THE WAVE SHEAF OFFERING

There are numerous articles and sermons given every year concerning Passover and it's relation to Yahshua the Messiah. The selection of the lamb without blemish, it's preparation, and sacrifice between the evenings. There is also much information about the new symbols of Yahshua's body and blood, the bread and the cup and what they signify. There is however, an aspect of the Passover season that is mainly overlooked or mentioned in passing. This is the Wave Sheaf offering. In this study we will come to understand its full meaning and the lesson it teaches us.

To begin let us review just when Passover is. It falls in the early spring at the beginning of the first harvest, the fourteenth day of the first month, Abib. (Abib means to be tender or green. #24 Æabiyb ) Immediately following Passover are the days of unleaven bread beginning on the fifteenth Abib. The first day is a commanded high Sabbath as is the last day, the twenty first Abib. A weekly Sabbath always falls sometime within these seven days. It is the morning after this weekly Sabbath that the Wave Sheaf offering was to be made. Lev.23:10 "Say to the people of Israel, When you come into the land which I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest; 11 and he shall wave the sheaf before Yahweh, that you may find acceptance; on the morrow after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.

This Wave Sheaf offering is tied in directly to the death and resurrection of Yahshua the Messiah. Lets begin with the death of Yahshua and what He said just prior to His arrest and trial.

John 16:5 But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts.

7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

Yahshua said it was crucial that He go away because if He didn't the Holy Spirit would not be sent. This is not a small matter. If the Holy Spirit did not come there would be no connection to Yahweh the Father. It is through this spirit that Yahweh reveals His deep truths to us.

1 Cor.2:9 But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what Elohim has prepared for those who love him," 10 Elohim has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of Elohim.” He was going away to be presented to, and accepted by the Father. Just how crucial was this presentation and acceptance?

If Yahshua was not presented to and accepted by the Father there would be no Holy Spirit,

no connection to the Father, no forgiveness of sins and no salvation. This sounds almost impossible to believe if one thinks the way the religions of this world do. Yahweh's plan for mankind is very deep and complex. If you do not keep the holy days commanded in the scriptures and recognize and study the different rituals surrounding them you will not understand that plan. According to churchianity, Yahshua came, He died for our sins and that is all there is to it. The truth however is much different. Yahshua's life on this earth and His death on our behalf is only the very beginning of a beautiful series of events that open the way to salvation.

This will shock some but the death of Yahshua did not save us. To understand this fully lets turn to; 1 Cor.15:12 Now if Messiah is preached as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Messiah has not been raised; 14 if Messiah has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting Elohim, because we testified of Elohim that he raised Messiah, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.

16 For if the dead are not raised, then Messiah has not been raised. 17 If Messiah has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. (Emphasis mine)

Take very careful note of the following. Romans 5:10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to Elohim by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. The death of Yahshua reconciled us to the Father by paying the penalty we had incurred by our sins but it is His life that saves us. If He were not resurrected, presented to the Father and accepted by Him, we would still be in our sins and there would be no salvation possible. This does not make light of Yahshua's death it serves to enhance and magnify what He has truly done on our behalf. This is what the wave sheaf offering is all about.

There is something very crucial to understand here. The Wave Sheaf offering began the first small harvest in Israel. There was a larger, general harvest later in the year. The first harvest was a specialized harvest of the early grains. The second was a diverse harvest of the late grains, fruits and vegetables. Just as there was a small early harvest and a later, larger harvest, so it is with Yahweh's plan of salvation. There is an early or first small spiritual harvest of mankind for Yahweh's kingdom of which Yahshua is the very first sheaf represented by the Wave Sheaf offered to Yahweh. Yahshua is the first sheaf of the first harvest and we who are called in this age are the first fruits harvest. James 1:18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. Revelation 14:4 It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are chaste; it is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes; these have been redeemed from mankind as first fruits for Elohim and the Lamb.

This ties in directly with Pentecost. This commanded high day Sabbath falls at the end of the early spring harvest. It is also called the feast of first fruits or the feast of weeks. Exodus 34:22 And you shall observe the feast of weeks, the first fruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year’s end.

