THE PASSOVER – PART 7 OF 7
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THE PASSOVER – PART 7 OF 7
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This is Part 7 of seven (7), the final part in this series to help you understand the Biblical roots of the Passover. Also, to help you understand WHY and HOW the Passover being celebrated today is different from that given to Moses in the instructions by God in Exodus Chapter 12. HOW did the changes come about and WHY? You will have a deeper understanding and love for your LORD after this study!
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THE PASSOVER – PART 7 OF 7 – CONCLUSION
One more thing you will find in every Jewish home at the Passover table is an EMPTY chair, some unleavened bread, and a cup of wine. But, no one uses the chair, touches the plate, or drinks from the wine. The question may be asked, “For whom is the chair, the plate, and the cup waiting?” The answer would be, “The chair, the plate, and the cup are waiting for Elijah, or the Coming One.” For every Jew is eagerly awaiting for Elijah that night, who is to announce and usher in the coming of the Messiah. [Malachi 4:5-6]
Just before the close of the Passover supper, which lasts until midnight, the oldest child arises from the table, goes to the door, and opens it for Elijah to make his entrance. There is a moment of expectancy, and the head of the house recites: “Thou God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Long have we waited for your promise. We beseech you now to send your anointed, whom You have promised, the Son of David. Have mercy upon your people Israel. Gather us according to your Word and we shall be Your people and You will delight in us as of old. Behold all things are ready and we wait.”
After a few minutes of waiting, the door is closed, and the head of the house recites: “How long, oh LORD, how long? Will Your anger not be turned away from Your people and will You have mercy and restore us to Your favor? Behold our suffering! We are scattered among the nations. They mock us, saying, ‘Where is your God? Where is the promise of His coming?’ We grow faint, yet we hope. Lord, our God, may it please You to gather Your people speedily, restore us to Your favor, at least next year may we celebrate this feast with you in Jerusalem, Your own habitation.”
It is a sad thing that many Jewish people should still be waiting, not knowing that Yeshua, their Messiah, has already come. Just as the Jewish apostles went out into all the world telling the goyim (the gentiles) the Good News of salvation, so you and I are to tell the Jewish people today the story of Jesus and His love: that He came 2000 years ago as the true PASSOVER LAMB, to redeem us with His BLOOD. Although the Lord Jesus asks us (rather, commanded us) to do this, very few believers in Jesus obey His command.
I preached in a large mission in Philadelphia which was run by a wonderful Jewish brother named Abraham Mazer. One day a Jewish woman came to a certain mission to hear what the Jewish believer had to say. It was Passover time and he told his people that Messiah had come and given His precious BLOOD for the salvation of both Jews and Gentiles. The woman left the mission before the service was over, but a few days later the Jewish brother learned who the woman was and where she lived. He went to see her and told her that Yeshua was our Passover lamb, giving His life for the sins of the whole world.
The woman then told Jewish man that she had had such good son. Her son loved her so much and all he wanted was to make his poor mother happy. Her son had been out of work for a long time. When he was finally called to come to work at a department store, he did not have enough clothes to dress warmly for the job. It was winter and he took a cold; a few days later developed pneumonia and died. Tears were streaming down her face as she said to the Jewish believer, “Why didn’t you come before? My son would have believed, he was such a son!”
Millions of Jewish graves are saying to you and to me, “Why didn’t you come before?!”
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THE PASSOVER – PART 6 OF 7
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THE PASSOVER – PART 6 OF 7
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This is Part 6 of a seven (7) part series to help you understand the Biblical roots of the Passover.
Also, to help you understand WHY and HOW the Passover being celebrated today is different from that given to Moses in the instructions by God in Exodus Chapter 12.
HOW did the changes come about and WHY?
You will have a deeper understanding and love for your LORD after this study!
THE PASSOVER – PART 6 OF 7
Because the Apostle Paul (Rabbi Shaul) wrote: “Messiah our Passover is sacrificed for us,” there was no more need to kill a Passover lamb. Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Anointed One) was “the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world”. To ever remember His great sacrifice, the early followers of Messiah put the shinbone upon the Passover table. They used the unbroken shinbone because it was also written of Him, “no bone of His shall be broken.” The little piece of matzo hidden away on a high shelf was to the early Jewish Messianic believers a picture and remembrance of Messiah’s ascension into Heaven; bringing it down the next year reminded them of the promise of His coming again.
The use of the wine also comes from the Jewish believers in Messiah Yeshua. It is essential for the Passover because Jesus took the cup, gave thanks and gave it to the disciples. The wine must be red, resembling blood, because Jesus said: “This is my blood of the New Testament, shed for many for the remission of sins.” And everyone must partake of it because Jesus said: “Drink you ALL, of it.”
And what about this mysterious word “APHIKOMEN“? This is not a Hebrew word; rather it is a Greek word and reads exactly as the Jewish people pronounce it. What is the meaning of this mysterious word “Aphikomen?” It looks like a Greek word. Most scholars are agreed that it is, but different opinions exist as to its meaning. Some say it comes from “Epikomos” and means “dessert”. But that does not seem to be correct, since a great deal of violence had to be perpetrated on the word “Epikomos” in order to turn it into “Aphikomen.” But there is another Greek word, which gives a full and satisfactory explanation, and where etymological violence is not at all necessary to give it meaning. It reads exactly as our Aphikomen. What does it mean? According to the Greek lexicon it means, “I CAME.”
