WHAT COMES AFTER THE THREE DAYS THAT BRING RESURRECTION?
The day of Early First Fruits arrives approximately three days after the night of the Passover Seder.
It will be at the end, and just past the second day of The Seven Days of Unleavened Bread at the beginning of The Third Day. In 2024 on the secular calendar; that will be on Thursday, April 25th; just past sunset. (Three full days after Passover which began at sunset on Monday night.)
Christ already had the power of Resurrection living within Him. He did not need this time of waiting for Resurrection to achieve new life for himself; but He knew that we had such a need. He did this for us.
Three days is just enough time for Christ to bring Resurrection power into a spirit that is humble and willing and ready to yield into whatever God has purposed for them to be.
COUNT 50 DAYS FROM THE DAY OF EARLY FIRST FRUITS
To keep these days of God’s calendar you start counting each day for 50 days from Passover. On the day of the Early First Fruits we come to The Third Day after Passover. If you continue to count up to 50 days; that is how you know which day is going to be Pentecost. (The secular calendars don’t keep time by the moon like God does. You might look up the date for Pentecost on the secular calendar and find the wrong date is written in there. You can only tell this time correctly by COUNTING THE DAYS for each and every sacred season that passes.)
THE DISCIPLES FOLLOWED JESUS INSTRUCTIONS FOR COUNTING
I’m so thankful that Peter and all of the first disciples of Jesus were on their toes and doing just what they were supposed to be doing.
They were right there in Jerusalem where they were supposed to be; counting the days from Passover until Pentecost, starting right after the giving of the omer offering at Passover.
They came to the Day of Pentecost where God fulfilled the promise of Jesus to us. It is that great day when God gave us a Comforter called The Holy Spirit.
The disciples knew to be in Jerusalem on that day.
Jesus told them where to wait.
Jesus told them beforehand that this day would happen.
He spoke of it just before the Crucifixion and after the Resurrection and during the ten days before the Ascension. They remembered his words as He ascended into Heaven to go to the Father.
Jesus told us that He would not leave us alone. He would send a Comforter. This Comforter would stay with us after The Ascension and until Jesus could physically be with us again.
This gift of The Holy Spirit on The Day of Pentecost came from Christ via God The Father. This special gift actually worked like an engagement ring; committing Christ to His Bride (the Church) forever. It was an engagement present!
THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING GOD’S CLOCK DURING THE SPRING HOLY DAYS
Are you beginning to grasp how important these spring holy days are?
I will go into the symbolism of the Seven Days of Unleavened Bread in another article; but for now just realize that these days all take place simultaneously during the season of Passover within God’s Spring Holy Days. It is very helpful to understand the specific order of the days.
This celebration of The Passover, Early First Fruits, and The Seven Days of Unleavened Bread which eventually led up to Pentecost are all ancient customs and very old traditions of Israel. However; that doesn’t mean they are not still relevant for us today. The life, death and resurrection of Christ gave a deeper meaning and fulfillment to these days the ancients had always kept before God. Now it was possible to understand WHY they had been commanded to keep these days. By Jesus, they were fulfilled and we could enjoy their blessings even more.
I want us to contemplate the reasons and the original purpose for the custom of “counting the omer” and begin to think of all the legitimate reasons why we should still be doing so today.
REASONS FOR COUNTING THE OMER
A TIME FOR GROWING
The first thought that comes to mind is that this practice, done properly, (without the intention of using it for self-gain or magic) helps us to grow as individuals following and obeying God.
It is a growing season that God has timed out which fits right into our daily lives.
The fifty days between Passover and Pentecost are days when we should be meditating on our purposes for being on this earth, and meditating on our growth before God The Father.
We should be seeking God’s guidance and wisdom in the ways that He would have us to live. He designed each of us with a specific purpose and destiny. He will reveal that destiny to you if you ask Him to do so; but you must first prepare yourself and spend time in prayer and meditation seeking God’s answer. Now is a good time to begin doing so. This practice of counting the Omer helps that to happen.
If you desire to be useful for God’s Kingdom; you must not resist growth, and you must not remain stagnant.
