A short-ish word:

On easter

WHAT I DIDN’T KNOW THAT I DIDN’T KNOW, ABOUT passover

(based on conversations I have had with professing christians)

 

-six-

The overarching element of any discussion I have had with professing Christians concerning Easter is this; if the cap fits, why can’t we wear it? We who? Surely, it has been said, the acceptance & inclusion of the recurring themes of new life & renewal, chime nicely with The Gospel motifs of light & resurrection. Doesn’t this make it easier to evangelise & easier for the evangelised? Surely, I have replied, you’re having a laugh. The preaching of The Gospel comes with conviction, not convenience. Easter serves the latter. Where is The Lamb? Where is The Cross? Where is The Blood? Furthermore, it is He & not we who are evidently set forth in the scenario. Passover is exclusively about Christ Jesus. I completely understand that it is easier to go with the flow, rather than attempt to roll back centuries of man-made tradition, intermingled with paganism. This is to say nothing of daring to oppose it or forbid its inclusion in our worship. I hear the sharp intake of breath & the clutching of pearls. It is bad enough that nominal Gentile Christianity openly rejects the root that supports The Feast, but quite another for true believers to besmirch the finished work of Christ by secularising it. When The Church at large uses symbolism, allegory & representations other than those given to it biblically, that speaks for itself. Have we forgotten exactly Who it is that supremely distinguished Himself from all others? Have we forgotten that He is in a category all by Himself? Have we forgotten that He is the true firstborn from the dead? Also, for the record, The Lord Jesus Christ does not wear a cap. He wears a crown.

In conclusion I want to encourage you brethren. We need to embrace what we have abandoned. In an effort to rid itself of those pesky Jews & their awful Passover, The Church has replaced it with Easter, historically. This is not six of one & half a dozen of the other. It is theological regime change. Jesus Christ is not at the centre of this season; The Equinox is. The Church has simply adopted its themes & adapted itself. Something at which it’s quite adept. Remember that whatever is said of Christ by The Church at large will be believed by the world.

Even the staunchest atheist will associate this time with the elements promoted & popularised in The Name of Jesus & in this, The Church at large has excelled spectacularly. The Jesus of Easter is little more than the sum of those things He has been likened to & yet The Scriptures paint an altogether different picture of the real Christ’s death, burial & resurrection. Of course, this means actually taking the time to read & study God’s Word & who has time to do that nowadays, eh? I suggest you make the time, because Easter is not the only lie that The Church has accepted & perpetuated.

¹ Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. ² For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; ³ How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; ⁴ God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will⁹…But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man (Hebrews 2:1-4 & 9). 

¹⁴ 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; ¹⁵ And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage (Hebrews 2:14-15).

This is The Lord. This is The King. This is The Messiah. This is God in the flesh. This is Jesus Christ. This is The One Who endured the cross, despising the shame & is seated at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2). Paul says of Him, ‘Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.’ (1^st Timothy 6:15-16).

²⁵ Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.  ²⁶ For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens (Hebrews 7:26).

This is The Lord. This is The King. This is The Messiah. This is God in the flesh. This is Jesus Christ. Hebrews says of Him, ‘By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.’ (Hebrews 7:22-24). He Himself is our guarantor (Ephesians 1:14).

This is The Lord. This is The King. This is The Messiah. This is God in the flesh. This is Jesus Christ. Now hear this; ‘And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. (Hebrews 9:15-17). Not only did He die as a perfect offering to bring us The New Covenant; He rose again from the dead in order to ratify & administrate it.

This is The Lord. This is The King. This is The Messiah. This is God in the flesh. This is Jesus Christ. Paul says of Him, ‘Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.’ (Colossians 1:15-18). Don’t you love Him?

This is The Lord. This is The King. This is The Messiah. This is God in the flesh. This is Jesus Christ. Just as YHWH smashed the Egyptian pantheon, Jesus trounces His opposition by conquering death. Like Father, like Son. Listen to Paul, ‘And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.’ (Ephesians 1:19-23). 

¹⁵ And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it (Colossians 2:15). 

This is The Lord. This is The King. This is The Messiah. This is God in the flesh. This is Jesus Christ. The One Who’s sacrifice was sufficient to take away sins. Hebrews says, ‘And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. ¹⁴ For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified (Hebrews 11:10-14). 

