Berean Bible Church

The Feast of Firstfruits

Lesson V

March 2, 2008

 

Introduction

1 Kings 12:26-33  To keep the Children of Israel from observing the feasts as God had instructed them to do, Jeroboam  made his own gods, his own priests, his own feast like the true feasts and made his own date for the celebration. All to keep them from doing the will of God.

 

1.  Leviticus 23:10-11

   After their wilderness journal, after they had crossed the river Jordon, after they had settled in the promised land, and the time of harvest of their crops arrived, ( about June on our calendar)  they would bring a sheaf, not sheaves, and wave it before the Lord.

They were to do this, the morrow after the Sabbath (Saturday) ,so it was  waved on our Sunday, the first day of the week.  They did not understand the meaning.

   1 Corinthians 15:20 

  Now is Christ risen from the dead and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

The harvest in Israel was to be a picture, a type of the resurrection of the dead. Israel’s harvest had four parts:  The Sheaf, the main harvest, the gleanings and the gathering out of the tares.  Each part is explained by the doctrine of the resurrection as found in the New Testament.

The Sheaf  represents the resurrected Christ.  He arose on the first day of the week as foreshadowed. Because of his resurrection there will be a future resurrection of the dead.

 

II  The Bible is clear on this subject of Christ’s bodily resurrection

   Every cult denies the bodily resurrection of Christ.

            Romans 10:9-10  no one is saved who does not believe in bodily resurrection

            Acts 1:21, 22  the Apostles were chosen witnesses of the resurrection

            Acts 2:24  God raised up

            Acts 2:32   God raised up

            Acts 3:15    God hath raised from the dead; we are witnesses

            Acts 4:2      preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead

            Acts 4:10   God raised from the dead

            Acts 4:33   witnesses of the resurrection

            Romans 1:4  declared to be the son of God…by the resurrection

            He who denies the bodily resurrection of Christ, is not a brother in Christ.

 

III  We  need to return to our Original Bible name

            Acts 2:44  all that believed

            Acts 4:4  heard the word and believed

            Acts 5:14 believers  were added to the Lord

            Acts 8:37   if thou believest

            Acts 9:42  many believed in the Lord

            Acts 10:43   whosoever believeth

            1 Corinthians 15:12-19   we have nothing to believe without the resurrection