The Sabbath Called Passover Feast

Its Old Covenant Significance

The Israelites celebrate the Passover Feast to commemorate two remarkable occasions: (1) The passing over of their ancestors from captivity to freedom due to God’s intervention; and (2) The passing of the Angel of Death over the homes of their ancestors.

The passing over of their ancestors from captivity to freedom due to God’s intervention. Their ancestors had been suffering as slaves in Egypt for 430 years. God sent Moses to demand their freedom from Pharaoh Amenophis II. <Pharaoh was how the Egyptian king was called from 1550-1307 bc.> The Pharaoh resisted at first but eventually allowed the Israelites to leave.

¹ Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover of the Lord your God, because in the month of Abib He brought you out of Egypt by night. ² Sacrifice as the Passover to the Lord your God an animal from your flock or herd at the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for His name. ³ Do not eat it with bread made with yeast. DEUTERONOMY 16

The passing of the Angel of Death over the homes of their ancestors

²⁶ And when your children ask you “What does this ceremony mean to you?” ²⁷ then tell them, “It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites and spared our homes when He struck down the Egyptians.” EXODUS 12

Ten times God demanded the freedom of the Israelites. Instead of handing to them their freedom, the Pharaoh made life more difficult for them. Thus, the Judgment of God visited Egypt. The Israelites were forewarned and instructed how to escape it.

³ [The Lord said to Moses and Aaron] “Tell the whole community of Isra’el that on the tenth day of this month [Abib] each man is to take a lamb or a kid for his family, one for each household. ⁴ If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. ⁵ The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. ⁶ Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community must slaughter them at twilight… ⁸ That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with [maror] bitter herbs, and [matzah] bread made with no yeast. ⁹ Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the fire—[with its] head, legs and inner parts. ¹⁰ Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it [completely]. ¹¹ This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover. EXODUS 12

The Israelites were told to smear the doorframes of their houses with the blood of a lamb or a kid. 

⁷ Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs… ¹² On that same night, I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. ¹³ The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague [deathblow] will touch you when I strike Egypt. EXODUS 12

At midnight of Abib 14 the Angel of Death passed through Egypt and killed the firstborns there—both men and animals—all except the firstborns of the Israelites. The firstborn of the Pharaoh was among those killed. That very night the Pharaoh freed the Israelites.

²⁹ At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. ³⁰ Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead. ³¹ During the night, Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested. ³² Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.” ³³ The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country. “For otherwise,” they said, “we will all die!” EXODUS 12

The Israelites were told to commemorate their last supper in Egypt. 

¹⁴ This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance… ⁴³ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “These are the regulations for the Passover: No foreigner is to eat of it. ⁴⁴ Any slave you have bought may eat of it after you have circumcised him, ⁴⁵ but a [visitor] temporary resident or hired worker may not eat of it. ⁴⁶ It must be eaten inside one house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones. ⁴⁷ The whole community of Isra’el must celebrate it. ⁴⁸ An alien living among you who wants to celebrate the Lord’s Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then he may take part like one born in the land. No uncircumcised male may eat of it. ⁴⁹ The same law applies to the native-born and to the alien living among you.” EXODUS 12 

Its New Covenant Significance

THE PASSOVER COMMEMORATES THE DEATH OF THE MESSIAH.

The Israelites entered into a covenant with God. <Covenant is a contract or agreement with someone greater than us. After we enter into it, the contract becomes a law between him and us.> 

⁷ Moses took the Book of Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.” EXODUS 24

The covenant came with a penalty clause: The curse of Second Death for everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book (Deuteronomy 27:26). Sinners must die (Ezekiel 18:4).  

Neither God nor the Israelites could abrogate or revise the covenant, or delete or amend any one of its stipulations. God made the covenant a law even unto Himself (Isaiah 46:11). He was not the type to take back His word (Isaiah 45:23, 31:2). And because all the Israelites had sinned (Ecclesiastes 7:20, John 7:19), then all must die.

