Bible Study Guides – The Passover

October 25 – 31, 2020

Key Text

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no. life in you” (John 6:53).

Study Help: Patriarchs and Prophets, 273–280.

Introduction

“The followers of Christ must be partakers of His experience. They must receive and assimilate the word of God so that it shall become the motive power of life and action. By the power of Christ they must be changed into His likeness, and reflect the divine attributes. They must eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God, or there is no life in them.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 278.

Sunday

  1. A MERCIFUL WARNING

  • How was Moses regarded by the Egyptians? Exodus 11:3, last part.
  •  What judgment was foretold before the tenth plague, and what would Pharaoh and his servants do? Exodus 11:1, 4–8; 12:12.
  •  What can we learn about God’s character from the many warnings He sent to the Egyptians before sending the tenth plague? 2 Peter 3:9.

 Note: “The judgment of which Egypt had first been warned, was to be the last visited. God is long-suffering and plenteous in mercy. He has a tender care for the beings formed in His image. If the loss of their harvests and their flocks and herds had brought Egypt to repentance, the children would not have been smitten; but the nation had stubbornly resisted the divine command, and now the final blow was about to fall.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 273.

“The Lord wills not that any soul should perish. His mercies are without number.” The Upward Look, 150.

Monday

  1. THE PASSOVER INSTITUTED

  • Who was permitted to eat the Passover lamb? Exodus 12:43, 48, 49.
  • What were the Israelites instructed to do with the blood, and what was the purpose of that institution? Exodus 12:7, 13, 23.

Note: “Before obtaining freedom, the bondmen must show their faith in the great deliverance about to be accomplished. The token of blood must be placed upon their houses, and they must separate themselves and their families from the Egyptians, and gather within their own dwellings. Had the Israelites disregarded in any particular the directions given them, had they neglected to separate their children from the Egyptians, had they slain the lamb, but failed to strike the doorpost with blood, or had any gone out of their houses, they would not have been secure. They might have honestly believed that they had done all that was necessary, but their sincerity would not have saved them. All who failed to heed the Lord’s directions would lose their first-born by the hand of the destroyer.

“By obedience the people were to give evidence of their faith. So all who hope to be saved by the merits of the blood of Christ should realize that they themselves have something to do in securing their salvation. While it is Christ only that can redeem us from the penalty of transgression, we are to turn from sin to obedience. Man is to be saved by faith, not by works; yet his faith must be shown by his works.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 278, 279.

  • Who was to perform the work of slaying the Passover lamb and applying the blood to the doorpost? Exodus 12:21. What significance does this have for us today?

Note: “The father was to act as the priest of the household, and if the father was dead, the eldest son living was to perform this solemn act of sprinkling the doorpost with blood. This is a symbol of the work to be done in every family. Parents are to gather their children into the home and to present Christ before them as their Passover. The father is to dedicate every inmate of his home to God and to do a work that is represented by the feast of the Passover. It is perilous to leave this solemn duty in the hands of others.” The Adventist Home, 324.

Tuesday

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PASSOVER

  • How were the Israelites to eat the lamb and the other provisions of the Passover feasts? Exodus 12:8–11. What change took place after they had settled down in their own land?

Note: “At the time of their deliverance from Egypt, the children of Israel ate the Passover supper standing, with their loins girded, and with their staves in their hands, ready for their journey. The manner in which they celebrated this ordinance harmonized with their condition; for they were about to be thrust out of the land of Egypt, and were to begin a painful and difficult journey through the wilderness. But in Christ’s time the condition of things had changed. They were not now about to be thrust out of a strange country, but were dwellers in their own land. In harmony with the rest that had been given them, the people then partook of the Passover supper in a reclining position.” The Desire of Ages, 653.

  • How was the marvelous deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt kept fresh in the minds of their children? Exodus 12:26, 27.

Note: “The Passover was ordained as a commemoration of the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage. God had directed that, year by year, as the children should ask the meaning of this ordinance, the history should be repeated. Thus the wonderful deliverance was to be kept fresh in the minds of all.” The Desire of Ages, 652.

  • What is the relationship between the Passover service and the Lord’s Supper? What work is kept fresh in our minds by the communion service? Matthew 26:17–19, 26–29; 1 Corinthians 11:26.

Note: “As He [Christ] ate the Passover with His disciples, He instituted in its place the service that was to be the memorial of His great sacrifice. The national festival of the Jews was to pass away forever. The service which Christ established was to be observed by His followers in all lands and through all ages. …

“The ordinance of the Lord’s Supper was given to commemorate the great deliverance wrought out as the result of the death of Christ. Till He shall come the second time in power and glory, this ordinance is to be celebrated. It is the means by which His great work for us is to be kept fresh in our minds.” The Desire of Ages, 652, 653.

Wednesday

  1. THE SYMBOL AND THE SUBSTANCE

  • Of whom was the Passover lamb a type? John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:7.

Note: “God desired to teach them [Israel] that from His own love comes the gift which reconciles them to Himself.” The Desire of Ages, 113.

“The sacrificial lamb represents ‘the Lamb of God’ (John 1:29), in whom is our only hope of salvation. Says the apostle, ‘Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us’ (1 Corinthians 5:7). It was not enough that the paschal lamb be slain; its blood must be sprinkled upon the doorposts; so the merits of Christ’s blood must be applied to the soul. We must believe, not only that He died for the world, but that He died for us individually. We must appropriate to ourselves the virtue of the atoning sacrifice.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 277.

  • Who is symbolized by the bread and what reality should this remind us of? John 6:47, 48, 51.

Note: “To the death of Christ we owe even this earthly life. The bread we eat is the purchase of His broken body. The water we drink is bought by His spilled blood. Never one, saint or sinner, eats his daily food, but he is nourished by the body and the blood of Christ. The cross of Calvary is stamped on every loaf. It is reflected in every water spring. All this Christ has taught in appointing the emblems of His great sacrifice. The light shining from that Communion service in the upper chamber makes sacred the provisions for our daily life. The family board becomes as the table of the Lord, and every meal a sacrament.

“And how much more are Christ’s words true of our spiritual nature. He declares, ‘Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life’ (John 6:54). It is by receiving the life for us poured out on Calvary’s cross, that we can live the life of holiness. And this life we receive by receiving His word, by doing those things which He has commanded. Thus we become one with Him. [John 6:54, 56, 57 quoted.] To the holy Communion this scripture in a special sense applies. As faith contemplates our Lord’s great sacrifice, the soul assimilates the spiritual life of Christ. That soul will receive spiritual strength from every Communion. The service forms a living connection by which the believer is bound up with Christ, and thus bound up with the Father. In a special sense it forms a connection between dependent human beings and God.” The Desire of Ages, 660, 661.

Thursday

  1. THE TENTH PLAGUE – DEATH OF THE FIRSTBORN

  • Describe the last plague. Exodus 12:29, 30.
  • How were the Israelites driven out of the land of Egypt? Why? Exodus 12:31–33.

Note: “Throughout the vast realm of Egypt the pride of every household had been laid low. The shrieks and wails of the mourners filled the air. King and courtiers, with blanched faces and trembling limbs, stood aghast at the overmastering horror. Pharaoh remembered how he had once exclaimed, ‘Who is Jehovah, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I know not Jehovah, neither will I let Israel go’ (Exodus 5:2). Now, his heaven-daring pride humbled in the dust, he ‘called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said. … And be gone; and bless me also’ (Exodus 12:31, 32). The royal counselors also and the people entreated the Israelites to depart ‘out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men’ (verse 33).” Patriarchs and Prophets, 280.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1     How did God show mercy in His warnings before each plague and especially before the tenth plague?

2     How does the Passover service illustrate how faith and works are to be combined? How does this relate to my own personal experience?

3     What deliverance does the Lord’s Supper commemorate? Why do we need to observe it regularly?

4     How do we appropriate to our souls the saving blood of Christ?

5     How do we, as Pharaoh, sometimes wait until God has humbled us before we obey His voice?

Copyright 2019, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

Editorial – The Day of Atonement

A correct understanding of Daniel 8:14 shows us that we are living in the day of atonement. Under the old covenant, the Passover was celebrated every year, but under the new covenant, there is only one Passover—the death of Christ on the cross (1 Corinthians 5:7) which will never be repeated.

In the same way, under the old covenant there was a day of atonement every year, but in the new covenant there is only one day of atonement, which takes place during the time of the end (see Daniel 8:14–17). This day of atonement was also called the cleansing of the sanctuary, because on that day the sanctuary and the people were all to be cleansed from their sins (see Leviticus 16:16–20, 30–33).

Notice, we are not speaking here about receiving a pardon for sin. Obtaining a pardon and being cleansed from sin are not the same thing. To be cleansed from sin means that all sin within you (the Bible teaches that men have sin within—see Isaiah 6) has been removed. This is what must happen to every person who is saved at last. For almost all of mankind this blotting out of sin occurs after death, and in the resurrection they awake with the divine likeness, just as Adam and Eve were created (see Psalm 17:15).

The big question, however, is, Are you prepared to have this done for you? Following is a meditation on this that was made in 1886:

“If there ever was a time when serious reflection becomes every one who fears God, it is now, when personal piety is essential. The inquiry should be made, ‘What am I, and what is my work and mission in this time? On which side am I working—Christ’s side or the enemy’s side?’ Let every soul now humble himself or herself before God, for now we are surely living in the great Day of Atonement. The cases even now of many are passing in review before God, for they are to sleep in their graves a little season. Your profession of faith is not your guarantee in that day, but the state of your affections. Is the soul-temple cleansed of its defilement? Are my sins confessed and am I repenting of them before God, that they may be blotted out? Do I esteem myself too lightly? Am I willing to make any and every sacrifice for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ? Do I feel every moment I am not my own, but Christ’s property, that my service belongs to God, whose I am?” Last Day Events, 72, 73.

Bible Study Guides – “The Solemn Feasts of the LORD Our God”

October 15-21, 2000

MEMORY VERSE: “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: 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 Corinthians 5:7, 8.

STUDY HELP: Patriarchs and Prophets, 537–542.

INTRODUCTION: “Anciently God commanded His people to assemble three times a year, and from every city from Dan to Beersheba the people came to these annual feasts. The one at the commencement of the season was to entreat God’s blessing upon their families, their lands, their flocks, and their herds. The one at the close of harvest was the crowning festal gathering, to bring their offerings to God.…Joy and rejoicing were there combined with the solemnities of a holy and sacred convocation.…Many sacrifices were made at these feasts; and this profusion of blood shed in connection with the harvest of thanksgiving was significant to them of the fact that even the bounties of the earth could come to them only through the cross of Calvary. By thus assembling and bringing their tithes into the treasury, they ever acknowledged the Lord to be the giver of all their blessings.” Review and Herald, July 10, 1879.

“Christ Our Passover is Sacrificed for Us”

1 What was the opening feast of the year? Leviticus 23:5, 6.

NOTE: See Patriarchs and Prophets, 277.

2 How did Paul explain the significance of the Passover? 1 Corinthians 5:7, 8.

NOTE: See Patriarchs and Prophets, 278.

“The First Fruits of Them that Sleep”

3 What service followed the Passover Sabbath? Leviticus 23:10,11.

NOTE: “Christ was the first fruits of them that slept. This very scene, the resurrection of Christ from the dead, was observed in type by the Jews at one of their sacred feasts.…They came up to the Temple when the first fruits had been gathered in, and held a feast of thanksgiving. The first fruits of the harvest crop were sacredly dedicated to the Lord. That crop was not to be appropriated for the benefit of man. The first ripe fruit was dedicated as a thank offering to God. He was acknowledged as the Lord of the harvest. When the first heads of grain ripened in the field, they were carefully gathered, and when the people went up to Jerusalem, they were presented to the Lord, waving the ripened sheaf before Him as a thank offering. After this ceremony the sickle could be put to the wheat, and it could be gathered into sheaves.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1092.

4 How does Paul explain the fulfillment of the Feast of the First Fruits? 1 Corinthians 15:20.

NOTE: “Christ arose from the dead as the first fruits of those that slept. He was the antitype of the wave sheaf, and His resurrection took place on the very day when the wave sheaf was to be presented before the Lord. For more than a thousand years this symbolic ceremony had been performed. From the harvest fields the first heads of ripened grain were gathered, and when the people went up to Jerusalem to the Passover, the sheaf of first fruits was waved as a thank offering before the Lord. Not until this was presented could the sickle be put to the grain, and it be gathered into sheaves. The sheaf dedicated to God represented the harvest. So Christ the first fruits represented the great spiritual harvest to be gathered for the kingdom of God. His resurrection is the type and pledge of the resurrection of all the righteous dead.” The Faith I Live By, 180.

