Pass – over Easter?

19 04 2019

Passover Lamb

Do Passover and Easter conflict with each other? As a Christian Zionist, this is important to me. There are three reasons they agree and one huge reason they conflict. It’s really not that complicated. The original events commemorated are in total agreement. It is only the later traditions added that confuse the issue.

So let me explain. Have you heard of this saying about the Old and New Testaments? “The Old is in the New revealed and the New is in the Old concealed.” This is a summary of the concept that, as Yehovah God was revealing His purpose, first with Israel and then all the nations, it was a progressive revelation.

Passover, and the other feasts of Yehovah in Leviticus 23, are the pattern for the entire Bible/human history. Before the Messiah came, the possibility of relationship with God was primarily national. After He came it was revealed to be intimately personal. This was not a new plan, but was hidden in the Torah, or Old Testament, all along. Abraham was saved not for who he was, but because he believed God. For example, here is a paragraph I recently wrote for a small group in my home town:

Celebrating the resurrection is certainly Biblical because it is the fulfillment of First Fruits, the third feast of Yehovah on the morning after the Sabbath. See Leviticus 23.  Yeshua (Jesus) is the Passover Lamb. He is also the Unleavened (by sin) Bread, and then the first fruit from the dead. Hallelujah! (FYI – I personally do not use the name “Easter” because it comes from the name of the Babylonian goddess Ishtar, goddess of fertility, and thus the rabbits and eggs.)

So, the three feasts of Passover week are fulfilled in Jesus with perfect symmetry. The same is true for Shavuot/Pentecost, and the Fall Feasts. (I gave a ten-minute summary of each Feast in this radio interview. Listen to the first part about Passover.)

The big deal about the clash between Passover and Easter, is certainly not about Scripture, it is about tradition. As I said in the above quote, Easter is a name traced back to the top Babylonian goddess, a pagan deity of fertility that appears by many names throughout history. This was never originally associated with the resurrection of Yeshua. It was later added intentionally to divert from Jesus.

The crazy fact is that even though the name Easter came into use many hundreds of years after Jesus, the name actually appears in the King James Bible in a mega translation error:

And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. Acts 12:4 KJV

This is terribly unfortunate because virtually all other translations make the correction. The Greek word is “Pesach” which literally means “Passover.” If you look at the preceding verses in the New King James you see a direct reference to Passover (Unleavened Bread) in verse 3.

Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread. So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover. Acts 12:1-4 NKJV

As for me and my house, we will celebrate two glorious historic days of deliverance this weekend. We will thank our Father God for the fabulous night almost 4,000 years ago that the death Angel passed over every house, which had the blood of a spotless lamb on the doorpost. We will also celebrate and worship the living Lamb of God who died and rose from the dead after three days; whose blood has washed over us who believe, so that we are clean before God. Death has passed over us by the gracious unmerited favor of God over all who believe in Him, who is the Living Passover Lamb.

HAPPY RESURRECTION DAY!

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and pray for rain.

Les Lawrence, Voice of Christian Zionists                     (Read more)


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Passover News from Israel

27 03 2018

Passover at Temple MtHere are some very interesting stories about Passover from Israeli news sources for your enjoyment. My last commentary was about why Christian Zionists observe Passover. This time I just want to share a glimpse into modern Israeli culture around Passover which starts at sundown this Friday.

Treasure trove of ancient Jewish ‘freedom coins’ just in time for Passover – JERUSALEM, Israel – Hebrew University archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar uncovered a rare treasure trove of bronze coins from the time of the Jewish revolt against the Romans more than 1,900 years ago. “A discovery like this – ancient coins bearing the words ‘Freedom’ and ‘Redemption’ – found right before the Jewish Festival of Freedom, Passover, begins is incredibly moving,” she said.

