It is spring time and stores are starting to put out plants and soon multitudes will be planting gardens and farmers sowing fields. Many are planning them now and looking forward in anticipation to a harvest. They plant because expect a harvest at the end of the growing season. We live in a season referred to in the NT as an ‘age.’ Jesus planted first Himself (see Jn. 12:23-24) a church almost 2,000 years ago. Do we think He is expecting a harvest? Obviously. His kingdom has been reaping fruit from the seed He has sown, the first seed being His own life. However, I think there is a major harvest coming that will close out the season, this present age. That is what I want to write about.
In my last post I briefly focused on the significance of Passover and noted that Passover and Pentecost, two of Israel’s feasts, were key in the birthing of the church. Now I want to briefly look at the fall feast. Passover and Pentecost have been fulfilled, the fall feast, Tabernacles or Harvest, has not. There have been numerous prophetic words given in recent decades of a great end time harvest coming. While things may look dark in our land I believe the words of Isaiah will ring true across our nation and many others.
1 Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. 2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. Isaiah 60:1-2 (NKJV)
While this was something Isaiah spoke to the nation of Israel I believe it also speaks to our day and what we will see the Holy Spirit accomplish. It aligns with what Jesus said. He never spoke idly and He made a very interesting statement in the passage below, “the harvest is the end of the age,”
37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Matthew 13:37-43 (NKJV) emphasis mine
In line with this Jesus also said,
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14 (NKJV)
Do we generally preach the ‘gospel of the kingdom’ in the west. As I mentioned in the Passover post, we are called to embrace ‘all’ that Jesus taught, not just the parts we like. The gospel of the kingdom teaches us to bow our hearts to the King of kings and Lord of lords and become truly disciples. The gospel of the kingdom when truly preached will radically reshape the church.
So we can see that the gospel of the kingdom needs to be preached and the harvest is the end of the age. When Jesus said “the harvest is the end of the age” was He connecting this to the harvest feast? While the answer is not explicit, in terms of the gospel what else do we know about the end of the age? Paul had something to say. When he referred to Israel rejecting the gospel and in turn being rejected he looked forward to a future time when they would return and as a people embrace the gospel.
15 For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? Romans 11:15 (NKJV)
Sadly, there are many in the church today who see no place for ethnic Israel in Yahweh’s plan. The only way to come to that conclusion is to be wilfully ignorant of the scriptures. Not only did Paul speak of a future reconciliation of Israel he further described it by quoting the OT and said there was a time coming when their sins would be removed.
25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.” Romans 11:25-27 (NKJV)
This is consistent with what Zechariah saw and prophesied when he spoke of a future national repentance for Israel.
10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.” Zechariah 12:10 (NKJV) 1 “In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.” Zechariah 13:1 (NKJV)
How does all of this relate to the Feast of Tabernacles, the Harvest Feast? Just as at one time Passover and Pentecost prophesied of future events and were fulfilled in the life of the church so too Tabernacles prophesies of a future event that will be fulfilled in the life of the church, a great and joyous harvest. Unlike Passover and Pentecost, feasts that were each on a specific day, Tabernacles takes place of a period of time. The prophetic nature of the feasts is hinted at in Isaiah.
9 Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ Isaiah 46:9-10 (NKJV)
Yahweh tells us clearly that He declares the end from the beginning, He plants the seeds of the future in the past. We need to pray for a ‘spirit of wisdom and revelation’ to see and hear. The harvest in the fall is a feast of culmination and I believe a great end time harvest will take place as we transition from this age to the next. In the midst of great chaos and turmoil in the world a great harvest will simultaneously take place, light in some areas, darkness in others. When those who are willing have come in the door will close and the age will end. It is interesting that in Exodus 23:16 it was referred to as the feast of ‘ingathering’ and was a time of great joy and celebration.
16 and the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field. Exodus 23:16 (NKJV)
There were in fact two harvests, the firstfruits which was tied into Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread leading into Pentecost. In like manner there have been many harvests during the life of the church but the great fall harvest or ‘ingathering’ now needs to take place. If what I am writing in true then it behooves us to be like Daniel and begin to pray. When Daniel saw from the prophesies of Jeremiah that the first return of Israel to their land from Babylon was to take place he didn’t have a charismatic worship service, he got on his face and embraced repentance and intercession because he recognized the prophesy would be fulfilled through Yahweh’s people coming into agreement with Him! So, search the scriptures to see if you see then make a decision about intercession. However, I invite you to first listen to this song by David Brymer and reflect on whether the answer is yes?
Randy someone posted a question about the reference to incense in this song. I thought it was a great question and below was the answer given. There are many references to incense in the Bible and I have never really thought too much about it. Do you agree with the statement below or would you say something different? Thank you for your excellent teaching as always. What a way to greet the day!!!!
“The incense is pure worship! So worshipping in Spirit and in truth from a pure heart creates an incense for God”
I would say ‘mostly true.’ Many passages in scripture let us know that the incense equates to prayer. The one below is that which is widely used in the prayer movement to marry worship to intercession. Which is accurate, with a focus on the phrase ‘on earth as it is in heaven’ (from the Lord’s prayer) the IHOP type prayer movement seeks to release constant worship and intercession before His throne. My only qualifier is the ‘pure.’ Anything we offer has some element of us in it and will never be truly pure until we step from time into eternity and worship before His throne in glorified bodies. Thanks for asking!
8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. Revelation 5:8 (NKJV)
Thank you. Excellent answer.