CHAPTER 1. WHAT GOD REQUIRES OF HIS PEOPLE

God requires certain attributes from us before He will teach us anything. These attributes are clearly defined in the Bible. God will help us to attain them if we ask and put in the effort. 

We must fear God and keep His Commandments. To fear God is to be in awe and reverence of Him. The fear of God is associated with wisdom and knowledge. 

Ecc 12:13  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all.

Pro 1:7  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Pro 9:10  "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

We can learn to fear God. 

Psa 34:11  Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

Pro 2:3  Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding,

Pro 2:4  If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures;

Pro 2:5  Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, And find the knowledge of God.

We must be humble and tremble at the awesome power of our God. 

Isa 66:2  For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist," Says the LORD. "But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word.

God requires us to believe Him and to have the courage to follow that belief. 

Rev 21:8  But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

Notice that unbelief is on a par with murder and lying etc. 

We have found that most people will not believe the Bible if it differs from what they already believe. We must not only believe the Bible; we must love the truth. 

2Th 2:10  and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

We must move from the milk of the word to the meat. 

Isa 28:9  "Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts?

Isa 28:10  For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little."

The Great God of the universe dwells with those who are contrite and humble. 

Isa 57:15  For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

By reading the above quoted Scriptures and any others on the subjects; it will become clear just how importantly God regards these attributes. God resists the proud, and the envious, and those who doubt His word. These people will not accept or believe new knowledge. 

When we first encounter new truth, it is difficult for us to accept something that is different from what we have always believed. God requires that we believe Him regardless of the physical cost. 

The Philadelphian era of God’s church was not given the end time knowledge of the truth, they had the knowledge that God revealed to them for that particular era. That era had to hold fast 'to what they had.'  Knowledge is to be increased at the time of the end. 

Dan 12:4  "But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase."

There are many new things to learn in the end time. The end time church will be united in the knowledge of God. 

We, in no way wish to undermine the teachings of Mr. Armstrong;  what we are saying is, that the end time knowledge was not given to Mr. Armstrong because his commission from God did not include the end time days. The Philadelphian era was to be kept from the time of trouble which is to come on the whole world. 

Mr. Armstrong was given a great deal of knowledge including the key to the House of David. The knowledge of who modern day Joseph is includes the fact that the House of David still has a royal line existing to this very day. The knowledge that Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and America, are modern day Joseph [Ephraim and Manasseh], is the key to the House of David. 

Mr Armstrong has been dead now for many years, and God’s church must continue to grow in grace and knowledge.  That is why, many of these end time truths differ from what Mr. Armstrong taught. They are totally from the words of the bible, they are the truth, they are for this end time age, which we now live in. Whether or not these new truths are believed is entirely up to the reader.  Christ never forced anyone to believe Him. 

God requires that we prove all things. We are not to blindly follow the leaders of the church. We will all have to individually stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 

In all of this vast universe, there is nothing which can be given priority over the Great God. 

We must become as a child. 

Mat 18:2  Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them,

Mat 18:3  and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 18:4  Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 18:5  Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.

God expects His people to accept the truth like a little child, but He expects us to hold fast to that truth, even to the point of death. 

A massive key to understanding new knowledge is to realise that we do not have all knowledge. There is always something new to learn.                                                                                      

CHAPTER 4.  CROSSING THE RED SEA.

The full account of the exodus is in Exodus chapter twelve. The summary I give here can be verified from that chapter. The Israelites ate the Passover meal, they were dressed and prepared to leave immediately. God the Father passed over at midnight and the destroyer killed the firstborn of the Egyptians. Pharaoh told the Israelites to go and all the Egyptians thrust them out immediately. They left sometime after midnight on the 15^th Nisan. The Israelites had previously spoiled the Egyptians. This spoiling was done prior to the Passover.  In Exodus 3 v 22, they were told they were going to do this.

Exo 11:2  Speak now in the hearing of the people, and let every man ask from his neighbor and every woman from her neighbor, articles of silver and articles of gold."

Exo 11:3  And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants and in the sight of the people.

