From: heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com
Sent: Monday, April 14, 1997 1:38 AM
To: Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup
Subject: Why Should Christians Celebrate Passover ???
>From Eddie:
**************
I praise G-d for the members of this list and countless
others around the USA and the rest of the world whom G-d by His Ruach
HaKodesh / Holy Spirit is putting upon the hearts of His people to
return to and examine the Hebraic/Jewish Roots of their faith!!! In
doing so, believers are discovering the richness of the sabbath and
the Biblical Festivals. It is the primary focus of this ministry
"Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int'l" to network with other ministries and
believers worldwide to teach about the Hebraic/Jewish Roots of
Christianity and all its aspects with special emphasis on the
sabbath, Biblical Festivals and the role of the Torah to the
non-Jewish believer in Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah.
Words cannot express how G-d has blessed me by HIM giving
to me this ministry. In truth, it was HIS idea and not mine. Words
cannot express how the members of this newsgroup have blessed me
and encouraged me in this G-d given work. Thank you so much for all
your prayers and encouragement but most of all Baruch HaShem!
May ALL glory go to HIM !!!
Since a major emphasis of this ministry is to teach the
significance of the Biblical Festivals to Bible believing Christians
who have accepted Yeshua/Jesus as their personal L-rd and Savior and
because we are FAST approaching the Passover season, it is my GOAL to
take the next week and discuss why EVERY Christian should be
celebrating and keeping Passover and attending/inquiring about doing
a Passover Seder.
I praise G-d for the pastors on this list who have done
Passover Seder's in their churches. I would strongly encourage you to
continue to learn about the Festivals of God and their importance in
revealing G-d's redemptive plan (both the 1st and 2nd coming of
Yeshua/Jesus and our personal relationship with G-d).
Presently, there are MANY questions regarding Passover
in the Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup "queue" waiting to be answered and
discussed. I would like to begin to answer and discuss these
questions in the next week. To begin with, I would like to begin by
writing this article and give a Biblical teaching and explanation why
Christians should begin and continue to keep Passover. So, let us
begin ...
KEEPING PASSOVER IS NOT A SALVATION ISSUE
For many Christians who have an engrained "we are not
under the law" mentality and misunderstanding of the Bible even
though the New Covenant is the TORAH written upon our hearts
(Jeremiah 31:33, Hebrews 8:10) whenever they hear the word
"Passover", the immediately begin to have the thoughts that "you are
trying to put me back under the law and we are not saved by keeping
the law". So, I need to first explain that keeping Passover is NOT a
salvation issue. In Ephesians 2:8-9 it is written:
"For by GRACE are you SAVED through FAITH; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should
boast"
Therefore, keeping Passover is NOT a salvation issue as
we are saved by GRACE through faith. However, if we read the next
verse in Ephesians 2:10 it is written:
"For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto GOOD WORKS,
which GOD has before ORDAINED that we should walk in them"
Reading Ephesians 2:10 with a Jewish mindset, the "good
works" can only be interpreted to mean "keeping the commandments of
God". That we should "walk" in them referrs also to keeping the
commandments of God as the Jewish people refer to keeping the
commandments as "halacha" which means "how one walks".
Therefore, we have this order.
#1) Salvation by GRACE through FAITH and NOT of works
(Ephesians 2:8-9)
#2) While not being saved by works, we are ordained by G-d AFTER we
are saved to DO GOOD WORKS and WALK in them (Eph 2:10)
This same truth is iterated in Romans 3:28,31
#1) Romans 3:28: "Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by
faith without the deeds of the law"
#2) Romans 3:31: "Do we then make void the law through faith? God
forbid, yea, we establish (keep) the law"
Therefore, in discussing the keeping of Passover for
Christians, we must first understand that keeping Passover is NOT a
salvation issue but is a commandment of G-d that we are to keep AFTER
we are saved. Next, in order to get a better understanding regarding
how Passover should be a part of the life of every believer in
Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah, we need to understand who Yeshua/Jesus is
and by knowing who He is we can better relate and understand how
Passover pertains to both Jewish and non-Jewish believers in Him as
Messiah.