Who came? The One, obviously, whom the broken Matzo represents, namely, the Lord Yeshua, the True Pesach! [1]
[1] The Mystery in the Passover Seder: The story that could not be forgotten. By Solomon Birnbaum.
Imagine the setting that night in the upper room when Yeshua Himself was participating in the Passover, the very ceremony that prophesied His death! The One whom the Passover had promised to every age of believers was keeping the feast himself and the next day he would keep it literally: not with symbols … but with His body on the cross-stake! His blood for men’s souls instead of the blood on the doorposts.
Jesus was … and still is … saying: “The Angel of Death who spared the Children of Israel because He saw the blood of the lamb on the doors of their houses, will spare you from eternal death because he will see My BLOOD on the doors of your hearts though faith! As your fathers were delivered from the bondage of Egypt, so you will be delivered from the bondage of sin.”
It is interesting how the “Lord’s Supper” became the core of the Jewish Passover. The first Messianic believers were almost all Jews in the early days of the Christian era. Every one of the first disciples of Yeshua was Jewish, with the possible exception of Luke. It has been estimated that almost 1,000,000 Jews became followers of the Lord Jesus in the first century AD.
The old time synagogue in the first century accepted the Messianic Jew (the followers of Jesus). In the makeup of the synagogue in those days there were Pharisees, Sadducees, Hellenists, Essenes, and many other groups of Jewish belief systems. So when large numbers of Jews began to accept Yeshua as Messiah, they were still allowed to stay in the synagogue. They were known as Nazarenes, and were given respect and attention.
Now while the other Jews celebrated the Passover as instituted by Moses, Jewish believers in Messiah celebrated the same occasion with bread and wine, depicting in the observance the suffering, death and resurrection of the Lord. There were TWO (2) KINDS of Passover being celebrated, and as more and more Jews became followers of Messiah, there were more and more Jews who kept the Passover the NEW way: the way it is observed today!!
With the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in AD 70, the Old Testament Passover as commanded by Moses ceased. The only Passover observance, which survived within the Jewish nation, was that of the Messianic Hebrew followers of Jesus. The Messianic Passover, therefore, became the celebration of ALL Israel: the MAIN features of which were the bread (matzo cakes) and the wine.
Every year during the Passover Seder, when the Jews partake of the bread (matzo) and the wine, they are unconsciously celebrating the fact that Messiah’s body was broken for them, His blood shed for them, and that He is going to return to set up His Kingdom where He will celebrate with us the Passover!
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THE PASSOVER – PART 5 OF 7
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THE PASSOVER – PART 5 OF 7
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Also, to help you understand WHY and HOW the Passover being celebrated today is different from that given to Moses in the instructions by God in Exodus Chapter 12. HOW did the changes come about and WHY? You will have a deeper understanding and love for your LORD after this study!
Subscribe to THE APOSTLES by sending an email to: PrinceHandley@gmail.com
THE PASSOVER – PART 5 OF 7
It must be evident to you now that the description of the Passover service mentioned in Parts 1 thru 4 of this study are NOT mentioned in the Passover instructions recorded for us by Moses in Exodus Chapter 12. In this story there is NO mention of wine, or four (4) special glasses of wine, or an egg. Instead of a dry shinbone, the main feature of the original Jewish Passover was the roast lamb. And certainly there is no mention of three (3) special unleavened cakes and the ceremony of burying or hiding away half of the middle cake and bringing it forth at the end of the feast.
This marks a radical change from the feast initiated by Moses. When and how did this change come about? Nowhere in the writings of Moses, nor in those of the Rabbis during the 1500 years that followed the days of Moses, is there any question of wine as being necessary for the keeping of the Passover, or that it MUST BE RED! This presents three (3) QUESTIONS:
- Who substituted the bread for the Passover lamb?
- Who made the wine an essential part, and why should it be RED like BLOOD? And;
- Why does the Jew today – while eating of the middle cake called APHIKOMEN – believe that he is eating the Passover lamb?
Although the Jewish people do not realize it, the origin of the use of the bread comes from the Brit Chadashah (the New Testament). The Jewish followers of Messiah made the change during the immediate years after the Lord’s resurrection. It is because the Lord Jesus took bread and said: “This is my body.” It is He who gave His disciples bread and told them, as they were eating it, to believe that they were eating the sacrifice of the Passover.
The half piece of cake called APHIKOMEN is wrapped in a cloth and hidden, because when Jesus died on the cross His disciples took His body down, wrapped it in grave clothes and placed it in the tomb. The APHIKOMEN is later brought forth from its hiding place because on the third day God raised Jesus from the grave.
The APHIKOMEN is eaten as the last act of the Passover feast because the institution of the Lord’s supper took place at the close of the meal in the upper room in Jerusalem. The members of the family share it because the followers of Messiah were regarded as the family of God. Jesus (Yeshua) is the bread of life to all that believe in Him!
