The Third feast of The Lord

 THE 3RD FEAST OF THE LORD 

THE FEAST OF FIRST FRUITS

This is a Feast that I am VERY EXCITED to share with you.  Before we get into it….let's do a quick recap of The 1st time that Passover and Unleavened Bread occurred and compare it with the Feast of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread that occurred during Jesus Christ’s Death and Burial.

1. The Firstborn Children in Egypt were killed on the same day that the ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD was being crucified.

1. The Egyptians were rushing Israel out of Egypt just like the Roman soldiers were rushing Jesus Christ and the others off their crosses.

1. According to Exodus 12:33-34 the Israelites were rushed out of Egypt so quickly that their bread was unleavened. Here’s the verses...”33 And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men. 34 And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.

1. Jesus Christ was buried in the Tomb on the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

I’m sure that if I asked you all what the next MAJOR EVENT after the death and burial of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ all of you would say that it’s the RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST!!!

I’m also sure if I asked you what the next MAJOR EVENT after the Israelites fled Egypt that you would say it was when Moses and the Israelites crossed the RED SEA and Pharaoh's army was destroyed!!!

I’m going to share about the Feast of First Fruits and show you how these two events are connected with this Feast.  

I KNOW THIS WILL BE A BLESSING FOR YOU

SO HERE WE GO!!!

The Feast of First Fruits is covered in Leviticus 23:9-11….”9  And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 10 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: 11 And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.

There are a couple of interesting things I’m going to point out about this Feast.

1. This feast was celebrated on Sunday...the day after the Weekly Sabbath (Saturday).

1. If you don’t look closer you could think that this just applies to when the Israelites enter the Promised Land.

Most Christians know that Jesus Christ rose on a Sunday based on John 20:1-2…”1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. 2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.

Keep in mind that a Jewish day starts at sunset so when Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early while it was still dark….it was Sunday. So Jesus Christ Fulfilled the Feast of First Fruits when he Resurrected from the Tomb!!!

Here’s a couple Bible verses that refer to Jesus Christ as our First Fruits to confirm this.

1 Corinthians 15:22-23…”22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

1 Corinthians 15:20…”20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.”

NOW LET’S SEE HOW THIS FEAST WAS FULFILLED DURING THE EXODUS FROM EGYPT WHEN THE ISRAELITES CROSSED THE RED SEA!!!

A lot of Christians aren’t sure the Day that the Israelites crossed the Red Sea but I’m going to show you compelling evidence IN THE SCRIPTURE that shows that the Israelites crossed the Red Sea on the same day Jesus Christ Resurrected!!!

It’s important to remember that Passover falls on the 14th of Nisan (the first month in the Jewish Religious Calendar)…..Unleavened Bread Falls on the next day “The 15th”  and First Fruits falls on the 1st day of the week which in these cases was the 17th.

Before I compare the timing of the Red Sea crossing and the destruction  of Pharaoh's Armies….to The Resurrection of Jesus Christ there are a couple important Bible Verses that need to be pointed out. 

The 1st one is when Moses is talking to the Israelites before they begin to cross the Red Sea at night. In Exodus 14:13-14 Moses says this to the Israelites when they were afraid of the Egyptian army coming towards them….”13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more forever. 14 The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

When Jesus Christ rose from the grave we have Salvation and escape death if we Believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again.

Just like the Israelites would not see their enemy forever….Believers in Jesus Christ as their Savior will never have their sins held against them either.

But here’s another great verse comparing the Salvation of the Israelites to the Salvation that Believers in Jesus Christ as their Savior receive.

Colossians 2:13-15…”13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

NOT ONLY WAS THE DESTRUCTION OF PHARAOH’S ARMY AN OPEN TRIUMPH FOR ALL THE ISRAELITES TO SEE...BUT THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST WAS AN OPEN TRIUMPH TOO!!!

I’M GOING TO SHOW YOU A TIMELINE OF THE EXODUS FROM EGYPT AND WHEN THEY CROSSED THE RED SEA.

