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Gone Fishin'

~ …“Come after me, and I will make you fishers for men!”

Gone Fishin'

Tag Archives: Fall Feasts

Former…Latter Rains

21 Tuesday Jan 2014

Posted by Rev. Nadine Drayton-Keen in Poetry

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Tags

best is last, blessing, double outpouring, eleventh hour, Fall Feasts, Former and Latter Rains, Holy Spirit, new wine, physical farming, restoration, spiritual farming, Spring Feasts, wineskins

Latter and Former Rains

Be glad, people of Tziyon!
rejoice in Adonai your God!
For he is giving you
the right amount of rain in the fall,
he makes the rain come down for you,
the fall and spring rains — this is what he does first.
Then the floors will be full of grain
and the vats overflow with wine and olive oil. ~ Joel 2:23-24, CJB

 

 

 

First Jew then Gentile

Then JewGentile, FormerLatter, oneness season is

First month’s outpouring—LatterFormer

Rains Refreshing, Restoring, Renewing

Overflowing Lands, Nations, Souls doubly

Bearing fruit—Multiplying.

First month’s downpour—Former plus Latter

Rains Reclaiming, Renaming, Remembering

Combining Latter with Former, becoming FormerLatter,

Clothing then unifying promises of:  Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’s God—

Rains reaping what man has not sown—

End-Time Harvest.

 

Day of Pentecost was not so…just a glimpse…

Now, YoungOld—MaleFemale–MenservantsMaidservants

JewGentile 

Same spirit then as now, yet FULLER;

AlphaOmega—FormerLatter—beginningend, endbeginning—

Promised new thing manifestation.

 

Best is last:  Kingdom principle.

FormerLatter pours and

Greater anointing, wisdom, zeal—

Greater dreams, faith, hope—

Greater gifts, visions, visitations follow—

Greater end-time latter rain than former.

FormerLatter:  New wine in new skins for eleventh hour.

 

~ from Montage of Poetic Imaginations (composed in 2001; edited 2014)

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Jewish Menorah Mirrors 7 Feasts: Reflections Made On 2011’s Feast of Trumpets

29 Thursday Sep 2011

Posted by Rev. Nadine Drayton-Keen in Bible Prophecy

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

3 Harvest Phases of ONE Harvest, 7-Branched Menorah, Barley Wheat Grape Harvests, candlesticks, Fall Feasts, First and Second Resurrections, Jewish Wedding Traditions, lampstand, Mattan, Mohar, more than one Rapture

L to R: Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacles

I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet, saying, ‘I am Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last,’ and, ‘What thou seest, write in a book and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia: unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.’ And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; and in the midst of the seven candlesticks One like unto the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the breast with a golden girdle. ~ Revelation 1:10-13, KJV21

 

God uses the number 7 in the Holy Bible to denote spiritual perfection—holiness, fullness, completeness, and goodness. This spiritual perfection is achieved through the aid of the Holy Spirit, whose ministry depends on the willingness of the participants to allow Him to do His work in and through them.

Be that as it may, there can be no doubt that the number 7 is the dominant number used throughout the inspired Word of God, beginning in Genesis, with the emphasis on God’s 7-day work of Creation, and going all the way through to Revelation, with the comparison between the 7 churches and the 7 golden candlesticks. Where the Apostle John’s vision of 7 golden candlesticks is concerned, there is no doubt that his imagery paints a spitting image of the ancient 7-branched Menorah. In his vision are 6 candlesticks (branches), which come out of one central stem, and the central stem also is counted as one of the 7 envisioned candlesticks. The apostle’s description of the center stem, thus, points out that the Light Source of the 7 candlesticks is the center Light—the Divine Light of God who is Jesus the Christ, the servant Lamp (Shamash) of the Jewish 7-branched Menorah.

JEWISH 7-BRANCHED MENORAH MIRRORS 7 JEWISH FEASTS:

There can be no doubt that Apostle John’s vision of 7 golden candlesticks, with Jesus the Christ in the middle of them, is similar to the Prophet Zechariah’s vision of the golden lampstand with a bowl of oil on top, 7 lamps around the bowl, and two olive trees on either side of his lampstand (cf. Zechariah 4:1-3). Likewise, there can be no doubt that each of these visions in which the men of God describe either 7 candlesticks or a lampstand having 7 lamps are vivid images of the Jewish 7-branched Menorah that God commanded Moses to hammer out of one piece of gold and then place it across from the Table of Shewbread in the Holy Place (cf. Exodus 25:31-40, 26:35). 

It should be clear from the above-mentioned visions that many of God’s repeated patterns and cycles have the number 7 in them. Just to mention a few of the recurring patterns and cycles, there are 7 days, 7 weeks, 7 Sabbaths, 7-fold sprinkling, and the 7 feasts (7 mo’edim—appointed times of the Lord). Where the 7 feasts are concerned, the number 7 and compounds of 7 are repeated, beginning with the Feast of Passover, which starts on the 14th (7 X 2) of Nisan; to the 7 days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread; to the Counting of the Omer (7 X 7 + 1)—the counting of 50 days from the Feast of Passover to the Feast of Pentecost, which is celebrated the day after the seventh Sabbath. This recurring cycle is a lesser version of the greater repeated pattern of the Year of Jubilee, which happens every fifty years (7 x 7 + 1), beginning on the 10th day of the 7th month’s Day of Atonement (cf. Leviticus 25:8-55); lastly, there are the 3 connected “Holy Convocations” of the 7th month—the Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles, with the last feast being the end to the whole cycle of 7 feasts.

Each of the 7 feasts not only embody the whole range of figurative meanings for the number 7—perfection, holiness, fullness, completeness, and goodness—but also the 7 feasts reveal a prophetic timetable, as it were, which relates to the seasons (Spring and Autumn) and the months when the Lord would fulfill the purposes for His First and Second Comings. He already has fulfilled the four Spring Feasts. The next feast to be fulfilled is the Fall Feast of Trumpets (a.k.a., Rosh Hashanah). 

As already mentioned, the 7 feasts’ prophetic pictures of Jesus the Christ’s First and Second Comings are reflected in the 7-branched Menorah. In fact, the 7-branched Menorah is the personification of Jesus the Christ, the Light of the World. As such, each branch of the Menorah equals each of the 7 feasts, which means that both the feasts and the branches are definitive prophetic signs about the redemptive ministry of Jesus the Christ.

Using the Menorah pictured above, and starting from the reader’s left and moving right (which would be a right-to-left movement for the wilderness Tabernacle and Temple Priests), the first branch of the Menorah is that of the Feast of Passover. Both the branch and the feast signify the Lord’s death (crucifixion), which happens after He is inhumanely beaten, whipped, and pierced. The second branch is the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Both the branch and the feast signify the Lord’s burial. The third branch is the Feast of Firstfruits. Both the branch and the feast signify the Lord’s resurrection—the firstfruits of those raised from the dead never to die again. All three of these feasts point to the prophesied First Coming of Jesus the Christ, which, as already indicated, the Lord has fulfilled.

Next is the fourth branch, the middle or center stem (the Shamash or Servant Lamp), which in this case represents the Feast of Pentecost. Both the branch and the feast signify the flames or tongues of fire, and the pouring out of the oil (power) of the Holy Spirit. The Menorah’s 4th or middle position always refers to either the Lord of Light (Jesus the Christ) or fire. For this reason, Pentecost definitely qualifies to be in this 4th position! More important is the fact that Jesus the Christ also fulfilled this feast, primarily through His BETROTHAL CONTRACT (New Testament or New Covenant), which His young Bride (the CHURCH) accepted. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit seals this marriage contract!

On the above picture of a Menorah, to the reader’s right of the center branch are the three branches that symbolize the three feasts that deal with Jesus the Christ’s Second Coming. The first of these three branches is the branch of the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah). Both the branch and the feast signify the Rapture of the Bride of Christ. The next branch is the Feast of Atonement. Both the branch and the feast signify the visible bodily return of Jesus the Christ. The last branch is the Feast of Tabernacles. Both the branch and the feast signify the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom.

As previously indicated, the visions Apostle John and the Prophet Zechariah have both mirror the Mosaic image of the wilderness Tabernacle’s 7-Branched Menorah. What is important about this ancient lampstand is the fact that God commanded Moses to use the purest olive oil, which symbolizes the nature and identity of the Holy Spirit. This oil was to be poured in to the center lamp, and rabbinic traditions teach that this oil miraculously never runs out, even though the center lamp of the Menorah is lit first.

Perhaps the rabbinic traditions are correct; at any rate, the taught custom is that twice every day, morning and evening, Aaron would remove the lamps from the Menorah, clean them out with a sponge, refill them with pure beaten olive oil poured down through the center stem, and insert their wicks. He then put the lamps back into the Menorah (cf. Exodus 30:7).  The exception is the center lamp. Every morning, when Aaron would relight the three lamps on either side of the Menorah’s center stem, he would find the Shamash (the Servant Lamp; the center lamp atop the center branch) still burning, so he just would refill the Shamash with oil and trim its wick. As a result of the oil refill, from the middle or center stem would flow enough oil for the six branches. According to the Talmud (Shabbat 22b), each lamp would receive about 9 ounces of the purest olive oil, and this amount means that there would be enough oil to burn throughout the night into the morning (cf. Exodus 27:20-21; Leviticus 24:1-3).

By extension, the oil in the Menorah represents the Holy Spirit and His work, and the one parable that connects the importance of Menorah’s oil (the Holy Spirit) being present in a believer with the God-given command that the Menorah’s oil always must burn is the Parable of the Ten Virgins (cf. Matthew 25:1-13). What is more, this parable also strongly suggests that the 7-branched Menorah mirrors the seven Jewish Feasts.

The Holy Spirit is THE Oil that ALL of the 10 Virgins should have had—THE Oil that, when human lamps are trimmed and burning, miraculously never runs out. As the parable teaches, only 5 of these 10 Virgins had the right kind and right amount of Oil with them—the infilling of the Holy Spirit—and therefore were prepared and alert when the Bridegroom came like “a thief in the night” (cf. Matthew 24:43; Luke 12:39; Revelation 3:3).

Moreover, this parable depicts several of the Feast of Trumpets or Rosh Hashanah’s idioms, which are found in the New Testament, like the “loud cry (shout)” (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:16) of the bridegroom who comes like a “thief in the night” (cf. Revelation 3:3) on a day of which “no man knew the day or the hour” (cf. Matthew 24:36; Mark 13:32), after which the Bride and Groom enter the bridal chamber through the “open gate (door)” (cf. John 10:9; Revelation 3:8) that soon shuts and locks out the 5 foolish Virgins who have no Oil. There can be no doubt that each of these Rosh Hashanah idioms not only depict the return of Jesus the Christ to a world that is preoccupied with slumbering, but also each of them suggests that a great reawakening (warning) would precede His Return for His Bride.

While Rosh Hashanah is referred to as Yom Teruah (the Day of the Awakening Blast), and while the theme associated with Rosh Hashanah is “to awake,” the great reawakening (warning) that will precede the Lord’s return happens during the entire 6th month of Elul. This month is a special season known as Teshuvah, which begins a 30-day process of personal examination and repentance that prepares God’s people for the 10 days of Tishri (the Days of Awe) that end on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). The sad truth is that even with all of the prophetic warnings and the recurring seasons of Teshuvah, as the 5 unprepared Virgins demonstrate, there will be too many believers who will not have any Oil in their lamps (will not be FULL of the Holy Spirit).

Consequently, their lamps’ flame will not be able to light their path to where the Bridegroom is standing and calling them to Himself so that He can “steal them away” to the prepared Bridal Chamber, all because they did not accept the Oil (the Holy Spirit’s infilling and His illumination of the Word of God; cf. Matthew 25:3). Now, as believers, the 5 foolish Virgins would have had the indwelling Holy Spirit. However, only the Holy Spirit’s infilling (the Baptism of the Holy Spirit) provides THE OIL (power) believers need to keep their inner “light” shining brightly. Thus, even though the Lord’s Mattan (more about this betrothal gift, later) is His free “love” gift of the indwelling AND infilling Holy Spirit, apparently the 5 foolish Virgins didn’t think much about the second part of His gift!

The Scriptures, therefore, leave no doubt about the fact that the 5 foolish Virgins’ spiritual lamps had not been filled, or refilled, with the Holy Spirit’s supernatural Oil. The truth is, if their lamps had been filled, or refilled, then these Virgins would not have been out trying to buy some generic oil to pour into them. The point here is that these Virgins’ spiritual deficiency is why, by the time they returned either with the “oil” they went out to buy or with no “oil” at all, the Bridegroom already had shut and locked the door to Heaven’s Bridal Chamber!  

JEWISH MARRIAGE TRADITIONS AND THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS:

As earlier stated, the 7 Jewish Feasts paint prophetic pictures of Jesus the Christ’s First and Second Comings. While most people will agree that the Lord has fulfilled the first 4 feasts, and that He will soon fulfill the last three feasts, there are many believers who disagree with the Christians who think that the Rapture will happen during the Feast of Pentecost. The problem with the Pentecost-Rapture thinkers is that the Feast of Pentecost does not fit any of the second part of the Jewish marriage traditions.

Traditionally, the Jewish marriage consists of two parts. The first part is the betrothal (marriage), which in the Hebrew language is called the Erusin (engagement, sanctification) or Kiddushin (betrothal, sanctification). This part involves several steps, including but not limited to the bridegroom (or his father) selecting a bride, the bridegroom paying the bride’s price (the Mohar), the bride accepting the betrothal contract (the Ketubah, which is all of the bridegroom’s promises to his bride), the sealing of the betrothal contract, the giving of gifts (in particular, the Mattan), the bride’s water purification ritual (the Mikvah), the bridegroom giving gifts, the bridegroom’s departure, and the bride’s consecration period.

For the next one or two years, the bridegroom is in his father’s house, building his chador (bridal chamber), sometimes called a “chuppah” (honeymoon bed). Once the bridal chamber is finished, the bridegroom then returns for his bride. At this point in time, the second part of the marriage takes place. This part is the Wedding Ceremony, which in the Hebrew language is called the Nesu’in (full fledged marriage), or Huppah, or Chuppah (canopy or tent under which the marriage is consummated; the honeymoon bed). The Wedding Ceremony consists of the bridegroom coming back like “a thief in the night” for the purpose of “stealing” his bride and taking her away with him to their bridal chamber. The next step in the Wedding Ceremony happens after seven days in the bridal chamber. This is the time when the bridegroom and his bride come out and share their wedding bliss with their wedding guests, whom the bridegroom’s father has invited to his son’s wedding feast (symbolic of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb; the King’s Wedding Banquet).

In other words, before the Feast of Pentecost, Jesus the Christ fulfills the Bride’s price (the Mohar, or the value Father God places on the Bride, which the Lord pays to Father God). That price is Jesus the Christ’s atoning sacrifice (cf. John 3:16). Then, after the Lord’s resurrection and ascension come the Day of Pentecost’s pouring out of the Holy Spirit, which seals the marriage contract (the Lord’s New Testament promises) between Jesus the Christ (The Bridegroom) and His CHURCH (The Bride). Also, on this same Day of Pentecost, Jesus the Christ fulfills the Mattan—the gifts that the Bridegroom brings to His Bride.

While the Mohar is a contractual obligation (cf. Genesis 34:11-12; Romans 8:3-4; 1 Corinthians 6:19b-20a; 1 Peter 1:17-18; Revelation 5:9), the Mattan is the expression of the Bridegroom’s love for His Bride—the betrothal gift(s) that will sustain the Bride until the Bridegroom is able to return for Her. These gifts no doubt are Salvation, the measure of Faith, and the Holy Spirit, and it undoubtedly is the work of the Holy Spirit that helps the Lord’s Bride remain pure without getting any spot or blemish on Her, while the Bridegroom is away from Her.

Perhaps the Old Testament verses that best show this understandable distinction between the Mohar and the Mattan are Genesis 34:11-12. These Scriptures deal with Dinah (Leah and Jacob’s daughter) and Shechem, son of Hamor the Hivite. It is written:

And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren, ‘Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me, I will give. Ask me ever so much dowry {Mohar} and gift {Mattan}, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me; but give me the damsel for a wife.’ ~ NKJ21 (the inserted words inside the curly brackets are this blogger’s emphasis)

In these verses, it is obvious that even though Shechem has raped his wife-to-be (Dinah), Shechem is still like the Lord in that he (Shechem) not only is willing to pay what the Law (cf. Exodus 22:16-17) requires must be paid to a woman’s father before a man can receive permission to marry that woman, in this case the dowry (Mohar), but also Shechem, like Jesus the Christ, is willing to pay his wife-to-be (betrothed) his personal gift (Mattan) that shows his betrothed his love for her.

The bottom line then is, according to the previously mentioned second part of the traditional Jewish marriage, the Feast of Pentecost’s commemorative activities clearly do not fit the customary Jewish Wedding Ceremony’s steps. Thus, the feast that best fits the Wedding Ceremony’s steps of the Rapture (snatching away) of the Bride, the wedding consummation, and the 7 days in the Bridal Chamber is the Feast of Trumpets!

Indeed, what’s important about the Fall Feast of Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets) is this irrefutable picture of the marital union between the true CHURCH (Jesus the Christ’s Bride) and the Messiah (the Bridegroom). For sure, Hebraic roots definitely show through the Messiah’s Wedding Ceremony, which is the Rosh Hashanah Hebrew idiom of Kiddushin/Nesu’in. Likewise, the irrefutable pictures of the resurrection of the righteous dead and the taking up of the living righteous, plus the Bridegroom and His Bride being hidden away in their bridal chamber obviously relate to the Rosh Hashanah Hebrew idioms of Natzal (Rapture) and Yom HaKeseh (Hidden Day, Day of Hiding, Day of Concealment; or Bridal Week). For sure, the ancient Jewish customs responsible for the established 12 or 14 steps to a Jewish Wedding plainly explain why the Bridegroom “steals away” His Bride, like “a thief in the night.” He does so, because He wants the two of them to enjoy their marriage in peace and safety, which is achieved during the Bridal Week, which is symbolic of the 7-year Tribulation Period.

The truth of the matter is that the Feast of Pentecost themes of new revelation, new covenant, betrothal contract, first trump, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and the birth of the CHURCH are not the same as the Feast of Trumpets’ themes of preparedness, repentance, vigilance, last trump, resurrection, rapture, wedding, consummation, and kingship. Once again, these Feast of Trumpets’ themes are apparent in the Parable of the Ten Virgins (cf. Matthew 25:1-13), which not only symbolizes many of the Rosh Hashanah idioms but also typifies several of the Jewish Wedding Ceremony’s steps.

