Category Archives: Passover

Behold the Lamb of God

Posted on by Joel Allen
07 Feb

An article by Joel Allen

1 Corinthians 5:7b “…Messiah, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us.” For who, you might ask and what is exactly the Passover lamb? The Apostle Paul the author of this epistle uses the comparison of an ancient Hebrew feast symbol to teach a Biblical principle that God’s people are saved and set free from the slavery of sin through the sacrifice of a chosen spotless lamb. Paul clearly emphasizes that this is not an ordinary lamb like so many Hebrews had slain but this lamb was in fact, Yeshua Messiah. Ever since the days of Abraham and the offering of Isaac, his only begotten son, there was an expectation of a perfect ram/lamb sacrifice to come in the form of another son…the son of God:

Genesis 22:2, 6-7 KJV 2 “And he said, Take now thy son, thine only [son] Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. … 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid [it] upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here [am] I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where [is] the lamb for a burnt offering?”

It is important to note here that Solomon, the son of David and King of Israel, built the Temple of God on the same mountain region as where Abraham and Isaac were when God provided the sacrifice ( 1 Chronicles 3:1). And just as Abraham lifted the knife of sacrifice toward his bound son, the voice of the Lord tells him three times to stop and that God Himself will provide a sacrifice, as a ram is caught in the thicket by Abraham. Ever since these days there has been an expectation on Israel for God’s lamb sacrifice to come and take away the sins of the world. It is the love of God that would give of His most precious offering, His only son, Jesus. In fact, the Hebrew word for love is ahav אהב and the very first time this word is mentioned in the entire Bible is found in this passage dealing with Abraham giving up his son whom he “loved.” There is no greater love than this according to the Biblical definition of love. Indeed it was John the Baptist that proclaimed on the banks of the Jordan river that Jesus, the embodiment of His love, was that lamb chosen by God to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29).

So where did the term “Passover” come from? The mention of Passover is in the story of the people of Israel bound in slavery in the land of Egypt. The sons of Jacob (Israel) came down into Egypt and settled in the land of Goshen. Scripture tells us that a new Pharaoh rose up that did not know Joseph or the God of Joseph (Exod. 1:8). This Pharaoh saw the blessing of God upon Israel because they prospered at all they did. Their cattle and their crops were greater and even their sons and daughters multiplied greatly (Exod. 1:12). Pharaoh became fearful that the children of Israel would try to take over Egypt so he devised a plan of putting them under slavery to keep them from multiplying any further. For 400 years the children of Israel served Mitzrayim (Egypt) and it became known to the Pharaoh that a deliverer was coming to set the people of Israel free who would be born among the Hebrews. Moshe (Moses) was that deliverer  and through 10 judgments or plagues the hand of God through the prophet Moses slew the “Goliath” nation of Egypt and cut off the head or posterity of the King of the known world. It was at the 10th judgment that the children of Israel would be set free. It was the judgment of death to the first born and the only judgment that offered instruction for those that would obey to escape this death penalty. Through the blood of a spotless yearling lamb placed on the door posts and lintel anyone (Hebrew or non-Hebrew) would be saved from death.  The blood was a sign so that the death angel would “pass over” the homes that had this sign and only enter the homes that did not. The Passover meal is a remembrance of this day and includes elements that are to remind and teach future generations about the deliverance of the children of Israel with a “mighty hand and an outstretched arm.” It is during this strange feast in the evening instructed by God Himself that we see a remarkable picture of salvation and deliverance.

Exodus 12:21-23 ESV 21 “Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb. 22 Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. 23 For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you.”

If you have read this story before or maybe have seen the popular movie, “The Ten Commandments,” with Charleton Heston you sort of get the picture that the Lord entered Egypt and killed the first born of anyone that didn’t have the blood applied to their doorposts. However, at closer investigation you will see that it is the “Destroyer” that kills the first born of Egypt and the Lord is the one that sees the blood and places Himself over the doorway and keeps the Destroyer from entering into those homes. Exodus 12:23b… “the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you.” It is worth noting here that in the Ancient Near East during this time there were customs that sacrifices would be killed at the threshold of the door of houses and that in some cases this would protect the home from invaders and bad spirits1. Later in history the Jewish people added this theme to a commandment of the Torah to write the commandments upon the doorposts of their homes. This was called a mezuzah and modern day mezuzahs on the doorways of Jewish homes bear the Hebrew letter shin, representing “shaddai” or the protector of the door.

