Well welcome to
the second session of,
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The Secrets of Pentecost.
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I'm very
thankful that you're here.
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We have a very
exciting topic to study today.
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The title is, The First Fruits.
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And it's very closely
related to the day of Pentecost.
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However, before
we open God's word,
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we want to ask
for God's guidance.
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And so I invite you to bow
your heads with me as we pray.
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Father in heaven, we
come before Your throne
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recognizing our own
ignorance, our lack of wisdom.
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Therefore, we need Your wisdom.
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We need Your
intelligence from on high.
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Because You know all things.
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So we ask that as we study this
topic about the first fruits,
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that Your Holy Spirit
will be with us to open our
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understanding and to
open our hearts to receive
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that which You have for us.
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And we thank You,
Father, for the privilege
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of approaching
Your throne in prayer.
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And we thank You for hearing us.
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Because we ask it
in Jesus' name, amen.
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It was the Sunday
of the triumphal entry
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of Jesus into Jerusalem.
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As Jesus had entered Jerusalem,
a group of Greeks approached
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the apostle Phillip.
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And they were hoping that
Phillip would use His influence
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to get them an
appointment with Jesus.
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I'd like to read about that
as it's found in John 12:20-22.
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Now the reply of Jesus to
this request was surprising.
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Because it seemed to be
totally unrelated to the request
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that the Greeks made.
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Let's notice the reply
of Jesus in John 12:23-24.
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Now the answer of Jesus appears
to be somewhat disjointed
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from the question
that the Greeks had asked.
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What's happening here?
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Well let me explain.
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The Greeks wanted
an interview with Jesus
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because they were desirous
of Jesus to go to Greece
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to teach and to perform
some of the works of healing
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that He had
performed in the Holy Land.
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And they wanted Jesus
to come to their country.
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It just so happens
that the answer of Jesus
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was very clear and very direct
that His role was not to go
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to Greece at that time because
He had His face steadfast
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towards Jerusalem.
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Jesus knew that He had to die.
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If He didn't die, then
any preaching or any healing
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among the Greeks
would be totally fruitless.
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You see, that grain of wheat was
none other than Jesus Christ.
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And as the grain of
wheat falls into the earth
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the seed dies, and then it
sprouts forth to life again.
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Jess was going to die, He
was going to go to the tomb,
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and then He was
going to sprout up again.
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He was going to resurrect.
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And when Jesus resurrected,
as a result, then there would be
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much fruit among the
Gentiles and among the Greeks.
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And so Jesus said, "If I don't
fall into the ground and die,
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and sprout for
again in resurrection,
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I will remain a
solitary grain of wheat.
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But if I fall into the earth
and I die, and I sprout forth
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to new life, then
there will be much fruit.
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There will be many
conversions to the truth."
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Now in order to understand
what we're going to study today,
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we need to comprehend the spring
feasts of the Hebrew calendar.
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There were four
feasts that were celebrated
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in the spring in Israel.
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I'm going to review those
so that we have the context
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for what we're going to
study in our topic today.
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The first feast
was the Passover.
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And referring to
the times of Christ,
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the Passover was fulfilled
on the sixth day of the week.
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That is, on Friday.
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Which was the
fourteenth day of Nissan.
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Now on the
Passover, the lamb was slain.
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And of course, that
represented the death of Christ
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on that very day.
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And then after this we have
the next feast, which is the
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Feast of Unleavened Bread.
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The Feast of Unleavened
Bread took place on Sabbath,
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the day after the Passover,
with regards to Christ.
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The Unleavened Bread took place
on the fifteenth day of Nissan.
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And basically, the children
of Israel ate unleavened bread.
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And the reason why is
because in fulfillment,
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the unleavened bread
represented the body of Christ
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which had no sin.
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That's why the
bread had no leaven.
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And then you
have a third festival,
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which is the
Festival of the First Fruits.
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That was fulfilled in
Christ on Sunday morning.
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It was fulfilled on the
sixteenth day of Nissan.
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Now in type, a sheaf
was taken and it was waved
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at the entrance of the
Sanctuary before the Lord.
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And of course, that
was fulfilled when Jesus
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ascended to heaven
and He presented Himself
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before His Father on
resurrection morning.
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And we're going to study all
of these things in more detail.
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But I want you to
have the picture now.
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And then after the sheaf
was waved before the Lord,
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a period of fifty days went by,
and then you have what is known
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as the Feast of Pentecost.
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That's when the Holy
Spirit was poured out.
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Now in type, that is, in
the ceremony that Israel had
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on the day of
Pentecost, two loaves of bread
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leavened were presented
as first fruits to the Lord.
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And so that, we're going
to notice, represents the fact
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that when Jesus
ascended to heaven,
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He presented those
who resurrected with Him.
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And He also presented before
His Father the first fruits
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that were converted
on the day of Pentecost.
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Which were
actually three thousand.
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Those are the two loaves
of bread that were presented
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as the first fruits
on the day of Pentecost.
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Now let's review
then the three feasts,
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because they're extremely
important for understanding
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what we're going to study.
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Passover; the fourteenth
of Nissan on a Friday.
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Unleavened Bread; the fifteenth
of Nissan on a Sabbath.
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First Fruits; the
sixteenth of Nissan
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on the first day of
the week, or a Sunday.
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Fifty days later,
Pentecost; when the two loaves
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of leavened bread were
presented as the first fruits
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to the Lord on the
Feast of Pentecost.
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So it that clear? Is
the chronology clear?
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Now, let's study the
First Fruits ceremony
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that took place in the third
festival of the Jewish year.
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We're referring
now, not to the Passover,
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not to Unleavened Bread,
but to the festival that came
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after Unleavened Bread.
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Leviticus 23:9-12 describes
the way in which Israel
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celebrated this ceremony.
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And so let's
notice Leviticus 23:9-12.
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It says there...
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Now I want you to
notice the elements.
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So we've read the passage.
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Now let's review some
of the details that we find
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in this passage.
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First of all, how the feast
of First Fruits was celebrated.
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I'll explain it.
It's very simple.
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The Israelites, each
Israelite family, would cut
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the first fruits of the barley
harvest in their own fields.
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Then they would take
several stocks of the grain
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and they would put them
together and form a sheaf
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out of several stalks.
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Then each family would
bring the stalk to the Sanctuary
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and they would
give it to the priest.
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And then the priest would go
to the entrance of the Sanctuary
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building and he would wave this
sheaf of first fruits of barley
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before the Lord, and
then it was accepted in the
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sight of the Lord when
it was waved before Him.
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So that's the "how" this
ceremony transpired in Israel.
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Now the question is, when
did this ceremony take place?
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Well, as we read, it took
place the day after the Sabbath.
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Now there's some controversy
even among Jewish scholars
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as to which Sabbath
is referred to here.
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Because the ceremonial
Sabbath of Unleavened Bread
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was before the
first fruits were offered.
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And the seventh-day
Sabbath also could be meant by
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the Sabbath that
was before the sheaf
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was offered before the Lord.
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So the big question is, was
the sheaf waved before the Lord
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after the ceremonial
Sabbath of Unleavened Bread
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or was it waved before the Lord
after the seventh-day Sabbath?
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The text doesn't specify.
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It simply says that the
priest is to wave it on the day
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after the Sabbath.
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Now I want you to
just keep this in mind.
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It's the day after the Sabbath.
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We have to determine
whether it's the Sabbath
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of Unleavened Bread or whether
it's the seventh-day Sabbath.
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And we'll come
back to that later.
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For now, I just want you to
remember that it takes place
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after the Sabbath, whether
it's the ceremonial or moral.
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Now we need to ask the
question, what time of the day
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were the first fruits offered
or waved before the Lord?
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Now each feast, it's
important to realize,
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was fulfilled punctually.
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In other words, each
feast was fulfilled, not only
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as to the day, but also
with regards to the hour.
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Now we know that Pentecost
occurred exactly fifty days
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after the first fruits
were waved before the Lord.
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That's important to know.
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Pentecost, which was the
fourth feast of the Hebrew year,
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took place fifty
days precisely and exactly
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after the first fruits had
been waved before the Lord.
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Now we do know at what
time the Feast of Pentecost
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was fulfilled.
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I want you to notice Acts 2:1.
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We're going to
actually work backwards.
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We're going to work
from the Feast of Pentecost
00:12:01.75\00:12:04.02
backwards to determine
the hour at which the sheaf
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was waved before the Lord.
