Podcasts about First Fruits

Fluent Fiction - Hebrew: Finding Belonging: A Family's Reunion in Forsyth Park Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/he/episode/2026-05-31-07-38-20-he Story Transcript:He: בפארק פורסיית' שבסוואנה התקבצה המשפחה לחגיגת יום הולדת משמעותית.En: In forsyth park in savannah, the family gathered for a significant birthday celebration.He: לכל פינה הגיעו קולות של שיחות וצחוק, כשהילדים רצים בשטח הירוק הפתוח.En: Voices of conversation and laughter reached every corner as the children ran in the open green space.He: ליאורה, הדודה הנמרצת, התבוננה בסיפוק בעוד שהיא הזכירה לעצמה כמה חשוב היה לה לארגן את האירוע הזה.En: liora, the energetic aunt, watched with satisfaction while reminding herself how important it was for her to organize this event.He: תמר, אחייניתה המתבגרת של ליאורה, הרגישה קצת זרה בתוך ההמולה המשפחתית.En: tamar, liora's teenage niece, felt a bit out of place within the family bustle.He: היא ישבה בצד, מתבוננת בציפורים על העצים ובעוברים ושבים לצד המזרקה המפורסמת שבמרכז הפארק.En: She sat to the side, watching the birds on the trees and the passersby by the famous fountain in the park's center.He: היא אהבה את הירוק ושאון האביב, אך התרבות המשפחתית העמוקה לא תמיד דיברה אליה.En: She loved the greenery and the buzz of spring, but the deep family culture didn't always speak to her.He: “בואי נעשה סיבוב קצר,” הציעה ליאורה בעדינות.En: "Let's take a short walk," liora gently suggested.He: תמר הנהנה, וקמה ללכת עם הדודה שלה.En: tamar nodded and got up to walk with her aunt.He: בעודם מטיילות בפארק, ליאורה הביטה בשמים הכחולים ואמרה, “את יודעת, יש משהו מיוחד בחג השבועות הזה.En: As they strolled through the park, liora looked up at the blue sky and said, "You know, there's something special about this shavuot holiday.He: זה לא רק מתן תורה או חג הביכורים.En: It's not just about receiving the Torah or the Festival of First Fruits.He: זה זמן להתחבר למשפחה ולשורשים שלנו.En: It's a time to connect with our family and roots."He: ”תמר שתקה לרגע, ואז שאלה, “אבל מה איך אני יכולה להתחבר למה שאני לא מכירה?En: tamar was silent for a moment, then asked, "But how can I connect to something I don't know?"He: ”“אני מבינה אותך,” אמרה ליאורה ברוך.En: "I understand you," liora said softly.He: “כשהייתי בגילך, גם אני הרגשתי אבודה לפעמים.En: "When I was your age, I also felt lost at times.He: אבל אז סבתא סיפרה לי על המסורות שלנו ועל הסיפורים שאף פעם לא שמעתי.En: But then Grandma told me about our traditions and stories I'd never heard.He: זה גרם לי להרגיש חלק ממשהו גדול.En: It made me feel part of something big."He: ”תמר הרימה את מבטה והקשיבה בתשומת לב.En: tamar lifted her gaze and listened attentively.He: “אני רוצה ללמוד יותר,” הודתה.En: "I want to learn more," she admitted.He: “אני לא רוצה להרגיש לבד.En: "I don't want to feel alone."He: ”ליאורה חייכה.En: liora smiled.He: “אני איתך בזה.En: "I'm with you on this.He: תמיד אפשר להתחיל מכאן.En: We can always start from here."He: ”בינתיים, איתן, האח של ליאורה, עמד בצד עם הטלפון בידו.En: Meanwhile, eitan, liora's brother, stood aside with his phone in hand.He: הוא שמע חלק מהשיחה ומהרהר בהחלטות האחרונות שלו.En: He heard part of the conversation and pondered his recent decisions.He: פתאום, הוא חשב על מה באמת חשוב והחליט לשחרר מהעבודה לרגע.En: Suddenly, he thought about what really matters and decided to let go of work for a moment.He: הוא הכניס את הטלפון לכיס והצטרף למשפחתו בחיבוק.En: He put his phone in his pocket and joined his family with a hug.He: כשירדה השמש, המשפחה התאספה שוב סביב כר הדשא.En: As the sun set, the family gathered again around the grassy field.He: כולם דיברו, צחקו וחגגו.En: Everyone talked, laughed, and celebrated.He: תמר, הפעם, הרגישה שייכת.En: This time, tamar felt like she belonged.He: ואיתן?En: And eitan?He: הוא הבין שהזמן עם המשפחה הוא הזמן היקר ביותר.En: He realized that time with family is the most precious time.He: תחושת אחדות מלאה את הלבבות, והלחם והחלב של המנהג נפרסו חגיגית על השולחן.En: A sense of unity filled the hearts, and the traditional bread and milk were festively laid on the table.He: בתום הערב, ליאורה חשה שמחה כי הצליחה לחזק את הקשרים משפחתיים.En: By the end of the evening, liora felt joy because she had managed to strengthen family ties.He: תמר עזבה את הפארק בהרגשה חדשה של חיבור, ואיתן ידע שהוא ישים את המשפחה במקום הראשון בחיים.En: tamar left the park with a new sense of connection, and eitan knew he would put family first in his life.He: כל אלה נכנסו לבטים של יום הולדת מלא אהבה וחיבור מחדש.En: All these were woven into the frames of a birthday filled with love and reconnection. Vocabulary Words:forsyth: פורסיית'gathered: התקבצהlaughter: צחוקenergetic: נמרצתsatisfaction: סיפוקcelebration: חגיגהreminding: הזכירהsignificant: משמעותיתbustle: המולהpassersby: עוברים ושביםgreenery: הירוקbuzz: שאוןstrolled: מטיילותsuggested: הציעהconnect: להתחברroots: שורשיםtraditions: מסורותattentively: בתשומת לבrealized: הביןpondered: מהרהרdecisions: החלטותprecious: יקרunity: אחדותfestively: חגיגיתwoven: נכנסוframes: לבטיםreconnection: חיבור מחדשmanaged: הצליחהbelonged: שייכתsignificant: משמעותיתBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/fluent-fiction-hebrew--5818690/support.

The Jewish holiday of Shavuot celebrates the first fruits of springtime. Jan shares three poems that open us to the gifts nature gives us, and how we each can find human gifts in our everyday lives, there for the picking.

Pentecost was not a religious accident, a mystical experience to be chased, or the "birthday party" of modern charismatic confusion. It was God's exact appointed day on Israel's prophetic calendar, the Feast of Harvest and Firstfruits, chosen by the LORD to display before the house of Israel that the Man they had crucified, Jesus of Nazareth, was now risen, ascended, exalted, and seated at the right hand of God."And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place." Acts 2:1 (KJB)When the day of Pentecost was fully come, Heaven opened, the Holy Ghost came down, and the apostles were supernaturally authenticated before Jews gathered in Jerusalem from every nation under heaven. The rushing mighty wind, the cloven tongues like as of fire, and the miracle of known languages were not random signs for personal excitement, but divine credentials proving that Jesus Christ was both Lord and Christ. This was not repeatable revival theater; this was a once-in-history witness to Israel that their rejected Messiah was alive, glorified, and ready to deal with His covenant nation.Tonight, we show you the Old Testament Feast of Pentecost, and it's connection to the harvest of souls we see take place in Acts 2. Not only that, Pentecost has wild connections to the Pretribulation Rapture of the Church.

By Dan Preston - On the Day of Pentecost, two leavened loaves were waved before God, representing the Firstfruits. You have a very personal connection to this Feast, which reminds us of what a precious gift God has given us in the Holy Spirit!