The Israelites camped the first afternoon at Succoth, the second afternoon at Etham, and the third afternoon on the bank of the Red Sea near Migdol.  God parted the Red Sea all that night. 

There is a parallel between the parting of the Red Sea and Christ rising from the dead. Notice the following: 

The start of the 15^th Nisan to the start of the Red Sea parting was three days and coincided to the time that Christ would be in the heart of the earth. 

From the time Christ was raised {all Saturday night} till the time He ascended to the Father {Sunday Morning at dawn} is typified by the parting of the Red Sea. This is the time the Israelites crossed from Egypt to where the Promised Land was available, and is a type of spiritual Israel coming out of this world to where eternal life is available. The greatest physical miracle that has ever occurred typifies the greatest spiritual miracle that has ever occurred. [This was equalled when they entered the Promised Land many years later]. 

Many Saints were seen at the time of Christ’s resurrection.  Remember the time of the resurrection and His raising from the dead, were two different times.  Resurrection from His dead body to life, took place on Thursday morning around 3 am.  To coincide with the time the Israelites left Egypt.

He then descended to hell.  Christ stayed there Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  Three days. Thursday night, Friday night, and Saturday night, three nights.  He was raised around 3 am Sunday morning.  This coincides with the time that the Israelites crossed the Red Sea.

The following scripture took place early on Thursday morning on the 1^st day of Unleavened Bread.  As stated above Jesus was resurrected early Thursday morning.   

Mat 27:52  and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;

Mat 27:53  and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

The crossing of the Red Sea typifies our baptism. 

1Co 10:1  Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea,

1Co 10:2  all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,

At our baptism, we leave Egypt [sin] and come to where the Promised Land [eternal life] is available. At our baptism and laying on of hands, we receive the down payment of God’s Spirit.

Eph 1:13  In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

Eph 1:14  who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Note carefully, at this time the Israelites were out of Egypt but not yet at the Promised Land. At our baptism into God’s Church, we come out of this world to where eternal life is available. Eternal life, in the form of God’s Spirit of life, is not given at this stage. 

God gives the spirit to those who obey Him.

Act 5:32  And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him."

At our baptism, we have not yet had a chance to obey God, so God gives us the earnest of the Spirit so we can obey Him. 

The Israelites had eaten the Passover, been protected from death by the blood on the door lintels, left Egypt in haste, and journeyed three days to the Red Sea. God the Father parted the Red Sea.  The Israelites crossed the Sea leaving Egypt and arrived at the wilderness, where the Promised Land was available. They were not yet at the Promised Land. 

After crossing the Red Sea, the Israelites journeyed three days into the wilderness. That brought them to Marah, where God gave them a statute and an ordinance and He tested them. This was the last day of Unleavened Bread. God also made a healing covenant with them. 

Exo 15:25  So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them,

Exo 15:26  and said, "If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you."

Christ was three days and three nights in the heart of the earth {hell} and was raised at the same time that the Israelites had crossed the Red Sea many years previously. 

We have accepted Christ’s shed blood, and begin to leave the ways of this world. God the Father has called us. We get baptised and receive the down payment of God’s Holy Spirit called the earnest of the Spirit.  We do not have eternal life in the form of the Holy Spirit of power at this stage, just the down payment. 

At some time in the future, God will offer us the knowledge of the truth. This will show God who will believe Him and accept eternal life.

CHAPTER 5 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

God the Father gave the Ten Commandments to the Israelites on the mountain. God the Word was also on the mountain at the same time. 

Exo 24:1  Now He said to Moses, "Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar.

Exo 24:2  And Moses alone shall come near the LORD, but they shall not come near; nor shall the people go up with him."

Notice, Moses alone shall come near the Lord. 

The Elders saw the God of Israel, and were not hurt. They even had a meal in His presence.

Exo 24:9  Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel,

Exo 24:10  and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity.

Exo 24:11  But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank.

The Lord [Jehovah] called Moses up into the mountain. Joshua went with him some of the way. 

