Thoughts on Passover

As this weekend Passover is celebrated in Israel, and with Easter being celebrated next weekend, I thought I would share an article with you which I have appreciated over the years.

Passover and Palm Sunday….a Bible Study by Jack Kelley

The next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.” (John 1'29,34). 

John the Baptist had been preaching about the coming Messiah, identifying himself as the forerunner Isaiah had promised over 700 years earlier.  Quoting from Isaiah 40'3 John said, “I am the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord ‘ “ (John 1'23). 

Introducing Jesus to Israel as the Lamb of God was no doubt meant to prompt a comparison between Jesus and the Passover lamb in their minds. Reading about the first Passover (Exodus 12'1-20) from a Christian perspective makes the similarity so clear we wonder how they could have missed it. In fact several hundred Old Testament Prophecies were fulfilled in the life of Jesus and many of these came in the last week of His earthly life during the two events weʼll be celebrating in the next few days, Palm Sunday for the Church and Passover for Israel. 

For Christ, Our Passover Lamb, Has Been Sacrificed … 1 Cor. 5A7 

By now the Passover story should be familiar to us. God had sent Moses to free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and bring them into the Promised Land. But Pharaoh had refused to let them go. Right from the beginning he had said; 

“Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go” (Exodus 5'2). Pharaoh considered himself to be a god, and therefore equal to any other god.

And so God had brought a series of plagues against Egypt. He turned their water to blood. He caused an infestation of frogs, then one of gnats, and after that, one of flies. He made their livestock drop dead. He caused an outbreak of painful boils, a great hailstorm that destroyed their crops, a plague of locusts that ate what was left, and another of darkness. Through these 9 plagues, Pharoah had remained just as obstinate as God had predicted, and refused to let the Israelites go. Now the final showdown between God and Pharaoh was coming. 

Now the Lord had said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely. Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold” (Exodus 11'1-2). 

The 10th plague, the death of all the firstborn, would break Pharoahʼs will and free the Israelites from their bondage, but first they had to be protected from it 

On the 10th day of the 1st month God had them select a male lamb for each household and inspect it for 3 days to be sure it had no blemish or defect. Then it was slaughtered, and its blood was applied to the door posts of their homes. Sunset brought the 14th of the month, and after cooking the lamb, each family gathered behind closed doors in their own house, and ate it quickly with some bitter herbs and unleavened bread, not venturing outside. At midnight the destroying angel came through Egypt and took the life of the first born of every family, except for those who had covered their door posts with lambʼs blood (Exodus 12'1-13, 21-23, 28-30). 

The next morning the Israelites were released from their bondage. As instructed, they all asked their Egyptian neighbors for articles of silver and gold and were given the wealth of Egypt. (Later, this silver and gold would be used to build the tabernacle.) Then they began their journey to the Promised Land with God in their midst. They werenʼt spared because they were Jewish, or because they had lamb for dinner the previous night, but

because they applied the lambʼs blood to their door posts, believing that it would protect them. They were saved through faith by the blood of the lamb. 

Hereʼs something Iʼd like you to think about for a moment. Two years after the exodus from Egypt the Lord had Moses take a census of the all the people, listing by name every male 20 years old or older who could serve in the army. The number of those who met the requirements totaled 603,550 (Numbers 1'1-46). When you consider the elderly, all those males under 20, and the females of all ages, most scholars agree that the total Israelite population would have been about 1.5 million at the time. 

Now what do you think the chances are that in a group of that size some would be unable to travel on any given day due to age, illness, injury, or some other infirmity. And yet not a single Israelite was left behind. I believe one of the greatest Passover miracles goes largely unmentioned. I believe the Lord miraculously healed everyone who needed it on that day, so all would be able to travel. 

Just as the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, we are slaves in this world, held in bondage to sin. On that first Palm Sunday, the 10th day of the 1st month, our Passover Lamb was selected by allowing people to hail Him as Israelʼs King for the first and only time in His life. When the Pharisees told him to rebuke His disciples for doing so, He said if they kept silent the very stones would cry out (Luke 19'39-40). This was the day ordained in history for His official appearance as their Messiah. 

For the next 3 days He was subjected to the most intense questioning of His entire ministry lest there be any defects found in His words or deeds. Then on the 14th He was crucified, releasing us from our bondage to sin, and qualifying us to receive the wealth of His Kingdom. We are saved 

through faith by the blood of the Lamb. But weʼre getting ahead of ourselves.