By Nathan Ekama - If we are God's living firstfruits, how should we live if we are led by the Spirit? A. We should DO something with it. B. The Holy Spirit enables us to express God's love C. He transforms our weaknesses into power and a sound mind D. We should be preparing for future service in his kingdom E. God's

By Craig Scott - Pentecost is not a picture of the final victory over sin and death which we will experience upon resurrection. Pentecost is a picture of the beginning of the long march to victory that is promised to us. We know that promise is good, it will come to pass, because the power of God's holy spirit has

By David Morker - In Leviticus 23:9–17, the accepted Wave Sheaf comes first, and only then does the counting begin toward the gathered firstfruits offering; this points us to Jesus Christ, the accepted Firstfruits before our Father, through whom the called body and bride are gathered. In Romans 15:4–13, Paul shows

By Lud Kiramidjian Jr - Speaker: Lud Kiramidjian Date: 5/24/26 Among ancient Israel's ceremonial offerings at its seven annual Holy Days, the ceremony called the "Wave Loaves" offering on the Feast of Pentecost (Feast of Firstfruits) was unique in that its loaves were leavened. These Wave Loaves symbolized that: (1) The

Pentecost First Fruits is a time to be blessed and be a blessing. Today we celebrate the Biblical Feast of Shavuot. Join us this Sunday for a powerful time of worship, fellowship, and the Word! Bring your First Fruits offering as we bring them to the Lord. To learn more about Larry Huch Ministries, our broadcast, podcast, outreaches, current TV offers, other resources, how to give, and more, visit https://larryhuchministries.com.

By Kelly M Irvin - Does your Bible show two feasts in Leviticus 23 — a "Feast of Firstfruits" and a "Feast of Weeks"? One of them isn't there. Here's what the text actually says. This presentation examines what makes an annual Holy Day a Holy Day by God's own definition, why Passover and the wave sheaf offering don't

Sow seeds for the future kingdom of God—encourage, evangelize, and disciple.

This week we will be observing the Festival of Shavuot (literally, 'Weeks'), also called the Festival of First Fruits. It's the anniversary of the Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, known as 'the Sinai Revelation.' This seminal occurrence is the fount from which knowledge of Torah flows throughout the generations, to this very day. In this week's Jerusalem Lights podcast, Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman celebrate Hashem's gift of Torah by sharing their unique insights on the eternal significance and spiritual power of this preeminent event. Rabbi Chaim Richman Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone Join our new WhatsApp channel! https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbDN...Rabbi Chaim Richman's 'Jerusalem Lights', a non-profit educational organization, shares the wisdom of Torah teachings with all sincere spiritual seekers, emphasizing the ennoblement of the human spirit, the brotherhood of mankind, and the nurturing and development of each individual's personal faith and relationship with the Creator. Torah for Everyone!If you enjoy these videos, please consider supporting the work of Jerusalem Lights, Inc., a USA recognized 501 ( c ) 3 non-profit organization to enable these productions to continue and grow: PayPal: infojerusalemlights@gmail.com or: https://paypal.me/JerusalemLights?loc...In the USA: Jerusalem Lights Inc. Post Office Box 16886Lubbock Texas 79490In Israel: Tel. 972 54 7000395 Mail: PO Box 23808, Jerusalem Israel For more information: https://www.rabbirichman.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel:    / @jerusalemlights-rabbirichman  Follow us on Facebook:   / rabbichaimrichman    / 282440396475839  

When God calls us to honor Him first, He is not trying to take from us. He is teaching us where our true security comes from.

New Covenant Church

Acts 1:3-14. For the 49 days between the Feast of Firstfruits and Pentecost (Shavuot) the Jewish people would practise the “Counting of the Omer”. What did that mean for Jesus and the disciples at that first Pentecost? How can this apply to our lives as Christians today? 

This episode is a study from the book of 1 Corinthians, with Pastor David Rosales of Calvary Chapel Chino Valley. This message was taught on May 13th, 2026. Support us by checking out our other social media platforms! Youtube: ⁠⁠www.youtube.com/@CCChinoValley⁠⁠Website: ⁠⁠www.calvaryccv.org⁠⁠Facebook: ⁠⁠www.facebook.com/CalvaryChapelChinoValley⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠www.instagram.com/calvaryccv⁠⁠

Pastor Derek explores the 1st Ascension of Christ on the morning of His resurrection after appearing to Mary Magdalene (John 20:17). He ascended a 2nd time 40 days later, as described in Acts 1, after which He sat down at God's right hand. The 4 Purposes for His 1st Ascension: *1. To fulfil the Feast of First Fruits on the day of His resurrection (1Corinthians 15:20-23). *2. To present His BLOOD in the heavenly holy of holies, to establish the New Covenant (Hebrews 9:12). *3. To receive ALL AUTHORITY (Matthew 28:18, Daniel 7:13-14, Philippians 2:9-11): *4. To receive the SPIRIT on our behalf, to give to His people (Acts 2:33). That is why He could impart the Spirit to His apostles later on the same day He rose again (John 20:22).

Pastor Derek explores the 1st Ascension of Christ on the morning of His resurrection after appearing to Mary Magdalene (John 20:17). He ascended a 2nd time 40 days later, as described in Acts 1, after which He sat down at God's right hand. The 4 Purposes for His 1st Ascension: *1. To fulfil the Feast of First Fruits on the day of His resurrection (1Corinthians 15:20-23). *2. To present His BLOOD in the heavenly holy of holies, to establish the New Covenant (Hebrews 9:12). *3. To receive ALL AUTHORITY (Matthew 28:18, Daniel 7:13-14, Philippians 2:9-11): *4. To receive the SPIRIT on our behalf, to give to His people (Acts 2:33). That is why He could impart the Spirit to His apostles later on the same day He rose again (John 20:22).

Preached by Lead Pastor, Rev. Aubrey Spears on May 10, 2026.

Preached by Lead Pastor, Rev. Aubrey Spears on May 10, 2026.

This is a question Pastor has received over and again throughout the years, "Will our bodies be resurrected?" The answer is "yes!" Even through there is biblical teaching and a recognition of the resurrection by believers throughout the centuries, there are still many questions from believers and non-believers when it comes to the future resurrection.    Resurrection: Doubt and Denial existed among the educated elite (Acts 17:32), religious elite especially the Sadducees (Matthew 22:29), and church members (1 Corinthians 15:12) Old Testament does not say a lot about the resurrection, but there are mentions of it and people did look forward to the resurrection.  Job is one who looked to the resurrection (Job 19:25-27), as did Solomon (Ecclesiastes 3:11), Isaiah (Isaiah 26:19) and Daniel (Daniel 12:2) Jesus' Teaching in the New Testament - Jesus was clear that resurrection was what was ahead for believers. Jesus talked of the resurrection of both the good and the evil (John 5:28-29), the resurrection comes on the Last Day (John 6:40), Jesus talks about His identity being tied to the resurrection (John 11:25-26). The clear declaration of Jesus is that we will be raised! There is a tie between Jewus' resurrection and the resurrection of those of us that follow Him. There are consequences if we don't believe (1 Corinthians 15:13-14), the implications of the resurrection - our salvation is dependent on the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus' resurrection guarantees that we also will rise (1 Corinthians 15:16-18), and Jesus is the "First Fruits" of those who will rise from the grave (1 Corinthians 15:20-23),  What Kind of Body are we going to have?  The New Testament gives us only a glimpse of what our bodies will be like, God has not yet revealed fully what it will be like (1 Corinthians 2:9), there is an analogy of the seed that is used to describe the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:35-36), we also learn that our bodies will be transformed from a perishable body to an imperishable body and that it is beyond our ability to comprehend (1 Corinthians 15:43-44), Continuity will continues as we will be able to recognize each other, irregardless of the change that will happen. What it it will all be like is not yet known, but we know we will be like Christ and will see Him as He is - risen! (1 John 3:2-3), and because of Jesus we have the Final Victory (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)   When we realize the resurrection is what is ahead for us as believers, the outcome is that we want to serve the Lord even more faithfully, to concentrate on the things that are important to eternity, to be immersed in the things of God, to love our Creator, to love Jesus, love the Holy Spirit and to love others (even our enemies).    Knowing what we know about resurrection, calls us to a dedicated life as a follower of Jesus.  We are not called to sit back and wait for the end, we are called to be people of faith and prayer, a people of goodness and generosity, of faithfulness and kindness.  We are to be a people who mirror the very nature of our Jesus in the way we deal with one another and the world.    Our victory through Him is what we hold on to and eagerly anticipate. We will be raised to be in God's presence forever!     Now What? Learn about God at https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer is FREE.   Check out this video series from our website: https://www.awakeusnow.com/whats-the-answer   Join us Sundays  https://www.awakeusnow.com/sunday-service

