APPOINTED TIMES OF PASSOVER, UNLEAVENED BREAD, FIRST FRUITS, PENTECOST

 

Leviticus 23:4-8 - 1^st month, 14^th day at twilight. The 1^st month is Abib, Aviv, or Nisan. Twilight means between the eves--the sun begins to set at high noon--Noon to 3 PM is the early oblation, 3 PM to 6 PM is the late oblation. The Passover Lamb is slain at 3 PM. Jesus died at 3 PM on Passover. “It is finished” is when we translated from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. The Lord “passed over” at this time.

 

PASSOVER TIME TABLE

 

Begins at evening on 14 Nisan thru evening of 15 Nisan. Then simultaneously on 15 Nisan thru 21 Nisan begins the feast of unleavened bread. Unleavened bread ends the evening of 21 Nisan. First Fruits is the day after the weekly Sabbath. 1^st fruits is considered a high holy day or an annual Sabbath day. So if Jesus was crucified on a Wednesday evening  and 1^st fruits was on the day after the weekly Sabbath then Jesus would have risen from the dead on Saturday night the end of the weekly Sabbath. This would explain the confusion of how many days he was in the grave. Jesus said he would be in the grave “three days and three nights”. Most people do not understand there were two Sabbaths that week. This understanding shows that Jesus was in the grave three days and nights. He rose on Sabbath night and when Mary came to the tomb on Sunday morning He was already risen.

It is also important to understand how the Bible keeps time. A Biblical day begins and ends at sunset.

Therefore, what we would call Monday night is actually the beginning of Tuesday. In Biblical time evening and night begin the 24 hour day. So Monday night is Tuesday night on  Biblical time. Roman time begins a day at 12 midnight

Jesus was crucified on Wednesday night Roman (which is Thursday night on Biblical time). Seventy-two hours later would be sunset on Saturday night Roman (which is the beginning of Sunday on Biblical time). This puts Jesus in the grave a full 72 hours and he rises from the dead at the beginning of Sunday. Confused? It does take some time to digest and figure out.

Pentecost is 50 days from the weekly Sabbath of Passover week. Lev 23:15-16

 

FIRST FRUITS

 

First fruits is the beginning of the harvest (spring) of the land and the beginning of the eternal harvest of souls. It begins with Israel being set free from bondage in Egypt (sin). Israel ate the Passover meal and traveled three days to the Red Sea--when they came out of the Red Sea they came out a new nation. Hosea 9 and 1 Corinthians 10. They were the 1^st Fruits of a the new nation of God. In scripture the fig tree is symbolic of Israel.

 

Jesus rose from the dead as the 1^st fruit from among the dead. 1 Corinthians 15:20 He was the 1^st fruits from those who sleep. This fulfilled the feast of 1^st fruits. He is the first born from among the dead. 1 Corinthians 15:12-20

Also see Rev 1:4-5--Jesus is first born from the dead, ruler of the kings of the earth.

 

Yeshua imparts the Holy Spirit during 1^st fruits (John 19:20-22) He breathed the Holy Spirit on them. This was the beginning of the church. He released the 1^st fruits of the spirit when He breathed on them. Romans 8:22-28 The redemption of our bodies is still to come. Romans 8:29-31 Our destiny, our only destiny in this world is to be conformed to the image of God’s son. That is our purpose.

 

The new covenant church was different than the nation of Israel in the wilderness. When Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit on them that night they became different. Hebrews 12:18-22 We’ve come to Mt Zion…to the spirits of the righteous made perfect…be holy as He is holy.

 

The 1^st fruits of resurrection imparts Jesus’ life into us. The resurrection is a vital part of Passover. Without resurrection there is no eternal life. 1 Corinthians 15:19-20 Our faith is in vain if there is no resurrection. The resurrection of 1^st fruits delivers us from the second death. Rev 20:6 The man who is only born once dies twice--He who is born twice only dies once! Those born once are without salvation. We are born again and Passover the White Throne judgment.

 

The 1^st fruits of the Spirit quickens our mortal bodies. Romans 8:11 The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead will raise our mortal bodies at the end of the age. We groan as we wait for this full manifestation of our incorruptible bodies. Romans 8:23 We are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling--some will actually experience the change from mortal to immortal.

 

We have a living hope of resurrection and an inheritance to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1 and Romans 8

Calvary doesn’t come into full manifestation until Jesus returns. In the meantime we are to be “making ourselves ready“--coming into His fullness allowing the Holy Spirit to change us into His image. The Spirit will apply the word of God in our lives. This manifests itself in our doing God’s word--walking righteously in the word.

 

PENTECOST

 

Leaven represents sin. What is sin? Sin is the transgression of God’s word (Torah). Crucifying our flesh is merely allowing God’s Torah to work change in us. 1 John 3:4 Pentecost then is the transition feast--we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to apply the word (Torah) in our walk (lives).

 

Pentecost celebrates God giving the Torah (Mt Sinai) and the giving of the Holy Spirit (upper room at Pentecost) We can’t walk out the Torah without the promise of the Holy Spirit to empower us. The Spirit writes the law on our hearts and we begin to walk out the life of the Lord. We are commanded to count the days until Pentecost and our empowering of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

 

The nation of Israel was supposed to be baptized in the Spirit but they refused and told Moses to go. God wanted to write the law on their hearts through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit but they refused. They were then left to make the animal sacrifices until the Messiah came. The Israelites never achieved the place in God that was their’s to have because they rebelled. This is an example to us not to be the same way. Ex 20:18-21

 

Additional Scriptures: Deut 16.16, Num 10:10, Ex 34:10-17--Make no covenant with pagan gods and goddesses. Today that would be New Age concepts or any false religions such as Hinduism, Shinto, etc. God wants no mixture. He is holy and wants us to be holy. We are to go into our room and pray to the Lord in private. We need no gimmicks or techniques. Just get in there are talk with the Lord.