23:17 states, that wheat firstfruits was baked with leaven. If the barley firstfruits is resurrected during Days of Unleavened Bread, it is natural that the wheat firstfruits could not mix or be with them. Barley is unleavened while wheat firstfruits are not. It would only mean that the resurrection of the wheat firstfruits would be during Pentecost, this today some people call the Feast of Firstfruits.
In Luke 12:36, records the coming of Christ for a group waiting for Him. This however is after the wedding. Christ had already been wed. We can speculate that this time is during Pentecost. Again speculate that Christ was married to the barley group for they were resurrected ahead during the previous feast (DUB). Could we also speculate that the wheat harvests firstfruits are the remnants mentioned in Revelation 12:17? “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” They could also be likened to the five foolish virgins of Matthew 25.
Notice, the comparison between the firstfruits and the two churches found in Revelation 3. The CityPhiladelphia church and the placeCityLaodicea church. A good similarity could be made with the placeCityPhiladelphia church and the barley firstfuits. And the wheat firstfruits on the other hand that had much in common with the placeCityLaodicea church.
There are two firstfruit groups and there are also two churches. Wheat is a rich man's grain while Revelation 3:17 says that placeCityLaodicea church is rich and wealthy and in need of nothing. “Because you say, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” Note also that Christ admonished the group waiting for Him in Luke 12:36 to watch for Christ to knock. “And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord, when He will return from the wedding; that when He cometh and knocketh, they may open unto Him immediately.”
We see this also in Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.”
Wheat was baked with leaven, could this mean that the placeCityLaodicea group were to pass through the great tribulation? Note Christ's advice in Revelation 3:18 for them. They were to buy gold tested in fire. This means they were to learn the truth the hard way. Maybe they will learn of this truth from the two witnesses. Their postponing of God's calendar is the truth they refuse to buy now. Just as the 5 virgins of Matthew 25 was told to buy the oil of truth, these are to buy the truth. “Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding” (Prov 23:23).
Only during the great tribulation will they realize the truth that by using the true new moon will they arrive on the exact 14th day of Abib so they can partake of Christ's redeeming blood.. If we study this comparison more carefully, we can have more amazing similarities. The final comment is that God had indeed declared the end from the beginning.
Sotero Sonza