First fruits

 These are the Lord’s appointed times, holy assemblies, which you must proclaim at their appointed time. (Leviticus 23:4 NET)

Historical Background of the Feast of Firstfruits

The Lord spoke to Moses: “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you enter the land that I am about to give to you and you gather in its harvest, then you must bring the sheaf of the first portion of your harvest to the priest, and he must wave the sheaf before the Lord to be accepted for your benefit—on the day after the Sabbath the priest is to wave it. (Leviticus 23:9–11 NET)

Again, the phrase “three days and three nights” and the phrase “on the third day” are fulfilled immediately after Saturday’s twilight, which is Sunday, Nisan 18.

The LORD is alive! My protector is praiseworthy! The God who delivers me is exalted as king! (Psalm 18:46 NET)

Why three days and three nights? Glad you asked! Because Jews in those days believed the spirit of the dead person was still present and could possibly return to the body in the first three days after death. However, on the fourth day, they believed the spirit departed, and the person was truly dead. 

And so he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the eternal inheritance he has promised, since he died to set them free from the violations committed under the first covenant. For where there is a will, the death of the one who made it must be proven. For a will takes effect only at death, since it carries no force while the one who made it is alive. (Hebrews 9:15–17 NET)

Sunday, Nisan 18 (April 29, 31 A.D.) 

Mary Magdalene and other women discover the Empty Tomb, Angels announce the Resurrection, but they tell no one due to fear:

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought aromatic spices so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, at sunrise, they went to the tomb. They had been asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled back. Then as they went into the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has been raised! He is not here. Look, there is the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples, even Peter, that he is going ahead of you into Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you.” Then they went out and ran from the tomb, for terror and bewilderment had seized them. And they said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. (Mark 16:1–8 NET) (cf. Mark 14:27,28)

The women had questions about who would roll the massive stone away; however, they had no questions about breaking the Roman seal or confronting the Roman Guards. Apparently, they were unaware of the seal and the guards on duty until Sunday morning at sunrise, which occurred at approximately 5:20 A.M at this time of year in Jerusalem.

Fortunately, Jesus was no longer in the sealed tomb, having been resurrected in His human body Sunday after twilight (which, of course, is before dawn on Sunday morning), and was looking out for the women. 

Jesus, the Good, Great, and Chief Shepherd, arranged for the Guards to have a reason to leave as they arrived! Another severe Earthquake occurs as The Lord’s Angel (1) descends from Heaven and rolls the stone away from the entrance to the tomb, terrifying the guards, and then sits on that stone. This angel then greeted and comforted the women when they arrived.

And on the eve of the sabbaths, at the dawn, toward the first of the sabbaths, came Mary the Magdalene, and the other Mary, to see the sepulchre, (Matthew 28:1 YLT)

Note that Young’s Literal Translation provides the proper translation indicating that more than one Sabbath had transpired in these events.

Now on the first day of the week, at early dawn, the women went to the tomb, taking the aromatic spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men stood beside them in dazzling attire. The women were terribly frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has been raised! Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” (Luke 24:1–7 NET)

Now very early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been moved away from the entrance. (John 20:1 NET)

Now after the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. Suddenly there was a severe earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descending from heaven came and rolled away the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were shaken and became like dead men because they were so afraid of him. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised, just as he said. Come and see the place where he was lying. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead. He is going ahead of you into Galilee. You will see him there.’ Listen, I have told you!” (Matthew 28:1–7 NET)

The women remember Jesus’ words concerning His resurrection and, with courage (1) restored, share this with the Eleven; Peter and John race to the empty tomb:

Then the women remembered his words, and when they returned from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles. But these words seemed like pure nonsense to them, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. He bent down and saw only the strips of linen cloth; then he went home, wondering what had happened. (Luke 24:8–12 NET)

So they left the tomb quickly, with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. (Matthew 28:8 NET)

So she went running to Simon Peter and the other disciple whom Jesus loved and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” Then Peter and the other disciple set out to go to the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down and saw the strips of linen cloth lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter, who had been following him, arrived and went right into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen cloth lying there, and the face cloth, which had been around Jesus’ head, not lying with the strips of linen cloth but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, came in, and he saw and believed. (For they did not yet understand the scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead.) So the disciples went back to their homes. (John 20:2–10 NET)

The Ten Post-Resurrection and Pre-Ascension Appearances of Jesus in the New Covenant

Sunday, Nisan 18 (April 29, 31 A.D.)

