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CONFORMED - TO THE
LIKENESS OF GOD!
“And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image
Of Him that created him.” (Col 3:10).
God has harmony in His creative thinking, that is why we read in Peter’s second letter, “Grow in grace,
and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and for ever. Amen”(2
Peter 3:18). God having creating thinking, said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness”(Gen 1:26).
Man was to bare God’s image, in outward resemblance and inward character resemblance. It is a fact of
nature that living things do reproduce offsprings that resemble their parents. God’s image in Gen 1:26 is most
evident for us in terms of His fruitful outward and inward spiritual nature.
We are told in Proverbs, to buy the truth, God’s truth; How do we do that? By spending time in prayer,
study, and meditating on God’s word. accepting His wisdom, knowledge, and understanding — and admitting
error. Time is valuable—we are not to waste it!! The closer a new man comes to his Saviour, and the more he
studies the word of God the more his eyes are opened to the real nature of things. 2 + 2 does equal 4 and God’s
challenging mysteries become solved.
In developing a clearer understanding of truth, we need to look at Exodus 23, as we are approaching
God’s annual Holy Days. “Three times you shalt keep a feast unto Me in the year. You shalt keep the
the Feast of Unleavened Bread: (thou shalt eat Unleavened Bread seven days, as I commanded you, in the time
appointed of the month Abib; for in it you
came out from Egypt: and none shall appear before Me empty:). And the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your
labours, which you have sown in the field: and the Feast of Ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when
you have gathered in your labours out of the field. Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the
Lord God. You shalt not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of My sacrifice
remain until the morning. The first of the firstfruits of your land you shalt bring into the house of the Lord your
God” (Lev. 23:14-19).
God’s Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread, bringing our attention to the children of Israel leaving
Egypt, which pictured leaving sin and wondering in the wilderness for 40 years.
40 is a significant number in the Bible, it is seen in a variety of ways. 40 days and forty nights describes
the period for which rain fell during Noah’s flood. 40 days was the length of time the twelve spies explored the
promise land. Moses life was divided into three 40 year segments. 40 days and 40 nights Jesus Christ spent
fasting in the wilderness after which He was tempted by Satan. 40 days was the period of time from Jesus Christ
resurrection until His ascension into heaven. The number 40 reveals a lot of history.
One other 40 year period of time to acknowledge, is the Radio Church of God, later called the Worldwide
Church of God, under the Pastor General, Herbert W. Armstrong, who changed keeping Pentecost on Monday
to keeping it on a Sunday after 40 years. Changes take place as God’s holy spirit shows us new truths!
Fourteen year ago, a study was shared with you speculating about the 144,000 found in Revelation 7,
and the remnant church of God in Revelation 12:17, “Who keep the commandments and testimony of Jesus
Christ,” that is yet to come under the protection of Jesus, the Christ sacrificed redeeming blood! (Rev 12:11)
They have yet to keep God’s appointed times for Passover!
The remnant church of God we read of in Revelation12: verse 17, is identified with the two witnesses
in Revelation 11:4. “These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.”
In Rev1:20 we read who these two trees are and what the candlesticks represent.
The 144,000 that are called servants in Revelation 7, go through the tribulation with the two witnesses.
Apparently they will be converted and commissioned to be a light to the gentiles during the tabulation. Could
these be the two Pentecost wave loafs that had leavening “sin” in them?
We need to come out of 40 years in wilderness thinking and follow God’s seven step plan, for our
salvation. The Days of Unleavened Bread picture removing sin out of our lives and putting in the new man, the
fruits of the Holy Spirit and character of Jesus the Christ.
Christ could not restrain Himself from telling Satan in the book of Luke, that “Man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word of God” (Luke 4:4). He was quoting from a statement said earlier in Deuteronomy 8,
“And you shalt remember all the way which the Lord your God led you these forty years in the wilderness, to
humble you, and to prove you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments,
or no. And He humbled you, and suffered you to hunger, and fed you with manna, which you knew not, neither
did your fathers know; that He might make you know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every
word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live” (Deu. 8:2-3).
We need to have a better understanding of what the days of Unleavened Bread picture and what is offered
as a reward for removing sin from our life–and coming under Christ’s redeeming blood.(Rev 12:11). Keep in
mind the title of this article, “Conformed to the likeness of God.”
We need now to read and see what God told Moses to tell us. “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, when you be come into the land which I give unto you, and
shall reap the harvest thereof, then you 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 have it” (Lev 23:9-11). Before commenting on these verses, I want to quote from
a book and a couple articles. One was written in a Worldwide Good News magazine by a long time ordained
Evangelist. He condenses the teaching of what the Worldwide Church has always taught, and most have
believed in general. The other one was downloaded off the Internet from a minister in Australia.