Every single act done to the middle cake by the Jewish people today is descriptive of what happened to the Lord Jesus. It is therefore He whom the APHIKOMEN represents. And all the three (3) cakes are really symbolic of the Holy Trinity, the threefold revelation of the Godhead: God, the Father and Creator … God, the Savior or redeemer … and God, the Holy Spirit. The middle cake, which represents the Lord Jesus (Yeshua, the Messiah), is the one that is broken. He was broken and He was crucified.
Notice, also, the fashion of the Passover cakes: with the stripes and holes pierced in them. There was NO New Testament during the early church years, and only a few copies of the TANAKH (Old Testament Hebrew scriptures) in the hands of the leaders. The early followers of Messiah wanted to impress and perpetuate the story of Messiah Yeshua for their children and children’s children … and generations to follow. They wanted to teach them that Yeshua HaMashiach was the One Who fulfilled Isaiah 53: “Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.”
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THE PASSOVER – PART 4 OF 7
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THE PASSOVER – PART 4 OF 7
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This is Part 4 of a seven (7) part series to help you understand the Biblical roots of the Passover. Also, to help you understand WHY and HOW the Passover being celebrated today is different from that given to Moses in the instructions by God in Exodus Chapter 12. HOW did the changes come about and WHY? You will have a deeper understanding and love for your LORD after this study!
THE PASSOVER – PART 4 OF 7
On the Passover table we find a number of interesting things, the meaning of which I will explain as we go along. There are dishes of grated apple, bitter herbs, unleavened bread, salty water, and an egg.
The grated apple turns its color into red representing the clay that the Israelites used to make bricks in Egypt. The bitter herbs are to remind them of the bitterness suffered as slaves under Pharaoh. (Jewish people usually make a mixture of bitter herbs into a paste and make little sandwiches for everyone to eat, including the little children, to impress upon them the bitterness they suffered in Egypt.
The unleavened bread is to remind them of the haste with which they had to depart from the land of slavery. The dish of salty water, in which the sop is dipped, represents the tears shed in Egypt, and also the Red Sea. This is also called the dish of reconciliation, or forgiveness. This dish was given by our Lord first to Judas (who was betrayed him) for Jesus was still willing and ready to forgive if Judas would have turned from his evil.
The egg is a “type” or picture of the grave and resurrection. Looking upon this egg the Jews are reminded that we are mortal and will someday be placed in the grave; but because there is life in the egg, they have hope of resurrection from the grave.
Everything on the table has a double meaning. Firstly, it points back to Egypt, to the deliverance of the forefathers from the land of bondage. Secondly, it points forward to the coming of the Messiah who will deliver them from their present bondage and provide them with an earthly kingdom.
No lamb is found on the Passover table, but only a bone, a shin bone: a pure lower unbroken joint of the front leg of the lamb is used. On the table at each place are glasses or cups of wine, and in the center of the table are four (4) special glasses or cups. Kosher rules specify that the wine must be red. The two glasses on the right are called “The cup of Elijah” and “The cup of Blessing”. The two cups on the left are called “The cup of Redemption” and “The Cup of Glory”. The two cups on the right point back to Egypt; the two on the left point forward to the final deliverance of the Jews and Messianic glory.
These four cups of wine also represent the fourfold promise, as recorded in Torah, Exodus 6:6: “Wherefore, say unto the children of Israel, ‘I am the LORD and will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you from your enemies, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with judgment’.”
At the head of the table, in a beautiful cover, are three (3) special Passover cakes. During the early part of the feast, the MIDDLE one, the second of the three, is broken in halves. On half is partaken by all the members of the family at the beginning of the meal. The other half is treated with special regard and reverently wrapped in a cloth and hidden away, or buried … usually between the two pillows on which the head of the family reclines … until the end of the meal.
The half, which is hidden away, is no longer considered just unleavened bread. It is called “APHIKOMEN’” and symbolizes the PASSOVER LAMB itself. The Feast and ceremony of the Passover last until midnight, when at the very last act of the Feast, the cake called APHIKOMEN is brought forth and eaten of by all the members of the family. It is, however, given out so that one small piece is left over, which is put away on the highest shelf in the house until the next year.
The customary explanation for the presence of the three cakes is that they represent the three groups in Israel: the Priests, the Levites, and the Israelites. But if that is the case, why is the middle cake broken, wrapped and hidden away (or buried) and then brought forth from the hiding place and shared among the members of the family? Why, also, is it called by the mysterious name APHIKOMEN? What has all this to do with the Levites?
In our next lesson on the Passover, Part 5, we will find the answer!
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THE PASSOVER – PART 3 OF 7
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THE PASSOVER – PART 3 OF 7
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This is Part 3 of a seven (7) part series to help you understand the Biblical roots of the Passover. Also, to help you understand WHY and HOW the Passover being celebrated today is different from that given to Moses in the instructions by God in Exodus Chapter 12. HOW did the changes come about and WHY? You will have a deeper understanding and love for your LORD after this study!
THE PASSOVER – PART 3 OF 7
The blood of the Savior’s brow reminds us of the blood on the top of the Passover door in Egypt. The blood on his nail-pierced hands reminds us of the blood on the side posts of the door. (Indeed the Israelites made a cross as the blood was placed on the door in Egypt.) Yeshua was our “Passover Lamb” who gave His life to save us from our sins. Truly, the “destroyer” will pass over us when we have the BLOOD of Christ applied to our hearts, families, and homes by FAITH!