Exo 24:12  Then the LORD said to Moses, "Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them."

Exo 24:13  So Moses arose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up to the mountain of God.

Notice that only Moses was allowed to come near the Lord, but he could not look at Him. 

Exo 33:20  But He said, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live."

One God could be looked upon, one could not be looked upon. 

When God the Father gave the Ten Commandments, He said He would not go in the midst of the Israelites to the Promised Land. God the Word, [who would be born as Jesus Christ] went with them. 

Exo 33:3  Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people."

Exo 33:14  And He said, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."

1Co 10:1  Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea,

1Co 10:2  all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,

1Co 10:3  all ate the same spiritual food,

1Co 10:4  and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.

How plain the truth of God is, here in the above scriptures is the plain and simple truth, that God the Father gave the Ten Commandments to the Israelites.  However because of their rebellion and stiff necked attitude, He said He would not go with them, lest He consume them on the way.  So He would send His Presence to go before them.  The Presence that He sent was Christ. 

The whole exodus is an exact type of our spiritual calling. Just as God the Father led the Israelites out of Egypt and handed them over to Christ: so God the Father calls us out of this world [Egypt] then we are baptised into Christ. [The down payment of the Spirit does not come at baptism, it normally comes at the laying on of hands, after baptism.] 

Gal 3:27  For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Joh 6:44  No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

1Co 3:23  And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.

God the Father gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments, then handed them over to Christ for the duration of the time in the wilderness.  Moses was still in contact with God the Father during this time. God the Father was the actual leader but He did not go in their midst. 

God has called us out of this world, we have been baptised, accepted Christ’s death, and been given the basic knowledge of His law. We are baptised into Christ, and receive the down payment of eternal life, which is the earnest of the Spirit. We are then in the spiritual wilderness. 

Satan is our God while we are in the world. Christ is our God when we are baptised and receive the down payment of eternal life.

CHAPTER 6.   THE WILDERNESS

When the Israelites came out of Egypt they were not at the Promised Land. The Promised Land was still some forty years away. During this time the Israelites rebelled and grumbled and gradually came to disbelieve God. This coincides with God’s Church having the earnest of the spirit. We do not receive the Spirit of life at baptism, we receive a small portion of the Spirit so we can obey God. God will offer us the knowledge of eternal life when we obey Him. 

Act 5:32  And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him."

At baptism we have not had a chance to obey God, and the carnal mind is enmity to God so we can't obey Him fully prior to baptism. 

Christ's disciples did not receive the Spirit of life at baptism, they received it on the day of Pentecost. 

Act 2:4  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

The following scripture shows that the disciples received the earnest of the Spirit at the beginning of their calling.

Act 11:15  And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning.   

At baptism we are guaranteed God’s Spirit as long as we do our part. God does not give the Spirit of life until He sees whether or not we will obey Him. The knowledge of eternal life is the perfect test to see if we will obey God regardless of the consequences. Remember, the Firstfruits follow Christ wherever He leads. 

The following scripture does not say that we receive God’s Spirit immediately at baptism. 

Act 2:38  Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Act 2:39  For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."

Repentance and baptism usually do not take place on the same time. Receiving the Holy Spirit of life does not usually take place immediately after baptism. The disciples did not receive it at baptism and neither do we. 

Just as the Israelites in the wilderness found a leader to try to take them back to Egypt, so some in the church were led back to the ways of the world. Those of us who did not go back to the world have been prey for any person who wants to gain a following with their own interpretation of the Gospel. There are literally hundreds of breakaway churches, each one with their own slant on doctrine. 

We are truly in a time of spiritual wilderness, when everyone is doing what is right in their own eyes. 

More than ever we need someone to say 'this is the way, walk ye in it.'

It is vitally important that we study to show ourselves approved unto God. It is wrong to blindly follow the church leaders. 

2Ti 2:15  Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

We must realise that we will be individually judged. 

2Co 5:10  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Following blindly will not get us into God’s Kingdom. 

Luk 11:52  "Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered."

Mat 23:13  "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

We have to prove all things, and hold fast to what is good. 

