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.

 

 

 

 

 copyright © by david Samuel Parkins mmxxvi all rights reserved.

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