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THE COMING OF CHRIST IN THE 3
FEASTS
Part 1 of 3
Feast of Passover
by J. Preston Eby
No revelation, doctrine or system of teaching in the Old Testament can be
fully comprehended until it has been correlated and integrated with the
revelation of the New Testament. Together, the two books form the
interlocking halves of one perfect whole. It may be said that the seed of
all New Testament truth is found in the Old Testament text. But if that is
true, it is equally accurate to say that all truth revealed in the New
Testament is concealed in the Old Testament. In a word, the flower of
revelation which blossomed from Moses to Malachi has come to its fruit in
the records from Matthew to Revelation. Therefore there can be no
contradiction between the teachings of these two sections of God's Word,
as one must merely complement the other.
The theme of the Old Testament is "Someone is coming!" Every prophet of
the ancient times looked forward through the ages to the Coming One. Moses
began the theme when he wrote, "The Seed of the woman shall bruise the
serpent's head," and Malachi closed the continued reiteration joined in by
all the prophets, when he told of the Sun of Righteousness which should
arise, with healing in His rays. But the New Testament has two themes,
both of them centering in one Person. The first theme is "Someone has
come!" This, indeed, is borne out by Philip, who sought out Nathanael with
the startling greeting, "Come and see! We have found Him, of whom Moses in
the law, and the prophets did write!" He did indeed come, but the shame of
His rejection remains as the vilest blot upon the page of human
activities. Rejected, cast out, and crucified, He ascended back into
heaven, from whence He had come. Then follows the second theme of the New
Testament, which may be stated as "Someone is coming again!" Thus the
entire scripture centers in the Person of One who was to come, who did
come, and who is coming again. He is the coming One of Old Testament
promise, and is the object of our present study.
The Old Testament prophecies concerning the coming of Christ exhibit the
same peculiarity as those of the New Testament, in that they foretell many
distinct events, but do not usually state the order of their occurrence,
or the length of the interval between them, or the manner of their
fulfillment. The students of Old Testament prophecy who sought to fix the
time of the coming of the expected King would have pondered such passages
for example, as Zech. 9:9: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O
daughter of Jerusalem: behold THY KING COMETH UNTO THEE. He is just, and
having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal
of an ass." And in the attempt to fix the order of His coming in relation
to other predicted events they would, of course, have noted particularly
Isa. 40:3: "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the
way of the Lord"; and Mal. 3:3: "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he
shall prepare the way before Me; and the Lord Whom ye seek shall suddenly
come to His temple"; and Mal. 4:5: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the
prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord."
From these prophecies the expositor might have insisted, and with a show
of reason, that the Lord could not "come" to His "temple" until the
messenger should first appear to prepare the way "before" Him; and that
they who looked for Him to appear before the predicted messenger were
indulging a vain expectation. Yet the fact is that the Lord came, on the
natural plane, to His Old Testament Temple, thirty years BEFORE the
predicted messenger appeared to announce Him; and He was seen by Simeon
(the "hearer") who was led by the Holy Spirit, by Anna, who waited upon
the Lord in the temple, by the shepherds who were keeping their flocks by
night, and by the wise men from the East, who saw His star, and hence must
have been watching in the night; and, moreover, His coming was made known
"to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem" (Lk. 2:38).
It seems to me that for centuries our eyes have been kept holden to many
of the great truths of the scripture. We have read and studied the Bible,
taking for granted that our minds comprehended fully what was written, and
frequently just reading over the passages and understanding little or
nothing of the precious gems of divine truth which lay hidden just beneath
the surface. We should not berate ourselves for this lack of
understanding, always keeping in mind that God never reveals anything to
anybody until HE IS READY to reveal it, and He is never ready to reveal
anything until the "fullness of time" has arrived in which He is about to
accomplish that which He discloses.
For centuries Israel had looked for the coming of the Messiah until their
eyes were dim with watching, but who among them had even the faintest idea
of how that coming would be accomplished? They did not expect a virgin
birth; they did not expect a lowly birth; they did not expect a teacher at
variance with their organized religion and their established creeds; they
did not expect the supernatural ministry of healing the sick, casting out
devils, and raising the dead; they did not expect an ignominious death by
crucifixion followed by a startling resurrection; they did not expect an
ascension into heaven. All these things were contrary to their
expectations and their established interpretations of the predictions of
the prophets. Most Jews missed the glory of the coming of Christ because
it was so different from their cherished beliefs and because it all seemed
too fantastic to be true. They failed to accept the prophesied events when
they transpired before their very eyes.
I do not hesitate to tell you that modern Christians are viewing the Bible
completely "out of focus" in the same way as did the Jews of old! We will
never discover anything that God chooses to hide from us, but our highest
concern should be that when God does draw back the curtain and send us
light that we receive the hidden treasure, for if we reject it, the light
we have becomes darkness and we can understand nothing. When the Spirit of
wisdom and revelation illuminates a truth to our heart, it is time to
grasp it and pursue it with all spiritual vigor and determination, for if
we tarry it will be covered again, and we will miss it. Do you remember
that Jesus rejoiced in spirit and said, I thank Thee, Father, Lord of
heaven and earth, that Thou hast hid these things from the wise and
prudent and hast revealed them unto babes. Even, so, Father, for so it
seemed good in Thy sight"? The moment the blessed Spirit of Truth begins
to unveil a truth, it is time to earnestly seek Him and beseech Him to
instruct us in it. Do not submit God's revelation to the criticism of some
dead church member or indoctrinated preacher, for they like the crows that
gather to the farmer's field will steal away the seed of the truth before
it has a chance to sprout or take root within you.
