The seven days of Passover week are very full days. The day we speak of today is the MOST important day of that week. Early First Fruits of the Barley, three days after Passover, is Resurrection Day.
Let your joy be full because He has risen!
EARLY FIRST FRUITS OF THE BARLEY
We observed the Passover Seder, and we have now begun The Seven Days of Unleavened Bread. Today we observe the High Holy Day that is known as the Second Day of Unleavened Bread; or Early First Fruits of the Barley. Now we can call it Resurrection Day! Jesus has fulfilled the Covenant and we can celebrate the gift of Salvation.
In all the symbolism of the season; we have been waiting on a King to come. Now; (counting Passover) it is the third day of Unleavened Bread; the Day of Early First Fruits of the Barley. (Passover added to two days of Unleavened Bread makes our calendars show The Third Day of The Passover week.)
The ancient people waited on Him to come for the first time. It happened just as He said it would.
Now we wait on His soon coming return.
How are we so sure He will return again?
We know He rose from the grave on the third day!
POSITIVE PROOF OF GOD’S POWER
Jesus has the keys to eternal life.
The greatest miracle of all is that He has offered them to us.
The Resurrection (on the third day of Unleavened Bread; if you count Passover as the first day) is proof of His power.
He promised us the Kingdom which we hoped for during all of these thousands of years is coming!
The Resurrection of Christ assured us of all of these facts and so much more.
The ancients knew of a Messiah/King and they were waiting on him to arrive. Every year they observed the offerings of the first fruits of the Barley harvest.
But no one really understood.
THE KING OF KINGS IS ALIVE!
Jesus Christ is alive and living in our hearts!
He rose from the dead on the 3rd day; totally defeating death and the grave.
After 40 days he ascended into heaven.
OUR RESURRECTED KING WILL RETURN FOR US
He is coming again as a King; but not that kind of King.
He refused Satan’s offer to be ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth if it meant bowing down to him.
Why would God’s very own Son need to bow down to anyone?
But; he was humble and meek. He came riding on a donkey symbolizing that he came in peace.
Messiah came to come close to people.
Jesus came to love people.
He came to bring freedom from bondage, disease, sin and suffering.
Our Messiah came to us; and then He died for us.
On Resurrection Day, the Day of the lifting up of the Early First Fruits of the barley; HE ROSE AGAIN!
EARLY FIRST FRUITS OF THE BARLEY
I don’t really use the word “Easter.”
I celebrate the Resurrection of Christ three days after The Passover on The Day of Early First Fruits of The Barley. Rarely does that day ever fall on a Sunday. (This year it did.) It is different every year. God’s calendar operates by the phases of the moon. This calendar was set at Creation. It existed before we did.
Easter is a pagan word. You can’t find it anywhere in your bible. Constantine changed the celebration of Early First Fruits of The Barley which the followers of God’s calendar had always kept and celebrated during the spring harvest. Emperor Constantine decreed this day would be called Easter; not God. As a matter of fact; the word Easter comes from the name of an Egyptian pagan goddess.
Changing the name was a political move devised to unite the people under Constantine’s rule; so that he could be known as the only ruler of the world. He claimed to be a Christian; but he denied the true Sabbath. Also; he rearranged dates and times of God’ calendar. His re-arrangements disregarded the scriptures which recorded God’s arrangements for all annual and appointed times.
So this year as the time the calendar of the world turns to Easter Sunday; I will have already celebrated Passover and Unleavened Bread. The world’s “Easter” and the third day after Passover both fall on a Sunday this year. I find myself celebrating the Resurrection with everyone this year. I love when that happens. Everyone is accidentally on the same page. We are all thinking of The Messiah’s Resurrection on the third day of Passover Week. It falls as the second day of the seven Days of Unleavened Bread. This is the timing on God’s clock in the sky to celebrate the annual Day of remembering The Resurrection of Christ.
He is Risen!
Hallelujah!
