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THE
FIRST
FRUITS
OF
THE
BARLEY
HARVEST
"THE FIRST OF THE FIRST FRUITS OF THY LAND THOU SHALT BRING INTO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD THY GOD."
Exodus 23:19
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The world around does not know God or believe His living words of truth. Many claim they believe in Jesus Christ but won't believe the words of Moses. Protestants in particular, no longer study the Old Testament claiming they are only words of Moses. They believe in Jesus Christ and claim He is enough for their salvation. They say the New Testament is new and complete, while the Old Testament is old and Mosaic.
Many are not reading their Bibles thoroughly, they just read parts that stress more of their doctrines and beliefs. Had they listened to Christ they would be surprised to learn that not believing Moses is like not believing Christ at all. "Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me: for he wrote of Me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe My words?" (John 5:45-47).
The Bible is God's word-given to us to help us judge ourselves. This is the message that we find in Revelation 20. "And I [John] saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works" (Rev 20:12). All are to be judged, those living then and those living now. "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? (1Peter 4:17-18), The Bible is our instruction manual. It would be to our own benefit if we do not stray from the teachings of it. We should be thankful to God for giving us this help. We are like students taking the final exams with the textbook open.
The festivals of God found in Leviticus 23 details for us God's plan of salvation. Each of these annual festival is important in itself. We cannot proceed to the next one without complying with the previous one. Each have their own appointed time. God shows the dates for each of these feasts. They are not supposed to be postponed. It is for this reason we believe God got tired of their new moons and their Sabbaths. He said He got weary of bearing them. "Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto Me; the new moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hateth: they are a trouble unto Me; I am weary to bear them"(Isaiah 1:13-14).
There are only seven festivals or steps in God's plan. What is important is the fact that the more we desire to obey and keep them-the more understanding will be given to us.
Step one is the Passover. God commanded Moses that it should be observed on the 14th day of the month Abib. Keeping this feast other than the 14th day defeats its purpose. The redeeming blood of the Lamb could not apply as intended. Many churches of God today are still keeping this on the wrong day because they follow the late new moon. This late new moon is sometime the middle conjunction or the appearance of the young crescent moon, two or three days later from the true new moon conjunction. This is what the Hebrew [Jewish] calendar follows. They sometimes call it God's Sacred Calendar.
The second step is on the heels of the Passover, it is called the Days of Unleavened Bread: "Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; [the seven stands for completeness.] and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters. And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the LORD did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt. And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the LORD's law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt. Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year (Exo 13:7-10). Leavening, a type of sin is to be completely removed out of our home. In the same way, these days remind us of the need to put sin entirely out of our life. Our walk is one of overcoming sin and leaving behind what we once were. This process begins in earnest with our baptism.
The third step of the plan is in the third month. This is 50 days from the cutting of the wave sheaf. This step may be called by four names. It could be called Pentecost for the very meaning of the word, fiftieth. It is also called the Feast of Harvest, or Feast of Weeks because there are seven Sabbaths counted from a Sunday within the DUB until this feast plus one day. This feast always falls on a Sunday, [7 times 7=49+1=50]. Some people also call this feast the day of first fruits. We have to note these names as they may play an important role later on. Every time we hear of the word firstfruit we always think of Pentecost. There is however a earlier harvest of firstfruits. This is a small barley harvest taken ahead of the wheat harvest of first fruits, this is seen in the wave sheaf. Christ is the first sheaf of the barley firstfruits.
The fourth step of the plan is the Feast of Trumpets. Most Church of God groups believe that Jesus Christ will come on this feast. This is what many had learned previously in the WCG. Those here in the Church of God in Truth, have learned that we will not have to go through Satan's wrath. We learned that Christ will be coming for us before the great tribulation as a thief in the night. "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame" (Rev 16:15).
