There are only seven Christian holidays set aside by God Himself that we are to remember. These appointed times are to be considered holy and sacred. Christmas and Easter are not part of these seven Christian holidays as they are man made and not mentioned in the Bible. Jesus was not born on December 25th but during the Feast of Tabernacles. On December 25th the sun god worshippers celebrated the birthday or rebirth of the invincible sun, Dies Natalis Solis Invicti. This is an historical fact. The Biblical holiday name for the time when Jesus rose from the grave is the Feast of Firstfruits. Easter was a name of the Queen of Heaven who was a pagan fertility goddess who gave birth to the sun god. Why do we compromise and call resurrection day Easter instead of the Biblical name, the Feast of Firstfruits?

Exodus 12:14; 13:3, Leviticus 23, and Zechariah 14:16-19 all tell us that the holidays that God ordained are to be remembered, honored and celebrated forever.

The Feast of Firstfruits is the third holiday celebrated on the day after the Sabbath according to Leviticus 23:11. The Sabbath spoken of in verse 11 is the regular Saturday Sabbath, which means the Feast of Firstfruits came on a Sunday. This would be March or April according to our Gregorian calendar.

The Feast of Firstfruits was fulfilled when Jesus Christ rose from the grave. This is the time and day when all Christians should celebrate the resurrection of Jesus!

I Corinthians 15:20-23 reads: “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.”

Matthew 28:1-6 states: “In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher. And, behold, there was a great earthquake; for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye; for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”

John 20:17 says: “Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.” Here we see Jesus giving a commandment to Mary telling her not to touch Him because He needed to present Himself to God the Father as the firstfruit from the dead.

Leviticus 23:9-14 shows us that the Hebrews were to consecrate their entire barley harvest to the Lord by bringing the first sheaves of the harvest and waving them before the Lord. Since the Hebrews were just stewards of the land, the purpose of this act was to consecrate the harvest to God: “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the Lord. And the meat offering thereof shall two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the Lord for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin. And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.”

Jesus became that human sheaf that was set apart to offer back to God. As Jesus gave His all to God, so we are to give our entire lives in dedicated service to God. Jesus was the first to conquer death and the grave, providing eternal life for all who will follow Him.

As the barley sheaf that was waved before the Lord contained other individual barley stalks, Matthew 27:52-53 tells us that many other believers were also raised from graves, walking into Jerusalem and showing themselves to many people. Please read Romans 8:11,16 and Ephesians 1:6.

II Corinthians 5:8 says: “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

Luke 23:39-43 records: “And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

Luke 16:19-31: “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot: neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”

Acts 7:54-60: “When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But, he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord. And cast him out of the city, and stoned him, and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”

Psalm 9:17: “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”

I Peter 3:18-22: “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.”

Isaiah 42:7: “To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.”

On Resurrection Day Jesus not only defeated the penalty for sin and death, now having the keys of hell and of death, but He brought out the prisoners from Abraham’s bosom, and He took them to heaven. Those prisoners in hell will remain there until after the millennium when they will appear at the Great White Throne. “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Read Revelation 20:11-15.

Revelation 1:18: “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

Revelation 20:1: “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.”

John 11:25-26 reads: “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” This is the promise for all who will become the servant of Jesus. In Job 19:25-26, Job expresses that hope beautifully: “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.”

In order to apply this promise gaining everlasting life we must determine to have the Lord lead our lives and stop the rebellion which brings poverty, sin and death. Ephesians 4:24: “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Galatians 2:20 reads: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Also read II Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:11-14; Galatians 5:16,22-23; James 1:18 and Colossians 3:15.

In a spiritual sense all men are sinners, but when we become born again by receiving eternal life through submission to the Scriptures, we become firstborn or firstfruit. Romans 16:5 reads: “Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who is firstfruits of Achaia to Christ.” Please refer to I Corinthians 16:15.

Romans 11:2,16-21: “God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew…For if the firstfruits is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, ‘Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.’ Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He many not spare you either.”

Jesus, who became the firstfruit to have been raised from the dead to everlasting life, now makes it possible for the lump made up of Jews and Gentiles to also have everlasting life. Whether we are Jew or Gentile, when we receive Jesus Christ as our Master and Lord, we become His firstfruits! Some other Scriptures to read are James 1:18; Romans 8:23; and Revelation 14:4.

THE CHRISTIAN HOLIDAY/FEAST CALLED PENTECOST

Leviticus 23:15-16: “And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord.”

The holiday called the Feast of Pentecost is also called the Feast of Weeks, Feast of Harvest, and Day of Firstfruits (Exodus 23:16; 34:22; Numbers 28:26). For information, the Feast of Passover marked the beginning of the barley harvest. The Feast of Pentecost was celebrated at the completion of the wheat harvest. In verses 15 and 16 of chapter 23 of Leviticus, God said to celebrate the feast fifty days after the Feast of Firstfruits (Leviticus 23:11). Pentecost was celebrated in the Hebrew month of Sivan or our May. The wave offering was a thanksgiving offering for the Hebrews for their dependence upon God for the harvest and their daily bread.

