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INTRODUCTION: God gave the Israelites seven feasts approximately 3,500 years ago. Jews have faithfully followed these feasts, but most have not understood God's full message.
For persons living before Jesus, Passover is a prophecy of the coming Messiah who would lay down His life for the sins of all mankind.
For persons living after Jesus, Passover is confirmation that Jesus is the Messiah and that the New Covenant is truly from God.
FEASTS: God gave the Israelites Appoined Times, HaMoyadim. There is a weekly appointed time, Shabbat (the Sabbath), in which people are to rest and keep the day holy to the Lord (Leviticus 23:3; Exodus 20:8-11). There are seven feasts of Israel. Embedded in these feasts are foreshadows (prophecies) of the Messiah. The Messianic messages of the life and ministry of Jesus contained in these feasts are:
Spring feasts:
** Passover (Pesach)-- the death of Jesus the Messiah (Leviticus 23:5);
** Unleavened Bread-- the burial of Jesus (Leviticus 23:6-8); and
** Firstfruits-- the resurrection of Jesus (Leviticus 23:9-14).
Summer feast:
** Pentecost/ Weeks (Shavuot)-- the birth of the Christian Church (Leviticus 23:15-22).
Fall feasts:
** Day of the Trumpets (Yom Teruah)-- Jesus' return in the clouds to resurrect the dead in Him and snatch away (rapture) those alive in Him (Leviticus 23:24-25);
** Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)-- Redemption of mankind during the Tribulation through the One New Man, Jesus-- saving of Zion (Jews) and
judgment of Christians at the Bema Judgment (Leviticus 23:27-32); and
** Feast of Tabernacles/ Ingathering (Sukkot)-- Jesus' living with the resurrected/ raptured saints during the Millennial Kingdom (Leviticus 23:34-43).
Passover: This newsletter will concentrate on Passover (Hebrew: Pesach). Passover has been observed annually for approximately 3,500 years, which makes it the longest continuously celebrated event in human history. Passover begins this year (2009) at sunset on April 8.
Passover is rich in history (to teach the next generation) and a time of thanksgiving, and family bonding through tradition and Holy Scriptures. There is a family-shared meal-- a Seder (Seder = "set order")-- in which an older male of the family (usually the father, or grandfather) officiates, reading from an elborately printed order of service, the Haggadah. Women and children are also important participants.
A Passover Seder lasts for several hours, and each of its components is richly steeped in Jewish history and God's Covenant relationship with the Jewish people. I cannot recount all of these features in a short newsletter, but I want to present a few ideas to you. Although God gave us the Passover to teach His soverignty and love for and protection of His people, He also wove into the event a prophecy of the Messiah. The Passover account is a Messianic prophecy.
BACKGROUND: God established His Covenant People through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel). Jacob had twelve sons (the patriarchs). One of these sons, Joseph, was sold as a slave to the Egyptians. Because of God's hand on Joseph, he rose to a position of importance in the Egyptian royal court. God gave Joseph visions which permitted Egypt to survive famine from a severe drought. When Joseph's drought-affected relatives in Canaan came to buy grain from Egypt, Joseph recongized them, and they were re-united (Genesis, chapters 37-50). A grateful pharaoh gave the Israelites fertile land in the Nile delta (Goshen), where they flourished. They lived in Goshen 430 years. In the rich, fertile delta renewed yearly by flooding of the Nile, the Israelites became mighty. A pharoah, "who knew not Joseph" (who did not remember what Joseph had done for Egypt four centuries earlier), feared the potential strength of the Israelites, and enslaved them. They were forced to make bricks for the pharaoh's ambitious building projects. They groaned to their God, Jehovah, for relief. God responded by raising up an unlikely, reluctant leader, Moses. Moses' charge from God was to lead the Israelites from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Covenant (Promised) Land of Canaan (present-day Israel).
God's dealing with pharaoh: Moses came before the pharaoh with the demand, "Let my people go!" Pharaoh, desiring his slaves' labor, refused. God sent nine plagues (Exodus 8:14 - 10:29). The plagues mockingly attacked Egypt's many gods (for example, intense darkness throughout the land showed supremacy over the Egyptians' sun god, Ra). Pharaoh refused to accept God's warnings through these plagues and dismissed Moses from his sight, warning he would kill Moses if he came to his court again.