“Feast of Weeks”

5 What feast followed fifty days later to celebrate the end of the spring harvest? Deuteronomy 16:9, 10.

NOTE: See Patriarchs and Prophets, 540.

6 In what wonderful way did the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost, reach its fulfillment? Acts 2:1–4, 41–47.

NOTE: See Acts of the Apostles, 44, 45.

“The seed had been sown by the greatest Teacher the world had ever known. For three and a half years the Son of God had sojourned in the land of Judea, proclaiming the message of the gospel of truth and working with mighty signs and wonders. The seed had been sown, and after His ascension the great ingathering took place. More were converted by one sermon on the day of Pentecost than were converted during all the years of Christ’s ministry. So mightily will God work when men give themselves to the control of the Spirit.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1055.

“Blowing of Trumpets”

7 What ceremony marked the beginning of the autumn feasts? Leviticus 23:24.

NOTE: “To prepare the camp of Israel for [the Day of Atonement], ten days prior to this special occasion a solemn service was conducted when the trumpet was blown and a warning sounded. The preceding service, observed on the first day of the seventh month, was a holy convocation. It was to be regarded as a sabbath. The people were prohibited from performing secular labor on the first day of the seventh month. An offering must be presented to the Lord. Till the present day the orthodox Jew, in all parts of the world, calls the ten days prior to the Day of Atonement, from the first day to the tenth day of this same month ‘the ten days of repentance.’ These are preparatory days to the solemn Day of Atonement.” F. C. Gilbert, Messiah in His Sanctuary, 60, 61.

8 How does the prophet Joel convey the message of the Feast of Trumpets? Joel 2:1, 12–18, Compare Amos 4:12.

NOTE: See The Great Controversy, 311.

“Then Shall the Sanctuary be Cleansed”

9 What was the purpose of the Day of Atonement? Leviticus 16:30, 31.

NOTE: “In the typical service, while the high priest was making the atonement for Israel, all were required to afflict their souls by repentance of sin and humiliation before the Lord, lest they be cut off from among the people. In like manner, all who would have their names retained in the book of life, should now, in the few remaining days of their probation, afflict their souls before God by sorrow for sin and true repentance. There must be deep, faithful searching of heart.…There is earnest warfare before all who would subdue the evil tendencies that strive for the mastery. The work of preparation is an individual work. We are not saved in groups. The purity and devotion of one will not offset the want of these qualities in another.…Every one must be tested, and found without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. All who have truly repented of sin, and by faith claimed the blood of Christ as their atoning sacrifice, have had pardon entered against their names in the books of heaven; as they have become partakers of the righteousness of Christ, and their characters are found to be in harmony with the law of God, their sins will be blotted out, and they themselves will be accounted worthy of eternal life. The Lord declares, . . . ‘I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.’ Isaiah 43:25.” Maranatha, 93.

10 What decision is made concerning those who refuse to afflict their souls? Leviticus 23:29.

NOTE: “Sins that are not confessed will never be forgiven; the name of him who thus rejects the grace of God will be blotted out of the book of life. The time is at hand when every secret thing shall be brought into judgement, and then there will be many confessions made that will astonish the world. The secrets of all hearts will be revealed. The confession of sin will be most public. The sad part of it is that confession then made will be too late to benefit the wrongdoer or to save others from deception. It only testifies that his condemnation is just.…You may now close the book of your remembrance in order to escape confessing your sins, but when the judgement shall sit and the books shall be opened, you cannot close them. The recording angel has testified that which is true. All that you have tried to conceal and forget is registered, and will be read to you when it is too late for wrongs to be righted.…Unless your sins are cancelled, they will testify against you at that day.” Review and Herald, December 16, 1890.

See also Testimonies vol. 5, 331.

“To Keep the Feast of Tabernacles”

11 What feast closed the annual round? Deuteronomy 16:13–15.

NOTE: “The Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated to commemorate the time when the Hebrews dwelt in tents during their sojourn in the wilderness. While this great festival lasted, the people were required to leave their houses and live in booths made of green branches of pine or myrtle. These leafy structures were sometimes erected on the tops of the houses, and in the streets, but oftener outside the walls of the city, in the valleys and along the hillsides. Scattered about in every direction, these green camps presented a very picturesque appearance. The feast lasted one week, and during all that time the temple was a festal scene of great rejoicing. There was the pomp of the sacrificial ceremonies; and the sound of music, mingled with hosannas, made the place jubilant.” Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 2, 344.

12 To what great harvest does the Feast of Tabernacles look forward? Revelation 14:14–20. Compare Matthew 13:37–43; Joel 3:13 and Jeremiah 8:20.

NOTE: See Patriarchs and Prophets, 541.

Lessons from the Passover

The word “Easter” appears in the King James Version of the Bible only once (Acts 12:4), and in its use it is a mistranslation. In the original language, the word, pascha, correctly translated, is Passover. The Easter weekend is usually not even the real Passover weekend. In the Hebrew calendar this weekend was the fourteenth of Abib, which was the first month of the year, or somewhere around the end of what we call March or the beginning of April. I would like to study with you some lessons that we could learn from the Passover.

Significance of Feast Days

I am not suggesting that we keep the Passover—celebration of the feast days holds no significance since the crucifixion of Christ. But study of the Sanctuary and of the feast days associated with the Sanctuary will save us from a lot of problems.

The Sanctuary cannot be studied without looking at the feast days that accompanied the work going on in it. The feast days and the Sanctuary were a lesson book to the children of Israel. They were actually a picture of the plan of salvation. From these rituals, the people could see God’s plan to save His people from sin. As we study to make the connection between the lesson and the reality of what God is really doing in the anti-typical Day of Atonement, we will gain understanding that will save us from a lot of false theology, false gospels, and heresies.

These feast days pointed forward to Christ and to what He would accomplish on the cross. Most of them were fulfilled in Christ. The Day of Atonement is being fulfilled right now. The only other feast day that has not yet been fulfilled is the Feast of Tabernacles, but we are told by the Spirit of Prophecy that we should enter into the spirit exhibited during the Feast of Tabernacles. “Well would it be for us to have a feast of tabernacles, a joyous commemoration of the blessings of God to us as a people. As the children of Israel celebrated the deliverance that God wrought for their fathers, and his miraculous preservation of them during their journeyings from Egypt to the promised land, so should the people of God at the present time gratefully call to mind the various ways he has devised to bring them out from the world, out from the darkness of error, into the precious light of truth. We should often bring to remembrance the dependence upon God of those who first led out in this work. We should gratefully regard the old way-marks, and refresh our souls with memories of the loving-kindness of our gracious Benefactor.” Review and Herald, November 17, 1885. Our camp meetings are commemorative of that day! (See The Bible Echo, December 8, 1893.)

Symbolism of the Passover

As we study the feast days, we get a better picture of how God works for His people and how His people are to respond to that work. The Passover was very symbolic of Christ’s crucifixion, and is both commemorative and typical. It not only points back to the typical, the deliverance from bondage and slavery in Egypt, but forward to the greater deliverance of His people from sin at the end of time.

You may remember the story of God’s people in Egypt—of how Moses was sent to deliver them; of Pharaoh’s refusal to release them when Moses came to him with a message from God; of the plagues that God sent to help Pharaoh change his mind. Each plague was progressively worse, until the last one—the death of all the first-born of Egypt. The first-born of every family—from Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the person in the dungeons—was to die in this last plague unless they were under the protection of God. God gave very specific instruction to His people of how they could be protected and delivered.

Exodus 12:1–5 says, “And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month [shall be] unto you the beginning of months: it [shall be] the first month of the year to you. 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 an house: And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour 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: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.”

Remember, an important feature of this is that the lamb was actually selected on the tenth day of the month. It was set aside from the rest of the herd and kept until the fourteenth day of that month, when it was killed at the ninth hour. On the fourteenth of Abib, this would be about 3:00 in the afternoon. The time equates to the time of the crucifixion, and the lamb represents Christ. Just as the Passover lamb had been for centuries, up until the time of Christ, set aside on the tenth day of Abib and singled out to be killed, so Christ, several days before He was actually crucified, was singled out by the Sanhedrin and marked for death. Just as people would look at that lamb singled out from the rest of the lambs, and say, “That lamb is marked for death,” in their minds the Sanhedrin considered Christ marked for death.

“Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all [men] will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. And one of them, [named] Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put Him to death. Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with His disciples.” John 11:47–54.

So we see, just as the Passover lamb was separated and marked for death, Jesus was separated from the rest of the Jews and marked for death. It says He walked no more among them from that point on. It is quite ironic that these people, who were so into keeping the Passover, were about to kill the real Lamb to whom all of those other Passover lamb sacrifices had pointed. They were so into keeping the Passover, it was so important to them, that when they wanted to condemn Him to death they would not go into the judgment hall, because they did not want to defile themselves. They thought that, if they went into the judgment hall, they would not be able to keep the Passover. While they were so careful not to defile themselves, they were killing the real Passover Lamb! (See John 18:28.) They were very particular regarding these details, while doing such an horrific act.

Shadow of Christ

We are told that the Sanctuary, and the feast days and everything connected with them, were a shadow of Christ and of what He was about to do. I always like to picture in my mind the glory of heaven shining on a coming Saviour, casting a shadow, and that shadow is the Sanctuary, and all of the services connected with it. These people were keeping the shadow and killing the One who cast that shadow. What a lesson and a warning for us to be careful that we do not get so caught up in ceremony and form that we lose touch with reality and do not realize what is actually occurring.

Jesus was crucified about the ninth hour, or 3:00, on Friday afternoon, the fourteenth of Abib—exactly right on time. When God gives a prophecy, in His time it comes true, and that is exactly what happened. So much was it on time, that when Jesus cried, “It is finished,” and gave up the ghost, the priest, at the temple, had his hand raised with the knife ready to slay the sacrificial lamb, but the sacrifice never happened. The lamb ran away, and the veil of the temple was rent in half from top to bottom, signifying an end of that shadow. The shadow had been fulfilled by the real event. No longer were there to be any services of that type.

If you have studied the Sanctuary, you know that the thickness of the curtain, which was rent in half from top to bottom, was about the width of a man’s hand. It was a special weave of cloth, approximately four inches thick. That the curtain ripped from top to bottom was no coincidence. (See The Story of Redemption, 226; The Desire of Ages, 774, 775.) The blindness of those who get so caught up in rituals, that they cannot see they are actually fulfilling prophecy, should frighten each one of us. The Jews were very much into prophecy, yet they could not see that they were fulfilling prophecy in a negative way.

Not Rejecting or Accepting

The Passover lamb was entirely roasted. Not a single bone of its body was broken. Exodus 12:46 states: “In one house shall it [the lamb] be eaten . . . neither shall ye break a bone thereof.” John 19:36 says, “For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.”

The lamb had to be slain, but was that the end of the story? No, it was not. Was that all that was necessary to save God’s people from the death angel? No, it was not the end. There is a theology being spread about right now, even invading the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and somewhat among historic churches, which says that Christ died for all men; therefore, since Christ died for all men, the only way that we cannot be saved is to reject that salvation. That sounds pretty good, but . . . We know that Christ died for all men. The problem comes in the part about as long as you do not reject it you are saved. There is more involved than not just rejecting it—it actually has to be accepted. That might sound like minor details and semantics, but it is really a very important issue.

There is a lot of difference between not rejecting something and actually accepting it. For example, perhaps today someone might come up to you and tell you something that they have learned from Scripture or Spirit of Prophecy—something that you have never thought about. They may say, “Did you ever realize this?” Your response might be, “Well, I will have to think about that,” or “I will have to study that out; I have never thought about that before.” You have not rejected the idea, but that does not mean that you have accepted it either. There is a lot of difference between not rejecting and accepting.

Preparation

Exodus 12:7–13 gives us some detail of just what else had to be done besides just killing the lamb. “They shall take of the blood, and strike [it] on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; [and] with bitter [herbs] they shall eat it. Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast [with] fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. And thus shall ye eat it; [with] your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it [is] the Lord’s passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I [am] the Lord. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye [are]: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy [you], when I smite the land of Egypt.”