¹⁵ Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. GALATIANS 3

But God was not the type to lose His loved ones without a good fight. He devised a plan where the penalty could be placed upon the one in the entire universe who could take their place—God Himself.[1] 

God made a sin offering of Himself, died in their place, and released them from the penalty. Lucifer, his demons and human agents were allowed to shame and torment Him. The torment began right after Seder, the Passover supper. It ended in His nailing to the cross—a punishment reserved only for the worst criminals at that time.

He died at about three o’clock in the afternoon (Matthew 27:46, 50), on the Passover of 31 ad. Leviticus 23:5 prophesied the occasion 400 years before it happened: “The Lord’s Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month.”

The Second Passover   

It was the Second Passover in the history of Isra’el. Again God intervened so that His people might pass over from bondage to freedom.

What’s the difference between the First Passover and the Second?

The First brought freedom from physical bondage. Moses was sent to shepherd God’s flock. A male lamb or kid without any blemish or physical defect was the Passover sacrifice.

The Second brought freedom from spiritual bondage. God acted as the shepherd of His flock. He volunteered to become the Passover sacrifice.

²⁹ Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! JOHN 1

²⁶ He is holy and blameless, unstained by sin, undefiled by sinners. HEBREWS 7 tlb

¹⁹ … It was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed to you from your forefathers, ²⁰ but with the precious blood of the Messiah, a Lamb without blemish or defect. 1 PETER 1

Hold your breath because this is mind-boggling: The Second Passover covered all sins—past, present and future. It was accomplished not for the Israelites alone but for the benefit of all humankind. Y’shua assumed the liability of the generations before us, our generation, and the generations after us—so we might pass over from the realm of the dead and live. He did it like a father would for his children: with overwhelming love.

¹⁸ The Messiah died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. 1 PETER 3

¹³ The Messiah redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” GALATIANS 3

⁴ For [God] chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love ⁵ He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Y’shua the Messiah, in accordance with His pleasure and will— ⁶ to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves! ⁷ In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace ⁸ that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. EPHESIANS 1

People think of Y’shua as someone punished and humbled by God, yet the sufferings He endured were not His; the sorrows He carried were not His (Isaiah 53:4 jb).

⁵ He was pierced through for our faults, crushed for our sins. On Him lies a punishment that brings us peace, and through His wounds [stripes] we are healed. ⁶ We had all gone astray like sheep, each taking his own way, and Yahweh burdened Him with the sins of us all. ⁷ Harshly dealt with, He bore it humbly, He never opened His mouth, like a lamb that is led to the slaughter-house, like a sheep that is dumb before its shearers never opening its mouth. ⁸ By force and by law, He was taken [arrested and sentenced and led off to die, and no one cared about His fate]; would anyone plead His cause? Yes, He was torn away from the land of the living; for our faults [He was] struck down in death. ⁹ They gave Him a grave with the wicked, a tomb with the rich, though He had done no wrong [violence] and there had been no perjury [deceit] in His mouth. ¹⁰ Yahweh had been pleased to crush Him with suffering. If He offers His life in atonement, He shall see His heirs, He shall have a long life and through Him what Yahweh wishes will be done. ISAIAH 53 jb

THE PASSOVER COMMEMORATES THE INSTITUTION OF THE NEW COVENANT.

The Twelve entered into a new covenant with God. The Twelve entered into it for and on behalf of the first disciples, who represented the Church (ekklesia in Greek meaning called out ones). The Church was to become a coworker of God in propagating and perpetuating divine love. How to do it was stipulated in the Ten-C.   

Those of us today who have the heart for it may join the covenant as part of the Church. Membership means we are committing ourselves to be God’s coworkers the rest of our lives. The commitment entails 100% obedience of the Word, the Ten-C included. In return, God commits to love and take care of us—in this life and hereafter. 

Why a New Covenant

The old covenant was defiled and torn to pieces by spiritual adultery. The new covenant has been instituted to save us all from the Second Death.  

