Isaiah 26:19Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise.
Yeshua/Jesus was resurrected from the dead during the Feast of Unleavened Bread on first-fruits, as the sheaf offering. This is why He is called our “First-fruits”(1 Cor 15:20). This is in regards to the first fruit offering of the ripe barley harvest, which happens during the Feast of Unleavened Bread:
Leviticus 23:10“Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘When you enter the land that I am giving you and you reap its harvest, you are to bring to the priest a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest. 11And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD(YHWH) so that it may be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. 12On the day you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a year-old lamb without blemish as a burnt offering to the LORD(YHWH), (BSB)
The Feasts of YHWH were based around the harvest cycles, with the barley harvest during Passover/Unleavened Bread and then 50 days later would be Shavout, which means Feast of Weeks, or Pente-cost as in 50, referring to 50 days. For they were to count what is called the Omer which was a total of 49 days(7*7=49 days), with Pentecost (Shavuot) being on the 50th day, was a total of 7(completed Sabbaths) weeks. The Omer was counted beginning from the day of which the sheaf of First-Fruits is waved during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.(Lev 23:15/Deut 16:9)Then the Feast of Pentecost is the First-fruits of the Wheat Harvest.(Ex 23:16, Num 28:26)
♦Lev 23:15‘And from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you shall count for yourselves: seven completed Sabbaths. 16‘Until the morrow after the seventh Sabbath you count fifty days, then you shall bring a new grain offering to יהוה.(ISR 98)
♦Deut 16:9“Count seven weeks for yourself. Begin to count seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the grain. 10“And you shall perform the Festival of Weeks to יהוה your Elohim, according to the voluntary offering from your hand, which you give as יהוה your Elohim blesses you.(ISR 98)
Many may be familiar with the term ‘On the first day of the week’, well, the underlying Greek is ‘Mia Ton Sabbaton’, which means one of the Sabbaths. This is in regards to counting the omer, or the first of 7 Sabbaths, a total of 50 days leading up to the Feast of Pentecost. The Omer was being counted as you can see in the gospels: Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:2, Luke 24:1, John 20:1, which had then culminated in Acts 2:1, for the Feast of Pentecost, of which the Spirit was poured out.
Acts 2:1And when the Day of the Festival of Weeks had come, they were all with one mind in one place. 2And suddenly there came a sound from the heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.(ISR 98)
The barley harvest is referenced all throughout Scripture, and is ripened before wheat. Once the barley harvest was complete, then the wheat would be ready, and this is shown within the Scriptures.
There is a total of 50 days between firstfruits(barley) and Shavout(wheat), which would have the firstfruits of the wheat harvest in full ripeness by that time. In Leviticus 23:10 the Israelite is instructed to …”bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest”. The first grain to mature, is barley and also why Yeshua would be the first to rise and the fulfillment of Firstfruits.
I wanted to focus on the book Ruth, which is highly significant, as it has to do with not only Boaz, who was a shadow to Yeshua, our Kinsman Redeemer, (I have written on this in a blog post called Sandal Strap not Worthy to Loosen) but also that Boaz was approached by Ruth on the threshing floor of the barley harvest.
Ruth 1:22So Naomi returned from the land of Moab with her daughter-in-law Ruth the Moabitess. And they arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.
The above passage from Ruth brings in a cross ref of Lev 23:10-11, as well as the fact that they were entering into Bethlehem, which is called “House of Bread”:
♦John 6:35Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst.
♦John 6:49Your forefathers ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die. 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh.”
In chapter 3 of the book of Ruth, Ruth is told by Naomi to go to Boaz on the threshing floor of the barley harvest, to make a request known to Boaz that she wants to be redeemed by him, to marry. Boaz, then as an acceptance, but not yet confirmed, as another kinsman is above him, gives her 6 measures of barley:
♦Ruth 3:1One day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek a resting place for you, that it may be well with you?2Now is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you have been working, a relative of ours? In fact, tonight he is winnowing barley on the threshing floor. 3 Therefore wash yourself, put on perfume, and wear your best clothes. Go down to the threshing floor, but do not let the man know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking.