A weekly class at OAG taught by Chaplain Lou Parker.** Edited to remove personal information shared in the class and extended pauses **Title: Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath: Faith, Obedience, and God's ProvisionSummary: Through the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath, we see how faithful obedience — even in desperate circumstances — opens the door to miraculous provision and lasting blessing.Approximate Lesson Outline:00:00 - Introduction03:26 - Reading from 1 Kings 1706:57 - Elijah's Obedience and the Drought09:59 - Into Enemy Territory13:37 - Why This Widow?18:27 - The Widow's Character23:02 - Confidence in God's Word27:26 - First Fruits and Faithful Giving30:52 - Long-Term Blessings of Obedience33:01 - Closing and Next Week's Preview

Welcome to Journey Church! Our mission is simple: We exist to make Jesus accessible to anyone. We want to connect with you throughout the week! Download our Journey Church app here: https://www.journeyorl.com/app If this is your first time checking out Journey online go to https://www.journeyorl.com/connect and tell us a little about yourself! To learn more about church and discover your God given purpose, we encourage you to take next steps! Visit https://www.journeyorl.com/nextsteps Community isn't found, it's created. We believe God didn't call us to live life alone; we're better together! The way we do community here is through small groups. For more information on small groups visit https://www.journeyorl.com/groups to find a group that best fits you. If you have a need, or know of a need in your community, go to https://www.journeyorl.com/help and complete our Community Need Form. If you would like to financially support this ministry and help us continue reaching people all over the world with the message of Jesus, you can go to https://www.journeyorl.com/give. Thank you for partnering with us through generosity!

Send us Fan MailWelcome to On The Path with Cheryl Nembhard! This week, Cheryl sits down with Dr. Stuart R. Watkins — seasoned entrepreneur, educator, author, and Business Apostle with over 40 years of experience at the intersection of faith, leadership, and financial stewardship. In this timely and eye-opening conversation, Dr. Watkins shares the heart behind his book Biblical Economics 101: Living Under God's Financial Blessing, offering a fresh perspective on how believers can approach money through a Kingdom lens. As financial pressures rise across North America, he challenges the Church to rethink its relationship with wealth, provision, and stewardship. Drawing from decades of ministry, business leadership, and global experience, Dr. Watkins unpacks what it means to move from striving to trusting God as our true source. In this insightful conversation, they explore:  The difference between secular financial thinking and Kingdom provision  Common misconceptions about wealth, blessing, and faith  What God's provision really looks like in seasons of pressure and uncertainty  Practical first steps toward a faith-filled financial reset This episode is both practical and deeply spiritual — an invitation to align your finances with your faith and trust God in a new way. If you've been feeling the weight of financial stress or searching for clarity in this area, this conversation will challenge and encourage you. Listen now and discover what it means to live under God's provision and blessing.

Send us Fan MailEvening Prayer (First Fruits; Kidneys; Golden Rule; Sing To Jesus)Thank you for listening, our heart's prayer is for you and I to walk daily with Jesus, our joy and peaceaimingforjesus.comYouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@aimingforjesus5346Instagram https://www.instagram.com/aiming_for_jesus/Threads https://www.threads.com/@aiming_for_jesusX https://x.com/AimingForJesusTik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@aiming.for.jesus

Listen to Chuck Pierce speak on "First Fruits Celebration for the Month of Iyar"

→ Watch on YouTube → Detailed Show Notes → Timestamps: (00:00) A brief overview of these chapters.(04:02) The Nephites saw the Savior Jesus Christ in the Law of Moses.(12:08) The children of Israel willingly donated material to construct The Tabernacle, giving even more than was needed.(15:52) The articles of The Tabernacle.(20:01) Aaron and his sons are washed, anointed, and clothed in priesthood robes.(22:20) The Tabernacle is a miniature cosmos, which parallels the creation of the earth in its literary construction. The glory of the Lord fills it.(26:13) Scholars have mapped a chiastic structure in the first five books of the Bible. The apex can be seen as Leviticus 16, which focuses on the Day of Atonement. In this way, we see that the center of the Pentateuch is Jesus Christ.(27:48) Walking through the steps of offering a sacrifice at The Tabernacle.(37:29) The five offerings are meant to separate the clean from the unclean. Leviticus contains only a fragmentary record of the institution of the priesthood.(40:40) Kosher and purity laws in Leviticus 11-15.(45:41) Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement.(50:11) The scapegoat, as portrayed in the Day of Atonement, can be interpreted in many ways.(58:35) Israel is commanded to not reap the corners of their fields and to leave their gleanings for the poor. This symbol of the circle in the square can also represent the temple, the unification of heaven and earth, and is found in the book of Ruth.(1:01:47) Prohibition of mingling seed and garments of linen and wool. The holy and the profane are not to be mixed.(1:04:58) Israel is commanded to be different from their neighbors in grooming standards.(1:06:29) Israel is to keep the Feasts of the Passover, of Unleavened Bread, of Pentecost or Firstfruits, of Trumpets, of the Day of Atonement, and of Tabernacles. → For more of Bryce Dunford’s podcast classes, click here. → Enroll in Institute → YouTube → Apple Podcasts → Spotify → Amazon Music → Facebook The post Ep 369 | Exodus 35-40; Leviticus, Come Follow Me 2026 (April 27-May 3) appeared first on LDS Scripture Teachings.

Series: 2026 Spring Gospel Meeting: Jesus and the Jewish FeastsService: Special ServiceType: SermonSpeaker: Rennie Frazier

SEE THE INFOGRAPHIC: https://weirdstuffinthebible.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/passion-week-feast-crucifixion-jesus-layout.jpgWATCH THE TEACHING: https://youtu.be/fYiN9gX4FUEARTICLE: https://weirdstuffinthebible.com/a-timeline-of-the-passion-week/How did Jesus die on Good Friday, spend three days in the grave, and then rise on Sunday morning? Math has never been my strong suit, but that math just ain't mathin' for me. And there's actually kind of an academic debate about this, which argues over whether Jesus died on Friday or whether He actually died on Thursday. And you know, I never really got into that subject because it just kinda went over my head. Ultimately, it doesn't matter a whole lot; the most important thing to believe is that Jesus died and rose again. Whether it was part of Friday and all of Saturday and then part of Sunday, or whether it was a full 72-hour period, this is not an issue where you'll forfeit your salvation if you don't understand it. So I never really dug into this issue that deeply. However, then I heard a friend of mine, Daniel Wade, give a lesson on this exact subject matter at a bible study a couple years ago. And it blew my mind to not only learn why it matters that Jesus was in the grave a full 72 hours, but also how His death and resurrection fulfilled the Jewish spring feasts so perfectly. Passover. Unleavened Bread. Firstfruits. Jesus fulfilled them to the day, and even to the hour. But again, this is all kinda complicated, so I've got three ways to help convey all this information today. One, my friend Daniel is going to join me for the episode today and talk me through passion week, according to the Levitical calendar. Two, I've created an infographic that shows this entire timeline, which is available on my website, and I'll link to it in the show notes. (see above) Three, I've captured all this on video so you can see the graphic and the details of what Daniel is talking about on-screen as he's talking us through all of it. And again, none of this is a salvation issue. But I do see it as kind of a biblical authority issue. Jesus said He would be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. But you can't three days and three nights if Jesus died on Friday. So where does the concept of good Friday come from? I find this to be weird, and kind of confusing, so Daniel Wade is gonna help us today make the Bible make sense. -- Some of the music included in this interview is provided by Blue Tree Audio. Background Music: www.bluetreeaudio.com -- Check out the website! www.weirdstuffinthebible.com If you want to get in touch, my email is weirdstuffinthebible@gmail.com Host: Luke Taylor Guest: Daniel Wade 

Genesis 4:4-6 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. 6 So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? Hebrews 11:4 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.

In this deeply insightful and spirit-filled teaching, we explore the true meaning of first fruits with Apostle Kingsley Ajei-Godson - not just as a practice, but as a reflection of love, faith, and relationship with God. Drawing from powerful biblical principles and real-life analogies, this message reveals that giving is not transactional—it is relational. When rooted in love, faith, and understanding, giving becomes a gateway to experiencing God as the sustainer and gatekeeper of our lives. Be challenged to examine your heart, renew your mindset, and embrace a lifestyle of righteousness, generosity, and intimacy with God.  

