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THE PASSOVER LAMB
Exodus 12
THE FEAST OF PASSOVER
This feast was instituted while the
Hebrews were still in Egypt. Before
the tenth plague brought death to
every first born, God provided a
means for the death angel to pass
over the home of those who obeyed
Him, and to prepare them for a new
life as a separated and holy nation.
The faithful observance of the rites
and ceremonies connected to this
event would mean the preservation
of Israel in the hour of God's judgment
upon the land of Egypt, and the beginning
of a new era for the people of God.
On the tenth day of the first month,
they were to select a lamb without
blemish from the flock, and they
were to keep it until the evening
of the fourteenth day. Then it was
to be killed and its flesh was to
be eaten. Its blood was to be applied
on the lintel and the two door posts
on all their houses. This was the
means of their salvation in view
of the coming judgment that night.
The Lord's promise to them was,
". . .when I see the blood,
I will pass over you. . ." (Exodus
12:13)
In the New Covenant, Jesus is our
'Passover Lamb'. He laid down His
life without complaint, was wounded
for our transgressions, and was bruised
for our iniquities.
When a sinner repents and surrenders
to the Lord, Jesus' blood is applied
to his heart, bringing forgiveness
and birthing him into the Body of
Christ. He is redeemed [Eph. 1:7],
justified [Rom.5:9], has peace with
God [Col. 1:20], and experiences
restored fellowship with our heavenly
Father [Eph. 2:13].
Indeed, the Passover experience
is a brand new beginning - a new
life - for the child of God. Old
things begin to pass away, and all
things begin to become new. The bondage
of the world and sin, the old lifestyle
of serving the lusts of the flesh
is left behind, giving way to a new
walk in the Spirit of God. Jesus
died on Calvary long ago, but He
appeared to you personally as your
sin offering in the here and now,
and you beheld Him in spirit hanging
upon a cursed tree for you.
Historically He became as the Passover
Lamb two millenniums ago, but by
the Holy Spirit, He appeared to you
as that same Jesus, and brought His
death into your present, in a manner
more real and wonderful than it was
to those who stood gazing in shocked
anguish at the foot of the cross
that day at Jerusalem. When He appeared
to you as your Passover Lamb, you
beheld Him in the spirit. It was
not the shadow of the Man of Galilee
that you saw, but the One who was
slain in the realm of the spirit
from the foundation of the world.
He became manifested in power in
your life in the true Feast of Passover,
not in the shadow, but in the substance.
He came to you as the Lamb, in the
eternal and infinite power of His
blood, in the authority of His life,
and a new and glorious day dawned
for you, a new beginning. Historically
the death of Jesus Christ was the
first step in the process of producing
a spiritual kingdom of people who
would eventually rule and reign with
the Lord over the earth and all things.
Jesus spoke of the fruit of His death
in this manner:
"The hour is come that the Son
of man should be glorified. Verily,
verily, I say to you, except a grain
of wheat fall into the ground and
die, it abides alone: but if it dies,
it brings forth much fruit"
(John 12:23-24).
Jesus died that through His death
He might become the first fruits of
a vast family of sons of God who would
follow Him. [1 Corinthians 15:23]
Do not use the word Easter - it is
an error interpolated for the word
Passover - see: Origin of the word Easter
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