♦Ruth 3:9“Who are you?” he asked. “I am your servant Ruth,” she replied. “Spread the corner of your garment over me, for you are a kinsman-redeemer.”
♦Ruth 3:14…Then Boaz said, “Do not let it be known that a woman came to the threshing floor.”15And he told her, “Bring the shawl you are wearing and hold it out.” When she did so, he shoveled six measures of barley into her shawl. Then he went into the city.
What I absolutely love about verse 9 is that Ruth asked Boaz to spead the corner of his garment over her acting as her redeemer, which was a request of marriage or entering into covenant, and is that this is the same language that YHWH used metaphorically towards His Bride Israel, and Him acting as the Redeemer/Husband:
Ezekiel 16:8Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I SPREAD MY SKIRT(garment) OVER THEE, AND COVERED THY NAKEDNESS: yea, I sware unto thee, and ENTERED INTO A COVENANT WITH THEE, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine. 9THEN I WASHED THEE WITH WATER; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.(KJV)
It is spreading a garment over His Bride, acting as a covering for her, her protector. This is why Yeshua/Jesus is called our Husband, and we are not only His Bride, but collectively we are ONE BODY, as the New Covenant is a Marriage.
Ephesians 5:23For the HUSBAND IS THE HEAD OF THE WIFE, even as CHRIST IS THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH: and he is the saviour of the body. 24Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. 25Husbands, love your wives, EVEN AS CHRIST LOVED ALSO THE CHURCH, AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR IT; 26That he might sanctify and CLEANSE IT WITH THE WASHING OF WATER BY THE WORD,
Notice how the same imagery of the washing is used in Ezekiel 16 verse 9 and Ephesians 5 verse 26?
♦2 Cor 11:2For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to ONE HUSBAND, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. (KJV)
♦Isaiah 54:5 FOR THY MAKER IS THINE HUSBAND; the LORD(YHWH) of hosts is his name; and THY REDEEMER THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.(KJV)
Now, going back to the “House of Bread”, is that we know that Yeshua/Jesus is the “bread of life”, and yet when He stated this, not only had He just fed the 5,000 + with 5 barley loaves, but also then mentioned about the manna that came from heaven to feed those in the wilderness. (John 6:9-51)
What really struck me looking briefly into this, was the feeding of the 5,000 with the barley loaves, goes back to the miracle that Elisha did, in feeding the 100 men with 20 barley loaves, which were part of the first-fruits barley harvest:
2 Kings 4:42Now a man from Baal-shalishah came to the man of God with a sack of TWENTY LOAVES OF BARLEY BREAD FROM THE FIRST RIPE GRAIN.“Give it to the people to eat,” said Elisha.43But his servant asked, “How am I to set twenty loaves before a hundred men?”“Give it to the people to eat,” said Elisha, “for this is what the LORD says: ‘They will eat and have some left over.’”44So he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the LORD.(BSB)
John the baptist was referred to as Elijah, and then Elisha would be a shadow also of Yeshua.
When Yeshua/Jesus was resurrected from the dead, so were the saints that had died previously, under the old covenant, and were offered as the barley harvest of first fruits: those that were awaiting for a “better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.”(Heb 11:16), were raised with Him. They no longer needed to be in Abraham’s bosom, as the promise was brought through Christ for those who were faithful.