CELEBRATING RESURRECTION WITH EVERY DAY OF LIFE
The erroneous dates of the world do not really bother me that much. They are definitely wrong, and every history book can prove it. I’m a little funny about it though, because I DO believe it is just fine to celebrate Resurrection EVERY DAY of the year. That is because Resurrection is just that amazing, powerful and wonderful.
Whether or not it corresponds with the dates of the world, I will always celebrate THE OFFICIAL DAY OF RESURRECTION on the 2nd day of Unleavened Bread, (three days after Passover) or on the day called Early Firstfruits of the Barley on the Hebraic calendar.
Some years it is very convenient when the 7 Days of Unleavened Bread fall on God’s calendar and Resurrection Day is aligned so that the world’s Easter and Early First Fruits Resurrection Day are on or close to the same day. I love when that happens, because all people can celebrate Resurrection power in unity.
USING THE HEBRAIC CALUCLATED CALENDAR
The Hebrews have always used the calendar God hung in the sky when He created the world. Those of us who follow it think of the moon as God’s clock. For us who DO observe God’s calendar instead of man’s calendar, Early First Fruits of the Barley and Resurrection Day falls at sunset; 3 days after we think the Passover took place.
Even when the annual date for Resurrection Day is the same, Hebrew Roots people will still be celebrating The Feast of Unleavened Bread. While the Sunday people enjoy celebrating the Resurrection by eating sweet hot-cross buns, ham, and chocolate, we will still be filling ourselves with The Bread Without Leaven – Jesus. Our eating will be Kosher for the season. At least we both will be focused on remembering the Resurrection of Christ. In that respect, we will continue to celebrate the positive aspects of the season together.
EACH MAN MUST BE FAITHFUL TO WHAT GOD SHOWS THEM
No problem; everyone has to answer to what God has chosen to show them. No one made me judge of the earth. I’ve just put a little chocolate on my Matzah. I’ll keep on anticipating today for the celebration of the miracle of The Resurrection of Yeshua. We will gather and give thanks to God.
Today it is here!
He has risen!
I’ll keep on celebrating Resurrection power for the rest of the year though. Knowing that Jesus lived a perfect life, and I cannot, I’ll be trusting in His lead and counting the days of the omer as we walk through the next 50 days to Pentecost.
I’m not so blind as to not understand and recognize that the faithful are in every place and group of people on this earth. We all are simply at different places in our journey to God’s Kingdom. I’m never sure if any particular group of people have perfected the ways of God completely. I know I often fall short. The fact remains that we are all still human. I suppose that just proves the necessity of Resurrection power all over again. It is the blood of Jesus that saves us; all other things pale in comparison to that fact; so let’s rally around that truth together. At least most groups of Christians CAN agree that the Resurrection of Christ happened. This one act of God has saved us!
This might be a starting place.
God has shown some people one thing, and He has chosen to wait to show others. We can’t know exactly why. I DO know He has his reasons; which are far above our finding out. I also know some of the most faithful are not looking at everything with open eyes. That is in God’s hands. The world is working toward God’s coming Kingdom within His perfect timing. They must do what He has shown them, and I must do what He has shown me. There is nothing but certain joy for the obedient to God to worry about.
WAITING ON THE KING OF KINGS TO BRING PERFECT UNITY
The good news is that after the final Resurrection of the dead has been completed and Jesus is our new King; we all will see everything the same.
Won’t that be wonderful?
Our Messiah will guide us together as The King of Kings.
There are many things I’m sure I can’t see right now which I will be able to know then. I do realize that in all humility. I am thankful that God in all of his wisdom reveals things as He sees fit. It is so comforting to be able to trust in that fact and not to stress over these differences in today’s worship groups.
EACH PERSON WILL ACCOUNT FOR THEIR OWN ACTIONS
The important thing is that each person follows as closely as possible to the things that God HAS revealed to them. He has promised to spit the lukewarm out of his mouth. God desires for us to have and keep convictions. Believing in the power of Resurrection is a very important conviction, no matter how you worship.
