Chapter Five

 

The Secret Of The First Born

The principle of the first-born is a key factor in understanding how to receive the blessings of God into our lives. More than this, understanding this truth brings perspective into the reason why we exist and our need to be in relationship with our Heavenly Father. Metaphorically, this truth also enables us to truly bruise the enemy with our heel, as we walk in the footsteps of the First Born from the dead, crushing the skull of the first born of death. Although, sometimes we might wonder that instead of being metaphors, what we read in the Bible is nothing but a glimpse of the real thing.

The first born of death is an interesting concept. Mistakenly, we might think that it is a reference to the death of Abel, the first human to be murdered, and the first on record to die. Again, mistakenly, we might think the first born of death is a reference to Adam’s sin that ushered in death for all human beings. The first born of death is neither Adam nor Abel. When the first born of death arrived on the scene, he did not burst forth with the joy accompanied by a long-awaited expectancy. Lucifer, the first born of death, fell from grace when he chose to disregard the Author of Life—believing his death could never happen. In doing this, he brought disgrace upon himself, accompanied by the terrifying thought of eternal separation from God. The contemplation of such an act and its consequences should make the thought impossible to bear, let alone actually carrying the act out. Little did the Evil One know that death is the result of being alienated from God. Lucifer had to be thinking that since God is infinite, alienation from the Creator is an impossibility. Tragically for Lucifer, the idea of a black hole, that astronomers speak of today, had not entered his finite mind. According to the physicists, a black hole is light imploding with such force that its rays cannot be emitted. The terror of being selfishly caught in self-absorption, and trapped in the loneliness of one’s own company, is not a dawning of the morning but death of the day. The terror of the ever-enlarging space that possesses the emptiness of inner loneliness is not a prospect that people anticipate when they walk through the curtains that are drawn to a close on the stage of this temporal world but open up to the eternal realm. The term “twice dead” refers to those who suffer the company of the first born of death. One should not seek such an epitaph.

A much happier script on one’s headstone is that which announces one is numbered among the company of those who have joined the first born from the dead in the resurrection that is the continuum of life. Indeed, the one thing in which we can rejoice is the First Born from the Dead is alive! Praise God!

Jesus was the first person to rise from the dead; to come back to life after having died; to come out from among the dead—not just those who had died, but those who are awaiting the second death. This is because Jesus, who knew no sin, actually became sin on our behalf. The prophetic word hidden in the sacred writings of the book of Job (18:13) went as far as to say the first born of death devoured the Precious One who gave His life for us all. Described as eaten alive by the worst of diseases—sin itself—the skin of Jesus probably looked like that of the most hideous leper. No wonder no bone in His body was broken when on the Cross. No wonder those who watched stood in awe. No wonder the centurion keeping guard declared, “Surely, this is the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39)

The Biblical teaching of the First Born espoused within the Bible is central to the Christian and Hebrew understanding of the Godhead. Yet it is only fully appreciated within the New Testament. Unfortunately, those who claim to know the Law and adhere to their interpretation of the Mosaic Code, outside of the insights provided by the Apostles of Jesus, fail to realize this essential truth concerning the Son of God. Nevertheless, it needs to be realized that understanding the truths of Scripture from a biblical Christian perspective requires an intimate relationship with the Lord God. For us today, it is impossible to know the Father without the Son and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. In fact, the Holy Spirit shows us the way to the Guardian of the Door of Life where the fellowship of the Father and the Son is possible.

When Adam and Eve left Paradise, the Garden of Eden, God placed a guardian angel at the entrance to the garden. The original guardian angel failed in his duties and became the first born of death. The second guardian angel was given the commission to kill Adam and Eve if they tried to return to the garden. If Adam attempted to gain what he had lost, he would have to be prepared to lose his life. For Adam to do that, he would have needed to believe that God would raise him from the dead. As Jesus said:

For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 16:25)

The Bible doctrine of the First Born Son of God is summarized by the Apostle Paul in the book of Colossians thus:

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.

(Colossians 1:15-19 ESV)

The Apostle warns us, regarding the teaching of the First Born Son, to:

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily (Colossians 2:8-9).

The following passages of Scripture all speak of the First Born:

God, having in the past spoken to the fathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,  has at the end of these days spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds.  His Son is the radiance of his glory, the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purified us of our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; having become so much better than the angels, as he has inherited a more excellent name than they have. For to which of the angels did he say at any time, “You are my Son. Today have I become your father?” and again, “I will be to him a Father, and he will be to me a Son?” When he again brings in the firstborn into the world he says, “Let all the angels of God worship him.” Of the angels he says, “Who makes his angels winds,  and his servants a flame of fire.” But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.  The scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your Kingdom. You have loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows. (Hebrews 1:1-9)

 

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the Good News of God, which he promised before through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was born of the offspring of David according to the flesh,  who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we received grace and apostleship, for obedience of faith among all the nations, for his name’s sake; among whom you are also called to belong to Jesus Christ;  to all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

(Romans 1:1-7)

“Yahweh possessed me in the beginning of his work,   before his deeds of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, before the earth existed. When there were no depths, I was born, when there were no springs abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was born; while as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the beginning of the dust of the world. When he established the heavens, I was there; when he set a circle on the surface of the deep, when he established the clouds above, when the springs of the deep became strong, when he gave to the sea its boundary, that the waters should not violate his commandment, when he marked out the foundations of the earth; then I was the craftsman by his side. I was a delight day by day, always rejoicing before him, Rejoicing in his whole world. My delight was with the sons of men. (Proverbs 8:22-31)