LIKE A SEED IN THE EARLY RAIN
Like a little seed that has been planted in the springtime; you must be reaching for the sun. Like a thirsty child you should be drinking in the water of The Holy Spirit. It is a time for stretching yourself up through this gravely earth as you reach out and up for heaven.
You must be resurrected from the old-self into the new-self. You must transform from a seed to a flower. It is a time of growth before God.
Like all good Fathers, God desires to see all of his children in the process of a beautiful growing season which eventually brings them into maturity and the next season of life.
It has been noted by some that the formula for staying young is to always continue growing. This is a physical concept that is also a spiritual concept. We should never want to quit growing and maturing in Christ. Losing that capacity to continue growing at any age is tragic. Yet, when you stop to think about it, any time we’re not growing and changing, we’re not living; we’re just existing.
MOVING TO A HIGHER SPIRITUAL PLACE IS GREATER THAN JUST EXISTING
The proper counting of the omer is actually about moving to a spiritual place that is higher than “just existing.” This leads to learning how to walk in the heavenly realms, by thinking eternal thoughts instead of temporary earthly thoughts.
It is looking forward to what God is going to do with us next.
This is NOT the practice of elevating ourselves, but it IS the process of letting God work inside of us in order to bring us to a better plane of existence in our daily lives as we live out our earthly lives as the people of His Kingdom.
YOU MUST BE PREPARED TO COME BEFORE GOD WITH YOUR DAYS
All of this “growing” and counting of days makes me think of Abraham. I love that often misquoted passage from the scriptures which is found in Genesis 24:1 that says: “Abraham was old; he came with his days”
“He came with his days” teaches us that Abraham used each of his days to the fullest extent. At the end of his life, he came to old age “with all his days” in hand. No day was without its own unique growth.
In other words, Abraham had something to show for all his days of living. At the end of his life; he could offer these significant days as an offering to God.
Remember the parable about the talents? At the end of our days we need something to show for all the blessings that God has bestowed upon us.
We don’t need more human achievements; not at all.
Actually; we only need God’s transformations.
These transformations can only happen if we cooperate with God in His work. This time of the counting of the omer isn’t for God’s sake; it is for our own happiness and joy. God loves happy and joyful children!
Abraham had produced spiritual fruit from the labor of his soul on this earth. He could go to God at the end of his days on earth and say: with your help I have produced a nation of your people!
This is what we hope to achieve in the counting of the omer; to number our days for the goodness of God’s Kingdom in our lives. It is to participate in a holy process that gives God glory.
THE PROCESS BRINGS A FORM OF RESURRECTION TO OUR SOULS
Just as Christ was resurrected on the third day of Unleavened Bread during the time of Early First Fruits; this practice of numbering our days brings a form of resurrection to our souls.
It renews our spirits toward God’s way of living every year all over again. With the sacrificial love of The Crucifixion Christ made us acceptable to God. These days show our willingness to follow God to a more perfect way of living with Christ who is now living from within us; deep inside our spirits.
BEYOND THE WONDERFUL GIFT OF SALVATION
This all sounds great, but it isn’t always easy.
Some people do not want to move any further spiritually than reaching the place of knowing there is a Messiah, believing in Him, and receiving and enjoying the gift of salvation.
Salvation is, after all, the greatest gift ever given, and by all means the most important gift.
But; did you know that God offers even more?
It surprises many to learn the fact that there are even more gifts beyond salvation!
Why is this such a surprise? I have to wonder why is it so hard for so many to understand?
When you first married your husband or wife; did your life end with the marriage on your wedding day; or was that day only the beginning?
There is so much more!
God is such a giver!
GOING FURTHER WITH GOD
Going further with God is a choice we all have to make for ourselves.
Do we want to stay warm and cozy with all we have already attained through the granting of the greatest gift; or do we want to keep moving on into even more adventures with God?
Are you ready to go deeper into Kingdom life?
Salvation is an awesome and very important gift; and it is free for the taking, but if you value it; you will more than likely also value another gift called sanctification.
THE GIFT OF SANCTIFICATION
Sanctification can only arrive AFTER Salvation. It is yet another gift from God.