Furthermore, when the Gospel writer says that, “…at midnight there was a shout, Behold, the bridegroom! Go out to meet him” (Matthew 25:6, AMP), this imagery definitely points to the Jewish Bridegroom. Ancient Jewish wedding traditions teach that the Bridegroom usually comes for His Bride late at night, near the midnight hour, after the deafening shofar’s blast breaks the silence of the late night, and after the noisy shout gets everyone out of the house and into the streets, dancing. 

Having said all of that, it is important to look again at the 7-branched Menorah, in particular, the center stem. This 4th branch not only represents the Feast of Pentecost’s outpouring of the Holy Spirit but also represents the 4-month break from the Spring and the Fall Feasts. Moreover, this 4-month break also represents the 1 to 2 years of the Bridegroom’s absence, which is the typical time it takes a bridegroom to build an acceptable bridal chamber. Lastly, this 4-month break typifies the much longer nearly 2,000 years of the Age of Grace or the CHURCH Age.

Normally, neither 4 months nor 1 to 2 years would be considered a very LONG time. This truth explains why in His Parable of the Ten Virgins the Lord makes mention of the bridegroom taking longer than expected (tarrying; delaying his return). Indeed, it is the bridegroom’s long absence that causes the 10 Virgins to become so drowsy that they fall asleep (cf. Matthew 25:5-6). This long delay also explains to the Bride of Christ why the 1 to 2 years that it usually takes the Bridegroom to return for his Bride are literally nearing 2,000 years. The Bride really has been waiting for Her Bridegroom (Christ) to return, for a very LONG time!

Once again, the last three Feasts of God (mo’edim) have yet to be fulfilled. However, it should be obvious that just as the Feast of Trumpets, after the 4-month break, follows the Feast of Pentecost, then following the Feast of Pentecost’s outpouring of the Holy Spirit, marriage contract, betrothal, and bride’s sanctification are the next scheduled prophetic events, which Rosh Hashanah’s idiomatic expressions unmistakably describe. This truth is confirmed by Jesus the Christ’s Parable of the Ten Virgins, which typifies the Rosh Hashanah idioms of Yom Teruah (an awakening Shofar blast), Akedah (Abraham’s ram’s left and right horns or the Shofar’s “first trump” and the Shofar’s “last Trump,” respectively), Natzal (the Rapture; the resurrection of the righteous dead, and the taking up of the living righteous; and/or the end of the Age of Grace or CHURCH Age), Kiddushin/Nesu’in (the Messiah’s full fledged Wedding Ceremony), and Yom HaKeseh (hidden day, day of hiding, day of concealment, bridal week, “a thief in the night,” and “the day and hour no man knows”).

The last point on the Rapture of the Bride of Christ is this: Even the Lord, who is the Bridegroom, did not ascend up to Heaven on the Feast of Pentecost! For sure, it should speak volumes that the ONE person who is fulfilling the mo’edim His Father established was not taken up on Pentecost to the place He came from and the place He plans to take His resurrected and raptured Bride!

THREE PHASES TO THE ONE HARVEST OF SOULS:

Just like there are many believers who think the Rapture of the Bride of Christ will happen on the Feast of Pentecost, based on what the Lord says in Matthew 13:39, there also are many believers who think that there is only ONE Harvest of human souls, the WHEAT HARVEST, after which comes the end of the world. The problem with the one-harvest thinkers is that they miss the spiritual applications of the 3 mandated Jewish Feasts, each of which is associated with 3 different harvests: Passover (Barley), Pentecost (Wheat), and Tabernacles (Grapes).

Furthermore, without a doubt, since Matthew 13:39 suggests that there is going to be ONE huge Harvest, then the Barley, Wheat, and Grape harvests must represent 3 separate phases of that ONE enormous Harvest of souls. Indeed, they do, for the Scriptures confirm that these phases not only happen over a span of time but also occur in their own order (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:23; see also Daniel 12:2, 10, 13). Put differently, each of these 3 separate harvest phases culminate in a weeklong pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Thus, the spiritual application of the Feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles is that they represent the three stages of salvation from justification to sanctification to glorification. For this reason, the Barley, Wheat, and Grape phases of the ONE Harvest of souls prove that not every “saved” believer will be resurrected at the same time, because many will be at different stages of their salvation!

For the record, the 3 harvest phases do not include those resurrected saints who came out of their graves AFTER Jesus the Christ arose (cf. Matthew 27:51-53). In other words, the Word of God purposely describes three unique harvest phases within the Matthew 13:39 ONE HARVEST of souls, over which the Lord is chief Harvester. What’s more, these phases are separated from one another, having a crop that testifies to each harvest’s true nature!

Furthermore, the Scriptures confirm that there will be firstfruits in the first, second, and third harvest phases. Based on this truth, it will become obvious to the reader that it is the rest of second harvest phase that becomes the majority of the Matthew 13:39 final end of the Age (world) Harvest of souls! Be that as it may, where firstfruits are concerned, the Revelation 14:3-4 passage clearly proves that the three literal firstfruits’ harvest phases (the firstfruits of the Barley, Wheat, and Grape Harvests) also are depicted figuratively as God’s 1st resurrection firstfruits—those individuals who will be in Heaven singing a new song, while the Tribulation Period is happening on the Earth. The Apostle John writes:

And they sang, as it were, a new song before the throne, and before the four living beings and the elders; and no man could learn that song, except the hundred and forty and four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. These are they that were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are they that follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. ~ Revelation 14:3-4, KJV21

In verses 3 and 4 of the above-cited verses, the word “redeemed” is agoradzo, which according to Strong’s Greek Lexicon means “to buy” or “to purchase.” Moreover, agoradzo comes from the Greek word agorah, which means “an assembly of people.” Agorah comes from ageiro, which means “to gather,” and ageiro is probably akin to egiro, which means “to arise.” In essence, the word “redeemed” means the same thing as the resurrected!

Therefore, even though the firstfruit of the Barley Harvest is literally and figuratively the Early Harvest, and even though the firstfruit of the Wheat Harvest is literally and figuratively the later of these two harvests, the Revelation 14:3-4 passage proves that there are three harvests of firstfruits, which means there is going to be firstfruits of the literal and figurative Grape Harvests. Now, agriculturally speaking, the firstfruits of any harvest are that part of a crop that matures first; therefore, firstfruits are always just a small part of the whole harvest—the first portion of any harvest that is dedicated to God, as a guarantee that the whole harvest also belongs to Him (cf. Leviticus 23:10-11; Exodus 34:22a; Nehemiah 10:35-37). For this reason, each of the figurative firstfruits (Barley, Wheat, Grapes) is a part of the ONE GREAT end of the Age Harvest of souls.

What’s more, the Revelation 14:3-4 passage also is saying that there will be more than one firstfruits’ resurrection of those who have fallen asleep (1 Corinthians 15:20-23; Romans 8:29; Romans 11:16). Now, the Apostle Paul makes it crystal clear that Jesus the Christ is the FIRST of the firstfruits of the resurrected, never-to-die again, glorified, and raised upward until a cloud receives Him and takes Him to Heaven [cf. Acts 1:9]). Put differently, the Lord is “…the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead” (Colossians 1:18, AMP; cf. Revelation 1:5; Acts 26:23).

Next in line, then, is the Bride of Christ, who is symbolized as the EARLY but ripe firstfruits of the Barley Harvest. These firstfruits of Barley are the resurrected dead in Christ overcomers, AND the rest of the Barley Harvest overcomers who are the alive in Christ—the wise Virgins. They, all of these Barley overcomers, are the individuals who make-up the FIRST PHASE of the ONE Harvest of souls.

Agriculturally speaking, Barley and Wheat are planted at the same time, in the Fall of Israel’s Agricultural and Civil New Year; specifically, they are planted in the latter part of Tishri. However, because Barley matures faster and its chaff is easy to separate (is winnowed and tossed up), literally and figuratively speaking, Barley not only is harvested before the Wheat but also is resurrected and raptured before the Wheat.

The winnowing, separating the chaff with ease, is no doubt a metaphor for the Bride of Christ’s spiritual nature and characteristics that the literal Barley grain has. Perhaps, this truth is why there are many Bride of Christ examples and Bride of Christ characteristics associated with the word “barley,” as seen in the Lord’s feeding of the multitudes. It was at Passover when the Lord fed the multitudes with 5 fishes AND 5 barley loaves (cf. John 6:4-14).

The 5 barley loaves that the Lord feeds to thousands not only signify just how easily and quickly Barley (the CHURCH; the Bride of Christ) multiplies, meaning how quickly these believers respond to the wind of the Holy Spirit, but also these loaves testify about those whom God has given to the Lord that He should not lose one of them. This last truth is seen in the 12 baskets of the remnant pieces of Barley bread, which the Lord tells His disciples to: “Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost” (John 6:12, KJV21). Then later in this same chapter the Lord says that He will not lose any God has given to Him but instead will “…raise [them] up again at the Last Day” (John 6:39, KJV21). Clearly these verses are references to the Bride of Christ AND the 144,000 Jewish brethren, plus those who come to the Lord after going through a time of severe testing. More on this last point, later.

Then too, the Feasts of Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits both are “barley” metaphors for unleavened lives—lives that are NOT flawed, NOT blemished—like those lives of the Bride of Christ! The Scriptures declare that the Lord ONLY is coming back to rapture His Bride, to rapture those believers who are holy and righteous without any spot or wrinkle, whom the Holy Spirit has sanctified wholly (cf. Ephesians 5:27; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Revelation 21:2). There, thus, can be no doubt that the 5 wise, prepared, alert, full of the Holy Spirit Virgins of the Parable of the Ten Virgins represent the Bride of Christ, the firstfruits of the Barley Harvest—the FIRST PHASE of the Harvest of souls, some who have been resurrected and others who have been raptured.

Once again, the Barley Harvest is literally and figuratively the EARLY or 1st phase of the One Harvest of souls who participate in the 1st resurrection—the collective reaping of all of the centuries of the dead in Christ spiritually mature believers, AND the spiritually mature alive in Christ believers who remain on the Earth after the dead in Christ are resurrected (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). The alive in Christ overcomers are best illustrated as the 5 wise Virgins with Oil in their vessels. For sure, because these alive believers are prepared, alert, holy, and righteous, they are the rest of the Barley Harvest and, thus, included in with the Bride of Christ’s resurrected, the 1st of the firstfruits after Jesus the Christ. As such, like Joel 2:16 suggests, they leave this world before the collective firstfruits of Wheat are harvested. That is why the Bride of Christ’s departure (Rapture) happens at the start of the Feast of Trumpets, at the Last Trump, in the twinkling of an eye.

Like the firstfruits of the Barley Harvest, the firstfruits of the Wheat Harvest also are believers (i.e., the 5 foolish Virgins in the Parable of the Ten Virgins). Because these believers are like the foolish 5 Virgins, these firstfruits of Wheat are the beheaded martyrs (cf. Revelation 20:4) who have been purified by the Tribulation—the threshing and final sifting that separate the chaff so that the Lord can put them in His granary (cf. Revelation 7:13-14; Matthew 3:12). Thus, the Feast of Pentecost’s literal Wheat Harvest is the picture of the firstfruits of the figurative Wheat Harvest, the latter of which is the SECOND PHASE of the One Harvest of souls who participate in the 1st resurrection.

Furthermore, unlike the alive Barley (Bride of Christ) who get raptured after the dead in Christ and complete the FIRST PHASE of the ONE Harvest of souls, the rest of the Wheat are those left-behind believers who make-up the complete SECOND PHASE of the ONE Harvest of souls. They  are those believers who survive the entire Tribulation. This fully ripen harvest is of those believers who, by virtue of their faith in Jesus the Christ, received their robe of righteousness, BUT because they were not prepared or watchful, and remained unprepared and careless much longer than the firstfruits did, they not only were not ready when the Bridegroom came to rapture His Bride but also not ready to be the firstfruits of the Wheat. Indeed, unlike the literal Barley, which is easily separated from the chaff—winnowed—and then tossed up, it is much harder to separate these Wheat from their chaff!

For this reason, figuratively speaking, the rest of the Wheat Harvest includes all of the left behind hardhearted and/or carnal believers who must endure the Tribulation Period, and the entire Tribulation Period is for them a judgment that can be compared to the most severe action of threshing Wheat, which is done in order to make the Wheat easier to separate (to winnow) away from the chaff. Only after the threshing of Wheat is complete will this Wheat be soft enough to toss up in the wind. That is to say, in the case of the believers’ whose nature and characteristics are similar to that of literal wheat, these believers will go through a time of testing that will result in them becoming the massive Wheat Harvest that has been thoroughly purged—the surviving Tribulation saints (cf. Revelation 14:14-16; Matthew 13:39). The Apostle John confirms this Divine Truth, for he writes:

And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, ‘Who are these that are arrayed in white robes, and from whence have they come?’ And I said unto him, ‘Sir, thou knowest.’ And he said to me, ‘These are they that came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.’ ~ Revelation 7:13-14, KJV21

Included in this left-behind Harvest of Wheat are many left behind evangelized unbelievers (Jews and Gentiles) who finally accept Jesus the Christ as their personal Savior. They will be those Tribulation converts biblically described as “…a great multitude, which no man could number…” (Revelation 7:9). This multitude no doubt will include those Jewish survivors (the nation of Israel as a whole) who find refuge in Petra during the second half of the Tribulation Period (cf. Revelation 12:6).

Furthermore, those souls from this end of Harvest Wheat who die during the Tribulation, but not as the result of being beheaded, also will be resurrected. The Scripture says that their souls are those that are under the altar in Heaven (cf. Revelation 6:9). These and the above-stated Tribulation Wheat are those who make-up the complete SECOND PHASE of the ONE Harvest of souls.

So then, there are the firstfruits of the Barley and Wheat Harvests, and one more—the firstfruits of the Grape Harvests. These are the three harvest firstfruits’ phases of the Matthew 13:39 ONE Harvest of souls. Concerning the firstfruits of the Grape Harvest, the literal firstfruits of grapes ripen in mid-Av, which is around the time that the full crop of wheat ripens. Thus, the Wheat-threshing season overlaps with the firstfruits of Grape Harvest (cf. Leviticus 26:5; Revelation 14:14).

Now, it is important to note here that the first two harvests are of grains, from which bread is made. However, the picture the Scriptures give of the Lord’s Table during the Marriage Supper of the Lamb is one in which both bread and wine are on His table. The Lord Himself tells His disciples: “Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the Kingdom of God” (Mark 14:25; cf. Matthew 26:29).

For sure, the literal firstfruits of the Grape Harvest are those that will be enjoyed during the Feast of Tabernacles, which typifies the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. However, spiritually speaking, the firstfruits of the Grapes represent the 3rd phase of the One Harvest of souls—the  mature 144,000 Jewish brethren, who received God’s seal and who participate in the 1st resurrection, in the sense that, like the alive Bride in Christ, these 144,000 saints will be raptured—redeemed (resurrected) or raised up alive (cf. Revelation 14:3-5; Revelation 7:3). Now, this writer believes these Jewish brethren actually are unmarried Messianic Jews who accepted Jesus the Christ as their Savior and were filled with the Holy Spirit, all before the end of the CHURCH Age or Age of Grace. That’s why they are sealed (saved) from any of the wrath that is poured out during the Tribulation Period.

Be that as it may, the Scriptures declare that these 144,000 firstfruits of the Grape Harvest have been “redeemed” (purchased, gathered, resurrected) by the blood of Jesus the Christ. As already established, the word “redeemed,” like it is used in Revelation 14:3-4, means the same thing as the resurrected. Thus, together with this sense of resurrection and the Scriptures that use the vivid language of blameless (“without fault”), not defiled (“without blemish”), and following the Lamb wherever He goes, the picture of 144,000 translated firstfruits become very clear. This imagery is not only the vivid language that declares these literal 144,000 Jewish believers are in Heaven with Jesus the Christ, but also the blameless, not defiled, and follower of Jesus the Christ descriptors are those used for ALL firstfruits! Therefore, because these translated (raptured) firstfruits of the Grape Harvest are the THIRD PHASE of One Harvest of souls who participate in the 1st resurrection, these 144,000 are singing the new song with the Bride of Christ (Barely) and martyred saints (Wheat).

The 144,000 can sing the new song because they too have completed their work. Indeed, because of their evangelistic work, during the first half of the Tribulation Period, they convert people out of every nation, but primarily those unbelievers from the nation of Israel, as a  whole. As a result, these 144,000 produce the greatest harvest of souls, that is to say “…a great multitude, which no man could number…” (cf. Revelation 7:9). Thus, by mid-Trib, they are translated (raptured), and after that the angel of Revelation 14:6-7 takes over the 144,000 Jewish brethren’s evangelistic work, which indicates the severity of the circumstances—those who are still unbelievers are about to receive the Mark of the Beast and, thus, the winepress’ most severe judgment, as symbolized through the actions of Jesus the Christ, who is the ONE who “…treadeth the wine press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God” (Revelation 19:15, KJV21; see Revelation 19:13-15; Isaiah 63:1-3)!

Now, the rest of the literal Grape Harvest or the full gathering of grapes, for making the “new” wine, is in Tishri, around the time for the Feast of Tabernacles (cf. Exodus 22:29a; Leviticus 26:5). However, spiritually speaking, just like the image of the marriage supper of the fowls is a stark contrast of the image of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (cf. Revelation 19:21; Revelation 19:9; Luke 14:15), the image of the “new” wine (blood) from the unbelievers who are harvested at the end Armageddon, as depicted in Revelation 14:17-20, is a stark contrast of the image of the “new” wine (the fruit of the vine) that will be enjoyed at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. For sure, the Apostle John is describing the full Grape Harvest, the rest of the Grape Harvest as those whom the Lord has trodden in the winepress outside the city (cf. Revelation 14:19-20; Isaiah 63:1-3; Revelation 19:13-15).

Based on the apostle’s description, it is clear that these ripen end of the Harvest Grapes are those unbelieving individuals who heard the Gospel but made a choice to not make the Gospel a part of their lives—to not accept Jesus the Christ as their personal Savior and then receive the Holy Spirit. These Grapes, thus, are the Tribulation’s unbelievers—a harvest that comes by way of the winepress, which thoroughly extracts juice (life) from the “crushed” grapes. Even after the wrath of God’s trumpets and bowls’ judgments, which symbolize severe pressing, these unbelievers still refuse to accept Jesus the Christ as their Savior! Consequently, this rest of the Grape Harvest will be part of the massive crop of unbelievers who are in the 2nd resurrection! Only the firstfruits of the Grape Harvest are the THIRD PHASE of the ONE Harvest of souls!

So then, the 3 separate firstfruits of the 3 separate harvest phases (Barley, Wheat, and Grapes) most definitely prove that there are more harvests than the ONE huge Harvest of souls that comes at the end of the Age. As it is with firstfruits’ harvests, they are much smaller in size, but harvests all the same. 

