Photo: Barley field

Are you aware that the three major feasts—Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles—were each harvest-related?  Passover was tied to the barley harvest, Pentecost to the wheat harvest, and Tabernacles to the grape harvest.  Therefore, one can be certain that when Yahweh speaks of these three harvests or specific items, He prophetically speaks relative to these three feasts and what they represent, or their fulfillments.  Quite evidently, their three prominent fulfillments are the three resurrections, the three “harvests”—the barley harvest, the wheat harvest, and the grape harvest.  

Barley is unique in that it is not leavened.  It has low amounts of gluten in it, the sticky element that wheat possesses, so it will not rise like wheat.  Furthermore, it is the grain offered as the Passover wave sheaf offering, and the bread used in Passover and the seven days that follow called Unleavened Bread.  Before beginning this feast, the people were required to remove all the leaven from their homes.  What does leaven speak of?  It is prophetic of sin and error.  Thus, when Yahshua foretold of the corruption of the three-part, 3,000-year kingdom, He equated this to the effects of leaven: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened” (Matthew 13:33).  In this first feast and this crop, we find testified the first resurrection, the barley harvest, which is the Bride, which ascends alive and returns to reign with Immanuel for one thousand years.

In clear contrast, wheat, the next harvest, can indeed be leavened.  In fact, Pentecost is the feast where leavened bread is actually required.  And, the consequences of this are clear.  The priest was to wave two loaves of leavened bread before Yahweh.  That offering with its leaven was forbidden to be offered to Him as a burnt offering—it could not ascend to Him: “No grain offering, which you bring to Yahweh, shall be made with leaven, for you shall not offer up in smoke any leaven or any honey as an offering by fire to Yahweh” (Leviticus 2:11). 

What is the fulfillment of Pentecost and this two-loaf Pentecost offering?  Clearly, it is Saul Christianity that cannot ascend in the first resurrection.  Like Saul (1 Samuel 8), Christianity was before the time, too early, it was not yet the season for the kingdom to bear its fruit (Mark 11:13-14).  Yahshua had come early, before the time that the kingdom could reign on this earth (Matthew 8:29), making Christianity a Saul work.  How many leavened loaves were offered on Pentecost?  Two.  So, how many loaves of equally leavened bread did Christianity Saul receive?  Attesting to Christianity, two out of three (1 Samuel 10:3-4), and those at wheat harvest, or Pentecost (1 Samuel 12:17).  In clear fulfillment, Christianity will receive 2,000 out of 3,000 years.  Therefore, the second resurrection, the Pentecost wheat harvest, is that of Christians.

With the first resurrection being the barley two-part Remnant, and the second resurrection being wheat Christians, what then is the third resurrection?  The grape nations.  These three resurrections are the same as seen in the three parts of the temple—the holy of holies, the holy place, and the outer court (Revelations 11:2).  They are the same as the great statue seen by Nebuchadnezzar: the head of gold being Yahshua who preceded men in resurrecting from the dead, followed by the breasts of silver—the two-part Remnant—the belly and thighs of bronze—Christianity—and the legs of iron and feet partly of clay—the nations.  This is the same as oxen, sheep, and goats.  Given this fact, let us consider this most significant barley Passover that is immediately before us, as well as its hope.

Our most prominent hope in this Passover is the beginning of the Elijah portion of the covenant with the many, which we have been examining.  But in order to understand Passover and its significance more fully, let us consider other testimonies regarding barley.  We just noted that since barley is related specifically to Passover, any mention of it in the Scriptures would apply to that feast and its fulfillment. 

First, we find that it was at barley harvest that Boaz, the kinsman redeemer, took Ruth as his wife.  Naomi had her to go in the night to the threshing floor where he was winnowing the barley, uncover his feet, and lie down there at his feet.  He praised her for upholding the law of the kinsman redeemer, and through that law obtained her as his wife.

Of course, Yahshua is our kinsman redeemer, and we are His bride.  So as we gather for Passover, not only is there the testimony of the beginning of the Elijah work, there is the promise of our coming marriage to our Kinsman Redeemer.  We thereby lay ourselves at His feet.