This is The Lord. This is The King. This is The Messiah. This is God in the flesh. This is Jesus Christ. Jesus says, ‘I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.’ (Revelation 22:13).

⁸ Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. ⁹ (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? ¹⁰ He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)’ (Ephesians 4:8-10).

¹⁸ Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them (Psalms 68:18). 

This is The Lord. This is The King. This is The Messiah. This is God in the flesh. This is Jesus Christ. This is The One we worship, praise & adore, most especially during these days of The Feast. This is The One Who said, ‘..Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ (John 2:19); ‘..I lay down my life, that I might take it again..I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again..’ (John 10:17-18). That is a fact more defiant than the forces of nature being honoured at Easter & the influences behind it.

This is The Lord. This is The King. This is The Messiah. This is God in the flesh. This is Jesus Christ.

²⁰ Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, ²¹ Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21).

If you are in any doubt whatsoever concerning The Lord Jesus Christ & His credentials, qualifications or worthiness, please read through The New Testament. When The Church at large ought to defend its champion, it has allowed His reputation to be supplanted. Passover has become a pushover. It is a cruel joke to make any comparison between The Exodus & The Equinox.

Easter, it’s nature symbols & repurposed imagery has nothing to do with the death, burial, victory & resurrection of Christ. We have the sufficiency of Scripture. Out of that treasury, we The Church ought to be taught & in turn, teach & our children. The alternative is neither viable nor biblical. There is no other way to adequately convey the true magnitude of The Lord Jesus Christ’s accomplishment, apart from The Scriptures. From there we derive our language, liturgy & litany.

⁹ And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; ¹⁰ And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. ¹¹ And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; ¹² Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. ¹³ And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever (Revelation 5:9-13).

³ And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints (Revelation 15:3). 

 

 

 

 

copyright © by david Samuel Parkins mmxxvi all rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is presented & without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

 

A short-ish word:

On easter

WHAT I DIDN’T KNOW THAT I DIDN’T KNOW, ABOUT passover

(based on conversations I have had with professing christians)

 

-five-

 

We began this journey with YHWH sending a man to Israel with a promise to deliver them from bondage. That man was Moses. He challenged the powers that be, working powerful miracles with which Almighty God established Himself as Lord & King, mightier than any of the so-called gods of the Egyptian pantheon. They were systematically defeated, stripped & judged. The Lord demonstrated His sovereign power over life & death meticulously. ‘When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.’ (Hosea 11:1). This being the case, it’s only fitting that we finish this journey with YHWH sending a Saviour to Israel with a promise to deliver them from bondage. That Saviour was Jesus Christ. He challenged the powers that be, working powerful miracles with which Almighty God established Him as Lord & King, mightier than any of the so-called princes & the god of this world. They were systematically defeated, stripped & judged. The Lord demonstrated His sovereign power over life & death meticulously. ‘And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.’ (Matthew 2:15). John says, ‘And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.’ (1^st John 3:5). He is The Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). He is typified in Exodus, but in The Gospel, He is the substance. Buckle up. This is quite a thing.

Let’s put something to bed before we go any further. Several of you who have been reading through this series have asked why The KJV uses the word Easter in Acts 12:4. In short, I don’t know. The Greek word translated there is ‘pascha’ (derived from the Hebrew ‘pesach’), which is otherwise rendered Passover. It only occurs once & therefore I can’t see that a case can be built from that for Easter & Passover being synonymous.

In the first century, Jewish believers would have referred to The Feast as Passover & it would have been kept faithfully, having its fulfilment in The Lord Jesus Christ. As it stands now, what is called Easter today bears little or no resemblance to The Feast. The whole aim & object of our worship at this time has to be Jesus Christ & Christ alone. Easter & Passover are not the same & although some may kid themselves that they share Christ in common, I assure you that they do not.

As I have said previously, I would dare to venture that our actual beliefs are clearly revealed in our doctrines & in our practices. These in turn must be obtained from Scripture. Wherever there is deviation, there is also dilemma. Paul says, ‘For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.’ (1^st Corinthians 11:18-19). Notice that Paul says these things as he is about to give instructions concerning The Lord’s Supper. Who are the heretics & who are the approved that Paul identifies? He tells Timothy, ‘Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.’ (2^nd Timothy 2:15). When did heresy & division set in & plant the seeds of Easter within The Church at large?