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Notice Acts 2:1.
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The word, "fully," really means,
to become completely full.
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In other words, the
time was absolutely complete.
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The time for it to
be fulfilled had passed.
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Now the question
is, when was that moment
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when Pentecost had fully come?
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When the fifty days
had been fully completed
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between the wave sheaf
and the day of Pentecost.
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The answer is not hard to find.
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In Acts 2:15, it tells
us what time the Holy Spirit
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was poured out on
the day of Pentecost.
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It says there...
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And you'll remember
that on the day of Pentecost,
00:12:51.87\00:12:54.17
you know, some of those
who were present, they thought
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that those who were
speaking in tongues were drunk.
00:12:57.24\00:12:59.37
Do you remember that?
00:12:59.41\00:13:00.74
And then Peter says,
"No, you guys are wrong."
00:13:00.78\00:13:02.78
And notice how he
explains it in Acts 2:15.
00:13:02.81\00:13:06.58
Now which was the third hour
of the day, biblically speaking?
00:13:15.16\00:13:18.66
The third hour of the day
is nine o'clock in the morning.
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The sixth hour is noon.
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The ninth hour, which is
the hour that Jesus died,
00:13:27.30\00:13:30.34
would be three
o'clock in the afternoon.
00:13:30.37\00:13:32.14
So in other words, Pentecost
fully came at the third hour;
00:13:32.57\00:13:38.25
at nine o'clock in the morning.
00:13:38.45\00:13:40.22
And now listen up.
00:13:40.25\00:13:41.58
The first fruits
were waved before the Lord
00:13:41.62\00:13:44.02
exactly fifty days earlier.
00:13:44.05\00:13:47.59
So at what time was the wave
sheaf waved before the Lord?
00:13:48.06\00:13:51.09
At nine o'clock in the morning.
00:13:51.69\00:13:54.10
That's a very important
detail, we're going to notice.
00:13:54.13\00:13:57.70
Now the Feast of First Fruits
was fulfilled by Jesus Christ.
00:13:57.80\00:14:03.04
Jesus fulfilled the
Passover, because He was
00:14:03.34\00:14:06.01
the Passover Lamb.
00:14:06.04\00:14:07.38
Jesus fulfilled the unleavened
bread because His body
00:14:07.44\00:14:11.25
had no leaven of sin.
00:14:11.35\00:14:12.81
And therefore, His
body saw no corruption.
00:14:12.85\00:14:15.18
And Jesus also fulfilled
the First Fruits ceremony.
00:14:15.62\00:14:19.42
Now the question is,
when did Jesus fulfill
00:14:19.45\00:14:23.06
this particular
ceremony, the First Fruits?
00:14:23.09\00:14:25.59
We read that it was after the
Sabbath that the first fruits
00:14:25.63\00:14:29.40
were waved before the Lord.
00:14:29.43\00:14:30.87
Now whether it was the
ceremonial Sabbath or the
00:14:31.13\00:14:34.14
moral Sabbath doesn't
make any difference whatsoever.
00:14:34.17\00:14:37.27
Because we know that
when Jesus was on this earth,
00:14:37.61\00:14:41.34
the ceremonial
Sabbath of Unleavened Bread
00:14:41.61\00:14:44.35
fell the same day as
the seventh-day Sabbath.
00:14:44.38\00:14:47.85
It was a high day.
00:14:47.95\00:14:49.42
So it doesn't really make
any difference whether it was
00:14:49.62\00:14:52.39
the Sabbath after
the ceremonial Sabbath
00:14:52.42\00:14:55.12
or after the
Sabbath of the moral law
00:14:55.16\00:14:57.13
because both of them would
be true with regards to Christ.
00:14:57.16\00:15:00.86
Because the day after
Passover was Unleavened Bread,
00:15:01.10\00:15:04.37
and that was a Sabbath.
00:15:04.40\00:15:05.73
And we know that Jesus rested
in the tomb on the Sabbath.
00:15:05.77\00:15:08.50
And the next day
was the day that He
00:15:08.54\00:15:10.54
presented the wave sheaf.
00:15:10.57\00:15:11.94
So we know that Jesus
presented the wave sheaf
00:15:11.97\00:15:14.91
on the day after the first
Sabbath of Unleavened Bread;
00:15:14.94\00:15:18.75
on the day after
the seventh-day Sabbath.
00:15:18.78\00:15:21.88
In other words, Jesus
celebrated the wave sheaf
00:15:21.92\00:15:24.89
the day of His resurrection.
00:15:24.92\00:15:27.72
Now the question is, at
what time did this happen?
00:15:28.09\00:15:31.56
We've already noticed
that it took place about
00:15:31.59\00:15:34.83
nine o'clock in the morning.
00:15:34.86\00:15:36.30
Now let's study a
little bit about an encounter
00:15:36.50\00:15:39.73
that Mary Magdalene had
with Jesus in the garden
00:15:39.83\00:15:44.14
the morning of the resurrection.
00:15:44.17\00:15:46.37
Go with me to John 20:17.
00:15:46.41\00:15:49.51
And I am reading from
the New King James Version.
00:15:49.54\00:15:53.18
As you remember, when Jesus
spoke to Mary in the garden,
00:15:53.52\00:15:57.15
Mary immediately
recognized His voice.
00:15:57.19\00:16:00.19
And impulsively she
wanted to do something,
00:16:00.42\00:16:03.06
which Jesus forbade her to do.
00:16:03.09\00:16:05.09
Notice John 20:17.
00:16:05.43\00:16:08.06
Jesus said to her...
00:16:08.46\00:16:09.80
So notice, Jesus is
saying, "Do not cling to Me,
00:16:27.35\00:16:30.32
or don't attach yourself to
Me, because I haven't ascended
00:16:30.82\00:16:34.56
to My Father yet."
00:16:34.59\00:16:35.92
But then Jesus says, "But
I am ascending to My Father
00:16:36.09\00:16:41.20
and to your Father, and
to My God and to your God."
00:16:41.23\00:16:44.83
Now I must say
that most Bible versions
00:16:45.43\00:16:48.30
contend that the
expression, "Don't touch Me,"
00:16:48.60\00:16:51.97
Really should be
translated, "Don't cling to Me."
00:16:52.34\00:16:56.24
You see, the King James
Version says, "Don't touch Me."
00:16:56.28\00:16:59.28
But most modern versions
say, "Don't cling to Me."
00:16:59.38\00:17:03.12
In other words, what these
versions are saying is that
00:17:03.55\00:17:05.99
Jesus is not forbidding
Mary from touching Him,
00:17:06.02\00:17:08.52
He is forbidding
Mary from clinging to Him.
00:17:08.69\00:17:11.66
Now the word that is used
here is translated, for example
00:17:12.33\00:17:15.76
in the NIV, in 35 of the
36 references to this word
00:17:15.80\00:17:22.44
in the New Testament,
the NIV translates, "touch."
00:17:22.47\00:17:25.87
This is the only verse where
the NIV translates, "cling to."
00:17:26.54\00:17:31.05
And so you would say, "Well,
the translation, 'cling to,'
00:17:31.25\00:17:34.18
is a wrong translation."
00:17:34.22\00:17:35.78
Well, we have to
take a look at that.
00:17:36.02\00:17:38.02
Now let me give you some
examples from the New Testament
00:17:38.42\00:17:41.26
of how this word is used by the
NIV to refer simply to touching
00:17:41.29\00:17:47.20
and not to clinging.
00:17:47.23\00:17:48.56
You remember that
Jesus touched a leper?
00:17:49.06\00:17:51.37
This is found in Matthew 8:3.
00:17:51.57\00:17:54.37
Jesus obviously did
not cling to the leper.
00:17:54.40\00:17:57.01
Jesus touched the leper.
00:17:57.04\00:17:58.77
We also have the
case of the woman that
00:17:59.41\00:18:01.34
touched Christ's garment.
00:18:01.38\00:18:02.71
Did she cling to His garment?
00:18:02.74\00:18:04.31
No, she touched His garment.
00:18:04.35\00:18:05.68
In fact, she didn't cling
to it because Jesus looked back
00:18:05.71\00:18:08.02
to see who had touched it,
00:18:08.05\00:18:09.38
and she wasn't
clinging to it anymore.
00:18:09.42\00:18:11.55
Also, the Bible uses this
word, the NIV uses this word,
00:18:11.99\00:18:15.86
to refer to the multitude
that wanted to touch Jesus
00:18:16.12\00:18:19.79
when they surrounded Him.