Third Temple Alert: Police Authorize Passover Sacrifice Next to Temple Mount – Last year, the Passover sacrifice was conducted in the courtyard of the nearby Hurva Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, some 450 yards from the Temple Mount. This year, it will take place at the Davidson Center, an archaeological park situated at the southern foot of the sacred plateau, and just below the Al Aqsa Mosque.

Symbolic and Traditional Passover Recipes – A poll just taken in Israel – which, incidentally has a majority secular population – found that 67.3 percent of Israeli Jews will eat only kosher (satisfying the requirements of Jewish law) food for Passover and that 63.1 percent will also clean their homes, removing all traces of hametz, or unleavened products, symbolic of sin. (Note from Les: The author made what I am sure was simply a typo. It is “leavened” products removed, not unleavened.)

PA: Passover rites a ‘dangerous precedent’ – Palestinian Authority says Jewish worship in vicinity of Temple Mount is unacceptable, vows to continue to pay terrorists.

So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to Yehovah  throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses.Exodus 12:14-15

Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 1 Corinthians 5:7-8

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and pray for rain.

Les Lawrence, Voice of Christian Zionists               (Read more)

 

 


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Why Observe Passover?

24 03 2018

Dry Bones No Bread

Why should Christians observe Passover, starting next Friday night, March 30? The cartoon above inserts a little humor “explaining” why the first Passover is still remembered. Of course, the real reason centers on the lamb sacrifice that pointed to the reality of the death of the Messiah as the Lamb of God.

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29

As a Christian Zionist, I consider Passover as the hinge of history. I don’t do eggs or bunnies. Is the story of the  exodus from Egypt 3,500 years ago the main point, or was it a preview of the event to occur thousands of years later? The answer is: Yes! It was the main starting point of Yehovah’s plan of redemption of the blood of a lamb atoning for sin. But, it is also the ending point with the actual sacrifice of the Son of God in our place.

who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.Hebrews 7:27

By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.Hebrews 10:10

The cross is often called the hinge of history, and rightly so, but it was not the method of His death, but the fact of Yeshua’s death that is the hinge. There are three parts to a hinge. One part attaches to the door and another to the doorframe, but the pin holds it together. There are also three parts to Passover: the lamb, unleavened bread, and first-fruits. The three parts are clearly seen in Yeshua.

First, He was sinless (unleavened by sin) and chose to deny His own will and submit to the Father’s will in the Garden of Gethsemane temptation. He reversed the curse of  “self-will.” Three times! Then He willingly laid down His life at His execution, as the Lamb of God, which was the pin of the hinge.

But it would have all been meaningless if He had remained dead. The third and most critical part of the hinge is that He was raised from the dead, defeating death itself! As the personal fulfillment of first-fruits, He paved the way for all who follow Him to also be raised from the dead to life eternal. Hallelujah to the Lamb of God!

And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.Acts 4:33

Les Lawrence, Voice of Christian Zionists                (Read more)


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Passover Merger

10 04 2017

Passover LambAs Jewish families observe Passover this week, a growing phenomena is happening. More Christians than ever are also sharing a Passover supper. Tonight, Doreen and I will be with 110 of our closest friends to celebrate the deliverance of the human race from the slavery of sin and condemnation.

The passing over of the death angel in Egypt was the first indication of Yehovah’s plan of salvation through the blood of a lamb. Who knew back then that the Messiah would ultimately become that Lamb Himself? (Read Isaiah 53)Jews and Christians who really value Passover are closer than ever to that wonderful merger of Ephesians as I wrote about in my book, Blessing Israel.

Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Ephesians 2:11-18

“One new man from the two” refers to Jews and former Gentiles, merging with one another by the Holy Spirit in their shared access to God. Hallelujah! This is the miracle of sacrifice of the eternal Lamb of God, our Messiah Yeshua.

Let it be done O Lord, according to your word. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

Les Lawrence, Voice of Christian Zionists          (Read more)

 


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Passover: Life or Death?