The Son of Man Wept, The Son of God Warned 

As He approached Jerusalem and saw the city He wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace – but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in from every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone upon another because you did not recognize the time of Godʼs coming to you” (Luke 19'41-44). 

The prophet Daniel had laid out the schedule for them over 500 years earlier. From the time the Jews were given permission to rebuild Jerusalem following its destruction by the Babylonians, to the coming of the Messiah, there would be 69 periods of 7 years each, or 483 years (Daniel 9'25). History tells us that this permission was given to Nehemiah by the Persian ruler Artaxerxes Longimonus in March of 445 BC (Nehemiah 2'1-9). That Sunday when Jesus rode into Jerusalem to the shouts of “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord” (Luke 19'38, Psalm 118'26) it was exactly 483 years later. By then most of the Jewish leadership no longer took their Scriptures literally and the validity of predictive prophecy was being denied. As a consequence, they failed to recognize Him and the prophecy of Luke 19'41-44 was fulfilled in graphic detail 38 years later. 

Their rejection of predictive prophecy notwithstanding, the Lord held them accountable for knowing when He would officially present Himself as their King, riding into the city on a donkey just as the prophecy of Zechariah 9'9 foretold. Given that He had already fulfilled hundreds of additional prophecies of His coming, we can see His point. Remember, these prophecies were all fulfilled in the span of one lifetime, the one in which He came. There are hundreds more prophecies relating to His Second Coming, and again all will be fulfilled within the span of one lifetime, the one in which He comes (Matt 24'34). And just as it was then, our leaders no longer take

the Bible literally and the validity of predictive prophecy is again being denied. But even so, the Lord will hold the people of our day accountable to “recognize the time of Godʼs coming” just like He did back then. 

Who Was That Man? 

Iʼve received a number of emails over the years from people I assume to be Jewish claiming that Jesus didnʼt meet a single requirement to be Israelʼs Messiah. Iʼve come to realize they think this way because Israel was looking for a Messiah to fulfill what we know as second coming prophecies. They wanted the Lion of Judah, a powerful warrior king like David, who could throw off the Roman yoke and restore Israelʼs kingdom. They didnʼt think they needed a Savior because they were convinced that keeping the Law would save them. Therefore, when they got the Lamb of God who came to take away their sins they rejected Him. 

Today, because of a similar denial of the validity of prophecy, much of the world is looking for some version of the Lamb of God. They want a gentle teacher who will accept us all just as we are and promise to show us the way to peace and plenty. They wonʼt think they deserve a conqueror, so when the Lion of Judah comes to utterly destroy His enemies and establish Godʼs Kingdom, they wonʼt recognize Him until itʼs too late (Matt. 24'30).  Like the man said, “Those who donʼt learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah. 03-28-15

https://gracethrufaith.com/topical-studies/holidays-and-holy-days/passover-and-palm-sunday/

Keep Watching

Feeling the Pain?

 

“These are the things you shall do: Speak each man the truth to his neighbor; Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace;”  Zechariah 8:16  NKJV

“The mountains quake before Him, The hills melt, And the earth heaves at His presence, Yes, the world and all who dwell in it. Who can stand before His indignation? And who can endure the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire, And the rocks are thrown down by Him.”  Nahum 1:5-6  NKJV

If you have been following the news out of Israel, you will recognize these two verses as the ones found on fragments of newly discovered pieces of the Dead Sea Scrolls which were excavated from a cave in the Judean desert.  Now to be sure, everyone who reads the news will have a little different take on what they hear or read which will normally produce a reaction of some kind.  I am equally certain that my reaction probably differed greatly from anyone else’s because my first thoughts went to a song that came out in the seventies by the Five Man Electrical Band which contained the phrase “signs, signs, everywhere there’s signs”.

The truth is, from the communication I have had from fellow believers, the events of the past year have put the body of Christ in a position where many if not most are suffering from some sort of persecution and often find themselves crying out to God not only for deliverance, but calling out for His judgment on our enemies.  From that perspective, is it so difficult to believe these verses are a message from God directed squarely at the body for our instruction and comfort?  The first verse tells us what is expected from us in these times of distress, and the second one gives us encouragement with the knowledge that the Father is going to be faithful to judge those who have persecuted the body.

I am equally sure that most, if not all of you who visit my blog are visiting others as well, and it is certainly no secret that most of us feel that the end is near.  I ran across the following article this past week and wanted to share it with you today.  It addresses what we are feeling as well as any article I have come across. Read it and be encouraged.