00:18:19.83\00:18:21.16
It's also used in the NIV
to describe parents who wanted
00:18:21.43\00:18:24.67
Jesus to touch their children.
00:18:24.70\00:18:26.47
And of course,
that's found in Luke 18:15.
00:18:26.57\00:18:29.50
And then it's used also
to refer to Jesus touching
00:18:29.54\00:18:32.64
the eyes of the blind.
00:18:32.67\00:18:34.01
Obviously, it's not
referring to Jesus clinging
00:18:34.04\00:18:36.14
to the eyes of the blind.
00:18:36.18\00:18:37.51
He's touching the
eyes of the blind.
00:18:37.55\00:18:39.15
And so in 35 of 36 references to
this word in the New Testament
00:18:39.51\00:18:44.55
in the NIV, it is
translated, "touch."
00:18:44.59\00:18:47.52
Only in John 20:17 is
it translated, "cling to."
00:18:47.56\00:18:52.39
Now, is that a
correct way of proceeding?
00:18:52.99\00:18:56.53
I believe that it is.
00:18:56.93\00:18:58.60
Let me tell you the reason why.
00:18:58.63\00:19:00.24
I went to the lexicons,
which are the dictionaries
00:19:00.87\00:19:03.67
that define Greek words.
00:19:03.71\00:19:06.47
And I discovered that the word,
"hapto," that is used here,
00:19:06.84\00:19:11.61
even though it's translated,
"touch," most of the times
00:19:12.05\00:19:15.68
in the New Testament,
its lexical meaning is,
00:19:15.72\00:19:18.72
to fasten to, to
adhere to, or to cling to.
00:19:18.75\00:19:23.86
That is the dictionary
definition of the word in Greek.
00:19:23.89\00:19:27.66
Now the question is,
why would Jesus say to Mary,
00:19:27.93\00:19:32.43
"Don't cling to Me,
because I have not yet
00:19:32.47\00:19:34.74
ascended to My Father,"
if He was not going to ascend
00:19:34.77\00:19:38.31
to His Father
until forty days later?
00:19:38.34\00:19:40.31
Are you
understanding my question?
00:19:40.34\00:19:41.84
Clinging to Him in the
garden for a few minutes
00:19:42.58\00:19:46.78
would certainly not have
detained Him from ascending
00:19:47.08\00:19:49.72
to His Father forty days later.
00:19:49.75\00:19:51.89
So why would Jesus say
to Mary, "Don't cling to Me,
00:19:52.22\00:19:56.26
because I have not yet
ascended to My Father"?
00:19:56.29\00:19:58.66
There has to be a deeper
reason than just touching Him.
00:19:58.79\00:20:02.56
Jesus is saying,
"Don't cling to Me.
00:20:02.60\00:20:04.70
I have not yet
ascended to My Father."
00:20:04.93\00:20:08.57
Now another interesting
detail that we find here
00:20:09.00\00:20:11.57
is the verb tense
of the word, "ascend."
00:20:11.81\00:20:15.21
Did you notice that Jesus said,
"I am ascending to My Father
00:20:15.38\00:20:20.75
and to your Father"?
00:20:20.78\00:20:22.12
Notice He doesn't
say, "I will ascend
00:20:22.28\00:20:25.12
to My Father
and to your Father."
00:20:25.22\00:20:26.79
He says, "I am ascending to
your Father and to My Father."
00:20:26.82\00:20:31.73
If Jesus had meant to
say that forty days later
00:20:31.76\00:20:34.10
He was going to
ascend to His Father,
00:20:34.13\00:20:35.66
it would have
been very easy to say,
00:20:35.76\00:20:37.33
"I will ascend to My Father."
00:20:37.37\00:20:39.23
But the verb is a first
person indicative active tense.
00:20:39.37\00:20:45.07
Which means it is present.
00:20:45.11\00:20:46.78
Jesus is saying, "I
am," practically saying,
00:20:46.81\00:20:49.28
"now ascending to My Father."
00:20:49.31\00:20:52.38
In fact, the ESV, the English
Standard Version, translates it,
00:20:52.41\00:20:56.42
"I am ascending."
00:20:56.52\00:20:58.49
The New International Version
translates it, "I am returning."
00:20:58.65\00:21:03.29
And the New American
Standard Bible translates it,
00:21:03.32\00:21:06.03
"I ascend."
00:21:06.06\00:21:07.90
All of them are in present.
00:21:07.93\00:21:09.53
So Jesus is telling Mary,
"I am ascending to My Father."
00:21:09.56\00:21:13.94
Now what was
Jesus saying to Mary?
00:21:14.40\00:21:16.40
What Jesus was
saying to Mary was this:
00:21:16.84\00:21:19.41
"Don't cling to Me.
00:21:19.67\00:21:21.34
Don't hold Me back right now.
00:21:22.08\00:21:24.78
Because I must now
ascend to My Father."
00:21:24.95\00:21:28.42
You see, precisely at
nine o'clock in the morning
00:21:28.88\00:21:31.95
on resurrection
morning at the Sanctuary,
00:21:32.39\00:21:36.02
at the entrance to the
Sanctuary, the priest was
00:21:36.06\00:21:39.63
going to wave the sheaf
before the Lord in fulfillment
00:21:39.66\00:21:43.23
of the wave sheaf ceremony.
00:21:43.26\00:21:45.13
And at that very hour, in
fulfillment of the wave sheaf,
00:21:45.30\00:21:49.30
Jesus had to be in heaven at
the entrance of the Sanctuary
00:21:49.40\00:21:53.68
presenting Himself as the
first fruits before His Father.
00:21:53.71\00:21:57.18
And Mary might detain Him, or
cling to Him, and hold Him back.
00:21:57.51\00:22:01.08
So Jesus says,
"Don't hold Me back.
00:22:01.12\00:22:03.52
I'm ascending to My Father."
00:22:03.55\00:22:05.52
Ellen White says in,
Great Controversy, page 399,
00:22:06.22\00:22:09.12
speaking about the feasts...
00:22:09.89\00:22:11.29
In other words, the timing of
the feasts were also fulfilled
00:22:20.97\00:22:24.47
specifically by Jesus.
00:22:24.51\00:22:26.07
Now praise the Lord that Ellen
White spoke about this journey
00:22:26.24\00:22:30.85
of Jesus to heaven
on resurrection morning
00:22:30.88\00:22:32.95
to present Himself
as the first fruits.
00:22:32.98\00:22:35.32
I want to read from,
Early Writings, pages 187-188,
00:22:35.48\00:22:39.75
where Ellen White describes
this quick trip to heaven
00:22:39.79\00:22:43.36
on resurrection morning.
00:22:43.39\00:22:44.73
Of course, He came
back the same day, we know.
00:22:44.76\00:22:46.76
This is what she
says, page 187-88...
00:22:47.13\00:22:51.03
See, it's more than touching.
00:23:06.05\00:23:07.38
Now listen to this.
00:23:26.90\00:23:28.24
"Jesus quickly
ascended to His Father..."
00:23:28.40\00:23:31.87
And He did it for two reasons.
00:23:31.97\00:23:33.41
Notice the two reasons.
00:23:33.51\00:23:34.84
Remember that the
reason for waving the sheaf
00:23:41.85\00:23:44.09
was that it would be
accepted before the Lord?
00:23:44.12\00:23:46.45
And so Jesus is that sheaf.
00:23:47.09\00:23:48.79
So Jesus went for two reasons.
00:23:58.97\00:24:00.54
To make sure that His sacrifice
was accepted by the Father,
00:24:00.57\00:24:03.61
and secondly so
that He could make sure
00:24:03.71\00:24:09.41
that His Father
would give Him all power.
00:24:09.44\00:24:11.95
So Jesus went on resurrection
morning to receive all power
00:24:11.98\00:24:15.68
from His Father.
00:24:15.72\00:24:17.15
Now I want you to
notice Matthew 28:19.
00:24:17.39\00:24:20.96
This is very interesting.
00:24:20.99\00:24:22.32
This is taking place
on the Mount of Olives
00:24:22.69\00:24:25.33
right before the
ascension of Christ.
00:24:25.36\00:24:27.30
And we're not
talking about His ascension
00:24:27.60\00:24:29.20
on resurrection morning.
00:24:29.23\00:24:31.10
We're talking about His
ascension forty days later.
