March 25, 2016 - A. V. Rauf
Bringing in the Sheaves…..The Resurrection (Partial and soon to be Full.)
John 19:40 – John 20:17—And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. 40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. 42 There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.
John 20:1 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. 3 Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. 4 So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. 5 And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. 6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, 7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. 8 Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. 9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went away again unto their own home. 11 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, 12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. 14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. 16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. 17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
Notice here that as Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden and Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane (John Chapter 17), It is here in a garden, same as Genesis, same as Gethsemane, that the ultimate plan of redemption unfolds. In the place He was crucified, there was a garden. And, in the garden, a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. Therefore, on account of the Jewish day of preparation, because the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
Astonishingly, the previous day, the Saturday, they were reading Ha Shir Hashirim. To this day in the synagogue on that Saturday of Ha Matzot, Passover week, Jews read the Song of Solomon.
Song of Solomon 4:6—Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.
The bridegroom was anointed for burial, to die for the bride; to bring the acceptable sacrifice. You see, King Solomon’s romance with the Shulammite is a metaphor of Christ’s romance with the church. He is anointed for burial, to die for His bride. That is what was being read in the Synagogue! But it gets even better:
Song of Solomon 5:1-2—I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved. 2 I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.
The next day, the Sunday, the first day of the week, is what is referred to in Hebrew yom Rishon. It is the Hebrew feast of First Fruits. Notice the term “First Fruits”
I Corinthians 15:12-23—Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: 14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. 15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. 16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. 20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 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 first-fruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
Jesus Christ is the first fruits of those who are asleep. This is the Messianic fulfillment of the Hebrew Feast of First Fruits. What would happen on this Sunday, yom Rishon, of First Fruits? That Sunday of Passover Week? That Saturday they had read the Song of Solomon and in the synagogues and to this day it is still being read.
Anyways, on the Sunday when it was still dark, before dawn, the high priest would have to go into the Kidron Valley, descend into the it from the temple. He would then go into the Kidron Valley and he would wait patiently, while it was still dark for the very first ray of light to come up on back of the Mount of Olives.
When he saw the first ray of sunlight, he would ceremonially harvest the first stalks of grain of the spring harvest coming up in the Kidron Valley. This would be referred to as the First Fruit(s).
Now all four Gospels; Matthew, Luke , Mark & John tell us that Jesus rose at sunrise. We must understand the rising of the S-U-N is a Biblical metaphor for the rising of the S-O-N.
So on the very hour, of the very day of the year when the high priest was bringing the first fruit into the temple, harvesting the first fruit, Jesus Christ had arisen as the first fruit of the resurrection.
In the garden mankind lost it. In the garden Satan deceived mankind But in the garden God promised redemption. Now for the exciting conclusion:
So the first resurrection unto eternal life does not occur in one single act. There’s a set timeline established here, and it is must be orchestrated in a specific order.
The first “Man” to be resurrected from the dead and remain alive forevermore in a glorified body is Jesus. He is the “FIRST FRUITS”, which was fulfilled upon the very day of the Hebrew Feast of First fruits as mentioned earlier
When Jesus rose from the dead, He also resurrected some Old Testament saints, who fulfilled a detail of the Feast of first fruits. I believe that these saints became a sheaf of the wave offering. which Jesus as the soon to become High Priest aved before the father in Heaven.
Leviticus 23:9-12-–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. 12 And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the Lord.
In Matthew 27:52-53, we read that graves were opened and many bodies of the Old Testament saints arose AFTER Jesus’ resurrection.
Matthew 27:51-53—And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
This fulfilled the Feast of Firstfruits down to the very minute detail–even the “small sheaf” of “the full harvest” which will be completed later! And what is the full harvest you ask?
Next in line to receive a RESURECTION or RAPTURE are “they that are Christ’s at His coming” as in the true church!
I Corinthians 15: 50-54—Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18—3 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Then God will build up and restore Israel (This began to take place in 1948 & 1967, respectively, when Israel became a nation and later when Jerusalem was recognized as its city!) that Jesus was truly their Messiah. Israel will ultimately repent of their sin of rejecting Jesus during the seven year Tribulation period also known as the time of Jacob’s trouble.
I am of the “impression” that Israel will face the Psalm 83 war, Isaiah 17 and that maytrigger the Ezekiel 38 & 39 when looking at world events and conditions in the Middle East. Nonetheless, time will reveal all. The closer we get the more we will know but it will be in God’s perfect timing and not a moment too soon or too late. But from what we see lining up … it just may be very soon indeed.