God's three appointed harvests
“God's three appointed harvests”
In August of 2005, I decided to read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, all 66 books of the Old and the New Testaments. After six months of reading and studying I am now in the book of the patriarch Job and plan to finish the remaining 48 books by year-end 2006. To make my study easy for me to go back and locate important topics and ideas, I wrote them down on top of the pages where they are found. On top of the page of 2 Chronicles 8:13 I have jotted down “Sabbaths, New moon, 3 appointed Feasts. Yesterday , when I was looking for a topic for my promise to send at least one sermon tape and one article for the “Prove All Things” magazine, I was inspired to notice the three prominent words that I have written on top of the verse in 2 Chronicles. Instead of three appointed feasts written there, what registered in my mind was “God's Three Appointed Harvests,” hence our topic for this article. “According to the daily rate, offering according to the commandment of Moses, for the Sabbaths, the new moons, and the three yearly appointed feasts -the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles.” These were written here again for in the book of Chronicles to remind us of their importance. They play very important roles in God's plan for the salvation of man so we are reminded over again and again.
Perhaps a few words about these three is necessary for us to have a full perspective of our topic, the “three yearly appointed harvests of God.” The SABBATHS- Sabbaths are Holy times made by God for man. There are two kinds that were ordained by God, the weekly Sabbath and the annual Sabbath. The weekly Sabbath is kept by man every seventh day and there are seven annual Sabbaths to be kept on their appointed times. The weekly Sabbath and the annual Sabbaths could fall on the same date making it a double Sabbath or a High Day. The Sabbath is holy time and no work should be done, it is a time for physical rest to honor and worship God and learn of Him and His way of life. It is probable that the first seventh day Sabbath, God spent in teaching man while he was resting and worshiping Him. The Sabbath is the sign of God's people, all those who come to God and worship Him on the true weekly and true annual Sabbaths are His people. Many today worship God on the weekly seventh day Sabbath but not on the true or correct annual Sabbath. Truth which they must yet learn or buy as the wise virgins told the five foolish virgins in the parable of Matthew 25:1-12. “Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding” (Prov 23:23).
By not heeding to the message of the wise virgins; could led to Christ telling us in the future, “Assuredly I say to you, I do not know you” (Matt 25:12). Also keeping the Passover on the wrong date is observing it unworthily and could deprive one of the protection of Christ's shed blood. This one thing is sure, not keeping Passover on the right appointed time is wrong!
If we are meticulous in determining the true weekly Sabbaths, we should likewise be meticulous in determining and keeping the true and correct annual Sabbath, as they both stand and fall together!
The NEW MOONS- New moons are very crucial in God's plan. The term “New Moon” is confusing because there are three phases of the dark moon that separate one from the others. Mr. Armstrong believed the teaching of the Jewish Hebrew calendar that teaches the new moon basically corresponds with the appearance of the young crescent moon. Others follow the astronomers into the mean or middle dark moon phase that most of our calendars the world over use, this is playing it safe, not too early and not too late. Playing safe is like the saying- “Be not the first by which the new are tried, nor be the last to lay the old aside.” Safe isn't it? This is not God's way, God wants it perfect, exact, precise! As the Sabbath starts the instant the sun set [no direct light visible], the new moon should also start the instant the moon turns dark [not visible]. New moon means new month, as the new day starts the moment the sun dips down below the horizon, so does the new month start the moment the last faint crescent of the waning moon disappears. For easy saying, the day starts at sunset, the month starts at moon-set [no such term, but understood].
Using the young crescent moon or even the mean dark moon could mean a difference of one to two days in the calendar and could displace the annual festivals. The true new moon is based on God's own words, Psalms 104:19 gives “the setting of the sun as the precedent” for starting the new moon which in turn starts the new month. My dictionary gives “precedent”as something said or done that provides a pattern for similar cases. Verse 19 states, “He appointed the moon for seasons; The sun knows its going down.” Think deeply what this verse is trying to convey, it was inserted here in Psalms for a purpose. It points to the true new moon conjunction, the sun sets the pattern [precedent], God wants us to understand and get it correctly, precisely, exactly. This is God's way!
The true new moon is important because it gives the correct start of the months which in Abib would give the start of the new year. Having the correct new year we could rightly determine Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread. Having the right Sunday within the Days of Unleavened Bread will give us the true Sunday seven Sabbaths later for when Pentecost is.