Chad Thomas: How to Finish Strong In Distressing Times

Let’s face facts. We live in a Fallen World; people are hurting; people are depressed. Suicide, alcoholism, and drug addiction rates are at an all-time high. When I look at these horrifying statistics, it does not surprise me.

People are turning to all the wrong places to deal with everyday life’s trials, tribulations, and storms. People are turning to alcohol, drugs, sex, money, and many other things to try to fill that void in their hearts. The problem is those things may produce temporary happiness, but it leads to permanent destruction in the long run:

Romans 6:21 KJV – “What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.”

God has given us the formula in His Holy Word (The Bible) on how we can have peace through life’s storms, and it is not through worldly methods; it is only found through Jesus Christ.

Of course, this doesn’t mean Christians are exempt from life’s trials. In fact, Jesus tells us we will experience hardship:

John 16:33 KJV – “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Jesus never said following Him was going to be easy, only that it would be worth it:

Romans 8:18 KJV – “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

Romans 8:35-39 KJV – “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

What is weighing you down right now? I know many of you are going through many hardships as we speak. Whether it’s financial, family-related, physical illness, or something else, the good news is that if you feel like you are sinking, Jesus can lift you up… right now.

The more we get caught up in the affairs of this life and take our eyes off of Heaven, the more we begin to feel like we are sinking:

2 Timothy 2:4 KJV – “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”

Romans 12:1-2 KJV – “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

This Christian life is a race, and we need to make sure we utilize the tools God has given us so we can finish this race strong.

If you feel like you are sinking right now, I want to go through a section of scripture that I believe will help you:

Matthew 14:24-25, 28-31 KJV – “But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea… And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?”

The above verse is incredibly powerful! Jesus was walking on the sea, and His disciples were afraid. When Peter began to walk on the water toward Jesus, he took his eyes off of the Savior and began to focus on the winds and the waves crashing around him. As soon as he took his eyes off of the Son of God, he began to sink. As he was sinking, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”. Christ immediately reached down and picked Peter back up!

How does this apply to us? There is a major implication! We are all walking on water. This valley of life is the water, and the trials and tribulations we are all going through are the winds and the waves crashing all around us.

When we focus on those things and take our eyes off of Jesus, we begin to sink! When we feel like we are sinking, it is incredible that we can cry out to Jesus, and He will immediately lift us and fill us with His peace which passes all understanding!

Philippians 4:6-7 KJV – “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

The Finish Line is in Sight. Jesus is coming soon! But none of us are promised tomorrow; we can breathe our last breath at any time. We must strive to finish this race strong as Paul did!

2 Timothy 4:7-8 KJV – “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

Let’s keep fighting the good fight! It all comes down to keeping our eyes on Jesus Christ the author and finisher of our faith. The winds, waves, and storms will come and crash all around us. But we must not allow the Devil to make us feel shaken. We may fall, but we will rise back up! Eyes up, saints! The day draweth nigh!

Hebrews 12:1-2 KJV – “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

https://harbingersdaily.com/chad-thomas-how-to-finish-strong-in-distressing-times/

Having just been through a labor and delivery I can assure you that once the labor pains begin, there is no stopping the delivery.  The pains do indeed get stronger and more frequent until the birth occurs.  The vast majority of those I communicate with are as certain as I am that this world is experiencing the labor pains and where we go from here is indeed inevitable and as certain as God’s promise to us.  Keep the faith, be at peace with all men, and rest in the knowledge God the Father has our back.

Keep watching.

A Divine Appointment

 

Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things [that make] for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

Luke 19: 41-42 NKJV

 

Sunday, March 14, is the first day of the religious New Year in Israel and the first month in the Hebrew calendar as instituted by God in the Old Testament.  It is known most commonly as the month of Nisan, but also as the month of Abib, which comes from the Hebrew word meaning green or tender.  As used in the Old Testament, it is referring to when the barley grows its head of grain, and becomes tender. As we have been discussing the season of spring, and the prophetic implications that surround it, we would do well to remember that the first three of seven feasts of Israel occur during this first month.

 

Those three feasts are Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits which occur on the 14^th, 15^th, and 17^th days of the month.  Yet there is one day in particular that I would call your attention to this morning and it is the 10^th day of the month when Christians around the world celebrate what is known as Palm Sunday. It is the day that Jesus of Nazareth rode a donkey into Jerusalem to present Himself as the coming Messiah promised by the prophets of the Old Testament. But although virtually every Christian knows that, many don't know the circumstances surrounding it, and the fact that those circumstances caused our Savior to weep.

