We are built by the blood of Jesus Christ. As New Testament believers, our foundation for learning about Passover starts with Jesus Christ the Messiah – the Lamb who was slain before the foundations of the earth. His blood is our purchasing power and what has redeemed us. It’s all about the blood of Jesus. The Biblical Feasts illuminate supernatural truths and blessings for you today. They were all built on the foundation of God’s blood covenant with mankind. Because of the blood, there are great benefits for you!
God establishes Passover to be kept forever as Exodus 12:14 states, “And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.”
The story of Exodus was foretold by God in Genesis 15:13-16.
“And He said to Abram, “Know with certainty that your offspring shall be aliens in a land not their own- and they will serve them, and they will oppress them- four hundred years. But also the nation that they will serve, I shall judge, and afterwards they will leave with great wealth. As for you: You shall come to your ancestors in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. And the fourth generation shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite shall not yet be full until then.”
God promises Abram deliverance of his descendants. God changes Abrams name to Abraham in Genesis 17 and calls him a father of a multitude of nations. We as Christians are children of Abraham according to Galatians 3:7- “Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.”
The first feast of the Lord is Passover. It is the foundational feast, or first feast season. The biblical calendar is 354 days that are based on the lunar cycle. This biblical calendar is different from the calendar that we use in the modern day. Today, we use what is called “Gregorian” or “Julian” calendar that is 365 days and is based on the solar cycle. This is why biblical months and holidays will fall on different dates each year on our modern calendar. Passover is celebrated annually since the first Passover took place during the time of Moses at around 1445 B.C. The events of the Passover are laid out in Exodus 12.
The main theme in the book of Exodus is about how God delivered His people out of Egypt. The word “Exodus” is a Greek word meaning “going out”. The word for “to go out” in Hebrew is “yatsa” which means to come out, to go forth, to go forward, to lead out, to deliver. This was done through the Passover.
Passover remembers the Israelites’ exodus from hundreds of years of slavery in Egypt and the redemption of a newborn nation belonging to the Lord. In Exodus, it was the blood of the Passover Lamb that protected the Israelites from the destroying angel. Today, it is the blood of Jesus – the lamb of God – that covers us, keeps us and redeems us.
Passover in the Hebrew means to extend the arms or wings over one protecting them. Passover is not so much “passing by” as passing by, but means “to shield over” – it means PROTECTION! During the Passover, God instructed His people to sacrifice a lamb without blemish and to paint the blood of the lamb over every doorpost as a sign to the angel of death. This was a costly sacrifice on the part of God’s people. Perfect lambs were valuable; they were a source of income and sustenance. Their wool, their meat, and their milk all provided a meager source of income. Remember, God’s people were slaves; hated and oppressed by their tormentors. Their state of slavery was the absolute worst it could have been. Their obedience at this state of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion was a miracle in itself. But God was about to give them many miracles in return.
In Exodus 12 begins the specific instruction for the Israelites:
Verses 3 through 5 “Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a house. And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:”
The blood of the lamb stopped the angel of death from coming and devouring their children. No enemy may cross the bloodline! We are saved by the blood of Jesus and our trust and obedience to Him. God caused their enemies to hand over silver and gold for their journey, and set them free. Remember, He told them that they would not leave the land empty-handed. When Pharoah changed his mind again later and wanted his slaves back, God saved them again – only this time splitting the Red Sea and making a path for them to walk on through dry land. Your obedience is a seed that produces hundredfold blessing! Some of you have sacrificed in the face of tremendous pressure. God is going to pour out a blessing that you don’t have room enough to receive!
As we are seeing, Passover is a type and shadow of Jesus Christ, and it is also a feast celebrating the deliverance of God’s people from slavery. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, our relationship and connection to God the Father is restored. It’s all about the blood of Jesus. Passover illuminates supernatural truth and blessing for you today. Passover is built on the foundation of God’s blood covenant with mankind. Because of the blood, there are great benefits for you.
Jesus was punished that we might be forgiven. Jesus was wounded that we might be healed. Jesus was made sin with our sinfulness, that we might be made righteous with His righteousness. Jesus died our death that we might share his life. Jesus was made a curse that we might receive the blessing. Jesus endured our poverty that we might share his abundance. Jesus bore our shame that we might share His glory. Jesus endured our rejection that we might enjoy his acceptance. Our old man died in Jesus that the new man might live in us. What an awesome God that would release such an expression of measureless love to us!