'There can be no doubt that we are living in an hour when the Lord is
revealing many things that concern the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. I
am certain, however, that even now we see them only darkly. We catch only
faint and fleeting glimpses of the glory of His many-splendored coming. We
are looking for the REVELATION of Jesus Christ. We are looking for the
UNVEILING of the sons of God. The revelation will reveal what is hidden.
The unveiling will reveal what has been kept concealed. As the lightning
flashes forth from the ominous darkness of swirling stormy clouds, so the
manifestation will disclose what has been hidden in the darkness.
THE FEASTS OF THE LORD
I would draw your attention to an enlightening passage of scripture in
Prov. 22:19-21. "That thy trust may be in the Lord, I have made known to
thee this day, even to thee. Have not I written to thee EXCELLENT THINGS
in counsels and knowledge, that I might make thee know the certainty of
the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them
that send unto thee?" The word "EXCELLENT", as used here, is the Hebrew
word SHALISH meaning three-fold, or weighty. It is most interesting to
note that Young's Literal translation renders it, "Have I not written to
thee THREE TIMES with counsels and knowledge?" A free translation would
run, "Have I not written unto you THREE-FOLD things?" Three-fold things.
These are the excellent things of God. These are weighty things, things
which have depth upon depth upon depth in their meaning. This three-fold
principle is brought forth again and again as the Spirit unfolds the truth
appointed for His overcoming company in this important hour.
While men speak of the "first coming" and the "second coming" of Christ,
God's program is in THREES. God has promised to meet with man in THREE
DIMENSIONS. He has met man historically and experientially in the first
and second realms. I declare to you that He will meet with us
dispensationally and experientially yet a THIRD time! The pattern is
clear: "THREE TIMES in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord
thy God in the place which He shall choose; in the feast of UNLEAVENED
BREAD (Passover), and in the feast of WEEKS (Pentecost), and in the feast
of TABERNACLES: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty" (Deut.
16:16). God says that He will meet with man THREE times - in the three
great Feasts of the Lord! "THREE TIMES in a year shall all your males
appear before the Lord." To "appear before the Lord" designates not only
an action on our part, but a reciprocal action on God's part. Not only
must we appear, but HE MUST APPEAR! It is a joint-meeting in which WE
APPEAR B-E-F-O-R-E_H-I-M, or as the apostle has so eloquently explained,
"When Christ, who is our life, SHALL APPEAR, then shall YE ALSO APPEAR
WITH HIM in glory" (Col. 3:4). When this three-fold aspect of His
appearing is clearly understood, then the fact that the scriptures nowhere
speak of just a "first coming" and a "second coming" takes on new meaning!
The Feasts of Jehovah were but types and shadows of those things that were
yet to come. These Feasts portrayed in their typology God's plan for this
world even to the very end of the ages. They bring to us the unfolding
plan of redemption that was ordained before the foundation of the world.
An Old Testament type is literally a word picture or an object lesson that
pre-figures that which is to come. In another sense, it is an exact shadow
of that which does not yet exist. The apostle Paul in speaking of those
things which happened to Israel in their wilderness journey stated, "Now
all these things happened unto them for ENSAMPLES (EXAMPLES), and they are
written for OUR ADMONITION (INSTRUCTION), upon whom the ends of the world
(age) are come" (I Cor. 10:11).
It is made very plain by this scripture that Israel's history contains
numbers of events that were a figure, a type, a shadow, of those events
that were yet to come. The apostle Paul again explains this to us: "For
the law having a SHADOW OF GOOD THINGS TO COME, and not the very image of
the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by
year continually make the comers thereunto perfect" (Heb. 10:1). The
shadows of the law were but school-masters to bring us to Christ. The
greater work of a spiritual nature was still to be accomplished to fulfill
these Old Testament types and shadows of which the three Feasts of the
Lord are a major part. The Word of God never ceases to amaze as the
intricate patterns of the plan of God weave in and out of scripture to
produce a perfect plan in the consummation of it all. At first glance, as
one reads the Old Testament record, the Feasts seem so insignificant and
without further need of reference. They appear to be something to keep
Israel busy and happy and their times of observation could fall in any
order. The unsearchable riches of God found here are hidden from the eyes
of a sin-blinded world and a carnal-minded church, but to those who walk
in the Spirit of the Lord they speak of the wonders wrought in redeemed
lives by the Spirit of the living God, and of supernal glories yet to
come.
