Christ: the Firstfruits

As the second part in a series on firstfruits (Part 1), I'd like to focus on a scripture which links Jesus Christ to the concept of firstfruits:

1 Corinthians 15:20-21
But now Christ is risen from the day, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.

In this post, I'll examine the role of Christ as the firstfruits of God's harvest and the connection with the wave-sheaf offering, as well as make some comments about the harvest analogy itself.

Heaven, Hell, or Resurrection?

No one enjoys facing the facts when it comes to human mortality. We don't like to think about the people we love dying, and this is perhaps because of the apparent inevitability of death. Modern Christianity teaches that life continues on immediately after death - that human beings have an immortal soul that instantly becomes conscious in either heaven or hell the moment someone dies. This is not a biblical teaching - I challenge you to read the rest of this article, most importantly the scriptures, and examine what the bible says versus what you believe.

This is the clear and indisputable teaching from the Word of God:

Do You Trust in the Flesh or in the Spirit?

I've been remiss in writing during the Feast of Tabernacles, partly due to lack of internet and partly due to lack of time. Now that I'm back, I should have a fair amount of both, and I'm full of ideas from the Feast, so hang on tight! For today, a subtle point about the following scripture in Jeremiah occurred to me.

Jeremiah 17:5

Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD.

When I asked in the title, "Do you trust in the flesh or in the Spirit?" I can't imagine that many people would answer that they trust in the flesh - but the reality is that many people who call themselves Christians trust in the flesh rather than the Spirit!

7 Things Every Christian Should Know About Christ's Second Coming

The Feast of Trumpets, referred to as "Rosh Hashanah" by the Jews, begins tonight at sunset and continues until tomorrow at sunset. For the Jews, this day represents the beginning of the civil new year, a time of restoration and repentance leading up to the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). In truth, this Holy Day pictures the second coming of Jesus Christ to earth, as I explained in a previous article. This Feast is not just for the Jews, and Christians today should be observing this day. Here are 7 important points about Christ's second coming that are pictured by the Feast of Trumpets:

God Will Have Mercy on Them All

If you’ve ever read Exodus, you may wonder whether or not it was fair for God to harden Pharaoh’s heart, especially when Pharaoh got to the point where he wanted to let the Israelites go. Is God fair? Did God condemn Pharaoh by hardening his heart?