Yeshua Our Passover Yeshua HaMashiach was ordained from the very beginning, to become our Passover Lamb for all time. Yeshua provided the sacrifice the offering, that offering provided the blood that was necessary to redeem us from our sins. Innocent and guiltless blood was required for the offering and for our redemption. His blood provided the redemption that was necessary to reconcile mankind to YHVH. There is no longer a need to sacrifice a lamb at Pesach, Yeshua fulfilled that requirement with His death. Yeshua became the Pesach Lamb and it was planned from the beginning. Revelation 13:8 8 And all those dwelling on the earth, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the slain Lamb, from the foundation of the world shall worship him. From the time of creation, it was a foregone conclusion that Messiah would become the Passover sacrifice. Avraham (Abraham) rehearsed the whole event with his son Yitzhaq (Isaac), years before the actual event was to take place. Genesis 22:1-2 1 And it came to be after these events that Elohim tried Aḇraham, and said to him, Aḇraham! And he said, Here I am. 2 And He said, Take your son, now, your only son Yitsḥaq, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriyah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I command you. Avraham was stopped before he went through with what Elohim had told him to do, but he was prepared to give up his son. He had already determined that he was going to obey YHVH. Genesis 22:10-12 10 And Aḇraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son, 11 but the Messenger of יהוה called to him from the heavens and said, Aḇraham, Aḇraham! And he said, Here I am. 12 And He said, Do not lay your hand on the boy, nor touch him. For now I know that you fear Elohim, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me. YHVH gave up His Son, His ONLY Son for all of mankind. It was an event that would provide the redemption of Yisrael, the first born. It was an event that forever changed the history of mankind.
John 1:29 29 On the next day Yoḥanan saw יהושע coming toward him, and said, See, the Lamb of Elohim who takes away the sin of the world! Anyone can profess Yeshua, but it takes the full understanding and knowledge of why He did, what He did, and the meaning and symbolism of that act, to fully receive the blessing, the cleansing and the restoration that we are intended to receive from it. So, even though someone may say that they accept Yeshua, unless they understand what they are accepting, it has no real meaning. We have to fully understand what it is that we are accepting and we have to understand the true meaning of that sacrifice and what is expected of us. 1 Corinthians 11:27-30 27 So that whoever should eat this bread or drink this cup of the Master unworthily shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Master. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. 29 For the one who is eating and drinking unworthily, eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Master. 30 Because of this many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. When we accept that sacrifice, we are also entering into a covenant with YHVH. Yeshua s blood ratified the renewed covenant and put it into effect. When we accept Yeshua, we are agreeing to be bound by the terms of that covenant, just as Yisrael accepted the covenant at Sinai and were sprinkled by the blood, the blood sealed the covenant. Exodus 24:6-8 6 And Mosheh took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 7 And he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, All that יהוה has spoken we shall do, and obey. 8 And Mosheh took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, See, the blood of the covenant which יהוה has made with you concerning all these Words. HaSatan tried to prevent Yeshua from doing the task that He was sent to do. He knew exactly what was at stake and what it meant for Messiah to come to this earth, take on a body of flesh and to overcome this world. He knew that it meant utter defeat for him and his plans. He tried to have Yeshua murdered as a child. Herod had learned from the wise men; that a child had been born that they called the King of the Jews. After a failed attempt to locate the child, Herod issued a decree to kill all male children in Bethlehem, two years old and younger. Matthew 2:16
