Gathering
in the Corn
By Pastor F. M. Riley
Revised September 10, 2010
“And in the seven plenteous years the
earth brought forth by handfuls.
And he gathered up all the food of the
seven years, which were in the land
of Egypt, and laid up the
food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the
same.
And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of
the sea, very much, until he left numbering, for it was without number.
And unto Joseph were born two sons before
the years of famine came…..”
Genesis
41:47-50
Introduction
I recently wrote two Bible studies setting
forth the prophetic significance of the Jewish holy days during the 7th
month of the Jewish year; the month of Tishri, pointing out that the last of
these holy days in that month is The
Feast of Tabernacles. These two
studies are entitled, “Another view on
the Last Trump,” and “Cinderella, are
you ready?” I will be glad to send these studies to any of our readers who
missed them.
This study is the third in this series,
written as a follow up and further verification of the prophetical significance
of the Jewish holy days of the 7th month ending with The Feast of Tabernacles. In previous studies I have emphasized the
significance of the Lord’s explicit declaration in Isaiah 46:9-10; that He
has “declared
the end from the beginning.” If
God’s people really want to know how this present dispensation is going to be
concluded, then we need to look at the beginning of Israel’s
history to see what the Hebrew people [and
the world] experienced at that time.
Now let’s step back in time to the days of Joseph in the land of Egypt…..
Bible Types & Shadows
All of our readers should be
familiar with the account of Joseph interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh, the
ruler of all Egypt. I have pointed out in previous studies that
Joseph was a type of Christ, Egypt was a type of the world, and the
Pharaoh ruling at that particular time in history was a type of God the Father.
These types can easily be seen by any true believer who is serious about
studying the Word of God.
Just as Joseph left his home and became a
slave, so the Lord Jesus Christ left His home in glory and became a servant, Philippians
2:5-8; 2 Corinthians 8:9; John 17:5. And just as Joseph was taken from
prison and judgment and was made Lord over all the land of Egypt, so the Lord
Jesus Christ was taken from the prison house of departed spirits and from the
grave [resurrected] and was made Lord
over all of God’s kingdom, Philippians 2:9-11; Matthew 28:18. And, just as Joseph was given a
Gentile bride by Pharaoh, so the Lord Jesus Christ has been given a Gentile
bride [His church] by the Heavenly
Father, John 6:37-40; 2 Corinthians 11:1-2; Ephesians 5:22-32. I could point
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out many more types of Christ in the person of Joseph, but due to lack of
time and space I want to emphasize only one more commonly overlooked prophetic type in this study…..
The Gathering in of the Corn
First…..What is the
significance of the “corn,” and what does it typify?
The word translated as “corn”
in Genesis 41:35 and 41:49 is the Hebrew word, “bar.” This Hebrew word literally means,
“grain; wheat, barley, or rye; cleansed
grain; that is, grain that has been cleansed or separated from the chaff.” See Gesenius Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon, page
138, Strong’s No. 1250. Joseph DID NOT
gather just any “corn” into the storehouses, but rather gathered ONLY that “corn”
which had been thoroughly “cleansed;” separated from the “chaff.” Compare Ephesians 5:25-27.
Second…..The “corn” that Joseph gathered is a type of God’s people; that is,
true New Testament believers. Just as
Joseph gathered the “corn,” so we New Testament believers have been “called out”
from among the unbelievers of this world, saved by God’s grace, and “cleansed”
by the precious blood of Christ. That
the “corn”
in Egypt
was typical of God’s people
living today cannot be denied, for this truth is clearly and repeatedly set
forth in the Scriptures. See such passages
as Matthew
13:3-9, 13:18-23, 13:24-30, 13:36-43, Mark 4:26-29, John 12:24, 1 Corinthians
15:35-38, and many similar passages throughout the Scriptures.
Third…..Joseph
gathered ALL of the “corn” in the land of Egypt BEFORE the “seven years of famine” began. Read it for yourself in Genesis 41:48, “And he gathered
up all of the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt…” Then in verses 49-50 it is explicitly
stated, “And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he
left numbering; for it was without number. And unto Joseph were born two sons before
the years of famine came…” Compare Revelation 5:8-12. It is then obvious that Joseph
gathered ALL the “corn” BEFORE the seven evil years
began. He didn’t miss any of it, or
leave any of it behind. This is a type of the gathering of New
Testament believers at the resurrection and rapture. All true believers in this present
dispensation will be gathered to the Lord BEFORE the seven evil years of the
Tribulation begins on the earth, 1 Corinthians 15:23. This is a total
confirmation of the Pre-tribulation Rapture of God’s people. Glory to God!
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
Fourth…..WHEN
did Joseph gather the “corn” into the storehouses? Remember that the Hebrew word translated as “corn”
refers to grain; barley, wheat, rye, etc. WHEN were such grains normally placed in the
granary or storehouse in Biblical times?