Unlike salvation, sanctification is not free.
Salvation required no effort on our part. Jesus did all of the work for us. We are saved because of the covering of His holy blood. God doesn’t see anything else when He looks at us when we belong to and believe in Jesus.
Sanctification does require input from us though.
Jesus is the giver of both gifts; salvation and sanctification. Neither gift is possible without Him.
Sanctification is the work of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives. It is just as miraculous a gift as the process of regeneration that comes from being “born again.” It is the gift of constant renewal.
SANCTIFICATION IS NOT ABOUT WORKS
Jesus did many good and worthy things as He walked the earth; but His destiny in God’s Kingdom was to do the work of the cross.
We all have a destiny.
God will show each of us our destiny as we begin to walk down the path toward sanctification. This process isn’t about works; but it does involve specific work; God’s work that He alone knows and maps out for each of us.
This process of sanctification is nothing that we can earn simply by performing good deeds. God isn’t interested in the act of good deeds merely for their own sake. If that were the case; every actor in Hollywood would be labeled a saint.
Sanctification’s process goes much deeper. It is real; never superficial.
True sanctification comes from humbling ourselves before God and turning to the Messiah for all of our righteousness. That is our part of the work. Afterwards; we must trust Him to finish in us what He has started.
THE WORK OF CHRIST BROUGHT THESE GIFTS TO US
It is only through Christ working inside of us that either gift (salvation and/or sanctification) is made possible.
His blood is ALL that makes us holy before God. Make no mistake that it is His blood that saves us, and it is only His blood that makes us holy before God.
None of our own works will ever attain our salvation or sanctification.
Our own efforts are like filthy rags before God, but; that doesn’t mean that we should not make an effort.
We are always sanctified by God’s grace and never some outward show of religious practices. Our efforts must come from a deep desire in our hearts to be like Jesus.
We must always imitate Him in all that we do.
GOD DESIRES FOR US TO WANT TO BE HOLY
The truth of the matter is that God desires for us to want to be holy like Him.
Sanctification will cost you your attitude!
You will have to surrender your will and succumb to the will and nature of God.
God wants us to turn from the old man and begin to be the new man.
This is the beginning of a type of spiritual resurrection!
SPIRITUAL RESURRECTION
This process of being made new after salvation is called sanctification.
Once we are covered with the blood of Jesus, this process becomes possible.
It is His suffering and His afflictions and His humility that God sees when He looks upon us. Like the blood of the Lamb over the doorposts of the Israelite’s homes; God sees how the blood of Jesus covers our sins and this brings us eternal life.
It is impossible to obtain sanctification without the blood of Jesus covering our souls. There is nothing within the soul of a human being living outside of Christ that will ever reach the state of sanctification.
SANCTIFICATION HELPS NEW LIFE TO BEGIN
Please hear me out on this because it is very important. Once we have been saved; it is sanctification that makes new life begin in us.
Growing closer to God through sanctification increases the working of God’s Holy Spirit who now resides inside our souls.
This process breathes new life into our very beings!
Sanctification is how God transforms us from the old person we were in the past, to the new person that He originally created us to be. God corrects our human mistakes through spiritual growth. We have to let go of our own ideas and seek the ways of God for this state to begin and flourish.
ANOTHER TYPE OF HARVEST
Here again; we see the picture of a time of harvesting.
A seed must die to itself, be buried in the ground and endure until the sun and water and nutrients which make it grow can do their work. Jesus was crucified in order to cleanse us of our sins. With His crucifixion, burial and resurrection; we learned how to grow.
We begin the process of counting the omer during this time of lying dormant. The process starts even before the time of resurrection comes.
Our lives enter into a time that is unseen; the time that the little seed becomes a small plant and begins to push itself through all the dirt right up to the surface. Finally the seed that was planted at salvation comes into the world as a new plant.
Some of us are afraid of walking down this path of sanctification and new growth.
THE BLOOD OF JESUS CANNOT FAIL
There are many reasons that people are afraid.
We humans are often afraid of failure; but we must continuously keep in mind that we are covered by the blood of Jesus.