Passover First Fruits is the first of three times a year we bring our offering to the Lord, and we don't come empty-handed. Join us this Sunday for a powerful time of worship, fellowship, and the Word! Celebrate Passover First Fruits as Pastor Larry Huch brings a special message today. To learn more about Larry Huch Ministries, our broadcast, podcast, outreaches, current TV offers, other resources, how to give, and more, visit https://larryhuchministries.com.

Sunday School Teaching: Prayer Sunday Teacher: Danny Miller Sunday Main Message: Firstfruits, Pentecost & Trumpets Sunday School Teacher: Apostle Stan Johnson

There is much more to come! Jesus is our First Fruits and you will follow in His footsteps in your own resurrection, and in the mean time between now and your resurrection, you are required to be diligent. What is it, who has it, how can I get it? All this and more coming your way in this message, that will encourage, empower and enlighten you to rejoice in Jesus. Get your bibles to the book of Proverbs, something to take notes on, and make sure to share this message.

'9They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor, their righteousness endures forever; their horn#112:9 Horn here symbolizes dignity. will be lifted high in honor. ' Psalms 112:9 https://www.bible.com/bible/111/PSA.112.9.NIV

Does the ancient barley harvest hold a key to understanding the resurrection? Explore the agricultural foundations of the First Fruits offering and its profound prophetic fulfillment in Yahshua. Discover how Yahweh's biblical calendar perfectly aligns historical tradition with the promise of eternal life. Originally Recorded Feast of Unleavened Bread 2025

This is the twelfth lesson in Dr. Lane G. Tipton's Reformed Academy course, The Theology of Heaven in the Book of Hebrews. This lesson covers the following topics: 00:00 Firstfruits and Forerunner 7:16 Resurrection Life Serves Ascension Life 9:53 Christ's Entrance into the Eschatological Fullness of His High Priestly Ministry 14:42 The New and Living Way 18:38 The Application of Redemption in Hebrews Register for this free on-demand course on our website to track your progress and assess your understanding through quizzes for each lesson. You will also receive free access to dozens of additional video courses in covenant theology, apologetics, biblical studies, church history, and more: https://reformedacademy.org/course/th... Your donations help us to provide free Reformed resources for students like you worldwide: https://reformedforum.org/donate/ #heaven #hebrews #reformedtheology #biblestudy

The Door of Faith Ministries Podcast is based on the teachings of the Gospel of Grace for Salvation. We teach Christ's death, burial and resurrection! • Podcasts are added weekly from our Sunday services.For a breakdown of our services, visit:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Reflections Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Living Waters Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Thursday Bible Study⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Easter isn't just a story we believe— it's a story we're invited to step into. We all try to build our lives on things like success, relationships, or achievement, but eventually those things fall short and leave us wanting more. The resurrection shows us that Jesus didn't just defeat death, but that He started something new that we can experience right now. Real life change happens when we stop striving and finally surrender, letting God meet us in the middle of our brokenness. And the good news is, that same resurrection power is still at work today! Offering each of us a brand new life. -- Join us for service online or in-person in Grand Rapids every Sunday at 9 & 10:45AM (EST).Decided to follow Jesus? We would love to help you figure out what's next! Let us know at https://bit.ly/TLC-i-decided=============Stay Connected!=============Website: http://localchurchgr.orgLocal Church Facebook: http://facebook.com/localchurchgrLocal Church Instagram: http://instagram.com/localchurchgrWeekly Email Newsletter: https://bit.ly/trendingatTLCVisit & What to Expect: http://localchurchgr.org/expectEvents: http://my.localchurchgr.org/eventsIf you would like to support The Local Church GR's ministry and help us continue reaching people in the Grand Rapids area, click here: https://localchurchgr.org/giveNeed prayer? Please let us know! - https://localchurchgr.org/care

The Most Important Story Ever Written — The Resurrection That Broke Hell • Sunday Service To Give: www.ToddCoconato.com/give Website: www.PastorTodd.org There has never been a moment in human history more powerful, more decisive, or more eternally significant than the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This was not just a miracle. This was the turning point of eternity. When Jesus rose from the grave, He did not simply come back to life, He shattered the authority of hell, stripped death of its power, and secured victory for every person who would ever believe. Hell thought it had won. Darkness celebrated for a moment. The grave held His body. But what hell did not understand was this: the cross was not defeat, it was a setup. And the resurrection was the declaration that Jesus is King forever. What happened in that moment was not symbolic. It was a full overthrow of the kingdom of darkness. Hell was invaded, stripped, and left powerless. The resurrection was heaven's announcement that everything the enemy built to hold humanity captive had been broken in one decisive act. Let's break down exactly what happened and why it matters. 1. Jesus Took the Keys of Death and Hell Revelation 1:18 (NKJV) “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” 2. He Disarmed Principalities and Powers Colossians 2:15 (NKJV) “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” 3. Death Lost Its Sting 1 Corinthians 15:55–57 (NKJV) “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? … But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 4. The Power of Sin Was Broken Romans 6:9–10 (NKJV) “Knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more… For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all…” 5. The Grave Could Not Hold Him Acts 2:24 (NKJV) “Whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.” 6. He Became the Firstfruits of Resurrection 1 Corinthians 15:20 (NKJV) “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” 7. He Gave Believers Authority Over the Enemy Luke 10:19 (NKJV) “Behold, I give you the authority… over all the power of the enemy…” 8. Eternal Life Was Secured Forever John 11:25–26 (NKJV) “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me… shall live.” 9. Jesus Destroyed Him Who Had the Power of Death Hebrews 2:14 (NKJV) “…that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.” 10. The Veil Was Torn — Access Was Restored Matthew 27:51 (NKJV) “Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom…” 11. Captivity Was Taken Captive Ephesians 4:8 (NKJV) “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive…” 12. He Crushed the Serpent's Head Genesis 3:15 (NKJV) “And He shall bruise your head…” 13. Justification Was Secured Romans 4:25 (NKJV) “…and was raised because of our justification.” 14. A New Covenant Was Established Hebrews 9:15 (NKJV) “And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant…”   The stone is still rolled away. The tomb is still empty. Jesus is still alive. So walk like it. Talk like it. Live like it. And if you have never received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, do not wait another day. Repent of your sin, turn to Him, and receive the life He paid for. Step out of death and into resurrection. Because hell is defeated. The grave is empty. And the greatest story ever written is still changing lives today.

The Firstfruits - 1 Corinthians 15:20-23

What if what we celebrate isn't just a moment in history—but a living reality that empowers your life today?In Godliness – The Gospel Scheme, Duane Sheriff teaches that the gospel is more than Jesus' death and resurrection—it includes His ascension and the promise it fulfilled. Jesus didn't just rise from the grave; He ascended to the Father so the Holy Spirit could be sent, empowering believers to live transformed, godly lives.Through the ancient Jewish feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Pentecost, we discover powerful prophetic shadows fulfilled in Christ. Passover reveals Jesus as our ultimate sacrifice, bearing God's wrath in our place. The Feast of Unleavened Bread unveils the stunning truth that we are now unleavened in God's sight—our sin buried with Christ and left in the grave. First Fruits declares Jesus as the firstborn of the resurrection, guaranteeing our new life and eternal future.Finally, we see why the ascension was necessary—not to abandon us, but to send the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, empowering us to overcome, walk in righteousness, and live as witnesses of Jesus every day.

Since the Garden of Eden, the human default has been the blend. Not total rebellion — just the mixture. God's blessing on our terms. Resurrection life with one hand still on the grave. It's the oldest deal ever offered, and we keep taking it. This Easter message asks the question the angels asked the women at the empty tomb — Why are you looking for the living among the dead? — and follows it all the way from Genesis 1, through the kosher laws, through the Fall, through the cross, to the Feast of Firstfruits and what it means that Jesus rose on that exact day. If you've ever wondered why God won't bless the mixture, why willpower never fixes what's broken at the root, or why you feel stuck even though you're saved — this one's for you.

[Click here to access Pastor Peter's "Jesus Our Passover" sermon notes.] In this celebratory Easter message, Pastor Peter invites us to join a "worldwide party" as we recognize Jesus Our Passover, the fulfillment of every divine promise and the leader of a successful global rescue mission. Centered on Christ's exclusive claim to be the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6), the sermon explains that the empty tomb is the ultimate proof of His authority and the dawn of a new creation where He stands as the first fruits of the resurrection. We are challenged to move beyond being spectators and instead become "living sermons" who actively participate in the gospel, following the persistent heart of Mary Magdalene and the bold preaching of Peter to share the hope of Christ (Mark 16:15). Finally, as we launch into "Seek Week," we are encouraged to prioritize the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33) and find the stamina to draw near to the Lord, trusting that the same "gospel road" that led to the first resurrection miracle connects us to His power today.

