YIELDING FRUIT AFTER ITS KIND
We are reminded by the Apostle Peter in his second letter, "To grow in love, and in the knowledge of our Sovereign and Saviour Yahvahosha Messiah. To Him be majesty both now and for ever" (1 Pe 3:18).
This title " kind after its kind." is drawn from two verses in Geneses. " And the Eternal said, Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness" (Ge 1:26). "And the earth brought forth vegetation, and herb yielding Seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and the Eternal saw that it was good" (Ge 1:12).
"After his kind," is expressed 10 times in the first chapter of Genesis and altogether 30 times in the five books of Moshe. The Eternal has harmony in His creative thinking, that is why He said in verse 26, "Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness." Man was to bear Yahvah's image, in outward resemblance and inward resemblance of character. It is a fact of nature that living things do reproduce offsprings that resemble their parents. Yahvah's image in Ge 1:26 was most evident in terms of His spiritual nature.
The Apostle Paul enlightens us to the S.P.S., "Specific Purpose Statement" of this article: "Put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him" (Col 3:10). This is "kind after its kind!"
When buying Yahvah's truth, as we are reminded to do- in Prov. 23:23,we are accepting His wisdom, knowledge, and understanding -- and admitting error. Buying truth is spending time in prayer, fasting, and the study of Yahvah's word. Time is valuable--we are not to waste it!! The closer a man comes to his Saviour and the more he studies the word of Yahvah the more his eyes are opened to the real nature of things. 2 + 2 does equal 4 and Yahvah's challenging mysteries become solved.
Developing a clearer S.P.S. of "kind after its kind"-- we need to look at Exodus 23. "Three times you shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. You shalt keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread: (thou shalt eat Unleavened Bread seven days, as I commanded you, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it you came out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:). And the Feast of Harvest, [Pentecost] the firstfruits of your labours, which you have sown in the field: and the Feast of Ingathering, [Feast of Tabernacles]which is in the end of the year, when you have gathered in your labours out of the field. Three times in the year all your males shall appear before Yahvah the Eternal. You shalt not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of My sacrifice remain until the morning. The first of the firstfruits of your land you shalt bring into the house of YAHVAH your Eternal" (Lev. 23:14-19).
When following Yahvah's seven step plan, the Days of Unleavened Bread picture removing sin out of our lives and putting in the new man, the fruits of the Holy Ghost and character of Yahvahosha Messiah.
Messiah could not restrain Himself from telling Satan in the book of Luke, that "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of Yahvah" (Luke 4:4). He was quoting from a statement said earlier in Deuteronomy 8, "And thou shalt remember all the way which the YAHVAH thy Eternal led you these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you, and to prove you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments, or no. And He humbled you, and suffered you to hunger, and fed you with manna, which you knew not, neither did your fathers know; that He might make you know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of Yahvah doth man live" (Deu. 8:2-3).
For a better understanding of what the Days of Unleavened Bread, and Pentecost offer as a reward for removing sin from our life through Messiah's sacrificed redeeming blood. You will want to keep in mind the title of this sermon, "Kind after its kind!"
We will began by looking at what Yahvah said to Moshe "And Yahvah spake unto Moshe, saying, speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, when you be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then you shall bring a sheaf of the First-fruits [ first harvested grain] of your harvest unto the priest: and he shall wave the sheaf before YAHVAH, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it" (Lev 23:9-11).
Before commenting on these verses, we will notice a quote from an article, written by one of our Australian minister, , "Pagan Holidays or Yahvah's Feast Days-Which.
"The firstfruits harvest of both barley, the first firstfruits, and the wheat which came later, symbolise all the elect of Yahvah, the Firstfruits of the age of the assembly, Scriptural chosen, prior to Messiah's second coming. The wheat harvest is the consummation of the firstfruits, of this early harvest of souls. The firstfruits harvest was fully gathered at Pentecost, where the ceremony at which the two loaves representing the Firstfruits (Leve 23:16-17) were also waved before Yahvah was both parallel to, and the fulfillment of the wave sheaf offering. The Pentecost Feast Day pictures not only the age of the assembly, but also its glorification at the resurrection. Grain is use to picture the resurrection of the dead. The Feast of Tabernacles or Ingathering pictures the greater harvest period to be fulfilled during the millennial age and beyond."