As we further see in the book of Ruth, who then is the one who has first rights as the kinsman redeemer of the Bride?  It is the body of Christ, Christianity.  They have the sandals (The Sandals and the Staff).  But as with Ruth, they will not redeem us.  Therefore, their sandal is given to Yahshua.  This is why in second Remnant Luke there is no mention of the sandals.  Why?  Because Yahshua has them, our Kinsman Redeemer!  He Himself must redeem us—the One who, as prophesied regarding Boaz, became “famous in Bethlehem” (Ruth 4:11), and His name became “famous in Israel” (4:14).

Another encouraging and revealing account regarding barley is when Yahshua fed the 5,000.  John 6:4 tells us that this was at the time of Passover, and 6:9 and 13 tell us that, fittingly, it was barley bread that was miraculously divided to feed the multitude.  Was it possible for the disciples to feed this many people?  This specific point was actually raised, and it was admittedly impossible.  But Yahshua did so, with twelve baskets of barley bread collected afterwards.  Later, Yahshua addressed this matter of the specific number of baskets as a point of great significance, comparing them with the number of baskets that were collected following the Pentecost feeding of the 4,000.  I strongly suggest you read Bread In the Baskets in order to understand the remarkableness of these two feedings and Yahshua’s highly unusual related words—“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees.”

One other item about this Passover feeding that gives us hope is the number of people who were fed—5,000.  This is the same number of people numbered at the occurrence when the feet of the lame man were healed in Acts 3 and 4.  The hope here is that this Passover event was prophetic of the latter rain as well.  Both of these events required miracles, which is most certainly what we must have at this upcoming Passover.

Now for yet another testimony.  The account regarding Gideon uniquely evidences not only Passover, but also Tabernacles Pentecost.  Unlike Boaz, who was beating out the barley at the threshing floor, because of the threat of the Midianites, Gideon was beating out the wheat in the wine press (Judges 6:11).  What have we learned about wheat?  That it is Pentecost.  And what have we learned about grapes?  That they are Tabernacles.  Therefore, beating out the wheat in the winepress attests to a Tabernacles Pentecost.

So where do we find the testimony of barley, and therefore Passover?  Yahweh told Gideon that if he was afraid that he would not secure victory over his extremely formidable enemy, then he was to go down into their camp and listen to what they said (Judges 7:9f).  When he did so, he heard a man tell about a dream that he had, that “a loaf of barley bread was tumbling into the camp of Midian, and it came to the tent and struck it so that it fell, and turned it upside down so that the tent lay flat.”  The man’s friend concluded, “This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given Midian and all the camp into his hand.”

Gideon is specifically identified with barley.  Thus we see prophesied here once again that Passover will provide a victory that is otherwise impossible, the very challenge and fate we face at this time, but for good cause with hope.  As testified here, the fulfillment of Passover removes the fear of failure, the very fulfillment we look for now.  Also, Midian (meaning, “contentious”) was the fourth son of Keturah, from whom came the curse of rock and roll in the Curse of 1920.  What a truly vast and formidable enemy it is, and may it be utterly defeated.  Let us consider yet another testimony regarding barley.

I have shared before how in 1994 Yahweh called me to become a Mephibosheth, and all that I had secured in the ministry for the previous twelve years, I was to give to the man who was persecuting me.  This is what Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, did, as recorded in 2 Samuel 19:24-30.  Upon leaving all behind, shortly thereafter I lamented early one morning concerning the personal price of this loss.  Yahweh then spoke to me to be a Rizpah and sit on the rock with sackcloth until He poured out water from heaven on me.  This is from the account in 2 Samuel 21, where seven sons of Saul were put to death for his attack on the Gibeonites, who had a covenant with the sons of Israel.  Two of those sons were Rizpah’s, Saul’s concubine.  We read in verse 10 that she “took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until it rained on them from the sky; and she allowed neither the birds of the sky to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night.”

Yahweh showed me later that, prophetically, she was doing the same as Abraham did in Genesis 15, attesting to guarding the covenant parts.  So, what harvest spoken of here was at hand?  Verse nine tells us that the seven sons “were put to death in the first days of harvest at the beginning of barley harvest.”

What was the outcome of Rizpah’s Passover actions?  Verses 11-14 tell us that when King David heard about Rizpah, he went and took the bones of Saul and Jonathan and buried them in Zela.  Why is this so significant to note here?  “Zela” means “rib”; so the bones/government of Saul Christianity was placed in the rib.  What is the rib?  As addressed in Return of the Raven, the rib is the twelfth apostle who is taken out of the side of the sleeping body of Christ, and with him is built the Bride.  Once again, this is indeed our hope relative to Passover—that Yahweh will take the authority that has been in Christianity, and place it in a man so that the Bride can be fashioned and prepare the way for Immanuel.  The serpent turns back into a rod.