1Th 5:21  Test all things; hold fast what is good.

God’s end time Church will be united. 

The Church will eventually be united in faith and the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Read the following scripture, and believe it if you will. 

Eph 4:13  till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

To know Christ means we will know the Father. 

Joh 8:19  Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."

Consider this scenario: If we receive the Holy Spirit of life at baptism, anyone who dies after baptism would be in the first resurrection, whether or not they had developed any character. Imagine all the people in the Churches of God being firstfruits. What a disunited group that would be. What about any one who left the Church after being baptised? They would all go into the lake of fire. The more we learn about the Great God, the more we learn how much love and forgiveness He has. 

Let me repeat: just as the Israelites came out of Egypt and were not yet at the Promised Land, at baptism we come out of the ways of this world but do not yet have eternal life. 

The reason for the time in the wilderness is made clear in scripture. This is also the reason that we are in the spiritual wilderness. No writing could be clearer. An interesting fact is the knowledge that even though God the Father did not go through the wilderness in the midst of the Israelites: He was still the one in charge. God the Father is in overall charge of His people even though we are baptised into Christ. 

Deu 8:2  And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.

Deu 8:3  So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.

Mr. Armstrong was the physical leader of the Philadelphian era of God’s church. This era was not given the end time knowledge of the truth. They were to be kept from the end time trouble, and they were to hold fast to 'what they have.' 

Rev 3:10  Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

Rev 3:11  Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.

Mr. Armstrong held fast to what God revealed to him during the Philadelphian era of God’s church. No man could have been more loyal or obedient to God.  During this time Mr. Armstrong faced rebellion after rebellion, and was always surrounded by disloyalty. He survived underhanded plots to get rid of him, even from his own son. Since the death of Mr. Armstrong: there has been a concerted attempt to deny that he was God’s leader of the Philadelphian church. The knowledge of modern day Israel was given to Mr. Armstrong. There is also a massive attempt to deny the knowledge that Great Britain and America are modern day Joseph. 

The following scripture is about the physical leader of the Philadelphian era. Compare it with the account of the Philadelphian church in Revelation Ch. 3. 

Isa 22:20  'Then it shall be in that day, That I will call My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah;

Isa 22:21  I will clothe him with your robe And strengthen him with your belt; I will commit your responsibility into his hand. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem And to the house of Judah.

Isa 22:22  The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; So he shall open, and no one shall shut; And he shall shut, and no one shall open.

Isa 22:23  I will fasten him as a peg in a secure place, And he will become a glorious throne to his father's house.

Isa 22:24  'They will hang on him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the posterity, all vessels of small quantity, from the cups to all the pitchers.

Isa 22:25  In that day,' says the LORD of hosts, 'the peg that is fastened in the secure place will be removed and be cut down and fall, and the burden that was on it will be cut off; for the LORD has spoken.' "

Mr Armstrong has a glorious throne waiting for him. The overcomers in the Philadelphian Era will be pillars in the kingdom of God. 

Just as Moses led the physical Israelites through the wilderness to where the Promised Land was available; so Mr. Armstrong led the spiritual Israelites through the spiritual wilderness to where the knowledge of eternal life is available. Just as Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land; so Mr. Armstrong was not given the knowledge of eternal life, which is now revealed. Moses was given a glimpse of the Promised Land. Perhaps Mr. Armstrong was given a glimpse of the knowledge of eternal life just prior to his death. He said a few times just before he died that he had some astounding things to say, but as far as I know, he never got a chance to say anything. 

During the time in the wilderness, the Israelites were fed on manna, which was food from Heaven. This is the milk of the word. We do not get the meat of the word during this time. When the Israelites wanted meat during the wilderness, God gave it to them and they could not handle it. Notice carefully that manna is food from heaven [God’s word] it was the milk of the word, but eventually we need more. We need the food of the Promised Land, the meat of the word, the knowledge of eternal life. 