Lastly, since the Grape Harvest usually is completed right before the Feast of Tabernacles, then this 3rd Harvest testifies to the fact that ALL of these Harvests are directly connected to the three Fall Feasts, instead of the Feast of Pentecost! For sure, the firstfruits of the Barley (Bride of Christ) Harvest are associated with the Feast of Trumpets; the firstfruits of the Wheat (martyred Tribulations saints) Harvest have to do with the Day of Atonement, and the firstfruits of the Grapes (144,000 translated Jewish brethren) Harvest are connected to the Feast of Tabernacles’ “new” wine that is served at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

LOVE FOR CHRIST DETERMINES FIRST RESURRECTION PHASES:

There are many believers who think that there is but one Rapture. The problem with their thinking is that the Scriptures confirm that there is more than one First Resurrection and, therefore, more than one Rapture, which is here defined as the snatching away of the ALIVE saints (translating the righteous and holy).

For sure, the Feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles reveal that the 1st resurrection is determined by the nature and characteristics of the “redeemed” believers’ crop. For example, the firstfruits of Barley represent the 1st phase of the 1st resurrection’s ripened overcomers, who are the Bride of Christ (the dead and alive in Christ; the Jews and Gentiles; the wise Virgins). The firstfruits of Wheat represent the 2nd phase of the 1st resurrection’s ripened believers, who are the Tribulation’s beheaded saints; the initial foolish Virgins who eventually surrender to the Lord during the Tribulation Period and begin to keep His commandments. Lastly, the firstfruits of Grapes represent the 3rd phase of the 1st resurrection’s ripened Jewish brethren, who because of their righteous and holy living have been translated.

Put differently, love, holiness, and righteousness are both the characteristics and nature of the final massive Harvest of souls included in the 1st resurrection. Certainly, ONLY those individuals who love the Lord with everything that is within them will keep His commandments and live a holy and righteous lifestyle, even unto death.

That is why, even though both the “saved” Bride of Christ and the “saved” 144,000 Jewish brethren firstfruits are taken to Heaven, they do not go up at the same time. Their different times of departure are because of the nature and characteristics of their respective Barley and Grape crops. In other words, unlike the Bride of Christ who has for centuries kept the Lord’s commandments and lived a holy and righteous lifestyle (cf. John 13:34-35; see also Matthew 22:37-40; Mark 12:29-31), the last days’ converted Jewish people have come to the Lord because the gift of salvation that was first offered to the Jewish nation as a whole is now the “…salvation [that] has come unto the Gentiles to provoke [Jewish people] to jealousy” (Romans 11:11; inserted bracketed words are this blogger’s emphasis).

Therefore, as previously mentioned, these last days’ unmarried 144,000 Messianic Jews, though “saved” are “redeemed” (the translated resurrected) after God uses them to evangelize the left behind masses by teaching them primarily about the Kingdom of God. Thus, the Tribulation becomes their time of testing that will prove their love for God.  

Likewise, the Tribulation Period is also the “saved” 1st firstfruits of the Wheat’s time of testing and, therefore, the main reason why these firstfruits of the Wheat Harvest—the foolish Virgins—are taken up to Heaven at a different time than the Bride of Christ AND the 144,000 translated Jewish brethren. These firstfruits, thus, are those people who lack the genuine love for Jesus the Christ—the God kind of love that would move them to keep the Lord’s commandments on this side of the Rapture.

For this reason, because these once lukewarm carnal believers ONLY claimed to love the Lord, as well as ONLY called Him Lord with their lips, while their “hearts” were far from Him, they are the left behind Wheat—the 5 foolish Virgins—whose doubtful “love” for the Lord puts them in the Tribulation where they go through a time of testing. This testing causes them to repent and then surrendered to Jesus the Christ’s Lordship. As a result of their renewed minds and their new-found determination to keep the Lord’s commandments and their faith in Jesus the Christ, they become the martyred Tribulation saints who, because they do not take the mark of the beast, are beheaded. These firstfruits are the masses described in Revelation 7:14 Revelation 14:14-15, and Revelation 20:4—those who passed the “love” test of literally laying down their lives for their Friend (cf. John 15:13).

Contrary to popular opinions, there are indeed two major resurrections aptly called the First and the Second resurrections. What is more, the 3 firstfruits’ resurrections clearly prove that the 1st resurrection consists of the “saved” believers who are resurrected in 3 stages during the 3 Fall Feasts, each stage of which is determined by their love for Jesus the Christ and their holy and righteous lifestyles. Furthermore, each of the firstfruits’ resurrection also proves that there are 3 raptures, one each of: the dead and alive in Christ; the martyred Tribulation saints; and the translated 144,000 Jewish brethren. Scriptures confirm that the souls of these resurrected firstfruits will be snatched out of this world (raptured).

Now, in contrast to the 1st resurrection of the saints, the harvest of the trodden in the winepress Grapes—the Tribulation Period’s unbelievers (cf. Revelation 14:17-20)—also are those individuals who become a part of all of the centuries of unbelievers who have never accepted Jesus the Christ as their Lord and Savior, and as such they all will take part in the 2nd resurrection that happens after the Great White Throne judgment. Every one of these unbelievers, therefore, will be judged according to their works (cf. Revelation 20:11-13).

The bottom line is this: Today is 2011’s first day of the Feast of Trumpets. Many have predicted or suggested that this day would be the day of the long-prophesied Rapture. Since a Jewish day begins at sundown and runs from sundown to sundown, meaning this present Feast of Trumpets began at sundown on September 28th, then it is safe to say that this Feast of Trumpets is not that Feast of Trumpets, which starts not only a new Civil, Sabbatical, and Agricultural Year in Israel but also starts the global moment in time after when many will begin reporting the disappearances of their loved ones. Although this Feast of Trumpets is not that Feast of Trumpets, that Feast of Trumpets is still coming.

Therefore, ALL of the information provided here has been given for the purpose of warning, illuminating, and preparing those who want to know what they must do to ensure that they are indeed the Lord’s Bride. Certainly, for this last reason, it is crucial that believers in Jesus the Christ make a spiritual and moral inventory of their lives for the purpose of ascertaining whether they are or are not prepared to be abducted—stolen away, snatched right out of this world. Why? Well, for one thing, the Holy Bible specifically speaks about the First and Second resurrections. Then too, even though there never has been anything like the prophesied large masses of resurrected dead occurring right before numerous disappearances of alive individuals happen, the Scriptures are here to remind the prepared and watchful people about this startling fact: It wasn’t raining when Noah began to build the Ark!   

For additional information, please read my blog entries: The Fall Feast of Trumpets’ Spiritual Realities and The Three Most Important Crops of Israel’s Seven Major Crops

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The Fall Feast of Trumpets’ Spiritual Realities

15 Wednesday Jun 2011

Posted by Rev. Nadine Drayton-Keen in Bible Prophecy

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Crescent New Moon, Day of Hiding, Fall Feasts, Feast of Trumpets, First Trump, Great Trump, last days, Last Trump, Natzal or The Rapture, Sliver of New Moon, spirit of Rosh Hashanah, Teshuvah, Yom Teruah

One Loud Shofar Blast Will Raise the Dead in Christ!

So let no one make rules about what you eat or drink or about holy days or the New Moon Festival or the Sabbath. All such things are only a shadow of things in the future; the reality is Christ. ~ Colossians 2:16-17, GNT

It is clear that what the Apostle Paul is saying in the above verses is that the seven Jewish Feasts are all prophetic types, or symbols, that not only point to the true Messiah, Jesus the Christ, but also these seven Jewish Feasts will be fulfilled in Him. In other words, in Jesus the Christ, the seven Jewish Feasts become the perfect and complete phases of God’s Salvation Plan for ALL humanity.

God’s Salvation Plan for ALL humanity is clearly seen in the four Spring Feasts, which were fulfilled in Jesus the Christ at His First Coming. For sure, the Passover Feast prophetically signifies the Messiah as the Passover Lamb. Thus, Jesus the Christ fulfilled this feast when He was crucified on the day of preparation for the Passover—He was crucified at the same hour that the lambs were being slaughtered for that evening’s Passover meal.

Next is the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and this feast prophetically signifies the Messiah as the only man who would live a sinless life (since leaven is a biblical image of sin). Thus, Jesus the Christ fulfilled this feast, for He was the perfect sacrifice for the  world’s sins. Moreover, the Lord’s body was in the grave during the first days of this feast, symbolizing a kernel of wheat planted and waiting to burst forth as the Bread of Life.

Then there is the Feast of Firstfruits, and this feast prophetically signifies the Messiah as the first fruits of the righteous. Thus, Jesus the Christ fulfilled this feast when He was resurrected on this very day, which is one of the reasons that Apostle Paul refers to Him in 1 Corinthians 15:20 as the “first fruits from the dead.”

Finally, there is the Feast of Pentecost, and this feast prophetically signifies the Messiah as the sown seed (Word of God/Bread of Life), which would grow into the Church Age’s great harvest of souls. He also is the Messiah through whom God  gives the world the gift of the Holy Spirit so that both Jews and Gentiles could be brought into the Kingdom of God during the Church Age. Thus, Jesus the Christ fulfilled this feast when His Church actually was birthed on Pentecost, after God poured out His Holy Spirit and 3,000 Jewish people responded to Apostle Peter’s first proclamation of the Gospel.

Since the first four of these seven Jewish Feasts are “a done deal,” that is, they have been fulfilled in Jesus the Christ, to the letter, as He actually satisfied each one of these aforementioned Spring Feasts on their applicable FEAST days, and since seven is the biblical number for perfection and completion, then there is no doubt that Jesus the Christ also will fulfill the three remaining Jewish Fall Feasts on their particular FEAST days. That is to say, the three Jewish Fall Feasts are a picture of the work Jesus the Christ will complete on this Earth prior to and after His bodily Second Coming!

Therefore, it should be evident to today’s believers that if they do not understand Jesus the Christ or the Apostle Paul’s Hebraic roots, then these believers never will fully comprehend many of the Rosh Hashanah (Yom Teruah or the Fall Feast of Trumpets’) idioms/expressions that Jesus the Christ and the Apostle Paul use when they speak about the “Last Days” and “End Times.” For the record, there are at least 12 or 13 traditional Rosh Hashanah idioms (ancient names and/or expressions the Jewish people used to explain the spirit or real meaning of Rosh Hashanah).

Those Rosh Hashanah idioms to be noted here are: 1. Yom Teruah = Day of the Awakening Blast, or Day of the Sounding of the Shofar; 2. Yom HaZikkaron = The Day of Remembrance; 3. Yom HaDin = Day of Judgment, Feast of Trumpets; 4. Rosh Hashanah = Head of the Year, Birthday of the World, New Moon; 5. HaMelech = Coronation of a King; 6. Kiddushin/Nesu’in = The Messiah’s Wedding Ceremony; 7. Yom HaKeseh = Hidden Day/Day of Hiding or Day of Concealment; 8. Natzal (Rapture) = The Resurrection of the Righteous Dead and the Taking Up of the Living Righteous; 9. The Opening of the Gates; 10. Akedah = Abraham’s Offering of Isaac (the Ram’s Left and Right Horns: Shofar’s First Trump and Shofar’s Last Trump); 11. Chevlai shel Mashiach or Yamim Nora’im  = The Tribulation Period, The Time of Jacob’s Trouble, or The Birthpangs of the Messiah; 12. Molad/Rosh Chodesh = The Birth and Announcement of the New Moon and the Renewal of the Moon or First Day of the New Month; and 13. Tashlikh = Casting Off. (For more details, see Joseph Good’s “No Man Knows The Day or The Hour”;  Chuck Missler’s “The Feast of Trumpets”;  “How will Yeshua (Jesus) fulfill the Fall Feasts?”; Eddie Chumney’s “Rosh HaShanah: The Season of Teshuvah”; and  “STUDYING THE HEBRAIC ROOTS OF CHRISTIANITY .”)

Of these 12 or 13 familiar Rosh Hashanah idioms, Jesus the Christ references at least two of them when He says, “No one knows, however, when that day and hour will come – neither the angels in heaven nor the Son; the Father alone knows” (Matthew 24:36, GNT)—these referenced idioms are Yom HaKeseh (Hidden Day/Day of Hiding or Day of Concealment) and Kiddushin/Nesu’in (The Messiah’s Wedding Ceremony). Now, the Lord’s Matthew 24:36 prophecy follows the verses in which Jesus the Christ is telling us that just like any Hebrew would know with certainty that the time when figs are their ripest is during the summer harvest time, which for ancient Israel was in the summer months of late August and early September (Elul and Tishri), then we New Testament believers should know with certainty the sign that would precede the Lord’s bodily Second Coming (cf. Mathew 24:32-35). This sign, believe it or not, is wrapped up, tied up, and tangled up in every one of the Jewish idioms for Rosh Hashanah!

For this last reason, believers also need to know that, for ancient Israel, any Hebrew would know, as well, that the Fall festivals, or times of rejoicing, come immediately after the summer harvests. Therefore, spiritually speaking, it should be very evident to believers that Jesus the Christ’s CHURCH is the end of the Age harvest—every New Testament believer’s soul that has been sanctified by the Holy Spirit to be Jesus the Christ’s Bride (those born-again believers who spiritually have prepared themselves for the their Bridegroom’s return). Moreover, it should be evident to believers that this end of the Age harvest is the sign that would precede Jesus the Christ’s bodily Second Coming (cf. Matthew 13:39; Revelation 14:14-16).

Now, for most believers, it is obvious that in between the fulfilled four Jewish Spring Feasts and the future fulfillment of the three Jewish Fall Feasts is the current Age of Grace, or the CHURCH Age. These believers know that, starting from the Day of Pentecost, when God sent His Holy Spirit, the Lord has been calling His CHURCH/His Bride to repentance and to salvation, via the voice of God’s Holy Spirit and the written Word of God (just like He called the 3,000 souls who responded by faith to the Apostle Peter’s preached Word (cf. Acts 2:1-41). Indeed, God’s process of sanctification causes the Lord’s CHURCH/Bride to come out of the world, to fill Her lamp with the oil of the Holy Spirit (an image Jesus the Christ uses in Matthew 25:1-4), and to put on the robes of righteousness (white, fine linen), in preparation for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. This picture of a sanctified (purified), righteous, full of the Holy Spirit Wife-to-Be is ever so clear in the Parable of the Ten Virgins.

Hence, knowing that the Parable of the Ten Virgins is a picture of a sanctified (purified), righteous, full of the Holy Spirit Wife-to-Be (cf. Matthew 25:1-13) will leave no doubt that this image is developed in Matthew 24:32-35 through Jesus the Christ’s ripe fig and summer images. These images show that the Lord is drawing on His knowledge of the Jewish season of Teshuvah (a time of repentance and returning back to God), which runs forty days, from the first day of the Hebrew month Elul to Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) in Tishri.

These forty days of Teshuvah actually are the 30th of Av (July 30th), which is counted as a first day of Elul, the real Elul 1st (1 August), and the first 10 days of Tishri (from Rosh Hashanah [Feast of Trumpets] to Yom Kippur [Day of Atonement]). Traditionally, Jewish people only celebrated Yamim Norai’m (Days of Awe or Days of Repentance), and these days originally were Tishri’s first 10 days. According to Jewish tradition, these 10 Days of Repentance were extended to include the 30 days before Tishri so that everybody would have an opportunity to prepare, spiritually, for the High Holidays—so that everybody would have time to do some serious soul searching, repenting, and turning back to God, in the hope of receiving salvation.

Thus, the spiritual significance behind each day’s blowing of the shofar in Elul is all about getting God’s people to turn away from evil and a turn toward good, which ultimately means turning to God before His wrath is poured out. For this reason, there can be no doubt that the Lord knew that, starting with day 1 of Elul, the shofar would be blown every day of this month, except on the 30th day, and that was because the priest wanted to make the distinction between the blowing of Elul’s shofars and the blowing of Tishri’s Feast of Trumpets’ shofars, especially since the “customary” sequence of every blown shofar, even those blown in Elul, is one long single blast (Tekiah, which depicts the sound of the King’s coronation), followed by a series of short blasts (Shevarim, the three short wail-like blasts that signify repentance, and the Teru’ah, the nine staccato blasts of alarm sounded to awaken the soul), and eventually the shofar blowing would end with the extremely long, unbroken final blast called the “Last Trump” (Tekiah Gedolah). This prolonged sound typifies a final invitation to sincere repentance and atonement!

Also according to Jewish tradition, the priest skipped blowing the shofar on the 30th day of Elul, because by then the people were ready, they were gathered together, and they were waiting for Rosh Hashanah’s awakening shofar blast. This notion about the people being prepared, gathered and waiting is based on another Jewish tradition that teaches that the month of Elul represents the time that Moses spent on Sinai preparing the second set of tablets. Apparently, Moses ascended on Elul 1st and then descended 40 days later, on the 10th of Tishri, at the end of Yom Kippur, when the repentance of the people was complete, and he found the people prepared, gathered, waiting, and frightened because the skin on his face shone  (cf. Exodus 34:1, 28-30; Deuteronomy 10:1-5). Lastly, according to Jewish tradition, the last day of trumpet blowing in Elul also is skipped for the purpose of confusing Satan about the exact day the Messiah is coming. This skipped day of shofar blowing also is the reason why the day when the final “last trump” is blown again, on the first day of Tishri, is known as “the day and hour that no man knows.” (More about this “not knowing the day or hour” later.)

What is more, the Jewish tradition of Teshuvah (repentance and returning back to God) teaches that the 40 days of Teshuvah are about individuals going through an internal, transformational process of deep honest self-reflection, prayer, and repentance. Thus, there can be no doubt that Jesus the Christ, in Matthew 24:32-33, is making a comparison between the process of Teshuvah and the ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit that began on the Day of Pentecost.

The process of Teshuvah spiritually prepares individuals for the High Holy Day of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) by challenging them to confess their sins, to regret having sinned, to ask for forgiveness of their sins, and to resolve not to repeat their sins. Obviously, this internal process is very similar to the internal process a believer, who has been convicted by the Holy Spirit, goes through before accepting Jesus the Christ as Lord and Savior. Each believer acknowledges he or she is a sinner who needs a Savior, confesses his or her sins, repents his or her sins and turns to Jesus the Christ, from whom he or she receives forgiveness for his or her sins, and from whom he or she receives salvation.

Additionally, Jewish tradition teaches that the process of Teshuvah’s causes an external transformation as well, which is represented in the washing and bleaching of garments until they are as white as possible (white, of course, being symbolic of righteousness), and the stretching out of their washed and bleached garments so as to eliminate wrinkles. Once their garments are dried, the Jewish people would fold their garments so that their clothing would be ready for the High Sabbath (this reference is to the Feast of Trumpets, which is considered by many to be a High Sabbath). Now, there can be no doubt that this external transformation is undoubtedly comparable to the believer’s inner spiritual transformation that the Apostle Paul describes in Ephesians 5:26-27.