⁷ For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. ⁸ But God found fault with the people and said: The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a New Covenant with the house of Isra’el and with the house of Judah. ⁹ ...Because they did not remain faithful to My covenant. ¹⁰ This is the New Covenant I will make with the house of Isra’el… declares the Lord: I will put My laws in their minds [so they will know My instructions] and write them in their hearts [so they will obey them]. I will be their God, and they will be My people. ¹¹ No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” because they will know Me, from the least of them to the greatest… ¹³ By calling this covenant “new,” He has made the first one obsolete and aging [it] will soon disappear. HEBREWS 8

Why Participate

The new covenant seeks to re-inject the element of love into our hearts. Without it, we will continue in being self-destructive, breeding unrighteous relationships, and bringing about a sick society.

¹⁷ The Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Y’shua the Messiah. JOHN 1

¹ Let love be your highest goal! 1 CORINTHIANS 14 nlt

¹⁹ See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. ISAIAH 43

Our participation in the new covenant is component to gaining personal restoration.       

¹² Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God— ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. JOHN 1

²⁶ You are all sons of God through faith in Messiah Y’shua, ²⁷ for all of you who were baptized into the Messiah have clothed yourselves with the Messiah. GALATIANS 3

⁹ If you confess with your mouth “Y’shua is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. ROMANS 10

We participate because we agree with its objective of dismantling the barriers that separate men. 

¹⁵ His purpose was to create in Himself one new man out of the two [the Jews and the non-Jews]; thus making peace, ¹⁶ and in this one Body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility. ¹⁷ He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. ¹⁹ Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, ²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Messiah Y’shua Himself as the chief cornerstone. ²¹ In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. EPHESIANS 2

The objective is to build one citizenship out of the humankind, one Body where no one is discriminated or more dignified than the others; where each member is welcomed, respected and loved as a vital part of the whole; where everyone contributes love-sacrifices to the collective cause. To build a classless society that is not based on the absence of social status but where all are honored equally as “heirs” according to the promise made to Abraham.

¹² The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with the Messiah. ¹³ For we are all baptized by one Spirit into one Body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 1 CORINTHIANS 12

²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Messiah Y’shua. ²⁹ If you belong to the Messiah, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. GALATIANS 3

⁴ There is one Body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope, when you were called— ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. EPHESIANS 4

We participate because the Most Precious Blood sealed the new covenant. It is too precious to waste.    

³⁵ One of the [Roman] soldiers pierced Y’shua’s side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. JOHN 19

¹³ You who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of the Messiah. EPHESIANS 2

²⁰ After the supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the New Covenant in My Blood, which is poured out for you.” LUKE 22

²⁷ Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the Covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. MATTHEW 26

Only animal blood sealed the old covenant.  

²² Under the old agreement almost everything was cleansed by sprinkling it with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. HEBREWS 9 tlb

¹⁹ When Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the Law to all the people, he took blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. ²⁰ He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.” HEBREWS 9

Gratitude dictates that the divine love be reciprocated.

¹¹ The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the city. ¹² And so Y’shua also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy with His own blood. HEBREWS 13

⁷ The blood of Y’shua, His Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 JOHN 1

Most important of all, we participate because there will be no repeat of the Most Holy Sacrifice. Y’shua cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over Him (Romans 6:9). Lucifer, his demons and human agents cannot crucify, disgrace or humiliate Him again ever. The opportunity therefore to be reconciled with God while we are on earth should not be squandered; otherwise, there will be nothing to look forward to but the terrible punishment of God’s awful anger which will struck His enemies (Hebrews 10:27 tlb).   

The Contract Signing

The new covenant was formally instituted during Seder, the night before Y’shua died. On that occasion God reiterated a promise: that those who proved to be faithful will feast with Him in heaven.