16 Then Herodes, having seen that he was fooled by the Magi, was greatly enraged, and he sent forth and slew all the male children in Bĕyth Leḥem and in all its borders, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had exactly learnt from the Magi. Pharaoh had had issued a similar edict in Egypt, when Yisrael was in bondage there. Pharaoh was attempting to control the population of the B nei Yisrael (Children of Israel) by killing all of the male children. Exodus 1:22 22 And Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, Throw every son who is born into the river, and keep alive every daughter. YHVH caused Moshe to be saved from Pharaoh s hand and he was set afloat in an ark made of reeds, as an infant of 3 months old. Exodus 2:2-4 2 And the woman conceived and bore a son. And she saw that he was a lovely child, and she hid him three months. 3 And when she could hide him no longer, she took an ark of wicker for him, and coated it with tar and pitch, and put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the edge of the river. 4 And his sister stood at a distance, to know what would be done to him. YHVH caused Yeshua to be saved from HaSatan s hand. A messenger of YHVH appeared to Yoseph and warned him that the child Yeshua was in danger. Matthew 2:13-15 13 And when they had left, see, a messenger of יהוה appeared to Yosĕph in a dream, saying, Arise, take the Child and His mother, and flee to Mitsrayim, and remain there until I bring you word, for Herodes is about to seek the Child to destroy Him. 14 And rising up, he took the Child and His mother by night and departed for Mitsrayim, 15 and remained there until the death of Herodes, to fill what was spoken by יהוה through the prophet, saying, Out of Mitsrayim I have called My Son. Why would YHVH send the child to Egypt for protection? Is there something significant about sending the child to Egypt? YHVH had originally sent His chosen people to Egypt for protection and preservation. The first Passover lambs came from Egypt, the B nei Yisrael observed the very first Passover when they were in bondage in Egypt. The Passover Lamb for all time also came from Egypt. Yeshua Messiah was selected and set apart as the Passover sacrifice. John 12:1-2
1 Accordingly,יהושע six days before the Passover, came to Bĕyth Anyah, where El azar was, who had died, whom He raised from the dead. 2 So they made Him a supper there, and Martha served, while El azar was one of those who sat at the table with Him. This is an inclusive count, which means the current day is included in the count. Counting back six days from the Pesach (Passover), which is the 14 th, this day would have been the 9 th day of the first month, or Aviv on the Hebraic calendar. John 12:12-13 12 On the next day a great crowd who had come to the festival, when they heard that יהושע was coming to Yerushalayim, 13 took the branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and were crying out, Hoshia-na! Blessed is He who is coming in the Name of,יהוה the Sovereign of Yisra ĕl! Here on the very next day, Yeshua is entering Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) and He is met by a large group of people who are welcoming Him and acknowledging Him. This is the next day after He had been in Bethany. Adding one day means that this is now five days from the Pesach, or the 10 th day of the first month. What day were the Pesach lambs to be set apart? Exodus 12:3 3 Speak to all the congregation of Yisra ĕl, saying, On the tenth day of this month each one of them is to take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. Yeshua entered Yerushalayim on the 10 th day of the first month. He was acknowledged as the Messiah and the King of Yisrael by the people who were there to welcome Him. He was set apart on the 10 th day, just as the Pesach lambs were set apart in Egypt on the 10 th day. Isaiah 53:7 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, but He did not open His mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, but He did not open His mouth. And so Yeshua HaMashiach, The Son of YHVH, went to His death, the Pesach Lamb for all time. It is no coincidence that Isaiah speaks of a lamb here. The parallel and symbolism is clear, Yeshua took the place of the Pesach Lamb. The death of Yeshua was destined to occur, and it had to occur for the redemption of all mankind. There was no other way in order to provide a means for mankind to be redeemed and to receive salvation, the shedding of blood was required.
