The Passover Begins Gods Master Plan
Your
Bible reveals that God is reproducing Himself in man. God made mankind
for the purpose of being fashioned into the very character "image" of
God — ultimately to be born as spirit members in the universe-ruling
Family of God. Previous ministudies have made this clear.
God
has mapped out a plan by which He is fulfilling His awesome purpose for
mankind. God's master plan is outlined in the form of seven annual
festivals that Christians are to observe every year to keep themselves
in the knowledge of His plan
It was not until after the Israelites
were delivered from Egypt that God revealed His annual festivals.
Through Moses, God formally introduced those festivals to His nation
Israel — His "church in the wilderness" (Acts 7:38, Authorized Version).
God
used the yearly agricultural harvests of Palestine as symbolic types of
His spiritual "harvests" of mankind. In Palestine there is a spring
harvest followed by a much larger fall harvest.
Today, we can
understand from the teachings of Christ and the apostles that God
intends the spring festivals to illustrate to His Church yearly that
all those He has called to become His Spirit-begotten children since
Christ's first coming are only the "firstfruits" (Jas. 1:18)
— only the relatively small beginning of His great spiritual harvest of
mankind into His spiritual Family. Later, as pictured by the festivals
of the much larger autumn harvest season. God will call the rest of the
billions of humanity to salvation and sonship in His glorious Family
after Christ's return.
A summary of these annual festivals is found in Leviticus 23.
Let's commence this revealing seven-part study of God's annual
festivals and learn exactly what they signify for Spirit-begotten
Christians today.
1. Who does the Bible say instituted these annual festivals? Lev. 23:1-2, 4.
Notice
that these are not the "feasts of the Jews" or "feasts of Moses," as
some have falsely assumed They are God's own feasts, which God
originated and gave to His people to keep year by year.
2. What is the first festival to be observed each year? Lev. 23:5. When was the first Passover? Ex.12:1-14, 21-27.
The
Passover, the first of God's commanded annual festivals, is the
beginning, the very first step, in God's great master plan of salvation
for mankind.
Although the original Passover was to be a yearly
memorial to remind Israel of God's intervention in delivering them from
slavery in Egypt (a type of sin — Heb. 11:25-26), it also pictured, in advance, the great sacrifice of Jesus Christ, "our Passover" lamb (I Cor. 5:7, I Pet. 1:8-19),
for the sins of mankind. The sparing of the Israelites' firstborn from
the death angel through the shod blood of the first Passover lamb is a
type of our being spared today from the eternal penalty of sin (Rom. 6:23) through Christ's sacrifice.
After
Jesus' death, the Passover, celebrated with the new symbols of bread
and wine, became a yearly memorial of His sacrifice, for Jesus became
the reality that the Passover lamb had foreshadowed.
3. Did God command, before Sinai, that the Passover be kept forever? Ex. 12:14, 24. Did Jesus Christ observe the Passover'' John 2:13, 23.
Jesus kept the annual festivals. He, as the God of the Old Testament, was the One who originally gave them to Israel.
4. Did Jesus observe the Passover with His disciples on the night before He was crucified'' Matt. 26:17-20. What was one new command He gave them regarding the observance of the Passover? John 13:15.
5. Did Peter, at first, refuse to allow Jesus to wash his feet? Verses 6-8. Could Peter have any relationship with Jesus unless he allowed Him to wash his feet? Verse 8 Why did Jesus institute this new observance of foot washing during His last Passover meal? Verses 12 16.
Foot
washing in Jesus' time was a menial task that only servants performed,
when visitors entered a house Open-toed sandals were the customary
footwear of that time and feet would become dusty.
Jesus was
illustrating to His disciples that He had come to earth to serve
mankind. Shortly afterward, He proved the extent of His extreme service
for this world when He gave His very lite tor the sins of all mankind
Foot washing depicts the attitude of humility and service to others
that Christ desires every Christian to have.
6. Did Jesus plainly command His disciples to wash each other's feet? John 13:14-15. Were they to teach the world to do likewise? Matt. 28:19-20. Are those who obey Christ's words by partaking of this meaningful ceremony promised a special blessing'' John 13:17, 14:23.
7.
What completely new way of observing the Passover did Jesus institute
shortly before His death, as He ate the Passover meal with His
apostles? Luke 22:14-20, Matt. 26:26-29 What command did He give regarding this new manner of keeping the Passover? Luke 22:19. Matt. 28.19-20.
Jesus
did not abolish the Passover — He merely changed the symbols used.
Instead of shedding the blood of the lamb and eating the roasted body,
we are now to use wine and unleavened bread The Passover is now to be
kept as an annual memorial of Christ's death. It reaffirms year by year
"till He comes" (I Cor. 11:26) the true Christian's faith in the blood of "Christ, our Passover" (I Cor. 5:7) for the remission of sins, as symbolized by the drinking of wine.
Eating
the broken bread symbolizes our faith in the body of Christ, broken for
our physical healing. Jesus Christ allowed His body to be literally
ripped open in dozens of places by scourging, until He could not even
be recognized. He suffered this torture so we, through faith in His
broken body for us, may have the forgiveness of our physical sins — the
healing of our bodies when we are sick (Isa 53 5. I Pet. 2:24. Ps. 103:2-3, Jas. 5:14-15)
— as well as the forgiveness of our spiritual sins through Christ's
shed blood And so the bread is a reminder to us that it is by "His
stripes we are healed." (If you have not read it, send for our free
booklet. The Plain Truth About Healing.)
As Christ Himself
commanded, true Christians today should be observing the Passover on
the eve of His death — on the 14th day of the first month of God's
sacred calendar, in the evening, after the beginning of the day
8.
Did the apostle Paul teach New Testament Christians to keep the
Passover by partaking of the new symbols of bread and wine, just as
Jesus had done and commanded? I Cor 5:7-8, 11:23-26.
The original true Church that Jesus built annually kept the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread — not Easter.
9. Will the Passover be kept by Christ and born-again Christians when He establishes the Kingdom of God on earth? Matt. 26: 29, Luke 22:15-16. In the meantime, was the Passover to be kept by God's Church as a memorial of Christ's death? Review I Corinthians 11:25-26.
Jesus
commanded His disciples to keep the Passover in remembrance of Him
until He returns. The apostles did keep it, and today, God's true
Church is still keeping the Passover
This study of God's annual
festivals will continue next month. You will also be interested to know
that plans call for new lessons of the Ambassador College Bible
Correspondence Course to include in-depth studies of God's festivals.
Readers wishing to receive these lessons should enroll in the course
today.