Matthew 27:51And see, the veil of the Dwelling Place was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth was shaken, and the rocks were split,
52AND THE TOMBS WERE OPENED, AND MANY BODIES OF THE SET-APART ONES WHO HAD FALLEN ASLEEP WERE RAISED(And Enrolled into the Kingdom Hebrews 12:23), 53AND COMING OUT OF THE TOMBS AFTER HIS RESURRECTION, they went into the set-apart city and appeared to many.(ISR 98)
They entered into it through with a proper payment made by our Kinsman and heir of the “first-born”, being “Enrolled into the Kingdom”:
Hebrews 12:22Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to myriads of angels 23in joyful assembly, TO THE CONGREGATION OF THE FIRSTBORN, ENROLLED IN HEAVEN. You have come to God the judge of all men, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. (BSB)
This was considered the “first-fruits” of the ripe harvest.
Lev 23:10WHEN 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.
As Yeshua became our High Priest, and the harvest was brought to Him, through Him, as He is the Lord of the Harvest. The harvest was ripe, and He reaped them through the righteous SEED, bringing them into the Kingdom.
♦John 4:35Do you not say, ‘There are still four months until the harvest’? I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, FOR THEY ARE RIPE FOR HARVEST. 36ALREADY THE REAPER DRAWS HIS WAGES AND GATHERS A CROP FOR ETERNAL LIFE, SO THAT THE SOWER AND THE REAPER MAY REJOICE TOGETHER.
♦Matt 9:37Then He said to his disciples, “THE HARVEST IS PLENTIFUL, but the workers are few. 38ASK THE LORD OF THE HARVEST, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.”
Those who had previously looked forward to the promise(Heb 11:39-40), were resurrected with Messiah(dry bones Ezek 37:11-14), and brought into the spiritual land, through the Spiritual Seed. They were longing for what was promised, but were not alive to obtain it, as it was not made available to them until Christ came to bring restoration to the Father, and mankind.
♦Ezek 37:11And He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are all the house of Yisra’ĕl. See, they say, ‘Our bones are dry, our expectancy has perished, and we ourselves have been cut off!’ 12“Therefore prophesy, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus said the Master יהוה, “SEE, O MY PEOPLE, I AM OPENING YOUR GRAVES, AND SHALL BRING YOU INTO THE LAND OF ISRAEL. 13“AND YOU SHALL KNOW THAT I AM יהוה, WHEN I OPEN YOUR GRAVES, O MY PEOPLE, AND BRING YOU UP FROM YOUR GRAVES.14“And I shall put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I shall settle you in your own land. And you shall know that I יהוה have spoken, and I have done it,” declares יהוה.’ ”(ISR 98)
♦John 5:25“Truly, truly, I say to you, THE HOUR IS COMING, AND NOW IS, WHEN THE DEAD SHALL HEAR THE VOICE OF THE SON OF ELOHIM. And those having heard shall live.26“For as the Father possesses life in Himself, so He gave also to the Son to possess life in Himself, 27and He has given Him authority also to do judgment, because He is the Son of Aḏam. 28“DO NOT MARVEL AT THIS, BECAUSE THE HOUR IS COMING IN WHICH ALL THOSE IN THE TOMBS SHALL HEAR HIS VOICE, 29and shall come forth – those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have practised evil matters, to a resurrection of judgment.(ISR 98)
When Yeshua/Jesus said that He would gather the Wheat into His barn(Matthew 13:30), this is in reference to Him gathering the Harvest to Himself.
♦John 12:32And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, WILL DRAW ALL MEN TO MYSELF.”(BSB)
♦John 14:2In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I GO TO PREPARE A PLACE FOR YOU. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and RECEIVE YOU UNTO MYSELF; that where I am, there ye may be also. 4And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.(KJV)
He gathers the wheat, and clears the threshing floor:
Matthew 3:12His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”(BSB)
Now, displaying my cover photo, which is from a ministry called “Full of Eyes”, this is what he had quoted along with the prophetic art:
Ezekiel 37:12-13, “Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am YHWH, when I open your graves…”
“The people of God will be raised from the grave of their spiritual exile only as God Himself descends to the deepest recesses of that grave on the cross. In His death, Jesus Christ endures and so exhausts the True Death, the True Grave, the True Exile—the fullness of God’s wrath—for all who will ever be found in Him.