“It was not enough that the Pascal lamb be slain; its blood must be sprinkled upon the door posts; so the merits of Christ’s blood must be applied to the soul.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 277. That is our present day application.

In verse 22 it says, “And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip [it] in the blood that [is] in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that [is] in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.” The blood had to be applied with a bunch of hyssop; hyssop is a symbol of purification. Psalm 51:7 says, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” David is talking about the hyssop being used in the purification of his heart.

Must eat the Flesh

Let us look at Exodus 12:8 again, “And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; [and] with bitter [herbs] they shall eat it.” The flesh had to be eaten. That was another condition of their salvation and protection. It had to be eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Concerning this, Mrs. White says, “The flesh was to be eaten. It is not enough even that we believe on Christ for the forgiveness of sin; we must by faith be constantly receiving spiritual strength and nourishment from Him through His word. Said Christ, ‘Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life.’ John 6:53, 54. And to explain His meaning He said, ‘The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.’ Verse 63. Jesus accepted His Father’s law, wrought out its principles in His life, manifested its Spirit, and showed its beneficent power in the heart. Says John, ‘The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.’ John 1:14. The followers of Christ must be partakers of His experience. They must receive and assimilate the word of God so that it shall become the motive power of life and action. By the power of Christ they must be changed into His likeness, and reflect the divine attributes. They must eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God, or there is no life in them. The spirit and work of Christ must become the spirit and work of His disciples.

“The lamb was to be eaten with bitter herbs, as pointing back to the bitterness of the bondage in Egypt. So when we feed upon Christ, it should be with contrition of heart, because of our sins. The use of unleavened bread also was significant. It was expressly enjoined in the law of the Passover, and as strictly observed by the Jews in their practice, that no leaven should be found in their houses during the feast. In like manner the leaven of sin must be put away from all who would receive life and nourishment from Christ. So Paul writes to the Corinthian church, ‘Purge out therefore, the old leaven that ye may be a new lump. . . . For even Christ, our Passover is sacrificed for us: 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 Corinthians 5:7, 8.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 277, 278.

Application of Symbols

We can see some very important things in these symbols as they are applied to our lives today. The bitter herbs, intended to remind the children of Israel of the bitter experience of bondage in Egypt, are to remind us of our bitter experience of bondage to sin, self, and Satan. In almost every instance in the Bible, leaven represents sin. All of the leaven was to be purged. In Exodus 12:19, it says that no leaven was to be found in the homes. “Whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off.” That phrase, cut off, is very significant also. In several places, Israel is told, if you do such and such, especially on the Day of Atonement, you will be cut off. To be cut off meant more than just to die a physical death; it meant there was no atonement for you on the Day of Atonement. It was a very serious thing to be cut off, and it was a very strong warning.

The death of the lamb provided the means of salvation, and the application of the blood made the means applicable—useful. It is one thing to be saved from death, but it is quite another thing to have the means of sustaining life. People who are put on respirators have been saved from death, but they certainly do not have the means to sustain life. Eating the flesh and drinking of the blood of the Son of God, which is assimilating His Word, provides this sustaining of life. On the other hand, another way that life is sustained is by abstaining from the leaven, or sin, which we are told will kill us. “The wages of sin is death.” Romans 6:23.

Examples of Leaven

Leaven usually represents sin of one kind or another, but it can be very specific. I would like to look at 11 different examples in the Bible of what leaven can be:

Leaven is false doctrine. “Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. . . . Then understood they how that He bade [them] not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.” Matthew 16:6, 12.

Leaven represents greed and injustice. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.” Matthew 23:14.

Leaven is false zeal, not according to knowledge. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.” Matthew 23:15.

Leaven is a wrong estimate of spiritual things—valuing that that will perish instead of valuing eternal things. “Woe unto you, [ye] blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! [Ye] fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. [Ye] fools and blind: for whether [is] greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.” Matthew 23:16–22.

Leaven is the omission of judgment, mercy, and faith. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier [matters] of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.” Matthew 23:23.

Leaven is hypocrisy. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. [Thou] blind Pharisee, cleanse first that [which is] within the cup and the platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead [men’s] bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.” Matthew 23:25–28.

Leaven is intolerance for the straight truth. It is a dislike of truth. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. [Ye] serpents, [ye] generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” Matthew 23:29–33.

Leaven is cruelty to others, especially God’s people. “Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and [some] of them ye shall kill and crucify; and [some] of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute [them] from city to city: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.” Matthew 23:34–36.

Leaven is skepticism of the truth and lack of knowledge of the Scriptures. “The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked Him, Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. . . . Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.” Matthew 22:23, 29.

We are told, in 2 Timothy 2:15, to “study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Through study we will know the Scriptures and protect ourselves from skepticism of truth.

Leaven is represented as flattery, worldliness, and hypocrisy. “And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any [man]: for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, [ye] hypocrites? Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose [is] this image and superscription? They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s: and unto God the things that are God’s.” Matthew 22:16–21.

11 Leaven is plotting evil against God’s servants. “And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.” Mark 3:6.

Jesus warned all of His disciples against being leavened with these things.

Consider again 1 Corinthians 5:6–8: “Your glorying [is] not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 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: 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.” When Paul talks about keeping the feast of the Passover, he is not talking about keeping a feast one day out of the year, as was done for several hundred years. He is talking about keeping it every single day. All of the principles of the Passover should be in our lives each day, not just one day out of the year.

Necessity of Obedience

The lamb had to die; the blood had to be applied; the flesh had to be eaten, and it had to be eaten with bitter herbs and with unleavened bread. We must always remember that in fulfilling these requirements there are conditions. When we have fulfilled them, we have not earned a thing. That is where many Christians get into trouble. This issue of cooperation with God—fulfilling conditions by His grace—is where so many people end up in one ditch or the other. They are either on the side where we do not have to do anything—we do not have to obey God because we are under grace, or they go to the other extreme and become legalists and think that if we obey God we have somehow earned our salvation. There are whole systems of religion built on the premise that somehow we can earn our salvation. To keep this straight in our minds is probably one of the greatest lessons that God’s people must learn. By God’s grace we obey Him, but we do not earn anything. There is no merit in obedience.

In Luke 17:10, Christ said, “So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.” We do not earn anything; we just do what we are supposed to do in the first place. It is simply showing faith in the great deliverance to be accomplished when we obey God. To leave out any of these steps is to leave oneself without protection.

Mrs. White is very specific about this: “Before obtaining freedom, the bondmen must show their faith in the great deliverance about to be accomplished. The token of blood must be placed upon their houses, and they must separate themselves and their families from the Egyptians, and gather within their own dwellings. Had the Israelites disregarded in any particular the directions given them, had they neglected to separate their children from the Egyptians, had they slain the lamb, but failed to strike the doorpost with blood, or had any gone out of their houses, they would not have been secure. They might have honestly believed that they had done all that was necessary, but their sincerity would not have saved them. All who failed to heed the Lord’s directions would lose their first-born by the hand of the destroyer.

“By obedience the people were to give evidence of their faith. So all who hope to be saved by the merits of the blood of Christ should realize that they themselves have something to do in securing their salvation. While it is Christ only that can redeem us from the penalty of transgression, we are to turn from sin to obedience. Man is to be saved by faith, not by works; yet his faith must be shown by his works. God has given His Son to die as a propitiation for sin. He has manifested the light of truth, the way of life, He has given facilities, ordinances, and privileges; and now man must co-operate with these saving agencies; he must appreciate and use the helps that God has provided—believe and obey all the divine requirements.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 278, 279.

Exodus 12:11, 12 states: “And thus shall ye eat it; [with] your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it [is] the Lord’s passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I [am] the Lord.” “The Israelites obeyed the directions that God had given. Swiftly and secretly they made their preparations for departure.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 279.

Present Day Application

Let us look a little closer at some of the instructions that tell of how the children of Israel were, and of how we are, to eat God’s Word.

They were to eat with their loins girded. In the Bible this usually symbolizes service. Luke 12:35, 36 tells us about that: “Let your loins be girded about, and [your] lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.” How does that apply to us today? Are we seeking to serve God and our fellowmen with our loins girded about with truth as we are instructed in Ephesians 6:14? “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness.”

The shoes were to be on their feet. This indicates that they were ready to leave. Are we prepared to walk in the narrow path of obedience today?

They were to eat with their staff in their hand. What was the purpose of the staff? For what did the shepherds use the staff? They used it to lead the sheep and to protect the sheep from predators. It was used as a tool. We are told that, in a special sense, this describes Seventh-day Adventists. “Seventh-day Adventists have been set in the world as watchmen and light bearers. To them has been entrusted the last warning for a perishing world. On them is shining wonderful light from the word of God. They have been given a work of the most solemn import—the proclamation of the first, second, and third angels’ messages. There is no other work of so great importance. They are to allow nothing else to absorb their attention.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 19. We are to be, as it were, in this world with staff in hand, to lead and protect the sheep with the Word of truth.

They were to eat in haste. Make haste to know God’s Word and do not be satisfied with what you already know. If we become satisfied with what we already know, if we do not continue to eat God’s Word in haste and to learn, then we become stagnant, and we die. We do not stand still very long—we either go forward or we go backward. To remain in one place is to die.

They were to prepare swiftly and secretly for departure. As I thought about that I asked myself a few questions: Are we preparing to leave this world, or are we settling in for the long stay? How serious are we about going to Heaven? What are we doing to cooperate with God? What are we doing in our homes? What do we read? What do we watch? What do we eat, wear, and think about? Are we seeking to live up to all of the light that has been given us or do we just pick and choose and take the part we like and disregard the part that rubs us wrong? God has told us, through His servant, many things that we are to be doing to prepare to leave this world. This includes the necessity of studying His Word, obeying it, and getting sin out of our lives. All of those things I just asked about—we have been given very specific instruction on what to do and what not to do, if we are really preparing for translation.

Exodus 12:29 says, “And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that [was] in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.” It is almost midnight in this world’s history. There is a war going on between good and evil, and the battle is intensifying. Why not ask God right now to help you in the preparation of your life, before time runs out?

Steve Currey is currently a Bible worker for Steps to Life Ministry. He may be contacted by telephone at 316-788-5559.

Preparing for the Latter Rain, Part III

In this article, the subject under consideration is the third parallel in the attitudes of the people between the first and second advent movements. As a brief review, when the Sanhedrin rejected Christ’s message and was bent upon His death, at the end of the second Passover in the ministry of Jesus, He departed from Jerusalem—from the priests, from the temple, from the religious leaders, and from the people who had been instructed in the law. (See The Desire of Ages, 232.)

The third parallel of the trials and attitudes of the children of Israel will focus on the independent movement that developed when Jesus left Jerusalem after the second Passover. The record is found in John 6 and in chapters 39, 40, and 41 of The Desire of Ages.

The Third Passover

“The Jewish Passover Feast was near.” “ . . . and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick.” John 6:4, 2, NIV.

The setting is at the time of the third Passover. It is interesting to note that Jesus did not go to Jerusalem but stayed in Galilee with the independent movement. All day He ministered to the needs of the crowd. By evening they were hungry, so Jesus miraculously fed them. (Verses 5–13.)

“Seated upon the grassy plain, in the twilight of the spring evening, the people ate of the food that Christ had provided. The words they had heard that day had come to them as the voice of God. The works of healing they had witnessed were such as only divine power could perform. But the miracle of the loaves appealed to everyone in that vast multitude.” The Desire of Ages, 377.

Crown Him King

At this point, we notice a new development taking place in the minds of the disciples and the people.

“All day the conviction has strengthened. That crowning act is assurance that the long-looked-for Deliverer is among them. . . . This is He who will make Judea an earthly paradise, a land flowing with milk and honey. He can satisfy every desire.” Ibid.

“In their enthusiasm the people are ready at once to crown Him king. . . . Consulting together, they agree to take Him by force, and proclaim Him the king of Israel. The disciples unite with the multitude . . . . Let the arrogant priests and rulers be forced to honor Him who comes clothed with the authority of God.” Ibid., 378.

So we see that the people in this independent movement had the same goal of an earthly kingdom as the organization from which Jesus had separated a year earlier. They, too, had little or no understanding of the work of Jesus to remove sin from the heart. The only difference was that they saw themselves, instead of the priests and rulers, in charge of the church.

“Jesus sees what is on foot, and understands, as they cannot, what would be the result of such a movement. . . . Calling His disciples, Jesus bids them take the boat and return at once to Capernaum, leaving Him to dismiss the people.” Ibid.