 

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep and God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters.  God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw the light, and saw that it was good. God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light “day”, and the darkness he called “night”. There was evening and there was morning, the first day. (Genesis 1:1-5)

 

God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and [Circle on the surface of the deep] let it divide the waters from the waters.” God made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. God called the expanse “sky”. There was evening and there was morning, a second day. (Gen 1:6-8)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made.  In him was life, and the life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn’t overcome it...The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John testified about him. He cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me, for he was before me.’” ...No one has seen God at any time. The one and only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him. (John 1:1-5,14,18)

 

That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we saw, and our hands touched, concerning the Word of life (and the life was revealed, and we have seen, and testify, and declare to you the life, the eternal life, which was with the Father, and was revealed to us)....This is the message which we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:1-2,5)

 

 This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things which must happen soon, which he sent and made known by his angel to his servant, John,  who testified to God’s word, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, about everything that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written in it, for the time is at hand. John, to the seven assemblies that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from God, who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before his throne; 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and washed us from our sins by his blood; and he made us to be a Kingdom, priests to his God and Father; to him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 1:1-6)

 

Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, “What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “Of David.” He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call him Lord, saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, sit on my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet?’ “If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” (Matthew 22:41-45)

 

Surely I am the most ignorant man, and don’t have a man’s understanding. I have not learned wisdom, neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One. Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name, if you know?“Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Don’t you add to his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar. (Proverbs 30:2-6)

 

Yahweh says to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool for your feet.” (Psalm 110:1)

Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, including those who pierced him. All the tribes of the earth will mourn over him. Even so, Amen. (Revelation 1:7)

 

What we can see as we read the above Scriptures is that the First Born of Creation is actually the Creator, the Son of God, who is identified in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. However, as the Pharisees were unable to discern this truth, neither can we, unless we have the revelation of the First Born revealed to us by the Holy Spirit indwelling our spirits. Few people actually connect the dots and see the import of the above Scriptures in relation to the truth of the First Born Son of God. This is a mystery for most people, and throughout the ages, many have attempted to formulate their own ideas, but have erred by adding to the Word of God. When we allow the Holy Spirit to illuminate the above truth about the First Born, the revelation of where we stand before God and our relationship with Him will be enhanced beyond measure.

Throughout the Old Testament, the teaching of the First Born brings home a truth to us that we will understand much better as it unfolds in this chapter.

For many Christians, the Passover is all about the death of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary—and the penalty that was paid to redeem them, but nothing else. Their Christian experience is one of struggle, and they are often heard crying out at the foot of Calvary’s Cross, where they stand with their mind’s eye looking at Jesus hanging there for them. The Bible teaching of the First Born goes beyond this and brings us to a place where we come to appreciate what exactly our inheritance in life is truly meant to be.

The significance of the First Born was taught to Moses by God when he was sent to rescue the people of promise from the slavery of the god of this world. Thus, we read in the book of Exodus: Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,  

“Sanctify to me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of animal. It is mine.”

Moses said to the people, “Remember this day, in which you came out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand Yahweh brought you out from this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten.  Today you go out in the month Abib.  It shall be, when Yahweh shall bring you into the land of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall keep this service in this month.  Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to Yahweh. Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and no leavened bread shall be seen with you. No yeast shall be seen with you, within all your borders. You shall tell your son in that day, saying, ‘It is because of that which Yahweh did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ It shall be for a sign to you on your hand, and for a memorial between your eyes, that Yahweh’s law may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand Yahweh has brought you out of Egypt. You shall therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year.

It shall be, when Yahweh shall bring you into the land of the Canaanite, as he swore to you and to your fathers, and shall give it you, that you shall set apart to Yahweh all that opens the womb, and every firstborn which you have that comes from an animal. The males shall be Yahweh’s.  Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and you shall redeem all the firstborn of man among your sons. It shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ that you shall tell him, ‘By strength of hand Yahweh brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage.  When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, Yahweh killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of animal. Therefore I sacrifice to Yahweh all that opens the womb, being males; but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ It shall be for a sign on your hand, and for symbols between your eyes: for by strength of hand Yahweh brought us out of Egypt.” (Ex. 13:1-16) 

The firstborn of redemption are those who have entered into the promised land of milk and honey. Milk and honey can be very morish (especially for this author when used on rolled oats and other grains to make muesli). Together, milk and honey become the type that is expressed in this passage to represent the understanding of acquiring the blessings of the promised inheritance that we read about in the book of Ephesians, when the Apostle says:  

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ; even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love;  having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire,  to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely gave us favor in the Beloved,  in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him to an administration of the fullness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things on the earth, in him;  in whom also we were assigned an inheritance, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who does all things after the counsel of his will; to the end that we should be to the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ:  in whom you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation—in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,  who is a pledge of our inheritance, to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:3-14)

Many are called, but few are chosen. The reason some are chosen to receive their inheritance here on Earth is because they do what is required to become part of the First Born. The secret to understanding how to receive Divine approval has to do with the First Born. The teaching of the First Born permeates the Mosaic Covenant, which Moses received from God Himself. Even though the sacrificing of the firstborn animals is not capable of saving anybody from anything, the truth associated with them, when applied in a person’s life, does. For the sacrificing of the firstborn is an exercise of absolute faith.