In the Book of Ruth it is explicitly stated that Ruth gleaned in the
field of Boaz “…unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest…,” Ruth
2:23. It was then AFTER the end
of both of those harvests that she went to Boaz and became his Gentile bride as
recorded in Ruth 3. At the time she
came to Boaz [a type of Christ], he
was winnowing “barley…in the threshing floor,” Ruth 3:2. This means that Boaz was separating
the barley grain from the chaff, with the intention of putting only clean
grain in his storehouse. This is
exactly what the Lord Jesus Christ has been doing for these past 22 years. The Lord has been separating true believers
from the lost world and phony religious “professors” since 1988. See Habakkuk 2:3-4 and the
transliteration of it in Hebrews 10:37-39. At the time Ruth went to Boaz there
was “a
heap of corn” at his feet
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[Ruth 3:7] which he had separated from
the chaff by winnowing which obviously could not be numbered. Compare Genesis 41:49. How many New Testament believers have
been saved and cleansed by God’s grace during this present dispensation? I don’t know!
I do know that the Scripture speaks of “…the fullness of the Gentiles…,”
Romans 11:25. I suspect that
this is a number of Gentile believers known only to God; a quantity which no
man will be able to number. Glory to
God! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
It is then obvious that Ruth went to Boaz
right at the end of the Jewish harvest season. What time of year would that be? It doesn’t require much study on the part of
any true believer to determine that Ruth went to Boaz and became his Gentile
bride near, on, or after the Jewish “…feast of ingathering…,” Exodus 23:16;
34:22. This Jewish festival marks the officieal end of the Jewish
harvest season for the preceding year, and occurs on the 15th
day of the 7th month of Tishri on the Jewish calendar. In other places in the Scriptures this same
Jewish festival is referred to as The
Feast of Tabernacles. Now how
close are we believers living today to these Jewish holy days in the month of
Tishri? Well…?? Glory to God!
Hallelujah!
This then is also the time of the year
when Joseph “…gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left
numbering; for it was without number,” Genesis 41:49. It was all completed near the time
when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles would
later be given to Israel
in their Law [Leviticus 23:33-38],
and the Scriptures clearly verify this truth.
Praise the Lord!
The FULL Moon
But WHEN is the correct date
for The Feast of Tabernacles? And why is this important? Because Psalm 81:3 explicitly commands the
Jews to, “Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, at the time appointed on
our solemn feast day.” In the
literal Hebrew text this passage reads, “Blow in the new moon the ram’s horn, at the full moon on our feast day,” [Hendrickson Interlinear Bible].
The ONLY Jewish festival that meets these
qualifications this year is The
Feast of Tabernacles. Look at your
calendar! The full moon falls
exactly on the night of September
22nd & 23rd, which is the 15th day of Tishri. According to God’s Law in Leviticus
23:34 the 15th day of Tishri is the exact date for the
beginning of The Feast of
Tabernacles. The Autumn Equinox this
year [2010] ALSO falls on September 22nd & 23rd,
the last day of Summer being the 22nd and the first day of Fall
being the 23rd. A perfect
match this year! Now read Jeremiah
8:30 and Micah 7:1-2, and “be not faithless, but believing,” John
20:27.
Now dear readers, think about this…..
September
22nd – 23rd is the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles this year!
September
22nd – 23rd is the official end of the Jewish harvest
season this year!
September
22nd – 23rd is the full moon this year!
September
22nd – 23rd is when the Jews will fulfill Psalm
81:3 this year!
September
22nd – 23rd is the Autumn Equinox this year!
Is all of this just coincidence? I would remind our readers again that there
is no word in the Hebrew language for “coincidence.” Glory to God!
Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!
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Conclusion
Dear readers, Joseph gathered in the “corn,”
all of the “corn,” in ancient Egypt [a type of the world] on or before The Feast of Tabernacles. The “seven years of great plenty” obviously
came to an end and the “seven years of famine” began on or
near that exact date. Now take a hard,
serious, look at where we are at RIGHT NOW!
Is the Lord trying to tell us something? Well…??
Yes, Rosh HaShanah has past and the Lord
didn’t come. So what shall we believers
do? Shall we sit on our pious behinds, throw
up and wring our hands, moan and groan and cry, and GIVE UP our “professed
faith” and just QUIT WATCHING? Well…??
This is exactly what SOME who claim
to be “Christian believers” have already let me know today by email that
they fully intend to do. Sic! Well every person is an individual and is
free to make their own choice. As the
Scripture says, “Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind,” Romans 14:5.
As for me personally, I will give up my “blessed hope” [Titus 2:11-15] and QUIT “watching” for
the coming of my Lord and Savior to resurrect and rapture His people to glory, the
very first day HELL FREEZES OVER! If
this statement is not clear enough then get some kindergarten child to explain
it to you.
I have repeatedly stated, taught, and
preached, that God’s Word is a Progressive
Revelation. We believers who
are seriously studying the Word know more about God’s Word today than our
Christian fore fathers who lived two or three hundred years ago knew about it,
because they were not living in “the time of the end,” but we are,
Daniel
12:4. Therefore, by God’s grace, I will keep
right on studying the Word and searching out the end-time revelations that the
Lord is opening up to His people in His Word as each day brings us closer to
the coming of our Lord.
Anyone
can quit! Quitting requires no
brains, no initiative, no effort, and NO FAITH!
Just anyone can give up and quit!
Now what “camp” are you in?
May the Lord add His blessings to this
study of His Word is my prayer!
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NOTICE: Permission is granted to reproduce this
study to share with others as the Lord leads, or to quote from it in context as written.
Please address all comments, questions,
and correspondence to: Pastor F. M. Riley, 184 Country Road 108, Harrisburg, Missouri 65256, or I can be contacted via
email at: fmrglbd5@yahoo.com or
fmr7sngn@centurylink.net.
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