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56b. Resurrection and the Change – Part 2

7th May 2007 by Arthur Eedle

Part 2.  Firstfruit and Firstborn

In part 1 we saw that the New Testament speaks of a threefold classification of those who attain to a celestial resurrection, and a fourfold classification of those who partake of a terrestrial resurrection.  Clearly there is more to be gleaned from this seven-fold grouping, but we shall have to leave it for the moment, to attend to another matter, as given in the heading of Part 2.

1 Cor.15:22-23.  “Every man in his own order; Christ the Firstfruit.”

A lot has been written about the phrase “Christ the Firstfruit.”  I have seen in one exposition the assertion that the translation should be “The Anointed Firstfruit,” making the word Christ an adjective, rather than a noun, so as to include others apart from Jesus. Of course, this is technically allowable, because CHRISTOS, CHRISTÉ, CHRISTON is the adjective meaning “Anointed”, with masculine, feminine, and neuter endings. However, the Greek word for Firstfruit is APARCHÉ, which is feminine, and therefore if in Greek one should wish to write “The Anointed Firstfruit” it would have to be APARCHÉ CHRISTÉ, and not as it is written in Corinthians, APARCHÉ CHRISTOS.

Having disposed of that, we are left with the clear assertion that the Firstfruit is the Lord Jesus Himself. This brings us to the quest for further understanding of the word Firstfruit, and how it fits in with revealed truth in the Scriptures.

Leviticus 23:10-11.  “Say to the people of Israel, when you come into the land which I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of firstfruits of your harvest to the priest, and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, that you may find acceptance. On the morrow after the Sabbath shall the priest wave it.”

The morning after the Passover Sabbath was the very Sunday that Jesus rose from the dead, and this is why Paul refers to Him as the Firstfruit. In Colossians 1:18 Paul then refers to Christ as “the firstborn from among the dead.”(which John repeats in Revelation 1:5) Hence we have two words to ponder in connection with this subject.

In a nutshell, the waving of the firstfruit enabled the Israelites to commence harvesting. Until then, no one was allowed to put in the sickle. Furthermore, the firstfruit was the guarantee that the rest of the year’s harvest would be acceptable to the Lord. In Romans 11:16 Paul made this quite clear when he said, “If the firstfruit is holy, so also is the lump.” (The “lump” refers to the dough, mentioned in Numbers 15:20, the firstfruit of which had to be offered.)

Now this is vastly important to our theme. If Jesus, as the Firstfruit, was “waved” before His Father on that resurrection morning, and was holy and acceptable, then all further harvesting would also be holy and acceptable unto the Lord.

In Israel there are three distinct times of harvest, the first being the barley harvest that followed the waving of the firstfruit sheaf; the second being at Pentecost, when the corn was gathered; and finally at Tabernacles there would be the ingathering of the rest of the harvest, mainly the fruit crop. It is because of this threefold division that we read of three distinct times of resurrection.

In the 14th chapter of Revelation John was shown the application of this. The first five verses tell us about 144,000, redeemed from the earth . . . redeemed from mankind, being  the firstfruit to God and to the Lamb.  Then in verse 16 an Angel is told to thrust in his sickle because the hour has come, and the harvest of the earth is ripe. This is the corn harvest of Pentecost. Finally, another Angel is told to thrust in his sickle and reap the clusters of the vine. (Verse 18) This is the Tabernacles fruit harvest.

A problem now arises.  Having already shown that APARCHÉ CHRISTOS can only refer to the Lord Himself, we are now confronted with the news that another 144,000 bear the title of firstfruit to God and to the Lamb.  And what is more, in Rev.14:1 we read that the Lamb stood on Mount Zion with these 144,000, and in Hebrews 12:22-23 they are spoken of again, “You are come to Mount Zion, the City of the Living God, the Heavenly Jerusalem, . . . and to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, written in heaven . . . to the spirits of just men made perfect.”

And so, although the exegesis of the Greek does not allow “Anointed Firstfruit”, yet according to further reading in the N.T. we are forced to accept the concept as correct. How is this?  I can only assume that it is because the word CHRISTOS is not the same as IESOUS. The latter word speaks of our Lord Himself, whereas CHRISTOS is a corporate term to describe HEAD and BODY. Thus we see how careful we need be in establishing theological truth.

Turning now to the word firstborn, used in the Hebrews passage just quoted, our Lexicon tells us that it is PROTO-TOKOS. The first part comes from PROTOS, which in terms of rank or degree means first, foremost, most important,most prominent.  Hence firstborn means the one who is not just first but who is also foremost, most important of a company. In Romans 8:29 Paul tells us this important fact – that some have been predestined to be conformed to the image of God’s Son, that He should be Firstborn among many brothers.  Here again we find the concept of the Christ as Head and Body.