It is evident that even though these people had left the organization to follow Jesus, they had no better understanding of the nature of Christ’s kingdom than did the priests and rulers in Jerusalem. This startling statement is recorded: “When Christ forbade the people to declare Him king, He knew that a turning point in His history was reached. Multitudes who desired to exalt Him to the throne today would turn from Him tomorrow. The disappointment of their selfish ambition would turn their love to hatred, and their praise to curses. Yet knowing this, He took no measures to avert the crisis.” Ibid., 383.

Christ’s Disciples

Let us consider for a moment who these people were. What was their connection to the organized church in Jerusalem? What was their relationship with Jesus? The disciple John refers to them as “His disciples” three times in the sixth chapter of his gospel. In The Desire of Ages chapter entitled “The Crisis in Galilee,” they are identified seven times as “His disciples.” To be a disciple of Jesus meant that you would be “put out of the synagogue,” according to John 9:22.

The relationship of “these disciples”—5,000 men plus women and children—to the church in Jerusalem is very parallel to that of the independent believers of the second advent movement to the Seventh-day Adventist Church organization headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Now that we have a better understanding of the relationship of “these disciples” to Jesus, we will take a closer look at their spiritual condition.

“Of those now connected with Him there were many who had been attracted by the hope of a worldly kingdom. These must be undeceived.” Ibid.

Jesus must now go about the work of undeceiving these disciples. The next day we find Him in the synagogue at Capernaum instructing the people as to the true nature of His kingdom. He further explains that they must partake of His nature if they would become His true disciples.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.” John 6:53–56.

“To eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ is to receive Him as a personal Saviour, believing that He forgives our sins, and that we are complete in Him.” Ibid., 389.

Required Characteristics

“He knew the character of those who claimed to be His disciples, and His words tested their faith. He declared that they were to believe and act upon His teaching. All who received Him would partake of His nature, and be conformed to His character. This involved the relinquishment of their cherished ambitions. It required the complete surrender of themselves to Jesus. They were called to become self-sacrificing, meek and lowly in heart. They must walk in the narrow path traveled by the Man of Calvary, if they would share in the gift of life and the glory of heaven.” Ibid., 391.

In summary, the character that Jesus requires of His disciples includes:

  1. Relinquishment of cherished ambitions,
  2. Complete surrender to Jesus,
  3. Self-sacrificing,
  4. Being meek and lowly in heart, and
  5. Walking in the narrow path of the Man of Calvary.

We can only wonder what might have been the result in the first advent if “His disciples” of the independent movement would have relinquished their cherished ambitions to walk the narrow path traveled by the Man of Calvary. But how much more significant and important is the question, What would happen in the second advent independent movement if all the ministries, churches, and professed believers would relinquish their cherished ambitions? What would happen if they all answered the call to become self-sacrificing, meek, and lowly in heart, to walk the narrow path traveled by Jesus? Would we not see all variances, differences, pride of opinion, envy, jealously, and separation disappear from among us? Would it not bring a spirit of unity and harmony that would prepare the way for the Holy Spirit to come in the latter rain? The Spirit of Prophecy has much to say in reference to this, which will be studied in a later parallel, but we must now return to the story of “His disciples.”

Alienation

How did this multitude that were so miraculously fed the night before react to the straight testimony of Jesus in the synagogue in Capernaum? “The test was too great.” Ibid.

“By the public rebuke of their unbelief these disciples were still further alienated from Jesus. They were greatly displeased, and wishing to wound the Saviour and gratify the malice of the Pharisees, they turned their backs upon Him, and left Him with disdain. They had made their choice . . . . Their decision was never afterward reversed; for they walked no more with Jesus.” Ibid., 392.

Let us with great solemnity consider the result of their decision. It was never to be reversed. Their choice to turn their backs on Jesus was for eternity. None of these disciples would ever repent and return to Jesus. There was never any more light for them.

“And thus in Galilee the current of popular feeling was turned against Him, as, the year before, it had been in Judea. Alas for Israel! They rejected their Saviour, because they longed for a conqueror who would give them temporal power.” Ibid., 393.

The popularity of this independent movement that we observed the evening before during the feeding of the five thousand has now vanished; and it never returned. So we see that, in the first advent, both the organized church and the independent movement rejected Jesus. Then follows this alarming statement in The Desire of Ages: “This was one of the times of purging. By the words of truth, the chaff was being separated from the wheat. Because they were too vain and self-righteous to receive reproof, too world-loving to accept a life of humility, many turned away from Jesus. Many are still doing the same thing. Souls are tested today as were those disciples in the synagogue at Capernaum. When truth is brought home to the heart, they see that their lives are not in accordance with the will of God. They see the need of an entire change in themselves; but they are not willing to take up the self-denying work. Therefore they [souls today] are angry when their sins are discovered. They go away offended, even as the disciples left Jesus, murmuring, ‘This is an hard saying; who can hear it?’ [John 6:60.] . . .

“As those disaffected disciples turned away from Christ, a different spirit took control of them. . . . They sought out His enemies, for they were in harmony with their spirit and work. They misinterpreted His words, falsified His statements, and impugned His motives.” Ibid., 392.

“Many are still doing the same thing. Souls are tested today . . . ,” and they will go away offended, even as the disciples left Jesus. These are solemn statements that warn us that the trials and attitudes we have been studying concerning the independent movement in the first advent are being repeated in the independent movement of the second advent.

“The Sabbath will be the great test of loyalty, for it is the point of truth especially controverted. When the final test shall be brought to bear upon men, then the line of distinction will be drawn between those who serve God and those who serve Him not.” The Great Controversy, 605.

“As the storm approaches, a large class who have professed faith in the third angel’s message, but have not been sanctified through obedience to the truth, abandon their position and join the ranks of the opposition. By uniting with the world and partaking of its spirit, they have come to view matters in nearly the same light; and when the test is brought, they are prepared to choose the easy, popular side. . . . They become the most bitter enemies of their former brethren. When Sabbathkeepers are brought before the courts to answer for their faith, these apostates are the most efficient agents of Satan to misrepresent and accuse them, and by false reports and insinuations to stir up the rulers against them.” Ibid., 608.

This is a very serious prophecy concerning how God views the historic movement today. We need to pray earnestly that God will help us to understand our true condition before Him. We will dwell more upon the significance of this situation concerning the “Present Time” when we study the fifth parallel.

To Whom Shall We Go?

Let us now go back to the synagogue at Capernaum and continue to follow the events of the day after Jesus presented the straight testimony concerning the need for the people to become like Him in character.

“With a yearning heart, Jesus saw those who had been his disciples departing from Him, the Life and the Light of men. . . .

“Without attempting to hinder those who were leaving Him, Jesus turned to the twelve and said, ‘Will ye also go away?’ [John 6:67.]

“Peter replied by asking, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go?’ ‘Thou hast the words of eternal life,’ he added. ‘And we believe and are sure that Thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.’ [John 6:68, 69.]” The Desire of Ages, 393.

They would not go back to the teachers of Israel who were slaves to formalism. These teachers were in constant contention and were persecuting the disciples for becoming His followers. They would not leave the teachings of Christ, His lessons of love and mercy.

“Peter expressed the faith of the disciples, —‘Thou art that Christ.’ The very thought of losing this anchor of their souls filled them with fear and pain. To be destitute of a Saviour was to be adrift on a dark and stormy sea.” Ibid.

Peter expressed the faith of eleven of the disciples. While their faith faltered during the crowning trial and final test, they did not turn away from Jesus and leave Him in disdain, as did “His disciples” after the sermon in the synagogue at Capernaum. But this was not true of Judas. Judas had remained among them right up to their crowning trial and final test, but after the second cleansing of the temple and the night before the trial and death of Jesus, Judas finally revealed his true character and became the betrayer.

So, in the second advent movement, a Judas element will remain among the faithful believers up to the time just before probation closes. We need to study carefully the last few chapters of The Great Controversy, especially pages 608 to 627. In addition to these references, the Spirit of Prophecy has much more to say about the Judas characteristics existing among the people of God in the closing events of the controversy.

Purpose of Purging

But for the eleven disciples, Jesus had a purpose in the purging of the independent movement in Galilee.

“When Jesus presented the testing truth that caused so many of His disciples to turn back, He knew what would be the result of His words; but He had a purpose of mercy to fulfill. He foresaw that in the hour of temptation every one of His beloved disciples would be severely tested. His agony in Gethsemane, His betrayal and crucifixion, would be to them a most trying ordeal. . . .”

“Compassionate Redeemer, who in the full knowledge of the doom that awaited Him, tenderly smoothed the way for the disciples, prepared them for their crowning trial, and strengthened them for the final test!” The Desire of Ages, 394.

“Before His crucifixion the Saviour explained to His disciples that He was to be put to death and to rise again from the tomb, and angels were present to impress His words on minds and hearts. . . .

“So in the prophecies the future is opened before us as plainly as it was opened to the disciples by the words of Christ. The events connected with the close of probation and the work of preparation for the time of trouble, are clearly presented.” The Great Controversy, 594.

“God will have a people upon the earth to maintain the Bible, and the Bible only, as the standard of all doctrines, and the basis of all reforms.” Ibid., 595.

“When the testing time shall come, those who have made God’s word their rule of life will be revealed. . . . The falsehearted professor [the Judas element] may not now be distinguished from the real Christian, but the time is just upon us when the difference will be apparent. Let opposition arise, let bigotry and intolerance again bear sway, let persecution be kindled, and the halfhearted and hypocritical will waver and yield the faith; but the true Christian will stand firm as a rock, his faith stronger, his hope brighter, than in days of prosperity.” Ibid., 602.

“The Lord whom we serve is able to deliver us. Christ has conquered the powers of earth; and shall we be afraid of a world already conquered?” Ibid., 610.

The three parallels that we have studied so far have reviewed the history of the two advent movements that bring us to the present time. Next month we will study the fourth parallel, which is still future.

To be continued . . .

Maurice Hoppe is Director of Revelation Ministry, which is dedicated to helping people prepare for the soon coming of Jesus. His special emphasis is the closing scenes of this earth’s history, the parallels between the first and second advents, and the need for unity among the people of God. He may be contacted by e-mail at: hoppe@revelationministry.com, or at: P. O. Box 184, Days Creek, Oregon 97429.

The Passover

The precious atonement of Jesus, as portrayed by the Passover, was not an afterthought or something that came by chance. The sacrifice of God’s Son was foreseen by Deity long before the world came into existence. The atonement was planned in every detail to the very moment. The life of Christ on earth was laid out from birth to the cross, before He ever came to this world.

But more than this was entailed in the atonement. God chose to schedule events from Eden to the cross, leaving no possible room for doubt as to its divine purpose. Christ had a schedule to meet, not only a time to be born in Bethlehem, and a time to die on the cross of Calvary, but also an exact time for His second coming and an exact time for His third coming at the close of the millennium. Yes, Christ had a schedule to meet. “Jesus said unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come” (John 2:4).

Jesus’ words, “Mine hour is not yet come,” point to the fact that every act of Christ’s life on earth was in fulfillment of the plan that had existed from the days of eternity. Before He came to earth, the plan lay out before Him perfect in all its details. His last Passover supper spent on this earth was scheduled to the exact day. “And He said, Go into the city to such a man, and say to him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at thy house with My disciples” (Matthew 26:18).

Christ went to the Garden after spending the Passover with His disciples and this, too, had been scheduled. For it was here that He was to be betrayed. “Then cometh He to His disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners” (Matthew 26:45).

Jesus knew the time had come. Just as the Passover commemorated the deliverance from Egypt, so Christ understood the Passover lamb pointed to His coming sacrifice. Even the Passover in Egypt was scheduled in the time frame of God, for it took place exactly on the day that it was planned.

Abraham was told that his children would go into Egypt for four hundred and thirty years as slaves. (See Genesis 15.) “Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:40, 41).

It required some drastic judgments from God such as the world had never seen before to bring it to pass on the exact day. Water was turned to blood. There were plagues of frogs, lice and hail, darkness, and finally a never-to-be-forgotten night, for in the land of Goshen, the first Passover was held. Each family met together to kill a lamb and sprinkle its blood on their doorposts. The lamb was to be roasted and eaten just as the angel of death passed over each home at midnight.

In the land of Egypt, the same angel of death struck in every home, including the king’s palace. Every firstborn of man and beast was slain. The Israelites were commanded to leave immediately—and it all happened at the precise time God had predicted.

