The Rapture Series
Why Do you Believe? What Do you Believe? How Do You Believe? Who Do You Believe?
“Reason to Believe”
Preparing for Passover
II(A)
When is Passover in 2010?
Passover in 2010 will start on Tuesday, the 30th of March
and will continue for 7 days until Monday, the 5th of April.
Note that in the Jewish calander, a holiday begins on the sunset of the previous day,
so observing Jews will celebrate Passover on the sunset of Monday, the 29th of March.
CHRIST IN THE PASSOVER
(A)
by Curt Sewell
This article describes the history and background of the Jewish Passover Seder, or Order of Service, which is probably the oldest ceremony still being celebrated anywhere in the world today. It's been done for about 3500 years. We'll learn the meaning of each of the strange items served. We'll discover the true meaning of the "Mystery of the Aphikomen," which most modern Jews practice without knowing why. This ritual is rich with meaning for Christians, and shows that the Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ, is actually the central figure in this ancient Jewish feast. We end with a discussion of the timing of Crucifixion Week events, and show how they fit the prophetic pattern of three of the Seven Feasts of Israel.
INTRODUCTION
The Passover is an ancient Jewish celebration, that started in Egypt about 3500 years ago. So why should modern Christians, most of whom aren't Jewish, pay any attention to this feast of Judaism? Does it have any significance to us today? Who is the central character in the Passover?Many people tend to think of Judaism and Christianity as two different religions. Some Christians even think that since God's chosen people, the Jews, rejected Y'shua (or Jesus), as their Messiah, God has rejected them; they think that God then started over with Christians as His chosen people. That's not so -- Christianity is actually a continuation and fulfillment of God's original religion that He gave to man. Most of the Jews rejected God's new covenant when their Messiah came, over 2000 years ago. They didn't recognize Y'Shua's fulfillment of many of the prophesies in their Tenach, but preferred to stay in their old religious habits, and not take advantage of the Saviour God sent. But even so, God preserved a remnant of saved people among the nation of Israel.Look at Romans 11:25-29 (RSV). It shows that the Jews are still God's chosen people, and that eventually all surviving Jews will be saved.Lest you be wise in your own conceits, I want you to understand this mystery, brethren: a hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles come in, and so all Israel will be saved; as it is written, "The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob; and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins." As regards the gospel they are enemies of God, for your sake; but as regards election they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.
We'll see that Passover actually has a lot of importance to Christians, because it is a picture of Jesus. He is really the central character, even though that's not obvious to most Jews because they haven't believed the New Testament.
THE NATION OF ISRAEL
The book of Genesis tells us about God's first covenant with Abraham, in Genesis 12:1-3, 15:5,18, and 17:5-8. He renewed that covenant relationship, first to Isaac in 17:21 and 26:2-4. Later Abraham's grandson Jacob (whose name was changed to "Israel") and all of his descendants received this covenant, in Genesis 28:13-15.Genesis 37-50 describes how Jacob's descendants ("children of Israel") migrated to Egypt. At first they were well-treated, but after many years the government changed, they were enslaved by the new Pharaoh, and life became miserable.
PREPARATION FOR DELIVERANCE
The book of Exodus tells how God heard the prayers of His people, and sent a deliverer, Moses. He told Moses to go to Pharaoh and say, "Let my people go." At first Pharaoh refused.Then the Lord began to show his power to Pharaoh. He sent plagues on the land -- first the water of the Nile was turned to blood, then the land was covered with frogs, there were lice, then flies, then their cattle died, then the people were infected with boils, hail devastated their crops, locusts ate what was left, and the sun was turned to darkness. Each of these plagues hit directly at one of the Egyptian false gods.As each plague came, Pharaoh first promised to let the people go, and then broke his agreement. He had started by rejecting God (see Exodus 5:2), and God later used this hardness of heart to show His power. Finally the last and worst plague became inevitable. This began with the first Passover.
THE FIRST PASSOVER
God's instructions for preparing this last meal are told in Exodus 12:1-15. We read the following:And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,"This month ... shall be the first month of the year to you. 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, ... your lamb shall be without blemish, a male ... ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month ... and shall kill it in the evening. "And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. ... in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. ... let nothing of it remain until the morning ... 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. "For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; ... the blood shall be to you for a token ... when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout all your generations; ... Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses."
God told them that this was to be a perpetual celebration, which they were to carefully explain to their children. Exodus 12:25-27 says,... that ye shall keep this service. And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, 'What mean ye by this service?' That ye shall say, 'It is the sacrifice of the LORD's passover' ...
Moses passed on these instructions, and the people did as God had said. Exodus 12:29-30 tells what happened.And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
After this, Moses succeeded in leading the Israelites out of Egypt, miraculously crossing the Red Sea, and through forty years of wanderings in the wilderness. His successor, Joshua, led them across the Jordan River, and through the conquest of the land of Canaan, which God had promised to Abraham and his descendants. Then followed almost 1500 years of troubled life there before their promised Messiah, Y'shua (or Jesus), came to Earth.God gave directions for the "Seven Feasts of Israel" in Leviticus 23. The first three are very closely connected, in time and significance. These all occurred in the month Nisan, the first month of the Jewish religious year. This month begins at sundown on the day of the first New Moon after the spring equinox, sometime in March or April. (See Leviticus 23:5, 6, 11.)These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. In the fourteenth day of the first month at evening is the LORD's passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. ... [then for the next feast of FirstFruits] ... ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfuits of your harvest unto the priest: 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.
To summarize this, on the 10th day of Nisan each family was to select an unblemished male lamb, then on the 14th they killed it in a prescribed manner (not breaking any bones), and ate the ritual Passover Feast. During the eight days from the 14th through the 21st, they had no leaven in their bread -- they ate matzohs. One of those seven days had to be a Sunday (the day after Sabbath); that day was called "FirstFruits."
NOTE: We should remember this timing sequence, and see how it fit with Jesus's death, burial, and resurrection. We'll discuss this more completely near the end of this article. Since that time, all Jews who made any effort to worship God properly have observed this ceremony. Jesus himself did this on His last night before His crucifixion. This became the pattern for our observance of the Lord's Supper (or Holy Communion). We'll see that each element had more significance than most of us realize.
THE MODERN PASSOVER SEDER (or Order of Service). Much of the material about the modern Passover Seder is abstracted from the book Christ in the Passover, by Ceil and Moishe Rosen, published by Moody Press, 1978, and distributed by Jews for Jesus, 60 Haight St., San Francisco, CA, 94102.Other good books on this subject are The Miracle of Passover and The Seven Feasts of Israel, by Zola Levitt. Levitt also has an excellent one-hour video called The Passover, that shows many of these same items and costumes, with good explanations. These are sold by Zola Levitt Ministries, P.O. Box 12268, Dallas, TX, 75225
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