For New Testament believers, the comparisons here are important. Why? Well for one reason, New Testament believers know that the Jewish people who went through this external process of Teshuvah only could attempt to create their own righteousness through the washing and bleaching of their garments, but in reality their righteousness was/is still like their filthy rags (cf. Isaiah 64:6). In contrast, New Testament believers in Christ are imputed His righteousness, which shows that there is a difference from the righteous garments people dress themselves with and the righteous garments God puts on His sons and daughters (cf. Isaiah 52:1 and Isaiah 61:10). New Testament believers, therefore, know that NO ONE can achieve the God-kind of righteousness, which Jesus the Christ imputes, by doing “good works.” This is the reason why the possibly achieved spiritual and moral outcomes of Teshuvah only can point to salvation through Jesus the Christ, rather than through human efforts!

Lastly, during the Teshuvah season, Jewish tradition teaches that after the Jewish women prepared the Feast of Trumpets’ usual foods (like, challah bread, apples dipped in honey, and tzimmes, which is a Jewish casserole made from carrots, cinnamon, yams, prunes, and honey), they would go back to the millstone to grind, and the men would go back to the fields to harvest. The women grinding at the millstone and the men harvesting the fields are the same images Jesus the Christ uses in Matthew 24:40-41, which is additional evidence that the Lord’s fig tree lesson is teaching believers about THE sign—a future Feast of Trumpets’ Rapture (resurrecting of the righteous dead and taking up of the righteous living)—that will precede the Lord’s bodily return!

So then there is a spiritual importance that relates to Teshuvah’s time of spiritual preparation, and this spiritual significance is for today’s believers. The spiritual importance of Teshuvah’s time of spiritual preparation is that because nobody knows the day and the hour when Rosh Hashanah will begin, especially since the shofar that begins blowing on day 1 of Elul stops blowing on the 29th day of Elul, then just like the Jewish people had to be prepared before their Rosh Hashanah began, the same is true for New Testament believers.

It is crucial for born again and saved believers to surrender to the Holy Spirit’s sanctification process, His leadings, promptings, and teachings, if they ever want to be able to hear the Bridegroom’s cry, archangel’s shout, and the trump of God. The Holy Spirit’s sanctification process, which begins with justification and ends with glorification, is the only way God has provided for His children that would guarantee they would be able to be presented to Jesus the Christ as His Bride, who is without any spot, wrinkle, or other blemishes. This spiritual truth obviously is evident in the Jewish people’s process of Teshuvah, which is their annual need to repent and turn back to God. This spiritual truth clearly is evident also in their need to wash and bleach their garments plus prepare their foods so that when they heard the awakening sound of Tishri’s shofar they could stop what they were doing (like grinding at the millstone and harvesting the fields), go home, put on their white garments, and go to the Temple for a time of rejoicing.

What should be noted here is that the people who did not wash and bleach their garments and then set them aside in advance of this Fall Feast would find out, with the first blast of the shofar, that it would now be too late for them to be prepared/ready for the Feast of Trumpets. Therefore, the spiritual significance of Teshuvah’s preparation time also is that ONLY those believers who are born again, saved, filled with the Holy Spirit, totally sanctified, living righteous lives, and looking for their Bridegroom will be raptured. In contrast, those believers who are not prepared (have no oil in their vessels, are not without spot or wrinkle, or any other blemishes) and are not alert (watchful) will miss the Rapture, which is the next prophetic event that will happen, and it will happen during a future Feast of Trumpets.

For the most part, New Testament believers (the Body of Christ/Bride of Christ) know that the Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and The Feast of Tabernacles are prophetic pictures of the Rapture (the transformation/glorification of the resurrected righteous dead and of the caught up righteous living), the Messiah’s Wedding, the beginning of the Tribulation Period, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, the coronation of Jesus the Christ as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and Lord’s 1,000-year reign on this Earth (cf. Matthew 24:29-31; Matthew 24:40-41; Matthew 25:1-13; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 14:14-16 [see Psalm 98:6; 1 Kings 1:39; and Daniel 7:13-14]; Revelation 19:7-9; and Revelation 20:1-7). In essence, the Jewish Fall Feasts are the sequence of end-time events that primarily pertain to the Second Coming of Christ.

However, since the Feast of Trumpets (cf. Leviticus 23:24-25) is the next feast to be fulfilled by Jesus the Christ, it is then imperative to stress the need for believers to understand the spiritual significances of the Feast of Trumpets (also called Rosh Hashanah), as well as the spiritual significances of Yom Kippur and the Feast of Tabernacles. Concentration here, though, will be on the Feast of Trumpets, about which, once again, it also is important to know the various Rosh Hashanah idioms Hebrews used when they spoke about the Feast of Trumpets.

Along with knowing that there are many Rosh Hashanah idioms used when the Jewish people speak about the Feast of Trumpets, believers also need to understand the spiritual significances of these idioms, which is accomplished once they understand how these Rosh Hashanah idioms relate to the phases of God’s Salvation Plan for ALL humanity. In other words, it is important for believers to know how Rosh Hashanah’s idioms will be fulfilled in Jesus the Christ, especially those Hebrew idioms pertaining to New Moon (Crescent), Open Door, Last Trump, Natzal (Rapture), and Messiah’s Wedding, which either are used explicitly or are alluded to by Jesus the Christ and the Apostle Paul.

Of all of the Rosh Hashanah idioms, Yom HaKeseh (The Day of Concealment or Hidden Day/Day of Hiding) is one of the lesser-known idioms and yet it also is one of the most important idioms, too. It now should be more evident that the Lord’s Matthew 24:36 prophecy about no one knowing the day or hour, except God, also is the Rosh Hashanah idiom of Yom HaKeseh (The Hidden Day/Day of Hiding). It is interesting to note here that this lesser-known idiom, which pertains to the Day of Concealment or Hidden Day/Day of Hiding, is recited as part of Rosh Hashanah’s special liturgy. The two verses frequently recited are:

 Sound the shofar at the new moon, at the [keseh] concealed time for our feast day. For this is a statue for Yisrael, an ordinance of the Good of Yaakov. ~ Psalm 81:3-4

Now, it’s obvious that the (Gentile) English Holy Bible’s versions of Psalm 81:3-4 are nothing like this (Jewish) English Tanakh (Hebrew Holy Bible) version. One (Gentile) English version of Psalm 81:3-4 is:

Blow the trumpet for the festival, when the moon is new and when the moon is full. This is the law in Israel, an order from the God of Jacob. ~ GNT

The reason why the (Gentile) English Holy Bible’s versions are different is because these versions are not accurately translated. This (Jewish) English Tanakh (Hebrew Holy Bible) version of the verses quoted above makes it clear that Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets) is the ONLY feast day that starts on the first day of a concealed New Moon—starts at a time when the New Moon might not have appeared yet, for during ancient times, including the days of Jesus the Christ and the apostles, the most that could be seen with the naked eye on the first day of the New Moon would be just a sliver of the moon. That’s why this Crescent New Moon—the sighted sliver of the moon—was called the “concealed” moon.

According to rabbinic tradition, the ancient Jewish people, including Jesus the Christ and the Apostle Paul, relied on the lunar calendar and the physical observance of the Crescent New Moon to determine when the New Month of the New Year (Tishri) would begin. However, before anyone could physically observe the sliver of the New Moon, the moon had to pass through a period of concealment (an eclipse of the moon, which results from the moon lining up between the earth and sun, which leaves one side of the moon looking basically dark). This dark phase of the moon lasted in the Middle East for a period of 1½-3½ days, and the dark phase of the moon means the time when the moon is not visible from the earth (not even if there are absolutely no clouds in the sky), as opposed to the “full moon,” which means the New Moon is completely visible!

When the darkened moon reemerged as a sliver of a moon, this birth of the New Moon was what the Hebrews called, and still call, the Crescent New Moon, because this sighting was the first time the moon was seen anew after being concealed for 1½-3½ days at the end of the lunar cycle. Moreover, the day that the sliver of the New Moon was sighted and announced also was referred to then, and still today, as the “day and the hour no man knows.” For this reason, biblically speaking, a Crescent New Moon (First Visible Sliver) is not the same as an Astronomical New Moon, for the latter is the Darkened Moon (completely invisible moon).

Additionally, rabbinic tradition teaches that Jewish people not only believed that the day and time when Rosh Hashanah (or the Feast of Trumpets) would begin was concealed from the majority of Hebrews, primarily because no one knew when the Sanhedrin’s faithful/trustworthy witnesses would actually sight the sliver of the New Moon and then report their sighting to the Sanhedrin (the rabbinic court that traditionally has had the authority to sanction the New Moon), but also, as previously stated, the Jewish people believed that the day on which The Feast of Trumpets would start was hidden from Satan, too, so that he would not know when God’s Final Judgment would begin. For these reasons, another Jewish idiom for Rosh Hashanah is Yom HaDin or Day of Judgment. It is important to note here that, of all of the Jewish Feasts days (God’s appointed times), ONLY the Feast of Trumpets is referred to as the “day and the hour no man knows!”

Furthermore, the start of a new month was determined by the physical appearance of a New Moon. In ancient Israel, Jewish Law demanded that as many witnesses as possible should report the appearance of the crescent to the appropriate authorities. During the Holy Temple years, as already mentioned, the Sanhedrin (rabbinical court) had the authority to delegate the task of observing the first sliver/sickle of the New Moon to at least two faithful witnesses, who reported back to the council members after they saw the first sign of the crescent New Moon on the sunset horizon. It is after the two witnesses testified to seeing the sliver/sickle of the moon, and after the Sanhedrin (rabbinical court) checked its own secret calendar calculations for the New Moon with the trustworthy witnesses’ report, that the Sanhedrin court, consisting of at least three members, would sanction the start of the Crescent New Moon.

However, since the Crescent New Moon only could be sanctified during daylight hours, this would mean that even though the Jewish communities were notified as soon as possible about the Crescent New Moon sighting via mountaintop torch signals, the day the Crescent New Moon actually is sanctioned is half over before people could begin to celebrate the Feast of Trumpets. Therefore, the Sanhedrin would start the Feast of the Trumpets at sundown of the day the Crescent New Moon is first sighted, which actually is the beginning of a new day. In a nutshell, ancient Israel’s Crescent New Moon, in which the Feast of Trumpets was celebrated, began the day after the sliver of the moon was first sighted in the sky at sunset. In other words, if the Crescent New Moon was observed at sundown today, then the Sanhedrin would declare the next day, which also would start just after sundown, as the first day of the New Month/Feast of Trumpets.

 What’s more, since the Sanhedrin authorities’ secret calendar calculations only could give them approximate dates for the New Moons and an appropriate date for the beginning of Tishri, and since no one knew when the witnesses would come forward, then no one could know with certainty when the Feast of Trumpets would start. In other words, because the Hebrews relied on a lunar calendar, the Jewish people knew the season for the Feast of Trumpets (approximately when a New Moon should appear), but they did not know the exact day or the exact hour (cf. Matthew 24:36), once again, primarily because the moon is invisible for 1½-3½ days of the Crescent New Moon. The Crescent New Moon only could be seen after this period of invisibility had ended, and there was no way for any ancient Hebrews to know for sure if the period of invisibility before the start of any Crescent New Moon was going to be 1 day, 1½ days, 2 days, 2½ days, 3 days, or 3½!

Furthermore, it didn’t help that the Crescent New Moons were very difficult to see with the naked eye on the first day, because they only could be seen around sunset. Since a very thin Crescent Moon would be close to the sun, it often would be difficult to see it. As a result, sometimes there were no sightings, and, in this case, if the new moon was not seen on the 30th day of Elul, then the new moon was automatically celebrated on the next day. On the other hand, when there were FALSE sightings backed up by some Sanhedrin members’ tampered-with calculations, where the Feast of Trumpets was concerned, Rosh Chodesh (the first day of the New Month), often would be celebrated a day or two after the average Molad (birth of the New Moon).

Therefore, because the new moon only could be sanctified during daylight hours, which would make one-half of the New Moon’s day over with, because the moon’s crescent often was not seen, and because the time of the mew moon often was miscalculated, the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah or Rosh Hashanah) became a two-day celebration. As a result, this feast is observed on the first and the second day of Tishri to guarantee that the Jewish people would not miss celebrating God’s commanded appointed days (the three Tishri feasts: Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Feast of Tabernacles) on time.

Returning here to the earlier mentioning of the fact that the Feast of Trumpets was the ONLY festival the Jewish people referred to as the feast that NO MAN KNEW THE DAY OR THE HOUR of, this fact is very significant in that, as earlier stated, it is the basis for Matthew 24:36. Indeed, since several of the Jewish idioms for Rosh Hashanah pertain to the time of the New Moon (meaning the Crescent New Moon), Open Door, Last Trump, Natzal (Rapture), and Messiah’s Wedding, then it is more than likely that Jesus the Christ’s  “No one knows, however, when that day and hour will come – neither the angels in heaven nor the Son; the Father alone knows” (Matthew 24:36, GNT) is a direct reference to The Feast of Trumpets. 

Thus, when the recent televangelists, who “specialize” in end-time prophecies, criticize believers for using Jesus the Christ’s “No one knows, however, when that day and hour will come – neither the angels in heaven nor the Son; the Father alone knows” (Matthew 24:36, GNT) prophecy to support the reasons why they never believed in Harold Camping’s May 21, 2011 false Rapture/end of the world predictions, these televangelists only show how wrong they are in declaring that the aforementioned prophecy only refers to the Lord’s BODILY Second Coming.

Certainly, when the Hebrews spoke about Rosh Hashanah (the Feast of Trumpets), they didn’t use their specific idioms of New Moon (Crescent), Open Door, Last Trump, Natzal (Rapture), and Messiah’s Wedding for no rational reasons. That is why it is aforementioned that believers need to become knowledgeable about these Jewish idioms, if they hope to understand the spiritual significances of the Jewish Fall Feasts fully, especially since these Fall Feasts are yet to be fulfilled in Jesus the Christ. However, while most Hebrews in Jesus the Christ’s day missed the fact that their Yeshua Ha Mashiach fulfilled His First Coming in the Spring Feasts, and, therefore, they didn’t get that He came the first time for their salvation, they did understand the Fall Feasts to be fulfilled in a coming of their Yeshua Ha Mashiach. Without a doubt they understood that the Fall Feasts are all about a King being crown, about Him coming for His Bride, about the Bridal Week, about the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, about the King’s reign on this Earth, and so forth. Unfortunately for New Testament believers, because so many of them do not celebrate these feasts, some of them also do understand that these Fall Feasts symbolize Jesus the Christ’s work that will be fulfilled during His bodily Second Coming, and on these feasts’ appointed days.

According to rabbinic tradition, Jewish eschatology supports what the rabbis have long taught, which is that after 6,000 years (six-days) of human history the Day of the Lord (Day of Judgment/Day of Trouble/Yom Kippur/Yom HaDin) will begin on the seventh day. Jewish eschatology also teaches that God judges the people of Israel on the Day of Atonement, when He would decide either to forgive the Nation of Israel of their sins or deny them atonement for the entire New Year.

Rabbinic tradition also teaches that before the Day of the Lord begins, on the first of Tishri (Rosh Hashanah/Feast of Trumpets), the shofar will sound and the righteous dead would be resurrected while the righteous alive would be taken up to Heaven (Natzal/Rapture). They would go to the “gates” of Heaven where they would witness the Messiah’s coronation, and then they would marry the Lord.

Now, since the Crescent New Moon (the first day of the concealed New Moon) and the day of the Feast of Trumpets (the first day of the month of Tishri) both are referred to as the “day and the hour no man knows” (for both the first day of the concealed New Moon and the hidden first day of Tishri/ the Feast of Trumpets are the same), then it should be evident that this day also is symbolized by the Rosh Hashanah Natzal idiom, which describes a time that New Testament believers call the Rapture, symbolized by the Rosh Hashanah Yom HaKeseh idiom (Day of Hiding), and symbolized by the Rosh Hashanah Kiddushin/Nesu’in (The Messiah’s Wedding Ceremony) idiom. Concerning the Lord’s Wedding Ceremony, rabbis also have taught that after the resurrection of the righteous dead on the Feast of Trumpets, the righteous (for New Testament believers, both the once dead and the remaining alive in Jesus the Christ) would enter into the chupah, wedding canopy, to spend seven years while the seven years of Tribulation (day of trouble/Time of Jacob’s Trouble/Judgment Day . . . cf. Jeremiah 30:6) happening on the Earth.

There, then, can be no doubt that when Jesus the Christ says, “No one knows, however, when that day and hour will come – neither the angels in heaven nor the Son; the Father alone knows,” He is in fact not only speaking of ancient Jewish traditions pertaining to people not knowing when the Feast of Trumpets would start but also He is speaking about ancient Jewish Wedding customs, which God gave to the Hebrews. Indeed, Romans 3:2 tells believers that in “…the first place, God trusted his message to the Jews” and that message is symbolized through God’s covenants and His appointed feast days (cf. Romans 9:4 and Colossians 2:16-17).

Now, the traditional Jewish wedding ceremony that God gave to His people to teach all believers about the Wedding of the Messiah has been written about copiously. According to Jewish tradition, there basically are 12 or 14 steps to the traditional Jewish wedding ceremony, which include a step 8, the bridegroom departing, leaving his betrothed for a period of one year or two. This is the time when the bridegroom goes back to his father’s house to prepare the chupah (bridal chamber). Step 9 is the bride living a consecrated and set apart (sanctified) life, while the bridegroom is away building the bridal chamber, about which it was understood that the bridegroom’s father had to be satisfied with his son’s bridal chamber preparations before the father would give his son permission to go back to get his bride; and step 10 is the bridegroom returning, usually at midnight, with a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom comes’ (cf. Matthew 25:6), after which the ram’s horn (shofar) is blown (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:16; and Revelation 4:1 . . . when a shofar’s blast precedes John being taken up into Heaven).

Following the bridegroom’s return to his father’s house with his bride is their marriage, step 11, and their Bridal Week, step 12! What’s important about the Fall Feast of Rosh Hashanah is this irrefutable picture of the marital union between the true CHURCH (Jesus the Christ’s Bride) and the Messiah (the Bridegroom). For sure, Hebraic roots definitely show through the Messiah’s Wedding Ceremony idiom. Indeed, the ancient Jewish customs responsible for the established 12 or 14 steps to a Jewish Wedding plainly explain why the Bridegroom “steals away” His Bride, like “a thief in the night.” He does so, because He wants them to enjoy their marriage in peace and safety, which is achieved during the Bridal Week step.