¹⁵ And He said, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. ¹⁶ For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” LUKE 22

²⁹ I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in My Father’s kingdom. MATTHEW 26

The occasion fastened the Son of Man to make the Most Holy Sacrifice. An annual rite was proclaimed to commemorate it and the commitment of the Church to follow His selfless example.

¹⁹ Do this in memory of Me. LUKE 22

Baptism of Fire

At the Passover table were the Twelve. Y’shua bared to them the baptism of fire that every new covenanter would have to go through.

³⁴ If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ³⁵ For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me and for the Gospel will save it. MARK 8

Baptism of fire is a series of love-sacrifices: The new covenanter will have to shed his old polluted self, don a new self, strive hard to reach Christian maturity, and help his neighbors to become new covenanters themselves. It is more of a refinement process. Like to precious metal he will be subjected to intense heat to melt away all his impurities. The fire will bring difficulties, frustrations, hurts and sorrows, but if he endured it, he will come out of it holy and pure.

⁷ I will refine [tsaw-raf, make pure, purge, melt away] them and test them, for what else can I do because of the sin of My people. JEREMIAH 9

⁹ I will bring them into the fire. I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. ZECHARIAH 13

²⁵ I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities. ISAIAH 1

It is common to hear nowadays of a new covenanter complaining of the breaks of life going against him. He must be told that the demonic forces have become terribly sore at him for enlisting as a soldier of God in the kingdom war. That would mean the once reliable loyalist of the evil empire is turning into a traitorous renegade. That would mean greater number of enemies and lesser number of human agents for Lucifer. That would mean the ejection of the demonic spirits in his heart, which would translate to loss of territory for the evil empire. Developments such as these alarm and anger the demonic forces and move them to make immediate counteractions. Rick Warren said the new covenanter would be given to “impossible problems, delayed promises, major changes, unanswered prayers, underserved criticism, and even senseless tragedies” (Purpose-Driven Life, p. 43). The new covenanter must be tested whether he is really of God or Lucifer’s. The demonic forces have God’s permission to test him and would do it with gusto.

¹⁶ If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 1 PETER 4

The Book of Job gives insight on what the demonic forces can do.

First, the new covenanter would be isolated and stripped of covering and support (Job 1:11). People dear to him would be removed through poverty, ailment, accident or death. He would be deprived of his talents, treasures and sources of income. In the case of Job, he lost his sons and daughters, his servants and great wealth, all in one day (Job 1:13-22).

Second, his flesh would be afflicted. Job was afflicted with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head (Job 2:7).

Third, intrigues, conflicts, persecutions, anxiety, failures, frustrations, and disappointments would plague him. The demonic forces and their human agents would try to convince him that he is a loser, that what he is doing were an exercise in futility, and that it would be less burdensome on his part to sin and die than to endure.

Fourth, he would see demons—elemental spirits, mermaids, angels of death (yamadutas), demons of the air (yandavas), guardian spirits (devas and devates), demigods, and guardians of the flame (abhodevendas, cosmic teachers, ascended masters)—and be attacked by them.[2]

¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. EPHESIANS 6

In the beginning a demon or two would come, but the number would increase. At first the attacks would come by sundown and end before sunrise, but eventually would continue in the daytime. At first elemental spirits would come in the form of insects, snakes, and strange-looking creatures—even in the form of human personalities, both dead and living, who are familiar to the new covenanter, but the disguise would be dropped eventually.

The new covenanter would have to parry the attacks for he could be killed, paralyzed or dismembered if hit. He could be chained, taken prisoner and brought to an astral or terrestrial dungeon so dark and eerie, where the angels of God could not rescue him for they are forbidden to come near the place.

His family and neighbors might not cope with his situation. They might presume that he has lost touch with reality. Medical doctors might diagnose him as schizophrenic, paranoid, psychotic, or simply mentally ill. His own churchmates might think he’s demon-possessed (not demonized which is the real case) and might not want to sit on the same pew with him. Instead of helping him, they might ostracize and ridicule him—even think of him as someone being punished by God.    

