THE FIRST FRUITS AND HARVEST PRINCIPLE OF THE HEAVENLY KINGDOM INHERITANCE 

The Word uses the allegorical symbolism of agriculture to convey spiritual truths and end time events. In this chapter, we are going to mainly focus on the symbolism/principle of the First-fruits, then the Harvest, and finally the Vintage. 

John 14:2–3 says, “In 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. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself: that where I am, there ye maybe also.”  What the Lord’s statement suggests is that the future holds promise of a heavenly abode with Him in His Father’s house. And that He goes to prepare a heavenly place for them, and that He will come back and receive them, that is to say take them out from this earth and take them to that heavenly place. THIS is the introduction to the “heavenly calling”. [Hebrews 3:1] It is a subject which was then vague to the Disciples, which the Holy Spirit later more fully discloses along with additional understanding of the End Times Rapture, which is the First Fruits offering. And additionally, understanding on the Harvest, which is the First Resurrection of the dead with the catching up of the living, as revealed in the Epistles. 

Now the “heavenly calling” is that “better covenant” (seen in Hebrews 8:6) and a calling which some Hebrews heard. “But now they desire a better country that is, an heavenly.…” [Hebrews 11:16] Better in that this Covenant was made with Jesus Christ, but yet has to do with the same Kingdom, but in a higher and greater realm, that is to say based upon “better promises” than that of Abraham’s seeds’ irrevocable earthly promises. This new and better Covenant calling comes with a better promise; to “…be caught up… in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” [1st Thessalonians 4:17] “up into the “air” is to say up into the “…first heaven…” to co-rule with Jesus Christ. (Revelation 20:6) That realm and place where Christ’s Kingdom will first materialize in the beginning of the overthrowing of the current Government of this World, just before His Second Coming. (Revelation 12:5-13) This heavenly Kingdom is not in the THIRD HEAVEN of God (2nd Corinthians 12:2) where God now resides. For Scripture contrasts the heavens.  “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven…” [Revelation 21:1–2] 

To be caught up and to be with Him must mean to be changed into His spiritual likeness, and that being “….In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.…” For either the living being caught up or for His dead faithful followers to be Resurrected unto Him, all must be made incorruptible and immortal, as neither flesh nor physical body can inherit that which is spiritual in the heavenly Kingdom. (1st Corinthians 15:45-53) And when Christ completes what He had begun in the First Heaven, the overthrowing of the End Times Government on the Earth, then “When Christ shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” [Colossians 3:4] 

Unlike the unconditional gift of eternal life, Worthiness in the course of life is the principal of this conditional calling to Kingdom inheritance. “But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that (kingdom) Age, and the resurrection (out) from (among) the dead….”  (Daniel 12:2,3 Luke 20:35, Revelation 20:5) 

It is this “…blessed and holy…” worthiness for the First Resurrection (Revelation 20:6) which is the context behind Paul’s passionate hope–filled words: “…if by any means I might (or might not, as failure is possible) attain…”  (Read Philippians 3:7-21…. “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection (First Resurrection) of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”)  

So also says the exhortation of Peter: “Wherefore rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” [2nd Peter 1:10–11] (See also 1st Peter 5:10, and compare with John 6:66)  Now “grace” (the Divine influence upon our heart) is the provision for attainment of the translation and First Resurrection and is apprehended by living faith energized by love. [Galatians 5:6]…. “…according to your faith be it done unto you.”  [Matthew 9:29] Now faith is not just apprehending in the mind, but action in word and deed in obedience to Jesus Christ’s Words. To do otherwise is but “half saved”. The principle of worthiness unto full salvation inheritance is weighed on the scales of the Law of Sowing and Reaping. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.Sowing and reaping.” [Galatians 6:7] 

Scripture bears out the truth that although there is no respect of persons, (Colossians 3:25, 1st Peter 1:17) those who sincerely pursue God are favored with greater intimacy in friendship than others. “…you are my friends if you do the things which I command you” (See John 15:14–15, Hebrews 3:12-14) As clearly exampled in Abraham, Moses, David, and all His prophets and also in the New Testament, Martha, Mary and Lazarus, Peter, John and James. (John 11:5, Luke 9:28, John 13:23) 

There is in Scripture distinction between slave and bond slave, of family and first– born son, of King’s Bride and subjects, of “sleepeth” and “dead”, of “in Christ” and “of Christ”… The idea being: having been eternally justified by imputation of Christ’s righteousness, now the challenge of eternal intimacy is set before the Believer. And by diligently following the spirit/Spirit and being empowered in the overcoming of the corrupting the Old Man nature (slick) or what is also referred to as the flesh in Romans 8;8–9. “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are in the flesh but in spirit, if so be that spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not spirit of Christ, he is not of his.” That is to say any man who lacks Christ’s spirit is not of His inner circle or entourage. (See Henry Alford on Greek rendering and meaning). This truth in type is brought forth by Christ in John 13 in the two washings. There is a distinguishing between the two standings: “…no part with me…” as opposed to “in me”… and the two sons of Hebrews 12 give the same spiritual standings in inheritance. It is not a question of being offspring. 

