Redemptive Gifts

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Fruits of Spiritual Harvest-Pomegranates

While all of the Seven Species (wheat, barley, grape vines, figs, pomegranates, olives, & dates) were acceptable Tabernacle and Temple offerings, only pomegranates were actively incorporated into these sacred spaces. Pomegranate’s iconic blood-red juice and it’s hundreds of nutrient-rich fruits pointed ancient Israel to Christ who would not only heal sickness, but whose blood would cover their spiritual blemishes.

Pomegranates are highly popularized as a “super fruit” for its array of health benefits. Pomegranate’s deep red come from polyphenols which are powerful antioxidants, which can help remove cell damaging free radicals. Due to its anti-inflammation properties, preliminary studies suggest that it can alleviate symptoms associated with arthritis and pomegranate juice’s ability to improve blood flow may aid in lowering blood pressure in patients not taking medications like statins. Like the previously written about copper, silver, and gold metals seen throughout the Tabernacle, pomegranates have shown to be strongly antibacterial and antiviral possibly helping to prevent contraction of common infections and viruses.

Several cultures viewed pomegranates as symbols of fertility (ref. Ezekiel 19:10; Song of Solomon 6:11, 7:12, 8:2) and beauty due to their hundreds of jewel shaped fruits. Song of Solomon describes a beautiful woman’s blushing cheeks (or temples) behind her locks of hair (or veil) like two halves of a pomegranate (ref. Song of Solomon 4:3, 6:7). Pomegranates were signs of prosperity and their absence was considered a signal that Israel was being punished (ref. Number 20:5; Joel 1:12).

Though they can contain between 400-1,200 arils, due to their strong connection to Jewish religious practices, it had long been rumored that pomegranates contain 613 seeded fruits, corresponding to the 613 commandments of the Torah, thus motivating many ceremonial Torah scrolls to be decorated with pomegranates on their handles. The pomegranate’s six petal flower has also been suggested to have inspired Israel’s current national symbol: the Star of David. Ancient coins struck during the First Jewish Revolt against Rome before the Destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. bear the image of a three fruited pomegranate branch, signifying that the Jewish independence fighters considered pomegranates national and religious symbols. Coins minted by the modern Israeli state continue to bear trios of pomegranates.

Aaron’s ministerial High Priest ephod garment was adorned with red, blue, and purple pomegranates around the hem of the robe. Alternating between these woven pomegranates were golden bells, whose sound would “be heard when [the High Priest] enters the Holy Place before the Lord and when [the High Priest] comes out, so that he will not die” (Exodus 28:35). This verse has unfortunately led to the incorrect belief, based on 13th century Jewish scholar Zohar’s conclusion, that the high priest wore a belt around their ankle or waist to be pulled out of the Tabernacle in the event that they died while ministering, just as Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu were burned up by Divine Fire when they offered “strange fire” (Leviticus 10:1-3). The silence of the golden bells, while the High Priest was in the Holy of Holies, was not something to even consider, since he only wore white linen garments while ministering on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:4,23,24,32).

When Solomon built the first Temple of Jerusalem, he ensured the inclusion of pomegranates in the design. The entrance to the Temple contained two 27 foot tall copper pillars which were decorated with a series of latticework carved in the form of 100 pomegranates encircling the capitals which crowned the pillars (2 Kings 25: 17; 2 Chronicles 3: 15-17). The pillars also included carved lilies amongst the pomegranate encircled capitals, which when considering the hem of the high priest’s ephod, may have also been bell-shaped, possibly implying they were Lilies of the Valley.

Pomegranates are famous for their deep blood-red juice, which seems to penetrate and stain nearly everything it comes into contact with. This seemingly stands in strong contrast with the radiantly white bell-shaped Lilies of the Valley they are likely paired with on both the hem of the High Priest’s ephod and around the capitals of the two pillars at the entrance of Solomon’s Temple. If pomegranate’s crimson nectar is meant to represent Christ’s Blood covering our sins and making them white as snow (ref. Isaiah 1:18), that would explain why the Ephod, hemmed with the crafted yarn pomegranates and golden bells, was not worn when the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement. Simply wearing lily white linen garments would have been the only way to have come before the Lord (ref. Ezekiel 44: 17-19; Revelation 19:8; Exodus 28:41-43).

Pomegranate’s maroon antioxidant-saturated nectar not only promotes radiant health, but represents the Blood of Christ that washes us as white as the Lilies of the Valley, offering us Eternal Life. Their hundreds of jewel like fruits are reminders that we are each capable and responsible for producing an overwhelming amount of spiritual fruits.

