Harvest Times in the Last Days

 

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What is the relationship between the harvest of crops, and the harvest of souls in the last days?

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In Israel, the harvest period might be subdivided into three seasons, and three major crops:

1. the spring grain harvest,

2. the summer grape harvest and

3. the autumn olive harvest.

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There are 2 main harvest types in Israel

1. grain – barley, wheat, oats

2. fruit – grapes, olives, dates, figs, pomegranates and numerous fruits, seeds and vegetables of less importance

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There are exceptions, but

1. before Pentecost, the grain harvest is gleaned.

2. After Pentecost, various fruit harvests occur.

Although barley and wheat are both planted in the autumn, barley matures faster, and is harvested sooner.

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The spring is the time of first fruits

1. The first fruits of grain offered during the Festival of Unleavened Bread would have been barley.

2. By the time of the official Festival of First Fruits, Pentecost, or Shavuot, the larger wheat harvest is ready, as well as the oats.

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The rest of the harvest

1. The grape harvest was usually completed before Tabernacles

2. Most of the olive harvest came after the autumn Holy Days.

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Festivals to celebrate the harvests

1. The new wine festival came 50 days or seven weeks after Pentecost. Until new wine was offered, no one could drink any of the new juice (Temple Scroll, columns 19-21).

2. Fourteen weeks after Pentecost, shortly before the Feast of Trumpets, was the new olive oil festival.

3. Tabernacles celebrated both the spring harvest and the summer harvest.

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Harvests, Rapture and Second Coming.

 

I believe the rapture of the Bride who is ready, will occur during the Barley and Wheat Harvest times, around Pentecost, in the Spring.

 

I believe that the Second Coming will occur in the Fall, after the Wine and Olive harvests.

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I believe the weak, untested Christians (grapes,

wine) and unsaved Jews (olives, oil) will be harvested together, later at the 7^th seal, in the Fall,

around the time of the Harvest Festivals, which is

about the time of the Feast of Tabernacles.

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The passage that seems to support this view is Revelation 6:6.

Rev 6:6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and [see] thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

During the Tribulation, the 3^rd angel on the black

horse, was told not to touch either the “oil or

wine.” This means they are being grouped together,

and spared for a later harvest time.

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I am not committing myself to which year(s) this involves.

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The Clue will be when the Barley is Abib.

There are 3 stages of Barley in the ripening process

1. Too early, it is green. It is not large enough to produce seeds. The head just comes through the shaft. Not substantial enough to produce food. (unproductive stage)

2. Seeds bigger. Filled with liquid. Seeds will shrivel with parched (exposed to fire).

3. Seeds produced. Liquid replaced with dry material. When dry material is present, seeds can be parched in the fire. The seeds can “take the heat.”

At stage 3, the seeds are “abib” :

a. are brittle enough to be destroyed by fire

b. have produced enough dry material so it can be parched.

c. are developed enough for a harvest 2-3 weeks later.

The grains are subjected to threshing and winnowing to separate the grain from the chaff.

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The Barley and the Bride

The bride will not be ready until she is also “abib.”

She will

a. be sensitive enough to be broken and humbled in the fire of persecution.

b. will be mature enough in the Word to produce spiritual fruit (seeds) in her life, and will be spreading the seeds of the Word to others.

c. her life, Word and testimony has endured through the parching heat of persecution and testing.

The Wheat represents those late comers, who have been tested also.

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The Second Harvest follows Jacob’s Trouble.

It takes more work to harvest grapes and olives.  Both need a rigorous process.

Olives need to be shaken and beaten to be harvested….they have to be knocked off the tree:

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Later, they have to be crushed, the coating removed, and squeezed to get the oil out:

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This sounds like those who have to go through the Great Tribulation to be ready. The grapes go through a similar process to be made ready as well.

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References:

http://www.abcog.org/nh/harvest.htm

http://www.karaite-korner.org/abib.shtml

http://www.wcg.org/lit/law/festivals/harvest.htm