The FirstFruits of GOD’s Heart
Desire
What Is Firstfruits?
The word “firstfruits” is a plural
noun.
The firstfruits is holy and sacred.
It is morally and spiritually excellent—already devoted to God and not to man.
Christ
the Firstfruits of God
Christ
the Messiah is “the
Firstfruits” of God.
First, He is “the Firstfruits of Creation”:
Who
is the Image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of every creature:
For
by Him were all things created, that are in Heaven, and that are in earth,
visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or
principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him:
And
He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.
Col
1:15-17 KJV
Christ is the visible Image of the unseen
God. He existed before all things; He is the Creator of all things. He is
supreme over all.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God.
The
same was in the beginning with God.
All
things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.
John
1:1-3 KJV
He is “Firstborn among many brothers”
(Rom. 8:29 NIV).
Hebrews 1:6 reveals something which happened
when the Son of God came into the habitable world:
And
again, when God brings His Firstborn into the world, He says,
"Let
all God's angels worship Him."
Heb
1:6 NIV
He is “the Firstbegotten” of the Father.
Secondly, He is “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep”.
But
Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have
fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead
comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made
alive.
1
Cor 15:20-22 NIV
King James Version records:
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.
Christ is the Firstfruits of all that are
part of the new creation. He is “The Resurrection And The Life”—the First,
raised to life.
He is “the First of the firstfruits.”
The
first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the
Lord thy God.
Ex
23:19a KJV
Since
Jesus rendered His priestly offering to The Father, He awaits for His enemies
to be made His footstool (Heb.10:13-14).
The
Saints as the Firstfruits of the Spirit
The
saints of God, who are the truly regenerated humans, of all generations, since
Adam, are collectively “the firstfruits
of the Spirit.”
Even
the nation of Israel was a type of firstfruits to God.
Prophet
Jeremiah recorded:
Israel
was holy to The Lord,
the
firstfruits of His harvest;
all
who devoured her were held guilty,
and
disaster overtook them,'"
declares The Lord.
Jeremiah
2:3 NIV
All
that are redeemed by the Blood; the glorified saints in Heaven, and the
believers who are still in the earth, Jew and Gentiles, of all nationalities,
all eagerly wait for their “adoption as sons”; “the redemption of their bodies.’
This
is so because; they are “the firstfruits of the Spirit.”
Not
only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan
inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our
bodies.
Rom
8:23 NIV
It’s
quite a pity that there are many preachers today, who exploit their
congregations of material things, claiming by their teachings that such are the
biblical “firstfruits.”
God's
primary business for His Kingdom is 'soul winning' not material wealth acquisition
or accumulation!
Therefore,
the Lord’s “firstfruits” is not first crop harvested!
His
firstfruits are not the first harvest of the season or year! And neither is it
money!
We
are God’s firstfruits!
The Resurrection is a harvest; ‘a harvest of souls.’ It is God's harvest of the spirit and soul of
man clothed in a new body. Just like the first crop harvest by the farmers, so will be the
Rapture of the saints. It will be the first harvest of the Resurrection season.
The next harvest would be in the time of The Second Coming Of Christ, when
He comes to the earth with His angels for “the Calling Away” of the
Elect-144,000.
Christ
Jesus is the Firstfruits of God and in accord, we are His firstfruits being
acknowledged as heirs of God and co-heirs (joint heirs) with Christ.
But
Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the Firstfruits of those who have
fallen asleep.
1
Cor 15:20 NIV
Christ
rose first; and as a result, being the very Plan and Purpose of God for our
redemption, we too who have come to believe in Him and received Him shall be
raised on the Resurrection Morning.
But
each in his own turn: Christ, The Firstfruits; then, when He comes, those who
belong to Him.
1
Cor 15:23 NIV
God predestined us to be adopted as His sons
through Jesus Christ (see Eph 1:5).
As part of the First Resurrection, we shall
be raised in proper order! This, our Lord Jesus Christ has already promised us,
giving us guarantee by His Holy Spirit, by Whom He has sealed us unto that
great Day of Redemption!
We
have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body (physical body) of Jesus
Christ on the cross (read Heb.10:10).
Our
transformed bodies will never grow old. They will be incapable of pain. There
will be no wrinkles on our faces. With youthful radiance we shall appear before
Him in His glorious Image. We shall be completely new, and it will be
wonderful!
Jesus is “the First of the firstfruits” and
we are “the firstfruits.”
The
first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the
Lord thy God.
Ex
23:19a KJV
After our Lord Jesus accomplished His
priestly work on earth, He went up into Heaven [the house of the Lord] and
appeared before the Father, with His precious Blood. He went into the Holy of
Holy ahead of us, as “the First of the firstfruits,” and that day, His priestly
work was established.
We are a part of “the Church of the
Firstborn” which has its headquarter in Heaven (Heb. 12:23).
And
He is the Head of the body, the Church: Who is the Beginning, the Firstborn
from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence.
Col
1:18 KJV
Both Enoch and Noah are part of “the
First Resurrection.”
The ‘Calling Away’ of Enoch from the
earth by God was a type of “the Rapture” which now, is imminent.
But, Noah and his family saved from the
Flood by the ark speaks of the Elect (144,000) redeemed from among men at the
end of the 3 ½ years Great Tribulation.