There are still many Jewish people who do not know that the Lord Jesus is their Messiah and Savior: the true PASSOVER LAMB sacrificed for the sins of the world.
The days, in fact, the weeks before the Passover are busy ones for the Jewish people. The houses are cleaned from to[ to bottom. All dishes are scoured and thoroughly cleansed. The idea is to cleanse the leaven out of their houses. Leaven is a substance (as yeast) used to produce fermentation (as in dough). Leaven, in the passage pertaining to Passover in Exodus Chapter 12, represents sin. In other places in the Bible leaven stand for the multiplying effect of the kingdom of God.
The Apostle Paul had this in mind when he wrote to the Corinthians (1 Co. 5:6-8). “Your glorying is not good. Know you not that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened. For even Christ [Messiah] our Passover is sacrificed for us; therefore, let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
Those who can afford it will buy new dishes to take the place of the old. Even new clothes are bought for the family. The day before the Passover, crumbs of bread are put around in several prominent places of the house which the father and son sweep together into a wooden spoon. The son holds a candle while the father, with a little feather brush, sweeps the crumbs into the spoon. Then he takes a piece of cloth which he wraps around the spoon and the brush, and keeps them from Thursday until Friday when he builds a fire in a lonely spot when he burns the spoon with the crumbs. During this time he recites: “AND THE REDEEMER SHALL COME TO ZION AND TAKE AWAY UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.” The spoon is called the “Crumb bearer” and pictures the Messiah, the “sin bearer”.
The Passover is celebrated in the home. After an early evening service in the synagogue, at sundown, the family gathers around the table, which is beautifully decorated. There is a place at the table for every for every member of the family including even the smallest child, for everyone is expected to take part in the feast and remain together from sunset until midnight.
The very first thing doe before any feast is the lighting of the candles. This is done by the woman of the house: one of the three (3) religious acts which is expected of the Jewish woman. The father, or head of the house, is dressed in a white coat and cap and reclines on two (2) pillows. Usually, the youngest boy leans on his chest, just as John leaned on Jesus’ chest.
The feast is begun by the head of the house saying a prayer, or benediction. “I AM NOW READY TO PREPARE AND FULFILL THE PRECEPT OF DRINKING THE FIRST CUP OF THE FOUR CUPS, FOR THE UNITING OF THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, AND THE SHECHINAH, THROUGH THE ONE THAT IS HIDDEN AND CONCEALED.” The One “hidden and concealed” refers to the Messiah concerning Whom it is taught that: He was to come, to disappear, and then come again.
The boy who leans on the father’s bosom then asks a number of questions why this night differs from all other nights. And the father answers: “This is the night in which God, Lord of Hosts, redeemed and brought out our forefathers from the land of Egypt and from bondage.” [Deuteronomy 6:20-24]
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THE PASSOVER – PART 2 OF 7
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THE PASSOVER – PART 2 OF 7
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This is Part 2 of a seven (7) part series to help you understand the Biblical roots of the Passover. Also, to help you understand WHY and HOW the Passover being celebrated today is different from that given to Moses in the instructions by God in Exodus Chapter 12. HOW did the changes come about and WHY? You will have a deeper understanding and love for your LORD after this study!
THE PASSOVER – PART 2 OF 7
Messiah Yeshua had told his disciples several times of His coming death; that He would go up to Jerusalem and there suffer many things from the Roman rulers and the chief priests, and then die. He told them that on the third day He would rise from the dead.
This made the disciples very sad, and they could hardly believe that such things should happen to Jesus. They thought that He would soon reign as a great king over the whole world and set up His beautiful and glorious kingdom of peace. They had learned much from the Hebrew Scriptures, the Tanakh, with the Lord’s instruction; they hoped they would have high places in the kingdom. Yeshua knew that it was the Father’s will for Him to die on the cross, the stake, for the sins of the world before the kingdom would be established.
Yeshua (Jesus) and His disciples went up to Jerusalem just a few days before the great holy day [holiday] called PASSOVER. Luke 22:7 in the Brit Chadashah contains a synopsis of what happened during this time:
Then came the day of unleavened bread when the PASSOVER must be killed. Jesus sent Peter and John ahead, saying to them, “Go and prepare us the PASSOVER, that we may eat.” And they said to Jesus, “Where will you that we prepare?” And Jesus said unto them, ”Go into the city, and as you enter, there shall a man meet you, carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he enters.” Jesus told them to tell the man, the head of the house, “The Master says to you, ”Where is the guestroom where I shall eat the PASSOVER with my disciples?'” He shall show you a large upper room furnished; there make ready for the PASSOVER. The disciples went and found just as Jesus had told them, and they prepared for the PASSOVER.
Did you ever wonder how the disciples could find or identify this man among all the thousands of people flooding Jerusalem at this time? It was easy: Jesus said he would be carrying a pitcher of water! It was the women’s job to get the drinking water from several fountains outside of Jerusalem.