Scholars believe that after the prophet of Malachi finished his written scroll there was approximately 400 years of “silence” when no prophet spoke to Israel and the land was void of a voice from heaven. During this 400 years Israel was taken over by the Babylonians, the Medio-Persians, Greece, Egypt, Syria, and finally Rome. Instead of slavery to one nation they were slaughtered and pillaged by many nations and during the reign of King Herod (not from the lineage of David) there arose a rumor of a King of the Jews and deliverer to be born at this time. Like in the days of Moses, the ruler of the Jews decreed for the slaughtering of innocent male children in a futile attempt to debunk the Sovereign’s plan (Matthew 2:16). In fact the similarities don’t stop there. Joseph and Mary were told by the Angel of the Lord to flee to Egypt and to return when it was safe. Mary’s name would have been the Hebrew name Miriam and in the Old Testament Miriam was the sister of Moses that hid him in Egypt. Was this coincidence or God’s prophetic plan? It was in a town called Bethlehem, that the deliverer was born. This was the town that Rachael, Jacob’s wife died (Gen. 35:19), and the place that she would be “weeping for her children” as they were slaughtered by the evil King Herod (Matthew 2:18).  In this desperate time a deliverer named Yeshua not Moses was born and the one promised to be a prophet like unto Moses (Deut. 18:15). Born to be rejected, beaten and torn and just like Isaac who carried the wood of sacrifice upon his back so He would be destined to carry the heavy wood of the cross upon his back as he climbed the same hill as God’s spotless lamb caught in the thickets of a crown of thorns upon his head.  It would be the blood of Yeshua that would set the captives free not from the grips of Egyptian slavery but the pangs of slavery of sin that leads to death. Just as the blood of the lamb caused the Lord to protect the first born from the Destroyer, so the blood of the Lamb of God brings freedom and protection from the enemy of our souls. This is why the writer of Hebrews in chapter 11 states that “Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.” He adds a very important clue in this statement that it was by “faith” that the Passover was kept. There are many believers that think today that the observance of Passover is an empty Jewish tradition but in all reality this feast of the Lord is a symbol of the passing over from death into life and entering into a covenant protection and blessing in the Lord. When we drink of the cup and eat of the unleavened bread, called matzah, we discern the body and blood of Jesus. As believers in Yeshua Messiah as the Passover lamb, this feast is not about leaving Egypt but it is about celebrating the feast of freedom from sin and death.

1Corinthians 11:23-25 KJV “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Yeshua the [same] night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24 And when he had given thanks, he brake [it], and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 After the same manner also [he took] the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink [it], in remembrance of me.”

Bibliography:

1Turnbull, H. Clay (1896) The Threshold Covenant

Pesach | פסח | “Passover “

Posted on by Joel Allen
30 Mar

(v) 21 Then Moshe called for all the leaders of Isra’el and said, “Select and take lambs for your families, and slaughter the Pesach lamb. 22 Take a bunch of hyssop leaves and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and smear it on the two sides and top of the door-frame. Then, none of you is to go out the door of his house until morning. 23 For Adonai will pass through to kill the Egyptians; but when he sees the blood on the top and on the two sides, Adonai will pass over the door and will not allow the Slaughterer to enter your houses and kill you. 24 You are to observe this as a law, you and your descendants forever.

25 “When you come to the land which Adonai will give you, as he has promised, you are to observe this ceremony. 26 When your children ask you, ‘What do you mean by this ceremony?’ 27 say, ‘It is the sacrifice of Adonai’s Pesach [Passover], because [Adonai] passed over the houses of the people of Isra’el in Egypt, when he killed the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” The people of Isra’el bowed their heads and worshipped. 28 Then the people of Isra’el went and did as Adonai had ordered Moshe and Aharon — that is what they did.

(vi) 29 At midnight Adonai killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh sitting on his throne to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock. 30 Pharaoh got up in the night, he, all his servants and all the Egyptians; and there was horrendous wailing in Egypt; for there wasn’t a single house without someone dead in it. 31 He summoned Moshe and Aharon by night and said, “Up and leave my people, both you and the people of Isra’el; and go, serve Adonai as you said. 32 Take both your flocks and your herds, as you said; and get out of here! But bless me, too.” 33 The Egyptians pressed to send the people out of the land quickly, because they said, “Otherwise we’ll all be dead!”