1. Jesus First appeared to Mary Magdalene after His resurrection:

But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she bent down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting where Jesus’ body had been lying, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” Mary replied, “They have taken my Lord away, and I do not know where they have put him!” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” Because she thought he was the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will take him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni” (which means Teacher). Jesus replied, “Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” Mary Magdalene came and informed the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what Jesus had said to her. (John 20:11–18 NET)

(I must pause as these are some of my favorite words in scripture, and thanks to Jesus’ efforts can now be true once more for all that believe)

…and God OUR Father! (John 20:15-18). 

Early on the first day of the week, after he arose, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had driven out seven demons. She went out and told those who were with him, while they were mourning and weeping. And when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. (Mark 16:9 NET)

Again, Jesus was resurrected and returned to His human body Sunday immediately after twilight, before He first appeared to Mary Magdalene very early Sunday morning. He asks her not to touch Him, for He has not yet ascended to God, His Father in Heaven. Why would Jesus command Mary Magdalene not to touch Him? Recall that the Hebrews could not touch the barley before the Feast of Firstfruits. (8) Once the one omer of barley sheaf was presented to God by the priest, the barley crop could be harvested for use. Therefore, typologically the one omer that was presented to God and offered on the altar represented Jesus our Firstfruit! (10) Since Jesus, our Great High Priest (1), was “the Firstfruits,” He must present Himself to God, His, and our Father, to be accepted as the Firstfruit of all that will be born again and this before anyone could touch Him(1).

But Jesus met them, saying, “Greetings!” They came to him, held on to his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee. They will see me there.” (Matthew 28:9,10 NET)

However, Mary Magdalene, Mary James’s mother, and Salome did touch His feet since they were already touching the soil (Mark 16:1 NET). At the Last Supper, Jesus taught that when one was spiritually clean, there would only be a need to have their feet washed (John 13:10). 

Jesus replied, “The one who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not every one of you.” (John 13:10 NET)

Jesus’ presentation to God occurred at approximately 9:00 A.M. on Sunday morning, even as the Firstfruit Barley flour mixed with oil and frankincense was being waved before God in the Jerusalem Temple. God the Father accepts Jesus as the Firstfruits of those that have fallen asleep and all He created (1 Corinthians 15:20. James 1:18)

But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:20 NET)

Sunday, Nisan 18 (April 29, 31 A.D.) 

2. Jesus then appears to Peter (aka, Simon or Cephas (John 1:42)):

So they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem. They found the eleven and those with them gathered together and saying, “The Lord has really risen, and has appeared to Simon!” (Luke 24:33–34 NET)

For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received—that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. (1 Corinthians 15:3–5 NET)

Sunday, Nisan 18 (April 29, 31 A.D.)

3. Jesus then appeared on Sunday, the third day, to two of His disciples on the Road to Emmaus: 

Now that very day two of them were on their way to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking to each other about all the things that had happened. While they were talking and debating these things, Jesus himself approached and began to accompany them (but their eyes were kept from recognizing him). Then he said to them, “What are these matters you are discussing so intently as you walk along?” And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that have happened there in these days?” He said to them, “What things?” “The things concerning Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied, “a man who, with his powerful deeds and words, proved to be a prophet before God and all the people; and how our chief priests and rulers handed him over to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. Not only this, but it is now the third day since these things happened. Furthermore, some women of our group amazed us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back and said they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of those who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see him.”So he said to them, “You foolish people—how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Wasn’t it necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things written about himself in all the scriptures. So they approached the village where they were going. He acted as though he wanted to go farther,but they urged him, “Stay with us, because it is getting toward evening and the day is almost done.” So he went in to stay with them. When he had taken his place at the table with them, he took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. At this point their eyes were opened and they recognized him. Then he vanished out of their sight. They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us while he was speaking with us on the road, while he was explaining the scriptures to us?” So they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem. They found the eleven and those with them gathered together and saying, “The Lord has really risen, and has appeared to Simon!”Then they told what had happened on the road, and how they recognized him when he broke the bread.
(Luke 24:13–35 NET)(cf. Mark 16:12,13)

Sunday, Nisan 18 (April 29, 31 A.D.)

4. Jesus, for the first time, appeared to the Apostles (i.e., all except Thomas and of course, dead Judas Iscariot) on the third day.

Jesus allowed Himself to be touched, indicating He had presented Himself to God the Father as “the Firstfruit” and was found worthy.

While they were saying these things, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” But they were startled and terrified, thinking they saw a ghost. Then he said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; it’s me! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones like you see I have.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still could not believe it (because of their joy) and were amazed, he said to them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” So they gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in front of them. Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures,and said to them, “Thus it stands written that the Christ would suffer and would rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And look, I am sending you what my Father promised. But stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:36–49 NET)

Consequently, the harvest of Firstfruit souls into the Body of Christ could commence!