Every year, true Jews who believe in God, and many Christians, keep this great memorial feast of the PASSOVER. I baptized my youngest son, my seventh (7th) child, during PASSOVER (after the Seder meal). We filled up the bathtub and when he came up out of the water he was speaking in another language: the biblical experience of tongues. He received the baptism in the Holy Spirit as described in the New Testament (Brit Chadashah) in Acts 2:38.
The Jews can never forget the night when G-d, with His mighty power, delivered His people from slavery and the cruel king, Pharaoh, of Egypt. God sent one plague after another upon the Egyptians to punish them for their cruel treatment of the Israelites. More and more Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let them go. Finally, God told Moses He would send one more plague. God would pass throughout the land of Egypt and the oldest child in every home would die, but He would make a way for all the Israelites (and whoever obeyed Him) to be saved.
Each family of the children of Israel was to take PERFECT LAMB and kill it. They were then to put the BLOOD over the top and on each side of the door of their house. When the LORD [Y-H-W-H] passed through the land of Egypt he would NOT kill any in those houses who had the BLOOD upon their doors. Exodus 12:12 in the Torah tells us: “And the BLOOD shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you are: and 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.”
“For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the BLOOD upon the lintel [top door piece, or beam], and on the two side posts, the LORD will PASS OVER the door, and will NOT allow the destroyer to come into your houses to smite you.” [Exodus 12:23]
At midnight there was an awful cry heard throughout all the land of Egypt. “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.” Only in the houses of Israel, where the BLOOD was on the door, was none dead!
Every day I speak the BLOOD of Messiah, God’s LAMB, over myself, my children clear to the end of my seed line, my family and relatives, my associates, those near and dear to me, plus my properties and whatever or whomever God has placed me over or given into my hands.
Every year at PASSOVER time there is a story told by Jewish people when they keep the PASSOVER feast. The story is NOT in the Bible but is handed down to subsequent generations. It is about one boy of the Israelites who was almost killed. This boy was the oldest son of the family and he knew what would happen if the BLOOD would not be put on the door. There was much excitement in every home and all were busy doing something: killing the little lamb, preparing and roasting it to eat. There were the vegetables to be made ready, the bread to be baked, and there was the packing to be done because everyone had to be ready to leave Egypt at midnight.
About 15 minutes before midnight the boy went to his father and asked, “Father, has the BLOOD been put on the door?” The father being very busy told the boy that it had been done and he should not trouble him with unnecessary questions. The boy asked the second time, and again the father assured him the BLOOD was on the door. But the boy just couldn’t forget what would happen to him if the BLOOD was not on the door, and 5 minutes before midnight he came once more to his father to ask if the BLOOD was really on the door.
The father now realized that the boy was frightened, so he took him to the door to assure him. To the father’s surprise the BLOOD was NOT on the door. Quickly the father looked for the BLOOD and found it in a bowl ready for use. He made a little brush of hyssop, rushed to the door, and applied the BLOOD to the door of their home. They hurried inside the house, closed the door, and just then “Swish-sh-sh” and the death angel PASSED OVER the house.
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THE PASSOVER – PART 1 OF 7
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THE PASSOVER – PART 1 OF 7
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This is Part 1 of a seven (7) part series to help you understand the Biblical roots of the Passover. Also, to help you understand WHY and HOW the Passover being celebrated today is different from that given to Moses in the instructions by God in Exodus Chapter 12. HOW did the changes come about and WHY? You will have a deeper understanding and love for your LORD after this study!
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THE PASSOVER – PART 1 OF 7
To the Christian it is most impressive, and it hardly can be less so to the Jew, to notice how very much Christianity and Judaism have in common. Christianity is NOT a religion which is altogether different from that of Judaism. Christianity is the direct outgrowth and development of Jewish life and history as recorded in the Tanakh, the Hebrew Scriptures (referred to by many as the Old Testament).
Jesus the Messiah, Yeshua HaMashiach, came not to bring a new religion, but to fulfill the promises made to the fathers: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He came to purchase eternal redemption with His precious blood for BOTH Jews and Gentiles. When the Christian sees that the Brit Chadasha (Hebrew New Testament) is the fulfillment of the Tanakh (Hebrew Scriptures) … and when he sees Yeshua as the Son of David … the One of whom Moses and the prophets did speak … he has a reason to have close kinship with Israel.
The PASSOVER FEAST reveals the entire plan of redemption designed by G-d for purchasing mankind that was separated from Him in the Garden of Eden.
Following are interesting facts concerning the Passover, from Dr. J. Hoffman Cohn’s booklet, A Passover Trilogy.
Only the PASSOVER in Egypt was observed exactly according to the instructions given in Exodus 12. The blood was never again put on the doors of the houses, and instead of being in great haste and ready for travel, the people now observe the Feast from sunset to midnight, with great leisure, profuse praise, and thanksgiving to God for the miraculous deliverance from slavery in Egypt.
When we come to New Testament times, we notice that very definite practices other than we read in Exodus 12 center around the PASSOVER FEAST. The TIME of its observance was fixed in accordance with the full moon after the first day of Spring. This was done so that the people had moonlight to travel by. However, in those days there were no almanacs or calendars giving the exact waxing and waning of the moon. The Sanhedrin, or governing body of the people had to be guided by the testimony of two witnesses.