Knowing the right Abib 1 give us the exact Feast of Trumpets seven new moons later, and from here we can determine Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day. This is how important new moons are. True new moons gives the right appointed Sabbaths [feasts] which is God's plan therefore, new moons are indispensable.
The Three yearly Appointed Feasts: Exodus 23:14-16, “Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; none shall appear before Me empty); and the Feast of Harvest, the first fruits of your labors which you have sown in the field. And the Feast of Ingathering at the end [turn] of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field.” The three verses mentioned two harvests, one simply called “Harvest,” the other “the feast of Ingathering.” But there were actually three harvest that correspond to the three festivals mentioned in the Holy Day cycle. The first harvest was the barley harvest around Days of Unleavened Bread period. That harvest was the one that produced the sheaf of grain that was presented before God during the first day during the Days of Unleavened Bread, representing Jesus Christ's appearance before His Father and the Father's acceptance of Him after the resurrection.
Wheat was gathers during the Feast of Harvest [weeks], or the second harvest of the year. The third harvest, around the Feast Of Tabernacles was the larger general harvest of other crops, this is called the Feast of Ingathering. We can see that the three feasts mentioned in 2 Chronicles 8:13 refer to the three harvests. At each of these harvests offering were given to God. Notice however, that during the first and second harvests it was an offering of FIRSTFRUITS that were given. To better understand this we have to go back to the wave sheaf offering in Leviticus 23:9-11, “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: `When you come into the land which I gave to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.” A sheaf of cut grain from the first harvest, the barley harvest, was waved before God. It is described as firstfruit of God's work of salvation - the Savior Himself. A reading of 1 Corinthians 15:20,23 confirm this, “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and have become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming.”
Going back to the book of Leviticus, “And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord. You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to the Lord” (Lev. 23:15-17). This grain offering in the form of two wave loaves was to be made during the second harvest of the year, on the feast Weeks, which was calculated by counting seven Sabbaths of seven weeks, from the time the wave sheaf was offered. Notice that these two loaves were also called the firstfruits.
At this point lets look back at the two harvests that we had read so far: First, the firstfruits of the barley harvest which we understood to be the resurrection of God's own Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Then the harvest of the firstfruits of the wheat during the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost as we know it today. Both Christ and those to be resurrected during the second harvest are called firstfruits. The first harvest of Jesus Christ has been accomplished, and it makes now possible the gathering in of the second harvest pictured by the day of Pentecost. We believe at Pentecost or Feast of Weeks or simply the feast “Harvest of the bride,” those elect who totally obey Christ and that are described in Rev. 17:14 as the Chosen, and the Faithful will be taken to marry the Lamb [Jesus Christ]. There will be others, who although they obey the commandments of God, will be left behind because they do not follow Christ with regards to the truth about the true appointed annual Sabbaths [feasts] and missed the protection of Christ's shed blood at Passover. Those left behind are the remnants [Rev. 12:17], who will still have to learn the truth during the tribulation and the wrath to come. They were advised to grid themselves while waiting for the Lord when He comes back from the wedding. “Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; 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” (Luke 12:35-36).
The great harvest is yet ahead, what is being prepared and made ready now is the firstfruits of the second harvest for they will be helping Christ in the work needed for the general harvest of many crops. The third harvest is called the Feast of Ingathering, which is done at the end [turn] of the year. This corresponds to the Feast of Tabernacles, which includes the Last Great Day. This is a very large harvest and much work is to be expected. That is why the second harvest of firstfruits are being made ready now and at the fulness of time Jesus Christ will come for them. “And the feast of Harvest the firstfruits of your labor which you have sown in the field; and the feast of Ingathering at the end [turn] of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field” (Exodus 23:16). But notice the next important verse which God want His people to do. “Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord God.” Deuteronomy makes clear this instruction, “Three times a year all males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you” (Deu. 16:16-17). Notice that we are to give offering on the Days of Unleavened Bread, Feast of Weeks, and Feast of Tabernacles, as mentioned all these feasts are harvest times. God said, He will bless the produce so He requires us to give offerings.
The three Harvests of God pictures His plan for man to be in His Kingdom. The kingdom of God is man's only hope to be in the Family of God by way of His three appointed Harvests, understanding these will help us not lose tract of God's plan. Could the parable about God's kingdom be referred to when we look at God's plan and His spirit working to usher in the three appointed Harvest of humanity? “Another parable He spoke to them: “the kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman tool and hid in three measures of meal till all was leavened” (Matt. 13:33). God's three appointed harvests and the “three measures of meal” in the parable is worth serious consideration.
Sotero Sonza