05 8th, 2024Our Creator, Almighty Yahweh has a specific timetable that He is following. That timetable is depicted by His feast days that are listed in Leviticus 23. They are based on the literal agricultural harvest of Israel which is a type of the resurrection or harvest of souls (Matthew 13:24-30,36-43). The literal harvests of Israel took place in various stages. The harvest of souls is no different.
The first stage of the harvest takes place with the offering of the first of the firstfruits of barley (Leviticus 23:10,11). The main barley harvest could not begin until the firstfruits were offered to and accepted by Yahweh. The first stage of the harvest was fulfilled by Messiah’s resurrection and ascension. The second stage took place with the main barley harvest. That harvest precedes the wheat harvest. It was fulfilled by the resurrection of many saints of old (Matthew 27:52,53). These saints did not die again, but were taken to heaven just as Yeshua was. The third stage was the offering of the firstfruits of the wheat harvest (Leviticus 23:17). That will be fulfilled by the resurrection at the sound of the seventh and last trumpet. At that time only the firstfruits of the harvest of souls in Messiah will be resurrected and offered up to Yahweh. Since two loaves of bread were waved in Leviticus 23:17, each loaf is a separate stage of the resurrection. Therefore, the second wave loaf will be called stage four of the harvest. It will be fulfilled before the end of the seventh trumpet whereas stage three is fulfilled at the beginning of the seventh trumpet. Stage five of the harvest takes place at the reaping of the main wheat harvest (Matthew 13). That will be fulfilled after the destruction of the wicked at Armageddon.
The Five Stages of the First Resurrection
1) First of the firstfruits of the barley harvest
2) The main barley harvest
3) First loaf representing the firstfruits of the wheat harvest.
4) Second loaf representing the firstfruits of the wheat harvest.
5) The main wheat harvest.
The parable of the wheat and the tares of Matthew 13 deals with the entire wheat harvest whereas the Feast of Weeks/Shavuot deals with only the firstfruits of the wheat harvest (Exodus 34:22). If the wheat harvest pictures the resurrection of all believers, then who do the firstfruits represent? In Revelation 14:4, the 144,000 are said to be “the firstfruits unto Elohim and the Lamb”. We can learn more about the firstfruits in Leviticus 23:15-21 where it deals specifically with Shavuot.
In verse 17 of Leviticus 23 we are told that two wave loaves of leavened bread represent “the firstfruits unto Yahweh.” Leaven is symbolic of sin. Therefore, these wave loves represent people, not Messiah. Messiah is represented by the unleavened grain offering of Leviticus 23:13. If the 144,000 are the firstfruits, then either one loaf equals 72,000 people or each loaf consists of 144,000 people totaling 288,000 believers. The latter is true; there are two groups of 144,000 believers representing the firstfruits and totaling 288,000.
The group in Revelation 14:4 was not “defiled with women.” What are women symbolic of in scripture? Babylon the great is spoken of as a mother that has harlot daughters (Revelation 17:5). These women (the mother and her daughters) represent false religious systems. Therefore the 144,000 in Revelation 14 were not defiled by false religions. This could only speak of the early assembly before corruption set in. This corruption was just beginning in the Apostle Paul’s day since he spoke about wolves and false teachers within the assembly. This early group of 144,000 saints kept themselves pure and undefiled by that corruption.
They are called “virgins” in verse 4 which has an even deeper meaning than not being defiled by false religions. According to Leviticus 21:10,13,14, the high priest was only permitted to marry a virgin of his own people. Yeshua is now Yahweh’s High Priest. Therefore, his bride must be a virgin Israelite. Since this group of 144,000 are virgins and since they are from the early assembly that was comprised of only Israelites, they must be Yeshua’s bride.