34 The people took their dough before it had become leavened and wrapped their kneading bowls in their clothes on their shoulders. 35 The people of Isra’el had done what Moshe had said — they had asked the Egyptians to give them silver and gold jewelry and clothing; 36 and Adonai had made the Egyptians so favorably disposed toward the people that they had let them have whatever they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.

37 The people of Isra’el traveled from Ra‘amses to Sukkot, some six hundred thousand men on foot, not counting children. 38 A mixed crowd also went up with them, as well as livestock in large numbers, both flocks and herds. 39 They baked matzah loaves from the dough they had brought out of Egypt, since it was unleavened; because they had been driven out of Egypt without time to prepare supplies for themselves.

40 The time the people of Isra’el lived in Egypt was 430 years. 41 At the end of 430 years to the day, all the divisions of Adonai left the land of Egypt. 42 This was a night when Adonai kept vigil to bring them out of the land of Egypt, and this same night continues to be a night when Adonai keeps vigil for all the people of Isra’el through all their generations.

43 Adonai said to Moshe and Aharon, “This is the regulation for the Pesach lamb: no foreigner is to eat it. 44 But if anyone has a slave he bought for money, when you have circumcised him, he may eat it. 45 Neither a traveler nor a hired servant may eat it. 46 It is to be eaten in one house. You are not to take any of the meat outside the house, and you are not to break any of its bones. 47 The whole community of Isra’el is to keep it. 48 If a foreigner staying with you wants to observe Adonai’s Pesach, all his males must be circumcised. Then he may take part and observe it; he will be like a citizen of the land. But no uncircumcised person is to eat it. 49 The same teaching is to apply equally to the citizen and to the foreigner living among you.”

50 All the people of Isra’el did just as Adonai had ordered Moshe and Aharon. 51 On that very day, Adonai brought the people of Isra’el out of the land of Egypt by their divisions.

Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
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Passover-Pesach

Posted on by Joel Allen
24 Feb

Passover/Pesach
The Feast of Freedom
Pesach or Passover is a treasured feast of the LORD and falls in the winter/spring time of the year. Passover is also called the Feast of Freedom as Israel remembers their freedom from slavery from Egypt. It is a part of what is known as the “Spring Feasts of the LORD,” and is followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of First Fruits culminating up to the Feast of Shavuot which usually is at the end of spring and beginning of the summer season. Passover is the first of the spring feasts and marks the end of the winter which usually symbolizes death and darkness and the beginning of the spring which symbolizes newness of life. The seasons tell us a lot about how YHWH has setup the universe and the changing of the earth from year to year. The feasts of the LORD also tell us about the timing of the universe and the prophetic time piece of where we are from year to year. This is why scripture tells us to keep these feasts in their “seasons.”
Lev. 23:4 “These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.”


The Facts:
What do the Scriptures say about it?
Exd 12:11 KJV – And thus shall ye eat it; [with] your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it [is] the LORD’S passover.
Exd 12:3 KJV – Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth [day] of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of [their] fathers, a lamb for an house:
Exd 12:6 KJV – And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
Exd 12:8 KJV – And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; [and] with bitter [herbs] they shall eat it.
Exd 12:11 KJV – And thus shall ye eat it; [with] your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it [is] the LORD’S passover.
Lev 23:5 KJV – In the fourteenth [day] of the first month at even [is] the LORD’S passover.

When is it?
Lev 23:5 KJV – In the fourteenth [day] of the first month at even [is] the LORD’S passover.
What should you do?
1.- A lamb of the first year is selected on the10th day of the first month (Exod. 12:3)
2.- The lamb is to be roasted in fire (Exod. 12:8-9)
3.- You are to eat the lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herbs in the evening of the 14th (Exod. 12:6,8)
4.- All leaven or yeast should be removed from your home before the meal. (Exod. 12:19)