22 04 2016

A Passover jpegPassover 101 Tonight, millions of Jews and Christians all around the world begin celebrating seven days of Passover, remembering a critical turning point of history. After 400 years of Egyptian slavery, God’s chosen people were freed to establish the nation of Israel in the Land chosen by Yehovah God.

The story of their deliverance and the ten plagues will be detailed in each Passover meal this week, but I want to focus on the macro view. Yehovah revealed how He planned to deal with sin. Ever since the Fall of Adam and Eve, we all were born with a sinful, selfish nature. One way to satisfy God’s justice was destroy all the wicked and start over.

Original sin: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23 The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23

The wonderful news is that He had a better way to satisfy the justice demand of a death for a death. He first gave an animal sacrifice in blood to cover our sin, one year at a time, renewable on the annual Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. However, this only covered our sin. The permanent solution was to offer His only begotten Son, as the “Lamb” of Yehovah God. This blood sacrifice was so pure, so Holy, it washes us clean, and holy, and righteous: blameless before God! Hallelujah!

We tend to think of the death of the firstborn in Egypt as the main message of the Exodus story, but I submit to you that the main point is the LIFE that was given to the Hebrew slaves. Any Hebrew family that put the lamb’s blood on their doorpost was spared. But if any Egyptian family believed what Moses said from God, they also would be spared. But, Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused God’s offer. The salvation from death was for all who believed. The same is true today. Any single person who believes in Jesus as the Lamb of God will have his or her sins forgiven and granted eternal life in fellowship with Father God and His Son, Yeshua the Messiah!

As I said in my newest book, Blessing Israel, God did not choose Israel as a means of excluding all the nations, but as the means of saving everyone who believes in Him. So, is the main theme of Passover, death? Or, is it life? The choice is yours.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

Les Lawrence, Voice of Christian Zionists         (READ MORE)

 

 

 


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Passover and the Third Blood Moon

3 04 2015

Blood moon 4Tonight is the beginning of Passover and also the third blood moon in the holy tetrad of four blood moons on Jewish feast days. Last year saw the first two on Passover and Tabernacles. The third is actually tomorrow morning in the US Eastern Time Zone (April 4). The finale is a super/blood moon on September 28, visible in Israel during the Feast of Tabernacles.

Major historical events impacting Israel have occurred each time period that sees this holy tetrad (four consecutive blood moons on Jewish holy days). It was observed around the time of the crucifixion of Jesus, the expelling of the Jews from Spain (500 years ago), and then not again until the birth of Israel following the Holocaust. There have been others, but not on Jewish feast days. In a real astronomical anomaly, three sets of these tetrads occur in a space of 70 years from 1948 to 2015, and then not again for over 500 years.

The first tetrad was around the time of the birth of Israel and the War of Independence in ’48 and ’49. The next one was near the recapture of Jerusalem at the Six Day War in ’67 and ’68. We are now in the last cycle which finishes this Fall. Some critics find fault that each cycle only finished after the historical event linked to it. My answer to that is that it is close enough to deserve our attention. Yet, there is one great difference this time.

This is the first and only time in history when science and technology have reached the point where we can actually chronicle these events astronomically. This time we knew about it ahead of time! At the very least we should look up and ask the Lord for His intention in this revelation.

“And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” Luke 21:25-28

As Christian Zionists celebrating Passover this year, we see all three feasts fulfilled in Jesus, the Messiah; Yeshua haMashiach! He is the Passover Lamb that takes away the sins of the world for all who believe in Him. He is the Unleavened Bread who was sinless. He is the Firstfruit from the dead. Jesus died, was buried and He rose from the dead on the third day. (Listen to my ten minute teaching on each of the seven Feasts of Yehovah here.)

His last Passover with His friends will be renewed in the restored Kingdom of Israel with millions of new blood-washed followers in the Messianic Kingdom coming soon!

Les Lawrence, Voice of Christian Zionists        (READ MORE)

Passover Greetings


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