Paul insists that Jesus is the Firstborn from among the dead. (Col.1:18) Just as the whole land of Israel was consecrated to God by the consecration of the firstfruits, so also the whole nation was consecrated to God by the consecration of the firstborn. In each case a fulness is implied, by which we may rejoice in the fact that eventually all will be raised from the dead. And this does not mean that the wicked dead will be raised, only to be punished eternally, but raised to times of severe judgment, through which the Lord will bring them to bow the knee to Jesus, that He may be all in all. That is the meaning of the Lake of Fire, which may burn for ever, even as our Lord is an everlasting consuming fire, but it does not hold its prisoners for ever. It does its job, and then Jesus, who has the keys of death and hell, brings them forth progressively to terrestrial life.

For those of us who believe, we rejoice in Hebrew 1:6, “When He brings the Firstborn again into the inhabited earth, He says, ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him.'” Even so come, Lord Jesus, and we shall worship with the angels.

Filed Under: The Wellspring Tagged With: Expository Items

About Arthur Eedle

Arthur was born in 1931, and became a Christian in 1948. At London University he gained a 2nd honours degree in Physics. He went on to get a Teaching Diploma, and throughout his career life taught physics in England, Kenya, and Hong Kong. Coupled with his love of science, he was a keen student of Greek and Hebrew, and gave many lectures on Biblical subjects. Read more

The Wellspring

1. God’s Megaphone

1st September 2001 By Arthur Eedle

2. Suicide

1st October 2001 By Arthur Eedle

3. Petra

12th October 2001 By Arthur Eedle

4. Two different Gods?

20th October 2001 By Arthur Eedle

5. I AM

23rd October 2001 By Arthur Eedle

6. “Not I but Christ”

25th October 2001 By Arthur Eedle

7. How I Love Your Law!

27th October 2001 By Arthur Eedle

8. The Jewish Problem

2nd November 2001 By Arthur Eedle

9. The Evaluation of Coincidence

15th November 2001 By Arthur Eedle

10. Gracious Uncertainty

30th April 2002 By Arthur Eedle

11. Jasper & Sardius

8th May 2002 By Arthur Eedle

12. Antithesis

19th May 2002 By Arthur Eedle

12a. The Essential Role of Free Will in Universal Reconciliation

17th June 2002 By Arthur Eedle

13. The Importance of Earnest

10th August 2002 By Arthur Eedle

14. The Millennium

14th August 2002 By Arthur Eedle

15. Cancer – A Personal Testimony

17th December 2002 By Arthur Eedle

16. C.S.Lewis on the New Year

1st January 2003 By Arthur Eedle

17. Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow

5th January 2003 By Arthur Eedle

18. Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)

12th January 2003 By Arthur Eedle

19. “The Intolerable Compliment”

12th January 2003 By Arthur Eedle

20. The Power and Practice of the Truth

22nd February 2003 By Arthur Eedle

21. The Power and Practice of the Lie

1st March 2003 By Arthur Eedle

22. The Use and Abuse of Power

8th March 2003 By Arthur Eedle

23. What on earth is happening?

29th July 2003 By Arthur Eedle

23a. A reply to “What on earth is happening?”

4th August 2003 By Arthur Eedle

24. Equality

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25. Paul to the “Ephesians”

31st August 2003 By Arthur Eedle

26. Mystery

3rd September 2003 By Arthur Eedle

27. Ephesians 1:15-23

10th September 2003 By Arthur Eedle

28. Ephesians 2:1-10

27th September 2003 By Arthur Eedle

29. Ephesians 2:11-22

6th October 2003 By Arthur Eedle

30. Cain and Abel

19th January 2004 By Arthur Eedle

31. Laying the Foundation of the Lord’s House

1st February 2004 By Arthur Eedle

32. Tomorrow’s Bread

22nd February 2004 By Arthur Eedle

33. Grace Parables

27th February 2004 By Arthur Eedle

34. The Responsibility Factor

5th March 2004 By Arthur Eedle

35a. Our Wilderness Journey. Part 1

13th March 2004 By Arthur Eedle

35b. Our Wilderness Journey. Part 2

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36. Genetic Modification in the Bible

20th March 2004 By Arthur Eedle

37. Arthur’s Testimony

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38. Identified with Christ

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39. It Would Have Been Better…

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40a. Friday’s Man was nailed upon a Cross

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40b. Sunday’s Man was nowhere to be found