In order to understand the truth of the First Born, we need to understand a little about husbandry and the way animals are raised. To be succinct about the matter, female animals need to reach reproductive maturity before they can become pregnant. In Moses’ day, pregnancy was not a technological process where artificial insemination was used, so, in respect to cattle, guaranteed pregnancies did not come every year, and when they did, they could be late in the season. Gestation in cattle is similar to humans at around nine months (270–295 days depending on breed). Heifers can be impregnated as early as fifteen months, but the natural cycle is for pregnancy to occur at two years of age. Sheep and goats reach breeding age quicker than cattle, and although they can breed two times a year in their natural environment, this is usually a yearly event.

The truth of the First Born is realized when we learn to acknowledge who God really is. The First Born of the infinite God brought everything into existence. The earthly manifestation of the First Born is found in the body of a baby being the First Born of the Virgin; being born of water and the blood, as the Holy Spirit opened the womb that had never before been touched by male hands. When the First Born came into this world, He who was the Son of God, the First Born of Creation, entered the body that had been prepared for Him, as is written in the book of Hebrews:

Therefore when he comes into the world, he says, “Sacrifice and offering you didn’t desire, but you prepared a body for me. You had no pleasure in whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come (in the scroll of the book it is written of me) to do your will, O God.’” (Hebrews 10:5-7)

The body that was prepared for the First Born of Creation to enter was the first born of a virgin. The truth about the First Born is that He is preeminent in all things. For the Son of God is the first to be born of Creation, the first to have a body born of a virgin, and the first to be born from the dead. As Jesus said, no one has ascended into Heaven except He who has descended from Heaven (John 3:13).

In order for us to grasp the significance of this fact, what is surprising is that in the book of Proverbs we start to read about the Son of God and the Holy One ascending into Heaven and descending from Heaven. The book of Proverbs is renowned for its practical wisdom. Amazingly, it is here we find the idea of the Holy One having a Son who ascends into Heaven because He has descended from Heaven. In the book of Proverbs, as we read these truths of the First Born and begin to realize their significance, this is called “revelation.” Notice how this truth of the Son of God is revealed in terms of ascending and descending, in particular, how they unfold:

The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the revelation: the man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:  “Surely I am the most ignorant man,  and don’t have a man’s understanding. I have not learned wisdom, neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One. Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended?  Who has gathered the wind in his fists?  Who has bound the waters in his garment?  Who has established all the ends of the earth?  What is his name, and what is his son’s name, if you know? (Proverbs 30:1-4)

 

No one has ascended into heaven, but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven. (John 3:13)

But the righteousness which is of faith says this, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down); or, ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead.)”  But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart”; that is, the word of faith, which we preach:  that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed.” (Romans 10:6-11)

Therefore he says, “When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.” Now this, “He ascended”, what is it but that he also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.  He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers;  for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:8-12)

 

But we see him who has been made a little lower than the angels, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God he should taste of death for everyone. For it became him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many children to glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, “I will declare your name to my brothers. Among of the congregation I will sing your praise.” (Hebrews 2:9-12)

As we read through those Scriptures, what becomes clear, first of all, is that this revelation begins in the book of Proverbs. Then, in the book of John, it is taken up by Jesus, who says no one can ascend into Heaven except the One who has descended from Heaven in the first place. The First Born Son of the Holy One descended from Heaven to enter the body that had been prepared for Him. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). The Apostle Paul says that we are not to compare ourselves with each other; rather, we are to put our trust in the One who has been raised from the dead. This One is the One who descended into the pits of Hell to become the First Born from the dead; ascended into Heaven and gave the gifts of five offices to men, that those who fill them might complete the task of preparing the body of people ready for the final resurrection of the just. This will be the Day that the Lord of Life, Jesus Christ, will call everyone in the congregation of the righteous brethren, for we will all have been of one origin, having been dead because of sin, but made alive to God in the Spirit. As the Apostle wrote once he realized how to get the victory over sin:

But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if it is so that the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if any man doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his. If Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if you live after the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God. (Romans 8:9-14)

We, who are led by the Spirit of God, are the children of the First Born; ordained before the foundation of the world.

Nathaniel was a man who was pondering the Old Testament truths, and Jesus saw him doing this under a fig tree. When He saw Nathaniel for the first time, Jesus announced to all around Him that there was no guile in his heart. Nathaniel asked Jesus how it was that He knew him. When Jesus said that He had seen him under the fig tree before Philip had called him, Nathaniel declared Him to be the King of Israel. Jesus told Nathaniel that he would see angels descending and ascending upon the Son of Man. Here is the actual transcript:

On the next day, he was determined to go out into Galilee, and he found Philip. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, “We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, wrote: Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?”Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said about him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?”Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I told you, ‘I saw you underneath the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these!”  He said to him, “Most certainly, I tell you, hereafter you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”(John 1:43-51)

There are some indicators in this account that suggest Nathaniel was actually thinking about how he might return to God. For we read that the Law of Moses and the prophets testify to the Son of God. We note that Nathaniel is called an Israelite and not a Jew. We also note that Jesus spoke of the angels ascending and descending.