‘The Council of Nicea in 325 AD established Sunday as the fixed date for Easter…One of the purposes of the Council of Nicea in 325 was to settle that date. Constantine did not want Easter to be celebrated on the Jewish Passover. He said it was a Christian "duty to have nothing in common with the murderers of our Lord"...The Council of Nicea accordingly required the feast of the resurrection to be celebrated on a Sunday and never on the day of the Jewish Passover. Easter was to be on the Sunday after the first full moon following the Spring equinox.’.

Christianity.com. Compiled quotes adapted from an earlier Christian History Institute story by Diane Severance, Ph.D. Chinews. "Today in History, March 22." "Easter." The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church,  edited by F. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone. Oxford, 1997. Gibson, George M. The Story of the Christian Year. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1945 (emphasis added)

As well as the obvious racist anti-Jewish rhetoric, it is clear that the Gentile Church wanted to distinguish itself. Did no one mention the admonition of Paul to The Church in Rome? ‘Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.’ (Romans 11:18). What flowed into the vacuum created by the Council’s decisions? Ask their theologians. I believe they were named Tom, Dick & Harry. Also, bear in mind The Venerable Bede’s observation concerning the renaming of Paschal Month; ‘.. calling the joys of the new rite by the time-honoured name of the old observance.’. We covered this in our second offering in this series.

The earliest believers kept The Feast. The Apostles kept The Feast. The Lord Jesus kept The Feast. Surely we would have been told if there was indeed a ‘..Christian duty to have nothing in common with the murderers of our Lord..’. The murderers of Our Lord has to include Gentiles. Surely? They must have missed that. Over time, the systematic inclusion & sanitisation of any & all things that took The Church’s fancy, were woven into the fabric of its doctrine & practise. This includes Easter. The Church at large has drifted off course & has contented itself to rebrand ungodly themes instead of revealing Gospel truths. For true believers, Christ is our Passover, not our Easter. He laid the foundation. He established the parameters. He set the table.

Instead of drawing on the biblical types & shadows that have been given to us, we have turned to heathen elements & justified drawing our examples from there. This is why Easter is associated with eggs, chicks & rabbits in the world; because it’s associated with the same things in The Church. Stop a stranger in the street & ask them what they think of when they hear the word Easter. Then ask them what they think of when they hear the word Passover. Answers on a postcard please. Easter is not Passover.

Not only is the label on the jar different; so are the contents. So I have to ask brethren; do you even know what you’re consuming?

Well, it has been said, at the time of Christ the different Jewish sects kept The Feast in alternative ways. This is true. Aren’t we just doing the same thing? No. It is important to point out the fact that none of these sects drew any inference or influence from the unbelieving world around them, in order to repurpose its symbolism & Judaise it in the way that The Church has blatantly christianised the ungodly. These very same elements vehemently deny the exclusivity of Christ & His Gospel. Can you see what has happened?

The True Lamb of God gave us His memorial. What have we The Church done with it? Paul says, ‘Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.’ (2^nd Timothy 1:8-10). Through. The. Gospel.

Easter & its elements reveal new life. Passover & its elements reveal eternal life. They are not the same. Remember, the Israelites were actually demonstrating Messiah’s death, until He came. Just as we The Church do, when we receive communion. In Passover, we are looking back as well as looking forward to The Marriage Supper of The Lamb (Matthew 26:29, Revelation 19:9).

When The Lord shared Passover with His disciples before He suffered (Luke 22:15), He made it clear that the Seder represented Him, tying Him to the Mosaic Exodus. He announces a New Covenant in the language of a wedding proposal. Remember His words. This is my body, given for you. This is my blood, shed for you. These are His solemn vows & as a Gentile, this is what makes Passover the sweetest of the sweet. The cream in the biscuit.

This is also why I do not want The Feast to be diluted or polluted, because it reveals the heart of the salvation offered to us by The Son of God & He paid the entire bride price with His own blood.

