We have already begun the spring moedim the Appointed Times of our ELOHIM and we just completed celebrating Pesach and The Feast of Unleavened Bread. Now coming up on April 18th will be First-Fruits, which is the day of counting the omer the 50 day count to Shavuot. It’s not a Shabbat so you do not have to take off work this day.
Leviticus 23:9-16
“And YAHWEH spoke to Moses, saying, “speak to the children of Yisra’el, and you shall say to them, ‘When you come into the land which I give you, and shall reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest to the priest. ‘And he shall wave the sheaf before YAHWEH, for your acceptance. On the morrow after the Shabbat the priest waves it. ‘And on that day when you shall wave the sheaf, you shall prepare a male lamb a year old, a perfect one, as a burnt offering to YAHWEH, and its grain offering: two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to YAHWEH, a sweet fragrance, and its drink offering: one-fourth of a hin of wine. ‘And you do not eat bread or roasted grain or fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your ELOHIM-a Law forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. And from the morrow after the Shabbat, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you shall count for yourselves, seven completed Sabbaths. Until the morrow after the seventh Shabbat you count fifty days, then you shall bring a new grain offering to YAHWEH.”
Aviv in Hebrew means the month of green ears of barley when the barley is ripening. The children of Yisra’el would take the first-fruits of the barley harvest which is the earliest and best of their crops and tie them into a bundle and bring it to the high priest. The high priest would then wave the sheaf (omer) before YAHWEH to accept the future crops and then begin the 50 day count to Shavuot. They were not allowed to put the sickle to grain nor eat any of the harvest until after this ceremony was completed. This reminded the children of Yisra’el that ELOHIM gave them this land and all the harvest belongs to Him.
As for the burnt offering that was made, we know that YESHUA is the Lamb of YAHWEH who takes away the sins of the world and offered Himself with His blood and not the blood of bulls and goats. It is important to see what YESHUA’s blood atonement had done for us and now intercedes for us as the High Priest who does not have to make continual slaughter offerings like the human high priest because He was sinless and unlike the human high priest He doesn’t die; therefore, He makes continual intercession for us. YESHUA fulfills the animal offerings for us with His blood and the sweet fragrance of the burnt offering that YAHWEH required, and Paul mentions this:
Ephesians 5:2
“And walk in love, as Mashiach (Messiah) also has loved us, and gave Himself for us, a gift and an offering to YAHWEH for a SWEET-SMELLING FRAGRANCE.”
The First-fruits confusion
Passover was on the 6th and the 7th was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (15th day of 1st month) and we know that YESHUA rose on the 3rd day. The problem is that we have all been taught, myself included, that the second day after Pesach is first-fruits the day YESHUA rose as our first-fruits. YESHUA DID rise on the third day to fulfill scripture; however, He didn’t have to be resurrected on that day to fulfill it. Reading Paul’s words we see the words “first-fruit” and automatically make the connection to the first-fruits in Leviticus 23:20. YESHUA is the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:20 meaning that those who are in the grave that lived for YESHUA will be resurrected as He was.
1 Corinthians 15:20-22
“But now Messiah has been raised from the dead, and has become the first-fruits of those having fallen asleep. For since death is through a man, resurrection of the dead is also through a Man. For as all die in Adam, so also all shall be made alive in Messiah.”
1 Thessalonians 4:16
“Because the Adon (Master) Himself shall come down from the heavens with a shout, with the voice of a chief messenger/angel, and with the trumpet of ELOHIM, and the dead IN Mashiach shall rise first. Then we, the living who are left over, shall be caught in the clouds to meet the Adon in the air…”
Enoch 49: 1-3
“For wisdom is poured out like water, and esteem failed not before Him for eternity. For He is mighty in all the secrets of righteousness, and unrighteousness shall disappear as a shadow, and have no continuance; because the ELECT ONE (YESHUA) stands before YAHWEH of hosts, and His esteem is forever and ever, and His might unto all generations. And in Him dwells the spirit of wisdom, and the spirit which gives insight, and the spirit of understanding and of might, and the spirit of THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP IN RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
So do we observe first-fruits the counting of the omer during the Feast of Unleavened Bread?
Leviticus 23 reveals that YAHWEH never overlapped or mixed the Feasts. YAHWEH separates them by saying “AND then YAHWEH spoke to Moshe”. Calendars today are lumping First-Fruits in with the Feast of Unleavened Bread; therefore beginning the count too early, while the observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is still going.
For example most started counting the omer (the 50 day count to Shavuot/Pentecost) on March 28th, however we are to begin counting on April 18th after The Feast of Unleavened Bread is completed to arrive at the 15th day of the THIRD MONTH which is June 6th on our Gregorian calendars. Keep the 15th day of the 3rd month in mind because the Scriptures below will show that is the day when Shavuot is to be celebrated.