Jacob had the dream of the angels descending and ascending on the ladder between Earth and Heaven. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel. However, when the prophet Malachi spoke of returning to God, he stated God does not change; therefore, the sons of Jacob are not consumed. The sons of Jacob are all those who are Israelites, not just Jews. We also know that after Jacob had the dream of the angels descending and ascending, he vowed to tithe to God. At the time Jacob was a fugitive and possessed nothing. Some months later, he was offered wages to work for his uncle Laban. Twenty years after that, even though he was only breeding lambs and goats, we read:

The man [Jacob] increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys. (Genesis 30:43)

In modern parlance, Jacob had gone from the poorhouse to the penthouse. He not only was a breeder but also was obviously a trader, who bought and sold some of his goods so that he could possess camels and donkeys, as well as flocks of goats and sheep, for which he needed hired servants. During this time, Jacob had to have tithed as he increased his wealth. Naturally, we can only assume he was giving his tithe to the Melchizedek priesthood that operated out of Salem. The Bible tells us that God does not change. Abraham tithed to the Melchizedek priesthood. Isaac would have done so. Jacob continued in this expression of faith towards God. The writer of Hebrews argued that Levi and his descendants tithed to Melchizedek while in the loins of Abraham. We who enter God’s blessings today do so because we tithe to the Melchizedek priesthood, by tithing to the members of the five-fold gifts that are given to men to bring them to the knowledge of the truth.

The Mosaic covenant was introduced with its tithes and offerings as a means of sustaining the priesthood, but the significance of the tithe was about returning to God. Nathaniel could have been contemplating this under the fig tree, wondering about the significance of the tithe. Jesus told him that he would see the angels descending and ascending because he had a pure heart; for only the pure of heart can see God. This is the case even though no man has seen God in the flesh and lived (John 1:18), but many have seen Him when they have had the eyes of their heart opened and realized the inheritance they have been called to receive (cf. Ephesians 1:18).

Jacob is often called “the tricky one,” and it is easy to get the impression that he is untrustworthy and the least likely to have a pure heart. Since only the pure of heart can see God (Matthew 5:8), we must wonder how it is Jacob could say this to Esau:

“Please, no, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present at my hand, because I have seen your face, as one sees the face of God, and you were pleased with me.” (Genesis 33:10)

But then, if we had read the story of Jacob, we need not wonder too much, because we know that Jacob had an experience where he saw God. We learn:

Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for, he said, ‘I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.’ (Genesis 32:30)

When we have the revelation of the First Born, the Son of Man, our Lord Jesus Christ, and see the angels descending and ascending upon Him, then we are beginning to see the light that dispels darkness and brings joy in the night..

For it is evident that our Lord has sprung out of Judah, about which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning a priesthood.  This is yet more abundantly evident, if after the likeness of Melchizedek there arises another priest, who has been made, not after the law of a fleshly commandment, but after the power of an endless life: for it is testified, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.” For there is an annulling of a foregoing commandment because of its weakness and uselessness (for the law made nothing perfect), and a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. Inasmuch as he was not made priest without the taking of an oath (for they indeed have been made priests without an oath), but he with an oath by him that says of him, “The Lord swore and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.’”  By so much, Jesus has become the collateral of a better covenant. Many, indeed, have been made priests, because they are hindered from continuing by death.  But he, because he lives forever, has his priesthood unchangeable. Therefore he is also able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, seeing that he lives forever to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:14-25)

 

For to which of the angels did he say at any time “You are my Son. Today have I become your father?” and again, “I will be to him a Father,  and he will be to me a Son?”  When he again brings in the firstborn into the world he says, “Let all the angels of God worship him.”

(Hebrews 1:5-6)

 

But which of the angels has he told at any time, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet?” Aren’t they all serving spirits, sent out to do service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?

(Hebrews. 1:13-14).

The significance of the First Born is overlooked by the majority of Christians. They are caught up in historical dogmatic assertions rather than Biblical theology when it comes to understanding what the Bible really teaches (this is why there is so much Scripture used in this book). When we begin to think of infinity, we cannot comprehend it. Infinity is like trying to see the outside perimeter that encases the room in which we may be standing. While we might visualize a cube on its own, we cannot see the perimeter of a cube and see ourselves in the center of it, while at the same time being cognizant of its six sides both inside and out. This is definitely not something we can do. We can see only what we can in the linear direction of our eyes. Yet God has the capacity to not only see around corners but also, at the same time, inside and outside a cube, above and below, front and back, a full three hundred and sixty degrees, in every which way possible, for He is omnipresent and nothing can escape His whereabouts. In this respect, the biblical teaching about the First Born is how we are to understand the door to infinity. Without the realization of the One who is, once having been, will always still be, we have not grasped the truth about God. The truths associated with the First Born help bring this into perspective.

Let us consider a situation where we are given two newborn calves (a male and female) and we are told that this is our inheritance, and from these two animals, we are going to build a herd. We would have to wait until the fourth year before the heifer calves. This firstborn calf is to be sacrificed to God as an offering. We then get to keep the calves from the following year onwards. This seems a slow process. Surely, there has to be a faster way of building a herd. However, this is God’s way.