These men were appointed to go to the highest mountaintop and there scan the sky for the first sign of the new moon. When the first sign appeared, they built bonfires on the top of the mountain. Then the people up and down the land of Judea passed on these signals by building bonfires from mountaintop to mountaintop until all the land was notified that the official witnesses had seen the first sign of the new moon.
Every Jew knew that he should count from that time of the bonfire signals a period of 10 days, and that on the 10th day he was to select the LAMB, and then there were four (4) more days to the actual time of killing the lamb. These four (4) additional days were ample time for each family to examine the LAMB minutely to see if there was any blemish. If such a blemish should be found, the LAMB was to be rejected and another one taken in its place. So it was that the Lord Jesus offered Himself, four (4) days before the PASSOVER, as the LAMB OF GOD that takes away the sin of the world.
It was not on a Sunday, however, but on Monday, the 10th of Nisan, when Messiah made what is now known as the as the triumphal entry into Jerusalem by the way of the “Sheep Gate.” It was at the very time the Jews were selecting the LAMBS for the coming PASSOVER. Yeshua challenged the nation: “Which of you convinces me of sin?” [John 8:46]
There was abundant opportunity to find fault, blemishes, or sin in the Messiah Jesus … four (4) days! However the final verdict came from the lips of Pilate when he cried out to the crowd, “I find no fault in this man!” [Luke 23:4] The Lord Jesus was the LAMB, without spot and without blemish. In Him all the Old Testament types were fulfilled.
Another interesting fact is: it was at sundown that the Lord Jesus observed the last PASSOVER with His disciples, although the official date was a day later. This may seem a contradiction but it isn’t. There were many devout Jews who were so faithful in their desire to serve God and obey His commandments that they often leaned over backwards – went to extremes – to make sure that they did not break “ONE JOT OR TITTLE” of the Law. These devout men were fearful, lest the witnesses might possibly have made a mistake by one day, and so cause the PASSOVER to begin a day over time.
It was therefore the practice, which was legally permitted, that such Jews could properly celebrate the opening night of the PASSOVER one-day ahead of the time officially set. However, they were NOT allowed to eat the PASSOVER LAMB until sunset of Passover evening, the actual time fixed by the Sanhedrin. To this very day the Jews observe two PASSOVER suppers (Seder).
So it was quite proper that our Lord and His disciples partook of the PASSOVER on the evening before, but there was NO LAMB. And how wonderfully divine was this plan, for on the NEXT DAY – the official day – the Lord Messiah Yeshua would offer Himself as the SPOTLESS LAMB slain from the foundation of the world … once for ALL TIME … to make atonement for the sins of the world.
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PASSOVER: A 7 PART SERIES – INTRODUCTION
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THE PASSOVER: A SEVEN PART SERIES
THE PASSOVER – INTRODUCTION
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This is a seven (7) part series to help you understand the Biblical roots of the Passover. Also, to help you understand WHY and HOW the Passover being celebrated today is different from that given to Moses in the instructions by God in Exodus Chapter 12. HOW did the changes come about and WHY? You will have a deeper understanding and love for your LORD after this study!
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THE PASSOVER – INTRODUCTION
Passover for the Jewish year 5776 begins Friday evening, April 22nd, at sundown. Saturday, April 23rd, 2016, will be the first DAY of Passover. The Jewish day starts in the evening at sundown in accordance to the Holy Scriptures.
In the Tanakh (Old Testament) we read in the first book of the Torah: “And the evening and the morning were the first day.” [Genesis 1:4] Passover always begins on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Nissan (remember … Hebrew days start at sundown). To help you more fully understand the significance of this wonderful Holy Feast we are presenting a seven (7) part series on the Passover, which starts at sundown April 22nd.
Actually, on the Jewish calendar of events the whole celebration involves eight days, because after the evening of Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread then continues for seven (7) more days. Therefore, both Orthodox and Messianic Jews will be celebrating from Friday evening at sundown (April 22nd through Saturday day, April 30th.)
There is to be NO leaven, or yeast cake (Hebrew “chametz”), in Jewish homes during this period according to the Torah. “Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eats that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.” [Exodus 12:19] This year, the Hebrew Year 5776, the ending of the Feast of Unleavened Bread will be on Saturday evening, April 30th. “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at evening.” [Exodus 12:18]
About 45 years ago the Lord directed me to go on an evangelistic trip from the West Coast to the East Coast (USA) and return. I packed five (5) bags and decided to walk two blocks to the nearest freeway interchange in Los Angeles and hitchhike to New York. He instructed me to travel strictly by faith and gave me the promise found in Jeremiah 33:3: “Call unto me, and I will answer you and show you GREAT and MIGHTY things you do not know about.” Within two hours of claiming the promise in Jeremiah 33:3 I had a ride to Philadelphia with two Jewish men. In Philadelphia two brothers of one of the men received Yeshua as their personal Messiah. Their sister loaned us a car in which we traveled to New York City and there I ministered to many wonderful Messianic Jews in Coney Island.