The Appointed Times are separated and do not mix or overlap!
So Passover is on the 14th day of 1st month (Abib), feast of unleavened bread is on the 15th-21st of 1st month (Abib). And First-Fruits is on the 26th day of the 1st month of (Abib) AFTER the Feast of Unleavened bread is completed; then that morrow after the Sabbath is first-fruits which is April 18th. First-Fruits is tied to Shavuot so it cannot overlap with The Feast of Unleavened Bread, because they are separate.
Scriptural Timeline:
The Israelites left Egypt on 15th day of 1st month which is the first day of the feast of unleavened bread:
Exodus 12:17
“And you shall guard the Matzah (Feast of Unleavened Bread 15th Day of 1st Month), for on this SAME DAY I brought your divisions out of the land of Egypt. And you shall guard this day throughout your generations, an everlasting Law.”
And then exactly TWO MONTHS later on the 15th Day of the 3rd MONTH the Israelites arrive at Sinai.
Exodus 19:1
“In the THIRD MONTH after the children of Yisra’el had come out of the land of Egypt, on this day (on that same day 15TH) they came to the Wilderness of Sinai.” For they departed from Rephidim, and had come to the Wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. So Yisra’el camped there before the mountain.”
So basically, if we don’t start the count of First-Fruits on the 26th day of 1st month to get to the 15th day of the 3rd month, then Shavuot the beginning of the barley harvest will be celebrated a few weeks too soon, before the Israelites even entered into Sinai. The Book of Jubilees confirms this:
Jubilees shows us that the children of Yisra'el arrived on the 15th because YAHWEH spoke to Moses on the next day on the 16th after they camped when arriving.
Jubilees 1:1
“And it came to be in the first year of the children of Yisra’el coming out of Egypt, in the third month, on the sixteenth day of the month, that ELOHIM spoke to Moses…”
So do we know when to celebrate Shavuot?
Many will say that there is no date given in scripture to celebrate Shavuot, which is why there is so much confusion surrounding it. However, the Book of Jubilees which was discovered with the Dead Sea Scrolls alongside books like the Old Testament tell us exactly when to observe it.
Jubilees 15:1
“And in the fifth year of the fourth week of this Jubilee, in the THIRD MONTH, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH (15th Day) Abram celebrated the Festival of the First-Fruits (Shavuot) of the grain harvest.”
The Book of Enoch says there are only 30 days in a month; therefore, the middle of the month is the 15th day. Plus we have earlier witnesses in scripture that testifies to this when we look at the flood during the days of Noah.
Genesis 7:24
“And the waters were mighty on the earth, one hundred and fifty days.”
5 months X 30 days in a month= 150 days
Jubilees 16:13
“And she (Sarah) bore a son in the THIRD MONTH. And in the MIDDLE OF THE MONTH (15th Day) at the time of which YAHWEH had spoken to Abraham, on the Festival of the First-Fruits (Shavuot) of the Harvest, Isaac was born.”
So we see that Abraham celebrated Shavuot also known as First-Fruits in Jubilees because the two are connected by the 50 day counting of the omer. The messenger/angel goes into great detail about the two-fold meaning of The Festival of Shavuot and First-Fruits together:
Jubilees 6:15-21
“And He gave to Noah and his sons a sign that there should not be a flood on the earth again. He placed a rainbow in the cloud for a sign of the everlasting Covenant that there should not be a flood again on the earth to destroy it all the days of the earth. For this reason it is ordained and written on the tablets of the heavens, that they should celebrate the FESTIVAL OF SHAVUOT IN THIS MONTH ONCE A YEAR to renew the Covenant every year.” And this Festival was CELEBRATED IN THE HEAVENS from the day of creation till the days of Noah:twenty-six Jubilees and five weeks of years. And Noah and his sons observed it for seven Jubilees and one week of years, till the day of Noah’s death. And from the day of Noah’s death his sons forsook it until the days of Abraham, and they ate blood“But Abraham observed it, and Isaac, and Jacob, and his children observed it up to your days, and in your days the children of Yisra’el forgot it until you celebrated it anew on this mountain. And you shall command the children of Yisra’el to observe this Festival in all their generations for a Command unto them; one day in the year in this month (3rd MONTH) they shall celebrate the Festival. For it is the Festival of Shavuot AND THE FEAST OF FIRST-FRUITS: This Feast is twofold and double nature: according to what is written and engraved concerning it, celebrate it.”
The Festival of Shavuot is the same festival Abraham celebrated and was called the Festival of First-Fruits because they are connected and twofold and we have to remember that we slaves in Egypt. Which I’ll cover as Shavuot approaches for us to celebrate, ELOHIM willing.