The three primary Feasts given to Israel were the Feasts of Passover,
Pentecost and Tabernacles. Two of these Feasts have now been fulfilled and
are still being fulfilled in the body of Christ today. The last Feast
still waits a future fulfillment that will begin at the completion and
maturity of the Christ-body at the end of this age. Because of their
typical nature, the Feasts have many times been overlooked as to their
great significance in the proper interpretation of Bible prophecy. The
Bible is full of such great truths that have been given for our enrichment
and instruction, but it is up to those who "follow ON to KNOW the Lord" to
diligently dig out those truths under the illuminating power of the
Spirit, that will lead us into greater depths and heights in the Lord. Let
us consider these Feasts in the light of the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
In order to understand the coming of the Lord in the Feasts, it will be
helpful to trace the origin of the word itself. When we speak of a feast,
we are prone to picture a banquet of rich foods and an evening of
entertainment. But such is not the original concept of the word. Festival
comes a little nearer to expressing the thought. It suggests gala attire,
parades, singing, dancing - a holiday spent in celebrating some new event
or in commemorating one in the past. The Hebrew word translated feast is
CHAG. It refers to a SACRED feast - not an ordinary meal given for
entertainment. Its original meaning is a procession, a dance, or a public
dramatization of some event. The eating and drinking which accompanied it
were of secondary importance. From the earliest times it was the custom of
heathen peoples to observe certain festal days. Primarily these seasons
were for the purpose of worshiping or appeasing their idol gods. The
occasion gave them an opportunity to openly display their beliefs, by
various forms of art and ceremony, and thus to instruct all who witnessed
the celebration in the tenets of their religion. This custom continues to
this very day among primitive peoples. Our own American Indians, though
now educated according to our way of life, still preserve their cultural
and religious heritage by means of such ceremonies and festivals.
In Old Testament times they had no books or other means of teaching one
another. Most of the religions confined their ordinances to a small body
of priests, and the common man had little or no religious instruction.
However, the feast was the exception to this rule. When the festal season
dawned, all work and business were laid aside, and old and young alike
donned their finest garments and jewels and joined the great crowds in an
open display of "worship" and religious education.
There is no indication that the children of Israel ever celebrated
ceremonial feasts until the time of their deliverance from Egypt. It is a
matter of profound significance that their feasting began with their
deliverance, and that the idea of it did not originate in their own
hearts. It was formed in the heart of the Lord Himself! HE desired to take
His people into the wilderness, that they might worship Him and keep a
Feast with Him. He revealed His will through His servant Moses: "And Moses
said, We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with
our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must
hold a FEAST unto the LORD" (Ex. 10:9).
How precious the knowledge that we have a God who hungers, thirsts, deeply
desires, to feast with His people - a God who from the beginning has tried
to show us that His greatest delight is not in showing His authority, but
in enjoying intimate and close fellowship with His children. It is true
that He disciplines, that He leads us in paths of sacrifice, fasting,
travail and tears - in their proper place. But He causes the sacrifice to
be turned into increase, He exchanges the ashes for beauty, and the tears
He turns to laughter! He set a Feast of fruits before Adam and Eve, the
like of which man has never been able to reproduce, and He communed with
them face to face. He ate with Abraham in his tent at noonday. He spread a
table in the wilderness for the entire nation of His chosen, and gave them
the very bread of heaven. Jesus performed His first miracle at a wedding
feast. He fed five thousand on a hillside. He did not hesitate to attend
feasts, nor to eat with publicans and sinners. He also attended the Feast
of dedication and the Feast of Tabernacles (Jn. 7:37; 10:22) during the
years of His public ministry. He heartily desired to keep the Feast of
Passover with His chosen disciples, and He has established the New
Covenant with a Feast, a great spiritual Feast, wherein He has given the
redeemed His own body for their meat and His own blood for their drink. He
has promised through the prophet Isaiah that in the latter days He will
make a Feast, a great Feast of spiritual blessings and benefits for all
nations, upon His holy Mount (Isa. 25:6). And the greatest Feast of all -
the marriage supper of the Lamb - will usher a people into the most
intimate relationship with their Lord!
The Feast means, that God and man are brought together, the Lord appears
unto man to associate Himself with him in an intimate manner, in an
extremely close and joyful relationship. Christ comes in three Feasts,
three unique and wonderful relationships between Himself and His people,
and these relationships become real to us and become His coming and His
appearing unto us, praise His glorious name!
The Feasts have at least three aspects to them. They have the memorial
aspect, they were done in memory of something, they pointed back to
something, back to something God had done. The Feast of Passover was kept
in memory of Israel's deliverance from slavery and bondage in Egypt. Every
year when the Feast of Passover was observed the children would ask, "What
are we doing this for?" Then the father would sit down and tell his
children the story of what God did back in Egypt. Thus it was in memory
and as a memorial of God's protection in Egypt and their deliverance from
Egypt. The Feast of Pentecost was given in memory of the giving of the Law
at Mount Sinai as the children of Israel passed through the desert on
their way to the land of promise. The Feast of Tabernacles was kept in
memory of their entering into the land of promise and into their full
inheritance and possession. So each of the Feasts were instituted as a
memorial to something grand and glorious that God had done for His people.