The One who was, and is, and is to come, constitutes the reason for the teaching that is inherent in the command to mandate this practice regarding the firstborn within the Mosaic Law. When we read the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, we discover it opens with the following:

This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, … from God, who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before his throne; and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and washed us from our sins by his blood; and he made us to be a Kingdom, priests to his God and Father; to him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 1:1-6)

When we understand that the First Born of Creation, who was, became the Son of Man (the Word made flesh) who is, having been designated the Son of God by His resurrection, the First Born from the dead, who is to come (the return of Lord Jesus Christ), we understand this great truth that was factored into the offering of the firstborn from the womb. When we read what the Apostle says about the mystery of the two becoming one, and says that this refers to Christ and the Church in the book of Ephesians, we are talking about the truth of the First Born. The Apostle Paul wrote:

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly, and gave himself up for it; that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word, that he might present the assembly to himself gloriously, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without defect. Even so husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself. For no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord also does the assembly; because we are members of his body, of his flesh and bones. “For this cause a man will leave his father and mother, and will be joined to his wife. The two will become one flesh.” This mystery is great, but I speak concerning Christ and of the assembly. (Ephesians 5:25-32)

In understanding the truth of the First Born, we are learning that in all things God is supreme. There is nothing that cannot be hidden from God, and without Him nothing exists. The sacrificial offering of the firstborn demonstrates that the individual understands this and places complete trust in the Almighty, All-knowing, Ever-present, Infinite One in whom alone dwells immortality. For indeed, in Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). God has the power to give life and the power to take life, for He alone is Life. There is only One who can truly say, I AM WHO I AM, and have the power to make a difference in the lives of you or anyone else for eternity and within eternity.

What is difficult for many people to grasp is how the Word of Life could exist as the Son of God, have equality with God, and then relinquish the glory He possessed to take on the form of a human. Yet this is the great truth that is found in the book of Philippians:

Have this in your mind, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11)

When Jesus said that the time had come for Him to be glorified, no one at the time understood that He meant there would be a time that He (the Son of Man) was not. This is what Jesus was expressing about His flesh, His soul that was to become consumed by the first born of death, when He referred to being a grain of wheat. John records the following:

Jesus answered them, The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Most certainly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life will lose it. He who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life. If anyone serves me, let him follow me. Where I am, there will my servant also be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. “Now my soul is troubled. What shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this time?’ But for this cause I came to this time. Father, glorify your name!” Then there came a voice out of the sky, saying, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” (John 12:23-28)

The doctrines known as Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification are found in the life of Jesus. For Jesus was justified in having been sanctified by the Holy Spirit at His baptism because He was vindicated by His glorification as the Son of God, due to His innate ability to rise from the dead. Many other doctrines have been formulated to explain the salvation process; but the truth is best put by simply understanding the process that Jesus went through, because, as He Himself said, “If anyone serves me, let him follow me” (John 12:26). Unless our flesh is crucified, we will not be glorified with Lord Jesus. For this, we have been called; and only through this means can we bear fruit.

There are two ways we can pass from the curse into the blessing. We can do it the way Jacob did, or we can do it by selling up everything we have to enter the kingdom of God.

From a Christian perspective, the concept of the First Born is demonstrated when we sell everything we have and give the rest of our lives to being in the Kingdom of God. This way we are totally trusting in Jesus to raise us up. This concept of total commitment can be frightening, and this is the challenge Jesus put to a rich young ruler. This is what happened:  

A certain ruler asked him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus asked him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good, except one—God. You know the commandments: ‘Don’t commit adultery,’ ‘Don’t murder,’ ‘Don’t steal,’ ‘Don’t give false testimony,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”

He said, “I have observed all these things from my youth up.”

When Jesus heard these things, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have, and distribute it to the poor. You will have treasure in heaven. Come, follow me.”

But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was very rich.

Jesus, seeing that he became very sad, said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter into God’s Kingdom! For it is easier for a camel to enter in through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into God’s Kingdom.”

Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?”

But he said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

 

Peter said, “Look, we have left everything, and followed you.”

He said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, there is no one who has left house, or wife, or brothers, or parents, or children, for God’s Kingdom’s sake, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the world to come, eternal life.” (Luke 18:18-30)

In this event, we see how a rich man denies himself the opportunity to become truly exalted in the eyes of others. Preferring to hang on to what he had inherited from this world, rather than acknowledge the truth about its temporal nature and discover what the Lord God would do for him, the rich young ruler declined the opportunity of entering into the Kingdom of God and returning to the Lord of blessings.

Jesus was effectively saying to the rich young ruler, “Why not be like me? I did not count my glory something to be grasped, but emptied myself, so that I could receive greater glory.”

The disciples had no clue as to what Jesus was talking about. Peter was seeing everything from a natural perspective. Peter had seen miracles and had cast out demons in the name of Jesus himself, but when he heard that it was harder for a rich man to enter God’s Kingdom than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, he was worried. Indeed, it is not easy to leave everything, or sell up and follow Jesus. We really have to believe that God loves us, that He is trustworthy, and that He will honor His Word. It is easier to tithe and put God to the test first. This way, like Stanley Tam (p123), our faith might grow enough that we give everything up to the Lord and obtain fruit for eternal life. The Lord wants us to be blessed and bear fruit.

This is the promise of Almighty God: He will justify, sanctify, and glorify His people, if they desire to walk with Him on this Earth. This is the teaching that is found in the three feasts:

You shall observe a feast to me three times a year. You shall observe the feast of unleavened bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Abib (for in it you came out of Egypt), and no one shall appear before me empty. And the feast of harvest, the first fruits of your labors, which you sow in the field; and the feast of ingathering, at the end of the year, when you gather in your labors out of the field. Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord Yahweh.

“You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread. The fat of my feast shall not remain all night until the morning. The first of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of Yahweh your God. “You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.[i] “Behold, I send an angel before you, to keep you by the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Pay attention to him, and listen to his voice. Don’t provoke him, for he will not pardon your disobedience, for my name is in him.  But if you indeed listen to his voice, and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and an adversary to your adversaries.

