The Feast of Firstfruits–
The First of the Resurrection-Harvest Feasts for Yahuweh’s people. Yahuweh’s Feast Days are for His Redeemed people, including those grafted-in by Faith, according to Scripture. The Feast of (Early) Firstfruits and the Feast of the 2nd Passover are no exception.
Early Firstfruits
The next Feast to occur after Passover and the Feast of Unleavened is called Yom ha Bikkurim, the Feast of (Early) Firstfruits, which according to (Lev 23:11), occurs on the morrow after the Sabbath. Tradition has this day of Firstfruits always on Nisan 16, but the true chronology of the Passover week can be easily understood by those who acknowledge the Resurrection of Yahushua.
The Firstfruits requirement is seen in (Lev 23:10-12), where the un-processed sheaf of the first crop (Barley) is brought to the High Priest, then waved before Yahuweh as a wave offering. Traditionally the cutting occurred on Shabbat, and the waving by the High Priest occurred after Shabbat, on the first day of the week.
It was in fulfillment of this Feast that Yahushua, at His resurrection, became the Firstfruits of the Resurrection-Harvest of all of mankind (1Co 15:20, 23).
We understand that Yahushua was resurrected at sundown on the weekly Sabbath, in keeping with the requirement for cutting the firstfruit sheaf. This sundown straddled the close of the Sabbath day, the 17th day of the month — and the start of the first day of the week, the 18th day of the month.
It is then only a simple matter to count backwards three days and 3 nights from the end of the 17th day, counting backwards to the starting point of His crucifixion and burial, at the end of the 14th day. The 14th must have been a 4th day of the week.
Since Yahushua is our example in all things, we now understand that the Feast of Firstfruits occurs the day after the weekly Sabbath.
Countdown to Pentecost
This Feast of Early Firstfruits also marked “Day 1″ of the 50-day count to the Feast of Shavuot, also called Pentecost, the Feast of Weeks, and Feast of Latter Firstfruits. We are told that Shavuot is also a day of Firstfruits for the next crop, the wheat (Lev 23:15-17; Lev 2:1; Ex 29:2).
Yahuweh has instructed His people to count 50 days, or a total of 7 Sabbaths, to an end-point of the Feast of Pentecost, occurring on the morrow after the 7th Sabbath. The prophetic significance of Pentecost will be seen in a subsequent writing.
This countdown of 50 days is known as the ‘Omer Count,’ and is to be made daily, in order to mark the great importance of certain days leading up to and including the 50th day. The resurrection and appearance of Yahushua on earth occurred during the first 40 days of the omer count. Likewise His ascension on the 40th day, and the pouring out of His Set-Apart Spirit on the 50th day, all occurred on significant day-counts within the Omer Count.
We are to watch these daily and diligently! For we do not know which day WE may be harvested as a kind of firstfruits (James 1:18)!
The 50-day countdown to Shavuot may be done easily by using a 50-day chart. Here is a convenient Omer Count chart for 2009.
Since Passover 2009 is April 10th, and Feast of Unleaven is April 11, we then see that Firstfruits 2009 is Sunday, April 12, 2009, and also ‘Day 1′ of the countdown to Pentecost.
Conclusion
The Passover and other Feasts are not exclusively for our Jewish Brethren, but for all of Yahuweh’s Redeemed people, including those grafted-in by Faith.
The Feast of Firstfruits for 2009 is Sunday, April 12, 2009.
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