00:24:31.13\00:24:33.70
So Matthew 28:19 is referring
to His ascent to heaven
00:24:33.80\00:24:39.24
forty days later.
00:24:39.27\00:24:40.61
Now I want you to notice
what Jesus said to His disciples
00:24:40.64\00:24:43.55
right before His departure.
00:24:43.58\00:24:45.15
Let me ask you, before
Jesus ascended, had He received
00:24:55.29\00:24:58.23
all power from His Father?
00:24:58.26\00:24:59.69
Yes He had.
00:25:01.06\00:25:02.40
He's saying so here.
00:25:02.43\00:25:03.77
He hasn't ascended here yet.
00:25:03.83\00:25:05.53
He has not ascended yet.
00:25:06.57\00:25:08.17
And He's saying to
the disciples, "All power
00:25:08.87\00:25:11.31
has been given to Me
in heaven and on earth."
00:25:11.64\00:25:14.51
Not, "...will be
given when I get to heaven,"
00:25:14.54\00:25:16.78
but, "...has been given to Me."
00:25:16.81\00:25:18.15
Let me ask you, when did
the Father give it to Him?
00:25:18.25\00:25:20.68
We just read it from
the spirit of prophecy.
00:25:21.38\00:25:23.35
It was given to Him
when He ascended to heaven
00:25:23.39\00:25:25.69
on resurrection morning.
00:25:25.72\00:25:27.06
Are you with me or not?
00:25:27.09\00:25:28.42
Now let's finish reading
this statement from Ellen White.
00:25:28.49\00:25:31.66
Incidentally, that verb, "all
power has been given to Me,"
00:25:31.69\00:25:36.13
is an indicative passive aorist.
00:25:36.23\00:25:39.03
The aorist tense
in Greek is past.
00:25:39.07\00:25:41.57
There's no doubt that Jesus is
saying, "I have already received
00:25:41.60\00:25:44.51
power from My Father,"
before He ascended to heaven.
00:25:44.54\00:25:47.81
Because He had received it
in His first ascent to heaven
00:25:47.84\00:25:50.81
the morning of the resurrection.
00:25:51.11\00:25:52.45
Now let's complete
Ellen White's statement
00:25:52.48\00:25:54.62
about the ascension, the
quick ascension of Christ,
00:25:54.65\00:25:57.39
on the first day of the week.
00:25:57.42\00:25:59.02
It says there...
00:25:59.05\00:26:00.39
Now you say, "But He
didn't give them power
00:26:33.02\00:26:34.66
until the day of Pentecost."
00:26:34.69\00:26:36.02
Oh yes He did.
00:26:36.06\00:26:37.39
You remember when
Jesus appeared to them
00:26:37.43\00:26:39.36
that He breathed
upon them the Holy Spirit?
00:26:40.40\00:26:43.83
This is before
the day of Pentecost.
00:26:44.10\00:26:46.03
And so they did
receive power from Christ
00:26:46.07\00:26:48.00
before the day of Pentecost.
00:26:48.04\00:26:49.67
And so once again we go here to
the conclusion of the statement
00:26:50.01\00:26:53.14
where she says...
00:26:53.17\00:26:54.51
This is resurrection morning.
00:27:00.02\00:27:01.52
Is that clear?
00:27:18.93\00:27:20.27
It's amazing how Ellen
White is always so much
00:27:20.40\00:27:22.50
in harmony with Scripture.
00:27:22.54\00:27:23.91
Now I want to read
Ellen White's explanation
00:27:24.84\00:27:28.44
of the wave sheaf
ceremony and what it meant;
00:27:28.48\00:27:31.55
the presentation of Jesus
at the door of the tabernacle
00:27:31.58\00:27:35.78
in heaven, the door
of the temple in heaven,
00:27:35.82\00:27:38.22
as the first fruits.
00:27:38.25\00:27:39.59
It has a special meaning.
00:27:39.62\00:27:40.96
Notice, Desire of
Ages, page 785-786.
00:27:40.99\00:27:44.66
And then we're going to
show that Ellen White is in
00:27:44.69\00:27:46.49
perfect harmony with the Bible.
00:27:46.53\00:27:48.03
See there it is.
00:27:57.51\00:27:58.84
He was the anti-type or the
fulfillment of the wave sheaf.
00:27:58.87\00:28:01.38
In other words, when Jesus
appeared before His Father,
00:28:47.69\00:28:50.33
that was a little sample
that the one who resurrected
00:28:51.03\00:28:54.96
from the dead someday
will resurrect all of the dead.
00:28:55.00\00:28:59.07
All of those who
have died in Jesus Christ.
00:28:59.20\00:29:02.34
In other words, when
Jesus presented Himself
00:29:02.37\00:29:04.31
before His Father
as the wave sheaf,
00:29:04.34\00:29:05.94
that one sheaf from the
field, the first fruits,
00:29:06.04\00:29:09.94
Jesus was saying,
"There are going to be
00:29:09.98\00:29:12.21
lots of last fruits."
00:29:12.25\00:29:13.58
There's going to be an
abundant harvest of those
00:29:13.62\00:29:16.08
who have died in Christ.
00:29:16.12\00:29:17.85
Now the apostle Paul
agreed with Ellen White.
00:29:18.12\00:29:20.66
Or perhaps I should
say Ellen White agreed with
00:29:20.69\00:29:22.72
the apostle Paul,
because she wrote after he did.
00:29:22.76\00:29:25.33
Notice 1 Corinthians 15:20.
00:29:25.63\00:29:28.36
1 Corinthians 15:20
00:29:28.40\00:29:31.30
Here, the apostle Paul,
first of all, tells us that
00:29:31.33\00:29:34.47
Jesus fulfilled the
First Fruits ceremony,
00:29:34.50\00:29:36.94
or the wave sheaf ceremony.
00:29:36.97\00:29:38.47
This is how he expresses it.
00:29:38.57\00:29:40.21
So is Christ the first fruits,
according to the apostle Paul?
00:29:48.12\00:29:51.12
Is His resurrection
related to the first fruits?
00:29:51.45\00:29:54.66
Absolutely.
00:29:54.69\00:29:56.02
But there's
another interesting detail.
00:29:56.19\00:29:57.83
Ellen White says that
Jesus presenting Himself
00:29:57.86\00:30:00.33
as the first fruits was a little
sample of the great harvest
00:30:00.36\00:30:04.73
of God's people
at the end of time.
00:30:04.77\00:30:06.23
Those who have died in Christ.
00:30:06.27\00:30:07.60
The apostle Paul says the same.
00:30:07.64\00:30:09.34
Notice what we find in
1 Corinthians 15:22-23.
00:30:09.60\00:30:13.34
So you see,
Christ; the first fruits.
00:30:29.46\00:30:31.26
And then the
last fruits come when?
00:30:31.29\00:30:33.83
When Jesus comes at His coming.
00:30:33.86\00:30:36.13
And so Ellen White
certainly was in agreement
00:30:36.16\00:30:38.93
with the apostle Paul
that the First Fruits ceremony
00:30:38.97\00:30:42.07
was fulfilled in Christ and that
it represented the great harvest
00:30:42.10\00:30:45.77
of the last fruits at
the coming of Jesus Christ.
00:30:45.81\00:30:49.24
Now I want you to notice that
there were also first fruits
00:30:49.68\00:30:53.62
offered to the Lord
on the day of Pentecost.
00:30:53.65\00:30:56.65
Now we're talking about
fifty days after the wave sheaf
00:30:57.29\00:31:02.26
was waved before the
Lord on resurrection morning.
00:31:02.36\00:31:05.13
Fifty days later, on
the day of Pentecost,
00:31:05.36\00:31:07.86
there were also first
fruits offered to the Lord.
00:31:08.06\00:31:11.60
Those are the two festivals
where you have first fruits
00:31:11.77\00:31:14.30
offered before the Lord.
00:31:14.34\00:31:15.67
So let's examine the
prophecy that we find in
00:31:15.84\00:31:19.47
the Old Testament about the
first fruits that were offered
00:31:19.51\00:31:22.18
on the day of Pentecost.
00:31:22.21\00:31:23.55
It's found in
Leviticus 23:15-18.
00:31:23.71\00:31:27.38
Leviticus 23:15-18
00:31:27.42\00:31:31.15
You remember, that's
the First Fruits ceremony.
00:31:36.73\00:31:38.79
It took place the
day after the Sabbath.