Every one of these Feasts had also a prophetic aspect. That is, they
pointed not just to the past, but they pointed forth to the future. They
pre-figured someing that God was going to do. They were prophetic in their
implication. They pointed toward something that God declared He purposed
to yet perform for His people. The prophetic aspect of the Passover was
that the slaying of the Paschal lamb pre-figured Christ's death on Calvary
as the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world. The Feast of
Pentecost was prophetic of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit by which the
Law of God, written at Sinai upon tablets of stone, would be finally
written by the Spirit of God upon the fleshy tables of our hearts.
Every one of the Feasts of the Lord have not only a historical aspect,
pointing back to something God did, and a prophetic aspect, pointing
forward to something God would do; but every one of them has a personal
and individual aspect in our lives experientially. Each Feast finds its
fulfillment in our forward walk in God. In Passover we see a picture of
our justification. In the Feast of Pentecost we have a picture of our
baptism with the Holy Spirit, the "firstfruits" of our inheritance. In the
Feast of Tabernacles we find a picture of our glorification, our entrance
into the fullness of our inheritance and possession in God, even all the
wisdom, knowledge, life, victory, nature and power of the Almighty.
A feast involves an appointed day, a public assembly at a fixed time or
season. The feast days were occasions when Israel kept divine
appointments; times when they assembled BEFORE THE LORD; times when they
MET WITH GOD in great joy and festivity. All their worship centered around
these three major religious festivals. Our Redeemer has also set some
appointments for us, and He expects us to keep them. Only by keeping these
divine appointments can we meet with Him or know and experience Him in His
comings and appearings. The sublime truth is not merely that we are called
to appear before Him in the Feast, but that HE COMES to the Feast! HE
APPEARS in the Feast! In Passover we meet the Son; in Pentecost we meet
the Spirit; and in Tabernacles we meet the Father. God in Christ comes to
us in three dimensions in the Feasts. Furthermore, there is a complete
salvation that God has ordained for man, in spirit, soul and body, and
these three Feasts. provide for it all. All three ate necessary for a full
salvation.
Another important truth in relation to these Feasts is that they are all
HIS FEASTS! There are so many Christians today who are possessed of the
childish notion that God is the manager of a great heavenly super market,
or that He is a glorified celestial Santa Claus. All we have to do is just
quote our favorite "faith scripture," snap our finger, turn our faith
loose, and God comes running with a load of goodies with which to satisfy
our every whim and fancy. NOT SO! He is LORD. He is SOVEREIGN. He is KING.
And these are not our Feasts, they are HIS FEASTS. This is a grand and
sublime truth we must understand from the beginning if we would progress
into the depths of God. These are HIS FEASTS, the Feasts of THE LORD! He's
the Host, and we are the guests. Sometimes people like to appear
religious, and they hang on the wall a little plaque that says, "Christ is
the unseen guest at every meal." I trust, my brother, my sister, that
Christ is NOT the guest in your home! He should be the HOST! He must be
LORD!
GOD appointed who would meet with Him in the Feasts. All the males of
Israel were to keep the Feasts and appear before Him in the place where He
put His name; so the Feasts are especially for sons. Not only did God
designate WHO would meet with Him, but He specified WHEN they would meet
and WHERE they would meet. God ordained the whole thing and established
the order thereof. He commanded that they meet with Him in the place where
the name of the Lord was recorded. In Old Testament economy that was first
in the tabernacle in the wilderness and later in the temple at Jerusalem.
In New Testament fulfillment it is first of all in Jesus Christ and then
in His many-membered body. The name of the Lord, which means the nature of
the Lord, was recorded in the life of Jesus Christ and now is being sealed
in the foreheads of His firstfruits company who are putting on the
precious mind of the Christ. Furthermore, God gave commandment concerning
what the males of Israel were to bring to His Feasts. He left no detail
lacking. HE was the Lord of WHO, WHEN WHERE, WHAT and HOW in relation to
His Feasts. You will come HIS way, precious friend of mine, and see Him
and know Him and experience Him in HIS APPOINTED FEASTS, or you will never
see Him at all!
The children of Israel were delivered from Egypt in the first month and
the Feast of Passover was celebrated in the first month. The Law was given
at Mount Sinai in the third month and the Feast of Pentecost was kept in
the third month. The people gathered in the abundance of their crops for
the first time in the land of promise in the seventh month and the Feast
of Tabernacles was observed in the seventh month. When God meets man in
the first dimension, He meets us in the Feast of Passover. Jesus appears
to us, He comes to us as SAVIOUR in that realm. "When I see the blood, I
will pass-over you!" (Ex. 12:13). I am confident that every reader of
these lines has passed through that Feast, has met and seen and
experienced the Lord in that realm. "For even Christ our Passover is
sacrificed for us" (I Cor. 5:7). Jesus is the Lamb of God. The old Paschal
Feast is gone forever. We no longer need a Paschal Feast of the old type,
we no longer need to appear before the Lord in Jerusalem in the Old Feast,
for HE HAS APPEARED unto us as the Lamb of God and has cleansed us with
His precious blood. Has God met with you for the first time? Has Christ
come to you in the first dimension? Has He appeared to you as the Lamb of
God? Have you eaten the Lamb? If so, the Lamb is WITHIN you!
