The Most Important Event In Human History Part 2
God’s Holy Days reveal His master plan for our salvation through His Son, Yeshua the Messiah. It’s important to note that all His Holy Days or Feasts occur during agricultural harvest times for the Israelites. This is not just mere coincidence. It is yet another symbolic way that God communicates to us. Passover, The Feast of Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits happen at the time of the barely harvest. The Feast of Weeks occurs at the time of the wheat harvest and the Fall Feasts occur right after the grape harvest and right before the olive harvest. These were the most important crops in Israel but there were of course other crops that were harvested throughout the different seasons along with these. Harvesting is a common theme in the Bible and Yeshua taught several parables that revolved around harvesting. For me, I see that God sent His Son to gather in the harvest of souls who bore good fruits and desired to follow God’s word/Word. This can be seen in many scripture passages but I’ll only reference a couple.
John 4:34-38 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”
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Matt. 13:37-43 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
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The Feast of Unleavened Bread
The Passover was the focus of Part 1 and now I will focus on The Feast of Unleavened Bread and First Fruits. These three Holy Days all point to Yeshua’s atonement, death and resurrection.
Lev. 23:5-8 On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the LORD’s Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it. But you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD for seven days. The seventh day shall be a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it.
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God’s calendar is different than our man-made calendar that we follow today. God’s calendar is what the Israelites followed. Today it is known as the Hebrew calendar. A day ends and a new day begins at sunset not at midnight like we are used to today. So at sunset on the 14th day of the first month, it is the beginning of the seven day Feast of Unleavened Bread. This is called a High Sabbath which is different from a normal Sabbath. A High Sabbath is kept like a normal Sabbath Day and is also a set apart Holy Day but usually has a few more special requirements to be kept by the people. For the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the beginning day and concluding seventh day are to be High Sabbaths.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread goes hand-in-hand with Passover. After the Passover Lamb is sacrificed and it’s blood applied to the door frame, then it is roasted. God commanded that it be roasted with fire and not boiled because it is symbolic of Yeshua having the Spirit of God and also being the one who was to baptize His followers with fire (God’s Holy Spirit). At sunset on the preparation day of the Passover (the day that Yeshua was crucified), the Passover meal was to be eaten which consisted of the lamb, bitter herbs and unleavened bread. We know the lamb points to Yeshua. The bitter herbs symbolize the bitterness of bondage or slavery of the ancient Israelites in Egypt and spiritually speaking it symbolizes the bitterness of the bondage of sin for mankind. The unleavened bread symbolized haste in leaving Egypt behind because there was no time to wait for bread to rise before their delivery. Egypt is symbolic of the world which is fallen and sinful. It’s also symbolic of the people leaving sin behind. Leaven also points to sin because sin is proud and puffed up which is what leavening does to bread dough. Leaven is used symbolically the majority of times as pointing to sin in the Bible. When making bread in Biblical times, they would reserve a small piece of dough for using the next time they would make bread. This lump of dough was equivalent to having a sourdough start. This lump would ferment and become leaven or a sourdough start. When this was added to a new batch of bread, it would act like yeast, causing the bread to rise and puff up. After making a batch of bread they would repeat the process of saving a lump or start for next time.
Matt. 16:6-12 Then Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have taken no bread.” But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread? Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up? How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?—but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
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1 Cor. 5:6-8 Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
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Since leaven is symbolic of sin and false doctrine in the Bible and God commanded that we get rid of all leaven then we must examine our lives and identify sin and false doctrine and strive to eliminate them. The unleavened bread also points to Yeshua because He was the only one who was without sin. God desired us to be without sin during that time and once we come unto Christ, our goal is to be without sin and to follow Yeshua and God’s word. That is the desired goal, however, it is unrealistic for fallen mankind. We strive but fail, therefore, an atonement was required to overcome that fallen nature and the sin that it brought. It is also interesting to note that before unleavened bread is cooked, it requires holes to be pieced in it so that it’s shape remains and when it is cooked, it browns unevenly so that there are light and dark spots on it. This symbolizes Yeshua being pierced and the browning looks very much like bruising and we know that Yeshua was beaten and bruised. Yeshua called Himself the Bread of Life. The ancient Israelites ate manna from heaven. The manna pointed to the future Messiah. He was born in Bethlehem which means House of Bread and He commanded His disciples to remember Him when they ate bread and drank wine. He equated the bread to His body and the wine to His blood. He is our spiritual sustenance. Without Him, we would die spiritually. Eating only unleavened bread for seven days is also significant because God created the Earth in seven days and those days represent the 7,000 years from creation until the end of the millenium. Seven is also symbolic of completeness and perfection.