(Exodus 23:14-22)

The feast of Unleaven Bread

You shall observe the feast of unleavened bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Abib (for in it you came out of Egypt), and no one shall appear before me empty. (Exodus 23:15)

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a critical feast that points to God’s requirements for us in order to qualify for the next step. This feast occurs after the Passover of the Lamb. What this means is that we have accepted God’s provision of the First Born and are now willing to walk in the way of the Lord. We acknowledge that Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead. Now we desire to walk in His footsteps.

This is a time where we press into God because we want to receive His promises for us. The Feast of Unleavened Bread is only kept by those who have renounced hypocrisy. Many people claim they accept Jesus as their Savior because they say they believe that He died for their sins and rose from the dead; but they play the hypocrite. This is called “cheap grace.” These are those who believe they do not really have to change to be saved and enter the Kingdom of God. In fact, these people think that they can continue in their sin and be saved on the last day. They often quote Isaiah and say that their thoughts and ways are not God’s. What they overlook is that the previous verse says we are to forsake our thoughts and our ways, because they are not God’s, and learn His thoughts and His ways. Here is the Scripture in context:

Seek Yahweh while he may be found. Call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to Yahweh, and he will have mercy on him; and to our God, for he will freely pardon. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways,” says Yahweh. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain comes down and the snow from the sky, and doesn’t return there, but waters the earth, and makes it grow and bud, and gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so is my word that goes out of my mouth: it will not return to me void, but it will accomplish that which I please, and it will prosper in the thing I sent it to do. For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace. The mountains and the hills will break out before you into singing; and all the trees of the fields will clap their hands. (Isaiah 55:6-12)

As we can see, this text is about seeking God and repenting of our ways so that we might enter into the blessings of God and know the joy of salvation. Tragically, those who believe in the doctrine of Total Depravity do not accept that God has the power to transform those who genuinely seek Him. Therefore, they justify their sin by claiming the Bible says that they cannot change their thoughts or ways. These people always talk about being at the Cross and never on the Cross. They never get to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread in their Christian walk and do not believe that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is for today.

Jesus said that we were to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Those who do not keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in their own personal walk with the Lord Jesus Christ are guilty of hypocrisy, and the salvation they think they have in being “once saved, always saved” they do not possess—because they have not really been saved at all. They are still hypocrites and heading for Hell—unless God, in His grace, finds cause to overlook their ignorance. Only hypocrites are not ignorant.

Jesus kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This is why He would not let anyone touch Him until well after eight days from His death, when He invited doubting Thomas to touch Him. Many people are confused about whether Jesus kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Most people cannot understand why Jesus would not let Mary touch Him, but then invited Thomas to do so (not that Thomas actually did touch Him). This is what we discover in the Gospel of John:

Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had said these things to her. When therefore it was evening, on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were locked where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the middle, and said to them, “Peace be to you.”

When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples therefore were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus therefore said to them again, “Peace be to you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit! If you forgive anyone’s sins, they have been forgiven them. If you retain anyone’s sins, they have been retained.”

But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, wasn’t with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”After eight days again his disciples were inside, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, the doors being locked, and stood in the middle, and said, “Peace be to you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Reach here your finger, and see my hands. Reach here your hand, and put it into my side. Don’t be unbelieving, but believing.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, and have believed.” (John 20:18-29)

The days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread are held for seven days after the Passover. Nevertheless, we have Jesus rising from the dead on the first day of the week—the third day of the feast—and returning eight days later, which indicates that He definitely kept the requirements of the eight-day Feast of Unleavened Bread. Thomas said that he would put his finger in the wounds of Jesus, and he was given the opportunity to do so; but he did not. For when Thomas saw Jesus, he believed. He did not need to touch. Many make much of the fact that Thomas doubted, but what they overlook is that, rather than being satisfied with fumbling around in the dark and trying to touch Jesus, his eyes were opened when he saw his Lord and Savior. Nevertheless, those who believe without seeing are blessed, too.

If we are doubting Jesus in any way, shape, or form, we need to have our eyes opened so that we might be enlightened to understand that to which we have been called. We cannot be hypocrites and expect to be members of the Kingdom of God, or the body of Christ. A hypocrite is anyone who does not bring forth fruit. This is what John the Baptist said:

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance! (Mat. 3:7-8) 

The Feast of  Pentecost

This is known as the first feast of harvest. Pentecost was the feast of the first fruits from their labors, and this was the crop of grains that was sown in winter and reaped in early spring. The Israelites were to celebrate this crop; only they did not know it was to represent the beginning of the church age. God did. This is why we do not have seven feasts, but three feasts mentioned for the people to appear before the Lord (You shall observe three feasts a year—Exodus 23:14-22). God was presenting truths to the people of Israel, using types, regarding being saved and bearing fruit—that is, the fruit of salvation.

This harvest was to signify encouragement for the people to believe that the Lord God Almighty was going to give them a harvest of greater abundance. Many claim that this was just an agricultural community creating a festival for the occasion of bringing in the harvest. However, the type, in the form of a festival, was given before the people entered the Promised Land. This was not an activity that sprang from somebody coming up with a good idea to celebrate, like an alcoholic looking for a reason to justify having another drink. This was a prophecy to demonstrate that more was to come. This was given when the bleak reality of the Israelites was the wilderness of Sin and the wilderness of Sinai (Exodus 16:1; 19:2).