THE TENTH WARNING PLAGUE-- PASSOVER: The Passover account is recorded in Exodus, chapter 12. I will mention only those passages that relate to a Messiah who would come for the benefit of the Jews and all mankind. All Scriptures taken from Exodus, chapter 12 indicate the LORD's words to Moses and Aaron.
** Exodus 12:2b | 6a: "... every man shall take for himself a lamb,... a lamb for a household. | Now you shall keep it [four days]...." Enslaved Israelites could not afford to have pets, as we now do. It was surely a delight for the family, especially the children, to keep a beautiful lamb in the home. Jesus came to our home (Earth). His ministry was three and one-half years (four years in Jewish counting). Isaiah prophesied that Messiah would stand before His accusers as a lamb led to the slaughter (Isaiah 53:7), which happened when Jesus was brought before Pilate prior to His crucifixion (Matthew 27:12-14). John the Baptizer announced Jesus as the Lamb of God come to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29, 36). John the Revelator used "the Lamb" to refer to Jesus in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 5:6; 7:17; 14:10; 15:3; 19:9; 21:22-23; 22:1; 22:3).
** Exodus 12:5a: "Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year." Many arguments have been advanced to show that Jesus led a sinless life. Scriptures reveal that our High Priest (Jesus) was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). A purpose of Jesus' life was that He, being sinless, would be the blood offering-- the only acceptable offering-- for sinful man.
** Exodus 12:6b-7: "... Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it [the lambs sheltered in the Israelites' homes].... And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it." From Scriptures and Jewish tradition, understand this command. Each Israelite family would slaughter its lamb in front of its home. The blood would gather in a shallow drainage ditch in front of the door-- a caph (pronounced, saf)-- which was constructed to keep rainwater from flowing into the house. A branch of hyssop, an Egyptian-Middle Eastern plant which resembles a paint brush, was dipped in the blood. The two doorposts and the lintel (the top wooden beam of a door frame) were painted with blood. Tradition states that the letter tav was written on each doorpost and the lintel. During Moses' time, the Paleo-Hebrew letter tav looked like our letter X. Tav was not only a Hebrew letter, but it also symbolized "sign." (Even today, illiterate persons sign their documents with an "X.") Perhaps just an interesting coincidence, but tav also stood for four hundred, and the Iraelites were in Egypt for a little more than four-hundred years. Each house protected from death, then, had three cross-like marks of blood on its door. On Golgotha, Jesus was crucified in the middle of three crosses, and His death protects believers from the second death (eternity in Hell).
** Exodus 12:8-10: "Then they shall eat the flesh on that night, roasted in fire.... But eat... its head with its legs and its entrails. You shall let none of it remain until morning...." Passover was intended to demonstrate faith in God. Only those who had the faith to paint their door frames with lamb's blood would be spared death. Only those willing to eat unpalatable parts of the lamb's carcass would be spared illness on the long, arduous wilderness trek ahead of them.
** Exodus 12:11a: "And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand." The exodus from the land occurred on a moment's notice from God, and all persons had to be ready. In similar manner, all who are followers of Jesus must always be ready to meet their Master, often on a moment's notice (death or Rapture).
** Exodus 12:12-13: "For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt.... I will execute judgment.... Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; [and you will not be destroyed] when I strike the land of Egypt."
Recall that all persons are subject to judgment (Hebrews 9:27): And as it is appointed to men once to die, but after this the judgment:.... With salvation, a person avoids the second death and lives eternally in Heaven. Without salvation, a person experiences the second death and lives eternally in Hell. Note that the Israelites' avoidance of death was faith in the lamb's blood painted on their doorframes-- faith that this simple act would save them. Our eternal death is faith in the Lamb's blood carried in our hearts-- faith that this simple act will save us.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Consider additional comments:
Unleavened bread: The Israelites ate unleavened bread with their roasted lamb that Passover evening (Exodus 12:8). Unleavened bread is eaten at every Passover meal. Today's unleavened bread is a cracker-like product, called matzo (or other spellings).
Matzo is baked only from flour and water. These two ingredients symbolize the lineage of Jesus-- flour from wheat of the earth (Jesus as Son of Man) and water, symbolic of the Holy Spirit (Jesus as Son of God).
In the preparation of matzo, no yeast may enter the bread dough. Rabbis teach that yeast (leavening) is like sin. Yeast puffs up the bread, as sin puffs up the sinner. Yeast causes the bread to become sour and bitter (sourdough bread, for example), just as sin causes the sinner to become sour and bitter. Yeast causes bread to deteriorate, just as sin causes the sinner's life to deteriorate.