The Israelites spent forty years in the wilderness. They grumbled and griped, and rebelled against God and Moses all this time. The generation that originally left Egypt all died before the Promised Land was entered, except for Joshua and Caleb. The next generation entered the Promised Land. 

God’s church has come through the wilderness to where eternal life is available. God will make eternal life available to those who believe Him. 

Will you accept the knowledge of the truth?

CHAPTER 9.  THE WAVE SHEAF

One of the mysteries of the Old Testament is the ceremony of the Wave Sheaf. The Wave Sheaf ceremony is a 'statute for ever' just as the Passover is, yet we have only kept the Passover. The reason for this is absolutely amazing, it is revealed clearly in scripture to those who love the truth. 

Lev 23:10  "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest.

Lev 23:11  He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.

Lev 23:12  And you shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the LORD.

Lev 23:13  Its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to the LORD, for a sweet aroma; and its drink offering shall be of wine, one-fourth of a hin.

Lev 23:14  You shall eat neither bread nor parched grain nor fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your God; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

The Old Testament Wave Sheaf pictures a sheaf of the firstfruits of the harvest to be waved before the Lord [God the Father] to be accepted for the Israelites. There is to be no grain eaten in any form prior to the sheaf being offered. The actual fulfilment of the Wave Sheaf by Jesus Christ shows that the sabbath mentioned in Lev. 23 v 11 is the weekly sabbath after His crucifixion. 

The Wave Sheaf pictures Jesus Christ offering Himself to the Father on behalf of God’s people. 

The transfiguration mentioned in Matthew 17 and Mark 9 has never been understood until now. The understanding of the transfiguration will help us to understand the true meaning of the Wave Sheaf. 

Mar 9:2  Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.

Mar 9:3  His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.

Mar 9:4  And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.

The reason that it has not been understood until now is given in Mark. 

Mar 9:9  Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

The true knowledge of Christ’s resurrection is now revealed, so we can be told about the transfiguration of Christ. The one to tell us will be, either: Peter, James, or John. The Apostle Peter tells us. 

2Pe 1:16  For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.

2Pe 1:17  For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

2Pe 1:18  And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.

2Pe 1:19  And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;

2Pe 1:20  knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,

2Pe 1:21  for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

The transfiguration of Jesus Christ, and Moses, and Elijah, was the time that God the Father gave Christ honour and glory, even though Christ had not yet been crucified; God made this promise in advance. The transfiguration is also a time when we are warned not to interpret prophecy, but to let God interpret it. 

Back to the Wave Sheaf. Jesus Christ fulfilled the Wave Sheaf on the Sunday morning following His resurrection. 

Joh 20:1  Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

Joh 20:17  Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.' "

Read the above scripture carefully. This is where Christ’s God becomes our God. Christ ascends to the Father to be accepted for us. Remember that at our baptism, we are baptised into Christ. Christ is our God until He ascends to the Father. 

The Passover, which is kept, prior to the knowledge of the truth being revealed, pictures us being reconciled to God the Father. When the complete Passover ceremony is kept on the correct day, and includes the Wave Sheaf ceremony; it shows quite clearly that we are saved by Christ’s life. This ceremony is part of the knowledge of the truth. 

The Wave Sheaf ceremony will not be kept until we accept the knowledge of eternal life. 

Rom 5:10  For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

On the day of Christ’s ascension to the Father on behalf of the Apostles, Jesus breathed on them and said 'receive the Holy Spirit' They did not actually receive the Holy Spirit until the Day of Pentecost, fifty days later. 

Joh 20:22  And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

Just as God gave honour and glory to Christ, prior to His crucifixion, so Christ promised the Holy Spirit to the disciples fifty days prior to them actually receiving it. 

The knowledge of eternal life gives an insight of the tremendous love that God has for His creation. Eternal death comes from blaspheming the Holy Spirit. At our baptism we receive the earnest or down payment of God’s Spirit.  This means that if we leave the church at this time, we have not committed the unpardonable sin. God is far from pleased with those who turn back from Him, and He puts them on a par with idol worshippers. These people will get a chance at salvation at some later date, it will be a much lesser reward than they were originally offered. Note verse six in the following quote. 