Therefore when HE is raised, ALL are raised in Him. The resurrection of God’s exiled people anticipated in this passage is ultimately the resurrection of God’s single faithful servant—Jesus Christ—in whom alone God’s people pass through exile into the True Promised Land: universe-illumining fellowship with the Father, in the Son, by the Spirit (Hab.2:14, Rev.21:22-26).
But, as always, redemption is for the sake of revelation. The raising of God’s people in the raising of the Son is ultimately so that YHWH might be known and loved for who He is. It is only here—in the Son, crucified in love and risen from the grave, with all God’s people risen in Him—that we truly know who our God is.”https://www.fullofeyes.com/project/ezekiel-3712-13/
Before I had seen or come accross this, I had such a depiction within my mind that the Spirit had revealed to me. I drew the below picture to the best of my ability understanding that artisitic drawing abilities is not my strong suit. So, it was a huge blessing to be able to come accross someone who could artistically draw what was in my mind.
The Body of Messiah both dwells in heaven and here on earth. The veil that was torn not only represented His flesh, but also the spiritual veil that was blocked off from the very beginning when Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Kingdom/Land.
Genesis 3:23Therefore the LORD(YHWH) God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 24So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
Joshua, was a type to Messiah and led the Israelite’s into the promised land, however he was unable to provide them their “eternal rest”, after having been provided the land that was promised to them. The physical land promises were fulfilled, just as Yahweh had said:
Joshua 21:43And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. 44And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. 45There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.
This is why the book of Hebrews mentions that Joshua was unable to give them rest.
Why?
Because he was only a type to Christ. Jesus is the One to bring us INTO THE PROMISED LAND, our inheritance, the Kingdom.
Hebrews 4:8Now if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God.
This is talking about a complete cease from our labors of this world, which only happens when we pass from this life(wilderness) into the promised land(Kingdom of Heaven).
♦Deuteronomy 12:10WHEN YOU CROSS THE JORDAN AND LIVE IN THE LAND THAT THE LORD(YHWH) YOUR GOD IS GIVING YOU AS AN INHERITANCE, and He GIVES YOU REST FROM ALL THE ENEMIES around you and you live in security,
♦Exodus 33:14And the LORD answered, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Have we reached this day? Have we permanently ceased from our labors and entered into His full eternal rest? No.
Which is why a Sabbath rest for the people REMAIN. While we are still here in this wilderness, we still need physical rest for our bodies, as we also abide in the Spirit to give us peace. However, we can LOSE our inheritance, and His Spirit through a hardening of our heart through trials, tribulations and temptations; thus the previous warning given in Hebrews:
Hebrews 4:1Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, ANY OF YOU SHOULD SEEM TO COME SHORT OF IT. 2For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
3For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
Those who BELIEVE enter into His rest, ONLY if they ENDURE TO THE END:
♦Daniel 12:13 BUT AS FOR YOU, GO ON YOUR WAY UNTIL THE END. YOU WILL REST, AND WILL ARISE TO YOUR INHERITANCE AT THE END OF DAYS.”
♦Revelation 14:12Here is a call FOR THE ENDURANCE OF THE SAINTS who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. 13And I heard a voice from heaven telling me to write, “Blessed are the dead— those who die in the Lord from this moment on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them.”
This is why as I have explained previously in other blogs that the Covenant is specifically tied to land, and why if those who broke the covenant were kicked out of the land, as there were conditional agreements within the terms of the covenant in regards to the land.
♦Deut 4:23“Guard yourselves, LEST YOU FORGET THE COVENANT of יהוה (YHWH)your Elohim which He made with you, and shall make for yourselves a carved image in the form of whatever יהוה your Elohim has forbidden you.(ISR 98)
♦Deut 4:26“I shall call the heavens and earth to witness against you on that day, THAT YOU SOON COMPLETELY PERISH FROM THE LAND which you pass over the Yardĕn to possess – you do not prolong your days in it but are completely destroyed.(ISR 98)
Again this is why Adam is kicked out of the land/garden (Gen 3:23-24), when the House of Israel was divorced (Jer 3:8), they were kicked out of the land, and finally when the House of Judah was destroyed(laid waste) in 70AD they were kicked and scattered out of the land…because it had to do with covenant agreements.
