Yeshua is our First Fruits - Wednesday Crucifixion

Shalom,
Feast of “Firstfruits”?
   
The day following the first day of Unleavened Bread is called Reishit Katzir, the “beginning of the harvest” (sometimes confusingly called the Feast of Firstfruits).






In ancient times, on this day a sheaf (omer) of barley (the first grain crop to ripen) was waved before the LORD in a prescribed ceremony to mark the start of the counting of the omer, thereby initiating the forty nine day countdown to the harvest festival of Shavu’ot :

Lev 23:9  KJV
And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,
Lev 23:10  KJV
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 (omer) of the firstfruits (reshit) of your harvest (katzir) unto the priest:
Lev 23:11  KJV
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.
Lev 23:12  KJV
And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf a he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD.

In other words, on this day the priest would wave a sheaf (omer) of green barley before the LORD as a symbolic gesture of dedicating the coming harvest to Him.

When was the Wave Sheaf Offering Made?

There is some controversy about precisely when the wave offering (called tenufat HaOmer) was performed, since the phrase “the day after the Sabbath” can refer to either:

1. Sunday (or Yom Rishon). This was the interpretation of the Sadducees. The Wave Offering would occur on the first Sunday after the regular weekly Sabbath.

Note :
Some have argued that since the Sadducees controlled the Second Temple worship schedule, the Wave Offering would have occurred on the Sunday following the weekly Sabbath. However, if this were so, it would not help make the case that the Resurrection of Yeshua occurred at this time, since the gospels state that Yeshua was raised before the women discovered Him missing from the tomb early on Sunday morning (Matt 28:1; Mark 16:2, Luke 24:1, John 20:1). In other words, the time of the resurrection of Yeshua and the time of the Wave Offering were not coincidental.
      
2. The day following the “High” Sabbath of the first day of Unleavened Bread (a “High” Sabbath is a day of shabbaton (rest) that may occur on any day of the week besides the weekly Sabbath day of Saturday). This is the position of the Pharisees and Orthodox Judaism. The wave offering would occur on Nisan 16, the day following the High Sabbath of the first day of Unleavened Bread (Josh. 5:11).
Chronology of the Death, Burial and Resurrection of Yeshua
                   
Here is a tentative chronology of the events surrounding Yeshua’s death, burial and resurrection :

• Nisan 14 evening - Yeshua's early Seder.
• Nisan 14 daytime - Preparation day (Luke 23:54; Mark 15:42). Pesach (Lev. 23:5). Yeshua dies in the afternoon at the same time that the korban Pesach (Passover Lamb) is sacrificed at the Temple, and is buried before evening (before Passover).
• Nisan 15 evening - High Sabbath begins (the actual Seder night).
• Nisan 15 daytime - High Sabbath.
• Nisan 16 evening - Weekly Sabbath begins.
• Nisan 16 daytime - Weekly Sabbath, waving of the omer.
• Nisan 17 evening - Yeshua raised from the dead at/after Havdalah (at least before sunrise).  Women purchase spices.
• Nisan 17 daytime - Women bring spices to the tomb early in the morning. Disciples encounter risen Messiah.

To understand this reckoning, you must remember that a Jewish day starts at sundown!




Since the Jewish day (yom) begins at sundown, you must remember that a Jewish holiday actually begins on the night before the day listed in a Jewish calendar.

For example, Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day) occurs on Nisan 27, which actually begins after sundown, Nisan 26 :



If Jesus sacrificed Himself on Nisan 14 (in the afternoon) and was raised after three days and nights, we have:


Total = Three days and nights (Matt 12:40).
Yeshua raised on the third day (Luke 24:45-6).

Yeshua rose from the dead on the 1st day of the week, after being in the tomb three days and three nights. The disciples then encountered the risen Lord on Nisan 17, a Sunday morning (Matt 28:1-10). 

In short, He was crucified on Nisan 14 and resurrected on Nisan 17.



Mashiach Yeshua our First Fruits
                                   
Although not happening coincidentally, the Wave Offering and the Resurrection of Yeshua are linked together prophetically by the Apostle Paul:

1Co 15:20  KJV
But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
1Co 15:21  KJV
For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
1Co 15:22  KJV
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23  KJV
But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

Here the apostle clearly links the firstfruit offering with the resurrection of Yeshua our Mashiach.  Yeshua’s resurrection was like a “wave offering” presented before the Father as the "firstfruits" of the harvest to come!

Moreover, Yeshua presented His firstfruits offering to the Father on this day :

Mat 27:52  KJV
And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
Mat 27:53  KJV
And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

Our Lord offered to the Father the “early crops” of what will be an overwhelming harvest at the end of the age (acharit hayamim).