In all of the above, he would have to cling to his faith. Instead of being perplexed or panicky or losing hope, he should relax and pray. The Living Grand Masters of Lucifer along with the rulers of the seven occult kingdoms—Seraphim Visel (earth kingdom), Lord Kaliya (water kingdom), Lord Naga (fire kingdom), Lord Sagna (astral kingdom), Lord Shohang (terrestrial kingdom), Sat Kumara (Azura) and Chitanam (Kalami)— might confront him and gang him up. But as soon as he prays for help, God will come to neutralize his enemies. Prayer is his only link to God. God will free him if taken captive, restore his losses, and wake him up—alive and whole—from his nightmares.[3]

¹⁴ I will rescue those who love Me. I will protect those who trust in My name. ¹⁵ When they call on Me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. ¹⁶ I will reward them with a long life and give them My salvation. PSALM 91 nlt

We speak from experience. Baptism of fire is a series of battles progressively intensifying and terribly exhausting. The demonic forces will not give up until the new covenanter quits on God. Thus, he must always be on battle station. Good for him to stay on prayer mode 24/7 and resist the attacks with the help of God and other God-worshipers.

Our first battles made us sleepless for almost nine months. Lucifer was the main opponent mostly. Today the attacks have waned but still come at any time of the day—even in the middle of the sea or a business conference, while crossing the street or sleeping.

Prepare for Testing

At the Passover table Y’shua essentially told the Twelve: “Every one of you who has the heart desire to be a new covenanter must prepare for testing. Prepare for a treacherous, protracted war, one to last the rest of your lives. When baptism of fire comes to visit, it will not be easy for you. But just as I carry My cross, so you must carry yours. You will stumble but do not stay down. Stand firm to the end and you will be restored.”

What was said to the Twelve is also said to us.

³³ In this world you will have trouble. JOHN 16

⁸ Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. ⁹ Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers [in faith] throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 1 PETER 5

Do Not Fear

Baptism of fire means eating the bread of adversity and drinking from the cup of affliction. It sounds dreadful but fear not. Nebuchadnezzar ordered Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to be thrown into the blazing furnace yet no harm came to them. The Son of God untied them and enabled them to “walk around in the fire unharmed” (Daniel 3:19-30).

¹⁰ Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. ISAIAH 41

¹⁵ Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s… ¹⁷ Go out and face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you. 2 CHRONICLES 20

¹⁴ The Lord will fight for you, and all you have to do is keep still. EXODUS 14 tev

¹⁰ Be still and know that I am God. PSALM 46

²⁹ The Lord Himself is your shield and your sword to defend you and give you victory. DEUTERONOMY 33 tev

² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. ³ For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Isra’el, your Savior. ISAIAH 43 

²⁰ Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water [cup] of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. ²¹ Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” ISAIAH 30

⁵ No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you. JOSHUA 1

²⁰ And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. MATTHEW 28

⁴ Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. ISAIAH 46

Paul gave a testimony of how God protected him:

⁸ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 2 CORINTHIANS 4

You will take hits in the course of your baptism but not beyond your capacity to take.

¹³ God keeps His promise, and He will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, He will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you a way out. 1 CORINTHIANS 10 tev

¹² Blessed are all who take refuge in Him. PSALM 2

¹⁸ The One who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. 1 JOHN 5

¹⁸ Not a single hair from your heads will be lost. LUKE 21 tev

You will face unpleasantries but how else should you be refined? 

¹³ Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. 1 CORINTHIANS 16  

⁹ If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all. ISAIAH 7

¹³ But he who stands firm to the end will be saved. MATTHEW 24

Lucifer has the power to kill (Hebrews 2:14) and he is a murderer (John 8:44), but fear him not because Y’shua said to him, “Very well, then, he is in your hands, but you must spare his life” (Job 2:6). Lucifer cannot kill you unless you give him an opening like entertaining fear of dying, dismemberment, pain or loss. You will eventually exit this world, as we all must, but not to satisfy the purpose of the enemy. God will see to it that your death will satisfy His kingdom purpose.