"Passover symbolized Messiah's sacrifice for the remission of our sin, and the Days of Unleavened Bread the putting away of sin. Pentecost pictures the first part of the spiritual harvest -- the called out of the assembly. The festival of Ingatherings or Tabernacles pictures the fall harvest -- the great harvest of souls in the millennium."
Reading the quotes, we get a clear understanding they were speaking of three harvests which pictures three resurrections. Harvest is Strong's # 7105, meaning: 1). To reap; 2). To process; 3). To gather in the crop. These three feasts, picturing resurrections, were tied to the harvest times in the land of Israel. Also the Israelites had very early been introduced to the concept of giving offerings at harvest times. Offerings were representative of the years harvest to Yahvah as a token of thanksgiving for all He had given them.
Barley was harvested first in the early spring from about - March to April! At the time of Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread. It was from this first barley grain harvest that Messiah the "wave sheaf" was taken to be the First of the first barley grain harvest!!
Llater is the wheat grain harvested, - Summer, late June or early July, in the season of Pentecost. It was at this harvest we find two leaven wheat loaves called first-fruits to the Lord being offered. This was the firstfruits of the wheat grain harvest, not the firstfruits of the barley grain harvest!
The third harvest comes from the summer fruit, that is a general harvest of grapes, olives, dates, figs, nuts, and vegetables, these are gathered in July to early- September, right before the time of the Feast of Tabernacles that some scriptures call Feast of Ingathering.
These feast were to remind Yahvah's people of His redemptive work on their behalf. Take for instance, Unleavened bread pictures the kind of lives Yahvah's called out ones should live! Sinless and humble, full of gratitude according to the blessings Yahvah has given them, free from malice and wickedness, just as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 5: 8. "Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the Unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." It has been taught over the years, that barley grain was the grain of the poor! And wheat was the grain of the rich. This also is a symbol of the two last eras attitudes of Revelation 3. The Philadelphia attitude is one of, "... for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept My word, and hast not denied My name" (Rev 3:8). And the Laodicean attitude "...is rich and in need of nothing!" (Rev. 3:17).
As the Passover bread was free from the smallest particle of leaven-- so the character of the truly chosen of God should be, completely free from the leaven of compromise with evil. Real salvation begins when all compromise with the leaven of sin is at an end.
These three major harvests were at the time, as said earlier, when God required Israel to give an offering. Yahvah knew this would be the time they, [Israel] would be reaping the reward of their labor. We are all familiarized with these three major harvest times that high lights the giving of offerings. "Three times in a year shall all your males appear before YAHVAH thy Eternal in the place which He shall choose; in the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and in the Feast of Weeks, [Pentecost] and in The Feast of Tabernacles: and they shall not appear before Yahvah empty" (Deut 16:16). These three individual harvest times are clearly laid out for us. These three harvest times picture paying a tribute to Yahvah from your harvest blessings and they also picture the three separate times Yahvah has chosen to resurrect His called and chosen ones- to eternal life. Never to suffer the second death!
Studies find most assemblies teach combining the smaller early spring barley grain harvest, that Messiah came to be the first waved sheaf of with the 50 day later leaven summer wheat grain harvest, calling this merger "the first fruits resurrected." It is not found in Yahvah's word, we are to mix the leavening found in the spiritual first-fruit wheat grain loaves, with the spiritual unleavened first-fruit barley grain harvest that Yahvahosha Messiah was taken from. Yahvah's creative actions are "kind after its kind" not allowing syncretism! [mixing kinds] [As a side note-Pentecost is never directly called Feast of Firstfruits in the Hebrew Scriptures].