JESUS IS LORD (YHVH)
In I Corinthians 12:3 it is written:
"Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the
Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that
Jesus is LORD (YHVH in Hebrew) but by the Holy Ghost /Ruach HaKodesh.
In Philippians 2:10-11 it is written:
"That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in
heaven, and things in earth and things under the earth: and that
every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is LORD (YHVH in
Hebrew) to the glory of God the Father"
In Revelation 19:13, 16 it is written:
"And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood and his name is
called The WORD OF GOD (Jesus) ... and he has on his vesture and on
his thigh a name written KING of kings and LORD of lords"
In Acts 1:9-12, it tells us that Yeshua/Jesus ascended up to
heaven from the Mount of Olives as it is written:
"And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken
up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they
looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood
by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why
stand ye gazing up into heaven? this SAME JESUS will come in LIKE
MANNER as you have seen him go to heaven. Then returned they unto
Jerusalem from the mount called OLIVES ..."
Therefore, in this passage in Acts 1:9-12, we are told
that Jesus ascended up to heaven from the Mount of Olives and he will
return IN LIKE MANNER to the Mount of Olives. Where is this recorded
in the Bible? In Zechariah 14:3-4 as it is written:
"Then the LORD (YHVH) shall go forth and fight against the nations as
when he fought in the day of battle. And HIS FEET (the LORD in Zech
14:3 who is YHVH) shall stand upon the mount of Olives ..."
So, in Acts 1:9-12, Jesus ascended into heaven from the
Mount of Olives and we are told that he would return in like manner.
In Zechariah 14:3-4, we see the prophecy of his return at his second
coming and we are told that the one who sets his feet on the Mount of
Olives in Zechariah 14:4 is the LORD (YHVH) in Zechariah 14:3 who is
Jesus (Acts 1:9-12). Jesus is LORD as we are told in (I Cor 12:3,
Phillipians 2:10-11, Revelation 19:13,16). Why is this important to
understand? We need to understand this truth to see the festivals in
their proper perspective which will allow us to see why we as
Christians are called by G-d to keep and celebrate Passover.
PASSOVER IS A FEAST OF THE LORD
In Leviticus 23:1-2,4 it is written:
"And the LORD spake unto Moses saying, Speak unto the children of
Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the FEASTS of the LORD, which
you shall proclaim to be holy convocations ("miqra" (4744) = which
means "rehearsals") even these are MY FEASTS .. These are the FEASTS
of the LORD, even holy convocations (4744 = rehearsals) which you
shall proclaim in the seasons (4150 - "mo'ed" = "an exact time, a set
time or an appointed time")"
Notice that Leviticus 23:1-2,4 does NOT say that these are
the feasts of the JEWS. It DOES say that these are the FEASTS of the
LORD.
In Psalm 40:7 and Hebrews 10:7, it tells us that in the volume
of the book (the Bible) it is written about Jesus. In Luke 24:44,
Yeshua/Jesus tells us that the OT or the TeNaKH (Law, Prophets,
Writings) are written about HIM! In Philippians 2:10-11, I Cor 12:3,
Revelation 19:13,16, we are told that Yeshua/Jesus is LORD. In Acts
1:9-12 and Zechariah 14:3-4, we know that Yeshua/Jesus is LORD (YHVH
in Hebrew). So, by understanding this, in Leviticus 23:1-2,4 it is
telling us that these are the festivals of the LORD (YHVH) or
Yeshua/Jesus. These are HIS FEASTS that WE are supposed to keep.