One crucial Scripture that closely relates to the Rosh Hashanah Wedding of the Messiah idiom is the Day of Hiding idiom—an expression that applies to the Bridal Week. That closely related Scripture reads as follows:

In the times of trouble he will shelter me; he will keep me safe in his Temple and make me secure on a high rock. ~ Psalm 27:5, GNT

From this verse, it is easy to conclude that the mystery about why no one knows the day or hour when the Feast of Trumpets will begin obviously also points to this feast being the time when the Lord’s Bride will be concealed/hidden, for the Prophet Isaiah speaks of this feast’s mystery in a way that supports the Rosh Hashanah idiom of the Hidden Day. Isaiah writes:

Come, my people, enter thou into thy chamber, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.  ~ Isaiah 26:20, KJV

There, thus, can be no denying that Jesus the Christ’s – no one knowing the day or hour – prophecy, in Matthew 24:36, and the Feast of Trumpets’ truth about no one knowing the day and the hour of the Crescent New Moon, or day one of Tishri, clearly have something to do with the Feast of Trumpets’ Wedding of the Messiah, as well as the Open Door, Last Trump, and, once again, the Natzal (Rapture) idioms. Just like Jesus the Christ doesn’t know when Father God will make His final inspection of the Lord’s Bridal Chambers, and just like no one knew when the Sanhedrin would sanction the start of the Crescent New Moon, according to the 12 or 14 steps of the traditional Jewish Wedding, the bridegroom’s betrothed and her bridesmaids also never knew when the bridegroom was coming back to get her and take her to the prepared bridal chamber.

Even though the bride and her bridesmaids don’t know the hour or the day when the bridegroom would be returning, according to the Jewish Wedding customs, the bride and her bridesmaids did know that the bridegroom usually would come at midnight to seize/rapture his bride and take her to his father’s house, where they would be married. From this custom comes the expressions “steal away” and “like a thief in the night.”  Additionally, the bride and her bridesmaids knew that the bridegroom and his bride (symbolic of Jesus the Christ and His Bride) would be hidden away in the Bridal Chambers (the chambers Prophet Isaiah speaks of in Isaiah 26:20, as well as the mansions the Lord goes back to His Father House to prepare for His Bride so that He can receive Her unto Himself . . . cf. John 14:2b-3). They also knew that the bridegroom and the bride would remain in the Bridal Chamber for a period of time known as the Bridal Week.

All of this knowledge about ancient Jewish Wedding customs can leave no doubt that Jesus the Christ is using the Rosh Hashanah feast expression of “no one knowing the day or hour” to refer to both the time when the Feast of Trumpets would start AND the traditional Jewish bridegroom’s response when he is asked when he will finally marry his betrothed. According to Jewish tradition, the bridegroom gives his “of that day or hour no man knows, but my father only” answer, because, as already stated, the bridegroom has no idea when his bridal chamber will pass his father’s inspection. Thus, just as it is ONLY the bridegroom’s father who can tell him when his bridal chamber’s preparations are suitable and complete, so is it that ONLY Father God can tell Jesus the Christ when the mansions (bridal chambers) our Lord is building for His Bride (the CHURCH) will be suitable and complete (cf. John 14:2b-3).

Moreover, the spiritual significance of the Rosh Hashanah feast’s “no one knowing the day or hour” secret, in particular the Day of Hiding and Rapture idioms, and the traditional Jewish Wedding step of entering the chupah (Bridal Chamber) for a Bridal Week, is that these expressions/idioms affirm the Divine Truth about Jesus the Christ’s Bride (the CHURCH) not having to go through the Tribulation Period. The Scriptures very vividly describe the time when Jesus the Christ’s Bride will be hidden away in Her Bridal Chambers (the mansions the Lord goes away to prepare for Her so that He can come back and receive Her unto Himself . . . John 14:2b-3). She is hidden for a Bridal Week, and this time, without a doubt, refers to Prophet Daniel’s 70th week. The Bridal Week, thus, is no other time than the Tribulation Period, the prophesied seven years of “indignation,” God’s wrath, when He will “punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity” (cf. Isaiah 26:20; Revelation 14:10).

To further support the Bridal Week being the Day of Hiding that follows the Rapture of the CHURCH, once again, in anticipation of Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement (Tishri 10), according to rabbinic tradition, the Jewish people observed seven days of Yamim Nora’im (Days of Affliction), which follow the Feast of Trumpets (Tishri 1 and 2). These seven days of affliction are the same as the Prophet Daniel’s 70th week, which is The Tribulation Period. This observation also means that ALL of the Rosh Hashanah idioms discussed here concern a future Feast of Trumpets, which is going to be a time of rejoicing that no one has ever witnessed before!

Furthermore, rabbinic tradition teaches that from the Feast of Trumpets until the end of the Day of Atonement, the Temple doors (symbolic of the gates of Heaven) were left open to receive people’s prayers and repentance. Always left open were the gates of Repentance; often left open were the gates of prayer. Similarly, there is the “Open Door” in the Parable of the Ten Virgins that stays open for a brief period, and then shuts without any notice, which also confirms that The Feast of Trumpets is the time of the Rapture and Day of Hiding.

Jesus the Christ, Himself, is making a reference to a door (symbolic of Heaven’s gates, which already have been established to be the same open gates as the Feast of Trumpets’ Temple doors). He in fact is the door that is left opened long enough to admit only those born again and saved believers whose sins have been forgiven, through their previous acceptance of the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ, and who also are alert and prepared, watching for the Bridegroom’s return (cf. Matthew 25:10; see also Isaiah 26:2, Ezekiel 46:1; Psalm 118:19-20; John 10:7, 9; Revelation 3:8; and Revelation 4:1).

It should be noted here that this open door/gate is not just a symbol for Jesus the Christ, but this open door/gate is literally the ONLY Way to enter into the Kingdom of God, and the ONLY Way to see God. Thus, when Jesus the Christ, as the Bridegroom in the Parable of the Ten Virgins, closes the door/gate to the Heavens, He is making it clear that He literally is believers’ long-awaited Bridegroom who wants nothing more than to say His marriage vows with His New Testament Bride/CHURCH. He also is making it clear that the ONLY Way that the New Testament Bride/CHURCH can participate in those marriage vows is if He (Bridegroom/Jesus the Christ) saves Her from the Tribulation Period by catching Her away (the Rapture) and taking Her through the “open gates” of Heaven.

The Lord says about Himself: “I am the gate. Those who come in by me will be saved; they will come in and go out and find pasture” ~ John 10:9, GNT.  In another passage, the Lord makes it clear, through the open door/gate symbolism, that the Rapture and subsequent Wedding Ceremony are connected to the Feast of Trumpets, and the blown “last trump,” which is why He warns His Bride that when She sees all of the simultaneous and with increased intensity Birthpangs He speaks about in Matthew 24, the signs that declare the end of the Age is happening, then She will know that the ONE sign that will precede His Second Bodily Return is “…near, even at the doors,” or gates of Heaven (cf. Matthew 24:32-33; Matthew 25:10; 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16). By the way, another Rapture-related Rosh Hashanah idiom is Chevlai shel Mashiach or Yamim Nora’im  (The Tribulation Period, The Time of Jacob’s Trouble, or The Birthpangs of the Messiah)!

It’s time to address the central observance of the Feast of Trumpets, which is the blowing of the shofar, and time to address the need for believers to deal with the spiritual significance behind the blowing of the shofar. What is very important to note here is the fact that even though God does confirm the Feast of Trumpets or Rosh Hashanah as His appointed time, God never called the first feast in Tishri either the Feast of Trumpets or Rosh Hashanah. The fact that God has hidden the true name of this feast from everyone points to the fact that this feast is connected to the undisclosed time of when the Messiah will appear in the Heavens, as He comes for His Bride—this time is called the Rapture. Both the Rapture and Rosh Hashanah are shown to be connected to the Fall Crescent New Moon, for each of these events’ future beginnings/happenings will take place on a day, about which no one really will know the EXACT “day and hour.” Nevertheless, Jesus the Christ will fulfill them on their particular days. What is known about the Crescent New Moon, the Feast of Trumpets, and the Rapture is that the blowing of the Shofar will signify when each of these events has begun!

For this reason, it is important to note that the Scriptures mention the spiritual significance of the shofar’s (ram’s horn) sound, and do so numerous times. For example, when the blowing of the trumpets are first introduced in Leviticus 23:24, the Hebrew word used for trumpet blast is Teruah—a loud blast. This shofar blast traditionally serves as a reminder that it is time to repent, because the Day of Atonement is near. The nearness of the Day of the Lord is why the spiritual significance of the LOUD blowing of the shofar (an awakening of the soul blast) on the Feast of Trumpets is to warn believers about being prepared, staying alert, and looking for the imminent return of the Lord, who is coming back for His Bride to save Her from the wrath of God that will be poured out on this world.

According to rabbinic traditions, the loud blowing of the shofar also is done to awake all the righteous dead, after which the resurrected righteous dead and the living righteous will go through open “gates” for the coronation of the King, who is the Messiah. For this reason, the cry of the shofar also is a call to repentance, a call to return back to God. The shofar’s loud blast also represents the time when there will be a marriage between the Messiah as His Bride, after the resurrected righteous dead and the living righteous witness the coronation of their king, Jesus the Christ.

Without a doubt, there are references to the loud shofar sound/noise all throughout the Scriptures, and often the loud shofar sound/noise is referred to as an awakening blast, or a shouting. Consequently, biblical references to “shouting” invariably are associated with The Feast of Trumpets. In fact, the last shofar blast on the first day of the Feast of Trumpets is the “last trump”—the loudest and the longest blast known as the Tekiah Gedolah. As it already has been suggested, this prolonged, unbroken sound typifies a final invitation to sincere repentance and atonement. This, then, is the reason why this loud blast is the “last trump” of the Feast of Trumpets.

That’s why, since the “last trump” spoken of by Apostle Paul is understood to be a reference to the Feast of Trumpets’ Tekiah Gedolah, then there can be no doubt that the Apostle Paul’s references to the Lord descending with a loud cry, an archangel’s shout, and a trump of God (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:16); and to the “last trump” that resurrects the dead saints and catches up the living saints (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:52); are references to the same Tekiah Gedolah. Consequently, the Apostle Paul is indicating that the Rapture, prophetically speaking, will happen on the Feast of Trumpets. In fact, rabbinic tradition supports the Scriptures pertaining to this “the last trump” (Tekiah Gedolah), as being definitely connected to the Feast of Trumpets.

Rabbinic tradition also speaks about three special trumps that mark MAJOR events in God’s redemptive plan, and these three special trumps are associated with the Jewish Feast days. According to Rabbinic tradition, two of these special trumps are associated with Abraham’s ram, whose horns were caught in the bush, and they are: the First Trump (representing the left ram’s horn; the First Trump was blown on Pentecost supernaturally by God, who came down to Mount Sinai to give Moses the Law, and to proclaim that God had betrothed Himself to Israel; see Genesis 22:13; Exodus 19:16, 18-19; Isaiah 54:5; Hosea 2:19-20); then there is the Last Trump (representing the right ram’s horn; the Last Trump was synonymous with Rosh Hashanah, and the series of blasts on Tishri 1, the Feast of Trumpets; the Last Trump also is blown on the Feast of Trumpets to herald the Rapture of the Lord’s CHURCH; see Genesis 22:13, Numbers 10:10; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). Notice here, that the Trump of God is both the First Trump and the Last Trump—the First is on Pentecost and the Last is on the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah). The third special trump, according to rabbinic tradition, is the Great Trump (which is prophesied to be blown on Yom Kippur to herald Jesus the Christ’s return to Earth; see Matthew 24:30-31).

Lastly, rabbinic tradition also teaches that to ancient Hebrews, the Last Trump/shofar blast was when the dead were remembered. As already mentioned, at the Last Trump the dead would be resurrected. For these reasons, rabbinic tradition teaches that early Hebrews recognized the Day of Trumpets as a type of memorial day. Indeed, God, Himself, commanded ancient Israel to keep this feast as a Sabbath rest and a memorial that should be remembered by and celebrated with the blowing of trumpets (cf. Leviticus 23:23).

Now, since the shofar is associated with the Rosh Hashanah Day of Hiding or Natzal idiom, which describes the time when God’s children will be taken away to a safe place where they will be hidden from the “indignation,” then clearly this “indignation” is the end-time Tribulation (cf. Isaiah 26:2-3, 19-20; Isaiah 57:1-2; Revelation 14:10, in KJV). It, then, should be obvious that Rosh Hashanah’s “Last Trump” idiom connects the last shofar blast of the festival, the shofar blast that follows the Jewish bridegroom’s cry/shout/announcement of his return for his bride (cf. Matthew 25:6), and the Apostle Paul’s “last trump” and “trump of God” (1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16) to the Rapture of the CHURCH. Many believers accept the Rapture as being that time when the dead in Jesus the Christ will rise first and the catching away of the alive believers immediately will follow. Therefore, the spiritual significances of Rosh Hashanah (the Feast of Trumpets), and the abovementioned rabbinic traditions and Scriptures, leave no doubt that the CHURCH’s Rapture not only will come before the Tribulation Period but also happen during a Feast of Trumpets!

More important, it should be obvious that this rescue/escape/hiding away will happen on a day similar to the ones the Sanhedrin court traditionally would sanction as the Crescent New Moon of Tishri; that is to say, the prophesied Rapture event will happen on an unknown first day of a future Crescent New Moon that also will be an undisclosed first day of a future Tishri, which will be an unknown first day of a future Feast of Trumpets! In other words, we will know the season but not the exact day nor the exact hour!

For this reason, if we can say with any certainty that there is a time when the Rapture will take place it would be on a future Feast of Trumpets. The Apostle Paul tells us that it is important for us to understand the significance of the Jewish Feasts Appointed Times and Seasons, for they are not just God’s appointed times for the Jewish people, but for all of humanity. For this reason, everyone who is a son and daughter of Light must stay prepared and alert, looking for the Rapture (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11). Finally, since there are only three more Jewish Feasts to be fulfilled in Jesus the Christ, and since the signs of the time of our Lord’s Second Coming are indicating His imminent return, it is time that we truly study and learn from the Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Feast of Tabernacles so that we not only can show ourselves approved of God but also be ready for our Lord when He comes like a thief in the night.

Stay prepared; stay alert; keep looking up, for your Redeemer is near! PEACE….

For additional information, please read my blog entries: The Three Most Important Crops of Israel’s Seven Major Crops and Jewish Menorah Mirrors 7 Feasts: Reflections Made On 2011’s Feast of Trumpets

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Flirting With Death

15 Wednesday Apr 2009

Posted by Rev. Nadine Drayton-Keen in Bible Prophecy

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Fall Feasts, flirting with death, Indian Summer, outer garments, parousia, Second Coming, second harvest, spiritual attire, spiritual seasons, spiritually discerning, Word famine

West Market Street in Wilkes-Barre … Agnes 1972

Now learn the parable from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, know that it is near, at the door. ~ Matthew 24:32-33

My hometown sits in Wyoming Valley, which lies between the Pocono and Endless Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. Flowing through the center of Wyoming Valley is the Susquehanna River – the longest river on the East Coast, and the “mother” river to the Chesapeake Bay. Essentially, this mighty and formidable river meanders through, or on the fringes of, several of my state’s valleys, and it winds along many of my state’s cities, towns, and communities.

More to the point, the broad, shallow waters of the Susquehanna River are considerably narrower at my hometown; all the same, the river’s width does not lessen the way the Susquehanna magnificently outlines the northwestern border of my hometown. Though visually the Susquehanna River is a splendid part of my stunning valley, in contrast to this river’s enjoyably elegant regalness, the Susquehanna River is often very treacherous.

For example, on a number of occasions, the majestic Susquehanna River has flooded the entire downtown portion of my hometown, destroying much property, including coming very close to damaging beyond repair the homes and personal belongings of some of my relatives who still, to this day, do not live far from either downtown or the banks of this river. Their closeness to the river is why family members have often told them they were “flirting with death.”

For sure, nature plays an integral part in the lives of my family and friends who live in and around my hometown.  We all, of course, have witnessed firsthand, seen old black-and-white photographs, or have heard about the enormous amount of rubble and the numerous hours of clean-up efforts that invariably come after every major flooding. Even after each time that the dikes had been raised, there was always a possibility that the powerful Susquehanna River still could flood our city. 

Knowing this truth, we faithfully and carefully watch for signs that will let us know that nature is about to harass our town yet one more time – signs such as hurricanes, torrential rains, high winds, unseasonable temperatures, sudden thawings, rapid runoffs from thick snowpacks or several weeks of ice buildup, and the like. There are other signs of nature that we watch for, too, and many of them are less worrisome and quite beautiful. 

For example, where we live, we are fortunate to experience four distinct seasons. Each one is breathtaking, and each one comes with its own signs that let us know when a new season has begun.

In our youth, we learned rather early how to recognize these seasonal signs. Some of those amazing signs that nature still gives to us – signs that let us know the seasons have shifted are as follows:  violent winds swaying trees; the darkest evening of the year; snow on roofs; sleds on porches; red-breasted robins in yards; balmy breezes gently caressing faces; the smell of honeysuckle and lavender, everywhere; track and field games; bees and wasps; fireflies; sweltering heat; fire hydrants substituting for Niagara Falls; block parties; wild blackberries and raspberries; fresh corn and tomatoes; the winnowing of wheat; the southward flight of birds; bonfires; football games; and smells that fill the air, like those of roasted chestnuts and golden, reddish-brown leaves that the wind rustles.

When the chestnuts’ and leaves’ smells wed together, and their complementary scents rise from the ground to the heavens, causing our noses to tilt automatically in their direction, there truly is nothing quite as wonderful to behold other than when our eyes witness the dust devil that lifts to great heights those same leaves that were once at our feet. Those leaves twirl and swirl in the mini-whirlwind until they end up dancing with the foliage on mountaintop branches that seem to touch the earth’s roof. These are seasonal signs, and they teach us to govern ourselves accordingly, in all of our affairs.

Wilkes-Barre in Luzerne County, PA

Moreover, although nature’s signs mostly alert us about upcoming changes we can expect to happen, nature’s signs also can inform us about abrupt alterations in the usual patterns that could catch us off guard, especially if we are not watching for them. Even though nature normally will let us know about sudden seasonal abnormalities, while we were young children who were still learning these signs, we definitely were unaware of many of the seasons’ deviations and quirks. Suffice it to say that nature’s indoctrination can be quite uncomfortable at times.

In spite of everything, it is absolutely true that experience is indeed the best teacher, and “she” taught us how to make the necessary adjustments to nature’s mood swings.  I dare say that we learned almost as much about nature’s changes from our experiences with “her” as we did from all of the wisdom shared by those who’ve been there and done that before we came along. Proof positive is the time when we experienced our first Indian Summer worth mentioning.