 

Prepared by, Kent Simpson, Apostolic Prophet & Eric Sepulveda, PMT Administrator

 

Pentecost Sunday

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Fruits of Spiritual Harvest: Figs

Fig trees are legendary for their abundant fruit harvests and were an idealized symbol of a land overflowing with prosperity and blessings. Their unique timeline of producing fruits before leaves, reminds us that the development of spiritual fruits should come first in our lives, before anything else.

Because fig trees were so common in the region, they were often closely associated with Israel, whose patriarchs and ancestors God lovingly refers to as “early fruit on the fig tree” (Hosea 9:10). Figs were also symbols of wealth, fortune, and stability as it was poetically painted that “During Solomon’s lifetime, Judah and Israel lived in safety, from Dan, even to Beer-Sheba, all [God’s People] under their vines and fig trees” (1 Kings 4:25).

Fig fruit, sap, and leaves have many important medical properties which include their high levels of flavonoids called luteolin which are strong antioxidants helping neutralize free radicals, making them highly effective in blocking the growth of tumors, aiding in the prevention and treatment of skin cancer. Prophet Isaiah received revelation from God and famously recommended applying a fig cake/poultice to King Hezekiah’s deadly “boil” (skin cancer) (ref. 2 Kings 20:1-7; Isaiah 38).

Fig trees often require extensive growing periods, often between three to seven years depending on the variety, to finally become established before a good crop can be expected. The vineyard owner of the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree (ref. Luke 13:6-8) would have understood this reality, so his complaint that the barren fig tree had not produced fruit for the past three years was not due to him being ignorant or impatient, since the plant was most likely fully matured already.

The vine-dresser who maintained the trees in the vineyard understood that the landowner had legitimate reasons to want to “cut [the barren fig tree] down”, because even though it had not be producing fruits, it would still be growing a huge amount of large green leaves and thus “using up the soil”. Suggesting that it should be aerated and fertilized to hopefully stimulate growth before the next year was a desperate effort by the vine-dresser to try to buy time to save it.

Nearly a year after the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree, when Jesus cursed the fig tree outside of Jerusalem (ref. Matthew 21:18-22; Mark 11:12-14, 20-25) the day before Passover, it was again for its lack of fruit. While Mark’s account specifies that it was not the time to expect ripened figs yet, many fig tree varieties produce an initial crop (breba or taqsh) in the early spring on the vegetative growth from the previous year, while the larger, more desired main crop develops in the summer on the current year’s growth. While the fig tree had leaves, which typically develop after the immature green fruits start to appear, since there is no early breba crop, it was a sign that the tree would most likely not be developing fruits that year at all.

The reason for the lack of fruit on the fig trees can possibly be attributed to a phenomenon called fruit drop, where a fig tree will unexpectedly lose all of its undeveloped green figs. While this can occur due to improper watering, soil nutrition, extreme and sudden weather shifts such as intense heat, cold, or strong wind (ref. Revelation 6:13), one of the most common reasons is a lack of fertilization.

Green figs are not actually immature fruits, but inverted (outside-in) flowers which are fertilized by a tiny fig wasp which enters through a minuscule hole called the ostiole. The characteristic crunch of figs are not wasps as some false rumors try to misinform, but seeds within the dozens of miniature fruits within the fig. If a fig “flower” is not fertilized it will not develop into the deliciously sweet fruit (ref. Judges 9:10-11) it is known for and will fall away. Likewise, one who is not filled with the Holy Spirit will not bear good fruits and will be cut down like the barren fig trees.

The first mention of figs is in the Garden of Eden, when, after eating of the Forbidden Fruit, Adam and Eve sewed aprons/tunics out of the fig tree’s characteristic large green leaves to cover their nakedness. This use of fig leaves as a covering may be a reference to a sense of external religiosity without the actual production of spiritual fruits as we saw with the previously mentioned barren fig trees symbolizing Israel.

When Disciple Philip found Disciple Nathanael to tell him about Jesus, Phillip references Christ as the “the one Moses wrote about in the Law and about [whom] the Prophets wrote about!” since Philip knew Nathanael’s focus was on deeply religious and dogmatic matters. Even Nathanael’s knee jerk reaction of “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” upon hearing of Christ’s hometown, was telling of his religious prejudice. Because Nazareth touched the borders of Gentile nations, it and all the people from there were therefore ritualistically unclean in Nathanael’s mind.

When Jesus first meets Nathanael, Christ makes a point of letting him know that He saw Nathanael under the fig tree. Nathanael, upon hearing this, overcomes his previous doubts and recognizes Jesus not just as “the son of Joseph” as Philip called Him, but declares Christ “the Son of God; the King of Israel” (ref. John 1:43-49). Nathanael’s response implies that “under the fig tree”, was not where Phillip found him and may have been a secret place Phillip did not know about and could not have mentioned to Jesus. It’s been suggested that “under the fig tree” may have been a place where Nathanael prayed and studied privately in peace, eagerly awaiting the Messiah.