James, Jesus’ stepbrother, wrote that we are identified with Christ as our firstfruits:

All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change. By his sovereign plan he gave us birth through the message of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. (James 1:17–18 NET)

Jesus’ resurrection is the promise of the future resurrection of all believers. (10)

“I tell you the solemn truth, the one who hears my message and believes the one who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, but has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the solemn truth, a time is coming—and is now here—when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, thus he has granted the Son to have life in himself, and he has granted the Son authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. “Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out—the ones who have done what is good to the resurrection resulting in life, and the ones who have done what is evil to the resurrection resulting in condemnation. (John 5:28–29 NET)

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live even if he dies, and the one who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25–26 NET)

Although most believers in Jesus have never heard of the Feast of Firstfruits, they celebrate it as Resurrection Day or Easter (a less desirable name). (10) Realize that Jesus was resurrected early on Sunday, immediately after twilight; however, it was on 9 A.M. Sunday morning, when the Barley First Fruits were offered in the temple, that He was approved by God the Father as our Firstfruits. This approval initiated the harvest of souls into the Body of Christ, which was the mysterious purpose of Jesus’ ministry! 

Again, until they harvested and offered the barley sheaf, or omer, in the temple, the rest of the crops were not deemed kosher (i.e., lawfully fit or acceptable). We read a great truth from the Apostle John: (10)

and he himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for our sins but also for the whole world. (1 John 2:2 NET)

In a manner of speaking, we are now “kosher” because of what Christ has done on our behalf in fulfilling the Feast of Firstfruits to the very letter! The barley field became kosher or acceptable through the presentation of the first fruits to God at the temple. The barley in the field did nothing to become kosher. In the same way, we have been made acceptable to God by Jesus, our Firstfruits, when He presented Himself to God the Father. As the barley in the field did nothing to become kosher, likewise, we did nothing to become accepted except believe that, in Yeshua, it is so! (10)

But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:20 NET)

The question this verse raises is, “Since other people were resurrected before Yeshua (Jesus), both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, how is He the first-fruits?” The answer is that there are two types of resurrections. The first type is merely a restoration back to natural life (e.g., Lazurus (John 11:1-44)). This means that one would die again later. The second type of resurrection is true resurrection life when “mortality puts on immortality and corruption puts on incorruption,” and one is no longer subject to death (1 Corinthians 15:53,54). (11)

There is not in Scripture the faintest suggestion that the Resurrection was new evidence for something that had, in fact been always happening. The New Testament writers speak as if Christ’s achievement in rising from the dead was the first event of its kind in the whole history of the universe.… He has forced open a door that has been locked since the death of the first man. He has met, fought, and beaten the King of Death. Everything is different because He has done so. This is the beginning of the New Creation: a new chapter in cosmic history has opened. (XX)

While others have undergone the first type of resurrection in which they were restored back to natural life, the second type of resurrection has only been experienced by Yeshua (Jesus). Therefore, He is the first-fruits of that second type of resurrection. The term the first-fruits means “the first of more to come.” Since He was the first-fruits, this means there will be “more to come” later. Believers, should they die before the Rapture, will also be resurrected as He was; they are “the more to come.” (11)

For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also came through a man. (1 Corinthians 15:21 NET)

The expression by man came deathrefers to Adam; by man came also the resurrection of the dead refers to Jesus. This verse gives one reason for the Incarnation: in order to provide life for all, He had to be able to die and then be resurrected after death. (11)

For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:22 NET)

This is why He is the first-fruits. The word all includes believers and unbelievers who will someday be resurrected, although not for the same destiny.

But each in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; then when Christ comes, those who belong to him. (1 Corinthians 15:23 NET)

The Greek word used here for “order” is tagma, which means “a military procession.” In a military procession, there is an order: the infantry, the cavalry, the battering rams. Each of these things has a certain place in the procession.

Recall that graves on Earth were opened by the earthquake at Jesus’ death. Many Old Covenant believers in the promised Yeshua, which were confined in Paradise (1), return to their bodies and are now resurrected! 

Or why was I not buried like a stillborn infant, like infants who have never seen the light? There the wicked cease from turmoil, and there the weary are at rest. There the prisoners relax together; they do not hear the voice of the oppressor. Small and great are there, and the slave is free from his master. (Job 3:16–19 NET)

These believers are the fulfillment typologically of the harvested Firstfruits Barley harvested and made into sanctified barleycorn but not offered to God or sacrificed on the altar but rather given to the Priests (i.e., the other nine omers). 

And tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had died were raised. (They came out of the tombs after his resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.) (Matthew 27:52–53 NET)

Those held captive in Paradise are temporarily returned to their bodies on Earth in preparation for moving Paradise (aka, The Garden of Eden (1), which contains the Tree of Life) back to Heaven (Matthew 27:52,53. Revelation 2:7;22:2,14), where it becomes an island in the waters of the river of Life (Revelation 22:1,2). The Gates of Hades could not stop the Lord of the Church, who holds the keys of death and Hades, from freeing the captives and moving them and Paradise to Heaven! 

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. (Matthew 16:18 NET)

When I saw him I fell down at his feet as though I were dead, but he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid! I am the first and the last, and the one who lives! I was dead, but look, now I am alive—forever and ever—and I hold the keys of death and of Hades! (Revelation 1:17–18 NET)

“I will go before you and level mountains. Bronze doors I will shatter and iron bars I will hack through. I will give you hidden treasures, riches stashed away in secret places, so you may recognize that I am the Lord, the one who calls you by name, the God of Israel. (Isaiah 45:2–3 NET)

After Jesus’ approval as the Firstfruit, there was no longer needed a temporary holding place on Earth for those that died in Covenant with God; therefore, none is provided. Jesus has made a way to Heaven for all who die, believing in Him as Savior and Lord (John 14:6). After the cross, we either die as believers and go to Heaven or die as unbelievers and go to Hell (1) (John 3:16-18. John 16:7-11).

For he came out of prison to become king, even though he had been born poor in what would become his kingdom. (Ecclesiastes 4:14).  

Jesus leads the rescued hostages back to Paradise in Heaven (think of Paradise now as the point of entry for planet Heaven). 

Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he captured captives; he gave gifts to men.”Now what is the meaning of “he ascended,” except that he also descended to the lower regions, namely, the earth? He, the very one who descended, is also the one who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things. (Ephesians 4:8–10 NET)(cf. Psalm 68:18)

What a homecoming that must have been! Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man, leads back the rescued “children” held in Paradise for thousands of Earth years back to God the Father! 

Jesus then enters the Most Holy Place of the Temple of Heaven as our Great High Priest (1) (Hebrews 9:11-15. Revelation 12:5). 

For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my son! Today I have fathered you”? And in another place he says, “I will be his father and he will be my son.”But when he again brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all the angels of God worship him! ”And he says of the angels, “He makes his angels spirits and his ministers a flame of fire,”but of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and a righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. So God, your God, has anointed you over your companions with the oil of rejoicing.” And, “You founded the earth in the beginning, Lord, and the heavens are the works of your hands. They will perish, but you continue. And they will all grow old like a garment, and like a robe you will fold them up and like a garment they will be changed, but you are the same and your years will never run out.” But to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to serve those who will inherit salvation?  (Hebrews 1:5–14 NET)

Jesus, our living Mercy Seat (1), upon which His own blood was shed for our remission and forgiveness of sin, is now in the Most Holy Place. God the Father restores Jesus’ right to use His power as God – which He was, is, and ever shall be – the eternal God, the I Am, that became the Son of Man (John 8:58. Revelation 1:7;1:13;14:14). 

I was watching in the night visions, “And with the clouds of the sky one like a son of man was approaching. He went up to the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. To him was given ruling authority, honor, and sovereignty. All peoples, nations, and language groups were serving him. His authority is eternal and will not pass away. His kingdom will not be destroyed. (Daniel 7:13–14 NET)(cf. Matthew 26:64)

Glory! Actually, glory is the operative word, for that is what Jesus was asking His Heavenly Father for right before His arrest on the Mount of Olives. That is, He was praying for the restoration of the abilities that were rightfully His as God (John 17:1-5). 

The following Sunday, Nisan 25 (May 6, 31 A.D.) 

5. Jesus appears for the second time to the Apostles, this time including Thomas: 

Jesus’ Coronation Ceremony as Great High Priest in Heaven lasted seven Earth days (Leviticus 8:33). Jesus, on the following Sunday, the eighth Earth day after His coronation ceremony, would return to Earth. 