Yeshua is the first-begotten of the Father.
Heb 1:6  KJV
And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

The Firstborn of Creation.
Col 1:15  KJV
Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Col 1:18  KJV
And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

The first-begotten of the dead.
Rev 1:5  KJV
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

The Firstfruits of those who are to be resurrected. Baruch HaShem.
1Co 15:20  KJV
But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
1Co 15:21  KJV
For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
1Co 15:22  KJV
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23  KJV
But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

And just as He is our Firstfruits, so :
Jas 1:18  KJV
Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

General Themes of the Season

* Pesach represents our salvation and deliverance by the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Yeshua the Mashiach. We are justified by trusting in the blood of the Lamb of God.

* Chag HaMatzot represents our sanctification as we rid ourselves of the old leaven of “Egypt” and die to the carnal nature. In fact, this is represented by the burial of the Mashiach and our identification with His mortification.

* Reishit Katzir represents the resurrection of Yeshua our Mashiach and our future glorious state as part of the coming harvest of God at the end of the age.

A Note about Chag Ha-Bikkurim
   
The Hebrew term bikkurim derives from the same root as bekhor - firstborn.  In the Torah, the general principle that the firstborn of man (and beast) belonged to the LORD is also applied to the first fruits to ripen each agricultural season, beginning with a sheaf of the new barley harvest (omer) on Reishit Katzir, and culminating in the celebration of Shavu’ot, also called Chag ha-Bikkurim — “the first fruits festival,” which represents the birth of the Church!

In other words, Reishit Katzir is a picture of the resurrection of the Mashiach whereas Shavu’ot (bikkurim) represents the birth of the Church.

Blessing in Yeshua's Name,
Andre

Mengapa bulan ke 4 disebut Tammuz?

Shalom,

Jika kita memperhatikan kalendar Ibrani, maka kita akan melihat bahwa bulan ke 4 dalam kalendar Ibrani disebut sebagai Tammuz.



Mengapa bulan ke 4 disebut sebagai Tammuz?
Bukankah Tammuz ini merupakan nama berhala yang disebutkan di Eze 8:14?

Eze 8:14  KJV
Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.

Bagi orang yang tidak mengerti tentang latar belakang bulan Tammuz, maka mereka akan dengan mudah melecehkan dan mengumpat bahwa salah satu bulan dalam kalendar Ibrani ternyata memakai nama berhala.

Tetapi seperti firman Tuhan katakan : Di dalam banyak bicara pasti ada pelanggaran, tetapi siapa yang menahan bibirnya, berakal budi dan siapa mengumpat, membuka rahasia, sebab itu janganlah engkau bergaul dengan orang yang bocor mulut.

Pro 10:19  KJV
In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.
Pro 20:19  KJV
He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.

Mengapa bulan ke 4 diberi nama Tammuz?

Setiap tanggal 17 bulan Tammuz maka umat Yahudi akan melakukan puasa untuk menandai dimulainya masa dukacita selama 21 hari. Hal ini dimaksudkan untuk menanamkan rasa pertobatan terhadap beberapa peristiwa tragis yang terjadi dalam sejarah bangsa Israel.

Ada 5 kejadian tragis yang terekam dalam sejarah bangsa Israel yang terjadi pada bulan Tammuz yaitu :

# Dua loh batu yang Musa terima dari TUHAN dipecahkan Musa pada bulan ini karena bangsa Israel menyembah berhala kepada patung lembu emas (Exo 32).

# Korban harian dalam Bait Suci terhenti pada bulan ini karena bangsa Israel dihancurkan oleh kerajaan Babylonia di bawah raja Nebuchadnezzar (2Ki 24 - 2Ki 25).

# Tembok kota Yerusalem dihancurkan pada tahun 70 AD oleh pasukan Romawi di bawah pimpinan Jendral Titus pada bulan ini.

# Raja Manasseh, raja terburuk dalam sejarah raja-raja Israel, menempatkan patung berhala pada bulan ini (2Ki 21:7).
2Ki 21:7  KJV
And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the LORD said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name forever:

# Kitab Torah dihancurkan pada bulan ini oleh Apustemus, prajurit Yunani di bawah komando Antiochus Epiphanes.

Bulan ke 4 disebut sebagai Tammuz adalah untuk mengingat kembali beberapa kejadian tragis yang terjadi dalam bangsa Israel ketika mereka jatuh ke dalam penyembahan berhala. Hal ini dimaksudkan agar kejadian tragis tersebut tidak berulang lagi.

Dalam Eze 8:3 disebutkan :
Eze 8:3  KJV
And he put forth the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.

Disebutkan dalam ayat di atas berhala cemburuan yang menyakitkan hati TUHAN. Dan dalam Eze 8:13 kita ketahui bahwa berhala cemburuan itu adalah Tammuz.

Eze 8:14  KJV
Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.

Itu sebabnya bulan ke 4 diberi nama Tammuz. Semoga penjelasan ini bermanfaat.