Yes — the Feast of First Fruits symbolizes the first portion of the resurrection harvest, with Christ as the firstfruits and the saints of Matthew 27 completing that firstfruits sheaf.
In 1 Corinthians 15:20 Paul calls Christ the firstfruits of them that slept. Les Feldick explains that the feast was not a single stalk but a sheaf of early-ripened grain, so Christ could not be the only firstfruit. Matthew 27:52-53 records believers coming out of graves after His resurrection, and together with Christ they form the plural firstfruits.
1 Corinthians 15:20 — Paul directly identifies Christ as the firstfruits of those who have died.
Leviticus 23:10-11 — The original feast instruction shows the firstfruits was a sheaf brought to the priest.
Matthew 27:52-53 — The saints raised after Christ's resurrection are the additional 'firstfruits' Les says complete the sheaf.
Scripture connects the Feast of First Fruits language to resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:20, where Christ is the firstfruits of them that slept. Paul then describes the resurrection order in verse 23: every man in his own order, Christ the firstfruits, afterward they that are Christ's at His coming. Leviticus 23:10-11 instructed Israel to bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of the harvest to the priest, and the priest was to wave the sheaf before the LORD. Matthew 27:52-53 records that the graves were opened, many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and they came out of the graves after His resurrection and appeared unto many. The Bible uses the same firstfruits language for both the Levitical offering and for Christ's resurrection, but it does not explicitly explain the feast as a symbol. The connection is made by Paul and developed by teachers like Les Feldick.
Les Feldick explains that to understand Paul's phrase 'firstfruits,' you have to go back to Leviticus 23 and the seven feasts of Jehovah. In the Jewish harvest, the firstfruits was not a single stem but a sheaf made from early-ripening heads of grain scattered through the field. Israel would pluck these first ripe stems, form a sheaf, and wave it before the LORD as an offering — a sampling of the crop that would soon be harvested. Les applies that harvest picture to resurrection. Christ had to be the first one resurrected from the dead, but one stem could not make a sheaf. So when Matthew 27 records bodies of Jewish saints coming out of the graves after Christ's resurrection, Les sees those believers as the additional stems that make firstfruits plural. Together with Christ they become the firstfruits of them that slept. Les also teaches that the whole resurrection is pictured by Israel's harvest in three stages: the firstfruits (Christ and the Matthew 27 saints), the main harvest (church-age believers at the rapture), and the gleanings and corners (Old Testament and tribulation saints after the kingdom begins).
In Leviticus 23, Israel was told to take the early-ripened grain from the field, form a sheaf, and bring it to the priest as a wave offering. Les says this was a sampling of the crop that would be ripening within the next few days. Paul uses this same feast language to describe Christ's resurrection.
Christ is the first, but Les notes the feast took many stems. He argues the Jewish saints in Matthew 27:52-53, raised after Christ, complete that firstfruits sheaf. This makes firstfruits plural rather than a single individual.
Paul says every man in his own order. Les maps the three harvest stages: firstfruits, main harvest, and gleanings. The main harvest is the church-age resurrection at the rapture; the gleanings are Old Testament and tribulation saints raised after the kingdom begins.
First Fruits in the Resurrection Order
Paul shows Christ as the firstfruits, followed by those who came out of the graves at Jerusalem, and then later by those who are Christ's at His coming.
The Plural Firstfruits Sheaf
Because the feast took many stems, the Matthew 27 saints raised after Christ complete the plural firstfruits.
Christ Must Be the First Resurrection
Christ had to be first; earlier raisings like Lazarus were only temporary restoration of life, so the Matthew 27 saints together with Christ become the firstfruits of them that slept.
The Three Resurrection Harvests
Les divides the first resurrection into three harvest categories: firstfruits, main harvest, and gleanings/corners, represented by church-age and Old Testament/tribulation believers.
The Wave Offering of Firstfruits
The Jews plucked early-ripened stems, made a sheaf, and waved it as a sampling of the coming crop, showing firstfruits could not be a single person.
Paul's Harvest Illustration
Paul uses Israel's three-step harvest — firstfruits, main harvest, and gleanings — to illustrate the resurrections to come.
God's Harvest of Mankind
God considers bringing people to Himself a harvest, and the human harvest follows Israel's three sequences.
Go Back to Leviticus 23
To understand the phrase firstfruits, Paul points back to Leviticus 23 and the seven feasts of Jehovah.
1 Corinthians 15:20: But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
Paul uses the feast's name for Christ's resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:23: But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
Shows the order: Christ first, then those at His coming.
Leviticus 23:10: Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:
The original firstfruits was a sheaf brought to the priest.
Leviticus 23:11: And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.
The priest waved the sheaf as a wave offering.
Matthew 27:52-53: And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
Records the saints whose resurrection completes the firstfruits sheaf in Les's teaching.
No, according to Les Feldick it is a picture of resurrection. The first ripe grain was a sampling of the coming crop, and Christ plus the saints from Matthew 27 are that firstfruits harvest.
Because one stem could not make a sheaf. The feast required many early-ripened stems bundled together, so Christ cannot be the only firstfruit; the Matthew 27 saints complete the plural sheaf.
Les teaches the next stage is the main harvest at the rapture for church-age believers, followed by the gleanings of Old Testament and tribulation saints after the kingdom begins.
Watch the Teaching: What Does "First Resurrection" Really Mean? Bible Study