"But now Messiah has been raised from the dead, and has become
the firstfruits of those having fallen asleep." - 1 Corinthians 15:20 |
"Speak to the children of Israel and you shall say to them,
'When you come into the land which I give you,
and shall reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the
firstfruits of your harvest to the priest.
And he shall wave the sheaf before Yahweh, for your acceptance.
On the morrow after the Sabbath the priest waves it.'"
- Leviticus 23:10-11
'When you come into the land which I give you,
and shall reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the
firstfruits of your harvest to the priest.
And he shall wave the sheaf before Yahweh, for your acceptance.
On the morrow after the Sabbath the priest waves it.'"
- Leviticus 23:10-11
During the feast of Unleavened Bread is the feast of Firstfruits.
We know that Firstfruits, as with all the other feasts of Yahweh, points to our Messiah. In that feast the priest was to wave a sheaf from the harvest, the first-fruits of the land, as an offering to Yahweh in acknowledgment of, and thankfulness for, His provision. Yahshua was the first-fruit offering to the Father as He was the first to be resurrected from the dead.
"Messiah the firstfruits, then those who are of Messiah at His coming"
- 1 Corinthians 15:23
- 1 Corinthians 15:23
Now all those that believe in Him will be resurrected unto eternal life after we have first fallen asleep.
"This is the desire of the Father who sent Me,
that all He has given Me I should not lose of it,
but should raise it in the last day."
- John 6:39
that all He has given Me I should not lose of it,
but should raise it in the last day."
- John 6:39
Just as the Levitical priests were to offer up the sheaves in thankfulness to Yahweh for that which He had given to the people, so Yahshua, our High Priest in the order of Melchizedek, offers up all those who believe in Him; those whom the Father had given.
Following Messiah's resurrection, we see an unusual event that took place.
"And Yahshua cried out again with a loud voice, and gave up His spirit.
And see, the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom,
and the earth was shaken, and the rocks were split,
and the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints
who had fallen asleep were raised;
and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection,
they went into the set apart city and appeared to many."
- Matthew 27:50-53
And see, the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom,
and the earth was shaken, and the rocks were split,
and the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints
who had fallen asleep were raised;
and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection,
they went into the set apart city and appeared to many."
- Matthew 27:50-53
The saints of old - those who had fallen asleep prior to Yahshua's death, burial, and resurrection - came out from their graves and even walked through the streets of Jerusalem! That would seem to include Noah, Abraham, and David! Why did this happen and where did they go?
Let's look back a little to earlier in the day:
Mary of Magdalene had come to Yahshua's tomb early in the morning on the first day only to find it empty! She ran and told the disciples who came and found the same tomb empty. A few moments later she encountered the Savior, whom she thought to be the gardener and then realized it was Yahshua. Messiah then told her something interesting:
Let's look back a little to earlier in the day:
Mary of Magdalene had come to Yahshua's tomb early in the morning on the first day only to find it empty! She ran and told the disciples who came and found the same tomb empty. A few moments later she encountered the Savior, whom she thought to be the gardener and then realized it was Yahshua. Messiah then told her something interesting:
He told Mary not to hold on to Him because He had not yet ascended to the Father.
"Yahshua said to her, 'Do not hold on to Me,
for I have not yet ascended to My Father.
But go to My brothers and say to them,
'I am ascending to My Father and your Father,
and to My Elohim and your Elohim.'"
- John 20:17
for I have not yet ascended to My Father.
But go to My brothers and say to them,
'I am ascending to My Father and your Father,
and to My Elohim and your Elohim.'"
- John 20:17
Then later that same day, at evening, after He told Mary not to hold on to Him because He had not yet ascended to the Father, He appeared before the disciples and they touched Him (Luke 24:39) and He ate with them. It would seem that between the time He spoke with Mary to the time He appeared before the disciples Yahshua had ascended to the Father. But why?
Could it be that Messiah had presented not only Himself as the Firstfruits "wave" offering to the Father as prophesied in Leviticus 23, but also these saints, being that He is our High Priest? Clearly those saints who had been asleep prior to Yahshua's death on the stake had now come out from their tombs following His resurrection. What happened to them? Looking again at Paul's letter to the Corinthian assembly we read,
"But now Messiah has been raised from the dead, and has become
the firstfruits of those having fallen asleep."
- 1 Corinthians 15:20
the firstfruits of those having fallen asleep."
- 1 Corinthians 15:20
It would indeed appear that Messiah presented those believers to the Father as a Firstfruits offering. The main focus, though, is that He Himself is the firstfruits offering that gives us hope over eternal separation from Yah.
His promises fulfilled to those who are His!
He is victorious over death and the grave and so He shall deliver those who are His to life eternal!
HalleluYah for our Savior is Risen!
His promises fulfilled to those who are His!
He is victorious over death and the grave and so He shall deliver those who are His to life eternal!
HalleluYah for our Savior is Risen!
"O Death, where is your sting?
O Grave, where is your victory?
The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law,
But thanks be to Yahweh who gives us the overcoming
through our Master Yahshua the Messiah."
- 1 Corinthians 15:55-57
O Grave, where is your victory?
The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law,
But thanks be to Yahweh who gives us the overcoming
through our Master Yahshua the Messiah."
- 1 Corinthians 15:55-57