There were three names used by the Hebrew Scriptures for the Feast of Shavuot (Hebrew ‘weeks’). Shavuot was called the Feast of Weeks for it was seven weeks from the Feast of Firstfruits until observing this feast. Hag Hashavuot is the most common Hebrew designation meaning “the Feast of Weeks” (Exodus 34:22; Deuteronomy 16:10; II Chronicles 8:13).

In the book “The Feasts of the Lord”: “The primary meaning of the feast was reflected in the Hebrew name, Yom Habikkurim or ‘the Day of Firstfruits’ (Num. 28:26), since Shavuot was the day on which the firstfruit offerings of the summer wheat crop were brought to the Temple. The third designation, Hag Hakatzir or ‘the Feast of Harvest (Ex. 23:16), reflected the fact that this festival was the official beginning of the summer harvest season. In addition to the Biblical designations, the Talmud and Josephus referred to this festival as Atzeret, meaning ‘conclusion’. They viewed Shavuot as the conclusion of the Passover season and of the seven-week spring harvest since there are no other major Jewish holy days until the autumn. In the Greek language, Shavuot was known as Pentecost (Acts 2:1…) meaning ‘fiftieth’, since it was celebrated on the fiftieth day from the Feast of Firstfruits.”

It was exactly fifty days from Resurrection Day to the day Jesus sent the Holy Spirit upon His disciples (Acts 2:1-47).

John 12:23-24: “And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.”

In the book “Jesus in the Feasts of Israel”, Booker explains that in John 12:23-24: “Jesus was talking about Himself as the human grain of wheat who would die for the sins of the world. In the Bible, fine flour represents perfect righteousness. Jesus was perfectly righteous. There was no coarse matter (sin) in Him. Yet, as the wheat was crushed, sifted, and baked in the ovens of hell for our sins. But because Jesus had never sinned, death and hell could not hold Him (Revelation 1:18). In view of this, He was resurrected as the first fruits from the dead. As we’ve just learned, it was fifty days from the Feast of Firstfruits to the Feast of Pentecost. Likewise, it was exactly fifty days from Jesus’ resurrection to the day when He sent the Holy Spirit upon His disciples. The Day of Pentecost did not originate with Christianity, but it was the Jewish feast day that God chose to send the Holy Spirit as proof that Jesus had been glorified as Lord. This was a day when the Hebrews would be in Jersusalem to celebrate the feast and the giving of the law.”

John 20:19-22 tells us that on the evening that Jesus was resurrected He appeared to His disciples, and “he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.”

Booker states: “We see at this occasion that Jesus gave the Holy Spirit to the disciples. This was their spiritual rebirth which established their new life position as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. If they had all died that night, they would have gone to heaven. In other words, they were ‘saved’. But Jesus had something better planned for them. He wanted to bring heaven down to them. But it was not yet time to do so. Therefore, He spent the next forty days with the disciples explaining how all the Old Testament pointed to Him. Then when the time came for Jesus to ascend back to heaven, He told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until He would send the promise of the Father, at which time they would be filled with the Holy Spirit for power.” Please read Luke 24:44-53 and Acts 1:1-3.

Acts 1:4-8 reads: “And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Jesus equates the promise of the Father with the baptism in the Holy Spirit for the purpose of giving the disciples power to be witnesses for Jesus. This is the same reason Christians need to be filled with the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.

Acts 2:1-4 reads: “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

Here we have thousands of Jews who had traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. God had given them the law on this day, but the law could not provide them with power which was the promise of God! We see the outpouring of the Holy Ghost taking place on the exact day the Jews were offering the two wave loaves to God, symbolizing their dependence on Him. One of these leavened loaves represented the Jews, and the other loaf represented the Gentiles.

Acts 10:44-46 reads: “While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God…”

Can you see the significance of the fine flour? It represents Jesus who is perfectly righteous without sin. The two leavened loaves represents the Jews and Gentiles. We have sin in our lives, and we need the power of the Holy Ghost to overcome sin daily and to be a victorious witness for Jesus!

Acts 11:15-16 states: “And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.”

John the Baptist said Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and baptizes in the Holy Ghost (John 1:29-33; Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16). Passover represents the Holy Spirit unto salvation, but Pentecost represents the baptism of the Holy Spirit unto power. Matthew 3:16-17 tells us that Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit when He was baptized by John in the River Jordan, and He went forth in the power of the Spirit (Luke 4:14).

