FEAST OF FIRST FRUITS - PENTECOST

A Festival of Jubilation .

Following Passover and during the days of Unleavened Bread ,the count to Feast of First fruits or as it is more commonly called today , Pentecost begins . Pentecost means “fiftieth”as it falls on the fiftieth day following the first weekly Sabbath during the Days of Unleavened Bread .

This count begins on the day the wave sheaf is offered of the first fruits of the grain harvest .

You can read about this in LEV.23:9-21 The Wave Sheaf offering and the count to Pentecost

ties in directly with the Sabbatical year of rest for the land and the year of Jubilee , celebrating release and restoration . These days also tie in directly to Yahshua , His death , resurrection and

return . We will make these connections in a later study .

The feast of Pentecost or First Fruits was very important to the people of Israel .If they did not have a bountiful grain harvest they would experience severe food shortages .Grain was the staple of the Israelites . Without it there would be no flour for bread and all of the other goods made with grain . However if they had a bountiful harvest they would have plenty of food for all .

Since Yahweh controlled their agricultural blessings the festival revealed His blessings and curses on the nation . It showed whether they were living in obedience to the covenant they had made with Him . DEUT...29:9 TO 30 :1-20 The bounty of their harvest depended on obedience .

YAHWEH’S HARVEST

This Feast if Weeks festival takes on much deeper meaning for us as followers of Yahweh in this age . It points to our true destiny , to be born into Yahweh’s Kingdom . It shows us what we must do to be part of the first harvest of mankind as members of Yahweh’s family .

To understand that this festival indeed does signify that we are part of the first harvest ,lets turn to a parable of Yahshua . MATT.13:21-30 Notice in this parable Yahshua likens harvesting to our entering the Kingdom of Yahweh . He tells about the wheat and an enemy coming in the night and planting tares . In the same chapter VERSES 1-23 Yahshua compares Yahweh’s Kingdom to planting and harvesting .

As an aside here , notice that Yahshua said that an enemy planted tares among the wheat . The workers wanted to pull up the tares but were told not to just in case ,while they were pulling up the tares ,they might mistakenly pull up some of the wheat .They were told to let them grow together till harvest time and then they would be easier to separate . Have you ever wondered why the workers were not allowed to pull up the tares ? Could they not tell the difference between wheat and tares ?

Many years ago I spent a summer on a grain farm on the prairies in Saskatchewan .When the wheat was planted and began to grow , weeds came up as well . They were called Darnel or imitation wheat . They are the same as tares in the scriptures . They looked very much like the wheat plants .One couldn’t tell the difference unless one was an expert at spotting them. This similarity remained until the wheat headed out and began to ripen . At that time the darnel or tares were much easier to recognize . By the time of harvest they would be readily recognized as imposters and much easier to separate . This holds a lesson for us . Yahweh’s assemblies will

never be without imposters until the time of the spiritual harvest at the return of Yahshua . They will be with us until Yahshua weeds them out at the end of the age . Satan plants them and Yahshua will weed them out at the appropriate time .

Now , back to the subject . In MATT. 9:37-38 Yahshua said ,”The harvest is plentiful but the harvesters are few . Therefore pray the Master of the harvest to send out labourers into the

harvest “. Yahshua is talking about the harvest of His people into the Kingdom of Yahweh , into

the very family of Elohim , at His return .

Lets now begin to understand the deeper meaning of this festival as it relates to us as followers of Yahweh in this age and our ultimate salvation . The day of the wave sheaf offering in the early spring begins the count of seven full Sabbaths to the day following the seventh Sabbath which is Pentecost . LEV. 23:9-16 The Wave Sheaf symbolizes Yahshua’s acceptance

into the Melchizadek priesthood and to the throne of Yahweh in Heaven when He was resurrected from the dead .JOHN 20:16-17 This resurrection and His ascension into Heaven makes possible the resurrection or harvesting of Yahweh’s people at the return of Yahshua . For a clearer understanding read; HEB.. 9:12-15 1 COR.15:50-53 ROMANS 5:9-10 James says that

we are a kind of first fruits of His creatures . How do we become first fruits of the harvest and what is required for us to enter the kingdom of Yahweh ?

There are four things that a crop needs to be successful , seeds , soil , light and water .