It was our fifth northeastern autumn, and consistent with this season the temperature had dropped so that the mornings were cool enough that we had to don medium-weight coats, jackets, wool sweaters, or layered fleece wear.  For days, as we headed for the door, our mothers stopped us from leaving and told us to go back and get the necessary outer garments. Each time, we obeyed.

Then suddenly, without warning, the days changed from cool, crisp, breezy mornings to warm, dry, gentle-wind blowing days with clear blue skies that were sunny and bright. On the very first day of this weather change, we headed for the door as usual, and, as usual, our mothers admonished us about our inappropriate seasonal apparel.  We humored them, knowing all the while that once we were out of sight, we would shed our coats, jackets, sweaters, or sweatshirts and do the things that young, preschool-age children did most, especially on days like this one – we ran, played dodge ball, played hopscotch, jumped rope, rode bicycles, and, most important, worked up a sweat.

When we returned to our homes that first evening with our outer garments in our hands and soaked from our heads to our toes from our perspiration, our mothers scolded us and told us that we were “flirting with death.”  As children, we really couldn’t conceive of death, so we just listened to what our mothers said about Indian Summer’s aftereffects.  We listened, but we did not hear them, which was evident by our own actions, for, on the very next day, which was just like the day before, there we were coatless, or jacketless, or sweaterless, or sweatshirt-less, once again.

Even though we didn’t hear – comprehend totally – what our mothers first told us about Indian Summer, on that long ago yesterday, in the days that followed that day, the veracity concealed in their “flirting with death” warning soon was revealed to us. As a result, we were able to deposit that valuable nugget of truth in our minds. We, however, did not cash in our savings right away but had let them grow with interest until we had matured and had been blessed with children of our own.

Although we didn’t use what our experience confirmed about our mothers’ daily “flirting with death” warnings until we imparted our gained wisdom to our own children, without a doubt, our mothers’ wisdom immediately registered with us on the very day we woke up with frogs in our throats and were suffering from a fever. Being troubled by aches and pains and dealing with persistent coughing, sneezing, and itchy runny eyes also made it easier for us to understand their “flirting with death” caveat because we felt like we would die. There can be no doubt that our experienced physical signs were manifestations of our ignorance that spoke volumes then, and still speaks volumes to us now, about what we didn’t know would happen to us if we played it fast and loose with nature. Now, whenever the folly of our youth came to mind, we not only remembered the physical signs that underscored our ignorance but also owned our shame associated with disobeying our mothers’ instructions to keep our outer garments on, even though wearing them would have made us feel a bit overheated.

What we learned was, although the days were warm, dry, sunny, and bright, the summer season had ended months ago. Indeed, our first noteworthy Indian Summer not only had fallen in autumn but also had fallen just weeks before winter officially started. She – autumn – happily gave us that rude awakening. As a result, we discovered that we could not treat Autumn’s Indian Summer as if those days were the same as summer’s days.

Needless to say, we were caught off guard. This particular Autumn’s Indian Summer caught us frolicking without a care in the world, kicking up our heels while we were coatless, jacketless, sweaterless, or sweatshirt-less. She – autumn – soon showed us the error of our ways.  That Autumn’s Indian Summer had lulled us into a false sense of freedom, causing us to choose to behave in ways that would be detrimental to our health.  The upshot of nature’s trick, other than our bodies’ reactions to it, was that the memory of our foolishness would stay with us and, as previously mentioned, would become that valuable wisdom that we had hoped to impart to the ones we wanted most to listen to us when we educated them about how NOT to get caught “flirting with death.”

Yet, as sure as summer turns to autumn, the repeated cycle of our childish defiance of our mothers’ wisdom also came back around. Just like we initially paid our mothers no mind, our children paid no attention to us. They not only ignored our warnings but also ignored the seasonal signs connected with Autumn’s Indian Summer. Consequently, our children foolishly went about doing what we did – they discarded their outer garments and exposed themselves to the devious elements.

Now, even though it could be argued that Indian Summer never killed anybody, if someone were to talk to our children, or to us, about it, we all would testify that, by preferring to have faith in the sweet seduction of Indian Summer’s days that boasted of a guaranteed enjoyable time and/or by being ignorant of Autumn’s abrupt changes, we caused our bodies to undergo unnecessary sickness, which, though not life-threatening, did make us feel as though old Death had come to get us. Bottom line: We flirted with death!

Our ignorance notwithstanding, neither our children’s first notable Indian Summer nor ours holds fond memories because every new Indian Summer brings to mine bittersweet images of our foolishness that left us underdressed and susceptible to autumn’s seasonal departures. Yet, ironically, as YeHoVaH would have it, our learned wisdom about earthly seasonal shifts is precisely what Yeshua wants us to rely on so that we can apply that understanding to the weightier spiritual meanings embedded in His fig tree parables (cf. Matthew 21:17-20; Matthew 24:32-36; Mark 13:28-32).

Unquestionably, there are natural signs – what we can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch – that can enlighten us about the changes in weather patterns. If we are sensitive to these signs, mindful of them, and prepared for them, we will be able to govern ourselves accordingly; conversely, if we are insensitive to, ignorant about, or unprepared for these signs, we will suffer the consequences. Likewise, there are spiritual signs – what we can discern is happening in the Spirit (invisible) realm – that can enlighten us about the changes soon to happen in the physical (visible) realm.  If we are sensitive to these signs, mindful of them, and prepared for them, which would be the case if we let the Ruach HaKodesh’s (Holy Spirit’s) spiritual explanations supersede our natural understandings, we will be supplied with godly wisdom, understanding, and knowledge that will defy their worldly counterparts.

Without a doubt, Yeshua teaches us that we need to be cognizant of spiritual signs. That’s why He uses this world’s natural seasons to explain the spiritual principles at work in the Kingdom of Heaven, and why He warns us to be sensitive to, aware of, and prepared for the changes the spiritual signs inform us about or suffer the consequences. For example, in His mini-parable about the fig tree, Yeshua is informing the spiritually sensitive, watchful, and equipped believers about how to avoid the perilous times that await foolish children of YeHoVaH who cannot discern the spiritual warnings of the time, even though they are able to distinguish, in the natural realm, imminent seasonal changes. 

Yeshua teaches that ONLY mature believers who are on meat will be able to recognize the current last-days and end-time signs and govern themselves accordingly so that they are prepared for the Parousia – the Second Coming of Yeshua. Those believers who are on milk – carnal babies – as a matter of course, will be caught not wearing their necessary spiritual attire, and, thus, will have been deceived by their own false sense of well-being. They will be rich with worldly wisdom, knowledge, and understandings, but they will be spiritually poor.  Therefore, these carnal babies only will have an outward religiosity – they will appear to be spiritual – but there will be no true spiritual fruit in them for them to give to their Lord and Savior when He comes for them.

Consequently, when Yeshua comes back in the clouds, first to gather His Bride (His last-days EKKLESIA or Body of Yeshua believers), and once again to gather His end of harvest crop/flock (His end-time wheat/sheep), there will be many spiritually unproductive people who will feel the curse of the Tribulation Period (withering) instead of experiencing the blessings associated with the Rapture, or the Millennial Kingdom to come. As Yeshua teaches in Matthew 24:32-33 and Mark 13:28-29, believing and unbelieving people will know what season it is by nature’s observable modifications, but ONLY spiritually discerning people will be able to recognize and be prepared for the season of Yeshua’s Second Coming, even though they will NOT know the exact hour of His return (Matthew 24:36, and Mark 13:32).

Being prepared for Yeshua’s Second Coming, no doubt, is the reason why Yeshua gives the explanation He does for why He withers the fig tree in Matthew 21:17-21 (cf. Song of Solomon 2:8-13; Jeremiah 8:13, 24:8, 29:17; Hosea 9:10; Micah 7:1; and Nahum 3:12). His explanation specifically is meant for those who are spiritually discerning.

Without a doubt, spiritually mature believers know that Yeshua curses the fig tree in Matthew 21:19 because this tree did not have any early fruit on it. Early fruit would have meant that the literal fig tree was physically alive and producing edible fruit (would have little green knobs that drop off, as people pull on or shake the tree for fruit). Agriculturally speaking, the early fruit that doesn’t fall off before summer would become the ripe figs of the second harvest. Spiritually speaking, this early fruit would symbolize a spiritually alive nation of Israel that would be capable of bearing the kind of fruit that would satisfy YeHoVaH, like that fruit that would be reaped during the spiritually early and late harvests (day of Pentecost’s birth of the EKKLESIA and Fall Feasts’ end-time Harvest of souls, respectively). Instead, Yeshua finds both the literal fig tree and the symbolic nation of Israel spiritually dead and barren, having only outward signs of life, which is why it is impossible for the literal fig tree and symbolic Israel to produce any fruit to offer to their Creator before the Lord’s atoning sacrifice has been fulfilled.

There are leaves on Yeshua’s fig tree, so the vegetation is a sign that this fig tree also should have fruit on its branches. However, the fig tree’s outward appearance is deceiving because, when Yeshua and His disciples draw nearer to the leafy fig tree, it becomes increasingly obvious to Yeshua and His disciples’ natural senses that this tree is not what it pretends to be. The literal interpretation, here, is simple. The fig tree does not have one tangible fruit on it for them to see, smell, taste, hear, or touch.

The spiritual symbolism, however, is fourfold:  (1) figuratively, the fig tree represents the fruitless nation of Israel – a nation with outward religiosity, but no inner spirituality from which “good fruit” can manifest; (2) figuratively, the fig tree represents fruitless Christians, Laodicean, last-days believers in Yeshua who also have an outward religiosity but no spirituality from which “good fruit” can manifest; (3) figuratively, the fig tree represents the Divine Judgment that will fall upon Israel for “Her” spiritual barrenness (not being able to produce holy and righteous fruit) – cursed to wither; and (4) figuratively, the fig tree represents the Divine Judgment awaiting carnal believers for their spiritual barrenness (not being able to produce holy and righteous fruit) – cursed to wither.

It should be noted here that the salient events, which occur after what Christians call Palm Sunday, are both natural and spiritual signs integrated within the teaching pertaining to Yeshua’s cursing of the fig tree. Those events are as follows: Yeshua’s cleansing of the Temple, for a second time; Yeshua’s dealings with the questions about authority, paying tribute to Caesar, the resurrection, the Great Commandment, and the coming Messiah; Yeshua’s teachings on the interconnected surface and deeper meanings of the parables of the fig tree, the two sons, the wicked tenants, the Marriage Feast (or Great Supper), the ten virgins, the talents, and the sheep and goat judgments; and Yeshua’s atoning sacrifice.

Here are the circumstances and events leading up to Yeshua’s cursing of the fig tree. Yeshua came to Jerusalem to celebrate His final Passover Feast, which was (and eternally will be) in the spring season. This feast’s celebration was (and eternally will be) in remembrance of the slaying of Egypt’s firstborn (cf. Exodus 12:6, 12, 29; Leviticus 23:5; Numbers 9:1-3); the actual time of the Israelites’ exodus out of Egypt, and the time when the Israelites ate the first Unleavened Bread meal in haste (cf. Exodus 12:8, 11; Leviticus 23:6).  Yeshua, the Lamb of YeHoVaH, also knew that He came to Jerusalem when He did because Passover season was (and eternally will be) the season of His crucifixion.

His hour was swiftly approaching; it was nearing the time for Him to lay down His life for the sins of the world. It was nearing the time for Him to become the final Passover Lamb.

Moreover, in this first century A.D. spring season, YeHoVaH’s appointed time for the Israelites’ Firstfruits harvest season would be fulfilled by Yeshua because He was there in Jerusalem to fulfill the consecrated firstborn male child mandate (cf. Exodus 13:2), the firstfruits’ freewill offering homage (cf. Deuteronomy 16:10), the firstborn or firstfruits of the brethren, as well as the firstfruits of every creature Scriptures. Yeshua, thus, was in Jerusalem at Passover time so that He would become the Firstfruit of the dead – the first One of many who will be resurrected, glorified, and never die again (cf. Matthew 27:52-53; Romans 8:29; 1 Corinthians 15:20; Colossians 1:15, 18).

It is during this death and dying setting, which takes place at the beginning of Israel’s new agricultural year, that Yeshua curses the fig tree (cf. Matthew 21:18-19).  Then, a day or so following the cursing and withering of the fig tree, right after teaching about His Parousia or Second Coming (cf. Matthew 24:29-31), He teaches the fig tree parable of Matthew 24:32-36.

In each of His fig tree mini-parables, Yeshua is maintaining that ALL things (natural and spiritual) have an appointed time, that ALL things (natural and spiritual) appear after a series of events, and that ALL things (natural and spiritual) are accompanied by observable and comprehensible signs. For this reason, in the barren fig tree parable of Matthew 21:17-20 and the fig tree parable of Matthew 24:32-36, Yeshua is making an important comment about spiritually discerning people being the ones who understand how the sensually observable signs in nature relate to the spiritual signs from Heaven – the signs that warn believers of His prophesied Parousia. Indubitably, the people who actually will “see” the symbolic leaves budding again on the withered symbolic fig tree (Israel), and those who will govern themselves accordingly by getting their spiritual “houses” (temples) in order, are the spiritually discerning believers of the 21st century.

Through YeHoVaH’s Word and the teachings of the Holy Spirit, 21st century’s spiritually discerning people discover that the withered fig tree’s rejuvenation fulfills the prophesied rebirth of Israel, which Yeshua metaphorically describes as the fig tree “…putteth forth her leaves…” (Matthew 24:32).  This rebirth happens right before believers and unbelievers’ eyes, in YeHoVaH’s appointed time (20th century); after a series of events (70 A.D. Temple destruction; Jewish Diaspora; Muslim control of Palestine; World War I; World War II; the Holocaust); and is accompanied by observable and comprehensible natural signs (Israel declares “Her” Independence on May 14, 1948, and the Six-Days’ War in June 1967 gains Israel control of the Sinai Peninsula, Golan Heights, Gaza Strip, West Bank, and East Jerusalem – symbolic of budding and then putting forth leaves). Furthermore, the prophecy Yeshua makes about which generation would be the one that not only gets to witness this rebirth of the fig tree (Israel) but also does not die out before everything prophesied comes to pass (v. 34) pertains to 21st-century reborn and saved Yeshua believers who spiritually are able to discern how 20th-century Israel’s budding and blossoming indicate the nearness of the end of the EKKLESIA Age and the Second Coming of Yeshua.

It is important to understand that in Matthew 24:32, Mark 13:28, and Luke 21:30 Yeshua is not making an inconsequential comment about spiritually discerning believers understanding the sensually observable signs in nature, such as actually “seeing” the leaves on a literal fig tree sprout and flourish. Nor is He making an insignificant statement about spiritually discerning people becoming consciously aware that the next season in nature is not far away. While it is true that unbelievers, carnal-minded Christians, and mature spiritually discerning believers all can observe nature’s signs and know what earthly season is swiftly approaching, as aforementioned, ONLY mature spiritually discerning people can understand how these literal signs in nature relate to the fig tree’s spiritual symbolism and then apply that wisdom to their daily activities.

For this reason, Yeshua is letting the spiritually astute believers know that the end harvest, which is the second harvest season, or the time of the Latter Rain, is nigh.  Here’s how they know this Divine Truth.  Yeshua curses the fig tree days before He is crucified, and, as previously stated, He is crucified at Passover Feast time in Abib (Nisan) – the first month of the Jewish religious calendar, which is equivalent to the western world’s March or April.  Yeshua’s cursing of the fig tree (Israel), thus, is His Divine Judgment, because He has been teaching righteousness and holiness for three years yet His teaching has had no lasting effect on the nation of Israel. Like the literal fig tree, Israel is NOT producing fruit – not even bearing early fruit during the firstfruits harvest season.

Since firstfruits harvest season begins at the time when ALL trees are supposed to be productive in Israel (cf. Nehemiah 10:37), the literal, natural fig tree has no excuse for not having any fruit on it. Indeed, the 15th of Shevat (the western world’s January or February) begins the New Year for Trees in Israel, and the 15th of Shevat is a day honoring the resurgence of life (rebirth) in trees. Moreover, during Shevat, the fig tree’s fruit buds first and then the leaves begin to blossom for 4 to 6 weeks, or until the tree is covered with them. When the fig tree’s leaves are in full bloom, the fruit is ripe.

However, as previously mentioned, there are early figs (they are spring fruit, or the products of the Former Rain, first harvest) and in-season figs (they are the ripened summer fruit, or the products of the Latter Rain, second harvest). Furthermore, because all the fig tree’s fruit does not ripen at the same time, this fact is why most of the figs are not completely ripe until the hottest part of the summer (and, prophetically speaking, why the largest harvest of believers will ripen during the most tumultuous and intense period in human history – the Tribulation Period).

The point here is that even though there should be some early fruit at Passover time (in the Jewish month of Abib or Nisan – our March or April), Yeshua finds no fruit AT ALL on the fig tree (not on either the literal tree or the spiritual nation of Israel). Yeshua, thus, has no other recourse but to wither the fig tree (both the literal tree and the literal nation of Israel). Furthermore, in Israel’s case, because the literal nation of Israel has been given a spirit of stupor – a spiritual blindness (cf. Romans 11:8-25), Yeshua knows that this spiritual blindness is why the spiritual fig tree also would not be producing any spiritual fruit at the time that He withers the tree. 

For sure, both the literal fig tree and the nation of Israel are incapable of displaying a purer, more delightful sweetness until the flower inside the fig (or the regenerated spirit inside the Hebrews) blossoms and produces the “good work” the flower (spirit) is meant to produce – a ripened (matured) holy and righteously sanctified fruitful life. This is why Yeshua has to wither the fig tree and the nation of Israel. In other words, He has to do the Will of YeHoVaH and, thus, fulfill what has been prophesied about Israel.

Now, agriculturally speaking, if a fig tree with leaves has no fruit, then it is destined to be barren for that entire season. Furthermore, Yeshua teaches that natural trees, which do not bear good fruit, will be cut down (cf. Matthew 7:19; Luke 13:6-9). Thus, the literal and figurative fig tree must be removed, and for the nation of Israel, the figurative fig tree, this removal begins to take place in 70 A.D., when the Romans actively start driving the Jewish people from their homeland. The Romans play a major role in the removal of YeHoVaH’s chosen people from off of the land He had promised would be theirs.

Equally important to note here is that the writer of the Gospel of Mark says that, after Yeshua withers the fig tree, He goes into Jerusalem, to the Temple, where He drives out of the Temple the ones who were buying and selling, and where He overturns the moneychangers’ tables and dove sellers’ benches (cf. Mark 11:15-19). There can be no doubt that the Lord does this because, like the barren fig tree, the activities in the Temple no longer were fruitful and wholesome but, instead, had become useless and of no physical or spiritual value. For this reason, Yeshua’s Temple cleansing foreshadows the prophecy of the Temple’s 70 A.D. destruction.