This is why we are not only given a huge warning in Hebrews about not falling short of entering into the promised land, and taking heed that we do not fall away, encouraging us to stay STEADFAST UNTIL THE END.
Hebrews 3:12Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14For we are made partakers of Christ, IF WE HOLD THE BEGINNING OF OUR CONFIDENCE STEADFAST UNTO THE END;
Let this serve as a warning that if we do not hold fast to our faith, and our Covenant through Yeshua/Jesus, that we too can be spewed out of the land:
♦Lev 20:22Ye shall therefore keep all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: that the land, whither I bring you to dwell therein, SPUE YOU NOT OUT. (This was a foreshadow to them entering into the promised land)
♦Rev 3:15I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I WILL SPUE THEE OUT OF MY MOUTH. (KJV)
The New Covenant has conditions, just like the old did, you must endure to the end to be saved. This is also why Paul mentions in Hebrews about those Israelites who were DESTROYED and were not able to enter the promised land due to unbelief. (A burning of the chaff, cutting off the branches and throwing them into the fire)
♦John 15:6If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
♦Hebrews 3:12See to it, brothers, that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief that turns away from the living God.
This is why it was HUGE when the destruction came in 70AD, as it was a WARNING to the new covenant church(Israel), don’t mess around with God’s mercy, and play Him for a fool, or you will be spewed out of His mouth, and out of covenant with Him. Paul knew of the coming wrath upon ethnic Israel, that which was waxing old, was coming to an end.(Heb 8:13)
♦Romans 11:21For if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you either. 22Take notice, therefore, of the kindness and severity of God: severity to those who fell, but kindness to you, if you continue in His kindness. Otherwise you also will be cut off
♦Hebrews 10:28Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29How much more severely do you think one deserves to be punished who has trampled on the Son of God, profaned the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge His people.”
What I really want people to grasp here is that when Yeshua died, His blood paid the entry fee into the eternal promised land, and this was part of the GOOD NEWS! This is WHY He told the man on the cross next to Him TODAY YE SHALL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE! The Garden, The Kingdom.
Those who had died previous were not able to enter back into the full presence of God as they had in the garden, however Yeshua as the Kinsman Redeemer, paid the purchase price for the land with His Blood, which is why we have the deposit of the Spirit, which is the land deed, and access to the Kingdom of God within us. This is why the Kingdom of Heaven was preached, as it was an invitation back into the promised land/the garden, with a fully restored relationship with our Creator.
When Yeshua had stated in John 1:51 “you shall see heaven opened and angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man”, He was not only referring back to the account with Jacob (who is also called Israel), but also that He is that Ladder; for His Body rests here on earth, as well as in Heaven:
Genesis 28:12And Jacob dreamed about a ladder that rested on the earth with its top reaching up to heaven, and God’s angels were going up and down the ladder.
When Yeshua/Jesus was crucified and paid our debt, He made a way, and the heavens opened up, tearing through the veil. As a seed falls to the ground and dies, producing fruit, so our Messiah died, giving us the deposit of enteral life through His Spirit. It is through this deposit we have access into the Holy of Holies to approach the ark of the covenant through His blood:
Hebrews 10: 19Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body,(BSB)
This is why the only way back to the land, to eternal inheritance, and our eternal salvation is through the only valid covenant that is currently in operation, the New Covenant. Through the shed blood of Yeshua, righteousness by faith, and repentance that produces obedience.
Dead Bones come alive!
♦Ezek 37:3And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. 4Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 5Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: 6And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.(KJV)
♦Ephesians 4:16From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.(KJV)