Each person will have to answer for their own actions in the end. We won’t be able to blame others for our mistakes of not following the path that God clarified to us. If God has revealed a truth to you; it is best to follow it completely. If you do this; you don’t need to worry.
Like most good Fathers; God isn’t explaining every little detail to all of us yet. He simply instructs each of us to be obedient to what we know that He told us to do. It is just that simple. His plan will unfold however He lets it unfold. We must all have faith. God is so much smarter than we are.
I’m all about unity; and I always try to find a way to find it. If it goes against God’s truth and I am aware of that fact; I will not participate. Sometimes though this works out for all of us at the same time. In the case of Resurrection Day – every day of the year is still not enough time to celebrate this mighty miracle that brings us eternal life! So when the world celebrates Resurrection Day later or earlier than I have; I just continue the celebration a little longer and celebrate again. This year it is nice to celebrate this one theme together.
KEEP CELEBRATING RESURRECTION ALL YEAR
So; enough of the technicalities today; we are talking about celebrating Resurrection.
Resurrection power is our 24/7 gift from Jesus!
Today is my official day to recognize the very important fact that He is risen!
You might also notice me celebrating Resurrection Power with my friends and neighbors tomorrow too. You simply can’t celebrate this fact enough! I’m all about Resurrection power.
Also. I’m all about every follower of Christ recognizing the love of Christ which brings Resurrection power to all of us.
When Jesus arrived on earth the first time he came in the form of a child. The child grew into a man who walked the desert and crossed the Jordan River, just like the people of old.
He did such amazing things!
Jesus did his work well and completely as he walked on earth.
He healed people.
Jesus loved people.
He told people parables about The Kingdom of Heaven.
His final work was to die on the cross and to bear our sins.
He laid down his life for us and fulfilled this purpose.
REMEMBERING
In that day; no one could believe that the One they thought would be the King and Messiah had died on a cross.
They were all so sad.
But they loved him.
They took his body to the cave of a rich man for burial.
And they left him there until after the High Holy Day (The Second Day of Unleavened Bread just before The Day of Early First Fruits of the Barley) was over; then the women went out to anoint His body (the day after the High Holy Day which was called A Sabbath); but He wasn’t there!
They told the twelve; and they looked for him everywhere.
Then Mary saw Him in the garden!
He was alive again!
She ran to tell the others.
THERE WERE MANY WITNESSES
Someone saw him on the road. They talked to him but did not recognize Him until He broke bread with them.
It was in the breaking of the bread that they recognized Him. As they broke bread with Him they suddenly knew that Jesus had risen from the dead. I think of this every time I eat the matzoh. It represents Jesus to me.
Then He showed his nailed scared hands to Thomas. Any who had doubted before became a believer then.
He was alive again!
Jesus has risen from the grave!
HE WALKED WITH THEM FOR FORTY MORE DAYS
They all were filled with wonder and amazement.
For the next 40 days he walked with them and talked with them.
They began to remember the things that He had told them before.
Everything that he had said had happened.
This is what we are celebrating today, on this third day after the Passover on the day the ancients called Early First Fruits of The Barley.
We are celebrating the fact of The Resurrection of Christ; who became the first of God’s harvest of mankind.
He was the Early First Fruits of the harvest of God.
Our Messiah; Jesus Christ, was the first One to become ripe with eternal life.
THEY FINALLY UNDERSTOOD WHY
The ancients had celebrated Early First Fruits of the Barley for years and years before He arrived to explain the full meaning.
Until AFTER the Resurrection they did not fully understand. It is possible it will be until AFTER He returns that all of us will fully understand.
Year after year, they had brought the first and the best of their crops to God. After the first harvest, they had counted for 50 more days until the wheat harvest would come.
Now, we are doing the same; we are counting the Days until Pentecost just as He asked us to do. We call it counting the Omer; but we are actually counting the days.
He wanted us to wait and count until something new happened.
So every year we do this all over again.
