The Cross and the Body

 

In the discussion of the feast of harvest,  the  harvest symbolizes  the  resurrection  of the first human  body  who  was Jesus, and the released Saints in "Sheol" who were truly  believers.  This  release became possible through the cross.  "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." (Exodus 23:16)


Leviticus  23:17-21 explains how Pentecost should be  understood. God spells out the offering He requires of the  Jews  for their  sins which teaches why God finally offered His Son.  There was no other way His Church could be redeemed. The Gentiles  were not  under  the Levitical priesthood, nor their laws.  

The  blood sacrifice had to be satisfied once and for all in Christ Jesus to redeem  His Body, the Church - Jewish and Gentiles,  who  receive Him as their King. Already in the Old Testament the promise of the  firstfruits consisting of Jews and Gentiles is born out by the two loaves  of leaven bread in Leviticus 23:17-21:

Under the Levitical Law,  "Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two  tenth deals:  they  shall be of fine flour; they shall  be  baken  with leaven;  [they are] the firstfruits unto the LORD. And  ye  shall offer  with  the bread seven lambs without blemish of  the  first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be [for]  a burnt offering unto the LORD, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, [even] an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the LORD.

"Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice  of peace offerings. And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the  firstfruits [for] a wave offering before the LORD, with  the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest. And  ye shall  proclaim  on the selfsame day, [that] it may  be  an  holy convocation  unto you: ye shall do no servile work  [therein:  it
shall  be]  a statute for ever in all your  dwellings  throughout your  generations." (Leviticus 23:17-21)

[He is speaking  to  Israel] In  Deuteronomy 16:10-14 (Old Testament, Israel  was admonished  to  observe the "Feast of  Tabernacles"  which  represents God's dwelling place, now the church, Jesus' body, which was born on Pentecost. Jesus' body began with Jesus Himself. He  referred to Himself as the temple. (see John 2:21)

The harvest  represents the  crucifixion on Passover of which Jesus Christ is  the  First
Fruits. Solomon  left no doubt that these feasts were  important  to God and confirmed once again in 2 Chronicles 8:12,13 "Then  Solomon  offered  burnt offerings unto the LORD on the altar  of  the LORD,  which he had built before the porch,

"Even after a certain rate  every day, offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn  feasts, three times in the year, [even] in the feast of unleavened bread, and  in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles." (2Chronicles 8:12,13)

In Acts chapter two, the birth of the Church is described as an  event,  the feast of tabernacles. This  celebration  will  be resumed during the millennium when God requires people to come toJerusalem annually to celebrate with Him.


|Back to the Scripture Study Index |