Which barley is to be used for the omer offering? During a sabbatical/shemitah year, they couldn't plant, but they could collect the natural growth, which they did. That collection needed to be as for food, however, and not for fuel -- because shemitah produce could not be burned. But it wasn't quite burned either.... Also, a deep dive into "first fruits/bikkurim," and how they were to be brought from the 7 species from the land of Israel. Plus, refinement of the details of the bikkurim as brought, based on the verses, and also the basic growth and whether it was in a field or elsewhere, for example. But why weren't bikkurim offered for all fruits and not just the 7 species?

Is it possible to attend the right event, in the right place, with the right people — and still completely miss the meaning? Drawing from Exodus 12 and Luke 24, this message traces how the disciples went through the Passover and the Feast of Firstfruits with Jesus Himself — while He was actively fulfilling them — and didn't see it. From the empty tomb to the road to Emmaus, we discover why they missed it, what changed everything, and how the same transformation is available to us.

By David Morker - Framed by Leviticus 23:10–17 (ESV) "Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest, and he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, so that you may be accepted

Today in History: Messiah rose from the dead during the night, “on the third day.” Afterwards, he appeared to his disciples (see Luke 24). An Omer of barley was waved in the Holy Temple as firstfruits of the harvest (see Leviticus 23:10–11). In the days of King Hezekiah, the rededication of the first Holy Temple was finished (see 2 Chronicles 29:17). * It is customary among the Jewish people, since ancient times, to double the festival sabbath (yom tov) outside Israel.This week's portion is called Pesach (Passover)TORAH PORTION: Leviticus 22:26–23:44HAFTARAH: 2 Kings 23:1–9, 21–25APOSTLES: Mark 16:1–14How does the Haftarah connect to this week's Torah Portion?How do the Apostles connect to this week's Torah Portion?Daily Bread for Kids is a daily Bible reading podcast where we read through the Torah and the Gospels in one year! Helping young Bible-readers to study God's Word, while also discovering its Jewish context!THE KIDS' JOURNAL is available from ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://arielmedia.shop⁠⁠⁠⁠BUSY MOMS who want to follow the Daily Bread readings on podcast for adults, can go to ⁠⁠https://dailybreadmoms.com⁠⁠The Bible translation we are reading from is the Tree of Life Version (TLV) available from the Tree of Life Bible Society.INSTAGRAM: @dailybreadkids @arielmediabooks @dailybreadmomsTags: #DailyBreadMoms #DailyBreadJournal #BibleJournaling #Messianic #BiblePodcast #BiblicalFeasts #Journal #biblereadingplan #Messiah #JewishRoots #Yeshua #GodIsInControl #OneYearBible #MomLife #MotherCulture #FaithFilledMama #BiblicalWomanhood #Proverbs31woman

Welcome to our Friday Night Bible Study. Here we learn more about the Word of God and would love to share that with you! Please remember to invite all your friends to join us, and we hope you have a wonderful time. Topic: Passover, Unleavened Bread to Firstfruits. Jesus is our "Passover Lamb" who stayed in the grave for the three days of Unleavened Bread and arose to be the First begotten of the Dead and "the Firstfruits of them that slept." He will return as a Lamb REV 14:1 take us to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb on Pentecost and serve us. On the Feast of Trumpets we return on white horses with Jesus King of Kings to watch him satiate his garments with the blood of His enemies outside the gate of the city in the Valley of Jehosaphat!