The harvest known as the first fruits was to ensure enough seed would be sown for the final harvest. Interestingly, Jesus was the first seed, and when He rose from the dead, He gathered together His disciples and requested that they remain in Jerusalem until the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. One hundred and twenty people were filled with the Holy Spirit in the upper room on the day of Pentecost. If these one hundred and twenty were all to produce fruit, as in gathering together people for the Kingdom of God, then there could be around fourteen thousand people in the harvest at the end of the year. To use the metaphor of Jesus being the seed that fell into the ground and died: because one seed fell into the ground and died, it produced one hundred and twenty seeds; and if they did the same, there would be fourteen thousand seeds. These seeds are representative of souls.

The Feast of Tabernacles

This Feast of Tabernacles is the final ingathering of the harvest for the year.  Notice what the Scripture states:

And the feast of harvest, the first fruits of your labors, which you sow in the field; and the feast of ingathering, at the end of the year, when you gather in your labors out of the field. (Ex. 23:16)

The ingathering at the end of the year is not sown like the first fruits earlier in the year. Although, to be sure, seed would have had to be kept over for the following year for sowing. Nevertheless, the wording is important because it points to the significance of the prophetic element in the feasts.

There are a number of promises in the passage concerning the three feasts:

1.       The blessing is to be found for those who leave Egypt behind.

2.       Nobody will appear empty before the Lord if they trust in Him.

3.       The Lord God will send His Angel before those who acknowledge Him and comply with His requests.

For us, this means that if we believe Jesus rose from the dead, and we forsake the world, we will be baptized in the Holy Spirit and, as we abide in Him, He will lead us into the Promised Land of blessing.

There is a similar principle in operation with the tithe. Some people say that in the New Testament there is no command to tithe but rather to be a cheerful giver. Specifically, there is no command to tithe in the New Testament. In fact, everybody who becomes a Christian should share everything they earn and possess by bringing it into the storehouse to be distributed as each has need. The true New Testament church is the congregation of the First Born, and this is the principle that ought to be adopted. However, if people are presented with this, they end up being like Ananias, and not too many people are really willing to give God everything. This is what happened in Acts:

 When they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were gathered together. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. The multitude of those who believed were of one heart and soul. Not one of them claimed that anything of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. With great power, the apostles gave their testimony of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Great grace was on them all. For neither was there among them any who lacked, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet, and distribution was made to each, according as anyone had need. Joses, who by the apostles was also called Barnabas (which is, being interpreted, Son of Encouragement), a Levite, a man of Cyprus by race, having a field, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira, his wife, sold a possession, and kept back part of the price, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land? While you kept it, didn’t it remain your own? After it was sold, wasn’t it in your power? How is it that you have conceived this thing in your heart? You haven’t lied to men, but to God.” Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and died. Great fear came on all who heard these things. (Acts: 4:31-5:5) 

It is more blessed to give than to receive, but if we cannot receive in humility, we cannot give in humility. Money can be a huge stumbling block for many people. However, it is the stumbling block the Devil uses to prevent people from obtaining the blessings God wants to give. The Devil does not want people to tithe because, in doing this, they return to the Lord of blessings and start to grow in faith.

The tithe is a means by which people can learn to trust in God. It is the means by which God Himself has stated that we are to prove Him. If people do not want to prove God by means of the tithe, and then complain about not being blessed, this demonstrates where their hearts are. We either love God or money. If we love God, putting Him first in everything we do will be evident in our daily lives. This is done in a spirit of humility, not to demonstrate to others that we are better off or superior to them. God sees everything. Hence, when we tithe, it is just the beginning of our returning to Him. We give to the Lord because we want to rid ourselves of the curse; we want to see our faith grow; and we delight in expressing our love for God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The way Abraham grew in faith was by giving God the glory. This is the reason why we tithe. When we put God to the test, we are proving Him; and if He does not honor His word, then we would know Him to be a liar. But if God honors His word, we give Him the praise and glory He deserves. Our faith is strengthened every time we give God glory for what we know He has done in our lives. If we are not proving God, and then giving Him the glory for helping us overcome the Devil, we are robbing Him. This is the only thing we can take from God. The Devil robbed God of His righteous fellowship with man. This fellowship is restored when we return to God and give Him the glory for proving Himself righteous by honoring His word in our lives. We who give God the glory, because we genuinely know that He has honored His word, are walking in the blessings.

Abraham refused to receive anything from the raid to rescue Lot, lest the King of Sodom claim he made him rich. In effect, Abraham was giving God the glory. When we read that Abraham grew in faith as he gave God the glory (Romans 4:20), we can appreciate that this was not a one-off event. Abraham frequently praised God and gave Him the honor and glory He deserved.

A government-run television program, manned by people who did not believe in God, who were hypocritical and lacking morality, conducted on-the-spot interviews outside the original Hillsong Church. They asked a number of Christians: “Do you tithe?” Surprisingly, everyone they asked replied, “Yes!” and then gave God the glory when asked why they tithed. This was not what the interviewer was expecting to hear. Nevertheless, the interviewer deplored the practice as a money-making scheme originating with Brian Houston.

