SIGNIFICANCE OF FIRST-FRUITS (Contd.)

Leslie M. John M.A.

Hebrews 9:11-14 "But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"

Few more references:
Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Acts 26:23 That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.

Pentecost:

Leviticus 23:15 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:

When we count the days from the first day of "Nisan" it is the fourteenth day, which is Passover, sixteenth day is the Resurrection, and it is the fiftieth day from Resurrection is the Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came down and dwelt with us. Thus the day of Pentecost falls on the fiftieth day, which is fifth day on 'Sivan'. The days after Sabbath and then seven Sabbaths make forty nine days, and the preceding one day before the first Sabbath make fifty days in all, which is fulfilled in the New Testament.

Thus the salvation of man is complete in Lord Jesus Christ. Now, whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Notwithstanding any thing contained in the above paragraphs under this title, in the current age dispensation for New Testament believer except for the sacrament of Lord's Supper and the baptism, there are no feasts designated nor are any feasts necessary. The feasts and seasons mentioned in the Old Testament are the shadow of things to come in the New Testament period and they are for us to remember how God achieved his purpose in the present dispensation. Jesus is the express image of the Father in heaven, and as proclaimed by Jesus himself, Jesus and the Father in heaven are one. The works done by Jesus were fully acceptable to the Father in heaven and the Father in heaven does not require any additional works to be added as the requirement for obtaining salvation. Jesus is the high priest and the mediator for us. The salvation is achieved purely by exercising faith on the works of Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross of Calvary, by confessing to sins to God and accepting Jesus as the Lord and savior. For the salvation of a man, even these two sacraments, which indeed follow the salvation, (Baptism and Lord's supper) are not mandatory. The Baptism is an external evidence proclaimed to the people, of the faith in Jesus shown inwardly in the heart of the man, who is saved, and the Lord's supper is done to remember the death of Christ upon the cross of Calvary.

Today is the day of salvation. Please confess your sins to Jesus Christ and be blessed. Receive Salvation and eternal life. Jesus is the Way, the truth, and the life. Holy Bible says God created man, in his own image and named him as Adam and God put him in a very comfortable place called 'the garden of Eden' and gave him a wife, whom Adam named as Eve. God gave Adam and Eve all the freedom except for eating the forbidden fruit, which Eve and Adam ate and brought sin into this world. In order to redeem mankind from their sin God sent his one and only son, Jesus Christ, who died for our sake, was buried, rose from the dead and ascended in to heaven.

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Today is the day of salvation    Jesus saves you