Paul wrote of Lucifer’s unsuccessful attempts to kill him:      

²³ I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. ²⁴ Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, ²⁶ I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger at sea; in danger from false brothers. ²⁷ I have labored and toiled and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 2 CORINTHIANS 11

Fear not because whatever you lose in the course of your baptism will be returned to you one hundred times (Matthew 19:29).

Embrace your baptism of fire with joy and gladness because the devil’s opposition is your assurance that you are on the right track.

⁷ These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. 1 PETER 1 nlt

Embrace your baptism of fire with joy and gladness because God is fair and just. The suffering of the non-covenanters will be seven times worse.    

¹³ No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. 1 CORINTHIANS 10

⁸ Here is what all creatures, both human and animal, must face (but it is seven times worse for sinners): ⁹ death, violence, conflict, murder, disaster, famine, sickness, epidemic. SIRACH 40

Take the Cup

¹⁴ When the hour came, Y’shua and His apostles reclined at the table… ¹⁷ After taking the cup, He gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. ¹⁸ For I tell you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” ¹⁹ He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” ²⁰ In the same way, after the supper, He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the New Covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you.” LUKE 22

²⁷ Drink from it, all of you. ²⁸ This is My blood of the Covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. MATTHEW 26

The Most Holy Body was about to be broken, the Most Holy Blood about to be spilled. The culmination of the Son of Man’s baptism of fire was about to come. Three times He prophesied it. Everyone at the table had an inkling of what He was talking about.

⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. ⁵⁰ But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. ⁵¹ I am the Living Bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world… ⁵³ I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. ⁵⁴ Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. ⁵⁵ For My flesh is real food and My blood is real drink. ⁵⁶ Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him. JOHN 6

God leads by example. He does not command anyone to do something that He Himself did not do. In giving the symbolic bread and wine for the apostles to eat and drink, He was virtually saying to the Church, “As your Lord and Teacher, I will do it first. But do I have your commitment to follow in My footsteps?”

Earlier, He asked two of the apostles: “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” (Mark 10:38)

In effect God asked, “Will you be My coworkers?”

²³ And they all drank from it. MARK 14      

Yes! The Twelve partook of the bread and wine, hallelu-yah! It was a sacred affirmation of the Church’s commitment, and of the Twelve’s personal commitment, to go through baptism of fire.

Now, whenever and wherever the Passover meal is commemorated, our participation in it—eating the bread and drinking the wine—should be a sacred affirmation not only of our oneness with the Church but also of our personal commitment to go through our baptism of fire and to contribute our share of love-sacrifices to the collective cause.  

Whenever and wherever the Passover Feast is celebrated, the baptism of fire of our ancestors in faith—especially that of Y’shua—should ring in our minds. For there would be no true spirituality for us to celebrate today if they shied away from it. Thank God for their love and faithfulness.

Trumpet Call

The Passover is about divine love. The new covenant is about divine love. God bore the penalty meant for us because of divine love. Now He is looking for new covenanters. People to work on your family, your friends, your schoolmates, your workmates, your churchmates… People to begin the work on their own selves.

God hopes you would be one of them. He is calling you to imitate His sacrifice, to offer your body and blood for divine love.

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[1] Cf. Benny Hinn, The Greatest Miracle (Orlando, Florida: Benny Hinn Ministries, 1998), pp. 4-5.

[2] Occult Grand Master Now In Christ, Part 2: Seven Occult Kingdoms.

[3] Occult Grand Master Now In Christ, Part 5: My Encounter With Christ, pp. 189-190, gives firsthand account of how the Living Stone (Messiah Y’shua) foiled the attack that Iyke Nathan Uzorma and the rulers of the evil empire made on Archbishop B. A. Idahosa, founder of the Church of God in Nigeria.