The First Passover-
The sons of Jacob (Israel) came down into Egypt and settled in the land of Goshen. Scripture tells us that a new Pharaoh rose up that did not know Joseph or the God of Joseph. This Pharaoh saw the blessing of God upon Israel because they prospered at all they did. Their cattle and their crops were greater and even their sons and daughters multiplied greatly. Pharaoh became fearful that the children of Israel would try to take over Egypt so he devised a plan of putting them under slavery to keep them from multiplying any further. For 400 years the children of Israel served Mitzrayim (Egypt) and it became known to the Pharaoh that a deliverer was coming to set the people of Israel free who would be born among the Hebrews. Moshe (Moses) was that deliverer and through 10 judgments or plagues the hand of God through the prophet Moshe slew the “Goliath” nation of Egypt and cut off the head or posterity of the King of the known world. It was at the 10th judgment that the children of Israel would be set free. It was the judgment of death to the first born and the only judgment that offered instruction for those that would obey to escape this death penalty. Through the blood of a spotless yearling lamb placed on the door posts and lintel anyone (Hebrew or non-Hebrew) would be saved from death. The blood was a sign so that the death angel would “pass over” the homes that had it and only enter the homes that did not have the sign. The Passover meal is a remembrance of this day and includes elements that are to remind and teach future generations about the deliverance of the children of Israel with a “mighty hand and an outstretched arm.”
Yeshua the Lamb of God-
Ever since Avraham laid Isaac upon the altar and offered up his only begotten son there has always been an awareness and expectation of the son of God that would be the perfect Lamb sacrifice. Just as Isaac carried the wood of the sacrifice on his shoulders up the hill, so the Son of Man carried his own cross on his shoulders up that same hill. Intuitively, Isaac asked where the sacrifice was going to come from. Avraham answered with prophetic confidence that “God would provide his own sacrifice.” From generation to generation Hebrews looked and waited for this perfect Lamb of God, the one that would take away the sins of the world. Scholars say that after the prophet of Malachi finished his written scroll there was approximately 400 years of “silence” when no prophet spoke to Israel and the land was void of a voice from heaven. During this 400 years Israel was taken over by the Babylonians, the Medio-Persians, Greece, Egypt, Syria, and finally Rome. Instead of slavery to one nation they were slaughtered and pillaged by many nations and during the reign of King Herod (not from the lineage of David) there arose a rumor of a King of the Jews and deliverer to be born at this time. Like in the days of Moshe, the ruler of the Jews decreed for the slaughtering of innocent male children in a futile attempt to debunk the Sovereign’s plan. In fact the similarities don’t stop there. Joseph and Miriam were told by the Angel of the Lord to flee to Egypt and to return when it was safe. Miriam was the Hebrew name of Mary and in the Tanakh Miriam was the young sister of Moshe that hid him in Egypt. Egypt of all places and by a damsel named Miriam! The time came and Joseph and Miriam returned to Jerusalem during the Feast of Sukkoth in the fall when all of the inns were full for the festival and in a stable under a Sukkah (temporary dwelling) Yeshua was born. This isn’t the typical place where kings were born but perhaps lambs instead.
Yeshua grew up in a town called Nazareth and when he had become of age and the time had come He approached Yochanan (John) the Baptist or Immerser. It was at this particular time while he was “baptizing” at the Jordan River that Yochanan looked up and saw Yeshua coming from the wilderness and exclaimed, “behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).” Then when the disciples were called we can read that they had recognized Yeshua as the Messiah as already written in the scriptures:
John 1:45 “Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Yeshua of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
There was an expectation of the Messiah to come and Yeshua fit the bill. He later confirms this over and over again throughout his ministry and ultimate death and resurrection. It is through the final Passover of Yeshua that this prophetic fulfillment comes to a head. Let’s look at the Pesach feast and the final days of Yeshua until the cross and see the magnificent fulfillment of prophecy in the heart of the holy city:

