Harvestime

The Order of the Harvest

There’s nothing quite like that first harvest of fresh vegetables off the vine. After weeks of planting, watering, and waiting, the first ripe tomato, cucumber, or ear of corn finds its way to the table. It isn’t the whole harvest—but it announces that the harvest has begun.

As I watch the fields being harvested this time of year, I can’t help but think about another harvest God has promised. Throughout Scripture, the Lord often uses the harvest to teach us about His kingdom. Jesus spoke of the harvest often (Matthew 9:37–38; John 4:35–36), and Paul reminds us that God’s work is accomplished according to His perfect order.
“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept… But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:20, 23 (KJV)

Just as a farmer doesn’t expect every fruit to ripen on the same day, God has established an order for His harvest. The firstfruits are gathered first, followed by the harvest in its appointed season. The resurrection is no different.

The principle of firstfruits was not something Paul invented. It was established by God long before the resurrection. Under the Law, Israel was commanded to bring the firstfruits of the harvest to the Lord. It was the first portion gathered, offered in faith with the confidence that a greater harvest would follow (Leviticus 23:9–14; Proverbs 3:9–10).

When Paul called Christ “the firstfruits of them that slept,” his Jewish readers immediately understood the picture (1 Corinthians 15:20). Jesus was not simply the first to rise from the dead—He was the divine assurance that death had been conquered and that a greater resurrection harvest was yet to come.

Just as the first ripe vegetables on the vine announce that the harvest has begun, Christ’s resurrection declared that the grave would not have the final victory over those who belong to God.

Paul then adds an important phrase: “But every man in his own order” (1 Corinthians 15:23, KJV). Those few words reveal that the resurrection is not a single moment but a divinely appointed sequence.

As we continue reading Scripture, that sequence begins to unfold. Matthew records saints who were raised following Christ’s resurrection (Matthew 27:52–53). Paul tells us that the dead in Christ will rise at His coming (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17).

Revelation speaks of those martyred during the Tribulation who will live and reign with Christ (Revelation 20:4–6). Like a harvest gathered in stages, each resurrection takes place at its appointed season until God’s work is complete.

Some have asked, “Why does any of this matter?”
Because it reveals the faithfulness of God.
The Lord never makes a promise He forgets to keep. From the beginning, He has been gathering a people unto Himself. Death has never interrupted that purpose, nor has time diminished it. Every believer who has placed their faith in God will be raised exactly as He has promised.

Perhaps that is why I love harvest season so much.
Every field reminds me that God keeps His appointments. The seed hidden beneath the soil is not forgotten. In its season, it breaks through the ground, grows to maturity, and is gathered. What once appeared lifeless is brought forth in abundance.

The resurrection carries that same hope.
The grave is not the end for those who belong to Christ. Just as surely as the harvest follows the planting, the day is coming when the Lord will call His own.
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.”
— 1 Thessalonians 4:16 (KJV)

Not one seed placed into the hands of the Lord will ever be lost.

Jesus said,
“And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.”
— John 6:39 (KJV)

We are His planting. Though our bodies are sown in corruption, they will be raised in incorruption (1 Corinthians 15:42). What is sown in weakness will be raised in power. What is mortal will put on immortality.

The Great Gardener has never misplaced a single seed.

He has not forgotten those who have fallen asleep in Christ, and He will not forget you. Every life entrusted to Him will be raised in its appointed season, for He has promised to lose not even one.