[chette777]

Firstfruits or Firstfruit are interesting terms found in Scriptures. It means the “firsts of the harvest of ones Labour in the fields and flocks” specifically of the Lords people Israel as found in its first usage in Ex23. It maintains this meaning specifically to Israel, its feast days and it’s offerings and sacrifices in its first 20 uses of Firstfruits and Firstfruit.

Listed below are all 34 verses found that use the term firstfruits and fristfruit

Ex 23:16 And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of in gathering, [which is] in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.
Ex 23:19 The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.
Ex 34:22 And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of in gathering at the year's end.
Ex 34:26 The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.
Le 2:12 As for the oblation of the firstfruits, ye shall offer them unto the LORD: but they shall not be burnt on the altar for a sweet savour.
Le 2:14 And if thou offer a meat offering of thy firstfruits unto the LORD, thou shalt offer for the meat offering of thy firstfruits green ears of corn dried by the fire, [even] corn beaten out of full ears.
Le 23:10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:
Le 23:17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; [they are] the firstfruits unto the LORD.
Le 23:20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits [for] a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.
Nu 18:12 All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat, the firstfruits of them which they shall offer unto the LORD, them have I given thee.
Nu 28:26 Also in the day of the firstfruits, when ye bring a new meat offering unto the LORD, after your weeks [be out], ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work:
De 18:4 The firstfruit [also] of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him.
De 26:10 And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O LORD, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the LORD thy God, and worship before the LORD thy God:
2Ki 4:42 And there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat.
2Ch 31:5 And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all [things] brought they in abundantly.
Ne 10:35 And to bring the firstfruits of our ground, and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, unto the house of the LORD:
Ne 10:37 And [that] we should bring the firstfruits of our dough, and our offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine and of oil, unto the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground unto the Levites, that the same Levites might have the tithes in all the cities of our tillage.
Ne 12:44 ¶ And at that time were some appointed over the chambers for the treasures, for the offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law for the priests and Levites: for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites that waited
Ne 13:31 And for the wood offering, at times appointed, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.
Pr 3:9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:

Jer 2:3 Israel [was] holiness unto the LORD, [and] the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the LORD.

Here is the first slight change in the understanding of firstfruits from Israel to the LORD. Here the firstfruits is Israel which the LORD calls them” the firstfruits of His increase”. This meaning here has Israel being the firstfruits of the His work in the world. And in the context they had abandoned Him for other gods. But God still called them Holiness unto the LORD and the firstfruits of his increase.

The remaining Old Testament verses continue in the same meaning and understanding as the first 20 verses.
Eze 20:40 For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things.
Eze 44:30 And the first of all the firstfruits of all [things], and every oblation of all, of every [sort] of your oblations, shall be the priest's: ye shall also give unto the priest the first of your dough, that he may cause the blessing to rest in thine house.
Eze 48:14 And they shall not sell of it, neither exchange, nor alienate the firstfruits of the land: for [it is] holy unto the LORD.


Ro 8:23 And not only [they], but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, [to wit], the redemption of our body. Here is an interesting change in understanding of firstfruits. It still carries the first of ones labor but this time it is not the LORD but the Spirit. People who have believed on Jesus Christ finished work solely for their salvation were considered the firstfruits of the Spirit. Note this is not the Firstfruits of Jesus, the Lord or Lord , but these are the firstfruits of the Holy Ghost. Important when it comes to the doctrine that the church is the firstfruits in Christ (a term never used of Israel).

Ro 11:16 For if the firstfruit [be] holy, the lump [is] also [holy]: and if the root [be] holy, so [are] the branches. This new Testament verse usage again refers to Israel as being the firstfruits of God concerning the work of the Messiah. It is found in a warning to the Gentile church that God has not ended His work with Israel and that it is easy for God to graph them in to their own base as it was for God to include Gentiles in the family of God. And when this fulness of the Gentiles was come then he will set the work among Gentiles aside and return to Israel. The point being firstfruit here is referring to Israel not the body of Christ.

Ro 16:5 Likewise [greet] the church that is in their house. Salute my well beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ.
1Co 16:15 I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and [that] they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,) These two verses have the meaning of the firstfruits of one’s labor namely Paul’s first fruits in his church plant in a certain area in Achaia in and around Corinth or Athens as both were in this area.


1Co 15:20 ¶ But now is Christ risen from the dead, [and] become the firstfruits of them that slept.
1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

Here the meaning is the same but the labour entered into is that of God raising the dead. And the firstfruit from the dead is Jesus Christ. Afterward those at his coming are not the firstfruits but the general harvest from the dead. If it is speaking of the body Christ here we know by the definition of Resurrection that only dead people can be resurrected. So the Body of Christ has those who are dead resurrected at his coming in the clouds, those that remain or not resurrected but translated caught up with them. So they are not the firstfruits either for it came after the Firstfruits which is Christ.

Jas 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. The context here has us seeing that James is speaking to Israel, he calls then the 12 tribes that are scattered. And his brethren for they are all Jews. Again the first fruit meaning and understanding here matches that of the Old Testament Prophet Jeremiah

Re 14:4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, [being] the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

Here we see the firstfruits of redemption of Israel is speaking of Jews. Keeping with the meaning of Jeremiah as well. The term unto God and the Lamb is in reference to those who will serve him in the New Jerusalem for there they have thrones together. The term Lamb is never used in referring to Jesus in connection to the body of Christ. We the body of Christ know him as the Lamb that taketh away the sins of the world according to the Gospels. But the point is, never in connection with the body Christ is He ever called the Lamb. This title is wholly Jewish in nature. No don’t get me wrong he took away our sins as a sacrificial lamb (under the Jewish sacrificial system) but that is not the point here.

It would seem that those promoting the doctrine that we are the firstfruits of the Lamb of God would be in error. We are the firstfruits of the Spirit and only one verse teaches. There is no way that we could teach that the body of Christ is the firstfruits of Christ or of God or of the lamb without stealing verses concerning Israel and replacing them with the church. Every Doctrine should be established with two to three scripture verse witness. This Doctrine has only one.

Israel it would seem is and always has been the firstfruits, it is a term solely used for Israel on 97% of its usage according to scriptures and it end up being used in a future event tying it to the Old Testament. Israel is the firstfruits unto the LORD, the Lamb and God and none of our doctrines can change this scripture truth.