THE TIME OF THE TRANSLATION AND THE TIME OF THE FIRST RESURRECTION 

Christ’s unseen return or presence (parousia) begins when He leaves the throne of Grace and Mercy in the Third HEAVEN, at the time of the setting up of the throne of judgment, in the First heaven. (Revelation 4:2, Daniel 7:9) It is the event that signals the mysterious fullness of the Gentiles come in (Ephesian 3:1-13, Romans 11:25), the closing of the Age of the church or called out ones for His Name. (Acts 15:14) This setting up of the Judgment throne being the beginning of the final 7 year period that concludes the time of Daniel’s prophecy. (See Daniel 9:24 with Revelation 10:6–7… “…that there should be time no longer: but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.” See also Ephesians 3:1-13) That 7 year Tribulation period climaxes with Jesus Christ’s visible return (parousia) to the Earth, so Christ declares Matthew 24:29–30, to defeat the Anti-Christ and his armies (“…whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of this coming.” [2nd Thessalonians 2:3-8 with Revelation 19:11-21] 

The generally accepted teachings on the translation (rapture) and First Resurrection in Christendom are primarily two.  

  1. That the Return (Parousia) of Christ occurs before the Last Days’ Tribulation period and all Believers, both living and dead, are caught up to Christ in the Air.  
  1. That the Return (Parousia) occurs at the end of the Tribulation and no Believers will be raised from the dead nor will any living be changed until then.   

Both views have in common that all the living Christians and all the dead Christians are caught up at the same time together.  The one has none of the living Christians going through the Tribulation and the other says that all living Christians must go through the Tribulation. 

In the first teaching, regardless of the Believer’s carnality, a living Christian would be extended the honor of being caught up into the Presence of the Lord and escape from the Tribulation’s chastening, tempting, tests and trials. And in the second teaching, faithfulness and watchfulness in obedient living at the time of the Tribulation was immaterial as all alike must suffer the great “hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” [Revelation 3:10] Both teachings are suspect as they would make all living and dead Christians alike; without discrimination between faithful or unfaithful, godly or ungodly, as all are blessed participants in the translation (rapture) and the First Resurrection.  

Scripture answers to the error of both views, being ignorant of those things declared above, in that overcoming worthiness is essential to anybody’s catching up and is declared as a reward for so doing. Now the second teaching expounds correctly that the Bodily Return of Christ (the parousia to the earth) occurs at the End of the Tribulation period but errs in teaching that no Believers will escape that horrible period of time. They mistakenly take the words of Paul in 1st Thessalonians 4:16–17 to be the final word on the subject, where the living and the dead are caught up together to the Lord in the Air at the sounding of the trump after the Tribulation, thereby placing all the living Believers present on the earth until that time. But having not reconciled the following Words of promise of escape that Christ revealed regarding these very last days, which stands contrary to their teaching. “For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” [Luke 21:34-36] “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee (Greek- out of, that period of time) from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” [Revelation 3:10] So Scripture provides escape for that period but reveals the necessity of watchfulness with prayer. Thus the statement of the Lord sets aside, at the same time, those of the opinion of there being no escape, or as in the other case, that worthiness is of no vital importance to escape. 

It should be noted that escape is something quite different (and based upon proactive behavior) from endure, after the fact, in patience. Christ aptly applies the term endure in differentiating qualifying worthiness in that enduring is now the exhortation to those Christians that were found unworthy to escape, as well as the Jewish God–fearing, unto a yet obtainable goal of future inheritance. “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” [Matthew 24:13, Revelation 14:12] 

THE BOOK OF REVELATION CHAPTER 12 portrays the first picture of the mid Tribulation rapture.  Here we discover the great emblematic wonder in heaven; in an appearance of a woman. She, at the same time, is portrayed as having a royal presence in the heaven above the earth and a travailing with child presence upon the earth. And then once bearing that heavenly child, she is manifest in her children as both in heaven, as the man-child was caught up unto God, and to his throne, and the remainder of her children fled on the earth into the wilderness.  It’s a pictorial vision that could only be an illustration of the Church of God, (of both the Old and New Testament Believers’ fates) in the Tribulation period. The heavenly depiction referring to the heavenly calling: “…and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:6 with Galatians 4:19. “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you”…. with 1st Peter 1:1-7 and Ephesians 6:10-13. The identity of the man-child caught up to (first) heaven (Revelation 12:5) is made clear from Jesus Christ’s previous declaration in Revelation 2:27 to Christ’s overcomers. “And he shall rule them with a rod of iron…”  And further answers to the promise of escape to His faithful living from the great temptation that which shall yet come on all the world. The Anti-Christ Beast has not yet come upon Scripture’s scene, but when he does he kills the two prophets who have witnessed for 3 ½ years. (Revelation 11:3,7) Then, his reign in power is 3 ½ years. (Revelation 13:5) Together, this makes up the 7 years of Daniel’s 70th week. 