Yeshua understood His fate very well and He knew what lay in front of Him and what He had to do. He was committed to the cause and to the job that He had been given to do. His only concern was to do the will of the Father. It was through His absolute commitment to do what YHVH had set before Him and through His love for us; that He completed the task that He had been sent to do. He even predicted Himself, what was going to happen to Him. Matthew 17:22 22 And while they were staying in Galil, יהושע said to them, The Son of Aḏam is about to be delivered up into the hands of men, Yeshua was trying to prepare His talmidim, or taught ones, for what was coming; He knew very well what His fate was and what He had to do. The entire plan of YHVH was dependent upon Yeshua being able to overcome and to present Himself as the Pesach sacrifice and to be found worthy, and pleasing in YHVH s sight as that sacrifice perfect and without blemish. Yeshua had to be tempted and tried in every way. He had to face all of the same temptations and pulls of the flesh that we experience in our lives and then to still do what YHVH had sent Him to do. He had to conquer and overcome, He had to put others above Himself and the care, and concern for others above His own. He had to lead and show the way for us, that we might also have hope and so that we could come to understand and believe that we can overcome in this life, just as He did. Hebrews 4:15 15 For we do not have a High Priest unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who was tried in all respects as we are, apart from sin. Yeshua did overcome and we can take encouragement from that, we can believe on it and we can know that we can overcome our flesh and conquer in this life just as He did, so that we can inherit eternal life with our Father and with our Messiah, Yeshua. YHVH loves us so much that He sent His son, His only son whom He loves dearly, who is precious to Him, to provide a way for us to enter His kingdom. Yeshua loves us so much that He willingly went to His death He paid the price that we earned, so that we could inherit eternal life with Him and with Abba for all of eternity. Yeshua died because of us, but he also died for us. John 16:32-33 32 See, an hour is coming, and has now come, that you are scattered, each to his own, and leave Me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. 33 These words I have spoken to you, that in Me you might have peace. In the world you have pressure, but take courage, I have overcome the world.
Yeshua has overcome. He has risen and He is now serving as our High Priest and making intercession for us. Even though Yeshua knew that His disciples were going to desert Him, He had compassion on them. He knew that they were going to be left alone in this world and He was trying to encourage them and give them something to hold on to something to look forward to. Yeshua loved you and laid down His life for you even before you were born! That is an incredible thing to think about. It is humbling and amazing to understand and to think that YHVH s own Son Yeshua, who is even now at the right hand of the Father, took on a fleshly body and gave His life a perfect sinless life that we might live. All true believers and followers of Yeshua are also as lambs and Yeshua is our shepherd. He watches over us and protects those who are His, from the wolves who are poised to ravage the flock and from those who want to destroy and scatter the sheep. John 10:7-10 therefore said to them again, Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the יהושע 7 door of the sheep. 8 All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. Whoever enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and shall go out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to slaughter, and to destroy. I have come that they might possess life, and that they might possess it beyond measure. Yeshua gave himself for us that we might have abundant life. He was not talking about this physical life, though our physical existence is enhanced by our relationship with Him and we are to enjoy our lives here. He was speaking primarily of the life that we will have beyond our physical existence. Yeshua has that life now at the side of YHVH. He has a life that will continue forever without end, eternally with Abba for all time. We can have that life too, but we must overcome and we must put off the sinful life and become as pure and as free from sin as we possibly can be in this life. We are called to come out of this world, to set ourselves apart and to remove ourselves from a life of sin and a life full of the temporal, fleeting things of this physical life, where eventually all will pass away and be burned up. We are to be making our garments white and purifying ourselves. We are to remove everything that defiles and corrupts and prepare ourselves we must be ready when Yeshua returns. Those who are His will be prepared, watching and waiting faithfully no matter what goes on around them, their eyes firmly fixed on the goal. 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the entire lump? 7 Therefore cleanse out the old leaven, so that you are a new lump, as you are unleavened. For also Messiah our Passover was offered for
us. 8 So then let us observe the festival, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of evil and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. It only takes one tiny, little bit of leavening, to leaven a whole lump. We are to become unleavened, free from sin free from those things that cause us to be puffed up and full of pride. Sin is sin; it is all detestable in the sight of YHVH. There are no degrees of sin, no matter how small that we may think our sin is, it is still a huge glaring spot in YHVH s sight and He wants it out of our lives. If you want more of YHVH s Spirit indwelling within you, then you must get the sin out of your life. YHVH cannot dwell where there is sin! What is sin? 1 John 3:4 4 Everyone doing sin also does lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. Sin is the transgression, or breaking of YHVH s law His Torah. What is the penalty for sin? Romans 6:23 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the favourable gift of Elohim is everlasting life in Messiah יהושע our Master. Messiah gave Himself to make that happen without that sacrifice we could never be free from the death penalty that we have all earned by our sin. We have to renounce our life of sin we must give it up and put it behind us, in order to be covered by the Pesach sacrifice of Yeshua. When we give up our life of sin and we accept the sacrifice that Yeshua made for us, the blood that He shed for us, then we can receive that promise of eternal life in YHVH s kingdom. Our hearts and our minds have to be marked with the blood of Yeshua, just as Yisrael marked their doorposts and lintels on that first Pesach, so that we can be passed over for the sins that we have and have had in our lives. We must continue to go before YHVH and confess all of our sins and ask for forgiveness, so that we can continue to be covered and passed over by that sacrifice that Yeshua made on our behalf. There is no universal salvation and the once saved always saved doctrine is false and in error! Every single person has things in their life that they must repent of and be forgiven for. None of us are perfect! 