The matzo is pricked (docked) to keep it from rising during the baking process; and the matzo is baked on a grill, creating surface scorch marks. The perforations remind us of the Suffering Servant (Jesus the Messiah), whose body was pierced during the crucifixion by nails, thorns, and spear, that He would redeem us from our sins (Isaiah 53:5a): But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities;.... The scorched stripes remind us of His cruel whipping and His death for our healing (Isaiah 53:5d): ... and by His stripes we are healed...
Recall Jesus' comparison of Himself and bread (John 6:35, 51): ... "I am the bread of life.... He who comes to Me shall never hunger.... | I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."
In the last Passover Seder Jesus celebrated (commonly called "the Last Supper"), Jesus took two elements which would be present on every Seder table-- bread and wine. He used the bread to teach about His body, which would be broken for us (among other Scriptures, Luke 22:19): And [Jesus] took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." This act, the origin of Communion (Eucharist) practiced in most Protestant and Catholic churches today, uses unleavened bread and fruit of the vine/ wine to be partaken in remembrance of Jesus' sacrifice.
Fruit of the vine: Wine would always be available at a Passover Seder. Four wine cups would be available for diners. Today, some use a fifth cup, which is not drunk, and also set a place at the table, which is not used, in readiness if Elijah should appear. They also may send a small child to the door to see if Elijah has come. These symbolic acts underscore the belief in God's promise that Elijah will return before the coming of Messiah (Malachi 4:5): [The LORD says] "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD." Many students of prophecy believe that one of the Tribulation's Two Witnesses (Revelation 11:3-12) will be Elijah, and that he will be one of the two witnesses required in a Jewish wedding at the marriage of the Bridegroom Jesus to His bride, the Church (Revelation 19:7-8). The Two Witnesses' resurrection in mid-Tribulation would be on schedule for them to appear at the Marriage of the Lamb.
These cups were named for four promises God made to the Israelites in their exodus from Egypt (see Exodus 6:6-7), in which the LORD promised the Israelites to remove their burdens, rescue them, redeem them, and take them as His people.
At His last Seder ("the last supper"), Jesus used the third cup-- the Cup of Redemption-- to announce the New Covenant, based on His sacrifice.
Recall two Scriptures based on blood sacrifice:
** (Hebrews 9:22b): ... and without shedding of blood there is no remission [of sin]. For many centuries the Jews had sacrificed animals-- had shed their blood-- to atone for sin.
** Hebrews 10:4: For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sin. God no longer required and would no longer accept animal sacrifice for the atonement of sin. He sent His Son, Jesus the Messiah, as a Lamb for the one-time, eternal sacrifice for all of mankind's sins. Jesus' blood sacrifice became the basis of the New Covenant, the covenant under which we now live (Hebrews 8:812).
He used the red wine in the third Passover cup to teach of His blood sacrifice (Luke 22:20): Likewise [Jesus] also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My bood, which is shed for you."
Recall Jesus' first miracle at the wedding in Cana (John 2:1-10). This miracle surely had to be the first He could perform, because it announced the main purpose of His ministry. He changed water used in Jewish purification rituals to wine. By this act, He announced that He came to present a new and better covenant from God. Jewish rituals would be replaced with a simple faith in acceptance of Jesus' blood sacrifice (symbolized by wine).
When we break and eat the bread and drink the fruit of the vine at Communion (the Eucharist), we should remember and give thanks for the sacrifice Jesus made for us.
Jesus made a seemingly strange comment at this meal (Matthew 26:29): "But I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom." Jesus surely was referring to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7-9). At a First Century Jewish wedding, the bride and bridegroom drank from a cup of wine to seal symbolically their marriage vows. At our marriage supper to our Bridegroom Jesus, He will drink with us wine from this final Passover cup-- the fourth cup, the Cup of Hallel (Praise)-- and we will be eternally wed to Him.
After this meal, Jesus and some disciples went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Read the account in Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; and Luke 22:39-46. Jesus was in great distress (as might any person facing crucifixion), and He prayed that God would remove "this cup" from Him. He surely was asking if there were any other way to provide atonement for sins other than His upcoming gruesome, barbaric crucifixion. Unless you read the Suffering Servant chapter 53 in Isaiah, you will miss an understanding of Jesus' prayers. The Suffering Servant (Jesus the Messiah) came to heal mankind's souls, minds, and bodies. It is no accident that Jesus prayed three times. At each time, many believe that God the Father showed Jesus why He must die for mankind's sins, minds, and bodies. After these prayers, Jesus calmly approached His death without fear. He knew why He-- and only He-- could be the sacrificial Lamb for mankind.