Jesus requests that Thomas touch His hands and side to believe in His resurrection (John 20:24-27) 

Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “Unless I see the wounds from the nails in his hands, and put my finger into the wounds from the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe it!” Eight days later the disciples were again together in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and examine my hands. Extend your hand and put it into my side. Do not continue in your unbelief, but believe.” Thomas replied to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are the people who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:24–29 NET) 

Then he appeared to the eleven themselves, while they were eating, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen him resurrected. He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:14–15 NET)

Sometime Later Prior to Jesus’ Ascension

6. Jesus appears for the third time to the Apostles (only seven are present), and Peter is restored (1):

After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. Now this is how he did so. Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael (who was from Cana in Galilee), the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples of his were together. Simon Peter told them, “I am going fishing.” “We will go with you,” they replied. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. When it was already very early morning, Jesus stood on the beach, but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. So Jesus said to them, “Children, you don’t have any fish, do you?” They replied, “No.” He told them, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they threw the net, and were not able to pull it in because of the large number of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” So Simon Peter, when he heard that it was the Lord, tucked in his outer garment (for he had nothing on underneath it), and plunged into the sea. Meanwhile the other disciples came with the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from land, only about a hundred yards. When they got out on the beach, they saw a charcoal fire ready with a fish placed on it, and bread. Jesus said, “Bring some of the fish you have just now caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and pulled the net to shore. It was full of large fish, one hundred fifty-three, but although there were so many, the net was not torn. “Come, have breakfast,” Jesus said. But none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. Then when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these do?” He replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.” Jesus told him, “Feed my lambs.” Jesus said a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.” Jesus told him, “Shepherd my sheep.” Jesus said a third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that Jesus asked him a third time, “Do you love me?” and said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus replied, “Feed my sheep. I tell you the solemn truth, when you were young, you tied your clothes around you and went wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will tie you up and bring you where you do not want to go.” (Now Jesus said this to indicate clearly by what kind of death Peter was going to glorify God.) After he said this, Jesus told Peter, “Follow me.” Peter turned around and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them. (This was the disciple who had leaned back against Jesus’ chest at the meal and asked, “Lord, who is the one who is going to betray you?”)So when Peter saw him, he asked Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus replied, “If I want him to live until I come back, what concern is that of yours? You follow me!” So the saying circulated among the brothers and sisters that this disciple was not going to die. But Jesus did not say to him that he was not going to die, but rather, “If I want him to live until I come back, what concern is that of yours?”
 (John 21:1–23 NET)

Some Time Later Prior to Jesus’ Ascension

7. Jesus also appears simultaneously to 500 brothers and sisters in the Lord: 

Then he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. (1 Corinthians 15:6,7 NET)

Sometime Later Prior to Jesus’ Ascension

8. Jesus appears to the Apostle and Pastor James, the half brother of Jesus: 

Then he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. (1 Corinthians 15:6,7 NET)

Sometime Later Prior to Jesus’ Ascension

9. The eleven Apostles go to Galilee, where Jesus appears and gives the Great Commission:

Prior to His death, Jesus had instructed the Apostles to meet in Galilee after His resurrection. (Matthew 26:31,32. Mark 14:28). 

However, the apostles must have forgotten, as Jesus and an angel instructed the women visiting the empty tomb to remind the Apostles to go to Galilee (Matthew 28:10. Mark 16:7).

Then he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. (1 Corinthians 15:6,7 NET)

So the eleven disciples went to Galilee to the mountain Jesus had designated. When they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. Then Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16–20 NET)

Thursday, Iyar 27 (June 7, 31 A.D.), 40 days after His Resurrection (Acts 1:3) (22)

10. Jesus leads the apostles to Bethany, located on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, where He ascends to Heaven to be seated beside God His and our Father as our Great High Priest (1):

Then Jesus led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands, he blessed them. Now during the blessing he departed and was taken up into heaven. So they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple courts blessing God. (Luke 24:50–53 NET)(cf. Luke 19:29. John 11:8)

After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. They went out and proclaimed everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through the accompanying signs. (Mark 16:19,20 NET)

I wrote the former account, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after he had given orders by the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. To the same apostles also, after his suffering, he presented himself alive with many convincing proofs. He was seen by them over a forty-day period and spoke about matters concerning the kingdom of God. While he was with them, he declared, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait there for what my Father promised, which you heard about from me. For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” So when they had gathered together, they began to ask him, “Lord, is this the time when you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He told them, “You are not permitted to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth.” After he had said this, while they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud hid him from their sight. As they were still staring into the sky while he was going, suddenly two men in white clothing stood near them and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking up into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come back in the same way you saw him go into heaven.” Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called the Mount of Olives (which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away). (Acts 1:1–12 NET)

The Two Post-Ascension Appearances of Jesus in the New Covenant

Circa 33 A.D.

1. Jesus Appears to the Apostle Paul: 

Last of all, as though to one born at the wrong time, he appeared to me also. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been in vain. In fact, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God with me. Whether then it was I or they, this is the way we preach and this is the way you believed. (1 Corinthians 15:8-11 NET)

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. For I did not receive it or learn it from any human source; instead I received it by a revelation of Jesus Christ. (Galatians 1:11–12 NET)

Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? (1 Corinthians 9:1 NET)(cf Acts 9:1-22;22:1-21;26:1-18) 

Circa 95 A.D. 