Such great MIRACLES happened on that trip, but one I treasure most was right before I returned to the West Coast. In Colorado I had the privilege of being directed by the Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit) to an elderly lady about 80 years of age who was married to a Jewish believer, a Messianic Jew. In her home she provided me with lots of information that has helped me through the years to reach many, many Jewish people with the message of Messiah. Her name was Hanna Wago and it is with great pleasure that I am sharing with you many of the things she taught me.
We are releasing the series, Passover: Part 1 to Part 7, during this Pasover season so you can teach others and then share with your friends each day through Passover [Pesach] and the feast of Unleavened Bread. I have edited in places, and also added some experiences and thoughts of my own. I trust it will be a blessing to many. You may want to print out this series to use for future reference or teaching. You are welcome to reprint the material(s) as long as they are used for FREE distribution.
Your friend and brother-in-Messiah, Prince Handley
P.S. – If you would like to celebrate the Passover Seder in your home, or with friends, I am including instructions below for setting the Passover table.
P.S.S. – Messiah Yeshua may have actually been crucified on Wednesday morning. Passover (Nisan “Aviv” 14 ) was on Thursday, that year, the Feast of Unleavened Bread began on Friday (seven day feast last to Nisan “Aviv” 21), and the regular weekday Sabbath was on Saturday. Jesus was crucified in the morning on Wednesday and placed in the tomb before 6 P.M. He arose from the grave sometime after 6 P.M. on Saturday, which would be early Sunday morning, the first day of the week, according to Jewish time-keeping. This explanation fits Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 12:40 that He would be “three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
SETTING THE PASSOVER TABLE
Use a nice tablecloth, lace or white linen, and four (4) pretty gasses for center along with two (2) large plates.
At one end of the table, where the head of the family will be seated, place a cover dish with three (3) large matzo cakes, wrapped separately.
At the other end of the table (where there will be an empty chair) place the other large plate: for Elijah’s place. On this plate put a couple of pieces of matzo, and next to the plate a glass of wine. This glass is the fifth glass (in addition to the four that are filled with wine in the center. You may use red juice or grape juice if you prefer.
Two (2) medium plates: one on which to place a bone and the other on which to place broken pieces of matzo.
Four (4) small dishes: one for a mixture of grated apple and cinnamon to represent clay; one for an egg; one for salt water; and one for bitter herbs.
Two candles and candlesticks. (Have matches for lighting the candles.) Two pillows on which the head of the house will recline and between which the APHIKOMEN will be hidden (this will be explained in the newsletter series).
A wooden spoon into which leavened breadcrumbs are swept, and a feather brush. Also, a napkin into which the spoon, feather brush, and crumbs are wrapped for burning the next day. A white prayer cloth and white yarmulke (skullcap).
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THE PASSOVER – PART 7 OF 7
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THE PASSOVER – PART 7 OF 7
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This is Part 7 of seven (7), the final part in this series to help you understand the Biblical roots of the Passover. Also, to help you understand WHY and HOW the Passover being celebrated today is different from that given to Moses in the instructions by God in Exodus Chapter 12. HOW did the changes come about and WHY? You will have a deeper understanding and love for your LORD after this study!
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THE PASSOVER – PART 7 OF 7 – CONCLUSION
One more thing you will find in every Jewish home at the Passover table is an EMPTY chair, some unleavened bread, and a cup of wine. But, no one uses the chair, touches the plate, or drinks from the wine. The question may be asked, “For whom is the chair, the plate, and the cup waiting?” The answer would be, “The chair, the plate, and the cup are waiting for Elijah, or the Coming One.” For every Jew is eagerly awaiting for Elijah that night, who is to announce and usher in the coming of the Messiah. [Malachi 4:5-6]
Just before the close of the Passover supper, which lasts until midnight, the oldest child arises from the table, goes to the door, and opens it for Elijah to make his entrance. There is a moment of expectancy, and the head of the house recites: “Thou God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Long have we waited for your promise. We beseech you now to send your anointed, whom You have promised, the Son of David. Have mercy upon your people Israel. Gather us according to your Word and we shall be Your people and You will delight in us as of old. Behold all things are ready and we wait.”
After a few minutes of waiting, the door is closed, and the head of the house recites: “How long, oh LORD, how long? Will Your anger not be turned away from Your people and will You have mercy and restore us to Your favor? Behold our suffering! We are scattered among the nations. They mock us, saying, ‘Where is your God? Where is the promise of His coming?’ We grow faint, yet we hope. Lord, our God, may it please You to gather Your people speedily, restore us to Your favor, at least next year may we celebrate this feast with you in Jerusalem, Your own habitation.”
It is a sad thing that many Jewish people should still be waiting, not knowing that Yeshua, their Messiah, has already come. Just as the Jewish apostles went out into all the world telling the goyim (the gentiles) the Good News of salvation, so you and I are to tell the Jewish people today the story of Jesus and His love: that He came 2000 years ago as the true PASSOVER LAMB, to redeem us with His BLOOD. Although the Lord Jesus asks us (rather, commanded us) to do this, very few believers in Jesus obey His command.
I preached in a large mission in Philadelphia which was run by a wonderful Jewish brother named Abraham Mazer. One day a Jewish woman came to a certain mission to hear what the Jewish believer had to say. It was Passover time and he told his people that Messiah had come and given His precious BLOOD for the salvation of both Jews and Gentiles. The woman left the mission before the service was over, but a few days later the Jewish brother learned who the woman was and where she lived. He went to see her and told her that Yeshua was our Passover lamb, giving His life for the sins of the whole world.