Israel was commanded to keep the Passover when they should reach the Promised Land of Canaan as a memorial of this mighty deliverance by the hand of God. The Passover was kept in the day of Christ. Jesus was twelve years old when He went to Jerusalem to keep His first Passover. As He watched the priest carrying out the Passover activities, Jesus suddenly discovered a sublime truth; for He understood that every act of His life was bound up in what the priest did with the little lamb.

New impulses awakened within Him. God was His Teacher. Like a sudden clap of thunder His mission in life opened up before Him. Silently, absorbed in divine thoughts, He studied the sin problem as never before. Finally the moment arrived. He saw Himself as the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world.

Immediately there was a change in this boy of twelve. His meekness as a willing child had changed to an awareness of a higher responsibility. He addressed His parents, Joseph and Mary, in a remarkable new manner. “Wist ye not that I must be about My Father’s business” (Luke 2:49)? Divine inspiration tells us that as He spoke these words, He pointed heavenward, to the astonishment of His earthly parents. At this young age, he was aware of His divine Father.

His purpose in life became clear as crystal. Just as God delivered His people from the slavery of Egypt, so Jesus was to deliver His people from the slavery of sin. He, the Son of God, was to become the Passover Lamb by giving His own life as a sacrifice for our sins. Every moment of His life from then on was dedicated to preparation for the moment of sacrifice.

This preparation demanded total surrender to God’s will and a full commitment to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Every day of His life was a twenty-four-hour battle with Satan. “Satan was unwearied in his efforts to overcome the Child of Nazareth. From His earliest years Jesus was guarded by heavenly angels, yet His life was one long struggle against the powers of darkness. That there should be upon the earth one life free from defilement of evil was an offense and a perplexity to the prince of darkness. He left no means untried to ensnare Jesus. No child of humanity will ever be called to live a holy life amidst so fierce a conflict with temptation as was our Saviour.” The Desire of Ages, 71.

Battle with Satan

You and I may think we have a hard time in this battle with Satan, but we in our struggle with evil do not commence to meet the battle as He did. The Son of God experienced temptation one thousand times greater than you and I ever could. “You have not a difficulty that did not press with equal weight upon Him, not a sorrow that His heart has not experienced. His feelings could be hurt with neglect, with indifference of professed friends, as easily as yours. Is your path thorny? Christ’s was so in a tenfold sense. Are you distressed? So was He. How well fitted was Christ to be an example!” Our High Calling, 59.

Will we ever be tempted in a way Christ was not? “If we had to bear anything which Jesus did not endure, then upon this point Satan would represent the power of God as insufficient for us. Therefore Jesus was ‘in all points tempted like as we are’ (Hebrews 4:15).” The Desire of Ages, 24.

He endured every trial to which we are subject and He exercised in His own behalf no power that is not freely offered to us. As a man, He met temptation and overcame in the strength given Him from God. And so it can be with you and me. “To Jesus, who emptied Himself for the salvation of lost humanity, the Holy Spirit was given without measure. So it will be given to every follower of Christ when the whole heart is surrendered for His indwelling. Our Lord Himself has given the command, ‘Be filled with the Spirit’ (Ephesians 5:18).” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 21.

This is what Paul tells us: “For in Him the whole fullness of Deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fulness of life in Him” (Colossians 2:9, 10 RSV). Peter admonishes us with the same encouragement. “According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:3, 4). How we should praise God for what He has made possible for us.

After the baptism of Jesus, three years of public ministry were scheduled in which Jesus was to reveal God’s love by miracles and by teachings. This accomplished, He knew His time had finally come to attend the last Passover of His life here on this earth. He said, “Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at thy house with My disciples” (Matthew 26:18 KJV).

The final crisis had arrived. The destiny of the whole universe was at stake. This is so serious that Christ felt He must find a place to be alone with His Father, for as a man, He knew that He could do nothing without God’s help. He chose the Garden of Gethsemane. As He entered the Garden, He became sad and silent. His form began to sway as if He were about to fall. Every step was labored. He groaned aloud, for He was under a terrible burden. The sins of the entire world were being placed upon Him.

Twice His companions had to prevent Him from falling to the ground. He cried, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death” (Matthew 26:38). His frame convulsed with anguish as He fell prostrate to the cold ground. He was overpowered with fear as God removed His presence from Him, and He was alone with the pressure of the sins of the whole world weighing down on Him.

The gulf of sin that separated Him from the Father was so wide, black, and deep that His spirit shuddered before it. He clung convulsively to the ground as if to prevent Himself from being drawn still further from God. His convulsed lips uttered that bitter cry, “O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39).

If you are in tune with God, these thoughts will break your heart and bring tears to your eyes. The undeniable fact is this: sin and God cannot dwell together. In the struggle, eternal separation from God was possible. “Everything was at stake with him (Satan). If he failed here, his hope of mastery was lost; the kingdoms of the world would become Christ’s; he himself would be overthrown and cast out. But if Christ could be overcome, the earth would become Satan’s kingdom, and the human race would be forever in his power. With the issues of the conflict before Him, Christ’s soul was filled with the dread of separation from God. Satan told Him that if He became the surety for a sinful world, the separation would be eternal. He would be identified with Satan’s kingdom, and would nevermore be one with God.” The Desire of Ages, 687.

What a struggle! Satan painted a picture that would discourage the strongest heart. He pointed to the ingratitude of man, to God’s people who would reject Him and reminded Him that His very own church would seek to destroy Him. Even His disciples would forsake Him and one of them would betray Him.

“Christ’s whole being abhorred the thought. That those whom He had undertaken to save, those whom He loved so much, should unite in the plots of Satan, this pierced His soul. The conflict was terrible. Its measure was the guilt of His nation, of His accusers and betrayer, the guilt of a world lying in wickedness. The sins of men weighed heavily upon Christ, and the sense of God’s wrath against sin was crushing out His life.” Ibid.

Then the history of the human race came up before the world’s Redeemer. “He sees that the transgressors of the law, if left to themselves, must perish under the Father’s displeasure. He sees the power of sin, and the utter helplessness of man to save himself. The woes and lamentations of a doomed world arise before Him. He beholds its impending fate, and His decision is made. He will save man at any cost to Himself. He accepts His baptism of blood, that perishing millions through Him may gain everlasting life. He left the courts of Heaven, where all was purity, happiness, and glory, to save the one lost sheep, the one world that had fallen by transgression, and He will not turn from the mission He has chosen. He will reach to the very depths of misery to rescue a lost and ruined race.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 3, 99, 100.

Having made this decision, He fell in a dying condition to the earth. Had it not been for an angel, who was sent from heaven to support Him, He would have died then and there. But the angel enabled our Saviour to drink the cup. Christ now stood in the sinner’s place, forsaken by God and forsaken by man.

“The Saviour could not see through the portals of the tomb. Hope did not present to Him His coming forth from the grave a conqueror, or tell Him of the Father’s acceptance of the sacrifice. He feared that sin was so offensive to God that Their separation was to be eternal. Christ felt the anguish which the sinner will feel when mercy shall no longer plead for the guilty race. It was the sense of sin, bringing the Father’s wrath upon Him as man’s substitute, that made the cup He drank so bitter, and broke the heart of the Son of God.” The Desire of Ages, 753. What a cost for our salvation!

Christ knew that His hour had come. He knew that the Passover lamb would be offered in the temple at the moment that He would die on Calvary’s cross. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit He sees it all. As the priest lifted the knife to slay the lamb on the altar, suddenly there was a rending noise as the veil of the temple was torn open from top to bottom, thus, opening the way into the heavenly sanctuary in which the true Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, would mediate for us before God the Father.

“All is terror and confusion. The priest is about to slay the victim; but the knife drops from his nerveless hand, and the lamb escapes. Type has met antitype in the death of God’s Son. The great sacrifice has been made. The way into the Holiest is laid open. A new and living way is prepared for all. No longer need sinful, sorrowing humanity await the coming of the High Priest. Henceforth the Saviour was to officiate as Priest and Advocate in the heaven of heavens.” Ibid., 757.

What an atonement Jesus made on Calvary for our sin! “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7). It is one thing to believe this happened for us, but in reality, more than belief is necessary. There are responsive actions required by each of us.

“It was not enough that the pascal lamb be slain; its blood must be sprinkled upon the doorposts; so the merits of Christ’s blood must be applied to the soul. We must believe, not only that He died for the world, but that He died for us individually. We must appropriate to ourselves the virtue of the atoning sacrifice.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 277.

That is why we must come to the place where we know of a surety that Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us. Hyssop, used to sprinkle the blood (a symbol of purification), was used by the priests to cleanse the leper and those defiled by contact with the dead. “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7).

The lamb was to be prepared whole, for not a bone was to be broken in the Lamb of God, representing the completeness, the “wholeness” of Christ’s sacrifice. A full ransom was to be paid.

After the sacrifice, the flesh of the pascal lamb was to be eaten. “It is not enough even that we believe on Christ for the forgiveness of sin; we must by faith be constantly receiving spiritual strength and nourishment from Him through His word. Said Christ, ‘Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood hath eternal life’ (John 6:53, 54).” Patriarchs and Prophets, 277.

To explain what He meant, He said, The words that I speak unto you they are spirit, and they are life. What does this mean? “The followers of Christ must be partakers of His experience. They must receive and assimilate the word of God so that it shall become the motive power of life and action. By the power of Christ they must be changed into His likeness, and reflect the divine attributes.” Ibid., 278.

And there was another lesson we would do well to recognize. “The lamb was to be eaten with bitter herbs, as pointing back to the bitterness of the bondage in Egypt. So when we feed upon Christ, it should be with contrition of heart, because of our sins. The use of unleavened bread also was significant. It was expressly enjoined in the law of the Passover … that no leaven should be found in their houses during the feast. In like manner the leaven of sin must be put away from all who would receive life and nourishment from Christ.” Ibid.

Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump … For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7). We have ministers today who are teaching us that we will sin until Jesus comes. God forbid!

Consider the blood that was sprinkled on the doorposts. This was a sign to show that the family was completely separated from Egypt. They must show their faith in the deliverance to be accomplished. They must separate themselves and their family from the Egyptians and gather within their own dwelling. This is the same message that has been given to the remnant today. Come out from among them and be ye separate (2 Corinthians 6:17).

“Had the Israelites disregarded in any particular the directions given them, had they neglected to separate their children from the Egyptians, had they slain the lamb, but failed to strike the doorpost with the blood, or had any gone out of their houses, they would not have been secure. They might have honestly believed that they had done all that was necessary, but their sincerity would not have saved them. All who failed to heed the Lord’s directions would lose their first-born by the hand of the destroyer.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 278.

The atonement Christ provided for each of us on the cross of Calvary demands not only belief but also obedience. “By obedience the people were to give evidence of their faith. So all who hope to be saved by the merits of the blood of Christ should realize that they themselves have something to do in securing their salvation. While it is Christ only that can redeem us from the penalty of transgression, we are to turn from sin to obedience. Man is to be saved by faith, not by works; yet his faith must be shown by his works. God has given His Son to die as a propitiation for sin, He has manifested the light of truth, the way of life, He has given facilities, ordinances, and privileges; and now man must co-operate with these saving agencies; he must appreciate and use the help that God has provided—believe and obey all the divine requirements.” Ibid., 279.

 

For more than fifty years, Lawrence Nelson served the Seventh-day Adventist Church as a church pastor, evangelist, and then in Conference, Union, and General Conference leadership. When God laid upon him the responsibility to “tell it like it is” to alert the people how the church was leading them into the worldwide ecumenical movement, he was forbidden to preach in any church within the Oregon Conference. Elder Nelson passed to his rest on April 18, 2012.

Present Truth for Today—Are the Jewish Feast Days Included? Part II

There have always been some truths that are applicable in every age and are therefore to be preached and accepted by God’s children at all times—such as love, hope, repentance, obedience, thankfulness, and praise. Such truths are always in season.

But those who persist in keeping the feast days are denying that Christ came to earth and died at the appointed time in a.d. 31 and are not accepting what is given in God’s Word and the Spirit of Prophecy. How can any Seventh-day Adventist today, who claims to have the faith of Jesus as we read in Revelation 14:12, deny our precious Saviour by keeping feast days, which by their very purpose showed that Christ had not yet come the first time?