This episode we close out discussion of this reign with a bit of a grab bag.  There is the minting of new coins, new letters to write Japanese, board games, and more. For more, check out our blogpost:  https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-146 Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua, and this is episode 146: Coins, Letters, Games, and More   The large audience hall was filled with nobles, sitting in pairs across from each other.  Throughout the hall, the roof and walls reverberated with the sounds of numerous stone markers being placed on painted wooden tables—or more appropriately, game boards.   It was accompanied by the sound of dice clattering.  At the far end of the hall was the royal presence, where his majesty could likewise join in the entertainment—with someone of sufficient standing, of course. Throughout the day there were bursts of joy and frustration throughout the hall.  In some instances, one could see two players sharing in the joy and love of the game.  In other cases, political rivals stared each other down, neither one willing to give away any strategic advantage.  Any smiles there were merely a mask.  And yet, no matter how hard one tried, there was only so much you could do.  Ultimately, your fate was in the hands of the dice, though you could certainly do your best to nudge it here and there. And so they continued.  As they played, small wagers were made between players.  At the conclusion of their match, each player could find another opponent, and see if their luck held out.  Victory was desired, but at the very least one didn't want to be embarrassed.  As such, losing gracefully was just as important as winning with humility.  Sure, there were  the petty stakes that were gambled here and there, but the real stakes were embedded in the politics of the court.  That was a game  that everyone was playing, except that there was no board, and the rules were often merely suggestions, at best.     This episode we are going to close out the reign of Ohoama, aka Temmu Tenno.  It has been a while getting here—but then again, Ohoama's reign is the best documented so far, almost like the entire Chronicle has built up to this point.  We have spent about a dozen episodes on this reign—not including the four before that discussing the Jinshin no Ran. During that time we've talked about how Ohoama continued the Ritsuryou experiment, while  at the same time shaping it into something that was even more directly under his control.  A lot of this appears to have been done with the mostly willing consent of a good part of the archipelago. That may have been because of a few different things.  For one, all of this was justified through the philosophical underpinnings of the continent.  This is the new knowledge that the court had been devouring for over a century, and so I suspect that none of it seemed particularly surprising or out of place.  Furthermore, it seems that Ohoama's actions may have appealed to some of the more middle-tier elites; those for whom the idea of a government stipend was quite appealing. There was also the external threat of Silla and Tang.  Though in reality, Silla was in conflict with the Tang dynasty, up until the conclusion of the Silla-Tang War, around 676.  In truth, the Tang court wouldn't recognize Sillan sovereignty south of the Taedong river until 736, so there were still tensions.  However, early on in the reign there was at least the thought that hostilities could spill over onto the archipelago. And then there are all of the projects.  The designation of national temples, the beginning of a national history project, the founding of a permanent capital city, and the creation of a formal code—the Asuka Kiyomihara Code. Compared to all of that, the topics of this episode really are some miscellaneous stuff that I didn't have anywhere else to put, but wanted to bring to light anyway.  First, we'll talk about the minting of coins, and what that meant.  Once again, this is really neat because we actually have some coins that appear to be from this time frame, providing what might be a direct relationship between what is written down and what we have in the archaeological record.  Then we'll touch on another project of Ohoama's—this one less successful than some of the others we've discussed.  This was an attempt to create a new writing system specific to the Japanese language.  Remember, at this point literate people in the archipelago were using kanji to write everything down, and for the most part they were using kanbun—so Sinitic characters and grammar, with occasional use of characters purely for their phonetic qualities when they absolutely had to spell something out.  Eventually this would evolve into the syllabaries of katakana and hiragana, but there were several false starts before that, and we'll talk about what was being attempted during Ohoama's reign. Beyond those court projects we'll talk about some of the kami and Buddhist related rituals, especially as they related to growing merit and attempting to protect the state and its people from disasters—natural or otherwise.  And then there are various omens, and just a few edicts that were more geared towards the court but are still fun, like when Ohoama forced the entire court to join him for a day of… board games.  I guess when you are the sovereign and trying to set up a game day, scheduling is suddenly not so big of a problem. So that's what we are going to cover.  We are skipping around throughout the reign, and so while I'll mention dates here and there, I'll try not to get too bogged down with the exact dates unless it really matters. First off: coins.  We are going to start somewhere in the middle, on the 15th day of the 4th month of 683.  It is here that we see a note that Ohoama decreed that copper coins would be used, and not silver.  Remember that a silver mine had been discovered in Tsushima back in 674.  At that time we know that there were silver coins being made, but in 683 it looks like they were changing from silver to copper.  But three days later, they reversed the decision to completely cancel the silver coins, so they presumably had both silver and copper coins. Coins are interesting for several reasons.  For one, coins often help us to date various collections—if they are distinctive enough.  They can be quite helpful in telling us that a particular archaeological assemblage is almost certainly from sometime after the coins had begun to be circulated.  After all, if you unearth a stratum of an archeological dig and you find a penny dated to 1912, you can be reasonably confident that that layer was last exposed on or after 1912, unless time travel was at play. There are some exceptions where animals or tree roots or other forces can disturb the layering, but that's why archeologists carefully pay attention to soil features.  That isn't to say that all coins of the time had clear dates on them.  In fact, the oldest coins we have in the archipelago are something called "Mumon Ginsen"—literally unmarked silver coins.  They are found in various assemblages and thought to have originated under Naka no Oe, aka Tenji Tennou.  The silver from Tsushima would have likely been used for this.  For many reasons it is unclear if these were minted by the state or if they were privately minted and circulated. The copper coin mentioned in Ohoama's record in the Nihon Shoki would appear to be what is known as a Fuhonsen coin, which we also have extant examples of.  These are round copper coins with a square hole in the middle, as was common on the continent.  The previous unmarked silver coins were just small circles of solid silver.  In contrast, the Fuhonsen bear the characters "FU-HON":  FU, or "Tomi", means wealth, and HON, or "moto", means something like base or basis.  "SEN" just refers to the fact that it is a coin.  So the coin represents the basis of wealth. They are just under an inch in diameter, and 1.5 millimeters thick.  While primarily copper, they do have traces of antimony, silver, and bismuth.  The use of copper was likely because of its lower melting point, which would have been easier to cast with. So it seems that these were the new copper coins mentioned in the Chronicles, and the intent was originally to completely replace any silver currency.  I suspect that they quickly realized that they could not easily replace all of the silver, and so the older silver coins were probably still in circulation—though I don't know if any new ones were being minted. We don't exactly know how the coins were used.  They weren't being used to pay taxes or similar things—that was still all being handled in rice, silk, cloth, and labor.  They might have been used by the government to pay individuals, who would then exchange them for goods, but they were probably not used very often between individuals.  There is even some suggestion that they had a more ritual meaning.  Coins of a similar shape—round with a square hole in the center—go back to at least 350 BCE on the continent, and were quite common by the  time of the Han dynasty.  The round hole allowed them to be placed on strings—you'll often see references to strings of cash.  In the Qin dynasty, a string was meant to be a superunit, made up of 1000 coins.  Merchants and others operating at some scale could then just pay in "strings" of cash rather than counting out each and every coin.  It also provided a way of transporting them.  Anyone doing business in east Asia would have encountered coinage from one of the dynasties on the mainland, and we certainly see various coins making their way over to the archipelago, though how exactly they were used and valued isn't certain.  It may have been more important to just have them on hand for trips to the continent so that an embassy or trading vessel could participate in the economy, there. The next coin to be minted in the archipelago itself wasn't until 708, and that was the Wadokaichin, or Wado coins, named for the four characters around the square hole, which included the era name that they were created, "Wado".  This seems to have kicked off an actual national currency that would only last for a couple hundred years before it was debased and lost its value.  For centuries after that, rice was once again the primary currency, and would continue to be so, even though the Tokugawa shogunate would begin to mint and issue coins again through much of their rule.  Still, coins were often outside the grasp of most of the common people. While coins may not have fully caught on, they did better than our next project.  This was a task that was given to Sakahibe no Muraji no Iwashiki who compiled, by royal command, a new set of characters, which were recorded in a book of 44 volumes.  Though this book  is no longer extant, we do have later sources that claim it was once in the royal library.  It describes the characters as similar to Sanskrit characters.  This appears to be an attempt to create an alphabet, or syllabary, for the Japanese language. While Yamato had adopted the Sinitic systems of logographic writing, it wasn't exactly up to the task of directly writing in Japanese.  For one thing, the languages had different sounds that they used, and in different combinations.  Furthermore, grammatically, the two were quite different.  Many Sinitic languages are Subject, Verb, Object, similar to English, while Japanese is Subject, Object, Verb, meaning the verb goes at the end.  But beyond that, Japanese relies extensively on conjugation of verbs, with verbs and adjectives changing to express tense and other such things that Sinitic languages, such as modern Putonghua and languages such as Middle Chinese handle in other ways.  To give an English speaking person a similar experience, imagine writing sentences as "The bird in the tree sat"  or "the man the bread at the store bought".  Now remove many of the articles and prepositions, so you get things like "bird tree sit" and "man bread store buy".  You can imagine how that can really get unwieldy if you want to convey more nuanced concepts. Japanese would either need to add a phonetic writing system—which it did—or it would need to come up with new characters to use in place of the special qualities of the language.  Or they would need to continue to write in Sinitic grammatical order and  continue to do the translation to Japanese on the fly.   One can imagine that this was hardly efficient—in order to learn how to write you would basically have to learn a whole new language. That these new symbols were similar to characters associated with Sanskrit also makes sense, and we even see similar attempts on the continent, though they had other writing systems to compare to as well.  