Jesus said in Luke 4:18-19: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Jesus made this statement in Mark 16:14-18 concerning His disciples after He rose from the grave: “Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which hath seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

Mark 16:19-20 tells us: “So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following, Amen.”

And Acts 1:1-14 explains how the disciples obeyed the commandment of the Lord to tarry in Jerusalem until they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit before they could accomplish Mark 16:15-18: “The former treatise have I made O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Then return they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey. And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.”

We know that the apostles were constantly fearful and hid themselves, but after they were filled with the power from the baptism of the Holy Ghost, they were mighty in the Lord the remainder of their lives, all suffering intense persecution and most dying a martyr’s death. Refer to Acts, chapter 2, and the remainder of the Bible.

At the church of Ephesus there was a young elder named Timothy. Timothy was pressurized by some members of the congregation to quench the flow of the Holy Ghost. Paul, who was Timothy’s spiritual father, received reports of this and around A.D. 65 wrote a letter to Timothy to exhort him to allow the Holy Ghost the freedom to manifest when the Church came together. I Timothy 4:12-16: “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” Please read also Acts 2:16-18, 38-39 and Joel 2:28-29.

Timothy continued to allow people to intimidate him, as all of us do at times, and Paul wrote him in II Timothy 1:6-7: “Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

Booker states: “When the church became institutionalized in A.D. 312, many of those in charge were politicians rather than religious leaders. Their decisions were more political than spiritual. The result was that Christianity was organized into a religious system whose leaders chose a human leadership rather than a spirit-directed leadership filled with the power of God. God let man have his way because God will not force Himself upon us. Unfortunately, the spiritual reality of the Feast of Pentecost was lost to the Church, although there have always been periodic, localized revivals of Pentecostal power throughout church history…God began to restore the power of Pentecost to the church on a worldwide basis in the early 1900’s. There were two significant events. The first took place on New Year’s Day, 1901, at Bethel Bible College in Topeka, Kansas. Charles Parham was teaching on the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and encouraging the students to search the Scriptures regarding the subject. It was during this time of study that a Miss Agnes Ozman received the gift of speaking in tongues. Parham and several other students had a similar experience three days later. This Pentecostal message, with its accompanying manifestations, soon spread to the surrounding states, and made its way into Texas, and finally out to California in 1906. William Seymour arrived in Los Angeles to preach at a Nazarene Church but was not received because of his Pentecostal message. He then began to hold services in a converted livery stable at 312 Azusa Street. It was at this location that a mighty Pentecostal revival started which lasted for three years. This revival launched the modern worldwide Pentecostal movement. As news of the revival spread, many Christians from around the world came to the meeting at Azusa Street and took the message of Pentecost back with them to their homeland. Because man is reluctant to hand over the leadership of the Church to the Holy Spirit, this restoration of the Feast of Pentecost was not received by the leaders of mainline Christian denominations (same as with Luther and Wesley). In the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, God again moved to restore the Feast of Pentecost to the Church in what has become known as the ‘charismatic renewal.’ This more recent revival of Pentecost has influenced all the historic Christian denominations, both Protestant and Catholic. The charismatic movement, though rejected by much of the institutional church, has spread throughout the world and become a major force in Christianity.”

People who study the Feasts are serious people who can move mountains. Sometimes, though, serious people are lacking in the maturity of the fruits of the Holy Spirit according to Galatians 5:22-23... “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” They can cause needless strife and division. II Timothy 2:23-25 reads: “But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient...” I Timothy 1:4-7: “Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor wherof they affirm.” I Timothy 5:1: “Rebuke not an elder, but entreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren;” II Timothy 2:14-16: “Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Titus 3:2, 8-9: “To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men...This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly,....But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.”

A Christian Rabbi said that the Jews do not want to recognize the Feast of Firstfruits because it testifies to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Some people will argue about heaven, hell, and where one will be immediately after physical death. For the purpose of this short article I will let the Scriptures speak for themselves. As Paul said, “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” (II Corinthians 5:8). And Jesus said to the thief as He hung on the cross, “Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43).

I believe that usually the best way to understand the Bible is not through word studies, etc. If you really want to learn and understand the milk and the meat of the Word, one needs to read the Bible through from cover to cover twenty to thirty times! Then one will begin to gain God’s wisdom.

There should be no anger, strife, or separation if you disagree with some points, as it is all written in good faith. II Timothy 2:15-17 admonishes: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus.”

Shalom

The holiday called the Feast of Firstfruits is the holiday on which Jesus rose from the dead. I Corinthians 15 :20-23 reads: “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death,, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.”

The promise of the holiday of Pentecost was for power to overcome sin and to represent Jesus Christ!

We as Christians celebrate these holidays not by becoming Jews, for in Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile (Romans 11:17), but by remembering the meaning and significance of them. That way our faith grows and we can overcome fear and see miracles. We celebrate them by remembering them!

© 2001 World Ministries International