The Lord’s Supper

The Passover, with its feast of unleavened bread, was fulfilled; for we read in 1 Corinthians 5:7 that Jesus, our Passover, was crucified for us. The unleavened bread was the offering of Christ’s sinless life, for He said, “I am the Bread of life.” John 6:35. The slain lamb, the unleavened bread, the sheaf of the first fruits represented our Saviour’s death, His sinless life, and resurrection.

As Christians, we now celebrate the Lord’s Supper, which Christ instituted in the place of the Passover. Jesus said, “As often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he come.” 1 Corinthians 11:26.

In the Review and Herald, May 31, 1898, we read: “In instituting the sacramental service to take the place of the Passover, Christ left for his church a memorial of his great sacrifice for man. ‘This do,’ he said, ‘in remembrance of me.’ [Luke 22:19.] This was the point of transition between two economies and their two great festivals. The one was to close forever; the other, which he had just established, was to take its place, and to continue through all time as the memorial of his death.”

“This ordinance [feet-washing] does not speak so largely to man’s intellectual capacity as to his heart. His moral and spiritual nature needs it. If His disciples had not needed this, it would not have been left for them as Christ’s last established ordinance in connection with, and including, the last supper. It was Christ’s desire to leave to his disciples an ordinance that would do for them the very thing they needed,—that would serve to disentangle them from the rites and ceremonies which they had hitherto engaged in as essential, and which the reception of the gospel made no longer of any force. To continue these rites would be an insult to Jehovah.” Ibid., June 14, 1898. Nothing could be spoken more clearly.

Other Fulfillments

Now, let us consider the Feast of Weeks called The Pentecost. This was fulfilled 50 days following the Last Supper. It was known as the celebration of the wheat harvest, made possible by the early rains, which provided the harvests at Pentecost. It was at this time that the Holy Spirit descended with mighty power upon the disciples.

Pentecost, called also the Feast of Weeks or Feast of Harvest, was a time of gratitude to God for the harvest. “As an expression of gratitude for the grain prepared as food, two loaves baked with leaven were presented before God.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 540. Pentecost occupied but one day, which was devoted to religious service. The feasts of the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of Harvest or Pentecost occurred during the spring of the year. All these feasts pointed forward to events connected with the redemption provided by Christ at the time of the first advent.

After Pentecost came the Feast of Trumpets. This feast took place ten days before the Day of Atonement. The fall feasts represent events before and after the Second Advent. The three fall feasts were the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles.

Day of Atonement

Next came the Day of Atonement. Its fulfillment is in progress today. To keep this feast day is to deny that Christ is in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary making atonement for our sins. The keeping of this feast day would make it impossible for us to benefit from His work in the heavenly sanctuary. This is not the time to be concerned with Jewish feast days of the past.

Ellen White clearly emphasized that preparation for the atonement is the present truth of this hour:

“We are in the great day of atonement, and the sacred work of Christ for the people of God that is going on at the present time in the heavenly sanctuary should be our constant study. We should teach our children what the typical Day of Atonement signified and that it was a special season of great humiliation and confession of sins before God. The antitypical day of atonement is to be of the same character. Everyone who teaches the truth by precept and example will give the trumpet a certain sound. You need ever to cultivate spirituality, because it is not natural for you to be heavenly-minded. The great work is before us of leading the people away from worldly customs and practices, up higher and higher, to spirituality, piety, and earnest work for God. It is your work to proclaim the message of the third angel, to sound the last note of warning to the world.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 520.

“Will our churches humble themselves before the Lord in this day of atonement? Will they put away the sins which defile their garments of character, and separate them from God? The present is our day of visitation. Look not to a future, more convenient season, when the cross to be lifted will be less heavy, when the inclinations of the carnal heart will be subdued with less effort. ‘Today,’ saith the Spirit of God, ‘if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart.’ [Hebrews 3:7, 8.] Today go about the work, else you may be one day too late. The impression that you have now may not be as strong tomorrow. Satan’s snare may close about you. The candlestick may be moved out of its place, and you left in darkness. ‘See that you refuse not him that speaketh.’ [Hebrews 12:25.] Says the true Witness, ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock.’ [Revelation 3:20.] Every warning, reproof, and entreaty in the word of God, or through his delegated messengers, is a knock at the door of the heart; it is the voice of Jesus, asking for entrance. With every knock unheeded, your determination to open becomes weaker and weaker. If the voice of Jesus is not heeded at once, it becomes confused in the mind with a multitude of other voices, the world’s care and business engross the attention, and conviction dies away. The heart becomes less impressible, and lapses into a perilous unconsciousness of the shortness of time, and of the great eternity beyond. The heavenly Guest is standing at your door, while you are piling up obstructions to bar his entrance. Jesus is knocking through the prosperity he gives you. He loads you with blessings to test your fidelity, that they may flow out from you to others. Will you permit your selfishness to triumph? Will you squander God’s talents, and lose your soul through idolatrous love of the blessings he has given?” Review and Herald, November 2, 1886.

“This is our washing and ironing time—the time when we are to cleanse our robes of character in the blood of the Lamb. John says, ‘Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29). . . . Shall we not let our sin go? . . .

“I entreat you, brethren and sisters, to labor earnestly to secure the crown of everlasting life. The reward will be worth the conflict, worth the effort. . . . In the race in which we are running, everyone may receive the reward offered―a crown of everlasting life. I [Ellen White] want this crown; I mean by God’s help to have it. I mean to hold fast to the truth, that I may see the King in His beauty.” In Heavenly Places, 356.

Feast of Tabernacles

Let us consider the last feast of the Jewish year, which was called the Feast of Tabernacles. Here we must again ask a very important question: Have the prophetic requirements of this Feast of Tabernacles been fulfilled for God’s people today? The answer is, No.

The purpose of this feast for Israel of old was to bring to memory how God had delivered them from the Egyptian bondage and by His loving care had protected and brought them to the Promised Land. This is why they were commanded to go to Jerusalem, at the close of each Jewish year, and abide in temporary shelters made from the branches of trees. During this feast, they were to celebrate. The Day of Atonement had been completed; all of their past sins had been carried away out of the sanctuary into the wilderness by the scapegoat.

For us who are living in the end-time, we cannot celebrate this Feast of Tabernacles, for our Day of Atonement is still in progress. Our past sins have not been blotted out of the heavenly sanctuary, as of yet. Furthermore, we have not reached the Promised Land and entered into the heavenly New Jerusalem where we shall abide in temporary homes until we are finally restored to the earth made new, there to build houses and inhabit them. (Isaiah 65:21.)

Camp Meetings

In reference to these facts, the Spirit of Prophecy encourages the people of God today to hold and to attend camp meetings. At these gatherings, a rehearsing of how God has led in the development of His church is to be given. In addition, studies should be given, as the end draws near, on how to meet the final test and be ready to see Jesus. By such suggestions, Ellen White is not telling us to keep the feast days, but that our camp meetings should become presentations filled with glorious truths of the Second Coming of our Saviour that will bring to an end our wandering in this sin-cursed world.

She further states in the Review and Herald, January 9, 1883, “The opinion is widely held, that the sacrifices and offerings of the Hebrews possess no significance for Christians, and can be of no interest to them. This opinion is without foundation. It is true that the ceremonies of the Mosaic law are not now to be observed; but, when rightly understood, they are seen to be all aglow with sacred and important truths. These rites, appointed by Jehovah himself, were like so many beacons to light up the path of God’s ancient people, and to direct their minds to the great sacrifice to be offered for the sins of men. Viewed in the light of the cross, they contain most precious lessons for the people of God today.”

This is what Ellen White had in mind when she spoke of camp meetings in the Review and Herald, November 17, 1885. “Well would it be for us to have a feast of tabernacles, a joyous commemoration of the blessings of God to us as a people. As the children of Israel celebrated the deliverance that God wrought for their fathers, and his miraculous preservation of them during their journeyings from Egypt to the Promised Land, so should the people of God at the present time gratefully call to mind the various ways He has devised to bring them out from the world, out from the darkness of error, into the precious light of truth. . . . We should gratefully regard the old way-marks, and refresh our souls with memories of the loving-kindness of our gracious Benefactor.”

Several years later, Mrs. White wrote: “The forces of the enemies are strengthening, and as a people we are misrepresented; but shall we not gather our forces together, and come up to the feast of tabernacles? Let us not treat this matter as one of little importance, but let the army of the Lord be on the ground to represent the work and cause of God in Australia. Let no one plead an excuse at such a time. One of the reasons why we have appointed the camp meeting to be held at Melbourne, is that we desire the people of that vicinity to become acquainted with our doctrines and works. We want them to know what we are, and what we believe. Let everyone pray, and make God his trust. Those who are barricaded with prejudice must hear the warning message for this time. We must find our way to the hearts of the people. Therefore, come to the camp meeting, even though you have to make a sacrifice to do so, and the Lord will bless your efforts to honor his cause and advance his work.” The Bible Echo, December 8, 1893.

Present Truth

There is no doubt as to the conclusion as we read from Manuscript Releases, vol. 18, 270: “Will you listen to the voice of Christ? Will you break away from self and respond, ‘We come, Lord, we come. With joy shall we draw water out of the wells of salvation’? Then shall your life henceforth be a continual Feast of Tabernacles, a continual thank offering for unnumbered and unmerited blessings.”

Finally, let us ever keep in mind,

“The people whom God had called to be the pillar and ground of the truth had become representatives of Satan. They were doing the work that he desired them to do, taking a course to misrepresent the character of God, and cause the world to look upon Him as a tyrant. The very priests who ministered in the temple had lost sight of the significance of the service they performed. They had ceased to look beyond the symbol to the thing signified. In presenting the sacrificial offerings they were as actors in a play. The ordinances which God Himself had appointed were made the means of blinding the mind and hardening the heart. God could do no more for man through these channels. The whole system must be swept away.” The Desire of Ages, 36.

So, let us fill our minds with present truth. May we not be ensnared by the great deceiver and become so involved with past Old Testament feast days that we shall fail to meet heaven’s requirements for the final atonement and to give the last warning message of present truth—the Three Angels’ Messages.

For over 60 years Pastor Lawrence Nelson served as an evangelist and minister for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Of that time, he served 13 years as the director of evangelism for youth at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Upon retirement from the General Conference, he continued to pastor, but when, as a result of his stand for truth, he was denied the opportunity to continue his pastorate, he started Keep the Faith Audio Tape Ministry, recording his sermons and making them available to individuals. Before his retirement from this ministry in 2004, over 18,000 audiotapes were being sent around the world each month.

The First Passover

The First Cleansing of the Temple

Soon after His baptism and victory over the temptations in the wilderness, Jesus attended the Passover of A.D. 28.  At this feast He cleansed the temple the first time. In this action Jesus announced the beginning of His ministry.

The following references are given to document the order of events so we can better understand their significance. The first of His miraculous signs Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples put their faith in Him. After this He went down to Capernaum with His mother and brothers and His disciples. There they stayed for a few days. When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. (See John 2:11–13.)

The apostle John continues by explaining what took place at this most important feast of the Jews.

In the temple courts Jesus found men selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So He made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves He said, Get these out of here! How dare you turn My Father’s house into a market! (See John 2:14–16.)

The setting here indicates that this was the Passover that followed the first miracle Jesus performed at the wedding in Cana of Galilee.

First cleansing of the temple

  1. a) John 2:11–25
  2. b) The Desire of Ages, 154–166 – In His Temple

The Spirit of Prophecy gives us more insight as to what took place at this first Passover.

“As Jesus came into the temple, He took in the whole scene. He saw the unfair transactions.  He saw the distress of the poor, who thought that without shedding of blood there would be no forgiveness for their sins. He saw the outer court of His temple converted into a place of unholy traffic. The sacred enclosure had become one vast exchange.

“Christ saw that something must be done. Numerous ceremonies were enjoined upon the people without the proper instruction as to their import. The worshipers offered their sacrifices without understanding that they were typical of the only perfect Sacrifice. And among them, unrecognized and unhonored, stood the One symbolized by all their service. He had given directions in regard to the offerings. He understood their symbolic value, and He saw that they were now perverted and misunderstood. Spiritual worship was fast disappearing. No link bound the priests and rulers to their God. Christ’s work was to establish an altogether different worship.” The Desire of Ages, 157.