When reading Revelation 12:17, we learn that Satan the dragon will make war with the rest of the offspring, the woman [the church] even though they keep God's commandments and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Why? Verse 11, of Revelation 12 is the answer most over look. The only means to overcome the dragon is through the blood of the Lamb. These remnant churches of God had taken the Passover like we do, yet why is it, that they will be left behind when the woman [the churches] goes to the place of safety? The answer is obvious, they took the Passover on the wrong day. They had followed the Hebrew Calendar, that believes in postponing God's annual Sabbaths. In some years Passover is postponed by as much as a month of days.
The fifth step is the Day of Atonement. This is observed 10 days after the Feast of Trumpets. This feast is a fast. This is one day of afflicting oneself by not eating or drinking. The day stands for the putting away of Satan for 1,000 years so he can't intervene with the millennial rule of Christ. The Bible shows that Satan will be released for a short season after this 1,000 years period, then Satan himself will be imprisoned in the place called 'blackness of darkness' forever (Jude 13).
The sixth step is the Feast of Tabernacles. This seven day festival symbolizes the millennial rule of Jesus Christ. This is observed from the 15th to the 21st of God's seventh month.
And the seventh step is the Last Great Day. This is observed on the 8th day after the Feast Of Tabernacles. Many feel that this day is 100 years long, long enough for man to either obey and follow God or reject Him. This Feast is a separate Feast from the Feast of Tabernacles. This is also referred to as the White Throne Judgment.
The main purpose of this article is to confirm our belief that the article "Yielding Fruit After It's Kind" published May/June 2007, "Prove All Things" magazine was right-when it insinuated that Christ will come for His barley harvest first fruits during the Days of Unleavened Bread. We are grateful God has shown us His Truth.
This article title is about God's First fruits. When will Jesus Christ come for His first fruit? This is speaking of the barley, first fruit. Christ is the first of the first fruits- harvested from the barley. In fact He is the first of the first fruit of the barley harvest. "Thou shalt not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of My sacrifice remain until the morning. The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God." (Exodus 23:18-19).
We understand that the Feast of first fruits at Pentecost is the first fruit of the wheat harvest. "And you shall observe the Feast of Weeks, of the first fruit of wheat harvest (Exodus 34:22 NKJ). This is a complete different group of firstfruits!
We need always to Prove All Things and keep our mind refreshed. So lets start with the resurrection chapter? 1 Corinthians 15, verse 22 . "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order:" First in the order is Christ, He is the first from the barley first fruits that was harvested during the Days of Unleavened Bread. Next in order is the wheat harvest first fruits that have leavening mixed in with them on Pentecost. They will be harvested after Christ returns from His wedding (Luke 12:35- 36). "Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; (foolish virgins). 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." " 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" (Rev. 3:20). "Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when He cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that He shall gird Himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them" (Luke 12:37). "And He saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And He saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God" (Rev. 19:9).
God reveals the truth when we obey Him. We have been shown by God that Jesus Christ will come for His very firstfruits on the Feast called Days of Unleavened Bread. This is rightly so, for they cannot be with the firstfruits of wheat, because they were baked with leaven, and the barley is to be without leaven. We cannot mix the two, that would be syncretism, Christ doesn't want us to mix religions. Now we recognize who we are, we are the FIRSTFRUITS of barley harvest. Now that we know who we are, it would be good to review that article "Yielding Fruits after its Kind" so we will know what to do next-not to go astray.
Sotero Sonza
THESE ARE THE FEAST OF THE LORD
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Passover & Days Of Unleavened Bread
Lev 23:4-7
"These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD's Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread."
Pentecost
Lev 23:16-17
"Even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD. Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD."
Feast of Trumpets
Lev 23:24
"Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation."
Atonements
Lev 23:27-28
"Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a Day of Atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD. And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God."
Feast of Tabernacles
Lev 23:34-35
"Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD. On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein."
Last Great Day
Lev 23:39
"Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a Sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath."
THESE ARE GOD'S HOLY DAYS!
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