1 John 1:5-10 5 And this is the message which we have heard from Him and announce to you, that Elohim is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and are not doing the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship
with one another, and the blood of יהושע Messiah His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are misleading ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is trustworthy and righteous to forgive us the sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us. It is a terrible thing to be caught up in the sin of self-righteousness, to be puffed up with pride and arrogance and to deceive even ourselves, yet many do just that. We can go along telling ourselves that we are a good person and that there is nothing wrong in our lives, but we are just fooling ourselves. If we do that we are living a lie a lie that will cost us our lives. There is no one on this earth that is perfect and there is only one that was perfect and without blemish Yeshua the Messiah, who qualified, was set apart and served as our Pesach Lamb for all time. Yeshua was prophesied to serve as the Passover long before He ever walked the earth and His coming and the things that He would suffer were prophesied. Isaiah 50:5-6 5 The Master יהוה has opened My ear, and I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away. 6 I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard, I did not hide My face from humiliation and spitting. Yeshua suffered the humiliation, the beating, the mocking, the laughter, the pain, and the rejection, hated and despised by the very ones who He had come to save. What would any of us have done in that situation? Yeshua had the power to do whatever He wished; yet His wish His desire was only to do the will of the Father and to fulfill His destiny. He knew the entire fate of mankind, the entire outcome of YHVH s plan depended on Him being able to follow through with what He knew was in store for Him. Isaiah 53:1-12 1 Who has believed our report? And to whom was the arm of יהוה revealed? 2 For He grew up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or splendour that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should desire Him 3 despised and rejected by men, a man of pains and knowing sickness. And as one from whom the face is hidden, being despised, and we did not consider Him. 4 Truly, He has borne our sicknesses and carried our pains. Yet we reckoned Him stricken, smitten by Elohim, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our crookednesses. The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, went astray, each
one of us has turned to his own way. And יהוה has laid on Him the crookedness of us all. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, but He did not open His mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, but He did not open His mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment. And as for His generation, who considered that He shall be cut off from the land of the living? For the transgression of My people He was stricken. 9 And He was appointed a grave with the wrong, and with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was deceit in His mouth. 10 But יהוה was pleased to crush Him, He laid sickness on Him, that when He made Himself an offering for guilt, He would see a seed, He would prolong His days and the pleasure of יהוה prosper in His hand. 11 He would see the result of the suffering of His life and be satisfied. Through His knowledge My righteous Servant makes many righteous, and He bears their crookednesses. 12 Therefore I give Him a portion among the great, and He divides the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His being unto death, and He was counted with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Can you imagine what it would be like to know that you were going to give your life to save a people from certain death and also to know that they were going to completely reject you, despise and hate you, yet you continued on anyway despite whatever things you personally suffered? That takes absolute commitment and YHVH s Spirit. Yeshua could have failed, He could have yielded to temptation the adversary offered Him the world, yet He rejected the temptations of the flesh and overcame, knowing full well the fate that awaited Him. Psalm 22:6-19 6 But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. 7 All those who see Me mock Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8 He trusted in,יהוה let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, seeing He has delighted in Him! 9 For You are the One who took Me out of the womb; Causing Me to trust while on My mother s breasts. 10 I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother s belly You have been My Ěl. 11 Do not be far from Me, For distress is near; For there is none to help. 12 Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong ones of Bashan have encircled Me. 13 They have opened their mouths against Me, As a raging and roaring lion. 14 I have been poured out like water, And all My bones have been spread apart; My heart has become like wax; It has melted in the midst of My inward parts. 15 My strength is dried like a potsherd, And My tongue is cleaving to My jaws; And to the dust of death You are appointing Me. 16 For dogs have surrounded Me; A crowd of evil ones have encircled Me, Piercing My hands and My feet; 17 I count all My bones. They look, they stare at Me. 18 They divide My garments among them, And for My raiment they cast lots. 19 But You, O,יהוה do not be far off; O My Strength, hasten to help Me!