Looking again at verses 9-11 of Leviticus 23. "And Yahvah spake unto Moshe, saying, speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, when you be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then you shall bring a sheaf [ first portion] of the firstfruits [more then one ] of your harvest unto the Priest: 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." Did you notice the wave sheaf [Christ] was the first sheaf from the first fruits grain harvest to be accepted by Yahvah for us - at the beginning of the first-fruits grain harvest. Said another way these verses are saying that the wave sheaf [Christ] is just one sheaf of the first-fruits from that grain field that will be harvested [resurrected].
Notice also this is done during the Days of Unleavened Bread when we are to have removed sin, "Leavening" from our life and are putting Messiah into our life - pictured by eating unleavened bread for seven days!
This word first fruits [plural] in verse 10, is Strong's # 7225. It has many meanings: 1). Head; 2). Chief; 3). First born; 4), the first of its kind; 5).beginnings. These express, there is more to follow. Reading Leviticus 23:10 from the Interlinear Bible is a better translation of Hebrew. "Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them, when you come in the land which I am giving to you, and have reaped its harvest and have brought in the sheaf of the beginning [Strong's # 7225] of your harvest to the priest: then he shall wave the sheaf before Jehovah for your acceptance on the morrow of the Sabbath shall wave it."
Yahvahosha Messiah was the beginning resurrected first fruit from the unleavened grain field, and was resurrected and accepted by the Father during the days of Unleavened Bread that pictures putting sin out of our lives and putting Yahvahosha Messiah in!
The Apostle Paul was inspired to tell us there is an order of resurrections. "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Messiah the Firstfruits; [remember He was taken from the first-fruits grain harvest] afterward they that are Messiah's at His coming" (1 Cor 15:22-23). "Kind after its Kind."
James, the brother of our Saviour said, "Of His [Messiah] own will begat He us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures [created]" (James 1:18). "Kind after its Kind"
The Apostle John gives the firstfruit barley resurrected encouragement in Revelation Chapter 14. These are they which were not defiled with women [assemblies having leaven in them by following the tradition of men] for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb where ever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being the first-fruits unto Yahvah and to the Lamb" (Rev 14:4). Who is this speaking of ? Verse 1, answers that for us. "And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the Mount Sion, and with Him an hundred forty and four thousand, having His Father's name written in their foreheads" (Rev 14:1). Why do they have the Fathers name in there forehead? Because Messiah -- the first, the beginning of the first fruit and the first to rise from the dead tells us in Acts 26:23, "That Messiah should suffer, and that He should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light [knowledge] unto the people, and to the Gentiles."
Messiah is dedicated to - and accepted by Yahvah the Father. He is the token of those who will follow Him out of His unleavened spiritual grain harvest. Yahvahs beginning first fruit that is harvested from the whiter grain - unleavened barley grain harvest will not be one among equals when resurrected, they will have a supreme place of honor having on the linen of righteousness like the bride of Yahvahosha Messiah will have on. "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the Marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine Linen, for the fine linen [character] is the righteousness of saints" (Rev 19:7-8).
The Apostle Paul speaks of these first born in Romans 8. "For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be Conformed to the image of His son [unleavened], that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: And whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified " (Rom 8:29-30). This is speaking of being clothed with the righteousness of Yahvah.
One other point that needs clarification about Pentecost. "You shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto Yahvah" (Lev 23:17). These leaven wave loaves of wheat called first-fruits unto Yahvah is Strong's #1061-- not Strong's # 7225! Strong's #1061, is not identified as being first of the Eternal kind, nor first born or called beginnings. Strongs #1061 is identified by its definition: 1). The first of the crops and fruit that ripened, was gathered, and offered to the Eternal according to the ritual of Pentecost; 2). The bread made of the new grain offered at Pentecost; 3). The day of the first-fruits (Pentecost). It has no other meaning like we find in [# 7225] the first fruits of Leviticus 23: 9-11.
One other thought: Those who represents the two leaven loaves of bread at the time of Pentecost harvest- are warned! Like the ten virgins were. " Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their Saviour, when He will return from the wedding; that when He cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the Saviour when He cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that He shall gird Himself, and make them to sit down to eat, [at the wedding reception] and will come forth and serve them. And if He shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not" ( Luke 12:35-40).
Remember;"Kind after the Eternal Kind."
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