Afikomen (and other spellings): A tremendously meaningful portion of the Seder for Christians is the afikomen. I will briefly summarize this part of the Seder, and interpret in parentheses the meaning for Christians:
** An afikomen bag has three partitions, and each portion contains a whole piece of matzo. (God exists in three Persons-- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.)
** The leader takes the matzo from the middle compartment. (Jesus is always listed second, when referring to the Triune God, and this matzo represents the Bread of Life-- Jesus.)..
** This matzo piece is broken into two. (Jesus' body was beaten, bruised, and pierced for us.)
** A broken piece of matzo is wrapped in a napkin, and hidden. (Jesus' crucified body was wrapped in a shroud and laid in a tomb for three days.)
** The children hunt for the hidden matzo. (When the Holy Spirit approaches us, we need to find Jesus, crucufied for our sins. Jesus said that we must come to the Father as little children, seeking Him only with childlike faith and love.)
** The child who finds the hidden matzo receives a reward. (Any person who finds God's grace through the sacrifice of Jesus will be rewarded with eternal life in Heaven.)
Final prayer: From AD 70 until 1948, Jews were dispersed throughout the world, a time known as the Diaspora. A Jew's heart has always been in Jerusalem. Jews still finish the Seder with a simple prayer: "Next year in Jerusalem." This prayer states the longing to soon be in their home in Jerusalem. A Messianic Jewish Seder concludes with: "Next Year in New Jerusalem." John the Revelator referred to Heaven as "New Jerusalem" in the Book of Revelation. A Christian's true home is New Jerusalem, and a true Christian should hope to soon be in that blessed place.
CONCLUSION: God wove into this ancient observance of Passover a message for us today. Jesus came to save us from our sins, and salvation comes through childlike acceptance through faith and love of Jesus' sacrificial death for us.
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PALM SUNDAY: Palm Sunday 2009 occurs on April 5. This day is observed as the Sunday before Resurrection Day (Easter). On this day, Jesus rode into Jerusalem to ready Himself for His crucifixion a few days later.
In a future newsletter, I will present the mathematical computations to demonstrate fulfillment of a most remarkable prophecy. Until that newsletter, consider this short explanation:
Daniel wrote his book approximately five and one-half centuries before Jesus' crucifixion. God gave Daniel a vision of seventy shavuot (a grouping of seven). Bible translators have struggled with this word, poorly translating it as "weeks" or "sevens." In this prophecy (Daniel 9:20-27), a shavuot is a group of seven Jewish years (7 x 360 = 2,520 days). Seventy shavuot were accorded to the Jewish people, although there is a gap between the sixty-ninth and seventieth shavuot. (In prophecy study, such a gap is called a "parenthesis.") This gap represents the Age of Grace (Christian Church Age). The timing of Daniel's vision began with the issuance of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. This decree is recorded in Nehemiah, chapter 2. Nehemiah recorded enough information that historians can identify the very day that Artaxerxes decreed that his cupbearer, Nehemiah, could return to and rebuild the desolate Jerusalem. Seven shavuot would be devoted to rebuilding Jerusalem and the Second Temple. The next sixty-two shavuot would be available for the Jewish nation to live in their land, but, then, the Anointed One ("Anointed One" translates "Messiah" or "Christ") would be cut off and would have nothing. The end of the sixty-ninth shavuot was the Sunday that we now commemorate as Palm Sunday. God told His prophet Daniel to the very day when Messiah would ride on a donkey into Jerusalem to the shouts of "Hosanna!" Prophecy this precise can be given only by God! Incidentally, the seventieth shabua ("shabua" is singular, "shavuot" is plural) is still in the future. This shabua is the seven-year period of the Tribulation.
Maranatha! Next year in New Jerusalem!
CONTACT ME: raymondfinney@ymail.com or (865) 984.1424.
If you have questions, comments, or especially if you need to know how to become a Christian, please contact me. I will be honored to try to help you in any way possible.
May God bless and protect you and your family. Maranatha! Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Raymond Finney
Maryville, Tennessee U.S.A.
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