Zep 1:2  "I will utterly consume everything From the face of the land," Says the LORD;

Zep 1:3  "I will consume man and beast; I will consume the birds of the heavens, The fish of the sea, And the stumbling blocks along with the wicked. I will cut off man from the face of the land," Says the LORD.

Zep 1:4  "I will stretch out My hand against Judah, And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will cut off every trace of Baal from this place, The names of the idolatrous priests with the pagan priests

Zep 1:5  Those who worship the host of heaven on the housetops; Those who worship and swear oaths by the LORD, But who also swear by Milcom;

Zep 1:6  Those who have turned back from following the LORD, And have not sought the LORD, nor inquired of Him."

Those who have been promised God’s Spirit after believing the knowledge of the truth have time before the Spirit actually comes. It seems obvious that if they decide not to go through with it, they can also pull out and go back to the world and have a chance for a lesser reward later on. I have found no scriptures to back up this statement, but I do know that we cannot blaspheme God’s Spirit of power or truth if we do not have it. 

Also, the parable of the prodigal son proves that if you leave God and go into the world; you can come back to God. This is different from an apparent conflicting scripture that says if you sin wilfully after receiving knowledge of the truth there remains no more sacrifice for sin. 

Heb 10:26  For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

The answer is plain, during the time in the wilderness it is possible to leave God and come back. After receiving knowledge of the truth, we cannot leave God and come back. 

God has a set date for all the Holy days, except the day of Pentecost. This is because the time of receiving the Holy Spirit depends on when God offers us the knowledge of the truth. This time will vary and depends on our obedience and belief of God’s word. Jesus' disciples received the Holy Spirit after about three and a half years from baptism.  The time of the Wave Sheaf is always on Sunday morning during the days of unleavened bread, this is not always three days from the Passover. The time that Jesus Christ is figuratively in the heart of the earth will vary for each person. When we accept the knowledge of the truth, we will begin keeping the New Testament Passover on the 15^th Nisan. 

The Wave Sheaf pictures the time that God the Father accepts us into His Kingdom. From that point it is imperative that we persevere to the end regardless of the physical outcome. The Apostles were mostly put to death, and that is quite likely what will happen to those who accept God’s Spirit. 

Once we receive the second phase of God’s Spirit, the Spirit of power or truth, THERE IS NO TURNING BACK.

The following scripture can now be understood. 

Jos 5:13  And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, "Are You for us or for our adversaries?"

Jos 5:14  So He said, "No, but as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, "What does my Lord say to His servant?"

Jos 5:15  Then the Commander of the LORD's army said to Joshua, "Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy." And Joshua did so.

This is God the Word speaking. Joshua saw and worshipped the man. It was not God the Father as the Father can not be looked upon. 

When the Almighty God was revealed as the Jehovah, prior to the Exodus: God the Word spoke out of the bush [And he said, Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground."]

When God revealed Himself as the Jehovah at the burning bush, Moses had to take off his shoes because it was holy ground. 

When the Israelites entered the Promised Land, Jehovah once again was in the midst of the Israelites, and once again God the Word said 'take off your shoes, this is holy ground.' 

Notice how the Father was going over before them.

Deu 31:3  The LORD your God Himself crosses over before you; He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua himself crosses over before you, just as the LORD has said.  

The man with the sword was God the Word, and was confirming that Jehovah is once again with the Israelites. 

Compare the following two scriptures. 

Exo 33:3  Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people."

Jos 3:10  And Joshua said, "By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Hivites and the Perizzites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Jebusites:

The same word is used for 'midst' in the first verse and 'among' in the second verse. During the exodus God the Father was not in the midst of the Israelites. When they entered the Promised Land God the Father once again was in the midst of the Israelites. 

Compare these two scriptures 

Gal 3:27  For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

At our baptism, we have Christ for our God. When we receive God’s Spirit of power or truth, [or qualify to receive it by believing the knowledge of the truth] God the Father becomes our God.

Joh 20:17  Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.' "