The Feast of Pentecost was a separate Feast and the Pentecostal experience
is a separate experience. Has God met with you a second time? Has Christ
come to you in a second dimension of His presence and life and glory? Has
He come from heaven as a rushing mighty wind and filled your house with
power and glory? Has He appeared to you as the Baptizer with the Holy
Ghost and Fire? Have you appeared before Him in the joy and glory of the
spiritual Feast of Pentecost? Then you are blessed indeed! But the idea
entertained by many Christians is that now since we have had Passover and
Pentecost, there is nothing left to do but die and go to heaven, or catch
the rapture, whichever comes first. That's what most folk tell me. There's
nothing more. The only things that remain to be experienced in God beyond
salvation and speaking in tongues and blessings are golden streets and
harps and palm branches for eternity. But I have news for you, my friend.
God does not stop at Pentecost and the second Feast is but the "earnest"
and the "firstfruits" of the final Feast! In Israel the Feast of Pentecost
was "the feast of harvest, the FIRSTFRUITS of thy labours" (Deut.
16:9-12). Under New Testament economy this is the FIRSTFRUITS OF THE
SPIRIT. "And not only they, but ourselves also which have the FIRSTFRUITS
of the Spirit..." (Rom. 8:23). We have had the Feasts of Passover and
Pentecost and both of these Feasts have been fulfilled IN THIS AGE IN THE
CHURCH which is His body, and right here on the earth. For some strange
reason men seek to postpone the last Feast to some future age, or give it
to the Jews, or relegate it to some beautiful "Isle of Somewhere," and
consequently the real spiritual meaning and import of the Feast of
Tabernacles is completely obscured and lost. The grand truth is that like
the others, the Feast of Tabernacles will be fulfilled in the body of
Christ. It will be fulfilled dispensationally, it will be fulfilled in us
individually, and it will be fulfilled in us as the Corporate Man.
No Bible scholar in the world will dispute the truth that on Calvary's
hill and in the lives of multiplied millions of believers the Feast of
Passover was and is fulfilled. No Bible scholar on the face of the earth
will dispute the truth that in Acts chapter two the Feast of Pentecost
came to pass in reality. The Old Pentecostal Feast has gone forever. The
Pentecostal Feast can never be reestablished as in olden times, because
the promise of the Father and the Son, the Holy Ghost has come. We need
not implore any more for the Holy Ghost to come, for the Holy Ghost has
come and has never gone away, and remains a gentle, gracious, loving
Spirit, desiring to enter every heart and impress the Law of God there,
And just as surely as these came to pass in the lives of New Testament
saints, the body of Jesus Christ is going to experience the Feast of
Tabernacles and all that it speaks of. The Feast of Tabernacles is a
further realm and a higher dimension of our walk in God. We have no record
in the New Testament nor in church history of the Feast of Tabernacles
finding fulfillment. If it wasn't fulfilled, then it remains to be
fulfilled. Its just that simple. Not one jot or tittle shall in any wise
pass from the Law of God till ALL BE FULFILLED.
The last great Feast of the Israelite year was Tabernacles ... and this is
the Feast that remains to be fulfilled! Tabernacles is called "the feast
of the INGATHERING, which is in the END OF THE YEAR." Pentecost is only
the firstfruits of the Spirit, but Tabernacles is the full harvest -
FULLNESS! And this fullness comes in the END of the year, at the
completion of our progressive walk with God, and I believe that we have
not witnessed such fullness in any save in our Lord Jesus Christ Himself,
and neither shall we until the very close of this present age. The Feast
of Tabernacles could not be celebrated until Israel had left the
wilderness behind, and was dwelling in Canaan. Even so, Christ is bringing
a great company of apprehended ones, in the END of this age, at the
consummation of our progression into God, out of their wilderness
wanderings of immaturity, carnality, limitation and struggle on in to
their promised land - the measure of the stature of the FULLNESS OF
CHRIST. Oh, yes, God shall surely give unto the elect sons of God the
FULLNESS OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD of which we, up until this time, have only
received the "earnest" or "firstfruits."
I do not hesitate to say that for the most part we are still partaking of
the Feast of Pentecost. How bountifully the table has been spread with His
presence and divers gifts of the Holy Spirit! But the Feast of
Tabernacles, the Feast at the END of the year, is the Feast of Fullness. I
have more good news for you. JESUS IS COMING AGAIN! He is coming in the
Feast of Tabernacles, and BLESSED are they who are called to this great
Feast, that which supercedes Pentecost, that which is the BALANCE OF THE
MEAL of which Passover and Pentecost were merely the first courses. And
the balance must therefore come, the remainder of the meal which will give
strength to the laborers to go forth and accomplish great things for the
Master. And this Tabernacles Feast, being the last, shall bring
perfection! It will bring the consummation of our SALVATION, spirit, soul
and body. As we leave this Feast in great strength, those who will be in
control of this planet from that time forth will be abiding in the
fullness of RESURRECTION LIFE and will be forever free from the curse,
spirit, soul and body. It shall mean a new day of hope and deliverance and
glory for the whole earth as the Lord COMES AGAIN to meet man in this
great and glorious Feast of HIS FULLNESS. In the Feast of Passover He
comes as JESUS, the Saviour. In the Feast of Pentecost He tomes as CHRIST,
the Anointed One, and thus the Anointer, for the anointing which we have
received, we received OF HIM. But in the Feast of Tabernacles He comes as
LORD, the Lord of the harvest, the Lord of Fullness! There is a depth of
inworking taking place these days in those whom He has apprehended for the
realms beyond. They are slowly, but surely, coming to know Him as LORD of
all their life. There are depths of truth which cannot be uttered by voice
or inscribed by pen, so may HE grant illumination far beyond what is here
written.