Pentecost was the time the Holy Spirit was given to the apostles and the others that were gathered as commanded by Yahshua before His final ascension to the Father in Heaven. Acts.3:1-5. This giving of Yahweh's Spirit occurred in a miraculous way, as tongues of fire resting on each of them. This was the first Pentecost or feast of firstfruits in the new assembly of Yahweh under the new or renewed covenant. This is a very special festival with great meaning for us. It is the time the law was given to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai, the time when the Holy Spirit was first given to the apostolic assembly, and it signifies the end of the first fruits harvest of mankind for Yahweh.

There is something that must be noted here. Yahshua could not have been the first of the firstfruits or the Wave Sheaf offering if He had not died. Yahshua mentions this concept.

John 12:23 And Yahshua answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” This is an amazing scripture with deep meaning for those that follow Yahweh. With this saying He connected His death with the saving of all of mankind. The apostles did not understand because the Spirit of Yahweh had not yet been given but we can in this age through that same Spirit that is within us.

If a seed of grain is not planted in the soil it remains a single seed and produces nothing. If it

is planted and dies however it will, as Yahshua said, sprout to a new plant produce much grain.

It was the same with Yahshua. If He remained alive He would be a single son of Yahweh. He could only produce more life if He gave up His own. It was by His death that He would pay the penalty for our sins and by the resurrection would defeat death and open the way to eternal life for us. 1 Cor.15:54 “When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." 55 "O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.57 But thanks be to Elohim, who gives us the victory through our Master Yahshua Our Messiah.” By doing this He could produce more sons and daughters fort Yahweh.

Rom.8:29 Tells us that Yahshua was the first born of many brethren. In Rev.1:5 We are told that He was the first born of the dead. He is the first to be resurrected to eternal life. He is the Wave Sheaf of the first harvest. We who follow are the first fruits harvest to Yahweh.

The time of the Passover has a dual purpose. By His shed blood and death on the stake, Yahshua paid the penalty for our sins and reconciled us to the Father. This was an act of reconciliation. The act of eternal salvation begins at the resurrection of Yahshua three days and three nights later. Remember Paul said; “Much more now that we are reconciled we shall be saved by His life.” Rom.5:9

Before the plan of eternal salvation could begin, something had to happen that is prefigured by the Wave Sheaf offering. Read in the evangel of John about the coming of Mary of Magdala

Peter and John to the tomb. John 20:1-20 When they saw the stone had been rolled back and the body of Yahshua was gone, Peter and John went to their homes. Mary stayed behind weeping at the entrance. When Yahshua made Himself known to her she was about to embrace Him from joy. In verse 17 Yahshua told her not to hold Him as He had not yet ascended to the Father to be glorified. He sent her to tell the apostles what she had seen and heard. Notice verse 1 that it was still dark. We will see shortly that this statement is important.

Yahshua had been resurrected three days and three nights after His death just as He said.

Matthew 12:40 “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” It was now the morrow after the weekly Sabbath during the days of unleaven bread. It was on this day that the Wave Sheaf of the first harvest would be cut by the priest and presented as an offering to Yahweh for acceptance. Leviticus 23:11 “ and he shall wave the sheaf before Yahweh, that you may find acceptance; on the morrow after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.” This ceremony took place as the rays of the sun began to light their way. It was at this same time that Yahshua would ascend to the Father in Heaven and present Himself to Yahweh as the first sheaf of the first harvest and be accepted and glorified as the first and the most perfect of the early harvest.

Just as He had fulfilled exactly on time, the Passover sacrifice, He now fulfilled exactly on time, the Wave Sheaf offering.

Let us at this point review and fully understand what has just happened. Yahshua accomplished the first part of the task that He came to do. He reconciled us to the Father by shedding his blood as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Heb.9:24 For Messiah has entered, not into a sanctuary made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of Elohim on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the Holy Place yearly with blood not his own; 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Messiah, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Having given His life for us He can now accomplish the second part of His task, defeat death by being resurrected and opening the way to eternal life for all mankind. 1 Cor.15:54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."55 "O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to Elohim, who gives us the victory through our Master Yahshua Messiah.” Death could not hold Him and will now not be able to hold us either.

