Saturday=April 2 730 8pm William Bell Firstfruits 1

Good evening and welcome to the All Things Fulfilled broadcast presented to you by the Range Road Church of Christ. I am William Bell. It is always a pleasure to be with you and we thank you for tuning in to our broadcast right here on the NOW Network. We encourage you to do so every Saturday from 6.30 to 7 p.m. Central Time from 7.30 until 8 p.m. Eastern Time. In addition, we encourage you to visit our website at allthingsfulfilled.com for many more blog posts, articles, videos that you can download or just go there and read and watch and view so that you can take advantage of additional information that we share with you on these topics. We also encourage you to go to our YouTube channel and on YouTube you'll find over 700 videos and we continue to upload them on a regular basis. 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Also visit our website and check out our products page so that you can see what kind of additional resources that may be available for you such as books, audios, videos and even tracks that you can use to help spread the message to others so we want to encourage you to take advantage of those. Now today we're going to continue on our topic of the regathering of Israel to the land but we're going to explain what that means to regather Israel to the land and so our topic is the regathering of Israel and the offering of the first fruits in the land and in this study we're going to examine the restoration of Israel during the time of the first century. We have groups out there who are yet waiting on the regathering of Israel and this is a huge disappointment for many people because number one it's never going to happen in the way that they are imagining. We've already had one group among them or at least that's associated with them in some way who were under the impression that there was going to be a 400 year return counting from 1619 to 1919 and therefore they were going to or 2019 I guess would have been more accurate where they were going to go to return back to the land of Israel. Well that date has come and gone. I had several conversations with people about it and told them that nothing was going to happen and so there you have a big disappointment. Now if the groups that are out there today had put a date on when they would return they would likewise be disappointed but see they're not going to put a date on it. They just think it's going to be at some unknown time in the future. Then we have those who had some had gone back in 1948 and several particularly among Christian groups believe that was a return or regathering to the land but we're going to show you from scripture that none of those things could be true and we're going to show you why they are not true because we're going to talk about the first fruits and one of the promises or the teachings concerning the first fruits and the firstborn was that they were only to celebrate and offer the first fruits in the land of Israel and when we look at that we will see that when the new testament speaks of the first fruits it is thereby telling us that the regathering has occurred or was in the process of occurring in the first century and to understand who the first fruits are also indicates the fact that this was something that had already occurred in the first century and that as you're reading your new testament you see the process as an ongoing process that was consummated in the time of the destruction of Jerusalem. So let's go ahead and get underway with that. As we said there's tons of misinformation out there and a lot of people have just committed themselves to being self-deceived to error to false notions and sometimes when you do that you just can't hear and you can't recognize the truth. We hope that you will open your minds so that you'll be able to hear and see this as we read it and we encourage you to read along with us as we look at various passages. Now another problem that people have with understanding the restoration of Israel is the nature of that restoration. They believe that it's a restoration in the same manner and type that was under the old covenant during old testament times when God was relating to Israel as a nation where they had their land, they had the temple, they had their priesthood, etc. But you see there's been a change, an acknowledged change to those things. No more temple, no more Levitical priesthood, no more animal sacrifices, none of those things, no more land as far as that goes and therefore that change represents a change in the nature of how God deals with Israel. And so a study of the first fruits will reveal Israel's gathering occurred in the first century that it was permanent, that it was unrelated to real estate and that it finds its fulfillment and found its fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now let's talk about the first fruits in general. The first fruits meant the first of the harvest from the womb or from the field. If you talk about the first fruits, you're talking about an agricultural concept. If you're talking about the first born, you're talking about the animal and human kingdoms. And so that's the meaning, but they're basically the same in concept as you will see as far as the scriptures are concerned. The first fruit was considered the best. It was brought as the first part of that offering that was to be given to God. And you see that with Cain in Genesis chapter four, where the Bible talks about Cain and Abel brought an offering, but Cain brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the best. And God acknowledged or had respect to Cain's, I mean to Abel's offering, but he did not have respect to Cain's offering. But nevertheless, we see that he talks about Cain brought of the first fruits of the flock. Now in the book of Exodus, we find where God speaks to Israel saying to them that they are the first born in Exodus chapter four, verses 22 through 23, the scripture says, then you shall say to Pharaoh, thus says the Lord, Israel is my first born. Now it's very interesting that he says this to Pharaoh, Israel is my first born. Why was he saying that? He was saying it because Israel would be in bondage under Pharaoh and they are in servitude. They are slaves. And as a result, they were to be delivered from that bondage into their own land. And God speaks of them as his first born. And that is prophetic in terms of speaking about them being the first born because in couched in those terms was his promise that he was going to deliver them in their own land because for them to truly be the firstborn, they had to be in their own land, in the promised land. And this is what was being indicated there. So he says, the Lord says, or thus says the Lord, Israel is my son, my firstborn. So I say to you, let my son go that he may serve me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed, I will kill your son, your