00:31:38.83\00:31:40.40
In other words,
from that moment.
00:31:40.43\00:31:41.93
So in other words,
after the wave sheaf was waved
00:31:54.61\00:31:57.75
before the Lord,
fifty days to the very day
00:31:57.78\00:32:01.38
were suppose to pass.
00:32:01.42\00:32:02.75
And then it
continues saying in verse 16...
00:32:02.78\00:32:05.79
Now notice this.
00:32:15.43\00:32:16.77
So two loaves of bread.
00:32:18.77\00:32:20.20
So notice, the two loaves
of bread that were presented
00:32:27.51\00:32:30.11
were with leaven.
00:32:30.15\00:32:31.48
And then it says...
00:32:31.51\00:32:32.85
The two loaves were the
first fruits to the Lord.
00:32:36.35\00:32:38.92
And the loaves were what?
00:32:38.95\00:32:40.52
The loaves had leaven.
00:32:40.96\00:32:43.66
Now this is interesting.
00:32:44.56\00:32:45.89
Because at Passover, the
bread could have no leaven.
00:32:46.06\00:32:48.70
But at Pentecost, the two
loaves were to have leaven.
00:32:49.66\00:32:53.20
So what could
this possibly mean?
00:32:53.47\00:32:55.34
Well, let's go to Matthew
13:33, which is the parable of
00:32:55.90\00:33:01.74
the leaven that Jesus told.
00:33:01.78\00:33:03.24
Matthew 13:33
00:33:03.28\00:33:05.85
And I want you to
notice that we're dealing with
00:33:05.88\00:33:07.45
two symbols here
in this ceremony,
00:33:07.48\00:33:10.82
in this ceremony where
you have the two loaves
00:33:10.85\00:33:13.76
that are
presented before the Lord.
00:33:13.79\00:33:15.29
You have, first of all, a loaf;
00:33:15.39\00:33:17.46
and secondly you have
the leaven in the loaf.
00:33:17.99\00:33:20.36
Two symbols.
00:33:20.40\00:33:21.73
And we need to
determine what those two symbols
00:33:21.76\00:33:23.33
represent or mean.
00:33:23.37\00:33:24.70
Matthew 13:33 says...
00:33:24.83\00:33:27.20
To make what?
00:33:39.01\00:33:40.35
To make a loaf of bread, right?
00:33:40.95\00:33:42.78
So you have a lump of dough.
00:33:50.16\00:33:52.26
And inside the
dough, you have what?
00:33:52.29\00:33:54.73
You have leaven.
00:33:54.96\00:33:56.30
Now immediately to
your mind comes the idea,
00:33:56.33\00:33:59.50
"Well in the Bible,
leaven represents sin.
00:33:59.60\00:34:03.61
So how can you have
these loaves of bread
00:34:03.64\00:34:06.44
offered before
the Lord with leaven?
00:34:06.47\00:34:08.94
You're offering
something sinful."
00:34:08.98\00:34:10.88
Well, it is true that the
bread could not have leaven
00:34:11.51\00:34:18.55
at the Passover.
00:34:18.59\00:34:19.92
But that's not
true of Pentecost.
00:34:19.95\00:34:21.76
Now let's examine the
bread that was used at Passover.
00:34:21.79\00:34:25.76
Go with me to 1
Corinthians 5:6-8.
00:34:25.79\00:34:29.06
Now we're going back,
we're talking about Passover.
00:34:29.20\00:34:31.63
We're backtracking.
00:34:31.67\00:34:33.00
We're not talking about
what happened at Pentecost.
00:34:33.03\00:34:35.27
Because I want to
clarify in your mind why at the
00:34:35.30\00:34:38.87
Feast of Passover you
have bread without leaven
00:34:38.91\00:34:41.21
and at Pentecost you
have two loaves with leaven.
00:34:41.31\00:34:43.78
Now notice 1 Corinthians 5:6-8.
00:34:43.81\00:34:46.41
Paul says to the Corinthians...
00:34:47.12\00:34:48.78
And of course,
the lump represents
00:34:56.22\00:34:57.69
the Corinthian church.
00:34:57.73\00:34:59.06
So he says, "A little
leaven leavens the whole lump."
00:34:59.19\00:35:01.73
The whole church.
00:35:01.76\00:35:03.10
So the Corinthian
church is the lump of dough.
00:35:08.80\00:35:11.37
So what is Paul
telling the Corinthian church?
00:35:34.96\00:35:37.17
He's telling the
Corinthian church,
00:35:37.53\00:35:39.10
"You are the bread dough.
00:35:39.13\00:35:41.34
And you are to not have
any leaven within yourselves."
00:35:42.04\00:35:46.24
In other words, you cannot
allow the leaven of wickedness
00:35:46.54\00:35:49.54
to be put inside the church.
00:35:49.58\00:35:52.58
And so you say, "Well,
if the leaven can't be put
00:35:53.15\00:35:55.95
inside the dough,
which represents the church,
00:35:55.98\00:35:58.25
then how is it that you
have two loaves of bread
00:35:58.45\00:36:01.89
on the day of
Pentecost with leaven?
00:36:01.92\00:36:03.86
Does this mean then that
the church is being presented
00:36:03.96\00:36:07.16
full of sin to the Lord?"
00:36:07.20\00:36:08.83
The answer is, no.
00:36:09.66\00:36:11.00
You see, every
symbol has to be interpreted
00:36:11.33\00:36:14.20
within its own context.
00:36:14.24\00:36:15.84
Let me take for example a lion.
00:36:16.97\00:36:18.37
What does a lion
represent in Scripture?
00:36:18.41\00:36:20.51
Can a lion represent Christ?
00:36:22.78\00:36:24.58
Yes. Can it represent the devil?
00:36:25.05\00:36:26.75
Sure. He goes as a roaring lion.
00:36:27.82\00:36:29.38
Can it represent Babylon?
00:36:29.42\00:36:30.89
Can it represent
Judah, the son of Jacob?
00:36:32.02\00:36:34.39
So does, "lion,"
always mean the same thing?
00:36:34.99\00:36:37.13
No. You have to take
into account the context.
00:36:37.46\00:36:40.20
So just because at
Passover the leaven in the bread
00:36:40.56\00:36:44.50
represented sin doesn't mean
that in the Feast of Pentecost
00:36:44.53\00:36:49.14
leaven
represents the same thing.
00:36:49.34\00:36:51.21
You see, at Pentecost, leaven
in the two loaves of dough
00:36:51.24\00:36:54.34
represents
something totally different.
00:36:54.38\00:36:57.51
In other words, we have to
take into account the context.
00:36:57.55\00:37:00.75
Are you following me or not?
00:37:00.78\00:37:02.12
Now I want to read you a
statement from Ellen White
00:37:02.38\00:37:04.95
which is very interesting.
00:37:04.99\00:37:06.32
We're going to find here that
the lump of dough at Pentecost
00:37:06.45\00:37:10.29
that form these loaves of
bread represents the church.
00:37:10.33\00:37:13.56
And the leaven
doesn't represent sin.
00:37:14.23\00:37:16.83
The leaven represents the
Holy Spirit that is placed
00:37:16.87\00:37:20.14
inside the church.
00:37:20.17\00:37:21.64
So leaven can represent
sin, but it can also represent
00:37:22.10\00:37:25.27
the implanting of the
Holy Spirit, which was the
00:37:25.31\00:37:27.51
outpouring of the Holy
Spirit on the day of Pentecost.
00:37:27.54\00:37:30.11
Let me read to you
this significant statement
00:37:30.38\00:37:32.21
from Ellen White.
00:37:32.25\00:37:33.58
It's found in, Christ's
Object Lessons, page 96-97.
00:37:33.62\00:37:36.69
Just like the leaven
is implanted in the dough.
00:38:06.88\00:38:09.35
And so on the day of Pentecost
the loaves of bread represent
00:39:01.94\00:39:06.57
the church, and the
leaven in the dough represents
00:39:06.61\00:39:10.91
the implantation of the
power of the Holy Spirit.
00:39:10.95\00:39:13.75
Because the Holy
Spirit was poured out
00:39:13.85\00:39:15.92
on the day of Pentecost.
00:39:16.02\00:39:18.45
Now you say, "Pastor Bohr,
but why do you have two loaves
00:39:18.92\00:39:22.36
of leavened bread?
00:39:22.39\00:39:23.73
Don't we have just one church?