John 6:48-51 I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.
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Deut. 8:3 So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.
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The Israelites were to have removed all leavened products from their homes prior to the beginning of this special feast and we can see yet another symbolic example of this with Yeshua’s actions when He cleansed the temple after His triumphal entry. This is His second cleansing of the temple. The first time was a year prior at Passover time at the beginning of His ministry. Not only did Yeshua do this to cleanse His Father’s dwelling place on earth of sin but He also did it to point to us symbolically cleansing our own temples (ourselves) of sin and anything that would defile it. This is why the Israelites would also cleanse their homes of all leaven in preparation for this feast. Concerning the temple, the religious leaders had allowed money changers and merchants to sell sacrificial animals in the courtyard of the temple. You may wonder what money changers are. Well, at the time of Roman occupation, the Israelites used Roman money to buy and sell but each year a half shekel was required from each man as an offering to God for atonement (Ex. 30:11-16). This money was to be used for the service of the temple. Since this half shekel was Hebrew coinage, the money changers would exchange Roman coin for the Hebrew coin in order for the Israelites to make their offering in the temple. These money changers would charge a fee for the exchange and their service and with thousands of people coming to Jerusalem for the feast days, this became quite a profitable business. Also the merchants selling sacrificial animals was also extremely profitable because it was difficult to transport a live animal from great distances to Jerusalem so many people would rather pay the exorbitant prices of the merchants in the temple than bring their own animals. And yes, the merchants, gouged the people in prices because of this. God’s commandments at His Holy Feast Days had become a money-making venture for many because the Israelites were required to make these sacrifices, therefore greedy men used that requirement to make money. Fraud and oppression of the poor became commonplace in these circumstances. There was also a behind the scenes exchange going on. These money changers and merchants could not have just set up shop in the temple courtyard. They would’ve had to have gotten permission from the religious leaders and knowing the character of the religious leaders in Yeshua’s day, it’s highly likely that they rented spaces (the prime spots for business) in the courtyard to those willing to pay it. Yeshua cleansed His Father’s house, the temple, of this leaven or sin in preparation for the feast.
First Fruits
The Day of First Fruits occurs on the first day after the regular Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. So this year(2021), The Feast of Unleavened Bread began on Saturday evening at sunset and ends on the following Saturday at sunset. So the Sabbath Day that occurs during this feast is on Saturday April 3rd, so the day after will be the Day of First Fruits on Sunday April 4th. This is a time for thanksgiving for all, observing that God provides for us. It is also a High Sabbath so it is also a day of rest and doing good. It is on this day that the Israelites would offer up the first fruits of the harvest in what is called a wave offering. No barley was to be harvested until the First Fruits offering was brought before God. Before the sun set after the Passover lamb had been killed, the priests would go across the bridge of the Kidron Valley to a barley field and tie up 10 sheaves of barley for this First Fruits offering. On the day of First Fruits the sheaves of barley were retrieved and brought to the temple and the High Priest would wave a sheaf above his head to God as an offering to God. These wave offerings were offered to God and would be used to support the tribe of Levi (the priests) who were in charge of taking care of the temple. Any excess would go to the poor. This offering of the first fruits of the harvest was symbolic of Yeshua being the first to be resurrected and of His offering to God of the first fruits of the harvest of righteous souls in the first resurrection. Not only was the High Priest to provide a wave offering of barley to God but each family was also to bring a first fruits offering to the temple. It was an act of faith and gratitude in that God would provide enough for them with their crops if they were first to give back their best to God in what He had already given them.
Lev. 23:9-11 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.
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Remember that right before Yeshua died, there was an earthquake that split rocks and opened up graves. Those in the graves were marked as the first fruits or first righteous souls for the harvest that would occur after Yeshua was resurrected. Remember the significance of harvesting, spiritually speaking. Yeshua, as THE High Priest, took those righteous people who were resurrected after Him up to the Father as a First Fruits offering to Him. This is why He told Mary Magdalene to not touch Him at that moment when she recognized Him because He had not accomplished this yet. Later we see that they can touch Him because He had already taken the First Fruits offering to God. This act of Yeshua taking the first fruits of the righteous souls to God also points to His second coming as is explained in 1 Cor. 15 below.