That this catching up of the woman’s seed is but part of the seed of promise, is seen in that the remainder of the family is left on earth. “And the dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (Revelation 12:17)  Therefore this catching up cannot have in view that complete family catching up of 1st Thessalonians 4:15-17 or 1st Corinthians 15:51-53 for then “…we which are alive and remain (that are left) unto the coming (parousia) of the Lord, shall not prevent (or precede) them which are asleep (those of His inner circle). The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the (7th) trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain (that are left) 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.” 

And there appeared another wonder in heaven: a great red dragon, with power represented on the earth in the nations of men and in the heaven above the earth in the stars or fallen angel spirits the red dragon controls. And in anticipation of the great birth of the man-child, the dragon was (is) poised to devour her child as soon as it was (is) born. But the child in the power of the Spirit prevailed, and as a consequence of being raised up into the (first) heaven, war arose in that (first) heaven with satan resulting in his expulsion.  “…and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was there place found any more in (first) heaven, And the great dragon was cast out,…into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” [Revelation 12:7-9] Now it is that satan brings forth his child, the great Anti-Christ, who pursues the rest of the vast seed of the woman whom Scripture calls saints. (Revelation 13:7-10 and 14:12) 

THE SECOND PICTURE OF THE MID–TRIBULATION RAPTURE IN REVELATION CHAPTER 14 IS REFERRED TO AS THE FIRST FRUITS OFFERING  which Precedes the HARVEST. 

“AND I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the heavenly mount Sion (“…as the root and offspring of David.” This anointed Ruler ejects the Jebusites from the first heaven) and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads…” (this 144,000 now raised up are with the Lamb, “….redeemed out of the earth. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.”  In type, the first fruits belonged to the priest, thus they are Christ’s. (Numbers 18:12,14, Deuteronomy 18:3-5) 

In the character of the Lamb, Jesus is the Bridegroom and the First Fruits are of the Bride. (Revelation 19:7,9) 

These are the heavenly Kingdom’s First Fruits (man-child) of Christ and by that association with the Lamb, they receive the Father’s name. (Revelation 14:1 The First Fruits of Revelation chapter 7 being 12,000 out of each tribe. These then are redeemed from the 12 tribes of Israel and sealed with protection in Jacob’s Trouble and are associated with Christ as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, being the same number in the sheaf. As in the New Jerusalem, there are 12 names reflected from the Old Testament worthies and 12 names representative of the New Testament worthies Revelation 21:12,14) 

The Old Testament Agricultural types of first-fruits, then the harvest and then the vintage (Exodus 23:16, 34:22) are here in Revelation Chapter 14 where their anti-type meaning is woven into End Times prophecy chronologically, and are extremely insightful. See Leviticus 23:9-14. “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto them, When you come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits 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…” With Deuteronomy 26:1-11. The subject of the first fruits offering was the acknowledging of their redemption, which is undoubtedly the flavor of the New Song of Revelation 14:2–3.  

These Old Testament types find the fullness of their meaning in Revelation 14:1-5. The ripe First Fruits who are now delivered up, standing with Christ before the throne in the heavens, and are no longer on the earth. But the… Harvest is after the long hot period for those left in the field to ripen; and relates to the rise and reign of the Anti-Christ on the earth described in verses Revelation 14:6-13, and the ripening of the Harvest. The First Fruits are holy, so is the Harvest.   

The Harvest then being a good thing. “… is at the end of the World (age)…and the reapers are the angels….as the Son of man shall send forth his angels…Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” It is the First Resurrection and the gathering up into the clouds of the first heaven. The remainder of Christ’s Kingdom Bride is assembled for the Marriage supper of the Lamb. “…..for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.” [Revelation verses 14-16] 

The Woman’s seed provided the Harvest; the Dragon’s seed now provides the Vintage. The Vintage harvest is of the Tares. The tares are the wicked living and those who have taken the name of the satanic Anti-Christ. It is was Christ the Sower of the seed; then ripe for Harvest, and it is satan and the false prophet who mimic the Holy Spirit and testifies of Anti-Christ, that brings the vine of the earth to its ripeness.  “…thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.” [Revelation 14:18] See verses 17-20…. “And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.” The Grapes signifying being full of the juices of the earth (the World). In contrast, the wheat is dead to it. (Dead to the attachments of the World)  

The Vintage is the destruction of those of Anti-Christ, the false vine made up of both Jew and Gentile. The Harvest is the reaping of the servants of Christ; the New Man made up of Jew and Gentile. After the Harvest and Vintage comes the joy–filled Feast of Tabernacles, which has in view the Millennial Kingdom of Christ when Christ comes to “Tabernacle” with men from the heaven associated with this earth. Note that the Feast, like the type, which is also called the Feast of “booths”, (signifying a temporary dwelling place) as the eternal appointed Holy Habitation is yet to come. (New Jerusalem from Heaven after the millennial Kingdom.)