Maranatha - Awaiting Christ's Return

1 Cor. 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Tag: Exodus 6:6

Jewish Feasts & Jesus Revealed – Passover Seder Part 4

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On December 2, 2022

In Devotionals, Jewish Feasts & Jesus Revealed

Good morning! I can hardly believe that we are in our last month of 2022! Where has this year gone? Could it be that we will see the Lord coming for us at the Rapture before the end of the year? How exciting would that be???

As we finish up on the Seder meal, we see something which is not shown in the picture above. These are the four cups of wine which are used at various points during the meal. The first of the cups is called the “cup of sanctification.”

Exodus 6:6  Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:

1 Corinthians 1:30  But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

Sanctification? What is that? Noah Webster defines the word “sanctification” as:

SANCTIFICA’TION, n. [See Sanctify.]

  1. The act of making holy. In an evangelical sense, the act of God’s grace by which the affections of men are purified or alienated from sin and the world, and exalted to a supreme love to God.
    God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. 2 Th 2. 1 Pet 1.
  2. The act of consecrating or of setting apart for a sacred purpose; consecration.

Sanctification is the act of making one holy, setting us apart from the world. It doesn’t all happen at once, as all believers know. The Holy Spirit’s endless job of sanctifying each member of the Church and making us “mirror” Jesus Christ. The Church is to be a unique kind of people that reflects that work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit diligently works in the heart of all believers to convict their hearts of sin, and to help them live a life that glorifies God!

1 Peter 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

The second cup of wine is the “cup of judgment.” As we see in Exodus 6:6, God promises to rid Israel of their years of bondage! Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ delivers us from our bondage of sin! (Romans 6:20) We are no longer judged for those sins because Jesus paid for all of them on the cross of Calvary. We are no longer under the bondage of sin but have liberty through Christ! (Romans 8:15, Romans 8:21) We don’t have to sin – if a believer does sin, it is because he chooses to sin. That hurts God and breaks the sweet fellowship we have with Him. It is very much in the same manner as when a child does something against his parents’ wishes. That child is still a member of the family but the parents are hurt and disappointed. Fellowship isn’t quite the same until the child asks for forgiveness and that sweet fellowship is restored.

The third cup is the “cup of redemption”! I love that word redemption! Exodus 6:6 shows us that God will redeem Israel of judgment. Galatians 3:13 also tells us that Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the law. He became the curse for us. (Deuteronomy 21:22-23) He paid the price for our wicked sin – this is a price that we all must pay unless we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Messiah of mankind. If you do not accept Him as Saviour, you will pay that price for your sins which results spending eternity in a burning lake of fire!

The last of the cups, the fourth cup, is known as the “cup of praise”! Exodus 6:7 tells Israel that God has taken them as His people and He will be their God. He also reminds them that He is the one that brought them out of Egypt to relieve them of their burdens. Oh what praise that is to the God who delivered them! Jesus spoke of this cup in Matthew 26:29. He would drink it new with us in His Father’s kingdom! His resurrection brings praise to the lips of everyone who believes on Him! The Jewish people look forward to their acceptance into the Kingdom and Christians look forward to being welcomed by our Yeshua the Messiah to be with Him forever!

As we finish the Seder and its beautiful symbolism, do you see Jesus in each of the details we covered? Do you know the Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ, personally or do you only know of Him? I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Jewish Feasts and Jesus Revealed – Passover Seder Part 3

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On November 30, 2022

In Devotionals, Jewish Feasts & Jesus Revealed

Good morning, dear reader! As I dwell on the Passover feast and the Seder, it makes me so appreciative of Christ’s work on the cross so that we may be saved! Is there a greater gift than this? (Romans 6:23) We are approaching the season where we celebrate the Saviour’s birth and without His birth, there would be no death or resurrection, amen?

As we look at the other elements of the Seder plate, we’ll see that they are reminders to Israel of their slavery in Egypt. Each element plays a traditional role which helps them to remember what God did for them. The next element is the vegetable, which is called the karpas. It’s usually parsley dipped in salted water. It’s a “picture” of the hyssop that was used to paint the blood of the Passover lamb around the door frame. The salted water represents all the tears shed during their enslavement in Egypt and how God parted the Red Sea. As a Christian, this reminds me of the hyssop that was used to give vinegar as a drink to the Saviour as He was hanging on the cross. (John 19:29) When I think of my Saviour enduring the agony of the cross, I can’t help but cry.

The next element are the bitter herbs, called “maror” in Hebrew. Exodus 12:8 tells us that this was commanded to be a part of the Passover feast. Today, they usually use horseradish, which is one of the most bitter herbs. This element reminds the celebrants that they could not offer sacrifices to God and that was more bitter to them than their enslavement in Egypt. For me as a believer, my life here on earth is bitter compared to my eternal life with Christ. I also see it as my life before I knew Christ. It was quite bitter until He became my Lord and Saviour and He now produces sweet fruit in my heart!

Another element on the Seder plate is the charoset. This is a mixture of apples, nuts, wine and spices. Charoset represents the mortar used in building by the Israelites during their enslavement. My Jewish friend said that was everyone’s favorite part! 😁 It is the only sweet element on the Seder plate and is a reminder of their hope of redemption! (Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:14, Hebrews 9:15) For the believer, does this bring to mind the beautiful hymn “Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus”? Yes, it is sweet to have Jesus in our lives. There is none greater and none who can bring the joy and peace that He brings! Praise God for His redemption!