“The confusion is hushed. The sound of traffic and bargaining has ceased. The silence becomes painful. A sense of awe overpowers the assembly. It is as if they were arraigned before the tribunal of God to answer for their deeds. Looking upon Christ, they behold divinity flash through the garb of humanity. The Majesty of heaven stands as the Judge will stand at the last day—not now encircled with the glory that will then attend Him, but with the same power to read the soul. His eye sweeps over the multitude, taking in every individual.” Ibid., 158.

The references above tell us that Jesus recognized a number of problems in the worship service as He entered the temple. He saw

  1. Unfair transactions
  2. The distress of the poor
  3. That the outer court of the temple was a place of unholy traffic
  4. That the people were not properly instructed concerning the ceremonies
  5. That the worshipers did not understand the meaning of the sacrifices
  6. That they did not recognize the One symbolized by the service
  7. That the offerings were perverted and misunderstood
  8. That spiritual worship was disappearing
  9. That no link bound the priests and rulers to their God

Jesus, seeing all of this, knew that it was His work to establish an altogether different worship.

“In the cleansing of the temple, Jesus was announcing His mission as the Messiah, and entering upon His work. … In cleansing the temple from the world’s buyers and sellers, Jesus announced His mission to cleanse the heart from the defilement of sin, from the earthly desires, the selfish lusts, the evil habits, that corrupt the soul. ‘The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, He shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fuller’s soap: and He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver’ (Malachi 3:1–3).” Ibid., 161.

To summarize, in the cleansing of the temple, Jesus

  1. Announced His mission as the Messiah
  2. Announced that He was entering upon His work
  3. Announced His mission to cleanse the heart from the defilement of sin
  4. Came suddenly to His temple
  5. Shall sit as a refiner and purifier

In the above references we see described the work of Jesus and the different type of worship He came to establish. The primary issue was not the physical cleansing of the temple. It had a much deeper meaning—the spiritual cleansing of the heart from the defilement of sin. “From eternal ages it was God’s purpose that every created being, from the bright and holy seraph to men, should be a temple for the indwelling of the Creator.” Ibid.

What was the attitude and response of the priests and rulers, the leaders of the church, to this work of Jesus? “But the Jews had not understood the significance of the building they regarded with so much pride. They did not yield themselves as holy temples for the Divine Spirit. The courts of the temple at Jerusalem, filled with the tumult of unholy traffic, represented all too truly the temple of the heart, defiled by the presence of sensual passion and unholy thoughts.” Ibid.

“For a time they were convinced that Christ was a prophet; and many believed Him to be the Messiah. The Holy Spirit flashed into their minds the utterances of the prophets concerning Christ. Would they yield to this conviction?

“Repent they would not. They knew that Christ’s sympathy for the poor had been aroused. They knew that they had been guilty of extortion in their dealings with the people. Because Christ discerned their thoughts they hated Him. His public rebuke was humiliating to their pride, and they were jealous of His growing influence with the people. They determined to challenge Him as to the power by which He had driven them forth, and who gave Him this power.” Ibid., 162.

To summarize the attitude of the leaders, we see that

  1. They did not understand the significance of the temple
  2. They did not yield themselves as holy temples for the Divine Spirit
  3. The unholy traffic of the temple courts represented the temple of the heart, defiled by sensual passions and unholy thoughts
  4. They initially were convicted that Christ was a prophet
  5. They would not yield to this conviction and would not repent
  6. They hated Christ because He discerned their thoughts
  7. They were jealous of His influence
  8. They were determined to challenge His authority

As the people observed the cleansing of the temple, there were two types of reactions to this work of Christ. It is important to identify the attitudes and positions of these two groups.

Of the larger group of people, the crowd that fled the temple and later slowly returned, Inspiration states, “They had partially recovered from the panic that had seized them, but their faces expressed irresolution and timidity. They looked with amazement on the works of Jesus, and were convicted that in Him the prophecies concerning the Messiah were fulfilled. The sin of the desecration of the temple rested, in a great degree, upon the priests. It was by their arrangement that the court had been turned into a market place. The people were comparatively innocent. They were impressed by the divine authority of Jesus; but with them the influence of the priests and rulers was paramount. They regarded Christ’s mission as an innovation, and questioned His right to interfere with what was permitted by the authorities of the temple. They were offended because the traffic had been interrupted, and they stifled the convictions of the Holy Spirit.” Ibid., 163, 164.

Here we see the attitude of the larger group of people; they

  1. Recognized that in Him the prophecies concerning the Messiah were fulfilled
  2. Were comparatively innocent
  3. Were impressed by the divine authority of Jesus
  4. Allowed the influence of the priests and rulers to be paramount
  5. Regarded Christ’s mission as an innovation
  6. Questioned His right to interfere with the authorities of the temple
  7. Were offended because the services had been interrupted
  8. Stifled the convictions of the Holy Spirit

Now let’s look at the attitudes of a smaller group of people, the faithful believers: “The poor remained behind; and these were now looking to Jesus, whose countenance expressed His love and sympathy. With tears in His eyes, He said to the trembling ones around Him: ‘Fear not; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me. For this cause came I into the world.’

“The people pressed into Christ’s presence with urgent, pitiful appeals: Master, bless me. His ear heard every cry. With pity exceeding that of a tender mother He bent over the suffering little ones. All received attention. Everyone was healed of whatever disease he had. The dumb opened their lips in praise; the blind beheld the face of their Restorer. The hearts of the sufferers were made glad. …

“At the crucifixion of Christ, those who had thus been healed did not join with the rabble throng in crying, ‘Crucify Him, crucify Him.’ Their sympathies were with Jesus; for they had felt His great sympathy and wonderful power. They knew Him to be their Saviour; for He had given them health of body and soul. They listened to the preaching of the apostles, and the entrance of God’s word into their hearts gave them understanding. They became agents of God’s mercy, and instruments of His salvation.” Ibid., 163.

To summarize the attitude of this smaller group, the faithful believers

  1. Looked to Jesus
  2. Pressed into Christ’s presence
  3. Appealed for His blessing
  4. Received His attention
  5. Afflicted were healed
  6. Praised the Lord
  7. Did not join with the rabble throng in the crucifixion of Christ
  8. Were in sympathy with Jesus
  9. Knew Him to be their Saviour
  10. Listened to the apostles
  11. Received God’s word which gave them understanding
  12. Became agents of God’s mercy
  13. Became instruments of His salvation

The reactions, positions and attitudes of these three groups of people at the first cleansing of the temple, the leaders, the large group of people who allowed the influence of the priests and rulers to be paramount, and the smaller group of faithful believers should cause us to consider our present position.

Summary – The significant points are

  1. Jesus announced the beginning of His ministry as the Messiah by cleansing the temple at the first Passover following His baptism, A.D. 28.
  2. This was an announcement of His work to cleanse the heart from the defilement of sin
  3. It was a fulfillment of Malachi 3:1–3 that He would “sit as a refiner and purifier” “to purify the sons of Levi”
  4. The priests and rulers rejected the cleansing work offered by Jesus and decided to challenge Him
  5. The majority of the people were convicted that Jesus was the Messiah, but with them the influence of the priests and rulers was paramount
  6. A small group of faithful believers knew Jesus to be their Saviour, and they received the cleansing He offered

It would be well to contemplate the attitude of the larger group of people as compared with the attitude of the smaller group, the faithful believers. Where do you fit in?

Maurice Hoppe is Director emeritus of the Steps to Life training programs and a member of the Steps to Life Board. The Training Program for Ministers and Church Leaders is a correspondence course that prepares individuals to serve as pastors or Bible workers. Preparing for the Final Conflict is a correspondence course for the laity. Both of these courses teach present truth that will be an anchor for the soul during the storm of opposition and persecution just ahead. He and his wife also have a correspondence course offered through Revelation Ministry. He can be contacted at: mauricehoppe@stepstolife.org.

Where Did Easter Come From?

Few people realize that Easter is not the resurrection of Christ; in fact, the only time the word is found in the Bible (in Acts 12:4), it is only Easter by mistranslation. The word in the original Greek is Passover.

Jesus died at the time of the Passover feast. But the Passover is not Easter, and Jesus did not die at Easter time. Here is information you will want to know. It comes from a publication entitled, Easter: Where It Came From, printed many years ago, by Southern Publishing Association. . . .

Sunday Held Sacred

“Sunday was held sacred centuries before Sinai. December 25 was highly honored; the time of Easter was religiously observed; and Lent was a time for healing—all thousands of years before the coming of the Babe to Bethlehem!

“After the Flood, the Garden of Eden was no longer on the earth. You remember the Lord had placed angels with flaming swords at its gates. As the people came to the gates to worship God, their faces were toward the west, for the gates were on the east side of the Garden. [Genesis 3:24.] When Eden was taken up to God’s dwelling place, and no one knows just when that was, Satan had so confused some that they worshiped the things that God had made instead of God himself. The next brightest thing men saw was the sun, and they began to worship it. God, at creation, had given them the Sabbath, to remind them every week that He had made everything, but Satan has always tried to make men forget the Sabbath, so they would forget the true God.

Nimrod and Semiramis

“One of Noah’s great grandsons was called Nimrod. Nimrod was a great leader, and was the first empire builder. His wife, history says, was named Semiramis, and she was a very great queen. Satan was working to counterfeit God’s plan of salvation; and, when Nimrod died, the people said he was a god. Semiramis told them that he was indeed the sun god, and that his spirit was still living, dwelling, in the sun.

“In order that the people should love her as queen as long as she lived, Semiramis told them that hers was the spirit of the moon; and, when she died, she would dwell in the moon as Nimrod already dwelt in the sun.

“Satan was laying the foundation for every system of falsehood and error the world has ever known. The sun god, under different names, was worshiped in Babylon, Egypt, Greece, and Rome, as conquering nations were conquered by the religion of their captives.

Birthday of the Sun

“Every year when the cold season began, the people believed their sun god was leaving them. They came to learn that his lowest dip on the horizon, about December 21, was followed by his gradual return, until in midsummer he was directly overhead at noonday. It was on the 25th of December that they noticed, each year, the coming back, a little, of their god. This day they called the birthday of the sun. It was their belief in the annual journey of their god that Elijah alluded to in his conflict with the priests of Baal, the Syro-Phoenician sun god. [1 Kings 18:19–40.]

“After the death of Nimrod, Semiramis never married again—indeed how could the queen of heaven marry an ordinary man? But some years later she gave birth to a son. His name was Tammuz, and he was born on the 25th day of December! There was wild rejoicing in the nation over which Semiramis was queen. She told the people that the spirit of the sun, her husband Nimrod, was the father of Tammuz, and thus through her sin, Satan persuaded the people of the counterfeit birth of Jesus; for Jesus was really born of a virgin.

Son of the Sun

“Tammuz was hailed as the Son of the Sun, and the first letter of his name became in time the symbol of sun worship. Human sacrifices to the sun god were offered on this initial letter, made of wood, known as the cross. His birthday, December 25, was honored more and more, and the first day of the week was called the Sun’s day, or Sunday. The people forgot God’s Sabbath, and honored the day of the sun. To honor Semiramis they set aside a time in honor of the moon. This was the first full moon after the vernal equinox, or the twenty-first of March. The first Sunday after this full moon was indeed a gala day.

“While yet a young man, Tammuz, a hunter like his supposed father, was killed by a wild boar. What weeping there was in the kingdom! And the forty days before the time of the celebration for the moon were set apart as days of weeping for Tammuz.

“God’s people were constantly being tempted to follow this religion instead of that of the Bible. Often Satan succeeded in his purpose. In the eighth chapter of Ezekiel we read of the women’s weeping for Tammuz and the people’s turning their backs on the temple of God and worshiping the sun toward the east. They also worshiped the moon goddess, making cakes to the queen of heaven. (Jeremiah 7:18, 19.) These were round cakes on which had been cut a cross.

Distinguishing Marks

“The great distinguishing mark of the heathen was Sunday and the mark of God’s people was the Sabbath. [Ezekiel 20:12–20.] Side by side through the centuries were God’s people worshiping Him, obeying His commandments, keeping His Sabbath; and the heathen were worshiping the sun, keeping Sunday, offering their children in the fire as a sacrifice to the sun, or crucifying their human victims to turn away his supposed anger.

“One writer in a noted periodical says that ‘Sunday was the wild, solar holiday of all pagan times.’ It was on this day that the worst features of sun worship were practiced. Too often Israel did these things too, but God constantly sent them messages to obey Him.