‘When viewed through the lens of ancient Jewish wedding customs and from the perspective of a Jewish believer in Jesus, this event takes on a deeper significance: it becomes a betrothal ceremony. In Jewish tradition, betrothal (kiddushin) was a legally binding covenant, often sealed by the sharing of a cup of wine between the groom and bride. This analysis argues that Jesus’ actions at the Last Supper mirror this ritual, positioning him as the Bridegroom who pledges himself to his disciples, representing the Church, his Bride, within a covenantal framework based on the template of the Mosaic Marriage Covenant… Betrothal, in Jewish law, is the first stage of the marriage process, whereby a man and a woman become legally committed to each other.  This covenant was formalized through a ceremonial act, often involving the groom offering a cup of wine to the bride. Her acceptance, by drinking from the cup, signified her consent to the betrothal… This act established a binding promise, with the groom departing to prepare a home, returning later for the wedding feast.’.

Messianic Bible, “Ancient Jewish Wedding Customs and Yeshua’s Second Coming,”. Chabad.org, “The Four Cups of Wine,”. (emphasis added)

I put it to you that The Church at large does not know Who or what it’s missing, most especially since it has willingly removed & replaced crucial representative elements of the covenant from its language, liturgy & litany. In this context, these actions would be considered adulterous & unfaithful. Why? Because that’s exactly what they are!

There are no covenantal elements in The Equinox, so why has The Church deliberately embraced things that are so diametrically opposed to the truth? Because The Church at large has absolutely no idea what The Exodus means & probably doesn’t care. Pagan men introduced these pagan things. Beyond that, many have no idea what The Gospel means either. Perhaps this is one of the reasons Paul admonishes individuals to examine themselves before taking part in communion (1^st Corinthians 11:28).

²⁰ For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's (1^st Corinthians 6:20). 

²³ Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men (1^st Corinthians 7:23). 

² For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ (2^nd Corinthians 11:2).

The Church would do well to carefully consider its course. Religionists, atheists & agnostics alike have already been laughing, pointing fingers & levelling the accusation that we are no different to or better than them. YHWH smashed the Egyptian pantheon of false gods for this very reason. So why has The Church been having an affair with them?

⁷ But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel (Exodus 11:7).

 

 

 

 

 

 copyright © by david Samuel Parkins mmxxvi all rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is presented & without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

 

 

 

 

 

A short-ish word:

On easter

WHAT I DIDN’T KNOW THAT I DIDN’T KNOW, ABOUT passover

(based on conversations I have had with professing christians)

 

-four-

 

At the time of this writing, March 2026, Passover & Easter are almost upon us. I’m sure that whatever side of the argument you land on, there will be ardent arrangements afoot in your homes & in your church fellowships. But what about the preparation of our hearts? That is all but forgotten about. We often miss the solemn weight of The Feast & its rich theology, in favour of the watered down & half-hearted, poor excuse for teaching within The Church at large. After that, it’s quickly back to business as usual. Well, I suppose that if we don’t understand it, we can just ignore it, right? When we easily hop, skip & jump our way through these days, without giving a second thought to what The Lord is actually trying to show us, we do Him & ourselves a great disservice. Am I saying that we need to pop down to our local farmer & purchase a lamb, smear its blood on our door lintels & hold barbecues? No, not at all. Neither am I suggesting that we hold Passover meals in our homes or church services. I’m saying that we have to come to understand what these things mean & when we do, we’ll see that we need nothing else. In the new birth, we leave everything represented by Egypt behind. But many of us want to take a little bit of Egypt with us. Brethren, we do not need to do that. Why? Because YHWH smashed the Egyptian pantheon for that very reason.

To state that Jesus died for our sins has become little more than a cliché & yet it is a statement of truth that is at the heart of The Gospel. Why have these truths been ignored, side-stepped & even replaced? Paul says, ‘For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.’ (1^st Corinthians 2:2). This is not only the act of The Lord Jesus being nailed to the cross, but rather, the entire range of His death, burial & resurrection. We see this quite clearly in The Scriptures.

What we haven’t seen is the biblical connection between the very first Mosaic Passover in Exodus & the finished work of The Lord Jesus Christ. Why not? Because a portion of our leadership is lazy, isn’t called, or they are in disobedience. They cannot or will not teach The Church these deeper truths. It’s a lot easier to light candles, eat chocolate & stroke bunnies, isn’t it? I said it! It’s true! Go figure!

Passover is not only the night of the death of the firstborn. That is where it begins. The Lord says, ‘Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.’ (Exodus 19:4). Jeremiah says, ‘Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD.’ (Jeremiah 31:31-32).

