All scripture has been taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible. Article submitted by Paul Barrett, Charlotte, NC. Edited by House of Light Ministries.

God is perfect.  God is absolute.  God is intentional, and a God of reconciliation.

God instructed Moses and the children of Israel to observe Firstfruits (Leviticus 23: 9-14) and to start the count to Pentecost (Leviticus 23: 15-16) on the morrow after the weekly Sabbath from Passover during the Days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

“…And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:

And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.  And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD.

And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the LORD for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin.  And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.”

Based on God’s timing and the order of His plan of salvation, the waving of the sheaf, and the start of the count towards the fiftieth day (Pentecost), will not fall outside of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  The spiritual significance is quite clear.  One will encounter Jesus through the Word, receive of His Spirit and the baptism for the remission of sins to be “passed over” by God, and walk under the protected blood of Christ.  In fact, our blessed Messiah shows us the way.  The most glorious Firstfruits remembrance was the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28: 5-6, John 20: 17, Romans 5: 7-9):

“…And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.  He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”

“Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.”

“…For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”

Israel’s next leader after Moses led the children of Israel out of the wilderness and was to ensure that the law was to be observed.  Joshua showed great obedience and courage.  As he entered the land, he observed the Passover, and before Israel could partake of the fruits of the land, there was to be a sheaf of the firstfruits waved before the Lord, according to the scripture.  And, based on the law, we understand that the children of Israel could not partake of anything of the lad without the proper offering.  The Lord’s Passover fell on a weekly Sabbath in this instance, since the children of Israel kept the Firstfruits, on the morrow after the Passover, which also coincided in this instance the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Joshua 5: 10-11).

“And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho.  And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day.”

As we can see from the example of Joshua, there is no other factors that are considered into the count of Pentecost.  Jesus rose from the grave on the third day, before sundown, in the midst of Unleavened Bread, not after it was completed!  Christ was foreordained by God, the Father and has become the Firstfruits (1 Corinthians 15: 20-22) and the precept was established and solidified by what is written in the law and testimony. 

“…But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.  For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”

Those in Christ that have died (in all generations or are alive at His second coming) have an opportunity to be a kind of Firstfruits (or, latter Firstfruits) at the time of the First Resurrection.  (1 Corinthians 15:23, James 1:18, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17)

“…But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.”

“…Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”

“…But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

Hence, the grand design of the Firstfruits is to always occur within the days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread to show that all, from every generation, have had the same opportunity at salvation to receive, in faith, the glorious grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and be covered with His precious blood and without sin (John 6: 33-40, Hebrew 9: 28) to be offered up as a kind of Firstfruits.

“…For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.  Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.  And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.  All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.  For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.  And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

“…So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”

The Lord’s Passover fell on a weekly Sabbath in this instance, since the children of Israel kept the Firstfruits, on the morrow after the Passover, which also coincided with the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Praise God for our Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ (John 1: 29, 1 Corinthians 5:7) who was wounded for our transgressions (Isaiah 53: 5-7) and died for our sins that we may have eternal life through Him (Romans 5: 8-10).  He, who was also resurrected from the grave and quickened in the Spirit, and now sits at the right hand of our Heavenly Father (Hebrews 12: 2) until the appointed time of the restitution of all things (Acts 3: 21)!! HALLELUJAH!

In conclusion, let us continue to walk with God (Micah 6: 8) in humility and love as we are strengthened by His power, might, and His Holy Spirit, on this journey towards the Feast of Pentecost like the children of Israel under the Old Covenant (Exodus 19: 1-11, Exodus 20: 1-18) and the greater promise of it under the New Covenant (Acts 2: 1,33,36-39; Hebrews 8: 6,12-13; Hebrews 10: 14-23) in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Great I AM!

“…He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”