2. Jesus Appears to the Apostle and Prophet John and instructs him to write down the four visions he will be given: 

I, John, your brother and the one who shares with you in the persecution, kingdom, and endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony about Jesus.I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day when I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, saying: “Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches—to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.” I turned to see whose voice was speaking to me, and when I did so, I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands was one like a son of man. He was dressed in a robe extending down to his feet and he wore a wide golden belt around his chest. His head and hair were as white as wool, even as white as snow, and his eyes were like a fiery flame. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp double-edged sword extended out of his mouth. His face shone like the sun shining at full strength. When I saw him I fell down at his feet as though I were dead, but he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid! I am the first and the last, and the one who lives! I was dead, but look, now I am alive—forever and ever—and I hold the keys of death and of Hades! Therefore write what you saw, what is, and what will be after these things. (Revelation 1:9–19 NET)

THE WAR ON THE SAINTS INTENSIFIES

Satan realized he was the victim of the greatest sting operation of all time! He was defeated by the very crucifixion of Jesus he had instigated (1 Corinthians 2:6-8). Michael the Archangel then drives Satan and his unholy fallen angels back out of Heaven and back to the Earth for the second time (Revelation 12:7-9). No longer can Satan appear before God in Heaven to accuse us (Revelation 12:10). Furthermore, all that had been accused by Satan since the fall of mankind have now overcome him by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony for which they were willing to die (Revelation 12:11. Colossians 2:13-15. Hebrews 11:13. Hebrews 11:32-40). 

Satan also realizes his time is short and filled with anger; he intensifies his war (Revelation 12:12) on Israel (Revelation 12:13). 

Jesus warned His disciples that Jerusalem would be attacked. This happened in the first Jewish revolt against the Romans. The war lasted for seven years from 66-73 A.D. Titus invaded Jerusalem and burned the city and the Temple in 70 A.D. Jesus had already told His disciples to flee to the mountains.

Some scholars believe that this was the complete fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy. However, despite legends to the contrary, Titus did not go into the Holy of Holies in the Temple. While there are clear parallels, Jesus’ words are in the context of the period of the Great Tribulation, which John is now describing (Matthew 24:15-28). This is similar to what happened when the Romans attacked Jerusalem, except this time, the situation is so bad the Lord will have to intervene through the coming of Jesus. 

Jesus explains:

For then there will be great suffering unlike anything that has happened from the beginning of the world until now, or ever will happen. And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. (Matthew 24:21-22 NET).

Some of the survivors of the Satan-inspired Roman destruction of Jerusalem on September 8, 70 AD (20) went to Masada (which means Citadel), where they were protected from the Romans for three and a half years until it was destroyed by the Romans on March 31, 74 AD (20) (Revelation 12:14). 

Again, the woman represents Israel. John explains that the Lord supernaturally protects and cares for (nourishes) Israel during this three and one-half year period. This situation is similar to when God provided manna in the desert for the children of Israel (Exodus 16:4) and nourishment for Elijah when he was in the desert (1 Kings 17:2-4). God can still supernaturally take care of His people, and He will do so during the Great Tribulation. 

As King David said:

I was once young, now I am old. I have never seen a godly man abandoned, or his children forced to search for food. (Psalm 37:25 NET).

Satan attempted to annihilate all of the Israelites; however, some hiding under the earth in tunnels (19) around Jerusalem escaped to be dispersed throughout the world while the Romans were focused on annihilating those living in Masada (Revelation 12:15,16). 

The devil, or Satan, referred to as “the serpent’’ (Genesis 3:1-15), seeks to drown the woman, but the ground opens up to divert the water. The Bible often uses flood terminology to symbolize great evil and distress. Isaiah described such times: 

So shall they fear The name of the Lord from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him. (Isaiah 59:19 NKJV). 

In this instance, the water symbolizes Satan’s army pursuing the woman. Figuratively speaking, the tunnels divert the water so the Jews can escape. 

There are also numerous examples in the Hebrew Bible of God using the natural elements to destroy His enemies and the enemies of His people. God literally drowned Pharaoh’s army when they were pursuing the children of Israel. 

What we do know for sure is that they are believers who keep the commandments of God. This certainly refutes Western Christian teaching that salvation by grace through faith means that believers are free from the commandments of God. There will be no casual, cultural, carnal, worldly, half-committed believers at this time.

As Jesus said:

The person who has my commandments and obeys them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal myself to him.” (John 14:21 NET)

When Satan realizes he cannot destroy Israel, he turned to war on the rest of God’s people, the Church (Revelation 12:17. Revelation 13:1-18. 1 Peter 5:8).