Christ refers to Nathanael as “a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceit” because Nathanael was not just hypocritically and falsely clothed in religious dressings, like a fig tree producing only leaves. Though stumbling, Nathanael was already beginning to show signs of early fruits.

Fig trees are an impeccable representation of the loving patience God has for His People. He recognizes that the development of spiritual fruits takes time, often years, but that period must be spent building deep root systems, connecting intensely with God, and only after being filled with the Holy Spirit can many spiritual fruits begin to develop and ripen. In this way, we can begin to bring glory to our Creator by introducing sweetness into the lives of those around us and bringing healing to our diseased world.

 

Prepared by, Kent Simpson, Apostolic Prophet & Eric Sepulveda, PMT Administrator

 

It is Finished

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Fruits of Spiritual Harvest: Grape Vines

Grape Vines are mentioned more than any other fruit or plant in the Bible and were one of the most important crops in the Ancient World. Because the precious vines took so much time and effort by the Husbandman, who cultivated the vineyard, to become established and begin producing good long-lasting fruits, grape vines served as a symbol of constant faithfulness and dedication.

Psalm 80 describes Israel as a vine that had been “uprooted from Egypt“. After God “drove out the nations,” “cleared the ground for it,” “and transplanted [the vine],” “[Israel] took root and filled the land“. Isaiah 5, known as The Song of the Vineyard, poetically and prophetically describes how the Good Gardener dug up and removed the stones of a fertile hillside, before planting the choicest vines within it.

The domestication of grapes was tremendously resource intensive and even after clearing and preparing the soil, vineyards required the construction of additional infrastructure, such as tall walls, watch towers, and wine presses to be able to protect and process the fruits. Because sweet grapes were such a luxury in nature, they attracted the attention of wild animals such as boars (ref. Psalm 80:13), which would trample open, unprotected fields. Even vineyards with high walls were susceptible to foxes which would climb over the barriers at night and destroy the entire vineyard (ref. Song of Songs 2:15).

While outside threats from wild animals were a constant concern, cross pollination with wild grapes was a more insidious problem. Domesticated grapes, which have both male and female flowers on each plant, are self-fruiting, and do not require cross-fertilization. Though hybridization of domesticated and wild grape species typically created plants that were more disease resistant and temperature tolerant, this increased ability to survive in that specific environment came at the extreme cost of the quality of the fruit, which is still a major issue for viticulturists (wine growers).

After the Good Gardener had cleared the fields, built a watchtower and walls to protect the vineyard, and had cut out a wine press to process the fruits, when He looked for ripened grapes, He found only stinking fruit.

The Hebrew word used for “stinking fruit” (bĕ’ushiym) [בְּאֻשִׁםי] which comes from the word for “stench“, was typically applied to Mediterranean wild grapes, which were extremely sour and had a distinct “foxy” animal musk scent. Because the vine had been polluted by outside species, it was now producing the same worthless putrid berries as the native varieties.

The Song of the Vineyard additionally explains that the protected grape plantation was Israel, which God “had planted like a choice vine from the very best seed,” yet had turned away from Him “into a rotten wild vine” (ref. Jeremiah 2:21). Israel’s “cross-pollination” with the surrounding cultures through adopting their idolatry was a compromise that may have made them more suitably adapted to The World, but God viewed this collaboration as a corruption of the Vine He had established.

During the Last Supper, Jesus declared that He was “the True Vine, and [His] Father the Husbandman” who cuts away any branches which did not bear fruit, but “every branch that does bear fruit, He pruned it, that it might bring forth more fruit“. The Greek word (kathairō) [καθαίρω] means both pruning and purifying.

This pruning and purifying process of even those who bore fruit was necessary, as Israel had previously become a “luxuriant vine, yielding fruit only for [themselves]” and “the more [their] fruit increased, the more [they] increased their altars,” and “the better [their] land produced, the better [they] made their sacred pillars.” (ref. Hosea 10:1-2). Though Israel had become materially prosperous, they had also become idolatrous, and had separated themselves from the Living God that had cultivated them.

Christ declared Himself The True Vine and His Disciples were The Branches and that if they remained in Him, they would bear much fruit, but apart from Him they could do nothing. Jesus warned them not to become like Jerusalem, which had become a “Useless Vine“, thrown into the fire “because [the people of Jerusalem] had been unfaithful” (ref Ezekiel 15). If His Disciples did not remain in Him, they too would be “like a branch that is thrown away and withers” to be “picked up, thrown into the fire and burned” (ref. John 15:5-6).