first born. So God was going to redeem Israel through the blood of the firstborn of Egypt. But he tells Pharaoh and he warns him and he says, let them go. He commands him, let them go. Why? Because they are his firstborn. Why were they to be let go? So they could go into the land that God had promised them and thereby be confirmed, acknowledged as the firstborn, be accepted as the firstborn, as an offering before the Lord in their land. And so that's the importance of Exodus four verses 22 and 23. Now, when we look further in the book of Exodus, we further in chapter 13, we find that the first fruits were to be offered in the land. They were to be offered up to God in the land. So they couldn't do it in the land of Egypt. That's why God said, let my people go. So in verse 11 of chapter 13, the Bible says, and it should be when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites. Well, that was the land that he promised them. When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers and gives it to you that you shall set apart to the Lord, all that opened the womb. That is every firstborn that comes from an animal, which you have, the males shall be the Lords, but every firstborn of a donkey, you shall redeem with the lamb. And if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck and all the firstborn of man among your sons, you shall redeem. So it should be when your son asked you in time to come saying, what is this? Then you shall say to him by strength of hand, the Lord watch brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. And it came to pass when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, just as he had promised in Exodus 4, 22 and 23. Therefore, I sacrifice to the Lord all males that opened the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons, I redeem. It shall be as a sign on your hand and as frontlets between your eyes for by strength of hand, the Lord brought us out of Egypt. So do you see the correlation between the firstborn and Israel entering into the land? The text says that when they came into the land that God was giving them, then they were to offer up the firstborn. So the offering of the firstborn is a sign that Israel is in the land. Let us not forget that. That is so very important. It is so very key. And we need to make mention of it so that people understand the significance of the firstborn relative to being in the land. Now, the first fruits were only to be observed in the land. And that is the point that we are making. So just a couple of other points that we want to state. They're connected with the land of Israel or the firstborn, which is the promised land. It demonstrates ownership by God because they are set apart for him, making them holy to the Lord. It was only the males who were the firstborn. It was a sign of deliverance from Egypt, a demonstration of the power of God. It was also a symbolic resurrection. In other words, when you take the firstborn, they were being taken out of bondage and that bondage of Egypt symbolized the bondage of sin and death. And so in taking them out of Egypt, it was indicative and implied they're being raised out of bondage and placed into their own land where there was life because the temple would be there. God would be there. And that would indicate life because God is life. And then it says, and all the firstborn were redeemed. They had a value above the other Israelites from that perspective. And it indicates that redemption and the firstborn go hand in hand. Now they were to be observed only in the land of Israel in Leviticus chapter 23, beginning at verse 10. The Bible says, speak to the children of Israel and say to them, when you come into the land, which I give you notice very, very key. When you come into the land, which I give you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. So notice when they come into the land and to reap its harvest, they were to bring a sheaf of the first fruits of their harvest to the priest. So the first fruits were offered when they came into the land, they were to be offered at the time of the harvest. And more particularly, it was the time of the beginning of the harvest. And in this case, at the beginning of the barley harvest. And the reason I say that is because there were two portions of first fruits. One portion was offered at the time of the Passover in connection with the barley harvest. And this is the one that we're looking at in Leviticus 23 and verse 10. And so the barley harvest was offered during the time of the Passover. In the New Testament, we will see a first fruit harvest at the time of the Passover. At this harvest, they were to offer a male lamb without blemish. And in Leviticus 23 and verse 12, he says, and you shall offer on that day when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year without blemish as a burnt offering to the Lord. This is also called the first of the first fruits. Remember, we said there were two portions of first fruits. And so the offering that took place during the time of Passover was called the first of the first fruits. This is Exodus chapter 23. And the verse is 19. We'll be back to Leviticus in just a moment. The first of the first fruits of your land, notice of your land, you shall bring into the house of the Lord, your God, you shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk. And so he's telling them that they were to bring in the first fruits of the land. And they were even to let the young goats be weaned before they would bring them in, I suppose, even if they were first born. But nevertheless, at the beginning of this barley harvest, they were to take the first fruits of their land and bring it into the house of the Lord. Secondly, here's the second portion of the first fruits. And we're back in Leviticus chapter 23. In Leviticus 23, beginning at verse 15, all the way through to verse 20, we have the second portion of first fruits mentioned. The Bible here says, and you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. So that refers back to that barley harvest at the time of Passover. So they were to count seven Sabbaths. And the text says, uh, from the time that you brought, or the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Verse 16, count 50 days to the day after the seventh Sabbath, then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord. So this is a new, a grain offering, a new first fruits offering, but this first fruits offering was to be offered at the time of the wheat harvest. So you have the time of the barley harvest, which was associated with the Passover. And then 50 days later, uh, after the seventh Sabbaths on the morrow, after the Sabbath, which would have been what we commonly know as the day of Pentecost. And on that day, they were to offer a second portion of the first fruits. It says in verse 17, you should bring from your dwellings, two wave loaves, two tenths of an