The woman then told Jewish man that she had had such good son. Her son loved her so much and all he wanted was to make his poor mother happy. Her son had been out of work for a long time. When he was finally called to come to work at a department store, he did not have enough clothes to dress warmly for the job. It was winter and he took a cold; a few days later developed pneumonia and died. Tears were streaming down her face as she said to the Jewish believer, “Why didn’t you come before? My son would have believed, he was such a son!”
Millions of Jewish graves are saying to you and to me, “Why didn’t you come before?!”
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THE PASSOVER – PART 6 OF 7
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THE PASSOVER – PART 6 OF 7
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This is Part 6 of a seven (7) part series to help you understand the Biblical roots of the Passover.
Also, to help you understand WHY and HOW the Passover being celebrated today is different from that given to Moses in the instructions by God in Exodus Chapter 12.
HOW did the changes come about and WHY?
You will have a deeper understanding and love for your LORD after this study!
THE PASSOVER – PART 6 OF 7
Because the Apostle Paul wrote: “Messiah our Passover is sacrificed for us,” there was no more need to kill a Passover lamb. Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Anointed One) was “the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world”. To ever remember His great sacrifice, the early followers of Messiah put the shinbone upon the Passover table. They used the unbroken shinbone because it was also written of Him, “no bone of His shall be broken.” The little piece of matzo hidden away on a high shelf was to the early Jewish Messianic believers a picture and remembrance of Messiah’s ascension into Heaven; bringing it down the next year reminded them of the promise of His coming again.
The use of the wine also comes from the Jewish believers in Messiah Yeshua. It is essential for the Passover because Jesus took the cup, gave thanks and gave it to the disciples. The wine must be red, resembling blood, because Jesus said: “This is my blood of the New Testament, shed for many for the remission of sins.” And everyone must partake of it because Jesus said: “Drink you ALL, of it.”
And what about this mysterious word “APHIKOMEN“? This is not a Hebrew word; rather it is a Greek word and reads exactly as the Jewish people pronounce it. What is the meaning of this mysterious word “Aphikomen?” It looks like a Greek word. Most scholars are agreed that it is, but different opinions exist as to its meaning. Some say it comes from “Epikomos” and means “dessert”. But that does not seem to be correct, since a great deal of violence had to be perpetrated on the word “Epikomos” in order to turn it into “Aphikomen.” But there is another Greek word, which gives a full and satisfactory explanation, and where etymological violence is not at all necessary to give it meaning. It reads exactly as our Aphikomen. What does it mean? According to the Greek lexicon it means, “I CAME.”
Who came? The One, obviously, whom the broken Matzo represents, namely, the Lord Yeshua, the True Pesach! [1]
[1] The Mystery in the Passover Seder: The story that could not be forgotten. By Solomon Birnbaum.
Imagine the setting that night in the upper room when Yeshua Himself was participating in the Passover, the very ceremony that prophesied His death! The One whom the Passover had promised to every age of believers was keeping the feast himself and the next day he would keep it literally: not with symbols … but with His body on the cross-stake! His blood for men’s souls instead of the blood on the doorposts.
Jesus was … and still is … saying: “The Angel of Death who spared the Children of Israel because He saw the blood of the lamb on the doors of their houses, will spare you from eternal death because he will see My BLOOD on the doors of your hearts though faith! As your fathers were delivered from the bondage of Egypt, so you will be delivered from the bondage of sin.”
It is interesting how the “Lord’s Supper” became the core of the Jewish Passover. The first Messianic believers were almost all Jews in the early days of the Christian era. Every one of the first disciples of Yeshua was Jewish, with the possible exception of Luke. It has been estimated that almost 1,000,000 Jews became followers of the Lord Jesus in the first century AD.
The old time synagogue in the first century accepted the Messianic Jew (the followers of Jesus). In the makeup of the synagogue in those days there were Pharisees, Sadducees, Hellenists, Essenes, and many other groups of Jewish belief systems. So when large numbers of Jews began to accept Yeshua as Messiah, they were still allowed to stay in the synagogue. They were known as Nazarenes, and were given respect and attention.
Now while the other Jews celebrated the Passover as instituted by Moses, Jewish believers in Messiah celebrated the same occasion with bread and wine, depicting in the observance the suffering, death and resurrection of the Lord. There were TWO (2) KINDS of Passover being celebrated, and as more and more Jews became followers of Messiah, there were more and more Jews who kept the Passover the NEW way: the way it is observed today!!
With the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in AD 70, the Old Testament Passover as commanded by Moses ceased. The only Passover observance, which survived within the Jewish nation, was that of the Messianic Hebrew followers of Jesus. The Messianic Passover, therefore, became the celebration of ALL Israel: the MAIN features of which were the bread (matzo cakes) and the wine.
Every year during the Passover Seder, when the Jews partake of the bread (matzo) and the wine, they are unconsciously celebrating the fact that Messiah’s body was broken for them, His blood shed for them, and that He is going to return to set up His Kingdom where He will celebrate with us the Passover!
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