As much as I like the account of the Exodus in the Book of Exodus, it doesn’t give as much information about the dates as the Book Of Numbers does.  In Numbers 33:1-8 it says this….”1 These are the journeys of the children of Israel, which went forth out of the land of Egypt with their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron. 2 And Moses wrote their goings out according to their journeys by the commandment of the Lord: and these are their journeys according to their goings out. 3 And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the morrow after the passover the children of Israel went out with an high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians. 4 For the Egyptians buried all their firstborn, which the Lord had smitten among them: upon their gods also the Lord executed judgments. 5 And the children of Israel removed from Rameses, and pitched in Succoth (STILL THE 15TH).6 And they departed from Succoth, and pitched in Etham, (MOST LIKELY THE 16TH) which is in the edge of the wilderness. 6 And they removed from Etham, and turned again unto Pihahiroth,(DEFINITELY THE 16TH) which is before Baalzephon: and they pitched before Migdol. 8 And they departed from before Pihahiroth, and passed through the midst of the sea (DURING THE EVENING WHICH WOULD MAKE IT THE 17TH...THE SAME DAY JESUS CHRIST ROSE FROM THE DEAD!!!) into the wilderness, and went three days'journey in the wilderness of Etham, and pitched in Marah.

Some people don't think that the Israelites could have journeyed that far in only 3 days, but here’s a great passage that I want to point out in Exodus 13:21-22…”21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: 22  He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

These verses seem to say that this was a non-stop journey where they traveled day and night until they crossed the Red Sea and Pitched in Marah.

I really like this verse as well in Exodus 19:14….”14  Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.”  This is The Lord speaking and The Israelites had assistance from God on this journey!!!

 

Even the Jewish Historian Josephus says this in Book II, chapter 15  of The Antiquities of the Jews:

And indeed that land was difficult to be traveled over, not only by armies, but by single persons. Now Moses led the Hebrews this way, that in case the Egyptians should repent and be desirous to pursue after them, they might undergo the punishment of their wickedness, and of the breach of those promises they had made to them. As also he led them this way on account of the Philistines, who had quarreled with them, and hated them of old, that by all means they might not know of their departure, for their country is near to that of Egypt; and thence it was that Moses led them not along the road that tended to the land of the Philistines, but he was desirous that they should go through the desert, that so after a long journey, and after many afflictions, they might enter upon the land of Canaan.

Turning aside from the way of the Philistines indicates that the Hebrews traveled in a southerly or southwesterly direction. By traveling in this direction, this would lead the Hebrews towards the southern part of the Sinai peninsula, or the middle part of the Peninsula facing the Gulf of Aqaba.

Josephus also states….Obviously, Moses and the Hebrews did not travel in a straight line, so the actual distance traveled must be longer. They first traveled eastwards across the northern part of today's Sinai Peninsula "on the way of the Philistines." They then backtracked from Etham to go off-route into the "wilderness," ultimately encamping before Migdol by the Red Sea (Exodus 14).

Josephus further stated that the Hebrews left Egypt in haste and came to the shores of the Red Sea in three days. 

[A]s they went away hastily, on the third day they came to a place called Beelzephon, on the Red Sea…

So they leave the Morning of the 15th, they would have enough time to cross the Red Sea the evening of the 17th THE SAME DAY JESUS CHRIST ROSE FROM THE GRAVE!!!

There is one more compelling reason for me that the Red Sea Crossing happened on the SAME DAY Jesus Christ Resurrected.

Compare these verses from the Red Sea crossing to this verse on Resurrection Sunday!!!

RED SEA CROSSING:  Exodus 14:24-27…”24 And it came to pass, that in the morning watch (MORNING HADN’T ARRIVED YET) the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, 25 And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians. 26 And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. 27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; (NOW IT’S THE MORNING OF THE 17TH) and the Egyptians fled against it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.

JESUS CHRIST RESURRECTION: Matthew 28:1-6…”1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. 2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: 4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. 5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.6  He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

As you can see in both these verses it was at Dawn when the Egyptians Died in the Red Sea, and when the great earthquake took place. The cool thing is that the people who Love The Lord are comforted and survive both instances...AMEN!!!

THE FEAST OF FIRST FRUITS IS THE DAY THAT JESUS CHRIST RESURRECTED FROM THE GRAVE, AND I BELIEVE IT’S ALSO THE DAY THE ISRAELITES CROSSED THE RED SEA!!!

HOPE YOU ARE ENJOYING THIS STUDY

THE NEXT FEAST IS THE FEAST OF WEEKS OR THE FEAST OF PENTECOST….THIS IS GOING TO BE AMAZING FOR YOU!!!