As He hung there dying, His life force ebbing from Him, He still had focus and presence of mind. He was still committed to the goal of the giving of Himself completely, even to death. Then, finally at His weakest moment, He was left to face His fate all alone as even YHVH deserted Him. YHVH had to remove His Holy Spirit from Him, so that He could conquer and overcome by Himself and qualify to be the Lamb of YHVH. Mark 15:34 34 And at the ninth hour יהושע cried out with a loud voice, saying, Ěli, Ěli, lamah sheḇaqtani? which is translated, My Ěl, My Ěl, why have You forsaken Me? That was the supreme test for Yeshua as he faced death finally all alone. His faith completely in YHVH and His promise to raise Him back from the dead. We have that same promise; YHVH will raise us up too. Whether we are already asleep, or whether we remain until the time of Yeshua s return, we will be raised on that day and that is a promise that we can count on and that will never be broken Yeshua made it possible by causing us to be passed over by His sacrifice. Psalm 34:18-22 is near to the broken-hearted, And saves those whose spirit is יהוה 18 crushed. 19 Many are the evils of the righteous, But יהוה delivers him out of them all. 20 He is guarding all his bones; Not one of them is broken. 21 Evil יהוה guilty. 22 does slay the wrong, And those who hate the righteous are redeems the lives of His servants, And none of those taking refuge in Him are guilty. Because Yeshua is our Passover, we walk in newness of life. We are freed from the bondage of sin that had enslaved us and reigned cruelly and mercilessly over us. We are set free and we are reconciled back to YHVH and come into relationship with Him. That is why we are to be separate; that is why we are to set ourselves apart and come out of this world. We are to be different we become His, we belong to Him. When we accept that sacrifice we are to become a new person, transformed and changed from who and what we were. We have to overcome this life now, just as Yeshua did and then one day we will be transformed from this weak fleshly existence, into a glorious eternal existence with spiritual bodies that will not be subject to the weaknesses that we now battle and wrestle with. We too will have qualified to live eternally, in YHVH s Kingdom. 2 Timothy 1:8-10 8 So do not be ashamed of the witness of our Master, nor of me His prisoner, but suffer hardship with me for the Good News according to the power of
Elohim, 9 who has saved us and called us with a set-apart calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and favour which was given to us in Messiah יהושע before times of old, 10 but now revealed by the appearing of our Saviour יהושע Messiah, who indeed abolished death and brought life and incorruptibility to light through the Good News, The time is coming when the world will mourn, because they did not recognize Yeshua as the Son of YHVH and the Lamb of YHVH. They did not appreciate His sacrifice and what was done for them. They did not discern the importance of being passed over and accepting Yeshua s redemptive sacrifice. They did not set themselves apart to YHVH as He requires they ignored His Word and His warning. Zechariah 12:10 10 And I shall pour on the house of Dawiḏ and on the inhabitants of Yerushalayim a spirit of favour and prayers. And they shall look on Me whom they pierced, and they shall mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son. And they shall be in bitterness over Him as a bitterness over the first-born. YHVH, through His Spirit, has opened our minds. He has given us understanding and He has revealed to us that we are covered and passed over by the sacrifice and the blood of His Son. His Word is truth and it brings life to all of those who hear Him and believe what He has said. By accepting that sacrifice, we have accepted YHVH s terms for our salvation. We have entered into and we are in, a covenant relationship with YHVH and we have received the promise of eternal life in His Kingdom. We are sanctified, we are cleansed and we are justified by that Pesach sacrifice for all time, Yeshua HaMashiach. Let us never take that for granted and let us never fail to remember the price that was paid and the priceless gift that was given to us all. Copyright 2016 Jeff L Mills www.haemet.org