effort. They shall be a fine flour. They shall be baked with leaven. They are the first fruits to the Lord. And you shall offer with the bread, seven lambs of the first year without blemish, one young bull and two rams. They shall be as a burnt offering to the Lord with their grain offering and their drink offerings. And excuse me, an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma to the Lord. Verse 19. Then you shall sacrifice one kid of the goats as a sin offering and two male lambs of the first year as a sacrifice of a peace offering. The priests shall wave them with the bread of the first fruits as a wave offering before the Lord with two lambs. They shall be Holy to the Lord for the priests. So now you see the second offering of first fruits was to be done on the day of Pentecost, that counting of seven Sabbaths after the moral, um, and rather, and the day or the model after the seventh Sabbath, making up the 50 days because seven times seven, of course is 49. And then one day added to that would be 50 days. And from that, we have the day of Pentecost. That is when the second offering of first fruits were to be taken. That was the time of the wheat harvest. Now that was the new grain offering associated with it was a sin offering and a peace offering. And they were to offer those when they came into the land. So we should not lose sight of the fact that this first fruits offering would take place in connection with Israel going into the land. Now in the new Testament, Christ is offered up as the first of the first fruits at the time of the Passover. That is not by mistake. That is very intentional on the part of God. It is very deliberate and it was God's will that Christ would be offered up. Why? Because he is considered our Passover first Corinthians chapter five and verse seven, but he was offered up on the Passover Israel's festival, uh, day, uh, their feast day, which occurred on the 14th day of the first month. And, uh, this was the first of the first fruits that was during the time of the barley harvest. So now hopefully you can see a correlation between the first of the first fruits under Israel's festival calendar and what those things were typifying throughout Israel's generations. They were really pointing forward to the ministry of Christ and his apostles. But this is what we're looking at. So when the Bible tells us that Christ is the first fruit, then it's also telling us that Christ has entered into the land because the first fruits could not be offered apart from that. Now we're going to further explain what we mean by Christ entering into the land, but that is the connection between the first fruits in the old covenant and the first fruits in the new. Now he was crucified. Sure enough. The Bible says in Matthew 26 in verse two, you know, that after two days is notice the Passover and the son of man will be delivered up to be crucified. That's not a mere coincidence that it occurred at the time of the Passover. And so Jesus was also the lamb of God. Remember a lamb had to be offered up in John one and the verse is 29. The Bible says the next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Notice that we're dealing with the sin offering here as well. But the point is he was a lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world. And of course, that takes place a little bit later, beginning on the day of Pentecost, as far as taking away the sin of the world. But he died for that purpose. And it's very important that we recognize that his dying as the lamb of God in first Peter chapter one, verses 18 and 19. The scripture says, knowing that you were not redeemed, there's our word redeemed. These are all Exodus motifs. Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. Now, again, we see this lamb associated with this concept. And so in Revelation five and verse six, and I looked and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures and in midst of the elders stood a lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Now, when it says, as though it had been slain, that's looking backward to the time of Jesus's crucifixion. But now he is no longer in that state. He has risen from the dead and has become what the Bible says as the first fruits of those who slept. Now Christ therefore is called the firstborn for that reason in Roman chapter eight and the verses 29, the scripture says for whom he foreknew. He also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn watch among many brethren. Well, where do those brethren come from? He would be the firstborn among many brethren in Colossians chapter one and verse 18, the scripture says, and he is the head of the body, the church who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead. So it is in Jesus's resurrection from the dead that he becomes the firstborn, that in all things, he may have the preeminence. And again, in Hebrews one and verse six, the Bible says, but when he again brings the firstborn into the world, he says, let all the angels of God worship him. So from that, we can see that Jesus Christ is the firstborn in first Corinthians chapter 15. And the verse is 23. The Bible says in that chapter, uh, concerning the resurrection, but every man in his own order, now watch Christ, the first fruits afterward, those who are Christ at his coming, Christ was the first of the first fruits. And that's how we should understand that. So if we read it that way, it would simply say Christ, the first of the first fruits, the first roots afterward, those who are Christ at his coming. And that's the way it should be understood because Christ is the first of the first fruits. Now we're going to have to close the message here because we're just out of time and we won't be able to complete everything that we wanted to say about this. And so we're going to pick this up in our lesson on next week, when we talk about the resurrection and the first fruits. And we're going to talk about a bit more because we're going to look at the second portion of the first fruits and what's involved with them. But, uh, certainly, uh, we need to see how Christ is also related to that subject of being delivered out of bondage, of being delivered out of Egypt, of being delivered out of the, the metaphorical house of Pharaoh and into a new land into a new covenant. All of that is a part of, uh, what's involved in the first fruits. So just in quick and short review, remember the first fruits was an offering to the Lord. It could only be offered in the land and therefore to talk about the first roots, whether in the old Testament or the new is to talk about Israel being in the land. And the first we see is Christ himself. That's all the message that we have for today. We'll be back on next week to share another part of this theme on the first fruits and Israel in the land until next week. I'm William Bell saying you have a very pleasant good afternoon and may God bless you.