Our First Fruit. God’s Appointed Times: From Firstfruits to the Harvest, from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth | Harvest of Asher

The appointed times of the Lord appear in the Bible as a sacred system of time established by God for the people of Israel, not merely as historical remembrance, but as a foundation of covenant and identity. It is written in Leviticus 23:1–2, “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: The appointed times of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My appointed times.” This clearly shows that these times were given to Israel. Likewise, in Exodus 31:17 it is written, “It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.” referring to the Sabbath, emphasizing that sacred time itself is part of the covenant between God and Israel. In Deuteronomy 16:16–17, Israel is commanded to appear before the Lord three times a year at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles, demonstrating that these appointed times are an inseparable part of the life of the people before God.

Fulfillment in the Messiah: From Shadow to Reality

In the New Testament, an additional layer is revealed that does not cancel the appointed times but brings them into fullness. Yeshua fulfills the appointed times of the Lord. According to Luke 24:6–7, He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ The resurrection takes place during the days of Unleavened Bread. When this is connected with Leviticus 23:11, “He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it,” it reveals that Yeshua rose as the firstfruit of the harvest, at the very time that signifies the beginning of a greater process.

Here, the words of Paul the Apostle bring deeper understanding. In 1 Corinthians 15:20 it is written, “But now Messiah is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” Paul uses the concept of firstfruits from the Torah to explain the resurrection of Yeshua, showing that this event is not disconnected but part of the structure of the appointed times themselves. In addition, in Colossians 2:16–17 it is written, “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Messiah.” This is not a cancellation of the appointed times, but a revelation that they point toward a complete reality fulfilled in the Messiah. Paul does not abolish the times, he reveals their fullness.

After the resurrection, Yeshua sends His disciples, as it is written in Acts 1:8, “You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” What began as firstfruits was the beginning of the great commission. Matthew 28:16-20 The process continues through the counting of the Omer, a time of waiting and preparation, until the moment of fulfillment arrives.

From Firstfruits to Harvest: The Meaning of Shavuot

In Acts 2:1–4 it is written, “When the Day of Pentecost (Shavuot) had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.  Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Here the stage of the harvest is revealed. If the resurrection is the firstfruits, then Shavuot is the beginning of the spiritual harvest. They received power from the Holy Spirit and went out into the world.

God's appointed times are not canceled

Thus, a clear continuity is formed in which the appointed times of the Lord given to Israel in the Torah are not canceled but brought into deeper meaning. Yeshua operates within them, Paul explains their depth, and the community continues the process. The appointed times are not merely a remembrance of the past, but a living revelation that leads from the firstfruits to the harvest, from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.