Yahshua was now ready to complete the third part of His task, become the Wave Sheaf offering of the first harvest of mankind and be accepted into Heaven to the Fathers throne.

John 20:17, Dan.7:13-14, Rev.1:13-16.

Now He could begin the fourth part of the task He came perform, minister to us as a perfect and final High Priest in the order of Melchizadek and to intercede on our behalf with the Father.

Heb.9:11 But when Messiah appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)

12 he entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.13 For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to Elohim, purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living Elohim,, also verse 24 For Messiah has entered, not into a sanctuary made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of Elohim on our behalf.

Heb.10:11-18 From His position at the throne of Yahweh He can tend the first harvest of mankind which is symbolized as complete by the day of Pentecost, fifty days from the Wave Sheaf offering.

An amazing miracle has occured that goes unnoticed by nearly all of the religions of this world. Many events have fallen perfectly in place that could only have been planned and carried out exactly on schedule by a supreme mind such as that of Yahweh. No man planned this scenario. This miracle disproves the good Friday death, Easter Sunday resurrection of our Messiah. It also proves the true day of the week that Yahshua did die.

The leaders of the people asked Yahshua for a sign to prove that He was the true Messiah.

The sign of Jonah was the only sign that He said He would give. Matt.12:38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." 39 But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.The whole world has denied this one and only sign given by the Friday death Sunday resurrection doctrine.

The following will prove that Yahshua was correct and mankind is dead wrong. For this sign to be valid, and for Yahshua to fulfil everything that was prophesied concerning Him, He would have to sacrificed exactly on Passover, be in the grave three days and three nights, and be resurrected in time to be the Wave Sheaf offering the day after the Sabbath. All of these things had to happen exactly on schedule, Yahweh's schedule.

Passover, time in the grave, resurrection, and the Wave Sheaf offering, lets analyse this scenario. We know exactly when the Passover was to be offered, Abib 14, the first month of the year in the spring. We know exactly, according to the word of Yahshua, how long He would be in the grave, three days and three nights. We know exactly when the Wave Sheaf was to be offered, the morrow after the weekly Sabbath during the days of unleaven bread. If these things did not happen exactly on schedule, we have no Savior.

We will soon see that all things came exactly on schedule. As stated before, no human mind could plan all of these things and have them fall in perfect sequence at the precise time prophesied. Take careful note of the following. For all of these things to happen on schedule, Passover would have to fall on Wednesday of that year. No other day will work as we shall soon see. Yahshua died Wednesday afternoon before sunset on the preparation day for the first high day Sabbath of the year. He was placed in a new tomb immediately prior to sundown. John 19:31 “ Since it was the day of Preparation, in order to prevent the bodies from remaining on the stake on the sabbath (for that sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.” Thursday of that week was a high day Sabbath, the first day of unleaven bread. Then there would be Friday and then the weekly Sabbath.

The fact that there were two Sabbaths, a high day and a weekly Sabbath, during the time Yahshua spent in the grave has been clouded by translation of scripture from the original tongue to our English of today. This clouding has made a way for the Friday death Sunday morning resurrection doctrine to take hold. The truth however dispels this myth. At this point lets investigate one such clouded scripture. This scripture gives the most information concerning that time than any other.

Matt.28:1 in the literal Greek to English reads; “But late of the Sabbaths, at the drawing on of one of the Sabbaths, came Mary the Magdalene and the other Mary to view the grave.”As it reads, without the knowledge of the festivals and the rituals surrounding them, this reading doesn't make much sense. It gave the translators a problem as well hence it was changed to say what they thought it meant. The first thing to understand here is that the Greek word of Sabbaths is Sabbaton. The Greek word for weeks is also Sabbaton.