 

If you look at the passage in Luke you will find that as Jesus approached the city from the direction of the Mount of Olives, "He saw the city and wept over it". Why would Jesus weep at the sight of the city of Jerusalem on the very day He came to proclaim Himself as the Messiah? That question is answered in the following verses where we see Jesus say that the people did not know the "time of your visitation". In other words, Jesus was holding the people accountable for not knowing the day that He was to appear.

 

"For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, "and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation."

Luke 19: 43-44 NKJV

 

Now this obviously leads one to ask how they were supposed to know the exact day the Messiah was to appear in their presence if God had never told them? The trouble with that is what I have come to call "The Forgotten Prophecy". You see, God had told them when the Messiah would come but the religious leaders of the day, the Sadducees and Pharasees, and the people themselves had totally forgotten it.

 

You may already know that there is a passage in the book of Daniel that reveals the seventy week scope of Israel’s' future. What many fail to realize from this prophecy, however, is the reason it is broken up into two parts, sixty nine weeks and the seventieth week. You see what Daniel and the nation of Israel discover is that this prophecy predicts the exact day that the Messiah would appear.

 

"Know therefore and understand, [That] from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, [There shall be] seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times.

Daniel 9:25 NKJV

 

In these verses Daniel is told that there will be 69 weeks from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem until the Messiah would appear. The word here for "weeks" is "shabua" which is what is called a "heptad", meaning it stands for a group of seven. In this particular case, it stands for a period of seven years, so what Daniel is being told is that there would be a period of 69 "weeks of years" or exactly 173,880 days from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem to the day the Messiah appeared. (69 x 7 x 360 days/year)

 

The decree to rebuild Jerusalem was given by Artaxerxes Longimanus on March 14, 445 b.c. You can find that referred to in Nehemiah 2. If you add the period of time Daniel was given, 173,880 days, you arrive at Sunday, April 6, 32 a.d. which we now call Palm Sunday, the week before Easter and the very day Jesus wept when He saw the city. Why did He cry? Because even though God had gone to such great lengths to predict the exact day His Son would arrive as the Messiah, everyone had forgotten it. We know from history that the nation of Israel paid a terrible price for this forgetfulness as in 70 AD Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans and the period of wandering known as the diaspora began. This was also prophesied in the passage from Daniel;

 

"And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it [shall be] with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.   Daniel 9:26 NKJV

 

Now after all this time, I’m sure you remember how much I just love coincidences, so here is a new one I want to share with you.  The decree to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem by Artaxerxes is not the only time this sort of decree has been made.  The Ottoman ruler Suleiman the Magnificent made a similar decree somewhere around 1536-37AD.  If you apply the same period of time revealed by Daniel you arrive, coincidently, where we find ourselves today.  I just can’t help but wonder if its possible Jesus might decide to come for His Church using the same timing as He did when He came for Israel on Palm Sunday. 

 

So as we begin the same month that saw the passion of our Lord so many years ago, many watch to see if God has something planned for us on the anniversary of the first appearing, especially as we have plenty of evidence from history that God does in fact choose to use the same dates on the Jewish calendar to allow events to occur that have biblical significance. I personally find it interesting to note that a tradition in Israel is to pour a cup of wine for the prophet Elijah at the end of the Passover meal and to open the door to let him in. Since many believe that Elijah is one of the two witnesses that return at the beginning of the tribulation period, or the seventieth week of Daniel, I can't help but wonder if this is a clue to the timing God has in mind?

 

So what does this all mean for us? Speaking only for myself, I can't forget the fact that Israel paid a terrible price for not “watching” for the appearance of their Messiah. The truth as well is that the Diaspora was only the beginning of their troubles because the seventieth week of Daniel, which we know as the tribulation, is still in their future. That being the case, how can I not ask myself if God has something planned for those who are not watching for Jesus' return for His church as He commanded us to do in the New Testament? Just as the people were unaware of the time of Jesus' first appearing, how many believers today ignore the signs which Jesus' told us to watch for and are even now happening all around us?

 

The first three of the seven feasts of Israel occur in the next few weeks, and the one most of the world will celebrate is the Feast of First fruits which we know as Easter. It's the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the tomb where He was laid after His crucifixion. Jesus has told us, His followers, to watch for His return. He went to even greater lengths to tell us what to watch for so we would recognize the time of His appearing. My question to you is this: "Are you watching?" At this most holy of weeks when we celebrate the Resurrection, let us not forget the promise of Jesus' return, and the responsibility that goes along with the command to actively "watch" for it. It's coming soon.

 

Keep watching.