Another matter that is most interesting concerning this account and Gideon, is that one of the two sons of Rizpah was named Mephibosheth.  Prophetically, there is obviously a tie here to Mephibosheth, whom I was called to become.  It is equally interesting that Jonathan’s Mephibosheth had a second name as well—Merib-baal (1 Chronicles 8:34).  Also, Gideon had a second name—Jerubbaal (Judges 7:1).  Quite interestingly, both of these Passover-identified men’s names mean the same thing—“contender with Baal.”  This is what Elijah did on Mount Carmel, and all of these events point to where we are today as we face Passover—contending with Baal Christianity, the test of Carmel.

One other noteworthy point here regarding Mephibosheth.  One of the unique things regarding him was that he was lame in his feet.  Feet, of course, represent kingdom rights.  It is most hopeful that the miracle that took place at the Beautiful Gate (Acts 3) that is identified with the 5,000 and speaks to the latter rain, was that the lame man’s feet were healed and he began to walk for the first time, jumping and leaping and praising God.  THIS is what I hope takes place for this man who obediently identified with lame Mephibosheth.  I mean this sincerely, as I need it greatly!  We all need this!

Now for the final testimony regarding barley, and therefore Passover.  In 1 Chronicles 11:12-14, we read about David and one of his three mighty men, Eleazar.  The Philistines had caused the people to flee, but David and Eleazar held their ground at a place called Pasdammim, meaning “palm of blood.”  The Philistines had prevailed, but David and Eleazar took their stand in the middle of a field of barley and struck down the Philistines, “and Yahweh saved them by a great victory.” 

This is where we are about to take our stand—in the barley field of Passover—and we hope in Yahweh for our victory.  It is quite fitting that “Eleazar” means “God of help,” or “God our helper.”  “Eleazar” is in every regard the same name as that of Abraham’s servant, Eliezer, “God our helper.”  You might recall that Eliezer was sent to Nahor to get a wife for the son of promise, Isaac.  This account is one of the Scripture’s clearest testimonies of the Holy Spirit, the Helper, being sent to “piercing,” the meaning of “Nahor,” in order to pierce the side of the body of Christ and obtain a bride for the Son of Promise.  Thus we see David, taking his stand in the barley field, at Passover, with the helper, in order to secure victory. 

In Ephesians 6:13 we read: “and having done all, stand.”  This is where we, the Bride, are today.  We have indeed done all we know to do, and are taking our stand in the barley field.  Arriving at this April 25 Passover has been a very testing yet revealing journey from its beginning at Trumpets and Tabernacles, 2008, as well as Tabernacles Pentecost on April 3, 2009.  And, of course, as we have seen, this Passover possesses a legal tie to these.  Thereby, we take our stand at Passover, and hope Eleazar, the Helper, as well as the key of David (Revelations 3:7f), will give us our much needed victory.

In 1979, a pastor in whom I had much respect, encouraged me to go to seminary, and suggested I talk with a certain man who was a seminary professor.  I set up an appointment, and drove over three hours to meet with him.  His counsel to me was a surprise.  Much like Caiaphas, the high priest, when he prophesied the fate of the Lamb of God (John 11:49-50), so this professor instructed me in a way that was contrary to what anyone would expect.  I will never forget his words.  He told me that he had two doctorate degrees; and with a quarter, he might be able to get himself a cup of coffee.  He told me to go home, sit at my desk with my Bible, and learn from it. 

This indeed is precisely what I have done for the last thirty years; and throughout this time the Holy Spirit has taught me, even as it is written in 1 John 2:27.  He has taught me many, many marvelous wonders that no other man has ever seen or even imagined.  Even as the Holy Spirit spoke to me just before considering the meaning of the Nazirite vow and all the Bride wonders that followed, so it has continually been true: “You are getting ready to write yourself into the most incredible vista of truth you have ever seen.” 

Now, fifteen years later, and thirty years since the council of the seminary professor, we are about to face our own test on these truths.  Will we receive all that we see evidenced regarding Passover?  As a mere man, this is hard to imagine; but in reading the Scriptures, we place our hope in Yahweh and take our stand in the barley field.

 

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