For example, we see the Persian Sogdian, written with a variation of Syriac script, and the Ghandari language written with its own Ghandari or Kharosthi script, but the influence of Buddhism likely explains why scripts associated with Sanskrit likely had a greater influence than other languages.  I should note here that Sanskrit itself does not have a single script—today, people probably think of the Devanagari script, commonly used in India, but that doesn't seem to have been developed until the 8th century.  The work of Iwashiki was likely based on something like the Siddham, or Kutila, script.  This is an abudgida, where consonants and vowels are connected together when written.  This would have worked well for the Japanese language as phonemes are often grouped together as consonant-vowel clusters known as morae.  Siddham evolved in the late 6th century and many Buddhist scripts that were making their way along the Silk Road would have used it.  However, it is said that Siddham proper—or at least as we know it today—was introduced to Japan by the famous monk Kuukai in the early 9th century.  If that is the case, then what script was Iwashiki using as his inspiration? Regardless of the details, this new script doesn't seem to have taken off.  It may have just been too much to ask someone to learn the various kanji AND another system on top of that.  Instead, the Japanese would adopt certain kanji over time, and simplify them into what we know, today, as kana.  Our earliest example is what we know of as Man'yogana, named for the Man'yoshu, an 8th century collection of poems attributed to various contemporary and historical figures.  Because the poetic structure of Japanese required specific counts of syllables or, more specifically, morae, it was important to capture the actual pronunciation of the language.  Certain characters were chosen and used over and over again purely for their phonetic value, rather than any other inherent meaning.  Over time, those characters were simplified and standardized, developing into the katakana and hiragana still used today.  While it was these organically-evolving systems that would eventually be most popular and fill the gap, but it is still incredible to see someone deliberately tackling the problem at this early date. Moving on from money and writing, let's turn now to matters of the kami and the Buddha.   Yamato existed in a world that saw itself as being caught between forces both seen and unseen.  Besides the natural world there was the spiritual world, and to many it was just as real as anything else. We've talked all along about the interplay between the court, the kami and the Buddha, and some of the evidence we see is relatively simple.  For instance, in 675, the Ohokami, the great god, of Tosa presented a divine sword to the sovereign.  I doubt that a kami was showing up in person to the court—this would have been priests from the shrine.   Aston suggests that the kami in question was probably either Hitokotonushi no Mikoto or Misukitakahikone no Mikoto, quoting "authorities" which he does not otherwise name.  We get more serious, though, when it comes to major events.  And the drought and famine of 676 seems to fit that description.  As you may recall from episode 144, the governor of Shimotsukeno reported a bad harvest in the 5th month, and by the 6th month we see more reports coming in of a great drought.  Clothing was collected for the Buddhist temples to help build merit.  Later, there was a comet in the sky, and then, in the 8th month, we see that the court compelled the Kuni no Miyatsuko and the governors to all contribute to an Ohoharae, or Great Purification.  Eventually, the Ohoharae would become a regular ceremony held on the 30th day of the 6th and 12th months of the year, with royal princes down to the high ministers gathering at the southern gate—the Suzaku-mon. Members of the Urabe, the Diviners, would read the various norito, the ritual prayers, to disperse evil influences.  It was, and is,also used when there is a royal visit to the Ise or Kamo shrines, as well as at the Dajosai festival at the start of a new reign.  It can also be done if there is thought to have been some kind of offense that was committed. "Harae", or "purification", is a common part of Shinto ritual today.  From the simple washing of the hands and mouth before entering the shrine grounds to pray to spiritual purification performed by a priest who waves a large stick with paper streamers—the ohonusa or haraegushi—while chanting prayers to ward off evil influences, purification is a key component in Shinto, which often concerns itself with aspects of spiritual pollution.  And so the Oho-harae, the Great Purification, is that, but turned up to eleven. The litany used for the Ohoharae, today, is also known as the Nakatomi no Ohoharae, indicating the importance of the Nakatomi in the ritual.  This Ohoharae, however, was taking place in the 8th month, and may not have had all of the traditions of the later rituals we know today.  Rather, we are told what was required:  The Kuni no Miyatsuko of the provinces were instructed to send one horse and a piece of cloth to specific shrines of purification.  In addition, the governors of the various districts were each told to supply one sword, one deerskin, one mattock, one smaller sword, one sickle, one set of arrows, and one sheaf of rice.  In addition, each household had to supply a bundle of hemp cloth.  These may not have been used in the ritual as much as they were offerings to the kami and their shrine. We'll see this in various cases where the State places rather onerous financial requirements on the population in order to perform rituals.  Of course, by the logic of the time, whatever was donated would make the ritual more effective—it would be more pleasing to the kami.  Still this seems remarkably costly in a year where we are told that the peasants were starving just a few months prior. I'll also take this moment to point out a link here to something that anyone who has been to a shrine may be familiar with, and that is the donation of horses. Horses were common enough a donation—if people of status rode horses, then how much more so the kami themselves?  Sacred or votive horses could be used to carry the kami, and even today some shrines keep sacred horses for the kami.  However, not everyone has horses to donate, and I suspect that the shrine probably didn't need an entire herd of horses.  And so some would pay money for an image of a horse, instead, to be hung in the shrine, likely indicating the donor.  Of course, this wasn't just a picture, but an official record of some kind of donation, which could theoretically go to purchase horses and other such things that the shrine might need.  These pictures of horses were known as "e-ma", literally "picture horse", and we still see them today: The most common type of e-ma will be small wooden placards sold at the shrine, and people will write their desires on the back, with their name and information.  They will often be found hanging in groups on specially designated racks meant for that purpose.  Today, e-ma might have horses on them, but more often have other pictures, associated with the particular shrine and kami.  Speaking of horses, we have a couple more references to them this year.  At some point, Ohoama had issued an edict seeking horses, not just for riding, but other good horses so that the givernment would have them when needed, distributed to the various post-stations.  So when he was returning from a banquet by the Todoroki pool in Hatsuse—modern Hase--Ohoama made a diversion to the post-station of Tomi and had the horses demonstrate their speed.  Presumably this was just a horse race, which seems to be popular around the world, in any place with horses. We see something similar when we are told that Ohoama went to Asatsuma to inspect the horses of the officials there.  At his request, the officials organized a competition of horseback archery.  This appears to reference the famous art of Yabusame—though it may not have been recognized as such just yet, there is some thought that the idea of a horsed archer shooting at three targets while galloping past may have originated in the 6th century, with ties to Usa Jingu.  Still, horseback archery would remain important, and later it would become the primary art of the warrior class from about the 12th to the 13th century or so—and arguably even up until the Sengoku period, with its spear formations and foreign guns. Later, in the 10th lunar month of 681, Ohoama and the court were prepared to go hunting on the Hirose plain.  A temporary palace was prepared and all of the bags were packed, but ultimately, Ohoama didn't go.  Instead, those from the rank of Prince to high ministers stayed at Karunoichi—a market at a cross-roads in the Nara basin that likely was the location of a government stable.  There, they inspected the horses and saddle equipment.  Those from the rank of Shokin up sat under the trees while those of Daisen and below mounted up and passed along from south to north.  Not quite as exciting as horse racing or horsed archery, but who doesn't like a parade. One wonders what happened to call off the hunt.  Perhaps Ohoama, while not bedridden, was not in the best of health.  If he was having some kind of recurring problems then that could explain some of the merit-making as well.  You may recall we discussed how much merit the state seemed to be trying to make in support of the sovereign's health, which we discussed in episode 142. Getting back to the Ohoharae—the great purification.  That was followed up by a general amnesty, which we talked about last episode, as well as a command to let loose living things.  This is a Buddhist practice that one still sees today in various places, usually in the form of letting loose animals like fish and birds that were kept by individuals.  I don't think they were just opening up the paddocks and letting the horses, cattle, and other animals go.  As fascinating as that might be to contemplate, with horses just running wild and cattle trampling the rice fields, I doubt they took it that far.  Still, this practice was clearly an attempt to make more merit for the State.   This edict was repeated only a few months later, in the 11th lunar month, but then it was confined to those provinces that were considered to be "near" to the capital, so a little more focused.  The day after that second release of animals, men were dispatched to all parts to expound the Konkwoumyou and Ninou sutras.  This was the Sutra of Golden Light and the Sutra of the Benevolent King—both sutras focused on concepts of good rulership and protection of the State.  In fact, together with the Lotus Sutra, they would come to be considered the Gokoku Sanbukyou—the Three sutras for Protection of the State.  They were read for the purpose of averting disaster, but they also helped to prop up the image of a righteous and benevolent ruler—what might be termed a golden-wheel turning sovereign, or Chakravarti. So all of this would seem to simultaneously reflect an intention to protect the State while also demonstrating performative regnal righteousness.  It was, after all, what a good ruler was supposed to do, which also conveniently told people what a good ruler was supposed to do. It is unclear whether or not the court actually felt this did anything.  I would note that a month later they were asking Princes and Ministers to gather up weapons, so it is possible that they were concerned about more than just natural disasters— such as a concern that the people were getting restless.  A few days later, we see more largess, as the court made presents to public functionaries and men of the frontier states.  It is unclear to me if this is a reward of some sort or perhaps an attempt to boost their morale and support. Later in that month we see preparations for the upcoming Feast of First Fruits, or Niinamesai, two months later.  We are told that the Jingikan, the Office of Kami Matters, had made the divination that the Yuki, the ceremonially pure rice for the ritual would come from the District of Yamada, in Owari.  For the Sugi, the "next" lower quality of rice, that would come from the district of Kasa, in Tamba.  The feast went off as usual in the 11th month, pre-empting the normal announcement of the first of the month. Later in the record we see that preparations were started for another Ohoharae, or Great Purification, and a general amnesty was issued.  This time, instead of sending horses for the kami, the Miyatsuko of each province were to supply one male and one female servant to the shrines, instead.  Fifteen days later, in the intercalary 7th lunar month—an extra month inserted to keep the lunar and solar calendars in synch—we see the queen, Uno, hosting a feast after ritual fasting.  