So the dragon became enraged at the woman and went away to make war on the rest of her children, those who keep God’s commandments and hold to the testimony about Jesus. (Revelation 12:17 NET)

Whether you believe these are the grafted-in Gentiles who are part of the Commonwealth of Israel or those newly saved during the Great Tribulation is a matter of interpretation. 

Application of the Feast of Firstfruits

Whereas the Feast of Unleavened Bread teaches us about separation, the Feast of Firstfruits teaches us about consecration. It teaches us about our resurrection with Jesus in our spirit as well as our future bodily resurrection. We are saved from our old life to live in the resurrected life of Messiah Jesus today. Putting off the old man is not enough. We must also put on the new man. After Paul told the Ephesian believers to put off the old man, he then said, (2)

“and to put on the new man who has been created in God’s image—in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth. (Ephesians 4:24 NET)

This new nature about which Paul is speaking is the very nature of God coming within us through the person of the Holy Spirit. We put on this new man by allowing the Holy Spirit to live the resurrected life of Jesus through us. Paul had this exchange of natures in mind when he wrote, (2)

So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away—look, what is new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17 NET)

We who were dead in our trespasses and sins have been raised up with Jesus in our spirit-man to walk in newness of life. Paul summarized this process in his letter to the Galatians: (2)

I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 NET)

Paul underscored this understanding to the believers in Rome with these powerful words: (2)

So you too consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires, and do not present your members to sin as instruments to be used for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead and your members to God as instruments to be used for righteousness. For sin will have no mastery over you, because you are not under law but under grace. (Romans 6:11–14 NET) 

The new man Paul keeps speaking of is simply the Lord Himself living in us through the person of the Holy Spirit, as we learn from these words from the Apostle Paul: (2)

But I say, live by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16 NET)

When we walk in the Spirit, the character of Messiah Jesus will be the dominant force in our life. Paul refers to the character of Jesus as the “fruit of the Spirit,” which he describes with these words: (2) 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22–23 NET)

When we live in the character of Messiah Jesus, we not only have peace with God, but we also enjoy the peace of God as expressed by the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul: (2) 

Let the peace of Christ be in control in your heart (for you were in fact called as one body to this peace), and be thankful. (Colossians 3:15 NET)

Many believers do not experience this divine blessing because they have never separated themselves from the things of the world and consecrated themselves to Jesus as Lord of their life. Again, James wrote that we who have put our trust in Jesus and have received His Spirit are a kind of firstfruits of God’s creatures: (2) 

By his sovereign plan he gave us birth through the message of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. (James 1:18 NET)

He meant that we are the firstfruits of God’s creation to experience the new life that God has decreed for the earth and its inhabitants through the redeeming work of Jesus. In view of this, we present ourselves as a living wave offering to God to show that we belong to Him. (2)

But their [i.e., the Israelites] minds were closed. For to this very day, the same veil remains when they hear the old covenant read. It has not been removed because only in Christ is it taken away. But until this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds, (2 Corinthians 3:14,15 NET)

It was by God’s design that the activity of marking, gathering, and presenting the barley sheaf of Firstfruits coincided exactly with the death and resurrection of Christ. So, why do the Jews not see the parallel? Many might be blinded or hardened now, 

For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: A partial hardening has happened to Israel until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. (Romans 11:25 NET)

But a day will come when they will see! (10)

“I will pour out on the kingship of David and the population of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication so that they will look to me, the one they have pierced. They will lament for him as one laments for an only son, and there will be a bitter cry for him like the bitter cry for a firstborn. (Zechariah 12:10 NET)

but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. (2 Corinthians 3:16 NET)

And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion; he will remove ungodliness from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins.” (Romans 11:26–27 NET) (cf. Isaiah 59:20,21. Isaiah 27:9. Jeremiah 31:33,34)

Epilogue

For the love of Christ controls us, since we have concluded this, that Christ died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised. (2 Corinthians 5:14–15 NET)

We know that our old man was crucified with him so that the body of sin would no longer dominate us, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. (For someone who has died has been freed from sin.) (Romans 6:6–7 NET)

Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also behave in accordance with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:24–25 NET)

I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 NET)

But may I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (Galatians 6:14 NET)