00:39:23.76\00:39:25.26
Why not just one loaf?
00:39:25.29\00:39:26.80
Why two loaves on
the day of Pentecost?"
00:39:26.83\00:39:29.23
The reason is because
on the day of Pentecost,
00:39:29.73\00:39:33.03
you have two
groups of first fruits.
00:39:33.07\00:39:36.44
And now we're going to
take a look at the first group
00:39:36.54\00:39:38.97
of first fruits that were
offered on the day of Pentecost.
00:39:39.01\00:39:42.41
Let's go in our
Bibles to Matthew 27:51-53.
00:39:42.91\00:39:48.08
Matthew 27:51-53
00:39:48.28\00:39:51.55
We're going to see
why there are two loaves.
00:39:51.59\00:39:53.42
It's not that you have two
churches on the day of Pentecost
00:39:53.52\00:39:56.19
who have the Holy
Spirit in them. No.
00:39:56.36\00:39:57.89
You have two groups
that are the first fruits
00:39:57.93\00:40:00.20
on the day of
Pentecost, but they both belong
00:40:00.23\00:40:02.20
to the same church.
00:40:02.23\00:40:03.57
Matthew 27:51-53
00:40:03.73\00:40:06.23
This is when
Jesus has just died.
00:40:06.53\00:40:09.74
I want you to
notice what happened.
00:40:09.77\00:40:11.34
And so you have this group
of individuals that resurrected
00:40:35.36\00:40:38.23
with Jesus Christ.
00:40:38.27\00:40:39.63
Now what happened
with these individuals?
00:40:39.83\00:40:42.80
The Bible doesn't
directly address it,
00:40:42.84\00:40:45.14
although we're going to
find that the apostle Paul
00:40:45.17\00:40:47.48
has some strong
language that will help us
00:40:47.51\00:40:50.55
understand who they were.
00:40:50.58\00:40:51.91
The spirit of prophecy has
no doubts as to who they were
00:40:51.95\00:40:55.32
and what
eventually happened to them.
00:40:55.35\00:40:57.25
Notice, Desire
of Ages, page 829.
00:40:57.52\00:41:00.66
It's speaking about the moment
for the ascension of Christ
00:41:01.26\00:41:04.03
"The time had come for Christ to
ascend to His Father's throne.
00:41:04.06\00:41:08.33
As a divine Conqueror..."
00:41:08.76\00:41:11.60
Because He had
been in a battle, right?
00:41:11.63\00:41:13.30
Remember our first study,
The Return of the War Hero?
00:41:13.34\00:41:16.24
He did battle with the
devil, and then He returned
00:41:16.27\00:41:18.84
victorious to heaven.
00:41:18.87\00:41:20.21
We studied about that.
00:41:20.24\00:41:21.58
So it says, "As a
divine Conqueror, He was about
00:41:21.61\00:41:24.35
to return..." With what?
00:41:24.38\00:41:26.68
"...with the trophies of
victory to the heavenly courts."
00:41:26.72\00:41:30.62
The trophies of His victory were
those who resurrected with Him.
00:41:30.89\00:41:34.66
In, Desire of Ages, page
786, Ellen White identifies
00:41:34.92\00:41:38.83
who these people were.
00:41:38.86\00:41:40.40
Not by name, but by category.
00:41:40.43\00:41:42.50
Notice, Desire of Ages, 786.
00:41:42.53\00:41:44.77
In other words, those
who the devil had persecuted
00:41:59.51\00:42:01.92
to the point of death,
now Jesus resurrects them
00:42:01.95\00:42:04.89
and He takes them
away from the enemy.
00:42:04.99\00:42:07.49
What a wonderful thought,
that those who fell under the
00:42:07.52\00:42:11.03
power of the devil
through persecution,
00:42:11.06\00:42:12.99
through him killing
them, are the very ones that
00:42:13.03\00:42:15.03
now resurrect
along with Jesus Christ.
00:42:15.06\00:42:18.37
Now, what is the
message of the wave sheaf
00:42:18.93\00:42:21.90
at the Feast of Pentecost?
00:42:22.10\00:42:24.07
In, Desire of
Ages, pages 833-834,
00:42:24.27\00:42:27.41
we find that when
Jesus ascended to heaven,
00:42:27.54\00:42:30.25
He ascended with those
who resurrected with Him.
00:42:30.28\00:42:33.18
They were a small
sampling, the first fruits,
00:42:33.68\00:42:37.55
of the great harvest that
will come forth from the grave
00:42:37.59\00:42:40.79
at the coming of Christ.
00:42:40.82\00:42:42.16
Notice how Ellen White
describes it in, Desire of Ages,
00:42:42.19\00:42:44.99
pages 833-834.
00:42:45.03\00:42:48.03
This is when Jesus
has ascended to heaven,
00:42:48.70\00:42:51.37
there's great acclamation.
00:42:51.40\00:42:52.87
The angels and the
heavenly beings are singing.
00:42:52.90\00:42:55.24
They're having a
great time because the
00:42:55.27\00:42:56.77
war Hero is coming back.
00:42:56.81\00:42:58.14
And then Jesus
waves them all back.
00:42:58.27\00:43:00.28
And notice how
it continues here.
00:43:00.51\00:43:03.01
You see, on resurrection
morning Jesus presented Himself
00:43:38.15\00:43:41.58
before the Father
as the first fruits.
00:43:41.62\00:43:43.08
But He says, "Now somebody
might get the wrong impression
00:43:43.12\00:43:45.75
that there's not going
to be others there too."
00:43:45.79\00:43:47.76
So now He takes a group of
martyrs who have resurrected
00:43:47.79\00:43:51.09
with Him, He says,
"Here's the little sampling
00:43:51.13\00:43:53.40
from the human race
that is going to resurrect
00:43:53.43\00:43:56.00
as a sign of the
great resurrection
00:43:56.10\00:43:58.50
at the end of time."
00:43:58.53\00:43:59.87
Now the apostle Paul had
something very specific to say
00:44:00.77\00:44:06.04
about the Feast of
Pentecost and the first fruits.
00:44:06.07\00:44:09.61
Go with me to Ephesians 4:7-13.
00:44:10.05\00:44:14.72
Ephesians 4:7-13
00:44:14.75\00:44:17.29
And we'll move through
this quickly because our time
00:44:17.59\00:44:20.86
is very brief.
00:44:20.89\00:44:22.22
Here, the apostle Paul is
speaking about spiritual gifts.
00:44:22.69\00:44:25.83
You remember when
Jesus went to heaven,
00:44:26.13\00:44:27.60
He gave the gift
of the Holy Spirit?
00:44:27.63\00:44:29.53
And with the Holy Spirit come
the gifts of the Holy Spirit?
00:44:29.63\00:44:32.73
Remember the gifts
of the Holy Spirit?
00:44:32.77\00:44:34.60
You know, like apostles,
prophets, healings, tongues.
00:44:34.64\00:44:37.77
All of those gifts
that come when they
00:44:37.81\00:44:39.44
receive the Holy Spirit.
00:44:39.47\00:44:40.81
Now the apostle Paul is
speaking about the moment
00:44:40.94\00:44:43.14
when those gifts were given.
00:44:43.18\00:44:44.51
And I want you to
notice the details here.
00:44:44.55\00:44:46.41
Ephesians 4:7-13
00:44:46.45\00:44:48.85
And you have explanatory
notes there in brackets.
00:44:48.88\00:44:51.65
The Greek word for,
"grace," is, "charis."
00:44:56.16\00:44:58.09
From where we get
the word, "charismata,"
00:44:58.86\00:45:01.83
which is the word,
"gifts," in the New Testament.
00:45:02.10\00:45:04.73
So we have
received grace from God,
00:45:14.18\00:45:17.18
because we have receive what?
00:45:17.38\00:45:19.41
Because we have
received the gift from Christ.
00:45:19.51\00:45:22.02
Now what is the
gift that Christ gave?
00:45:22.05\00:45:23.95
Christ gave the Holy Spirit.
00:45:25.05\00:45:26.72
In fact, Jesus
referred to this in Luke 11:13
00:45:26.76\00:45:30.69
where He said, "If you parents
know how to give good gifts
00:45:30.73\00:45:33.66
to your children, how much
more will your heavenly Father
00:45:33.70\00:45:36.53
give you the gift
of the Holy Spirit?"
00:45:36.56\00:45:38.33
It's the very same word.