THE COMING OF CHRIST IN THE FEAST OF
PASSOVER
The people of Israel were under bondage in Egypt. They suffered a
physical, economic, and spiritual slavery such as no nation up to that
time had ever endured. Then God called Moses to lead them out of that
bondage. The Bible records the history of the plagues that came upon Egypt
because Pharaoh refused to let Israel go. The tenth plague resulted in the
death of all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, but Israel was protected
from that plague. It would be well to read the whole account, for it has
much to do with the subject we are discussing. The record will be found in
Exodus, chapter twelve, where the Lord said: "This month shall be unto you
the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you"
(Ex. 12:2).
God here gave Israel a new calendar. The sacred year, as far as Israel was
concerned, was to the begin with the time of the Exodus from Egypt. This
caused the first month of this New Year to correspond generally with our
present month of April. It was a time of birthing, when as a nation they
were thrust forth from the Egyptian womb of bondage and captivity. After
430 years of servitude, they were released at last unto a pathway of
freedom and fulfillment. From this date forward Israel was to have a new
calendar. This occasion would mark the first month of their New Year
because God was going to deliver them from Egyptian bondage, and bring
them into a new experience and a new land. Israel's old associations were
to be gone forever! They would now depart out of the world system to which
they had for 430 years been slaves.
No longer would they serve the Egyptian taskmaster under cruel bondage,
but they were to serve the Lord their God. No longer were they to eat the
leeks and onions and garlic of Egypt, but they would feast upon the manna
from heaven, and drink water out of the flinty rock. No longer would they
abide in the houses of their mean world in Egypt, but they would
henceforth follow the cloud of glory from one place to another, from one
experience to another, even from "glory to glory." Had not the Lord God
plainly declared, "I have surely seen the affliction of My people which
are in Egypt, and I have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters;
for I know their sorrows; and I am come down to deliver them" (Ex. 3:7-8).
And so, to deliver Israel from the judgment of the firstborn, and to
prepare them for a new life as a separated and holy nation, God instituted
the Passover. And the faithful observance of the rites and ceremonies
connected to this event would mean the preservation of Israel in the hour
of God's judgments upon the land of Egypt, and the beginning of a new era
for the people of God. On the tenth day of that month they were to select
a lamb from the flock, one without blemish, 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 upon the lintel and upon the
two side posts of each doorway in all their houses. This was to be 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..." (Ex. 12:13).
Every redeemed spirit will shout a thousand hallelujahs at the rich truths
portrayed by this prophetic symbolism. Enlightened eyes can readily see
Jesus, the Son of God, being selected by the Father to become our Paschal
Lamb. We can see Him, laying down His life without murmur or complaint,
wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. Ah, how
blessed to have His precious blood applied, to be among the redeemed (Eph.
1:7), to be justified (Rom. 5:9), to be at peace with God (Col. 1:20), and
to experience restored fellowship with our heavenly Father (Eph. 2:13)!
How very real to every true believer has been this deliverance from the
world and a life of sin. Indeed, the Passover experience is a brand new
beginning, a new day, a new year, a new calendar, a new life, a new era
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 life-style of
serving the lusts of the flesh and of the mind is left behind, giving way
to a new walk in the Spirit of God, a life of servitude to the God of our
salvation. "Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of
righteousness" (Rom. 6:18). From the time we receive Christ as our
personal Saviour, and really partake of the power of His blood, from that
very hour we begin a new life in God. Historically and experiencially 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: "And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that
the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except
a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it
die, it bringeth forth much fruit" (Jn. 12:23-24). Jesus died that through
His death He might become the firstfruits of a vast family of sons of God
who would follow Him.
The coming of Christ in the Feast of Passover brought a new beginning for
us and for the whole world. Did it really make any difference? Was the
world any different for His coming? The coming of Jesus Christ into the
world was the greatest boon in the history of mankind. In fact, the coming
of Christ so clearly divides the history of the world into B.C. and A.D.,
that no one can write a letter or sign a check without bearing mute
testimony to the incomparable excellencies and accomplishments of the
Carpenter of Galilee. Indeed, Jesus makes a great difference! All the
world is different because He came. Can you even imagine what the world
would be like today had He NOT COME? The entire history of mankind before
His coming can be seen as nothing other than a preparation for His advent
into the world. All history since His coming has simply been the unfolding
of the progress of His Spirit in the hearts of men and the effect of His
Kingdom in the world.