Quoting the Evangelist first: “God has not required more of some and less of others to gain
immortality, but He has called some to a higher office in a better resurrection. Have you ever thought that one
resurrection might be better than another? The first resurrection of which this refers, is to immortality and
Rulership in the Kingdom of God. The second resurrection is to mortal life. To a life of trial and testing. And
yet, there is in it a possibility to attain immortality. The third resurrection is one to utter destruction. It is for
those who have sinned willfully, who have committed the unpardonable sin, to those who have had their
opportunity and have rejected it.”
The Australian minister article: “The firstfruits harvest of both barley, the first firstfruits, and the wheat
which came later, symbolise all the elect of God, the Firstfruits of the age of the church, both Old and New
Testament saints, prior to Christ’s second coming. The wheat harvest is the consummation of the firstfruits, of
this early harvest of souls. The firstfruits harvest was fully gathered at Pentecost, where the ceremony at which
the two loaves representing the Firstfruits (Lev 23:16-17) were also waved before God was both parallel to, and
the fulfillment of the wave sheaf offering. The Pentecost holy day pictures not only the age of the church, but also
its glorification at the resurrection. Grain is use to picture the resurrection of the dead. The Feast of
Tabernacles or Ingathering pictures the greater harvest period to be fulfilled during the millennial age and
beyond.”
Sharing one more quote from Mr. Armstrong, in the year he changed the day of Pentecost. This quote
is from the 1974 edition of “Pagan Holidays or God’s Holy Days-Which?” He wrote on page 31, “Passover
symbolized Christ’s sacrifice for the remission of our sin, and the Days of Unleavened Bread the putting away
of sin. Pentecost pictures the first part of the spiritual harvest — the called out of the church. The festival of
Ingatherings or Tabernacles pictures the fall harvest — the great harvest of souls in the millennium.”
Reading these three quotes we get a clear understanding they were speaking of three harvests which
pictures three resurrections. Harvest is Strong’s # 7105, meaning: 1). To reap; 2). To process; 3). To gather in
the crop. These three feasts, picturing resurrections, were tied to the harvest times in the land of Palestine. Also
the Israelites had very early been introduced to the concept of giving offerings at harvest times. Offerings were
representative of the years harvest to God as a token of thanksgiving for all He had given them.
Barley was harvested first in the early spring from about - March to April! At the time of Passover and
days of Unleavened Bread. It was from this first fruit barley harvest that Christ the “wave sheaf” was taken to
be the First accepted from the First fruits of the barley harvest!!
50 days later the wheat was harvested in late spring. May through June, season of Pentecost. It was
at this harvest we find two leaven wheat loaves called first-fruits to the Lord being offered. This was the
firstfruits from the wheat harvest, not the unleavened firstfruits from the barley harvest!
The third harvest comes from the summer fruit, that is a general harvest of grapes, olives, dates, figs,
and vegetables, these are gathered in late August to early- September, right before the time of the Feast of
Tabernacles that some scriptures call Feast of Ingathering.
These feast were to remind God’s people of His redemptive work on their behalf. Take for instance,
Unleavened bread pictures the kind of lives God’s called out ones should live! Sinless and humble, full of
gratitude according to the blessings God has given them, free from malice and wickedness, just as Paul said in
1 Corinthians 5: 8. “Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and
wickedness; but with the Unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” It has been taught over the years, that barley
was the grain of the poor! And wheat was the grain of the rich. This also is a symbol of the two last eras
attitudes of Revelation 3. The Philadelphia attitude is one of, “... for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept My
word, and hast not denied My name” (Rev 3:8). And the Laodicean attitude “...is rich and in need of nothing!”
(Rev. 3:17).
As the Passover bread was free from the smallest particle of leaven— so the character of the truly chosen
of God should be, completely free from the leaven of compromise with evil. Real salvation begins when all
compromise with the leaven of sin is at an end.
These three major harvests were at the time, as said earlier, when God required Israel to give an offering.
God knew this would be the time they, [Israel] would be reaping the reward of their labor. We are all
familiarized with these three major harvest times that high lights the giving of offerings. “Three times in a year
shall all your males appear before the Lord your God in the place which He shall choose; in the Feast of
Unleavened Bread, and in the Feast of Weeks, [Pentecost] and in The Feast of Tabernacles: and they shall
not appear before the Lord empty” (Deut 16:16). These three individual harvest times are clearly laid out for us.
These three harvest times picture paying a tribute to God for your harvest blessings and they also picture the three
separate times God has chosen to resurrect His called and chosen ones– to eternal life. Never to suffer the second
death!
Studies find most churches of God teach combining the smaller early spring barley harvest, that Christ
came to be the first sheaf of first fruits to be waved from, with 50 days later leaven summer wheat harvest,
calling this merger “the first fruits”resurrection. It is not found in God’s word, that we are to mix the leavening
found in the spiritual first-fruit wheat loaves, with the spiritual unleavened first-fruit barley harvest that Jesus,
the Christ was taken from! God’s creative actions are to be “Conformed to the likeness of God.” Not allowing
syncretism!