In respect to the offering of the first fruits, there is a very important principle to be observed. This is the principle of progenitorship. On the one hand, when it came to the Passover, every portion of the Passover Lamb had to be consumed before the next day, which was a type of being consumed by the firstborn of death. On the other hand, when it came to the first fruits, or the firstborn, the mother that bore it was not to be offered with the Lamb, since this would curtail the continuation of the flock—or, in the case of cattle, the herd. This is why the Israelites were taught not to cook a young goat in its mother’s fat (not milk, as mistranslated; see endnote[ii]). Neither was blood to be mixed with leavened bread, because this spoke of human blood and not the sinless blood of God. As a reminder, this is what the book of Exodus says about mixing the blood of sacrifice with leavened bread, not leaving any of the fat of the offering until the following morning, the first fruits, and boiling a kid in its mother’s fat:

You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with

leavened bread. The fat of my feast shall not remain all night until the morning. The first of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of Yahweh your God. “You shall not boil[iii] a young goat in its mother’s milk[fat].”[iv]

This is a veiled reference to the Son of God becoming the firstborn of death and the progenitor of many brethren, who grow in number as a consequence of the principle of sowing and reaping. Instead of lording over disciples, we are to die to ourselves, so that we become the servants of those who follow in our footsteps. However, this cannot happen if the seed does not fall into the ground and die. Hence, at the Feast of Pentecost, those who received the baptism of the Holy Spirit had to die to themselves and their own pride in order to become alive to God in the body of Christ

There are many Scriptures in the New Testament that refer to Jesus as the progenitor in one way or another, but probably none as clearly as this passage in the book of Hebrews:

But we see him who has been made a little lower than the angels, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God he should taste of death for everyone. For it became him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many children to glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, “I will declare your name to my brothers. Among the congregation I will sing your praise.” (Hebrews 2:9–12)

The concept of becoming seed and dying to ourselves is something we learn when Jesus spoke of the seed falling into the ground and bearing much fruit, but if not, it remains alone (John 12:24). The Apostle Paul speaks of dying daily (1 Corinthians 15:31), claiming that it is no longer he who lives but Christ who lives in him (Galatians 2:20). This is what being baptized into the death of Jesus means (Romans 6:4): we live not for ourselves but to glorify God and bear much fruit (John 15:8). This is what Jesus did when He left Heaven to come to Earth in the likeness of a man and was obedient unto death on the Cross of Calvary (Philippians 2:6–8). Afterward, He rose from the dead and was declared the Son of God (Romans 1:4)—the Firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29).

The significance of this truth for each one of us who are willing to lay our lives down that Jesus might be glorified is that an angel of God goes before us. Many say this is the Angel of the Lord, whom a significant number like to think of as the Son of God; and as Christians, this could truly be the case—Jesus walking before us on our journey from death unto life, through the wilderness to the Promised Land. Nevertheless, each one of us has a guardian angel when we become children of God (Luke 15:10)—babes in Christ (Matthew 18:10). It is the guardian angel’s job to bring us to the place where we inherit the fullness of our salvation (Hebrews 1:14). This does not just mean pie in the sky, but steak on our plate as well; for the Apostle learned to abound in plenty when it was available (Philippians 4:11–13). The difference between the tithe, where the devourer is rebuked, and giving up everything to die to oneself is evident here. The Lord God promises to go beyond merely rebuking the devourer and to become the enemy of those who oppose us, as we read in the following:

Behold, I send an angel before you, to keep you by the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Pay attention to him, and listen to his voice. Don’t provoke him, for he will not pardon your disobedience, for my name is in him. But if you indeed listen to his voice, and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and an adversary to your adversaries. (Exodus 23:20–22)

Unfortunately, many people who attend church have not even begun to climb the ladder to true freedom—and if the statistics are true, in the United States this is ninety-six percent of those who attend church. These people have not yet realized that the devourer has not been rebuked from their lives—when he could be. Those who preach against tithing are like those who oppose the Lord. They claim they are saved, but the devourer still has them in his grip.

The story of Stanley Tam is testimony that the tithe is only the beginning of the ladder to Heaven on Earth, when we give ourselves fully to the Lord God. For when Stanley Tam went from merely giving ten percent of his income to giving one hundred percent, because his faith was sufficiently full, God spoke to him and said, “Now I am going to give you fruit unto eternal life.”

Everything belongs to the Lord. We who truly love Him are willing to acknowledge this and lay our lives down, that He might raise us up, so that we bear fruit for eternal life. For by this is the Father glorified—that we bear much fruit. Unless we give everything over to the Father and die to ourselves, we will have nothing for eternal life. And eternal life begins now!

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[i] This verse has produced some difficulty for interpreters throughout the centuries past. There are two possibilities. The first is the Hebrew word חֵ֫לֶב (milk) and the word חֵ֫לֶב (fat) are spelled the same. There were no vowels but milk was pronounced “Halav” and fat was pronounce “Helev”. It is possible that God was telling them not to cook a kid in its mother's fat which would mean both would die at the same time, in other words let one live to breed again. The second possibility is that by boiling a newborn kid in its mother's milk there might have been a belief that they were not eating the blood. However, regarding the confusion between fat and milk, fat seems to make the most sense within the context.

[ii] See note 20 above for explanation concerning milk and fat.

[iii] The word בָּשַׁל “bashal’ translated “boil” means also means seethe, and grow ripe, roast, to be done in cooking (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance). Hence, “roast in mother’s fat” would be a better fit than “boil in mother’s milk” within the context.

[iv] See note 20 above for explanation concerning milk and fat.

  Chapter Six