  • 10th of Nissan/Aviv: On the tenth day of Nissan/Aviv, the month of Passover a lamb is to be selected and for the next six days it is to live in your home and be scrutinized and picked over to find any blemishes or flaws. As prescribed by the Torah the lamb is not to be sickly or unfit in any way. [Exo 12:3, 5 ESV] 3 “Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. … 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats…” It was at this time that Yeshua rides into town and is heralded by “Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest,” as palms were waved. This was the time when the Cohenim (Levitical Priests) would triumphantly walk into town with the selected lamb but this Passover Yeshua beats them to the punch and as the people cheer for the Lamb, the Son of Man enters instead, symbolically representing the chosen Lamb of God (Matt. 21:9-10)
  • Yeshua went straight way into the Temple and for the next six days the Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and Lawyers all tried to find fault in Him. Just like the Paschal Lamb, Yeshua was scrutinized and tested but was found without fault. No blemish of character or doctrine. Perfect.
  • 13th of Nissan/Aviv: As Yeshua was taken on what was probably the evening of the 13th of Nissan He continued to be tested, beaten, and examined all night but fulfilling the words of the Prophet, [Isa 53:7 ESV] 7 “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.” Yeshua was questioned by Caiaphas the High Priest, King Herod, and finally Pilate the Roman Governor over Judea.
  • 14th of Nissan/Aviv: It would be prophetically announced through Pilate, what the High Priest announces when the final examination is complete of the Paschal Lamb and declares it is ready to sacrifice: [Jhn 19:6 ESV] 6 When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.” This was the sixth hour (noon) on the 14th of Nissan/Aviv, the day of preparation for the Passover meal (John 19:14) to be eaten that evening just before sunset. Yeshua was taken and carried OUR cross outside of the “camp,” where the Torah prescribes is where the refuse and garbage is to be buried and/or burned (Deut. 23:12-14). This is also where the mysterious Red Heifer sacrifice is slaughtered according to the Torah (Num. 19). As in many cases throughout the Bible oftentimes there are many layers of fulfillment of prophecy and the Passover prophecy is no exception. Yeshua is hung on a Roman cross or stake. Some believe that He only carried the cross beam and it was then fastened to a rooted tree; an Olive tree. In any case I am sure it was extremely painful and humiliating, especially hung in the company of criminals, knowing fully that the Torah declares (Deut. 21:23) that anyone who is hung on a tree is cursed: [Isa 53:12 ESV] 12 “Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” That last part of Isaiah 53:12 rang true as Yeshua asked for forgiveness for those that mocked Him and ignorantly crucified Him; [Luk 23:34 ESV] 34 And Yeshua said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” From the sixth hour (noon) to the ninth hour (3pm) the whole land was darkened by what theologians believe was an eclipse (Matt. 27:45). It was at this exact time that the Cohenim (Priests) were slaughtering the Lambs for Passover and placing them in the ovens to be roasted. Thousands if not millions of Jews filled the streets the Jerusalem as Passover was one of three pilgrimage feasts that required all males to report to the Temple with tithes and offerings and the passover lambs for the priests to prepare. As the Cohenim would tirelessly slaughter one lamb after another, covered in blood, they would declare, “I thirst!” as a servant would bring them a drink to refresh them. It was then that Yeshua, our great High Priest, declared, “I thirst,” and  a sponge full of sour wine was pressed against His blood stained lips. When all of the Lambs were finished being slaughtered and the last one placed in the great ovens the Cohenim would declare, “IT IS FINISHED!” It was at this exact moment that many believe that Yeshua cried out with a loud voice, “IT IS FINISHED!” And then He died. Not a single bone in His body was broken just as commanded of the Pashcal Lamb (Exd. 12:46). Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy righteous Jew, asked Pilate for the body of Yeshua (Luke 23:50-53) and placed Him in a rich man’s tomb, again fulfilling prophecy: [Isa 53:9 ESV] 9 “And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.”
  • 15th of Nissan/Aviv: Yeshua was wrapped in a shroud and placed in a tomb with a stone rolled over the entrance as ordered by Pilate to prevent anyone from stealing or vandalizing the body. Scripture tells us that this happened just before sundown which would have started the 15th of Nissan/Aviv which was the first day of Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMatzot) and it is a Sabbath according to the Torah: [Lev 23:6-7 ESV] 6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. Many scholars have read this in [Luk 23:54 ESV] 54 “It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning.” and have come to a wrong conclusion that this meant the weekly Sabbath so “Jesus had to have been crucified on a Friday.” After all, that’s where we get the term “Good Friday” from which is the Friday before Easter Sunday, when supposedly Jesus rose from the grave? The only problem with this conclusion is that Yeshua declared a sign of His authenticity as the Messiah, that He would be in the grave just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. Let’s take a look at that scripture: [Mat 12:40 ESV] 40 “For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” So the great mystery is this… How can you get three days and three nights from Friday evening to Sunday morning? This is impossible in any time zone and even in a leap year (a little humor sorry). I know God can do anything He wants with time but why would He give a clear sign and then break it? God is not a liar so we should stop showing Him a liar by making things up to fit times and seasons that are NOT biblically inspired. Take a look at this infographic of the Passover fulfillment of Yeshua Messiah and the critical error of Good Friday to Easter Sunday (click to enlarge):

3days-3nights-infographic