1 YAHWEH’S CALL THE SEED

There can be no crop without the sowing of the seed . Yahweh the Father calls those He wishes to follow Yahshua in this age .JOHN 6:44 Yahshua sows the seed , MATT.13:37

Without this calling and the planting of the seed of truth in our minds through the Holy Spirit we cannot begin to grow COLL.1:9 1 COR.2:9-13 . Knowledge comes from study. Understanding and spiritual discernment come from Yahweh through the Holy Spirit .

This calling in this age is limited to the minority . The majority are deceived by satan the devil

REV.12:9 Uncalled people without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit cannot understand the deep spiritual truths of Yahweh . 1 COR.2:14-16 Their calling will come but not in this age .

The majority of the people of this world do not keep the feast of Pentecost and therefore miss this important aspect of Yahweh’s plan of salvation .

The feast of First Fruits or Pentecost occurs at the beginning of the small , late spring early summer harvest . This first harvest of people for Yahweh is a small harvest . Yahshua said ,”Many are called but few are chosen . MATT.22:14 LUKE 12:32 Yahshua says we are a little flock.

The large general harvest of the whole world is later toward the fall . It is pictured in a festival called The Last Great Day which will be covered in a future study . The late harvest is a large diverse harvest of ,fruits , vegetables ,and late grains etc . So the second calling after this age will be a large diverse calling of peoples all over the world . The first harvest is a specialized harvest of the early grains . We are that early harvest

2 AN OBEDIENT MIND THE SOIL

In order for seeds to grow and develop they need good soil with the nutrients they will require to reach maturity . People Yahweh calls are no different . The seeds that Yahshua plants must be in good soil . That soil is our minds . Fruitful soil is receptive to and utilizes the nutrients that are in it or added to it . Yahweh’s law is the major nutrient that fertilizes our mind . We must be receptive to it and obedient . An obedient mind is fruitful soil .

MATT.19:17 Yahshua said,”If you would enter into life , keep the commandments”.

Another scripture that tells us that an obedient mind is required for spiritual growth is .

1 JOHN 2:4 “He who says I know Him ,( Yahweh ) and does not keep His commandments ,is a liar and the truth is not in him “. Just as seeds that sprouts without the nutrients required for reaching maturity will wilt and die so those who live in disobedience to Yahweh’s law will not attain spiritual maturity .

3 YAHSHUA LIGHT

In the absence of light ,grain cannot grow . We are no different . Without the light in the person of Yahshua we are lost in darkness and cannot hope to come to spiritual maturity . We are

immersed in sin and the darkness of deception that comes with it . ACTS 4:12 We are told that there is no other name given under Heaven by which we may be saved . Yahshua says ,” I am the light of the world . He who follows me will not walk in darkness , but have the light of life “.

JOHN 8:12 . Yahshua provides for us access to Yahweh the Father , the forgiveness of our sins and the true way of life through Yahweh’s law . Without these nutrients we can not grow to spiritual maturity .

4 THE HOLY SPIRIT WATER

Without water grain will not grow . Water is the mainstay of all life . Without water things dry out and die . Water is what keeps plants at the right temperature to grow as the absorb it and give off moisture in the hot sun . Life depends on water .

For Yahweh’s people , the Living Water of Yahweh’s Holy Spirit is what we depend on for life . JOHN 7:37-39 Yahshua said , “If anyone thirst , let him come to me and drink . He who believes in me , as the scripture has said , out of his heart shall flow rivers of living waters “.

He went on in verse 39 to say that this living water would come through the Holy Spirit .

The Spirit of Yahweh nourishes our mind with all the truth knowledge and understanding we need to reach spiritual maturity .ROM.8:1-17 It is Yahweh’s Spirit that gives life . Without it ,as without water , life is not possible .

Without the Holy Spirit one cannot obey Yahweh’s law . Paul said that the carnal mind

(Without Yahweh’s Spirit ) will not and cannot be subject to ( be obedient to ) Yahweh’s law .

ROM.8:7 In fact they will be hostile towards it . Do we see that every day ?Yahweh’s Spirit empowers us to keep the law of life .

It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that Yahweh will inaugurate us into His Kingdom .