Matt. 27:51-53 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
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John 20:17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ ”
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1 Cor. 15:20-24 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.
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Yeshua said that He would rise after 3 days and 3 nights. Do we believe what He said? It seems that most of Christianity does not because they preach that Yeshua died on “Good Friday” and was resurrected on “Easter Sunday”. No matter how hard you try, no one can get 3 days and 3 nights from Friday to Sunday morning. Why is this overlooked and just taught anyway? I decided not to attempt explaining this because it is a long explanation and there is an excellent teaching series about it that I strongly recommend watching on youtube. It is called The Jonah Code series by Michael Rood. He does an amazing job explaining this issue. I hope you watch it.
In conclusion I wish to discuss the temple veil being rent in two at the time of Yeshua’s death. Remember that the temple veil separates the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. The Holy of Holies was the earthly dwelling place of Yehovah God and only the High Priest could enter it on one day of the year. This veil was a barrier between God and men because men were separated from God’s presence when Adam and Eve fell and sin was introduced into the world. Sin cannot dwell in God’s presence. The High Priest was symbolic of the Messiah who was the only one worthy to be in God’s presence. The one day that the High Priest was allowed to go into the Holy of Holies was on the Day of Atonement to atone for the people’s sins by sprinkling the blood of a goat on the left side of the mercy seat of God’s throne. This represents sinners because sinners were found on the left hand of God. This had to be repeated year after year because it was only the sacrificial blood of an animal. When Yeshua became our atoning sacrifice, it was finished and no other animal sacrifice was needed. Yeshua was the final sacrifice that all the previous sacrifices had pointed to. It is significant that on the day that Yeshua’s atonement took place, the temple veil (symbolic of sin and death) was rent in two from the top down. This was an amazing event in and of itself because the temple veil was around 60 feet high and very thick (some estimate it was about 4 inches thick). God in Heaven above tore the obstruction between Him and mankind because mankind had been redeemed by a perfect atonement. The way for mankind back to God’s presence was now cleared of the obstruction of sin and death because of Yeshua’s sacrifice. All mankind (not just the Jews) are invited to come to God through Yeshua. He was made into sin as the scripture says, therefore Yeshua is the veil that was torn in two. We go through Him back to the Father’s presence. He is the mediator between us and God. At that point, God no longer would dwell in a temple made by human hands but only in the temples of the souls of the righteous who desired to follow Him and His Son. I find it interesting that in Mormon temples there is a veil that still separates people from God. The LDS Church does not understand that the veil no longer separates us from God. We can now make it back to God through Yeshua.
Acts 17:24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.
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The Israelites in Biblical times had physical symbols that God provided for them to teach them how to worship Him. These physical symbols pointed to the spiritual which is how God desires to be worshiped. After Yeshua’s atonement was complete, a physical temple was no longer needed. Yeshua declared to the woman at the well that we must worship God in spirit and truth today.
John 4:21-24 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
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It is my hope that we will remember what Yeshua did for us this time of year and that we will celebrate the most important event in human history through God’s Holy Days of Passover, The Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Day of First Fruits instead of through the pagan holiday of Easter which has nothing to do with our Messiah. It should be remembered that the great deceiver of this world desired to be like the Most High. He coveted God the Father’s throne and in his tangled web of lies and deceit, he imitates and counterfeits what God has created. The adversary creates nothing but chaos and misery. He is the great imitator of what God created. Easter is his imitation of God’s early spring feasts. I hope that you will choose to reject his celebration and replace it with God’s truth. Today we cannot keep these feasts as they were kept Biblically but we can keep them the best we can as a memorial. It’s important to still observe them. For example, we can give generously to others in honor of First Fruits, we can seek to do good to others, keep the High Sabbaths as holy and set apart to God, we can still observe The Feast of Unleavened Bread by re-evaluating our lives and trying to get rid of bad habits and sin and we can share His truth with others. God, Yehovah, sent us His beloved Son, Yehoshua (Yeshua for short) which literally means “Yehovah is salvation” or “Yehovah saves” and truly God did save us through His Son. Salvation comes only through Him!