In Leviticus 23:5, it describes the feast of Passover as
it is written:
"In the 14th day of the first month at even is the Lord's Passover"
In Leviticus 23:14, we read that this is to be a statute
FOREVER as it is written:
"... it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all
your dwellings"
In Exodus 12:14 it is written:
"So this day shall be unto you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a
feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a
feast by an EVERLASTING ORDINANCE"
JESUS CELEBRATED PASSOVER
In Luke 2:41-42, Yeshua/Jesus celebrated Passover as it it
written:
"Now his parents went to Jerusalem EVERY YEAR at the FEAST of
PASSOVER. And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem
after the CUSTOM of the feast"
The "last supper" was a PASSOVER SEDER. In Luke 22:15,
18-19 it is written:
"And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this
PASSOVER with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any
more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the Kingdom of God ... For
I say unto you, I will not drink of the FRUIT OF THE VINE (the cup in
the Passover Seder) until the Kingdom of God shall come. And he took
bread (the MATZA in the PASSOVER SEDER) and gave thanks (saying the
blessing over the bread (Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheynu Melech HaOlam
HaMotzi Lechem Min Ha Aretz) and broke it and gave unto them, saying,
This is my body which is given for you; this do in remembrance of me"
YESHUA/JESUS IS G-D'S PASSOVER LAMB
Regarding the Passover Lamb, it was to be without blemish. In
Exodus 12:5 it is written:
"Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year ..."
In John 1:29, Yochanan/John the Baptist /Immerser identified
Yeshua/Jesus as being the "Lamb of God" as it is written:
"The next day John seeing Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold
the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world"
In I Peter 1:18-19 it is written:
"For as much as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible
things like silver or gold ... but with the precious blood of Christ,
as a LAMB WITHOUT BLEMISH and without spot"
THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF PASSOVER
When you celebrate Passover, you are to view it as G-d personally
redeeming YOU. In Exodus 13:8 it is written:
"And you shall tell you son in that day, saying, This is done because
of what the LORD DID unto ME when *I* came forth out of Egypt"
This is what the Apostle Paul was trying to communicate in I
Corinthians 10:1 at it is written:
"Moreover, brethren, I would not that you should be ignorant how that
ALL OUR fathers were under the cloud and ALL passed through the sea
..."
PASSOVER IS THE REDEMPTION OF G-D'S FIRSTBORN
In Exodus 4:22 it is written:
"Then you shall say to Pharoah, Thus says the Lord: Israel is my son,
even MY FIRSTBORN"
The church (called out assembly of people who have accepted
Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah both Jew and non-Jew) is the firstborn of
G-d. In Hebrews 12:22-23a it is written:
"But you have come unto Mount Zion and to the city of the living G-d,
the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the
general assembly and CHURCH OF THE FIRSTBORN"
Even as G-d redeemed the children of Israel from the bondages
of Egypt by applying the blood of the Lamb upon the doorposts of
their houses, this is rich is spiritual application and significance.
Egypt is a type of the world and the world's system. The
ruler of Egypt (the world) is Pharaoah (HaSatan/Satan). The bondage
that we are enslaved when we are in the world's system is sin.
Spiritually, the believers in Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah are the house
of G-d (Hebrews 3:6, I Peter 2:5). The slaying of the Passover Lamb is a
spiritually picture of the spiritual Lamb of G-d, Yeshua/Jesus and
His death upon the tree whose blood takes away the
sins of the world (John 1:29). Historically, the blood was applied to
the doorposts. Spiritually, the doorposts represents our hearts.
PURGING LEAVEN FROM OUR HOUSES
In preparation for the Passover season, Orthodox Jews remove
leaven from their houses. In the Bible, leaven is symbolic of sin.
Spiritually, the houses represents our hearts. Spiritually, we are to
examine our lives and allow the Ruach HaKodesh / Holy Spirit to
reveal the sin that is in our lives and to remove that sin by
confessing our sins to G-d the Father and allow the blood of
Yeshua/Jesus to forgive us of our sins.
In the ceremony of purging leaven from your houses, it is
tradition in the Orthodox Jewish home that 10 small pieces of leaven
in hidden in the house. The house is dark and the leaven is searched
with a candle. Once found the leaven it is taken along with a wooden
spoon and the leaven is swept onto the spoon with a feather. It is
then wrapped in linen and thrown out of the house. This is RICH in
spiritual meaning.
The leaven represents sin. The house represents our bodies.