We note the day in The Passover Week when He rose from the grave and gave us TRUE freedom; much more freedom than we received merely from the release of the bondage of slavery. This freedom lasts forever! We are so thankful and joyful that it does.
And guess what?
WE ARE THE WHEAT HARVEST
When the 50 days are up; at the time called Pentecost; WE ARE THE WHEAT HARVEST. That will be the time of the Resurrection of the faithful; on the day of Latter First Fruits at the wheat harvest. After His Resurrection; we continue to count the days until our own times of resurrection to new life.
The faithful and obedient to God are The Latter Harvest; which was the wheat harvest. We are the harvest that needs refinement. God will refine us before the day of our resurrection from the dead.
One day God will separate the wheat from the tares.
When Jesus was walking the earth and doing his work well; this story was one of the parables He told.
LATTER FIRST FRUITS WILL COME
All of the parable stories are true.
We are to learn from them.
One lesson we have learned is that God’s people are the wheat harvest! We are the LATTER First Fruits of Resurrection.
One day, we too will rise from the dead. Only our time has not yet come. We are not first; Jesus had to be the first of the whole harvest.
All of this has been made possible because He came before us. He was The EARLY FIRST FRUITS.
In harvesting their crops in olden days whenever the Early First Fruits harvest came in; the people began looking forward to the Latter Fruit harvest. If one season had produced well, chances were pretty positive that the next harvest of that year would also produce well.
So they counted the days with anticipation.
REMEMBER TO COUNT THE DAYS
We also count our days with great anticipation.
We praise God for sending Jesus to us.
Our praise goes up for Jesus loving us so much to become our Passover Lamb who was slain for the remission of our sins.
Now; we have turned the page onto a new and fresh sacred year. We came into a new sacred year when we saw Nisan appear on the calendar of God.
Spring has sprung in all of it’s bright colors and loveliness.
As Spring approached; we cleaned and cleaned our houses and gathered up the things that one needs to present a Passover dinner at home.
We journeyed to Egypt and out again with the Passover Seder. That showed us the Old Testament meaning of Passover. Without a Passover; there could not be a Resurrection Day. It is important to observe this fact in the proper order. Seder means “order” in Hebrew. It is a very appropriate meaning.
THE NEW TESTAMENT MEANING
Now as we come through these two days past the Passover, we have eaten unleavened foods and tried to remember all the reasons why we do so annually. This is our way of saying that a perfect Messiah has come and we believe in Him. He is the Bread of Heaven.
The First day of Unleavened Bread has been celebrated with many convocations all across the earth.
Now the third day of Unleavened Bread approaches (two days of the 7 days of unleavened bread plus The Passover.) It is the day of Early First Fruits of The Barley, the sacred day of the first of the rising of the sacred souls of Heaven’s Kingdom. Jesus has risen from the grave!
The life of Jesus, his living and dying and coming again have shown us the New Testament side of Passover.
THE AMAZING POWER OF RESURRECTION LOVE
Now we can see the power of Resurrection.
Jesus Christ has risen from the grave!
Hallelujah!
We have been waiting for a King, and his going and his coming again.
This is the day in which He was risen from the grave!
This is the day we get to say:
Hallelujah! He is Risen;
He is risen indeed!
It is a day we can celebrate all year round. This is the great day that lasts forever and has no end. With every ending is a new beginning; and every beginning has its ending and beginning again. Life on God’s calendar is not linear; it goes around in a never-ending circle of holy times.
This is the most important day to remember out of all the counting of our days.
The Resurrection is true!
God always keeps his promises!
Note to our readers: If you have enjoyed reading Gail Landgraf’s articles about God’s seasons and time; you would love reading her newest publication called EXODUS TO FREEDOM. It is all about the Exodus story. You can purchase it from Amazon.com’s book section. Just go to Amazon.com and click on EXODUS TO FREEDOM by Gail Landgraf and place your order with Amazon.com today. Join us in this new journey to freedom!