We can receive this life giving water of the Holy Spirit through repentance and immersion into the name of Yahshua the Messiah . ACTS 2:38 . We are promised it as a gift from Yahweh once we meet those two requirements . ( You can read about these steps by asking for our free mini study , Baptisms Deeper Meaning )

On the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Yahshua , Yahweh sent the Holy Spirit in the form of tongues of fire to indwell His assembly who were gathered together . This is the same Spirit promised as a gift to us .Without this Spirit we cannot become members of the spiritual body of Messiah . If we don’t have the Holy Spirit we don’t belong to Yahshua .ROM.8:9

THE PURPOSE OF THE FIRST FRUITS

At the return of Yahshua we will enter into Yahweh’s Kingdom . For what purpose ?

What will we be doing there ? Are we just called for our own personal salvation with no other purpose ? The answers are crucial to the understanding of this festival of First Fruits and why we are a part of it . Yahweh centred His Holy Days around the harvest seasons in Israel . This was not by accident . Yahweh does nothing without a reason and a plan . Yahshua told many parables likening the Kingdom of Yahweh to the harvest seasons . This was no accident either .

Since we are called the first fruits and they are of the early grain harvest let us follow Yahshua’s lead and use that to help us understand our purpose once we are harvested . Is the grain planted and tended and harvested for its own benefit ? Is it left in barns and granaries to serve no further purpose ? No, it is harvested to provide food for the people who depend on it for sustenance . It serves a very great purpose .

We as the first fruits harvested into Yahweh’s Kingdom also serve a far greater purpose than just serving ourselves . We will be serving all of mankind . We are to be a kingdom of priests .

REV.5:10 A royal priesthood . 1 PETER 2:9 Notice what this royal priesthood will be doing .

We are to declare the wonderful deeds that Yahweh did when He called us out of darkness into the light . We are to bring praise and honour to the harvester by teaching the world about Him and His Son . Yahshua is the King of Kings . To be a King of Kings there must of a necessity be other kings under Him . We will be those kings . A ruling priesthood . Yahshua will be king over us and the whole world .

Kings rule and priests teach . MAL.2:7 We will be teachers of Yahweh’s truth and loving rulers for the benefit of the people as Yahshua is of us . A kingdom ruled by Yahweh’s standards is not a democracy . It is a government by the King for the people . Mankind has never been able to do this but Yahweh can and as members of His Kingdom we will too .

There will be people who survive the great tribulation and still inhabit this earth as human beings after the return of Messiah . They will be called by Yahweh to follow Yahshua as we were in this age . We will be their teachers . We will be teaching them the way of Yahweh .We will be leading them to obey as Yahshua led us to obey . But we will be teaching them something else during the thousand years after the return of Yahshua .

REV.20:1-6 NOTE VERSE 5 “The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended “. Picture this . Billions of people suddenly coming to life as flesh and blood humans once again .EZ.37 :1-28 Where will all of these people live ? What will they wear ? What will they eat ? Preparations must be made . They will be , during the thousand years preceding their resurrection . We in this first fruits small harvest will be preparing for those who come up in the last great general harvest of mankind when all will finally have the chance to know accept and live by the truth of Yahweh’s word .

Is this festival of First Fruits important to understanding Yahweh’s plan for mankind ? We will have a part in proving the word of Yahweh as delivered by Yahshua in the words of the bible.

1 JOHN 2:1-2 Yahshua is the expiation for not just our sins but the sins of the whole world .

The god of the religions of this world leave the vast majority of mankind out of the salvation plan . According to his plan most will be relegated to an ever burning , torturous hellfire as they have never even heard of the saviour and never will in this age . They will never have a chance for salvation .

The true Elohim’s plan is far superior as it includes salvation for all of mankind who ever lived . No one is left out . How awesomely wonderful is the truth !!!

This is why our calling is so very important . We must truly and deeply with great gratitude to Yahweh and Yahshua , appreciate our calling . We must be deeply committed to obeying the word of Yahweh at all cost and be a part of the First Fruit harvest . The whole of mankind depends on us .

As we keep this festival of First Fruits let us meditate on its many meanings and celebrate it with jubilation as we remember our release from the bondage of sin and death that Yahweh provided through Yahshua the Messiah by including us in this first small harvest .

HalleluYah May Yahweh bless your studies,

Elder Dave Ganton