What do we see in The Passover? There is the demonstration of God’s Divine power. This creates living witnesses! There is the sacrifice of the lamb & the shedding of its blood. This brought salvation & deliverance out of slavery to the Egyptians.

This is where The Church at large will usually pull over & park, smugly self-satisfied.

What do we see in The Gospel? There is the demonstration of Messiah’s Divine power. This creates living witnesses! There is the sacrifice of The Lamb of God & the shedding of His blood. This brings salvation & deliverance out of slavery to our enemy.

Don’t we see the New Covenant Doctrines of Substitution & Identification in the Exodus narrative? The lamb died in Israel’s place so that they could walk free.

⁶ For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. ⁸ But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:6-8).

¹⁴ For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: ¹⁵ And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again…²¹ For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2^nd Corinthians 5:14-15 & 21).

¹⁸ For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit (1^st Peter 3:18).

What about the New Testament Doctrine of Justification by faith? Israel were instructed to take the blood of the lamb & strike it on the doorposts of their houses. They were to go inside & not come out. YHWH saw the blood & passed over their homes. Thank God for the blood!

²¹ But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; ²² Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: ²³ For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; ²⁴ Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: ²⁵ Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; ²⁶ To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus (Romans 3:21-26).

¹ Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: ² By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God… ⁹ Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. ¹⁰ For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. (Romans 5:1-2 & 9-10). 

¹⁸ Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; ¹⁹ But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot (1^st Peter 1:18-19).

²⁷ By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. ²⁸ Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them (Hebrews 11:27-28). 

What about the New Covenant Doctrine of Translation from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of God? Israel left Egypt’s domain at night & were led through the Red Sea, emerging on the other side in the morning.

⁹ But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: ¹⁰ Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy (1^st Peter 2:9-10). 

¹² Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: ¹³ Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: ¹⁴ In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:12-14).

8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light (Ephesians 5:8).

What about the New Testament Doctrine of Sanctification from the world? Israel had to eat unleavened bread for seven days after Passover. Sanctification begins immediately, post salvation.

⁷ Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: ⁸ Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth (1^st Corinthians 5:7-8). 

⁷ For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness (1^st Thessalonians 4:7).

¹⁴ As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: ¹⁵ But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation (1^st Peter 1:14-15).

These truths are all right there before us in the text, so why has The Church circumnavigated what is there, in favour of something that is not? The Church at large has abided this audacious infiltration. The Church at large has allowed this foul pollution. The Church at large has accepted this cheap imitation. Moses led Israel out of Egypt & our leadership has led us right back.

If it’s sweet, if it’s shiny, if it’s cute & if it’s cuddly; give it to The Gentile Church; they will swallow anything!

As I sit here writing this, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there are those who cannot understand (as someone emailed recently) ‘What even actually is the problem? Do these things even matter, really?’. The problem is huge & yes, these things really do matter because the devil is quite literally in the details. Take a good hard look at what Christ & His finished work are being compared & reduced to. YHWH smashed the Egyptian pantheon for this very reason. There was no blurring of any lines at Passover. However, some within The Church have opted for Easter instead. We have missed the fact that Passover is The Lord’s magnum opus & chief polemic against every false way. Make your choice believer; pagan religion or paschal reality?

⁷ But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. (Exodus 11:7).

Where is that difference today? This is not simply a case of saying tomayto, tomahto or potayto, potahto. There are ungodly elements taking their place in what is meant to be Christian worship & as soon as that happens, we are no longer venerating YHWH. It is as subtle as Eden’s serpent. It is beyond me that anyone who professes a faith in Christ & what He has accomplished, should wilfully embrace some of the very things that His death, burial & resurrection have delivered them from. YHWH smashed the Egyptian pantheon for this very reason. Do not allow those elements back, despite their disguises. Keep The Feast that truly celebrates The Lord Jesus Christ, in the way that Scripture prescribes. There is no need to incorporate anything else. Israel celebrated Passover as a memorial to what God had done. Jesus told us how to keep The Feast in remembrance of Him. Paul reiterates this truth in his first epistle to Corinth. Sadly, some are unwilling to teach & others are unwilling to learn. Both prefer the status quo. Whatever has been acquiesced to thus far, has a deep root system. It will take a miracle to remove it. However, I know Someone who can do just that.

 

 

 

 

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