In the King James Version of the bible this scripture reads; Matt.28:1 “ In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.” Satan has cleverly concealed the true meaning of this scripture to hide the fact that there were two Sabbaths between Yahshua's death and His resurrection. Why did he do this? If there were two Sabbaths between the death and resurrection of Yahshua then the Friday death and the Sunday resurrection doctrine goes down the drain. He has also concealed the truth of the Wave Sheaf offering and the count of seven Sabbaths to Pentecost that was still being observed at the time of Messiah. However to those who truly love our Messiah, Yahweh will open the true meaning in His word, the bible, if one diligently studies according to His directions. Isaiah 28:13 “Therefore the word of Yahweh will be to them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little; that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.” If one studies only the new testament one will not have a full understanding of scriptures. One must know what came before to fully understand what comes later.

Let us now understand what this scripture truly says. In the KJV, the words not in the original are always written in Italics. These words were added in the attempt to make the meaning clearer. Sometimes it just serves to cloud the true meaning. Notice that the word day in this verse is in italics. This means it was not in the original. Let us remove it. It will then read; “In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.” This doesn't make too much of a difference in its meaning, however there is another change to make to bring it to the original meaning.

In the Greek, Sabbath and week ( Both are translated from Sabbaton and are both in the plural) If we make them plural this scripture will read; “ In the end of the Sabbaths, as it began to dawn toward the first of the weeks, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.”

In this state it reveals something amazing. It was after the Sabbaths, the high day and the weekly Sabbath, when Mary came to the tomb while it was still dark. This day was also the day that the count of seven weeks to Pentecost began. This would be the first of those weeks. It was the day of the Wave Sheaf offering, the morrow after the weekly Sabbath. Mary arrived at the tomb of Yahshua after the Sabbaths and in the early morning in the first of the seven weeks that were to be counted to Pentecost. When she encountered Yahshua He told her not to touch Him as He had not yet ascended to the Father. He, as the true Wave Sheaf offering, would ascend to the Father at the exact time that the Wave Sheaf was offered after sunup by the high priest.

Let us read that scripture in its true form again. Matt.28:1 “In the end of the Sabbaths, as it began to dawn toward the first of the weeks, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.” Its meaning is clearly evident and will serve to verify the following.

Now back to our subject. As stated above Yahshua died on Wednesday afternoon shortly before sunset on the preparation day for the first high day Sabbath of the year. He was taken from the stake and placed in a new tomb just prior to sundown. He would be in the grave;

1) Wednesday night, 2) Thursday night, 3) Friday night. 1) Thursday day, 2) Friday day,

3) Saturday day. Three days and three nights. He was resurrected just at sundown on Sabbath

as the first day of the week and also as the first of the weeks began. Thus is fulfilled the sign of Jonah.

We can also prove that Yahshua was not resurrected at sunrise on Sunday as this worlds religions claim. When Mary of Magdala came to the tomb on the first of the weeks it was still dark and Yahshua had already risen. John 20:1 (If we apply what we learned from the original Greek in Matt.28:1 it reads as follows.) “The first of the weeks cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.”

He was not still in the grave at sunrise as the worlds religions claim. He was raised as He had said, after three days and three nights. Matthew 28:6 “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Master lay.”

In review did you notice that everything happened exactly on schedule. Yahshua shed His blood as the perfect sacrifice exactly on Passover. He was in the grave exactly three days and three nights in fulfilment of the sign of Jonah. He ascended to the Father as the Wave Sheaf offering exactly on the morrow after the Sabbath.

If you move Passover to any other day of the week that year Yahshua could not have fulfilled all that was prophesied of Him. He could not have fulfilled the Wave Sheaf offering, three days and three nights after His death, on the morrow after the Sabbath. Experiment with this and you will see that prior to Wednesday He would be too early for the Wave Sheaf offering.

Any day after Wednesday and He would still be in the grave on the morrow after the Sabbath and could not the fulfil the Wave Sheaf offering as the first of the first fruits harvest.

Only a supremely wise mind could plan and carry out such a complex plan exactly on schedule. Rom.11:33 O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of Elohim! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

The word of Yahweh is sure and unchangeable and greatly to be trusted. Let us meditate on these things as we celebrate the life of Yahshua as out High Priest and the Wave Sheaf offering of the first fruits harvest of mankind to Yahweh.

Psalms 145:3 Great is Yahweh, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.

HalleluYah May Yahweh bless your studies. Elder Dave Ganton