Concerning the literal fig tree, this tree has young tender branches that have sprouted leaves (cf. Matthew 21:19-20; Mark 11:13-14); however, appearances are deceiving, for there is no life in this tree. If this fig tree had new life in it, this fig tree most definitely would have fruit on it, regardless of whether or not that fruit is fully ripe (mature). Instead, the literal fig tree demonstrates that it only appears to be outwardly fruitful – displays outward signs of possibly being able to bear fruit (i.e., the leaves), but, in actuality, the tree is only faking its intentions, giving the impression that it is fruitful when there is no new life whatsoever in it.

Since Israel, too, is faking “Her” intentions, giving the impression that “She” is fruitful when “She” is just as barren as the literal fig tree, Yeshua’s cursing of the fig tree, thus, is really all about Israel, because “She” was supposed to have new life in “Her” – spiritual life. As it turns out, “She” only can display hypocritical righteousness. So then, since the fig tree and Israel are barren – the fig tree is not able to bear physical fruit and Israel is not able to bear spiritual fruit, in spite of both of their outward appearances (fig tree’s leaves; Israel’s display of religion, traditions, and outward form of worship) – the withering of the literal tree and the nation of Israel is the tree and the nation’s Divine Judgment.

Furthermore, Yeshua’s three years of ministry in Israel have proven His judgment to be accurate and fair. Why? Israel has not profited from Yeshua’s teachings, and so “She” is unable to produce spiritual fruit. 

The same is true of Laodicean last-days Christians. Their lukewarm attitudes, egotistic behaviors, and faulty logic cause them to conclude that they have everything they need to be the EKKLESIA that Yeshua is coming back to rapture. Their conduct and beliefs, however, have rendered them spiritually barren, on the inside, and, therefore, unable to produce spiritual fruit.

In every one of the above-mentioned cases (the literal fig tree, the nation of Israel, and the lukewarm last-days believers), their judgment is to ‘wither.’ Now, ‘wither’ does mean to dry up, die, shrivel, droop, or weaken, and any one of these judgments would be apropos for the physical fig tree. However, spiritually speaking, especially in the case of Israel and the Laodicean ekklesia, even though many Hebrews and Gentiles in this last generation might physically dry up and die, YeHoVaH still would have His remnant. That is to say, a ‘withered’ Israel doesn’t mean YeHoVaH’s chosen people (the nation as a whole) will be totally obliterated. Likewise, a ‘withered’ institutional church doesn’t mean believing churchgoers (as a whole) will be absolutely vomited out of YeHoVaH’s mouth and into the Tribulation. In fact, many of YeHoVaH’s Jewish and Gentile 21st-century remnants not only are physically alive today but also are spiritually productive.

This last point brings up another meaning for ‘withered,’ which is “to lose freshness.” Where the whole nation of Israel is concerned, YeHoVaH promises that His unholy and unrighteous chosen people would experience spiritual hunger and thirst (a Word famine) because His spoken and written instructions no longer are fresh in their minds. Indeed, both their love for Him and their obedience to His Word have faded. CONSEQUENTLY, when today’s Hebrews run to and fro trying to hear a Word from YeHoVaH, the majority of them only will discover that He is silent (cf. Amos 8:11).

Moreover, until the complete number of the Gentiles comes to Yeshua (cf. Romans 11:25), most of modern-day Israel will remain spiritually blind, and, therefore, ‘withered’ (famished and dehydrated). For this reason, Israel, as a nation of believers, will not be redeemed until the Tribulation Period, when the sealed, born again 144,000 remnant Hebrews witness to the Jewish nation as a whole and to the entire left-behind world (cf. Revelation 7:3-4; 14:1-5).  Until then, there will be a Word famine in the lives of YeHoVaH’s chosen people, and the majority of them will remain cut off from their necessary Bread of Life.

Then too, when spiritually mature believers look at today’s churches, they will see how carnal believers are hungering and thirsting for a ‘word’ from false teachers, preachers, evangelists, and so forth. Too many believers are replacing YeHoVaH’s Word with worldly New Age fables, wrong-thinking, and wrong-teaching doctrines. As a result, today’s Gentiles also are experiencing the Amos 8:11 “prophesied” lack of YeHoVaH’s unadulterated Daily Bread. That’s why these believers also are unable to discern and apply the spiritual signs relating to the imminent seasonal shift.

Even still, Yeshua’s Luke 13:6-9 fig tree parable provides convincing evidence of YeHoVaH’s love for the world and His wish that none perish. By allowing the parable’s gardener at least one more year to cultivate the soil in which the fruitless fig tree is rooted, this parable illustrates how YeHoVaH also gives Hebrews and Gentiles hope against ever having to be permanently cut off from Him (from having to receive an eternal Second Death). For sure, the irrefutable evidence of YeHoVaH’s love for ALL mankind is shown by His extended mercy – His gracious decision to lighten the original punishment for guilty ones, when righteous persons stand in the gap for them and plead their cases.

In Luke’s parable about the gardener and the barren fig tree, Yeshua is represented as the one who is standing in the gap and pleading for YeHoVaH’s extended mercy. Yeshua intercedes on the behalf of both saved and unsaved persons, for Hebrews and Gentiles, asking the Father to delay His Divine Judgment and allow Yeshua a set amount of years to win more souls, as well as more time to mature those souls already won.

However, even though the fig tree planter and the gardener in the parable decide on a set time before an eternal Divine Judgment will be decided, only YeHoVaH knows when His Tribulation’s Divine Judgment will begin to pour out on the Earth and the people living on it. Nevertheless, if Luke’s fig tree (symbolic of Israel as a nation, unsaved Gentiles, and carnal-minded believers) still hasn’t produced fruit by the end of the Tribulation Period, which is a SET and definitive seven-year period for pruning and new growth, the fig tree will receive its eternal Divine Judgment; it will be uprooted (cut down) and then thrown into the Lake of Fire – the Second Death.

Indeed, Yeshua, in Luke 13:8, really is asking YeHoVaH to give Israel (and Gentiles) some years of grace – the EKKLESIA AGE – with the hope that they will use this current time to repent of their wicked ways and turn back to YeHoVaH (to become spiritually discerning believers). If they refuse, they are to be uprooted (cf. Isaiah 5:1-7; Luke 13:9).

In Israel’s case, history records the actual disobedience of this nation, their spiritual blindness, which leads to the Hebrews’ uprooting – their literal eviction from their Promise Land. Their uprooting began in 70 A.D. and ended in 135 A.D., after the Roman Empire, in an attempt to suppress the Bar-Kochba (Kokhba) uprising, killed 538,000+ Hebrews. To multiply the impact of Romans’ hatred for the Hebrews, in this same year (135 A.D.), the Romans banned Hebrews from Jerusalem then plowed Jerusalem with salt. 

Also, in an attempt to destroy all memories of Jerusalem and the Hebrews, the Romans renamed the land Palestine to ensure that the Hebrews would not want to return to Jerusalem. Still, there was a remnant, in spite of this very effective uprooting.

There is always a remnant, and, praise YeHoVaH, there even will be a remnant of individuals who will survive the Great Tribulation. However, the spiritual signs that relate to Hebrews’ and Gentiles’ Divine Judgments are very clearly presented in Yeshua’s fig tree parable found in Matthew 24:32-36, Mark 13:28-33, and Luke 21:29-36. The problem then is whether or not we, who are His sheep, will hear our Savior and Great Shepherd when He tells us to stop “flirting with death,” or if we merely will listen to Him and then head out the doors of our homes scantly dressed during the second harvest season, which is no longer swiftly approaching but is already upon us. If we respond to His warnings in a nonchalant manner, then we, Jewish and Gentile believers, can expect to not only receive our uprooting but also receive our eternal damnation because we entered the Tribulation Period and accepted the Mark of the Beast.

Not wanting ANY of us to perish is why Yeshua, in His fig tree parable, does not focus on the closeness of summer for summer’s sake. He merely is making us aware of our knowledge of natural seasonal signs so that we either can use that knowledge to become spiritually able to discern EACH spiritual season from each other or to get ready to suffer the consequences. If we who are natural (unbelievers) and carnal (unnatural believers) can tell when summer is approaching, then we also should be conscious of the fact that at the end of those three months autumn will be upon us. Having this awareness, we should know that it is not summer that should gain our attention as much as it is autumn.

Autumn is the time of the Feast of Trumpets or Rosh Hashanah; the time of the first and last trumpets (Numbers 10:1-8), which relate to the Rapture (1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17); the time to receive glorified bodies; and the time of the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur, when YeHoVaH decides if He’s finished dealing with Israel and this world – when He decides if He should extend mankind’s time or not. Autumn is the time when lukewarm Laodicean Christians will be vomited out of YeHoVaH’s mouth into the Tribulation Period; the time when the Antimessiah’s grand deception will begin to mislead people into believing that he will bring peace to this troubled and terrorized world (his version of Indian Summer, which happens during the first half of the seven-year Tribulation Period); and the time when YeHoVaH begins to pour out His seals, trumpets, and bowls of wrath upon the entire world. Autumn is the time of Yeshua’s Second Coming (His bodily return to this earth); the time of the Feast of Tabernacles or the Feast of Ingathering or Sukkot – the time for the EKKLESIA (Bride of Yeshua) to emerge from the wedding chamber with Yeshua HaMashiach – the Lamb, Messiah, and Bridegroom – before the Millennial Reign of the Lord starts; the time of the Marriage Supper of the Lord; and the time of Yeshua’s earthly Kingdom of 1,000 years of peace, prosperity, wellness, joy, and happiness – a true utopia.

If we are watching the signs of the time and know when this described autumn is about to start, then we also will know that our present-day Indian Summers or light afflictions that we already have suffered were only permitted by YeHoVaH so that we could be saved from the Antimessiah’s Indian Summer and the Wrath of YeHoVaH that will cause some never before experienced unbearable afflictions. In short, Yeshua HaMashiach’s natural and spiritual signs tell us that we should not want to go through any part of the Tribulation Period.

The signs of the time are everywhere!  Summer has long passed and autumn is here!  The questions we NOW need to know the answers to are as follows: If we are not saved, do we want to receive our withered and cut-down state of being separated completely from having any spiritual relationship and fellowship with YeHoVaH? If we are not producing spiritual fruit, do we want to wait one more year before we repent? Do we want to tumble smack into the Tribulation because of wrong-teaching or wrong-thinking and lukewarm tendencies, or do we want to become sold out for Yeshua, now?  Do we really want the enemy to catch us underdressed, and, therefore, susceptible to fall for his wicked chicanery?  Do we really want to continue to flirt with death – both physically and spiritually speaking, with the latter, believe it or not, being the most unpleasant and the most devastating of the two kinds of deaths?

Let’s not flirt with death. Let’s not be caught off guard, frolicking without a care in the world until the day that we are lulled into a false sense of freedom that causes us to choose to behave in ways that would be detrimental to our physical and spiritual existence. Let’s learn the signs. Let’s watch for the signs. Finally, and most importantly, let’s be prepared for the signs by becoming spiritually able to discern them. Let’s be filled with the Holy Spirit, and let’s allow Him to grow us up, make us spiritually mature, through His TRUTH teachings so that we will be ready when Yeshua comes for His Bride, during the time of the Fall Feasts.

Hopefully, during this vitally unusual autumn, YeHoVaH will allow some of the left-behind people to be as fortunate and yet as amazed as Elisha. Like Elisha, maybe some left behinders also might behold, witness with their own eyes, the mighty whirlwind that will be lifting to the greatest height their loved ones who were once at their feet. Their astonishment, prayerfully, will swiftly nudge their remembrance about this major seasonal sign (the Rapture) so that, finally, they will govern themselves accordingly, in all of their affairs, especially once they recall the biblical teachings about what happens after the Rapture. Then they too will get prepared, this time, for Yeshua’s bodily Second Coming, when He returns again for His end of the AGE vast Harvest!

Additionally, please read my blog entry “The Fall Feast of Trumpets’ Spiritual Realities”.

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Understanding The Full Significance of God’s First Fruits Command

03 Tuesday Feb 2009

Posted by Rev. Nadine Drayton-Keen in Bible Prophecy

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

agricultural implications, Fall Feasts, financial increase, firstfruits, former rain, latter rain, prosperity teachings, rapture, spiritual implications, Spring Feasts

“Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” (James 1:18, KJV)

The Old Testament patterns of giving first fruits are not so much about giving the first fruits of our financial increase, before we give our monetary tithes and offerings, which prosperity teachers maintain, but rather the patterns of giving first fruits have to do with the first fruits of the spiritual harvests that are devoted unto God. Indeed, the Old Testament’s shadows and types of the barley harvest, which happens in Israel during the first month of Abib (Nisan), symbolize that this first harvest of the year not only is an agricultural event but also a spiritual event that is connected to each of the seven commanded Jewish annual feasts. For sure, the Feast of Firstfruits has a mutual relation with the Feast of Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Day of Pentecost (the Feast of Weeks), as well as a shared relation with the second harvest’s wheat. During the Feast of Weeks in the third month of Sivan, the firstfruits of wheat begin the wheat harvest, which finally culminates in the month of Tishri, during the End Harvest around the time of the Feast of Tabernacles. This shared relation means that the Spring Feast of Firstfruits also is connected to ALL three of the Fall Feasts: the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles.

In the Old Testament, after the Israelites entered the land which God had promised to them, God commanded the children of Israel to mark a special day for the purpose of acknowledging that God had provided them fertile land on which to grow their crops. God told Moses to “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:” (Leviticus 23:10, KJV, cf. Leviticus 2:12 and 14; Leviticus 23:17 and 20).

Now, not only were the Israelites commanded to keep the Feast of Firstfruits but also God says:

Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty) And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field. …The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God. (Exodus 23:14-16 and 19a, KJV; cf. Exodus 34:22 and 26a)

For sure, the Feast of Firstfruits is very significant because this feast falls on the day following the first day of Unleavened Bread, which follows Passover (one of the three mandated feasts that Jewish men had to travel to the Jerusalem Temple before they could celebrate God’s mandated feasts according to God’s instructions [see Exodus 23:17]). Now, sometimes people get confused about which day is really the Feast of Firstfruits, as the Day of Pentecost Feast also is called the Feast of Firstfruits. That’s why knowing what God wanted His chosen people to do on the specific day that has been established for them to offer the “devoted things” to God will help in understanding the difference between the Day of Firstfruits and the Day of Pentecost.

The specific day that the Israelites were to establish for the purpose of offering their sanctified “firstfruits” to God would be the Feast of Firstfruits (see Leviticus 23:9-14), and on this specific day, the Israelites were to offer to God the first grain (typically barley) of the first Spring harvest. This firstfruit offering was to take place during the week of the Feast of Unleavened Bread on the day after the regular weekly Sabbath (cf. Leviticus 23:11b). Therefore, this firstfruits offering always would occur on the first day of the week (on the Jewish Sabbath, which is from sunset Saturday to sunset Sunday). The Jewish people call this Feast of Firstfruits day Reishit Katzir, which means the “beginning of the harvest.”

In biblical times, on the day after the first day of Unleavened Bread, a sheaf (Omer)of barley (the first grain crop to ripen) was waved before the LORD in a prescribed ceremony that marked the start of the counting of the Omer (cf. Deuteronomy 16:9-12 and Leviticus 23:15-16). The Israelites would begin a forty-nine day countdown (the counting of the Omer) plus one extra day. This countdown started from the moment when they put the first sickle to the barley and ended with the harvest festival of Shavu’ot (Pentecost). The Hebrews call this period of time Sefirat HaOmer, which means, “counting the sheaves.” Thus, the first harvest season (Spring harvest) begins on the Day of First Fruits, which happens seven weeks plus one day before the Feast of Weeks/Firstfruits/Pentecost.

On the day of the Feast of First Fruits, the Hebrews were commanded to give God, without delay, their firstfruits (the very first of their sons, as well as their flocks, vines, fields and trees that appear before their whole flocks, fields, vines, and trees became ripe). The Old Testament Scriptures reveal this divine truth:

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine. …Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me. Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy sheep: seven days it shall be with his dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it me. (Exodus 13:1-2; Exodus 22:29-30, KJV)

Without a doubt, the Feast of Firstfruits’ spiritual implications were fulfilled through Jesus the Christ, who was the first person to return to life who would never die again. Our Lord was crucified and buried on Passover (Pesach), the day before the first day of Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMatzot).

Now, Passover begins at evening time on Abib (or Nisan) 14, which also is when the eating of Unleavened Bread first begins. What is important to note about the Jewish evening is that it falls between 3:00pm and sundown, which makes sundown both the time when one day ends and the time when a new day starts. Because Passover continues through Nisan 15 (the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread), this is the reason why the celebration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread often is shown on most calendars as beginning on Abib (Nisan) 15 and ending on Abib (Nisan) 22, while on other calendars the Feast of Unleavened Bread is shown as starting from Abib (Nisan) 14 and ending on Abib (Nisan) 21. Whichever way someone denotes the day when the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins, this Feast (also called Chag HaMatzot) represents a holy week spent without having any leaven in our lives.

What is more important is that, in Jesus the Christ’s day, Passover was on Wednesday the 14th, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread started on Thursday the 15th. Abib (Nisan) 15th, or day one of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, is also the “High” Sabbath, a special Sabbath day that, in Jesus the Christ’s day, was not a Saturday Sabbath! This fact would mean that the wave offering(called tenufat HaOmer), which the priest is supposed to wave “…on the morrow after the sabbath” (Leviticus 23:11b, KJV) is the God-commanded firstfruit wave offering that must take place on Sunday morning after the weekly Saturday Sabbath. In Jesus the Christ’s case, this weekly Sabbath was on Abib (Nisan) 17th, two days after the “High” Sabbath of the first day of Unleavened Bread. Once again, a “High” Sabbath is a day of shabbaton (rest) that could occur on any day of the week besides the weekly Sabbath day of Saturday.

Thus, on Abib (Nisan) 14th, Wednesday at evening, which is the beginning of that day, Jesus the Christ eats His early seder (Passover) supper, as this day also is called the Lord’s Passover day (cf. Leviticus 23:5). On Abib (Nisan) 14th, during the daytime, is the Preparation day mentioned in Luke 23:54 and Mark 15:42. Jesus the Christ then dies, gives up the Ghost, in the afternoon of the 14th, and His death happens at the same time that the korban Pesach (Passover Lamb) is sacrificed in the Temple. Jesus the Christ then is buried before the evening (before the official Passover dinner starts).