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41. Jeremiah’s Cryptogram

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43. The Gospel of Humanism

14th August 2004 By Arthur Eedle

44. Cosmetic Christianity

5th September 2004 By Arthur Eedle

45. EXPERIENCE versus KNOWLEDGE

6th September 2004 By Arthur Eedle

46. “Just a wearyin’ for you”

13th September 2004 By Arthur Eedle

47. Islam by ex-Muslims

24th September 2004 By Arthur Eedle

48. Six Particular Men

9th April 2006 By Arthur Eedle

49. Ten “Everlasting” wonders in Isaiah

13th April 2006 By Arthur Eedle

50a. Missing the Mark. Part 1

18th April 2006 By Arthur Eedle

50b. Missing the Mark. Part 2

21st April 2006 By Arthur Eedle

51. The Mark of the Beast

29th April 2006 By Arthur Eedle

52. Irreducible Complexity

2nd May 2006 By Arthur Eedle

53. No historical Jesus?

4th July 2006 By Arthur Eedle

54. The Power of God’s Spoken Word

17th March 2007 By Arthur Eedle

55. God’s chosen fast

19th April 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56a. Resurrection and the Change – Part 1

1st May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56b. Resurrection and the Change – Part 2

7th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56c. Resurrection and the Change – Part 3

10th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56d. Resurrection and the Change – Part 4

12th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56e. Resurrection and the Change – Part 5

13th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56f. Resurrection and the Change – Part 6

14th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56g. Resurrection and the Change – Part 7

15th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56h. Resurrection and the Change – Part 8

16th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56i. Resurrection and the Change – Part 9

17th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56j. Resurrection and the Change – Part 10

18th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56k. Resurrection and the Change – Part 11

21st May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56l. Resurrection and the Change – Part 12

22nd May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56m. Resurrection and the Change – Part 13

23rd May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56n. Resurrection and the Change – Part 14

24th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56o. Resurrection and the Change – Part 15

25th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56p. Resurrection and the Change – Part 16

27th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57a. Before He Comes – Part 1

31st May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57b. Before He Comes – Part 2

8th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57c. Before He Comes – Part 3

10th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57d. Before He Comes – Part 4

11th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57e. Before He Comes – Part 5

12th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57f. Before He Comes – Part 6

13th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57g. Before He Comes – Part 7

14th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57h. Before He Comes – Part 8

18th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57i. Before He Comes – Part 9

19th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57j. Before He Comes – Part 10

24th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57k. Before He Comes – Part 11

29th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57l. Before He Comes – Part 12

30th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57m. Before He Comes – Part 13

3rd July 2007 By Arthur Eedle

58. Free Will Versus God’s Sovereignty

28th August 2007 By Arthur Eedle

59. Rules of Engagement

10th October 2007 By Arthur Eedle

60. Cameo. Part 1

15th October 2007 By Arthur Eedle

61. Cameo. Part 2

18th October 2007 By Arthur Eedle

62. Cameo. Part 3

26th October 2007 By Arthur Eedle

63. Cameo. Part 4

28th October 2007 By Arthur Eedle

64. In His Hands

1st November 2007 By Arthur Eedle

65. The Starlings

5th November 2007 By Arthur Eedle

66. “Dead Truth”

13th November 2007 By Arthur Eedle

67. “Dead Sin”

18th November 2007 By Arthur Eedle

68. “Dead Faith” and “Dead Works”

2nd December 2007 By Arthur Eedle

69. “Dead Worship”

18th December 2007 By Arthur Eedle

70. A Pseudo-Bunyan Author

19th March 2008 By Arthur Eedle

Article Series

  • All our Yesterdays (30)
  • Before He comes (13)
  • God's Spoken Word (37)
  • Mysteries of Science & Faith (8)
  • New Series (101)
  • Newsletter (2)
  • Original Series (109)
  • Prophecy considerations (5)
  • Recognising the Hand of Judgment (33)
  • Resurrection and Change (16)
  • Seekers Corner (14)
  • Simple Statements on Serious Subjects (6)
  • The City of God (18)
  • The Millennial Octave (23)
  • The Restitution Times (22)
  • The Song of Solomon (6)
  • The Standard (19)
  • The Wayside Pulpit (107)
  • The Wayside Pulpit 2015 (96)
  • The Wellspring (101)
  • The Wellspring 2017 (55)

Index of Topics

Arthur & Rosalind Eedle's Personal Testimonies Discipleship Expository Items Good and Evil Human Pre-Existance Jane Leade. Philadelphian Numerology in the Bible Quotations from other Authors Resurrection and the Change Ron Wyatt. Archaeology Science Topics The Kingdom of God the Millennium and the Return of Christ The Sabbath Day Universal Reconcilliation

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