Jubilees 44:1-8
“And Yisra’el took his journey from Haran from his house on the new moon of the THIRD MONTH, and he went on the way of Beersheba, and he offered an offering to the ELOHIM of his dad Isaac on the seventh of this month. And Jacob remembered the dream that he had seen at Beyth El, and he feared to go down to Egypt. And while he was thinking of sending word to Joseph to come to him, and that he would not go down, he remained there seven days, if it came to be he should see a vision as to whether he should remain or go down. And he celebrated the HARVEST FESTIVAL OF THE FIRST-FRUITS (15th day of 3rd month) with old grain, for in all the land of Canaan there was not a handful of seed, for scarcity of food was over all the beasts and cattle and birds, and also over man.” And on the sixteenth (16th) YAHWEH appeared to him, and said to him, Jacob, Jacob.” YAHWEH spoke to Jacob on the 16th after he celebrated Shavuot on the 15th day of 3rd month just as we saw in Jubilees 1:1 when YAHWEH spoke to Moses on the 16th day after they arrived in the Wilderness of Sinai on the 15th day of the 3rd month.
So if we count the 50 days starting on April 18th (on our Gregorian calendar) which is the 26th day of the 1st month on YAHWEH's calendar, then we will arrive in the middle of the 3rd MONTH (15th Day) when Noah and his sons celebrated it and also Abraham and his sons. So Shavuot will be observed this year on June 6th a NO WORK day. It is important to get the exact days of YAHWEH's appointed times because this is what the messenger/angel says concerning the days of YAHWEH:
Jubilees 6:32-35
“And you shall command the children of Yisra’el that they observe the years according to this reckoning: THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FOUR DAYS (364 days), and these shall constitute a complete year, and they shall not disturb its time from its days and from its Festivals; for all shall fall out in them according to their witness, and they shall not leave out any day nor disturb ANY FESTIVALS. But if they neglect and do not observe them according to His Command, then they shall disturb all their seasons, and the years shall be dislodged from this order; and they shall NEGLECT THEIR LAWS. And all the children of Yisra’el shall forget, and shall not find the path of the years, and shall forget the new moons, and seasons, and Shabbats, and they shall go astray as to all the order of the years. For I know, and from this time on I shall declare it to you, and it is not of my own devising; for the Book is written before me. And on the tablets of the heavens the division of days is ordained, lest they forget the FESTIVALS OF THE COVENANT and WALK ACCORDING TO THE FESTIVAL OF THE GENTILES after their straying and after their ignorance."
Enoch 74:12-14
“And the sun and the stars bring in all the years exactly, so that they do not advance or delay their position by a single day unto everlasting; but complete the years with PERFECT JUSTICE IN THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FOUR DAYS. In three years there are one thousand and ninety-two days ( 1,092 days divided by 3= 364), and in five years; one thousand eight hundred and twenty days 1, 820 days divided by 5=364), so that in eight years there are two thousand nine hundred and twelve days ( 2, 912 days divided by 8=364.)
What are we to do on it First Fruits?
As we read in Leviticus 23 that the Israelites were not to eat any grain of the new harvest until they brought their initial crops (first-fruits) and bring the barley sheaf to the priest so he could wave it before YAHWEH to accept the future crops and begin counting down the 50 days to the next Appointed Time which is The Festival of Shavuot aka The Festival of First Fruits aka Pentecost (50 in Greek).
Leviticus 23:12-14
“And on that day when you wave the sheaf, you shall prepare a male lamb a year old, a perfect one, as a burnt offering to YAHWEH, and its grain offering: two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to YAHWEH, a sweet fragrance, and its drink offering:one-fourth of a hin of wine.And you do not eat bread or roasted grain or fresh grain until the same day that you have brought AN OFFERING to your ELOHIM.”
Even if we wanted to do a burnt offering we cannot because we have no temple, we are not in Jerusalem, and we know that YESHUA gave Himself up once and for all with His own blood and not the blood of bulls and goats. This is what Paul says about how we can also apply this by living holy lives and being obedient to our ELOHIM!
Romans 12:1
“I call upon you, therefore, brothers, through the compassion of ELOHIM, to present your bodies a LIVING OFFERING-holy, well pleasing to ELOHIM-your reasonable worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you prove what is that good and well-pleasing and perfect desire of ELOHIM.”
1 Peter 2:4-5
“Drawing near to Him, a living Stone-rejected indeed by men, but chosen by YAHWEH and precious-you also, as living stones, are being built up, A SPIRITUAL HOUSE, a holy priesthood, to OFFER UP SPIRITUAL SLAUGHTER OFFERINGS acceptable to YAHWEH through YESHUA ha’Mashiach.”
Sirach 35:1
“He who guards the Law brings offerings enough; he who guards the Command offers a peace offering.”
Let us present ourselves as a living sacrifice and keep the commandments so that we offer up spiritual peace offerings to our ELOHIM; and begin the 50 day count to Shavuot the beginning of the barley harvest.
As always may our Father YAHWEH bless you in YESHUA’s Name!