The candle represents the Word of God (Psalm 119:105). The feather
represents the Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh. We find sin in our lives
by knowing the Word of God with the help of the Ruach HaKodesh / Holy
Spirit to convict us of that sin. Once the sin is found, we are to
sweep the leaven onto the wooden spoon. The wooden spoon represents
the tree that Yeshua/Jesus was crucified. It is then wrapped in a
linen cloth. Following the death of Yeshua/Jesus when He took upon
Himself the sins of the entire world by dying on the tree, He was
wrapped in linen. The linen cloth is then thrown out of the house
and burned. Even so, Yeshua/Jesus descended into the depts of hell
( a place of burning) and purchased our redemption by being our
substitute for the penalty of sin so that we will not have go to
hell if we confess Yeshua/Jesus as our personal L-rd and Savior.
THE 15 STEPS IN THE PASSOVER SEDER
There are 15 steps in the Passover Seder. There 15 steps are
seen as being a ladder or steps to the throne of God. As you progress
from one step to the final step, spiritually, you should see yourself
as making spiritual "aliyah" (ascent) unto G-d. This teaches us that
G-d doesn't want us to remain spiritual babies but He desires all
believers to grow to spiritual maturity (make spiritual aliyah). The
steps prior to eating the Passover Seder meal will teach about the
events in the 1st coming of Yeshua/Jesus. The steps following the
Seder meal will teach about the 2nd coming of Yeshua/Jesus.
YESHUA AND HIS FOLLOWERS WILL OBSERVE PASSOVER
DURING THE MESSIANIC AGE
In Luke 22:18, Yeshua/Jesus told us that He would drink again
of the "FRUIT OF THE VINE" (the cup of Passover) when He returns
during the Messianic Age as it is written:
"For I say unto you, I will not drink of the FRUIT OF THE VINE until
the Kingdom of God shall come"
Ezekiel 40-48 describes the future Temple which will be during
the Messianic Age. In Ezekiel 45:21, we see that the feast of
Passover will be kept as it is written:
"In the first day in the fourteenth day of the month, ye shall have
the passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten"
CONCLUSION
This is a BRIEF summary of Passover. From this teaching, we are
able to understand the following:
#1) Keeping Passover is NOT a salvation issue
#2) Passover is a FEAST of the LORD not a FEAST of the Jews.
However, BOTH Jews and non-Jewish believers in the G-d of Israel and
in the Messiah are to keep Passover FOREVER.
#3) Yeshua/Jesus kept Passover YEARLY and the final "supper" of
Yeshua/Jesus was a PASSOVER SEDER.
#4) Spiritually, Yeshua/Jesus is G-d's Passover Lamb
#5) We are saved by applying the blood of G-d's Passover Lamb
(Yeshua/Jesus) upon our hearts
#6) Spiritually, the believers in Yeshua/Jesus are the house of G-d
and we are to remove the leaven (sin) from our lives on a regular
basis.
#7) Passover is an ETERNAL ordinance given by G-d and will be
celebrated during the Messianic Age and throughout all eternity.
I pray that this teaching will begin to encourage you to
examine and seek to celebrate and keep Passover in your heart, with
your family's in your churches/Messianic Synagogues. May you begin to
see that Passover and ALL the Festivals are meant to be celebrated by
ALL believers in Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah for ALL eternity.
THESE ARE the FEASTS of the LORD (Lev 23:4) and not Christmas
and Easter.
If you would like the complete Christian Passover Haggadah
which I have written explaining the spiritual application and
understanding of each step in the Passover Seder and how each step
applies to our faith in Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah and our personal
relationship with G-d, this Haggadah can be purchased from (HaY'Did
Ministries) by sending an e-mail note to Cheryle Holeman
(shalom@haydid.org).
Since we have new members to this newsgroup on a weekly basis,
if you would like a more complete teaching on Passover and the other
Biblical Festivals, you may order my book, "The Seven Festivals of
the Messiah" by sending a check for ($12) made out to me (Eddie
Chumney) and send to:
The Seven Festivals of the Messiah
PO Box 81
Strasburg, Ohio, USA 44680
Let us continue to learn and study about Passover in the next
week as we examine together that Passover is the heritage of every
believer in Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah and should be celebrated each
year in it's appointed time.
Eddie Chumney