I would like to have you consider with me the wonders of the coming of
Christ in the Feast of Passover. His coming was an event that caused men
and women and even mighty angels in heaven to wonder. How the angels must
have wondered in astonishment when they saw, to their utter unbelief, that
the glorious Word of God had left His eternal glory in heaven, where
unnumbered cherubim and seraphim worshipped Him with unceasing adoring
adulation, and now was born in the filth and stench of a stable. It was
not a plaster of Paris stable with little white donkeys, but a filthy
stinking stable, where the Son of God was born. How the angels must have
wondered at that! A time of wonder! Not only the angels, but Mary herself
was filled with wonderment. "How shall this be," she said, "seeing that I
know not a man?" Her heart was filled with amazement and Joseph must have
been overwhelmed with astonishment at the news that his wife had conceived
by the Almighty. "The power of the Highest shall overshadow thee.
Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called
the Son of God."
Mary's heart was filled with wonder and she kept these things in her heart
and pondered upon them - that God Almighty had come and had been born in
human form. What amazement, what wonder must have filled her soul when she
looked down into the face of that little baby to which she had given birth
and knew that this was not just a human baby but was the incarnate God.
This was the Creator of the galaxies who had come to dwell in human flesh.
Her heart must surely have been overwhelmed with the wonder of that!
Consider the Magi who came all the way from the Far East at the sight of
that star, knowing that the ancient prophecy had been fulfilled and that
the Messiah of the world had come. What awe must have filled their souls
as they crept in and bowed down before that little child and offered
themselves and their gifts.
How many people down through the ages have been filled with wonder. And
all that I have said pales into insignificance beside the surpassing
wonder of this blessed One hanging and dying like a common criminal upon a
Roman cross. Behold, the Lamb of God! Behold the Paschal Lamb! Behold the
blood of Jesus! Beloved, it is the most incredible story in the history of
the world! It is tragic that the repeated telling of it robs it of its
wonder and astonishment in our hearts. Perhaps one of the most wonderful
things about the reality of Christ our Passover is the motive that brought
it to pass - a motive of love, infinite love, undying love, unconquerable
love, the unconditioned love of God who sent the Son of God into this
world.
But there is an even greater wonder than this. John the beloved in his
Gospel said, "And the Word was MADE FLESH and dwelt among us" (Jn. 1:14).
The question follows: Of what substance was the Word before He became
flesh? The answer is clear: He was SPIRIT, of course! Didn't Jesus say
that God is a Spirit? And did He not also say that HE CAME FROM GOD AND
WOULD RETURN BACK TO GOD? As physical men of earth it is difficult to
understand the world we cannot see. We have been guided by our five
physical senses so long that if we cannot see, taste, touch, hear or smell
a thing we cannot comprehend it. To speak of the flesh body of Jesus
brings reference to that which was made to be given in sacrifice. A body
was prepared for the Word of God to be manifested in. In the Greek New
Testament we read, "Hence when He comes into the world He says ... A body
Thou hast fitted Me" (Heb. 10:5). We must understand that the Word was not
flesh substance until He entered into the world. It was a means of
conveyance and also for a SACRIFICE. That body could function in this
world but its main goal or purpose was to be the sacrificial offering for
all mankind. "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this
the judgment: SO CHRIST WAS ONCE OFFERED TO BEAR THE SINS OF MANY: AND
UNTO THEM THAT LOOK FOR HIM SHALL HE APPEAR THE SECOND TIME WITHOUT SIN
UNTO SALVATION" (Heb. 9:27-28).
In order to understand the coming of Christ to us today, we must first
understand His coming in that Passover Feast of long ago. When was it,
beloved, that you BEHELD HIM for the first time? Was it not by the eye of
the spirit? Did you not see Him by the eye of the spirit hanging on a
tree, becoming the sacrificial Lamb on your behalf? But what you saw so
clearly by the revelation of the Spirit in your heart actually happened on
a hill outside Jerusalem two thousand years ago! The Christ is not here
today in that body of flesh hanging on a tree. He has returned to the
Father, back into the realm of the Spirit. And it was there in that
eternal realm that the Lamb of God was truly given. May the blessed Spirit
of Truth somehow help us to understand that He was the Lamb of God slain
from the foundation of the world! He had already been slain before Adam
was banished from Eden's garden, before Abraham trod the dusty trails of
Palestine, before David prophesied of One who would be wounded for our
transgressions. What happened on that Judean hill twenty centuries ago was
but the dark shadow of an event which had transpired in the realm of
spirit before the ages were framed or ever God said, "Let there be!"
Oh, yes, Jesus died on that hill by Jerusalem on that day long ago, but He
appeared to you as YOUR SIN OFFERING in the here and now, and you beheld
Him in spirit hanging upon a tree for you. Historically He came as the
Passover Lamb two milleniums ago, but by the quickening of the Spirit He
APPEARED TO YOU as that same Jesus, the very Lamb of God, and He was
brought bleeding and dying into your present, in a manner more real and
wonderful than it was to those wondering souls who stood gazing in shocked
anguish at the foot of the cross that day at Jerusalem. You see, when He
appeared to you as YOUR PASSOVER LAMB, you beheld Him in spirit. It was
not the shadow of the Man of Galilee that you saw, but the One who was
slain in the realm of 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. Oh, the wonder of it!
The mystery of it!