Yeshua was speaking to part of his future bride (his disciples) in John 14:2-4. They will be among the 144,000 of Revelation 14. What is even more interesting is how a literal Israelite wedding is symbolized in Yeshua’s prophesy. Reading from the “Aid to Bible Understanding,” Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, Pennsylvania, 1969, pages 114,115; “As to the wedding itself, the central and characteristic feature was the solemn bringing of the bride from her father’s home on the date agreed upon to her husband’s home, in which act the significance of marriage as representing admission of the bride into the family of her husband found expression. … The bridegroom took the bride to his house, or the tent or house of his parents.” Yeshua, the bridegroom, will return to his brides home, earth, and take her back to his father’s house, in heaven, where they will spend seven years celebrating. Seven days was the usual time for an Israelite wedding celebration.
Now let’s look at the 144,000 of Revelation 7:1-4. The winds that are being held back represent the wrath of Almighty Yahweh that begins the Day of Yahweh. Since that is a future end-time event, this group of 144,000 is sealed over 1900 years after the group in Revelation 14. The group in Revelation 7 are alive in the latter days and the group in Revelation 14 were alive in the Apostolic days (the former days).
There is another instrumental factor involved in the development of a successful harvest; that is, the former and latter rains. Without these two rainy seasons, the harvest would not be fruitful. Let’s read a few verses concerning this.
Hosea 6:3 – “Then shall we know, if we follow on to know Yahweh: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.”
James 5:7 – “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Master. Behold, the husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receives the early and latter rain.”
When the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the believers in Acts 2, it was the fulfillment of the former rain; the Holy Spirit being “living waters” (John 7:38,39). The former rain was instrumental in the development of the 144,000 of Revelation14. The latter rain will be poured out in the latter days and will be instrumental in the development of the 144,000 of Revelation7. That latter rain, incidentally, will be poured out on the Feast of Weeks / Shavuot at some point in the future. It will only be poured out on those obedient saints that are keeping that feast on the correct day as were the saints in Acts 2.
There is one other scriptural reference to these 288,000 saints. It is found in 1 Chronicles 27:1-15. We know that Aaron, for example, was a “type” of Yeshua our High Priest; that the Israelite passage through the Red Sea was a type of baptism, etc. The 288,000 firstfruits are also the fulfillment of a type. They are the anti-type of that which is spoken of in 1 Chronicles 27. The captains and officers of verse 1 were to serve King David in any matter that arose throughout the year. This statement is fulfilled by that in Revelation 14:4, “These are they which follow the Lamb wherever he goes.” King David is a type of King Yeshua, the anti-type. Just as these servants in 1 Chronicles 27:1 served King David in all matters of his kingdom, the 288,000 firstfruits serve King Yeshua in all matters of his kingdom.
Verses 2-15 tell us there were 24,000 officers that served the king each month for 12 months (12 x 24,000 = 288,000). Two wave loaves with 144,000 people representing each loaf = 288,000. King Yeshua has a government to run. His saints will rule with a rod of iron by his side (Revelation 2:26,27; 12:5). The 288,000 firstfruits will be the highest ranking officers in that kingdom government. Everyone else resurrected in the main harvest will be reigning in a position of lesser importance in the kingdom (Revelation 20:4).
In summation, Revelation 14:1-5 is a vision of the first group of firstfruits to be resurrected. These saints were resurrected during the third stage of the first resurrection that is pictured in Revelation 12:5. The fourth stage of the first resurrection will occur in Revelation 14:14-16. Then the second group of firstfruits representing the second wave loaf of Leviticus 23:17 will be resurrected. This group includes the 144,000 that were sealed in Revelation7 and have since lost their lives at the hands of the beast.
Revelation 14:1-5 does not necessarily follow Revelation13 in the story flow since it concerns heavenly events that may not coincide with the earthly events that are spoken of.
The saints that are harvested in Revelation 14:14-16 are seen standing on the sea of glass in Revelation 15:2. They have been resurrected and brought before the throne of Yahweh in heaven. Again, they are the 144,000 that were sealed in Revelation 7, later persecuted by the beast of Revelation 13 and killed because they would not worship it nor receive its mark.
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