She then had sutras expounded throughout the capital.  I find it particularly interesting that this was apparently instigated by the queen, but along with the Ohoharae, this all speaks towards the feeling that the State needed to be purified and supplied with good merit. The Ohoharae was not the only way to curry favor with the kami.  For example, in one record we see Ohoama designating sacred rice-tax for the shrines of Heaven and Earth—shrines for the Amatsu kami and Kunitsu kami.  One third of the rice was to go to the kami directly, while two thirds of the rice was to go to the priests who kept the shrines going. This same year, 677, we aren't told where the rice for the Niiname-sai came from, but we are told that those who donated as well as members of the Jingikan, who were involved in the divination and ritual more generally, were all compensated for their troubles with various presents. The Jingikan is one of those aspects of the new, bureaucratic state, that feels extremely tied to the archipelago.  It literally is the Bureau of Kami Matters, or the Bureau of Kami Affairs—the Kami no Tsukasa.  It would even come to be ranked above the Council of State in the official org chart of the government.  While the government had national temples and appointed members of the clergy who were responsible for keeping the Buddhist institutions in line with the State, the Jingikan was that entity for court ritual, and even for interfacing with various shrines around the country.   In the 10th century, all of the official shrines across the archipelago would be catalogued and assessed a rank and position, with Ise Shrine and the royal court at the top of the list. Speaking of the national temples, the fourth month of 680 was when Ohoama designated the national temples—which we also covered in Episode 142.  On the first day of month after that, we are told that he bestowed gifts of silk and cloth to 24 temples around the capital; and if there really were 24 temples just around the capital itself, one can imagine why they had to put a stop to publicly funding all of them.  That must have been quite the upkeep.  That same day, the Golden Light Sutra was expounded in the palace and at select temples as well.  As we've seen, the court relied just as heavily—or more—on Buddhism for certain rituals and providing spiritual power. While both Kami-based rituals and Buddhism were revered for their ability to affect the supernatural, Buddhist priests seem to have had a particularly revered place in—or perhaps more rightly outside—of society.  One is more likely to hear about someone who was a Buddhist priest or a novice being revered than a kannushi, or shrine priest.  For example, in the 7th month of 680, the priest Kouchou, of Asukadera, passed away. The royal princes Ohotsu and Takechi were sent to express royal condolence.  Later that same year we would see something similar, with Royal—later Crown—Prince Kusakabe visiting the eminent priest (Y)emyou on his death bed.  Yemyou died the next day, and three royal princes were sent to offer the condolences on behalf of the royal family. Towards the end of 680, Ohoama fell ill. One hundred individuals were made to take holy orders on his behalf, after which he appears to have recovered—or at least recovered enough for the time.  Earlier in the month his queen, Uno no Sarara, had taken ill, for which Ohoama had pledged to build Yakushiji, a temple of the Medicine Buddha, as we talked about in Episode 142. Although Ohoama temporarily recovered, we have mentioned how there are plenty of suggestions that he may not have been entirely better.  It could just be that time and numerous diseases were taking a toll, or perhaps he had an ailment that came and went.  I get that impression from things like in the 10th month of 685, as autumn changed to winter,  several nobles were sent to Shinano to build a temporary palace in preparation for a royal progress.  It seems that Ohoama wanted to visit the hot springs at Tsukama.  Tsukama may have been located on the outskirts of modern Matsumoto city, in Nagano, which is known for its hot springs, today.  Bentley implies  that the court was not entirely thrilled with Ohoama taking this journey.  I have to wonder whether or not this was all about Ohoama's health—hot springs were often seen as restorative.  At the same time, this sounds like a fairly long journey into the mountains as the weather was growing colder.  That also may have been part of the draw, however, allowing them to travel and see the changing leaves, a very common pastime in successive centuries, and even today. I can't help but imagine that Ohoama was seeking the restorative properties, while his court may have been apprehensive about the journey there and back as the days were getting colder.  Compare this to his actions at the start of the Jinshin no Ran, when he made that incredible dash from Yoshino, through the mountains, over to Owari.  But that was well over a decade ago, at this point, and he seems not quite so spry as he once had been. Another popular record that we find in this reign were various oddities and omens.  We've covered quite a few, but I did want to cover a few more before we pull the curtain closed on this era. First off, early in the reign, we see a record in the 10th month of 675 for a woman in the district of Takakura, in the province of Sagami, giving birth to triplets.  A quick Internet search suggests that natural triplets occur in about 1 in every 8000 or 10,000 births.  However, there is another thing to consider at this time:  giving birth to a single child was already a risky business, and death during or just after childbirth was a constant threat.  So now consider the issues with giving birth to twins or even triplets.  The odds that there is a complication just go up at that point.  So I suspect this was a very rare occurrence.  The fact that it was three sons was probably also seen as particularly auspicious, at least for any who were studying traditional Confucian scholarship. Moving on to the 4th day of the 4th lunar month of that same year, we get an omen for the court.  First is a cock sent to the court by Wanitsumi no Yogoto, from the Lower Sofu district in Yamato province.  This cock is said to have had a comb like a camelia flower, which was apparently quite auspicious.  On the other hand, a report came in from Akunami, also in Yamato province, about a hen that had turned into a cock.  Aston, of course, considers that this would have been an ominous sign—a disruption of the natural order.  To be honest, I don't see any particular judgment placed on it one way or the other.  It is just listed as a wondrous or miraculous occurrence. The year 678 has remarkably few events, in total, with nothing recorded between the 4th and 9th months.  And the 9th month was just a note about the death of one, Prince Wakasa, of the third princely rank.  The month after that we have another one of those strange occurrences.  This time it is a report of something falling from the sky like silk floss, except that it was 5 or 6 feet long and 7 or 8 inches wide.  It supposedly floated on the wind and waved from the fir woods and the reed plains.  People who saw it called it kanro, or "sweet nectar". This is really just a crazy entry.  I've wracked my brains to think of a natural event that could cause something like this, but this seems like something that was more like a rumor that got written down.  "Kanro" is thought to be something that Buddhist texts refer to as "Amrita", an exlixir of immortality.  In continental lore, it is said to be a sweet nectar that forms when yin and yang are in harmony—such as during a benevolent reign.  So whatever the truth of any natural event, to the Chroniclers the entry is clearly a chance to hype up Ohoama's reign. And then, towards the end of the 8th month, we see Katsura no Miyatsuko no Oshikatsu presenting auspicious stalks of grain.  Reportedly they all came from different plots and yet had very similar ears of grain.  Auspicious stalks of rice weren't uncommon, but Aston suggests that this was possibly an allegory for all of the royal princes who were brought together in Yoshino to swear to support each other.  The 8th month may have been when the grain was harvested—because it wasn't until the final month of the year that we see the court reacting.  At that point presents were made to the Royal and non-Royal Princes, the Ministers, and the public functionaries, all according to rank, in consequence of the auspicious stalks of grain.  In addition there was an amnesty for all offences from capital crimes on down. Now on top of all of that, there were a few edicts that touched on various topics that we just haven't gotten to, elsewhere. For instance, in the 8th month of 681, on the 10th day, we see a notification to all of the people in the archipelago who claimed descent from those from the continent—specifically those from the Korean peninsula, or the Samhan.  They were told that the taxes, which had previously been remitted for 10 years, so starting in 671, had come to an end.  However, corvee labor was still remitted for ten years to them and their children and grandchildren who had been with them when they first arrived. There are some questions about this passage, but in general it seems that those refugees who had escaped to the archipelago from Baekje and Goguryeo had previously been given 10 years from the time they arrived during which they did not owe taxes.  This included corvee labor—which also extended to any children that had been with them at the time.  Children that were born after that… well they wouldn't be of age to be used as corvee labor in 10 years so this would only apply to those who were with them at the  time and who would be of age within that 10 year timeframe. This exemption from taxes appears several times in different forms, and appears to be a grace period, during which people were expected to establish themselves, open fields, and begin to thrive.  At the end of 10 years, then they would start paying taxes, with the assumption that they had more than enough time to prepare and work the land. Moving on to one of my favorite entries, on the 18th day of the 9th lunar month in 685, Ohoama declared a game day.  He had the Princes and Ministers gather at the Ohoandono, the Great Audience Hall, and had them play a game called "Pakugi" or "Bakugi".  We aren't quite sure what the rules were—it probably wasn't Settlers of Catan, but you never know.  It was likely a game with dice, possibly a version of backgammon, which is quite old and commonly known as a game for gambling.  That same day, Ohoama gave out gifts of robes and trousers to ten princes and others—perhaps related to the gaming session? The history of games and gaming is particularly fascinating.  For one thing, many of the games that were played in the archipelago had come from the continent, and many had variants that had traversed the entirety of Eurasia.  Backgammon and Chess were both games that had variants that would be known in Japan.  Backgammon was known as sugoroku, and in Japan they played a game similar to chess known as Shogi.  They would also play go—or more appropriately igo—from at least the Nara period, though that game, invented in what is now China, does not seem to have spread quite as much as either backgammon or chess variants.  And while chess was a game that was often highly localized—with different pieces representing different things and often moving in different ways depending on the variant—backgammon seems to have been quite similar everywhere, and could probably be played by two people with wildly different cultural backgrounds with very little interpretation needed. The day after Ohoama had the court join his game day, there were more presents.  This time it was brown bear hides given to the royal and non-royal princes.  In total there were 48 hides given out, which is really pretty incredible.  I have this image in my mind of a very Asuka era wooden mansion, with wood and bronze and silk, and then a large bear hide sprawled out on the floor.  I'm not sure exactly how they were used, but I suspect that they were mostly used as floor coverings for people to sit or lay on, though I could also see them being used as sleeping mats.  It seems they were clearly elite status goods, but hardly what we think about in this period. And that is where we are going to come to a close.  There are only a few more things that we'll get to, but they are all related to what happened with the events surrounding Ohoama's death and the succession that followed, so we'll touch on those when we kick off the next reign. Until then if you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website,  SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.