THE PASSOVER GOD OUR DEFENSE
God said, "When I see the blood I will PASS OVER you." For years I thought
that meant that God would "skip over" them, that when He passed through
the land meting out death to the firstborns, he would see the blood and
"pass on by." "I will skip over you." But that isn't what He said. Notice
Ex. 12:23: "The Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He
seeth the blood upon the lintel, and over the two side posts, the Lord
will PASS OVER THE DOOR, and will NOT ALLOW THE DESTROYER TO COME IN UNTO
YOUR HOUSES TO SMITE YOU." Now who was doing the smiting? The Destroyer!
"I will pass over the door, and will not allow the Destroyer to come in."
God was saying, not that He would skip over them, or pass them by, but He
was assuring them, "I will become a tent, I will impose my presence over
you and you can stand under the tent of My presence and be safe! The
Destroyer will be out there but he can't get in - because I will be there!
I will pass over you, and will not allow the Destroyer to come in unto
you."
Who is the Destroyer that was in the land of Egypt that dark night? The
Destroyer was the ANGEL OF DEATH. According to Heb. 2:14, throughout the
Old Testament period the devil HAD the power of death. At Calvary Jesus
took it away from him and now the Christ of God holds the keys of both
hell and death in His mighty hands. None enter or leave those dread realms
except at His word. All power and authority over all things in heaven
above, and in earth below, and in the nether world has been given into the
hands of the triumphant Christ. "Forasmuch then as the children are
partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the
same; that through death He might DESTROY HIM THAT HAD THE POWER OF DEATH,
that is, THE DEVIL" (Heb. 2:14). Jesus rendered Satan powerless. He
destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the devil. The Greek
word here rendered "destroyed" means that He rendered him powerless. The
Weymouth translation reads, "...in order that through death He might
render powerless him who had authority over death, that is, the Devil, and
might set at liberty all those who through fear of death had been subject
to lifelong slavery." The Amplified Bible renders, "...that by going
through death He might bring to nought and make of no effect him who had
the power of death, that is, the devil; and also that He might deliver and
completely set free all those who through the haunting fear of death were
held in bondage throughout the whole course of their lives."
In Old Testament times Satan was the angel of death, appointed by God to
that purpose. "Behold," says the Lord, "I have created the waster to
destroy" (Isa. 54:16). The Lord unleashed the mad dog, the devil, that
night in Egypt. You see, the devil is just a mad dog on the end of God's
leash, and God turned him loose that night with command to smite the
firstborn. God unleashed that dark angel of death in the land of Egypt,
but what did God do? God said, "I'm going to come down in the midst of
you, and when I see the blood I will interpose My presence over you. I
will pass over you and not permit the Destroyer to come in unto your
house." Notice Ex. 12:26-27: "And it shall come to pass, when your
children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? that ye shall
say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord's passover, who passed over the
houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when He smote the Egyptians,
and DELIVERED OUR HOUSES. And the people bowed the head and worshipped."
God passed over their houses to protect them. He became a defense for
them. He became a refuge. His power became a strong and impregnable
fortress round about them. Ps. 91 is, I believe, an allusion to the
Passover. "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall
abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, HE is my
refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust. Surely He shall
deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome
pestilence. He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings
shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt
not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by
day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the
destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side,
and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High,
thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague
come nigh thy dwelling."
If you have met God in the Feast of Passover, if the Christ has come to
you in the reality of this wonderful Feast, where are you today? Under His
feathers, under His wings! The Passover God has come and has passed over
us, when we embraced Him as our Saviour. When you took the blood of Jesus
and applied it to your life, that blood brought the covering presence of
the Almighty God. You have perfect protection against the Destroyer! I
have no time for the crowd of fear-mongers that roams our land today. I
have nothing in common with those who constantly peddle fear - fear of
tribulation, fear of the terrible conditions at the close of this age,
fear of the Antichrist, fear of economic collapse, fear of communism, fear
of the Illuminati, fear of computer systems, fear of conspiracies, fear of
demons, fear of death.
There is a lot of false teaching going around today on demonology, and men
casting all kinds of devils out of the saints, and bringing a totally
erroneous concept which is neither scriptural nor right, leaving people in
confusion and in fear of demons and the devil. When you come in under the
covering of the Passover God, the God who passes and hovers over you as a
fortress and a defense, you have perfect protection against the Destroyer
and all his forces. I do not hesitate to tell you today that I am not
afraid of the devil - the devil is afraid of me! And he's afraid of you,
if you have truly experienced the Lord in the Feast of Passover. Nowhere
does the Bible state that the Christians fear the devil - it says in James
2:19 that the devils believe and What? - tremble!
It is the devils that are trembling today! God has a people who are
marching through the land triumphant above all the fear of demons, the
devil, the world, death, and all that business. There is a tremendous need
for the Lord's elect to know their place under the blood and in the
indwelling and overshadowing presence of the Lord. HAS HE COME TO YOU IN
THE FEAST OF PASSOVER? Are you eating and drinking and rejoicing with Him
in that wonderful Festival? Ah, GREATER IS HE THAT IS IN YOU THAN HE THAT
IS IN THE WORLD!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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