This is perfect, flawless blood that is full of everlasting life.
It cannot fail! The blood is Jesus carries resurrection power. Resurrection is all about renewal and restoration. We must continuously remember the His blood is so righteous that it cannot fail.
So many are afraid of failing in life that they refuse to ever start to live.
How ironic!
This is so sad. It causes people to settle for dust when they could obtain pure gold.
LOOK AT THE EXAMPLE OF THE ROSE
One of my favorite songs, which was made popular in the marketplace by Bette Midler, is called “The Rose.”
A verse of the song says: “Just remember in the winter far beneath the frozen snow lies the seed that with the sun’s love in the spring becomes the rose.”
This word picture of the rose is a perfect picture of sanctification.
The example underlines our the purpose for this season of time for counting our days and seeking God’s face for resurrection. We stop to remember that Jesus came, lived, died and rose from the grave to prove this truth. He came as our Early First Fruits offering to God. By living an earthly life with us and among us He showed us the way to walk in The Kingdom.
We must keep following His example. This is what we need in order to be part of the latter Resurrection that comes with the latter rains which brings us to the Day of Pentecost. Most who follow God will find their pathway to Resurrection power within that particular time of the harvest.
With God all things are possible, even when everything looks totally impossible.
LET GOD SET THE GOALS
Setting too lofty and unattainable goals is often another reason that people fail in their path toward spirituality.
When we set our goals too high and too soon, we inevitably fall short. We get discouraged. In our discouragement, we forget to lean on God and we put too much trust in our own ways.
We MUST keep leaning into the grace and mercy and love of Christ. Things are easier and less frustrating if we simply face them one day at a time.
TAKING LIFE ONE DAY AT A TIME AND TRUSTING GOD
God knew this fact about us.
He made us to be this way. He provided our salvation at the very foundation of the world. Even before He created us; God provided our salvation.
This day-to-day process is the building method God uses in sanctification. That is the method emphasized in the days of “counting the omer.”
It is all about learning and growing one day at a time.
This is how God teaches us to be holy; one day at a time and one life experience at a time.
Each lesson builds upon another as we go through the 50 days of annually meditating on God’s nature and determining to imitate Him as best we can.
SIMPLY REMEMBER TO KEEP LOOKING TO GOD
The only way to fail is to take your eyes off of Jesus.
We are told in the scriptures to count the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot (Pentecost), beginning on the day of Early First Fruits and ending on The Day of Pentecost.
God doesn’t ever waste His words.
His breath is holy and the things uttered from His mouth are true.
They are never wasted on those who are listening with learning hearts. If He said to count the days; then we SHOULD be counting the days!
THE TIME IN THE MIDDLE IS IMPORTANT
The counting of the 50 days is much like so many other times in which we tend to be more aware of our beginnings and our endings. Passover begins the count and Pentecost ends this count. However; it is actually the part in the middle that is required to bring about this true and lasting transformation of our lives.
Therefore; the counting of the days from Passover to Pentecost is very much an effort in which THE PROCESS is in and of itself of great value.
Why not go through this process of coming closer to God and allowing God to come closer to you? You usually cannot know the significance of something until you decide to actually do it. Go through the process and find out for yourself how much difference it will make in your day-to-day life.
EACH YEAR BRINGS AN UNFORGETABLE EXPERIENCE
After 40 years of participating with God in this process; I can tell you it is an experience you will never regret.
It is like taking a 50 day pilgrimage with God.
My life could NEVER be the same without the process of counting the days up to Pentecost each year as I patiently and methodically reach out for the face of God.
I am now able to say (much like Moses) that I have been and seen places that words cannot describe, and I have learned that there are only more and more of these events to come. Counting the days fills your life with great expectations. The whole process brings more hope.
The more you reach out to God; the closer He will come toward you.
Counting these days from the offering of the omer brings joy and hope for continuing on the journey to the highway to heaven.
NOTE TO THE READER: If you enjoy reading these articles by Gail Landgraf, her books are on sale at Amazon.com. Just go to Amazon.com, click on books and search for Books written by Gail Landgraf.