Exodus 12:3 Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth day of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household.
Joshua 4:19 Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they camped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho. 20 And those twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal.
Matthew 21:8-9 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
The Temple Institute in the Old City of Jerusalem has been preparing temple articles, priestly garments and studying for years to prepare a priesthood for service in a proposed rebuilt temple on the Temple Mount. A recent news article reported that training had begun for the preparation of the Passover sacrifice. The day for the training was the 10th of Nisan, the day designated in the Old Testament for choosing the Passover lamb. Since the eyes of the Jewish people are still partially blinded to the true identity of their Messiah, most of them don’t know that the ultimate Passover Lamb was already sacrificed 2000 years ago.
The 10th of Nissan was an historic day in the history of our faith. Not only was it the day the Passover Lamb was chosen and brought into the houses of the Israelites in Egypt – it was also the very day that the children of Israel, freed from slavery, finally crossed into Jordan entering the “Promised Land” for the first time. And one other significant event happened on this day: Yeshua of Nazareth (Jesus, called Christ) entered Jerusalem on a donkey, just as the prophet Zechariah had said He would [Zech. 9:9] as crowds of Israelites shouted “Hosanna!” or “Save now!” to Him, confidently identifying Him as their savior and Messiah. In effect, the entire nation was choosing their “Passover lamb” who was to deliver them from sin and death! But the leaders of the nation rejected Him…
…and so modern Israel is still waiting for the Messiah, even here in the Promised Land, while He continues to be revealed as the Savior of the world in the Gentile nations. There is a remnant of Jews who have discovered Him, who have chosen their Passover Lamb carefully and who know He is without blemish, and a growing number have also come to live in Israel in fulfillment of God’s promise to restore the nation in the latter days. But for most, Messiah’s coming is still in the future…
There is a “Promised Land” for every soul who carefully chooses his Passover Lamb, Yeshua the Messiah, whether Jew or Gentile. It is the promise of deliverance from sin, death, and Hell, into eternal life in a New Heavens and a New Earth. Our Passover Lamb, Yeshua, is the only way of entry into this Land. Choosing Him has made us “priests” who offer spiritual sacrifices of prayer that His salvation will be known all over the world, and finally, once again, here in Israel.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]Thousands of people all over the world will celebrate Pesach (Passover) tonight, commemorating the day the Angel of Death passed over the Israelite slaves in Egypt, sparing their firstborn because the blood of a lamb was applied on their doorposts. Many believers in Yeshua (Jesus) also recognize this as the day that Messiah was crucified, offering Himself as the perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, which reconciled man to His Maker, and restored them to close relationship.
In the parable of the unmerciful servant, the servant mistakenly thought that he could demand justice from another servant all the while asking mercy for himself from the king. When the king found out about this servant’s awful behavior, he became enraged and said to him “You wicked servant, I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to; couldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?”
As the Biblical feast of Pesach (Passover) is celebrated throughout the world on Thursday, we are reminded of the deliverance of the Jewish people from the land of Egypt where they had served as slaves. The word for slaves in Hebrew is “avadim”, which, interestingly, is also the same word for “servants.”
In these days, we have to pray for wisdom! In the letter of James, the Lord’s brother, he writes, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all liberally…” [James 1:5] The context for this request is trials! Since this is a time of almost constant trials, God knows we need His wisdom, more than ever.
Throughout the Bible, the faith of the saints was never something passive — but rather a faith of action.
Much of the world is dealing with the greatest disruption of their lives… probably in their lifetimes, particularly in the West, and what is known as the “First World”. Here’s a helpful perspective toward understanding what is taking place.
Continuing our exciting account of the Moravian Revival, I have to highlight the minuscule quantity of saints involved. This was, in proportion to its astounding effect, a very small group, a little church. Yet the amazing demonstration of God’s principle of power through unity re-echoes the events at Pentecost when 120 believers also were in profound unity waiting on the Lord. It wasn’t the numbers but the removal of contention and division that paved the way for a 100-year revival.