On the day of the resurrection in Jerusalem, Jesus became what Paul describes in 1st Corinthians as “the First Fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20). First Fruits is a biblical festival celebrating the first harvest of crops and it is the second of three annual pilgrimage festivals.
But what does this ancient agricultural festival have to do with the resurrection of Jesus?
We all know that “firsts” are special. We all remember significant firsts in our lives such as our first car, our first home, and our first date. Firsts are significant to God too – and First Fruits is a phrase loaded with biblical significance. In Exodus 4:22, God calls Israel his “first born son”. As His first born, the Israelites were commanded to honor God by bringing “the best of the first-fruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God” (Exodus 23:19). 
This is the first and perhaps most obvious meaning of First Fruits. It is giving back from the best of what we have as a thank offering and declaration of faith. By using the term to describe Jesus, Paul is letting us know that God gave His best for us, He did not hold back.  Paul links First Fruits to Jesus’ resurrection, and by doing so implies that it would be of life-altering significance in world history.
Passover commemorates the time the children of Israel were saved from death by the blood of an innocent lamb. It is no coincidence that Jesus’ death and resurrection took place on Passover.
We too are saved by the blood of an innocent lamb – Jesus’ blood.
And Passover is followed closely in the calendar by another major holiday – and one of its names is First Fruits.
Wheat harvest crop field landscape season, Israel.
DIVING DEEPER AT SHAVUOT
In the Hebrew language, the First Fruits festival is known as Shavuot (Hebrew for Weeks), which takes place in the late spring. During First Fruits in Biblical times, Jews from other regions would travel to the temple in Jerusalem to celebrate. First Fruits was the time of year when God gave the Ten Commandments and the Law of Moses to the children of Israel.
This is perhaps the most significant event in the history of the Jewish people. 
The giving of the law at Sinai has shaped Jewish identity, religious practice and culture for thousands of years since. In fact, First Fruits today is known primarily not as an agricultural festival but as the “birthday of the Torah (law)”. As we’ll explore next, the Festival of First Fruits not only plays a key role in ancient Jewish history. But it is also instrumental in the founding of the church in the New Testament. 
There are dramatic parallels between the biblical festival of Shavuot and the New Testament events that took place at the time of its celebration.
First Fruits at Sinai
Moses’ giving of the law on Sinai at the time of First Fruits was accompanied by fire from heaven. So too as the Spirit fell in the upper room. The disciples spoke supernaturally in foreign languages, whilst tongues of fire descended upon their heads. (Acts 2:3) Secondly, on the day Moses came down from the mountain, three thousand Jewish souls were slain for their sin (Exodus 32:28). In contrast, on the day of First Fruits, weeks after Jesus’ resurrection, three thousand Jewish souls were saved from their sin! 
The First Fruits pilgrimage was the reason why so many Jews happened to be in Jerusalem at that time. Therefore, First Fruits played a key role in the early spread of the Gospel. These early converts heard Peter declare that the barrier between God and man had come down forever.
With the resurrection and outpouring of the Spirit, First Fruits turned into a message of the endless fountain of God’s grace.
A sukkah with table, chairs and decorations. It is a temporary hut for the week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot. Jewish families top it with branches and decorate with autumnal, harvest or Judaic themes.
“All Israel Saved” at Shavuot
Sukkot, known in English as the Feast of Tabernacles, is the festival of the last harvest of the year. It invites us to remember that First Fruits is just that – only the first! During Sukkot, which we could call “Last Fruits”, God commanded the Israelites to live for a week in temporary outdoor dwellings. This tradition followed to this day by the Jewish people.
Once a year the streets of Jerusalem fill with small booths covered in palm branches known as Sukkahs.
These temporary dwellings remind us that this world of struggle, sickness and pain is not our ultimate home. Just as he poured out his Spirit during First Fruits, he will return for us in fulfillment of the Last Fruits. Three thousand Israelites received salvation during First Fruits; however, Paul reminds us that the last harvest will be far greater and that eventually “all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26). 
By placing the outpouring of the Spirit during First Fruits, God chose to imbue the festival with new, resurrection significance. Just as He also did with the other two pilgrimage festivals in the Jewish calendar, Passover and Sukkot. In them, we can also find deep significance for our lives as believers.
Redemption, Grace and Hope
The three pilgrimage festivals beautifully illustrate the common thread of redemption, grace and future hope. God has woven them throughout the story of humanity.
Perhaps First Fruits’ ultimate significance is in pointing us to the example of God giving his best for us. He did so by laying down the life of His only Son in our place. 
Until Jesus returns, we are to be busy as laborers in the harvest field (Luke 10:2). We echo God’s example by giving our best, our first fruits, by laying down our lives for one another. The first disciples needed the outpouring of the Spirit at First Fruits to build the early church. In the same way so do we, in order to give our first fruits.
Only with the Spirit’s indwelling power can we sow seeds of life in people’s hearts. That is how we will play a role in God’s salvation story.
As Jesus said in John 15: “Whoever abides in me, and I in him, it is he that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).