On Abib (Nisan) 15th, at evening, “High” Sabbath (the actual Seder night) begins. On Abib (Nisan) 15th, during the daytime, “High” Sabbath, a time of rest, is observed.

On Abib (Nisan) 17th, at evening, Weekly Sabbath begins, and on Abib (Nisan) 17th, during the daytime, Weekly Sabbath continues. During the daytime on this day is when the priest’s waving of the Omer takes place, initiating the 49-day countdown to Pentecost (or Shavu’ot).

On Abib (Nisan) 18th, at sundown or the start of this new day, Jesus the Christ is raised from the dead at or after Havdalah, which is the Jewish ritual of using wine, multi-wick candle, and spices for the purpose of marking the end of the Shabbat (and/or holidays) and the beginning of the rest of the week. Remember now that sundown is both the end and start of a day (in this case sundown on the 17th is both the end of day 17 and the start of day 18)! Thus, what’s for certain about when Jesus the Christ arose from the grave is that He at least arose before sunrise on the 18th. 

The good news (Gospel) for the born again and saved believers is that, on the day after the Feast of Firstfruits is celebrated by the priest waving the first sheaf of barley before the Lord our God, Jesus the Christ is raised from the dead. His resurrection makes Him the firstfruit of all who, subsequently, would arise from the dead, never to die again. Moreover, Jesus the Christ’s resurrection, when compared to the “wave offering” the Temple priest presented before the Father as the “firstfruits” of the full harvest yet to come, explains how the biblical shadows and types that pertain to Jesus the Christ being the firstborn of the firstfruits are also why our Lord represents the firstborn of man (and beast) who belongs to God. Indeed, Jesus the Christ is the firstborn of all creatures!

The firstborn and “firstfruits” shadows and types that are seen in the agricultural former and latter rain seasons are parallel to the birth and ripening of believers (the so-called CHURCH and the those who become Tribulation saints). Just as the first or early ripening of the grain crops is offered on First Fruits, or the “beginning of the harvest,” the same First Fruits’ process takes place in the Body of Christ, except this process is a spiritual ripening of believers.

Jesus the Christ physically arises from the grave, and is literally born again as the firstfruit of the brethren and the firstborn of all creatures. Then, by the Day of Pentecost, the 120 Upper Room disciples become the firstfruit of the CHURCH who later will become spiritually born again by the Holy Spirit, and the first of those who later will become physically resurrected like Jesus the Christ. For these reasons, the cutting of the sheaf (Omer) of the new barley that culminates in the celebration of Shavu’ot (Pentecost) is an important firstfruit/firstborn principle, because it relates to the spiritual birth and the glorification of the CHURCH. The Apostle Paul agrees, and in the following Scriptural quotation he declares that, because of what Jesus the Christ experienced, spiritually born again and saved believers also can experience the same thing—they physically can be born again (raised from the dead) to live eternally.  The apostle writes:

But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 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. (1 Corinthians 15:20-23, KJV; cf. John 11:25; Romans 5:12; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17)

Thus, after the counting of the Omer begins, early in the morning on the third day of Unleavened Bread, Jesus the Christ appears as the firstfruit of the dead, first to Mary Magdalene. At that time, He immediately says to her: “Don’t cling to me” … “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them that I am ascending to my Father and your Father, my God and your God” (John 20:17, NLT). From the Scriptures, we know that on the same day that the arisen Christ spoke to Mary Magdalene that in the evening of this day He also supernaturally appeared before His disciples, minus Thomas, who for some reason wasn’t in this assembly, and minus Judas, who already had committed suicide. Then “eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. He said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!’” (John 20:26-27, NLT).

Since Jesus the Christ has told Mary that He is ascending to His Father, and then He isn’t seen again by anyone after He first appears before His assembled disciples until He appears before them the second time, the logical conclusion is that during the counting of the Omer’s first eight days (sometime during the fourth through the eighth day of the celebration of Unleavened Bread) Jesus the Christ not only descended into Hell to preach the Gospel to the centuries of lost sinners and the saints in Paradise, but also He ascended up to Heaven where He would present to God Himself, the other firstfruits who arose out of the graves with Him, and the ones from Hell who accepted Him as their Lord and Savior. These are the sanctified “devoted” unto God firstfruits who have been redeemed.

Once this work is done, Jesus the Christ is able to return back to Earth in His glorified body! What is the proof of this conclusion?

Well, the writer of the book of Matthew declares that the “…tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead after Jesus’ resurrection. They left the cemetery, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people” (Matthew 27:52-53, NLT). Thus, once again, the logical conclusion is that Jesus the Christ had to have ascended up to Heaven sometime between the fourth and eighth day of Omer to offer to His Father the first installment on the “early crops” of what would be an overwhelming harvest by the end of the Age (by the end of the world as we know it), for it is not recorded in the Scriptures that any of these other resurrected people were seen after Jesus the Christ met again with His assembled disciples.

Keeping with the idea of firstfruits installments, Jesus the Christ’s second firstfruits’ installment will be the Rapture of the CHURCH—when the dead in Christ and those who are yet alive when He comes to rapture the CHURCH will be caught up to meet Jesus the Christ in the air (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17). For this reason, the day of the Feast of Firstfruits (the beginning of the first harvest) spiritually is connected to the Day of Pentecost or the Feast of Weeks that happens 49 days later.  In other words, the Day of Pentecost/Feast of Weeks is a shadow and type of the birth of the CHURCH. The apostles and their first century Hebrew converts, then, also represent the firstfruits and/or the firstborn of Christians who have been devoted (sanctified) unto God—the firstfruits of the Day of Pentecost’s Holy Spirit pouring.

The third and last firstfruits’ installment will be the 144,000 martyred saints. The Apostle John supplies the scriptural evidence for this claim. John writes:

And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. (Revelation 14:3-4, KJV)

Returning back to Jesus the Christ’s first ascension, it is apparent that Jesus the Christ makes His first ascension during the first eight days of the counting of the Omer. At this time, He takes with Him to Heaven ALL of the ones who were resurrected from their graves when He arose, plus the Old Testament saints whom He preached to in Paradise, John the Baptist, and the New Testament repentant thief from the cross (cf. Psalms 68:18, Ephesians 4:8-10,). As a result, in Acts 1:9, Jesus the Christ now is speaking about His second ascension, which happens a few days before the Feast of Pentecost, as the Scriptures tell us that He is still on the Earth some 40 days after His resurrection (see Acts 1:3).

Thus, based on God’s appointed Feasts, the fifty days between First Fruits and Pentecost are significant in that these days mark the time between the Festival of “Physical Redemption” (Passover) and the Festival of “Spiritual Redemption” (Pentecost). For this reason, the Day of Pentecost is viewed as the climax of God’s plan for believers’ deliverance through Jesus the Christ, who is the true Lamb of God. The counting of the Omer, or the seven weeks plus one day from First Fruits until the Day of Pentecost, represents the giving of the anticipated New Covenant to mankind, and the giving of the gift of the Holy Spirit through whom the Body of Christ is formed.

Likewise, just as Jesus the Christ’s firstfruit resurrection from the dead and the Day of Pentecost’s outpouring of the Holy Spirit are literal fulfillments of the ancient agriculturally repeated first harvest’s Firstborn, Firstfruit, and Former Rain shadows and types, the second outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the reunion of the Groom (Jesus the Christ) and His Bride (the CHURCH from whom Jesus the Christ has been separated for over 1900 years) also will be literal fulfillments of the agriculturally repeated second harvest’s “end of the year harvest” and Latter Rain shadows and types.

Besides the symbolic Old Testament’s repeated agricultural Spring and Fall harvests’ patterns that point to the Rapture, there are other Old Testament shadows and types that represent the Rapture. For example, in the Old Testament, the Rapture is symbolized through imagery, expressly, the Voice of God (or Trumpet of God) calling out of the mountain to Moses, beckoning him to come up to the top of Mount Sinai (cf. Exodus 19:3), which is similar to Apostle John’s New Testament precursory rapture encounter which begins with the Alpha and Omega God’s voice sounding like a trumpet (Revelation 1:10-11); in Prophet Hosea’s metaphorical prophesies about Israel being revived in 2 days, and raised up on the third day (Hosea 6:2); in Enoch’s bodily translation (Genesis 5:24, and Hebrews 11:5)—symbolizing the New Testament’s twinkling of an eye catching up of alive Body of Christ members who will not be found after the Rapture (1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17); in Elisha’s witness of the supernatural appearance of the chariot and horses of fire that were followed by Elijah’s whirlwind (storm cloud) disappearance (2 Kings 2:11-13)—symbolizing the middle of the Tribulation’s left behind people who will witness both the life and death of two Old Testament witnesses and then see these two witnesses raptured, also these left behind people will witness the disappearance (rapture) of the 144,000 Messianic Jews (Revelation 11:3-12 and Revelation 14:3-4); and finally the disappearance of Moses’ gravesite (Deuteronomy 34:6), which symbolizes the dead without Jesus the Christ nonbelievers who, once resurrected, will leave behind no earthly gravesites where those who inherit the Earth can find the wicked ones’ bodies!

Now, just like it is in the natural concerning the harvesting of a field of wheat, so will it be with the harvesting of the world (the field in which the Lord plants His Gospel seed). After the world has been judged during the seven-year Tribulation, near the end of that time, Jesus the Christ will come on the clouds with a host of angels, and He will oversee the angels’ reaping (cutting with a sickle) and harvesting of Jesus the Christ’s Wheat—the angels will separate (winnow) the figuratively speaking mature grains of wheat (believers) from the chaff (unbelievers and nonbelievers or tares)—the spiritual souls and spirits which, like the literal inedible waste of the wheat’s chaff, will be thrown away. In the tares’ case, they will be thrown into the Lake of Fire (Matthew 13:37-43), while the genuine Wheat is saved/delivered from the Lake of Fire.

This Wheat, then, is the overwhelming harvest that will happen after God determines that He is finished dealing with mankind; this Wheat Harvest will be the harvest that comes about all because Jesus the Christ first became the literal and figurative firstborn and firstfruit wave offering. Lastly, this end of the Age Wheat harvest also will be the fulfillment of the shadows and types found in the Fall or second harvest that the Hebrews have practiced for years in their end of the year harvest-feast celebrations. For this reason, this Wheat harvest also will be the finale to the Great Commission.

The current countdown from the birth of the CHURCH to the full ripening of believers, which includes the Wheat being separated from the tares at the end of the Age, also will bring about a clearer focus on the true meanings of the Fall Feasts and the second harvest’s principle of three main yields from the Grain. These three main yields are: (1) Firstfruits Harvest (cf. Leviticus 23:10; Matthew 27:52-53; Acts 26:23; and 1 Corinthians 15:20)—the  Sheaf (Omer), which is a Bundle of Grain. This sheaf is made from the First few ripened heads of grain; (2) New Grain Harvest (cf. Exodus 23:16, 34:22a; Leviticus 23:16; 1 Corinthians 15:51-54aand 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17)—the Field’s new grain growth—no matter if the grain is barley, wheat, and so forth. This grain, minus the four corners, is picked, gathered, processed; and the (3) Remnant (cf. Leviticus 19:9; 23:22; Deuteronomy 24:19; Matthew 13:24-30, 37-42; Joel 3:13; and Revelation 14:15 and 17-20; Revelation 20:7-9)—the grain harvested from the Field’s corner edges that originally were food left for the poor, the widowed, the orphaned, and the strangers.

The firstfruits (the few heads of ripened grain), the new grain (the whole field except for the corners), and the remnant (that which is left after the rest of the field has been harvested) are shadows and types of the SECOND ADVENT—the END-TIME period when JESUS the CHRIST returns back to EARTH, in phases. Once again, the very “firstfruits” of the barley and wheat fields are Jesus the Christ, the Old Testament Saints, John the Baptist, the repentant thief from the cross, and the Body of Christ (the CHURCH) firstfruits who spiritually were born on the Day of Pentecost and thereafter—in essence, all of the dead in Christ and the living believers who are around when Christ raptures His CHURCH (Bride).

The “new grain” refers to: (1) the 144,00 martyred Tribulation evangelists; (2) the 2 Tribulation witnesses; and (3) the Tribulation believers (Wheat) who are evangelized by the 144,000 Messianic Jews. These Tribulation believers (or Wheat), though a great number, will be those individuals from all tongues and nations who are NOT glorified. They will enter the 1,000-year Kingdom of God in their original bodies; therefore, these “Wheat” are the people who will repopulate the Earth.

Lastly, where the end of the Age is concerned, the “remnant” grain now refers to those people from the Lord’s 1,000-year Kingdom who side with the recently released Dragon—Satan who has been set free from the bottomless pit. They, however, will not have a chance to attack the Lord and His true remnant, because God rains fire down upon them and consumes them.  As for Satan, who deceives this remnant of people who are born during Jesus the Christ’s 1,000-year reign, convincing them to march on God’s holy city to war against the Lord and His saints, this Satan/Devil is thrown into the Lake of Fire.

In a nutshell, all of the aforesaid shadows and types and literal and figurative grain yields are found in the repeated agricultural patterns that run through the seven mandated Hebrew feasts. Four of these feasts are celebrated in the Spring of each new ceremonial/festival year, and each one of these four Spring feasts relates to Jesus the Christ’s first coming. Moreover, all four of these Spring feasts have been fulfilled!

The four Spring feasts are: (1) Passover Feast, which symbolizes our salvation and our deliverance that are made possible by the Lamb of God’s atoning sacrifice, as Passover represents our Lord’s explicit, sinless, and substitutionary death; (2) the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which testifies to the reality that, as the Lamb of God, Jesus the Christ’s body could not decay in the grave, the Unleavened Bread, then, also represents our sanctification process—the Holy Spirit’s work related to getting rid of the old leaven in our lives that is symbolized by our carnal nature/desires; finally, the Feast of Unleavened Bread symbolizes Jesus the Christ’s death and burial and our identification with His humiliation and the cruel and brutal way that He died; (3) the Feast of Firstfruits, which illustrates that death could not hold Jesus the Christ prisoner, because His body could not remain in the grave; therefore, the Feast of Firstfruits also represents Jesus the Christ’s resurrection and our future glorious state that will happen at the end of the CHURCH age in conjunction with the Rapture of the CHURCH; additionally, the Feast of Firstfruits represents the firstfruits of the 144,000 who are raptured near the end of time, as we know it; lastly, (4) the Feast of Weeks (Day of Pentecost), which commemorates the gift of the Holy Spirit and the birthday of the CHURCH.

There also are three Fall feasts, but none of these feasts has been fulfilled! Moreover, the three Fall feasts portray the events associated with Jesus the Christ’s Second Coming. These three Fall feasts are: (1) The Feast of Trumpets, which depicts Jesus the Christ’s second phase of the firstfruits’ ascensions (i.e., the Rapture). The first phase dealt with Jesus the Christ’s initial ascension, when He takes those who rose from the grave after Him, and the redeemed Old Testament saints, John the Baptist, and the repentant thief from the cross from Paradise to Heaven, to offer them to God as the firstfruits of the dead. Lastly, the third phase will deal with the Tribulation’s martyred saints, or the 144,000; (2) The Day of Atonement, which points to the wrath of God against the great host of surviving Tribulation people, Jews and Gentiles, who take the mark of the Beast (Antichrist). When the Lord returns (when He appears in the clouds with His host of angels to reap the world’s harvest—to separate the Wheat from the Tares), He will destroy these individuals by metaphorically trampling them under His feet and then squeezing the grapes’ juice out with the metaphorical winepress (Himself); (3) The Feast of Tabernacles, which speaks of the day when the Messiah Himself will tabernacle or dwell with His Kingdom people forever.

Today, our firstfruits are our gods of fortune, power, beauty, talent, and intelligence. No longer are we more concerned about the souls of mankind, but rather we are more concerned about our money; our material possessions; our position in life, and the power behind that position; our outer facial and bodily appearances; our abilities, skills, and gifts; and our mental capacity. Furthermore, the firstfruits that have become our gods are also the things we worship, instead of letting them serve us! That is why it is so easy for prosperity teachers to encourage so many people to become FINANCIAL partners with their ministries. Notice, if you will, that most of these prosperity teachers do not consistently stress that the people watching and/or listening to their ministries should be doing their own God-appointed share of the Great Commission work, which is over and above making a donation to their church or ministry by writing a check, or by using a credit card, in excess of buying their self-help books, sermon on cassettes or CDs, Christian movies on DVDs, and so forth!

Once again, the Old Testament patterns of giving first fruits are not about giving the first fruits of our financial increase, before we give our monetary tithes and offerings, which prosperity teachers maintain. The Old Testament patterns of giving first fruits have to do with the first fruits of our spiritual harvests that are devoted unto God—our spiritual lives, our spiritual resources that God “freely” has given to us, our passionate commitment to evangelism and discipleship (to be zealous about reaching lost souls), and our desire to ALWAYS be about doing our Father’s business of building up the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.

Jesus the Christ is coming back for the rest of His firstfruits—for the rest of His soul winning CHURCH and His soul winning martyred Tribulation saints. He also is coming back for His end of the Age abundant harvest—His Wheat. For these reasons, being counted as the spiritual firstfruits in the next event on the prophetic timetable, the Rapture, should be the goal of every born again and saved believer living today!

The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the laborers are few! That is why every person who has eyes and ears should understand and apply what he or she has read here or heard about the full significance of God’s first fruit commands. Once again, God’s first fruits’ commands pertain to us making sure that we are cooperating with His Holy Spirit’s sanctification process—that we not only are filled with but also growing in His Holy Spirit. Secondly, God’s first fruits’ commands pertain to us making sure that we are using EVERYTHING God has blessed us with (spiritual gifts, talents, abilities, skills, character, money, possessions, and so on) so that we can be productive field workers—so that we can be laborers who actively are involved with evangelism and discipleship. Finally, God’s first fruits’ commands pertain to us being spiritually discerning Christians who ALWAYS promote rather than suppress the divine truth found in God’s WORD!

We are living in the generation from which the largest harvest will come.  Therefore, this is the time to get busy working with today’s lost souls, realizing that God’s saving Grace, mighty workings of the Holy Spirit, holy Scriptures, and the faith that God gives us will help us value the Kingdom of God above everyone and everything else in this world! In other words, we have the supernatural resources that make it possible for us to consistently be about our Father’s business!

The holy Scriptures tell us that there will be signs of Jesus the Christ’s Second Coming and that these signs are available for true Christians. Therefore, if we intend to meet our Lord in the air when He returns (if we plan to be the firstfruits of the Holy Spirit’s second outpouring, to be those who are raptured before the Tribulation Period starts), then we must be prepared, now, for our Lord’s imminent Second Coming.  We get prepared by obeying God’s first fruits’ commands for His New Testament saints!

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Rev. Nadine Drayton-Keen

Sanctified Child

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