However, if they remained faithful, they could “ask whatever [they wished] and it would be done for [them]” and “whatever [they] ask in [Christ’s] name the Father [would] give [them].” This was to empower them in their appointment to “bear much fruit,” “fruit that will last,” not for their own glory (ref. Mark 12:1-12), but for the Father’s (ref. John 15:7-8, 16).

Though God had cleared out and set His Protection over the Promised Land for His Choice Vine to thrive and prosper, they had turned from Him and involved themselves in the idol worship of their neighbors. This “cross-contamination” corrupted the fruit and made it rotten and useless, requiring the worthless vine to be cast into the fire. In contrast, those who remained solely connected to the True Vine, would receive anything they required in order to produce many good lasting fruits.

The image of God as the Good Gardener, tending, pruning, and cultivating His prized Vineyard, serves as a beautiful reminder of His Loving Faithfulness towards those He calls His Own. By abiding in Him, rather than the World, He not only provides everything that we need to survive, He empowers us and creates the perfect environments for us to thrive and produce abundant eternal spiritual fruits for His Glory.

 

Prepared by, Kent Simpson, Apostolic Prophet & Eric Sepulveda, PMT Administrator

 

Angels and Spiritual Gifts

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Fruits of Spiritual Harvest: Barley

Of the seven fruits God guaranteed the Israelites in the Promised Land, Barley seemingly stands out as the most mundane. But, this humble grain stood as an example of how God intended His People to fully rely on Him for their all their physical necessities.

Though we typically think of barley in relation to the feeding of the 5,000 Jewish men, with five barley loaves and two small fish, during Passover, there were multiple instances where it was used to miraculously provide for the physical requirements of those faithful enough to follow the instruction of God’s Prophets.

Barley, as explained in a previous article, stood as a kind of national grain for Israel (Judges 7:13). It was typically the food of the poor (2 Kings 7:1) and often fed to animals as fodder (1 Kings 4:28) and would have been the main and sometimes only source of flour during lean times.

During a great famine, Prophet Elijah asked a destitute widow for a small piece of bread to eat and she replied that she only had enough [barley] flour and oil to make a single serving for her and her son to split between them before they died. Elijah explained that if she made him food first, her supply of [barley] flour and oil would not run out. She trusted the Man of God and her faithfulness was rewarded by God blessing her pantry with a constant supply to feed the widow, her son, and Elijah during the food crisis (ref. 1 Kings 17:8-16).

Prophet Elijah’s successor, Elisha also experienced a severe drought and while gathered with a school of prophetic students for a meal, a servant went out foraging and accidentally gathered Citrullus colocynthis, a poisonous desert gourd, and cut it up into the stew. The men gathered ate the stew and quickly realized that “there was death in the pot“. This poisoning would have led to severe intestinal, kidney, and brain damage and possibly death. Elisha, in response, took [barley] flour and mixed it into the poisoned pottage and fed this to the dying men. It would have taken an extraordinary level of faith to trust that basic [barley] flour would have purified the stew and that eating this new mixture would heal rather than further poison them (ref. 2 Kings 4:38-41).

Later, a man from Baalshalisha brought Prophet Elisha “bread of the Firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley” which Elisha instructed his servant to distribute amongst the hundred men in the group. After his servant questions the command, Elisha explains that not only would the twenty loaves fill these hundred men, but they would have leftover as well (ref. 2 Kings 4:42-44). The man from Baalshalisha and Elisha’s servant’s faithfulness led to a miracle which served as a precursor to Christ’s feeding of the multitudes.

Passover and the Feast of First Fruits overlapped with the barley harvest and the need to remove all leavening from your household before Passover meant you deeply cleaned out your pantry of all grain before the feast. This essentially eliminated your backup food supplies if the barley crop failed, forcing you to wait for and rely on the wheat harvest, during Pentecost, nearly two months later.

The man from Baalshalisha faithfully brought his Firstfruits, despite being in the middle of an intense famine, trusting that God would provide a future barley harvest. The young boy who gave his meal of five barley loaves and two fishes, which led to the feeding of the 5,000 Jewish men during Passover, was fundamentally surrendering his only source of food security, demonstrating an extreme faith to fully rely on God’s promise to provide for his current and future needs.

Though it was often overlooked, Barley was center stage during the feeding of faithful flocks during some of the most extreme food shortages of the Israel’s history. Barley epitomized a people who were faithful, trusting, and fully reliant on God to provide everything that they needed. Today, we recognize that God not only supplies all of our physical needs, but through the blessing of the Holy Ghost, particularly during our most desperate moments, all of the spiritual needs of the Faithful are met as well.

 

Prepared by, Kent Simpson, Apostolic Prophet & Eric Sepulveda, PMT Administrator

 

Baptized into Jesus

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Fruits of Spiritual Harvest-Wheat

Fruits of Spiritual Harvest-Wheat