The Rapture saints will be
offered to God as “a glorious Church”, not
having spot, or wrinkle (Eph 5:27 KJV). We have
the firstfruits of The Spirit (Romans 8:23).
The New International Version in Romans
11:16 says:
If the part of the dough offered as
firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are
the branches.
The
TLB version gives us a more insight into this:
And since Abraham and the prophets are God's
people, their children will be too. For if the roots of the tree are holy, the
branches will be too.
The
Saints as the Firstfruits of God’s Creation
Like
Jesus, we are “a kind of firstfruits” of God’s creation.
Of
His own Will begat He us with the Word of Truth, that we should be a kind of
firstfruits of His creatures.
James
1:18 KJV
This
verse speaks of both the spiritual and natural creations. In the supernatural, we are given
birth through “the Word of Truth.” God chose to give us birth
through His Word, that we might be ‘a kind of
firstfruits’ of all He created.
“The
Elect” as Firstfruits to God and the Lamb
“The
Elect” in Revelation 14 also, are firstfruits
to God the Father and to the Lamb.
Then
I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with
Him 144,000 who had His Name and His Father's Name written on their foreheads. And
I heard a sound from Heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud
peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their
harps. And they sang a new song before the Throne and before the four living
creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who
had been redeemed from the earth. These are those who did not defile themselves
with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever He
goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and
the Lamb.
Rev
14:1-4 NIV
In
this prophetic passage of future fulfillment, The Lamb stood on Mount Zion, in
the New Jerusalem and with Him 144,000 [men] who had His Name and His Father's
Name inscribed on their foreheads.
None
amongst this group is a woman, as this is clearly indicated in verse 4:
These
are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves
pure. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They were purchased from among men
and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb.
These
are they who have no sexual relations with women; they are spiritually
undefiled, pure virgins. And they are preserved as natural virgins throughout
their lifetime on the earth.
They
follow the Lamb wherever He goes.
They have been purchased from among [the men]
on the earth as a consecrated offering— they have been ransomed—redeemed—purchased
as “firstfruits” to God and the Lamb.
Foreshadow
of Spiritual Reality
The
law is only a shadow of the good things that
are
coming — not the realities themselves.
Hebrews
10:1a NIV
Dedication
of “the firstfruits” in the Old Testament was an act of worship.
God
required "a sheaf of the first grain" from the Israelites.
The
Lord said to Moses, "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you
enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the
priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. He is to wave the sheaf before
the Lord so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the
day after the Sabbath.
Lev
23:9-11 NIV
The
sheaf of the firstfruits presented on “the morrow after the Sabbath”; which was
on the first day of the week, points to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ in the
New Covenant.
He
arose on the first day of the week; and ‘the firstfruits’ were waved before the
Lord on the first day of the week (the morrow after the Sabbath).
The
waving of the sheaf before the Lord by the priest means, that it is presented
to God, offered to Him on behalf of the bringer of the sheaf; then it is
weighed and accepted by God.
Our
“Eternal High Priest” is the One Who offers our spirits to God as His
firstfruits from the earth; and He is “the Lord of the Harvest” Who will one
day present us before the glorious Presence of the Father and His angels.
A "sheaf" prophetically is ‘the soul of man’ ripe for
spiritual harvest.
So,
the psalmist wasn’t referring to natural sheaves, but “spiritual sheaves,” when
he wrote:
He
who goes out weeping,
carrying
seed to sow,
will
return with songs of joy,
carrying
sheaves with him.
Psa
126:6 NIV
This
also is the reason why in Joseph’s Dream in Genesis 37, his sheaf rose up, but
his brother’s sheaves bowed down to his, revealing that he would become a
prince [ruler] over his brethren.
A
“spiritual sheaf” in the sight of the Lord is a ‘precious seed.’
Firstfruits
in the Old Covenant has its fulfillment in the New Covenant—which is a divine
spiritual reality; the Resurrection, is that reality. The
(Jewish) “Feast of FirstFruits” is all about ‘the harvest of souls.’
Each
of the Lord's Appointed Feasts for Israel in the Old Testament had its
requirement and significance (see Leviticus 23:1-14).
God demanded from His people, “the firstfruits”
in the Old Testament as a sign of His Covenant with His people:
And
the first of all the firstfruits of all things, and every oblation of all, of
every sort of your oblations, shall be the priest's: ye shall also give unto
the priest the first of your dough, that he may cause the blessing to rest in
thine house.
Ezek
44:30 KJV
If you belong to Christ Jesus, then you are a part of “the
firstfruits of God’s heart desire” which will be made morally and spiritually
excellent—even as you are already devoted to God and not to man, for Christ has
reconciled you to God in the body of His flesh through death, in order to
present you holy, sacred, and faultless and irreproachable in the Presence of
the Father.
The
only condition is that you fully believe the Truth, standing in it steadfast
and firm, strong in the Lord, convinced of the Good News that Jesus died for
you, and never shifting from trusting Him to save you. This is the wonderful
News that came to each and every one of us, and is now being preached all over
the world! (Read Col. 1:22-23).
Now unto Him that is able to keep
you from falling, and to present you faultless before the Presence of His Glory
with exceeding joy,
To the only Wise God our Saviour, be
Glory and Majesty, Dominion and Power, both now and ever. Amen.
Jude 24-25 KJV