00:45:38.37\00:45:39.77
And so this is speaking about
the gift of the Holy Spirit
00:45:39.87\00:45:43.10
on the day of Pentecost.
00:45:43.14\00:45:44.47
Now let's continue reading.
00:45:44.51\00:45:45.84
Verse 8, "Therefore He says..."
00:45:45.87\00:45:48.74
Because He has given this
gift, "He says, 'When He...'"
00:45:49.24\00:45:52.81
That is, when Jesus, what?
00:45:52.85\00:45:54.88
"...ascended on high..."
00:45:55.28\00:45:56.62
What event is that describing?
00:45:56.65\00:45:58.05
The ascension of Christ, right?
00:45:58.39\00:45:59.89
"When He ascended on high
He led captivity captive..."
00:46:00.16\00:46:05.03
What does that
mean, He led captive...
00:46:05.33\00:46:06.80
Who was captive in
the graves at that time?
00:46:06.90\00:46:09.46
Ah, those who had
resurrected with Him.
00:46:09.96\00:46:12.30
They had been
captive in the grave.
00:46:12.33\00:46:13.74
And now Jesus took them out.
00:46:13.77\00:46:15.87
And He takes captivity captive.
00:46:15.90\00:46:17.67
So it says...
00:46:17.71\00:46:19.04
Notice it
doesn't say He took it.
00:46:23.14\00:46:24.48
It says He led.
He's the war Hero.
00:46:24.51\00:46:26.38
And what did He do when
He led captivity captive,
00:46:28.48\00:46:30.69
when He presented that
wave sheaf before the Lord?
00:46:30.72\00:46:33.56
What did He do on
the day of Pentecost?
00:46:33.59\00:46:35.56
He gave what?
00:46:35.59\00:46:36.96
He gave gifts to men.
00:46:36.99\00:46:38.73
Which are the gifts of the Holy
Spirit on the day of Pentecost.
00:46:38.76\00:46:41.73
Verse 9...
00:46:41.96\00:46:43.30
It's talking about
His death and His burial.
00:46:51.44\00:46:53.74
Is it talking
about His ascension?
00:46:57.51\00:46:59.18
Is that when He
took captivity captive?
00:46:59.21\00:47:01.15
Is that when He
gave gifts to men?
00:47:01.28\00:47:03.08
Absolutely.
00:47:03.12\00:47:04.45
So notice it continues
saying here in verse 10...
00:47:04.49\00:47:07.76
And then it speaks about
the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
00:47:14.26\00:47:16.80
And then it gives us the
reason why God gave these gifts.
00:47:25.61\00:47:28.08
So let's summarize what
we've seen from this passage.
00:47:41.92\00:47:44.56
First of all, do we have a
clear allusion to the death
00:47:44.99\00:47:47.33
and burial of Christ, yes or no?
00:47:47.36\00:47:49.16
Absolutely.
00:47:49.36\00:47:50.70
Do we have a clear reference
to the ascension of Christ?
00:47:50.73\00:47:54.50
Absolutely.
00:47:54.70\00:47:56.04
The expression, "When
He ascended," is used twice
00:47:56.07\00:47:58.67
in this passage.
00:47:58.71\00:48:00.04
Do we have a reference to
Him taking captivity captive
00:48:00.08\00:48:03.28
when He ascended to heaven?
00:48:03.31\00:48:04.65
Absolutely.
00:48:04.68\00:48:06.01
Do we have a reference
to Him giving the Gift,
00:48:06.05\00:48:08.52
and giving the gifts?
00:48:08.62\00:48:10.09
This passage is talking
about the day of Pentecost.
00:48:10.29\00:48:13.69
It's talking about
when Jesus presented Himself
00:48:13.72\00:48:16.22
as the wave sheaf.
00:48:16.26\00:48:17.59
Now, we need to understand,
and this is very important,
00:48:17.89\00:48:21.13
that the background of
Ephesians 4 is Psalm 68.
00:48:21.70\00:48:27.74
Now Psalm 68 is a
very interesting psalm.
00:48:28.54\00:48:31.31
It's talking about the
victory of God over His enemies.
00:48:31.34\00:48:34.61
And now God is in a procession
back to Mount Zion in Jerusalem
00:48:34.78\00:48:39.51
victorious amidst the
acclamations of His people.
00:48:39.55\00:48:43.35
And of course, that's symbolic
of the victory of Christ
00:48:43.75\00:48:46.52
over the devil
and over His enemies,
00:48:46.55\00:48:48.96
and His procession to
heaven to the heavenly Zion
00:48:48.99\00:48:51.86
victorious as the war Hero.
00:48:51.89\00:48:53.96
Now I want you to
notice Psalm 68:1.
00:48:54.26\00:48:57.63
Psalm 68 is quoted
by the apostle Paul.
00:48:57.67\00:49:00.64
When it says, "He
took captivity captive
00:49:00.67\00:49:02.84
and gave gifts to men,"
this comes from Psalm 68:18.
00:49:02.87\00:49:06.14
It's a quotation.
00:49:06.17\00:49:07.51
So we know that Psalm
68 has to be connected
00:49:07.54\00:49:10.28
with this
passage in Ephesians 4.
00:49:10.35\00:49:13.72
So it says in verse 1...
00:49:13.75\00:49:15.08
See, this is the
victory of God in battle.
00:49:24.03\00:49:27.26
And then I want
you to notice verse 4.
00:49:27.76\00:49:29.80
He's returning from the
battlefield on the clouds
00:49:30.03\00:49:33.60
to the Holy Place.
00:49:33.90\00:49:35.30
And there's a procession
where they're praising this
00:49:35.60\00:49:39.37
Victor that is
coming back to Jerusalem.
00:49:39.41\00:49:41.88
It says there in verse 4...
00:49:41.98\00:49:43.75
Notice the emphasis on the name.
00:49:53.89\00:49:55.36
That means, the Lord.
That's Yahweh or Jehovah.
00:49:56.96\00:49:59.76
So He's coming back
and there's rejoicing,
00:50:01.36\00:50:04.17
and His name is
being proclaimed.
00:50:04.20\00:50:05.83
You know, this
reminds me of Psalm 24.
00:50:05.87\00:50:08.90
You remember that we
studied in our first topic
00:50:09.27\00:50:12.01
about the return of the
war Hero and how the angels
00:50:12.04\00:50:14.38
were singing Psalm 24?
00:50:14.41\00:50:15.98
Let me just read verses 8 and 9.
00:50:16.01\00:50:18.18
This is what the angels
were singing as Jesus approached
00:50:24.29\00:50:27.06
the holy city at His ascension.
00:50:27.09\00:50:28.72
And then those angels
who are waiting inside say,
00:50:28.82\00:50:31.36
"Who is this King of glory?"
00:50:31.39\00:50:32.93
And the answer comes from
those who are escorting Jesus,
00:50:32.96\00:50:35.60
"The Lord..." That's
the same name, Yahweh.
00:50:35.63\00:50:38.13
"The Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord mighty in battle."
00:50:38.17\00:50:42.14
So you see, Jesus
has been in a battle.
00:50:42.17\00:50:43.94
He's mighty in
battle, He's coming back,
00:50:43.97\00:50:45.87
and the people are rejoicing.
00:50:45.91\00:50:47.71
Ellen White describes this
in, Desire of Ages, page 833.
00:50:47.74\00:50:52.08
Notice the word, "captives."
00:51:01.02\00:51:02.36
And so this psalm
is about the ascension,
00:51:12.67\00:51:15.57
the victorious
ascension of Christ to heaven,
00:51:15.60\00:51:17.74
after He's defeated His enemies.
00:51:17.77\00:51:19.31
And the heavenly beings
are singing as He's approaching
00:51:19.47\00:51:22.51
the holy city.
00:51:22.54\00:51:23.88
Notice verse 11 of Psalm 68.
00:51:23.91\00:51:26.72
In other words, God
commanded the multitudes
00:51:32.09\00:51:34.66
to proclaim it and
to acclaim Him King.
00:51:34.76\00:51:37.56
Now do you know, it's very
interesting, that there are
00:51:37.86\00:51:39.53
some that are using
this text in favor of
00:51:39.56\00:51:42.06
the ordination of women.
00:51:42.10\00:51:43.50
Totally out of context.