The last of the elements is the hard-boiled or roasted egg, which in Hebrew is the baytzah. Jewish tradition says that those who mourned the loss of a loved one ate hard-boiled eggs. The roasted egg in the Seder reminds the participants that they mourn the loss of their temple. To the Christian, it could represent that we are the temple of God and no longer need that temple made with hands. (1 Corinthians 3:16, 1 Corinthians 6:19)

Oh dear reader, do you not see Jesus in each of the details we covered today? Do you know the Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ, personally or do you only know of Him? I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Jewish Feasts and Jesus Revealed – Passover Seder Part 2

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On November 28, 2022

In Devotionals, Jewish Feasts & Jesus Revealed

Good morning! I hope you are being blessed by this new series. As I learned about this beautiful tradition, it made me wonder why the Jews can’t see the Lord Jesus Christ depicted throughout. I understand that we are looking back to the Cross but there are so many prophecies that were fulfilled through Jesus, our Messiah; it’s hard to believe they don’t see it. It encourages me to pray for the veil to be lifted from their eyes so they can recognize that their Messiah came to pay the ransom for their sins and that He is coming for His church at any moment! (Matthew 20:28, 1 Timothy 2:6)

Another symbol of Christ on the Seder plate is the matzoh. Matzoh is unleavened bread; this bread does not contain yeast. The fact that there is no yeast in their bread reminds the Jews of how quickly they left Egypt. (Deuteronomy 16:3) They didn’t have time to put yeast in the flour, hence unleavened bread. It brings to mind that yeast is also symbolic of sin. Just one sin corrupts the entire body! (Galatians 5:9, Matthew 13:33, Luke 13:21, 1 Corinthians 5:6)

Now this next point is quite a blessing to me. Matzoh is also a picture of the Messiah! The matzoh is placed in a bag which has three sections (or pockets). This is called an “echad” which in Hebrew means “one”! (Genesis 2:24) A piece of matzoh is placed in each section of the bag. The first section isn’t used in the Seder. As well, it is not to be seen or touched. The second section is a matzoh which is broken in half at the beginning of the Seder: half remains in the bag and the other is placed on a linen cloth. Then lastly, the matzoh in the third section is to be eaten with the other items on the plate. The Jews believe the three pieces of matzoh represent Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But they can’t explain why they break the second matzoh (representing Isaac) in half and putting half back in the echad; the other other half on a linen cloth.

For Christians, it’s a beautiful picture of the Trinity (three sections in the echad). The first matzoh remains in the echad, which represents the unseen Heavenly Father. The second matzoh represents Christ’s broken body (1 Corinthians 11:24). The half that is put back in the echad reveals Christ’s divine nature next to the Father. The other half, which is placed on a linen cloth, represents the Lord’s life while He was on earth as well as when He was placed in the linen burial cloths. The third matzoh represents the Holy Spirit, who dwells within us and is a part of our every day lives.

An interesting point about the half of the matzoh which is hidden in the linen cloth really blessed me. This is hidden somewhere in the house and after the children have eaten, and they go searching for it. Once it’s found, it is held as a ransom!!! I got goosebumps when I learned this! It’s a fulfillment of Matthew 19:14, 1 Corinthians 11:24, and Mark 10:45! With child-like faith, we are to search for the Saviour whose body was broken so that He could give His life as a ransom for us! Thank You, Jesus my Saviour! ❣

The last point of the matzoh is its preparation. Not only must it be unleavened, but it must be striped and pierced! Are you jumping out of your skin yet? 😀 The stripes represent Christ’s wounds, which heal us spiritually! (Isaiah 53:5) Furthermore, the matzoh is pierced representing Christ’s hands, feet and side being pierced. (Psalm 22:16, John 19:34, John 20:25) Isn’t this a beautiful picture??!! Of course, this isn’t what the Jews see as they partake, but you and I can see it clearly as believers in Christ Jesus! Jesus is our bread of life, Christian! (John 6:33, John 6:35, John 6:48, John 6:51)

Do you know the Messiah, Jesus Christ, personally or do you only know of Him? I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Jewish Feasts and Jesus Revealed – Passover Seder

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On November 25, 2022

In Devotionals, Jewish Feasts & Jesus Revealed

A good morning to you!! As we continue studying the topic of the Passover, we see that the Jews celebrate a meal that they call the Seder. This is something that Jews do as a memorial of their exodus from Egypt. I watched a Messianic Jew perform the Seder where he explained each phase. Although it’s nice to know how Christ is represented in each phase, the Seder is not for Christians. We are not required to keep the Feasts because we already know Christ as our Messiah. The only thing that was required of the Christian Gentiles to follow were told to us in Acts 15:28-29. The Feasts point the Jews TO Jesus so they will see that their Messiah is revealed in each of these.

So let’s discuss the Seder. The Seder is the traditional dinner that Jews celebrate during Passover. The definition of Seder is “order.” As you can see in the picture above, there appears to be an order in the food displayed. There’s also an order in the prayers and songs. Each food item on the plate represents an aspect of the Jews flight out of Egypt and being freed from slavery. It’s really quite touching. It’s a wonderful reminder of what they went through! It’s also pretty amazing that Jews all around the world are celebrating this Seder in the same manner.

As a Christian, we look at this tradition as our school teacher and rejoice that Christ is our Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7). Do you see the bone in the picture above? This is known as the shank bone of a lamb. Christ is represented in this very shank bone as it relates to the lamb that was slaughtered for the Passover. We also can correlate it to John 19:36 where not a bone of Christ’s body was broken while He was on the cross. As the Passover lamb provided salvation for the Jews out of Egypt, so does our Passover Lamb provide salvation as we come out of Egypt (a type of the world) into the glorious promised land of Heaven! This is why John the Baptist said in John 1:29, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

On the next post, we will cover other aspects of the Seder. Think about the whole purpose of the Passover and how it relates to Christ and the salvation He provides to all. Do you know Jesus Christ, the Messiah, personally or do you only know of Him? I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

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