`But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept ... Christ the firstfruits;

afterward they that are Christ's at His coming' (1 Cor. 15:20-23).

Firstfruits set forth resurrection without which the gospel is not complete. We do not worship a dead Christ, but

One Who ever lives `to make intercession for us' (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25) Who also said, `because I live, ye shall live

also' (John 14:19). Too often Gospel preaching is limited to the cross of Christ, but this is only half of the `good

Fifty days later the feast of Pentecost was ordained for Israel, sometimes called `the Feast of Weeks'. Keeping

strictly to interpretation and not application, the significance of this for the nation is shown when the real Pentecost

occurred which is recorded in Acts 2 under the ministry of Peter, who relates the happenings on this day to the

prophecy of Joel (Acts 2:16). This is concerned with the equipment of the faithful among Israel by the Holy Spirit

and the giving of evidential miraculous gifts for the proclamation of the gospel, and the kingdom teaching following

the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus. We shall deal with this more fully when we reach the New Testament.

After the feast of Pentecost, nothing more happened in Israel's religious year until the last month of that year

which was the seventh. Then we have the concluding feasts of the Lord, Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacles and the

Harvest-Ingathering closely following one another. The fact that these are related together in time and find their

fulfilment in the last month, is a sure guide to their interpretation. They must relate to Israel at the end of the age

and the establishment of the earthly phase of the kingdom of God.

The period in between Pentecost and Trumpets must cover this age, but no revelation is given as to its character.

There is certainly no disclosure of the calling of the Body of Christ, which was a `mystery' or secret until revealed to

the apostle Paul and then made known through him in Ephesians and Colossians and his prison ministry. In

Leviticus 23:22 there is a reference to the `poor and the stranger' in this interval of time, just a slight hint and

shadowing forth of those of this age who are by nature Gentiles `without Christ, being aliens from the

commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the

world' (Eph. 2:12). They are poor indeed of themselves, but how superbly rich they are in Christ in a calling that

reaches to the highest heavens where Christ is now enthroned (Eph. 2:5-7), associated with riches of grace and

riches of glory!

The first feast to be celebrated in the seventh month was Trumpets (Lev. 23:24). This foreshadows the

re-gathering of Israel at the end of the age to the promised land and the setting up of the kingdom at the return of

Christ:

`And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth (or land)

mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He

shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four

winds, from one end of heaven to the other' (Matt. 24:30, 31).

`And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are

become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever' (Rev. 11:15).

`But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery (secret) of God

should be finished, as He hath declared to His servants the prophets' (Rev. 10:7).

There can be no doubt from these Scriptures that the symbolic sounding of trumpets relates to the commencement of

the earthly kingdom and is brought about, not by any Christian activity of itself in this present age, but by the return

to the earth of the King of kings and Lord of lords to rule and reign, which is His right.

The Feast of Atonement follows this and sets forth Israel's future conviction of sin and final salvation by the

Lord. What individual sinners have to learn now of God's way of salvation by faith in Christ, the nation of Israel

will have to learn in just the same way in the future, otherwise they will be absolutely unusable by God. Israel's

feast of atonement for sin was accompanied by sorrow and mourning `ye shall afflict your souls' (Lev. 23:27).

Zechariah looks forward to the real Day of Atonement when he writes concerning the Lord's words:

`And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of

mourneth for his only son ... the land shall mourn, every family apart' (Zech. 12:10-12).