00:51:44.47\00:51:45.80
Because what one pastor says
is, "Well, you know, this text
00:51:45.83\00:51:50.87
is really saying, in
verse 11, that the women,
00:51:50.91\00:51:54.01
after the resurrection of
Jesus, they went and proclaimed
00:51:54.04\00:51:56.71
the resurrection of Christ.
00:51:56.75\00:51:58.08
And therefore, because they
were the first ones to proclaim
00:51:58.15\00:52:00.48
the resurrection of Christ, then
they are suppose to be ordained
00:52:00.52\00:52:04.55
and they're
suppose to be preachers."
00:52:04.59\00:52:06.19
Now that is a humongous stretch.
00:52:07.96\00:52:10.86
Because the text
is not talking about
00:52:11.36\00:52:12.99
the resurrection of Christ.
00:52:13.03\00:52:14.36
It's talking about
His procession to heaven
00:52:14.40\00:52:16.77
forty days later.
00:52:17.73\00:52:19.07
It's not talking at all about
the day of His resurrection.
00:52:19.37\00:52:22.04
It's talking about the
day of His ascension in the
00:52:22.07\00:52:24.41
midst of acclamations.
00:52:24.44\00:52:25.77
To sidetrack the issue to
say that these are the women
00:52:25.81\00:52:29.71
that are proclaiming
the resurrection of Christ
00:52:29.74\00:52:31.68
does not fit the
context of what the apostle Paul
00:52:31.71\00:52:34.42
is trying to say, and what
the psalmist has to say as well.
00:52:34.52\00:52:37.92
Notice Psalm 68:17.
00:52:37.95\00:52:40.66
This is the very
verse before the verse
00:52:40.69\00:52:42.62
that the apostle Paul quotes.
00:52:42.66\00:52:44.66
Psalm 68:17
00:52:44.69\00:52:47.10
Who are those?
00:52:56.17\00:52:57.51
Angels, folks.
00:52:57.74\00:52:59.37
And then it says, "The
Lord has come from Mount Sinai."
00:52:59.61\00:53:01.98
Because the original
context has to do with Israel.
00:53:02.01\00:53:04.61
So where did Jesus
enter when He went to heaven?
00:53:11.45\00:53:13.69
He entered the Holy Place.
00:53:13.72\00:53:15.42
This has nothing to
do with His resurrection.
00:53:15.46\00:53:17.33
This has to do with
His procession after
00:53:17.36\00:53:20.40
Jesus is ascending to heaven.
00:53:20.43\00:53:22.53
Notice verse 24.
00:53:22.56\00:53:24.03
I'm reading from the
New International Version.
00:53:24.07\00:53:26.13
It says, speaking
about this procession...
00:53:26.17\00:53:28.10
What is He doing?
00:53:37.15\00:53:38.48
He's coming into the Sanctuary,
the heavenly Sanctuary,
00:53:38.51\00:53:41.25
at His ascension.
00:53:41.28\00:53:42.62
And then, of course, you
have verse 35 of Psalm 68,
00:53:42.75\00:53:46.09
which is very significant.
00:53:46.12\00:53:47.46
What did God do on
the day of Pentecost?
00:53:56.87\00:53:58.93
He gave what?
00:53:58.97\00:54:00.30
He gave strength
and power to whom?
00:54:00.34\00:54:02.54
He gave strength
and power to His people.
00:54:02.57\00:54:05.24
So the first loaf represents
those first fruits that Jesus
00:54:07.08\00:54:10.18
presented on the
day of Pentecost.
00:54:10.21\00:54:11.88
But there's another loaf.
00:54:11.91\00:54:13.38
That other loaf represents
the first fruits of the
00:54:14.35\00:54:17.22
preaching of the gospel
on the day of Pentecost.
00:54:17.25\00:54:20.09
Notice Acts 2:37-39.
00:54:20.82\00:54:23.46
Peter has preached his sermon.
00:54:23.69\00:54:25.19
Those who are
present now come to Peter.
00:54:25.23\00:54:27.43
They've been cut to the
heart and they say to Peter,
00:54:27.46\00:54:29.20
"What do we do in the
light of what you've preached?"
00:54:29.23\00:54:31.60
Notice Peter says in verse 38...
00:54:32.03\00:54:33.87
And the Bible tells us in
Acts 2:41 that 3000 first fruits
00:54:43.24\00:54:48.35
of the gospel were converted
to the Lord and were baptized.
00:54:48.38\00:54:51.72
It says there, "Then
those who gladly received
00:54:51.82\00:54:54.02
his word were baptized;
00:54:54.06\00:54:55.82
and that day about
three thousand souls
00:54:56.12\00:54:58.99
were added to them."
00:54:59.03\00:55:00.36
And by the way, verse 47 says
they were added to the church.
00:55:00.40\00:55:03.53
The second loaf
represents the church,
00:55:04.03\00:55:06.30
the first fruits of the church.
00:55:06.33\00:55:07.67
And the first loaf represents
the first fruits of those
00:55:07.97\00:55:11.47
who resurrected
with Jesus Christ.
00:55:11.51\00:55:13.44
Now what is the
good news of all of this?
00:55:13.84\00:55:15.74
The good news, folks, is
that all of this that took place
00:55:15.78\00:55:20.35
with the first fruits
the day of the resurrection
00:55:20.62\00:55:23.42
and the first fruits
on the day of Pentecost
00:55:23.45\00:55:25.62
were only small scaled down
payments of the great harvest
00:55:25.65\00:55:30.33
at the end of time.
00:55:30.36\00:55:31.69
Let's read, as we conclude,
1 Thessalonians 4:15-18
00:55:31.73\00:55:36.56
where you have the final
fulfillment where all of the
00:55:36.60\00:55:38.63
last fruits are now
going to be harvested
00:55:38.67\00:55:40.74
and all of God's
people will be together.
00:55:40.84\00:55:43.04
Do you think Jesus is
going to lose His down payment?
00:55:43.14\00:55:45.77
Ah, He's not going to
lose His down payment.
00:55:46.07\00:55:47.78
He says, "I'm just giving
you this little down payment
00:55:47.81\00:55:50.05
so that you can be sure that the
rest is going to be paid for.
00:55:50.15\00:55:53.48
That everybody else
is going to be there."
00:55:53.52\00:55:55.72
Notice 1 Thessalonians 4:15.
00:55:56.02\00:55:58.62
"For this we say to you
by the word of the Lord,
00:55:58.65\00:56:00.86
that we who are alive and remain
until the coming of the Lord
00:56:01.06\00:56:03.79
will by no means
precede those who are asleep.
00:56:03.83\00:56:06.39
For the Lord Himself
will descend from heaven
00:56:06.49\00:56:08.60
with a shout, with
the voice of an archangel,
00:56:08.63\00:56:11.03
and with the trumpet of God.
00:56:11.07\00:56:12.73
And the dead in
Christ will rise first.
00:56:12.77\00:56:15.64
Then we who are alive
and remain shall be caught up
00:56:15.74\00:56:18.57
together with them in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air.
00:56:18.61\00:56:21.41
And thus we shall
always be with the Lord."
00:56:21.44\00:56:25.08
Then finally the
fulfillment of what was taught
00:56:25.61\00:56:28.45
by the first
fruits will take place.
00:56:28.48\00:56:30.99
And God's people, all
of them from all ages,
00:56:31.02\00:56:34.36
and all nations,
kindred, tongues, and people
00:56:34.39\00:56:37.19
will all be
together in the kingdom.
00:56:37.23\00:56:39.83
And by the way, that celebration
is the Feast of Tabernacles.
00:56:40.26\00:56:43.77
The Feast of
Tabernacles was a feast of joy
00:56:44.43\00:56:47.30
where all of God's
people gathered together
00:56:47.34\00:56:49.40
and there was lots of singing,
and there were palm leaves,
00:56:49.60\00:56:52.94
and it was a time of rejoicing.
00:56:52.97\00:56:54.68
Sin had been eradicated.
00:56:54.78\00:56:56.81
And now people were
at peace and full of joy
00:56:56.85\00:57:00.08
in the presence of the Lord.
00:57:00.12\00:57:01.52
Aren't we looking
forward to that day?
00:57:01.72\00:57:03.92
I'm looking forward to
it with great anticipation.
00:57:03.95\00:57:06.65
And these ceremonies show us
that it's not wishful thinking,
00:57:06.79\00:57:11.23
because what Jesus
has done is an indication
00:57:11.33\00:57:14.93
of what He will soon do.
00:57:14.96\00:57:18.03