SEASONS AND HARVESTS

The feasts of the Lord are also related to the seasons and the harvests on the land of Israel.

In Israel, the rain falls in two seasons: spring and fall. Likewise, the feasts are celebrated during these two seasons.

The early rain or the first rain is the one that comes in October. After having harvested the fruits of the fall season, the land is left ready to receive that first rain and prepare it for the sowing of the next harvest.

Prophetically, the early rain is related to the fall feasts: Trumpets (Heb. Rosh Hashana), Day of Atonement (Heb. Yom Kippur), and the Feast of Booths (Heb. Sukkot).

The latter rain is the rain that falls at the end of the harvest of barley and wheat, which is of great value for the maturing of these grains.

Prophetically, the latter rain is related to the spring feasts: Passover (Heb. Pesaj), Feast of Unleavened Bread (Heb. Jag HaMatzot), and First Fruits (Heb. Bikurim).

The prophets Hosea and Joel compare the coming of our salvation to the rain.

(Joel 2:23) Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before.

(Hosea 6:1-3) “Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. (2) After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. (3) Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”

The early and the latter rain refer to the first and second coming of the Messiah, of which the biblical feasts speak to us about. He showed us that which is natural so that we could understand that which is spiritual (1 Corinthians 15:46-47).

Just as God faithfully sends down the rain (Isaiah 55:10-11) to produce the fruit of the earth, the Father also will send the Messiah to bring forth the fruit of salvation and restoration.

FRUIT OF THE HARVEST

As we mentioned, the feasts are related to the seasons and the harvests.

Feasts                                                           related to the harvest of:

Passover

Feast of Unleavened Bread

First Fruits                                                     BARLEY

Weeks or Pentecost                                     WHEAT

Feast of Booths                                            Fall FRUITS

When the Israelites went to Jerusalem to celebrate the feasts, they brought with them the first fruits of their harvests to give to the Lord.

The Bible says that we should not come empty-handed before the Lord.

(Deuteronomy 16:16) Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God at the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths. They shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed.

From that which he has given us, we must give to Him the foremost, the first fruits. Thus, we will not forget that God comes first in our lives and that everything we have comes from Him.

Let’s not come before the Lord empty-handed!

God saved us; now let’s produce fruit in keeping with repentance.