Jesus, the Christ, was the first sheaf of the first fruits taken from the early spring barley harvest. First
of the first tells us there’s yet more fruit to follow. The barley field resurrection had no leaven in it like the first-fruit wheat crop that is harvested or resurrected 50 days after the first-fruit barley resurrection.
Looking again at verses 9-11 of Leviticus 23. “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, speak unto the
children of Israel, and say unto them, when you be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the
harvest thereof, then you shall bring a sheaf [ first portion] Of the firstfruits [plural more then one] of your
harvest unto the Priest: and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted For you: [speaking of the
rest of the barley field harvest] on the morrow after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.” Did you notice the
wave sheaf [Christ] was the first sheaf from the first fruits barley harvest to be accepted by God for us at the
beginning of the first-fruits barley harvest. Said another way these verses are saying that the wave sheaf [Christ]
is just one sheaf of the first-fruits from that barley field that will be harvested [resurrected].
Notice also this is done during the Days of Unleavened Bread when we are to have removed sin,
“Leavening” from our homes and are putting Christ into our life – pictured by eating unleavened bread for seven
days!
This word first fruits in verse 10, is Strong’s # 7225. It has many meanings: 1). Head; 2). Chief; 3). First
born; 4). Or beginnings. These last two express, there is more to follow. Reading Leviticus 23:10 from the
Interlinear Bible is a much better translation of Hebrew. “Speak to the son of Israel, and you shall say to them,
when you come in the land which I am giving to you, and have reaped its harvest and have brought in the sheaf
of the beginning [Strong’s # 7225] of your harvest to the priest: then he shall wave the sheaf before Jehovah
for your acceptance on the morrow of the Sabbath shall wave it.”
Jesus Christ was the beginning resurrected first fruit from the unleavened barley field, and was resurrected
and accepted by the Father during the days of Unleavened Bread that pictures putting sin out of our lives and
putting Jesus, the Christ in!
The Apostle Paul was inspired to tell us there is an order of resurrections. “For as in Adam all die, even
so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the Firstfruit; [remember He was
taken from the first-fruits barley harvest] afterward they that are Christ's at His coming” (1 Cor 15:22-23). Will
that be in secret? Quietly-un-noticed ?
James, the brother of our Lord said, “Of His [Christ] own will begat He us with the word of truth, that
we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures [created]” (James 1:18).
John the Apostle gives the firstfruit barley resurrected encouragement in Revelation Chapter 14. “These
are they which were not defiled with women for they are VIRGINS, [ refuseing to submit to the false religious
teaching’s of Churches having leaven, sin, syncretism yet practiced in them ]. These [the virgins] are they
which follow the Lamb where ever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being the first-fruits unto
God and to the Lamb” (Rev 14:4). Who is this speaking of ? Verse one, answers that for us. “And I looked, and,
lo, a Lamb stood on the Mount Sion, and with Him an hundred forty and four thousand, having His Father's name
written in their foreheads” (Rev 14:1). Why do they have the Fathers name in there forehead? Because Christ
— the first, the beginning of the firstfruits and the first to rise from the dead tells us in Acts 26:23, “That Christ
should suffer, and that He should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light [knowledge]
unto the people, and to the Gentiles.”
Christ is dedicated to – and accepted by God the Father. He is the token of those who will follow Him
out of His unleavened spiritual barley harvest. God’s beginning first fruit that is harvested from the white grain
– unleavened barley harvest will not be one among equals when resurrected, they will have a supreme place of
honor having on the linen of righteousness like the bride of Jesus Christ will have on. “Let us be glad and
rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the Marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife has made herself ready. And
to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, [figure for a righteous character] clean [ literally
Splendid] and white: [barley is white - not brown like wheat grain] for the fine linen [character] is the
righteousness of saints” (Rev 19:7-8).
The Apostle Paul speaks of these first born in Romans 8. “For whom He did foreknow, He also did
predestinate to be Conformed to the image of His Son [unleavened], that He might be the firstborn among
many brethren. Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: And whom He called, them He also
justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified” (Rom 8:29-30). This is speaking of being clothed with
the righteousness of God.
One other point that needs clarification,
is Pentecost. “You shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine
flour; they shall be baked with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the Lord” (Lev 23:17). These tainted leaven
wave loaves of wheat called first-fruits unto the Lord is Strong’s #1061— not Strong’s # 7225! Strong’s
#1061, is not identified as being first of the God family, nor first born or called beginnings. #1061 identified by
its definition: 1). The first of the crops and fruit that ripened, was gathered, and offered to God according to the
ritual of Pentecost; 2). The bread made of the new grain offered at Pentecost; 3). The day of the first-fruits
(Pentecost). It has no other meaning like we find in [# 7225] the first fruits of Leviticus 23: 9-11. ☜
James Russell
? ?
Could the two witnesses and two churches of Revelations 11:4 be the two leavened
wave loafs for Pentecost?