The Son of God

“Finally Christ, the Son of God, was born. The exact day of His birth no one knows, but it was probably in October. He was just thirty-three and a half years old when He was crucified, in April, at the time of the Passover. How Jesus loved His people! He loved them so much that He was willing to suffer abuse and mocking, scourging and death. Remember that Tammuz was exalted by Satan to be the great rival of Jesus, and the symbol of the cross was the sign of sun worship. Through all the years it had seemed that the sun god was greater than the true God, for Israel alone followed God, but often even Israel followed the sun god.

“Oh yes, Jesus loved His people! He came into a world that had forgotten Him, its Creator, suffered every insult at its hands, and finally died upon the symbol of sun worship, ‘even,’ says Paul, ‘the death of the cross.’ (Philippians 2:8.)

“What rejoicing then by the demons! The Son of God, delivered by His own people and crucified by the sun-worshiping Romans on the symbol of sun worship! Oh the condescending Jesus! How He must have loved His people! . . .

Crucifixion and Resurrection

“But God honored that sacrifice! On the third day after His crucifixion, the first day for sun worship, while the spirits of demons were in the wildest orgy of celebration over their victory—for, through many men, Satan’s angels all rejoiced in the victory of false worship on that very day set aside and honored by the name of the sun—God raised His Son from the grave a conqueror! As after Creation He had rested, so after redemption He rested in the tomb on His Sabbath; and now, on the day of the sun, He was raised, eternal victor over the sun worship and all false systems of worship. That was why God raised Him on Sunday. Once more the Sabbath is God’s sign between Him and His people. His disciples kept it while they lived.

Compromise

“But Satan was not yet through with the world. First, he persecuted God’s people, and then he tempted them again. The heathen were still keeping Sunday; and, as the Christians were scattered throughout the world, Satan whispered in the ears of God’s people that they should try to gain favor by being more like the heathen. Was not Christ born toward the end of the year? The exact date was uncertain. Why not call it the same date as the birth of Tammuz? So December 25 became Christmas.

“Again, Christ was crucified and resurrected in the spring, near the time of the moon festival. Why not have the same time as the heathen, and even do as they did, but call it in honor of Christ’s resurrection? The cakes to the queen of heaven became the hot cross buns. The forty days of ‘weeping for Tammuz’ became Lent; and at the close of Lent came Easter Sunday, a counterfeit masterpiece. . . .

Flag of God Trampled

“Oh the cowards! The cowards! They allowed the flag of God, His holy Sabbath, to trail in the dust. They trampled it under their feet; they exalted the sun’s day; they broke the command of God, and all in the name of the One who had given His life to save His people from that very thing!

“Oh, how Jesus in heaven must have wept when His so-called followers, to gain influence, set up the mark of rebellion against heaven—Sunday. And how He must weep today when people profess to honor His resurrection by trampling on His day and honoring the flag of the defeated foe. God forgive our nation if she ever passes a law to do that—if she ever passes a National Sunday law.”

“Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” 1 Corinthians 10:11, 12.

“It was by associating with idolaters and joining in their festivities that the Hebrews were led to transgress God’s law and bring His judgments upon the nation. So now it is by leading the followers of Christ to associate with the ungodly and unite in their amusements that Satan is most successful in alluring them into sin. ‘Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean.’ 11 Corinthians 6:17. God requires of His people now as great a distinction from the world, in customs, habits, and principles, as He required of Israel anciently. If they faithfully follow the teachings of His word, this distinction will exist; it cannot be otherwise. The warnings given to the Hebrews against assimilating with the heathen were not more direct or explicit than are those forbidding Christians to conform to the spirit and customs of the ungodly.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 458.

Reprinted with permission from The Real Story Behind Christmas, Easter, and Halloween, Harvestime Books, Altamont, Tennessee 37301 USA, 2003, 44–50. Copies of this book may be purchased from the publisher. Visit their web site at: www.SDADefend.com.

The Great Feasts of the Bible — The Passover

The precious atonement of Jesus, as portrayed by the Passover, was not an afterthought or something that came by chance. The sacrifice of God’s Son was foreseen by Deity long before the world came into existence. The atonement was planned in every detail to the very moment. The life of Christ on earth was laid out from birth to the cross, before He ever came to this world.

But more than this was entailed in the atonement. God chose to schedule events from Eden to the cross. This leaves no possible room for doubt as to its divine purpose. Christ had a schedule to meet. Not only a time to be born in Bethlehem, and a time to die on the cross of Calvary, but also an exact time for His second coming and an exact time for His third coming at the close of the millennium. Yes, Christ had a schedule to meet. “Jesus said unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come.” John 2:4.

Jesus’ words, “Mine hour is not yet come,” point to the fact that every act of Christ’s life on earth was in fulfillment of the plan that had existed from the days of eternity. Before He came to earth, the plan lay out before Him perfect in all its details. His last Passover supper spent on this earth was scheduled to the exact day. “And He said, Go into the city to such a man, and say to him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at thy house with My disciples.” Matthew 26:18.

The reason Christ went to the Garden after spending the Passover with His disciples was that this, too, had been scheduled. For it was here that He was to be betrayed. “Then cometh He to His disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.” Matthew 26:45.

Jesus knew the time had come. Just as the Passover commemorated the deliverance from Egypt, so Christ understood the Passover lamb pointed to His coming sacrifice. Even the Passover in Egypt was scheduled in the time frame of God, for it took place exactly on the day that it was planned.

Abraham was told that his children would go into Egypt for four hundred and thirty years as slaves. (See Genesis 15.) “Now the sojourning of the Children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.” Exodus 12:40, 41.

It required some drastic judgments from God, such as the world had never seen before, to bring it to pass on the exact day. Water was turned to blood, there were plagues of frogs, lice and hail, darkness and finally a never-to-be-forgotten night. For in the land of Goshen the first Passover was held. Each family met together to kill a lamb and sprinkle its blood on their doorposts. The lamb was to be roasted and eaten just as the angel of death passed over each home at midnight.

While in the land of Egypt the same angel of death struck in every home including the king’s palace. Every firstborn of man and beast was slain. Never was there such a cry of death that struck every family of a whole nation at the same moment. The Israelites were commanded to leave immediately—and it all happened at the precise time God had predicted.

Israel was commanded to keep the Passover when they should reach the Promised Land of Canaan, as a memorial of this mighty deliverance by the hand of God. The Passover was kept in the day of Christ. Jesus was twelve years old when He went to Jerusalem to keep His first Passover. As He watches the priest carrying out the Passover activities, Jesus suddenly discovers a sublime truth; for He understands that every act of His life is bound up in what the priest has done with the little lamb.

New impulses awaken within Him. God is His Teacher. Like a sudden clap of thunder His mission in life opens up before Him. Silently, absorbed in divine thoughts, He studies the sin problem as never before. Finally the moment arrives. He sees Himself as the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world.

Immediately there is a change in this boy of twelve. His meekness as a willing child has changed to an awareness of a higher responsibility. He addresses His parents, Joseph and Mary, in a remarkable new manner. “Wist ye not that I must be about My Father’s business?” Luke 2:49. Divine inspiration tells us that as He spoke these words, He pointed heavenward, to the astonishment of His earthly parents. At this young age, he was aware of His divine Father.

His purpose in life has now become clear as crystal. Just as God delivered His people from the slavery of Egypt, so Jesus is to deliver His people from the slavery of sin. He, the Son of God, is to become the Passover Lamb by giving His own life as a sacrifice for our sins. Every moment of His life from then on was dedicated to preparation for the moment of sacrifice.

This demanded total surrender to God’s will and a full commitment to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Every day of His life was a twenty-four hour battle with Satan. “Satan was unwearied in his efforts to overcome the Child of Nazareth. From His earliest years Jesus was guarded by heavenly angels, yet His life was one long struggle against the powers of darkness. That there should be upon the earth one life free from defilement of evil was an offense and a perplexity to the Prince of Darkness. He left no means untried to ensnare Jesus. No child of humanity will ever be called to live a holy life amidst so fierce a conflict with temptation as was our Saviour.” The Desire of Ages, 71.

 

Battle with Satan

 

You and I may think we have a hard time in this battle with Satan, but we in our struggle with evil do not commence to meet the battle as He did. The Son of God experienced temptation one thousand times greater that you and I. “You have not a difficulty that did not press with equal weight upon Him nor a sorrow that His heart has not experienced. His feelings could be hurt with neglect, with indifference of professed friends, as easily as yours could. Is your path thorny? Christ’s was so in a tenfold sense. Are you distressed? So was He. How well fitted was Christ to be an example.” Our High Calling, 59.

Will we ever be tempted in a way Christ was not? “If we had to bear anything which Jesus did not endure, then upon this point Satan would represent the power of God as insufficient for us. Therefore, Jesus was ‘in all points tempted like as we are.’ Hebrews 4:15.” The Desire of Ages, 24.

He endured every trial to which we are subject and He exercised in His own behalf no power that is not freely offered to us. As a man, He met temptation and overcame in the strength given Him from God. And so it can be with you and me. “To Jesus, Who emptied Himself for the salvation of lost humanity, the Holy Spirit was given without measure. So it will be given to every follower of Christ when the whole heart is surrendered for His indwelling. Our Lord Himself has given the command, ‘Be filled with the Spirit.’ Ephesians 5:18.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 21.

This is what Paul tells us. “For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily and you have come to fullness of life in Him.” Colossians 2:9, 10. Again Peter admonishes us with the same encouragement. “According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” 2 Peter 1:3, 4. How we should praise God for what He has made possible for us.

After the baptism of Jesus, three years of public ministry was scheduled in which Jesus was to reveal God’s love by miracles and by teachings. This accomplished, He knew His time had finally come to attend the last Passover of His life here on this earth. He said, “Go into the city to such a man and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at thy house with My disciples.” Matthew 26:18.

The final crisis had arrived. The destiny of the whole universe was at stake. This is so serious that Christ felt He must find a place to be alone with His Father. For as a man, He can do nothing without God’s help. He chooses the Garden of Gethsemane. As He enters the Garden, He becomes sad and silent. His form begins to sway as if He is about to fall. Every step is labored. He groans aloud, for He is under a terrible burden. The sins of the entire world are being placed upon Him.

Twice His companions prevent Him from falling to the ground. He cries, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death. His frame convulses with anguish as He falls prostrate to the cold ground. He was overpowered with fear as God removes His presence from Him, and He is alone with the pressure of the sins of the whole world weighing down on Him.

The gulf of sin becomes so wide, black and deep that His spirit shudders before it. He clings convulsively to the ground as if to prevent Himself from being drawn still further from God. His convulsed lips wail that bitter cry, “Oh, My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me. Nevertheless, not as I will but as Thou wilt.”

If you are in tune with God, these thoughts will break your heart and bring tears to your eyes. The undeniable fact is this, that sin and God cannot dwell together. In the struggle, eternal separation from God was possible. “Everything was at stake with him (Satan). If he failed here, his hope of mastery was lost; the kingdoms of the world would become Christ’s; he himself would be overthrown and cast out. But if Christ could be overcome, the earth would become Satan’s kingdom, and the human race would be forever in his power. With the issues of the conflict before Him, Christ’s soul was filled with the dread of separation from God. Satan told Him that if He became the surety for a sinful world, the separation would be eternal. He would be identified with Satan’s kingdom and would nevermore be one with God.” The Desire of Ages, 687.

What a struggle! Satan painted a picture that would discourage the strongest heart. He points to the ingratitude of man, to God’s people who will reject Him and His very own church who will seek to destroy Him. Even His disciples will forsake Him and one of them will betray Him. “Christ’s whole being abhorred the thought. That those whom He had undertaken to save, those whom He loved so much, should unite in the plots of Satan, this pierced His soul. The conflict was terrible. Its measure was the guilt of His nation, of His accusers and betrayer, the guilt of a world lying in wickedness. The sins of men weighed heavily upon Christ, and the sense of God’s wrath against sin was crushing out His life.” Ibid.

It was like a compressor forcing air into a tank, pumping away until it explodes. But now the history of the human race comes up before the world’s Redeemer. “He sees that the transgressors of the law, if left to themselves, must perish under the Father’s displeasure. He sees the power of sin, and the utter helplessness of man to save himself. The woes and the lamentations of a doomed world arise before Him. He beholds its impending fate, and His decision is made. He will save man at any cost to Himself. He accepts His baptism of blood, that perishing millions through Him may gain everlasting life. He left the courts of heaven, where all was purity, happiness, and glory, to save the one lost sheep, the one world that had fallen by transgression, and He will not turn from the mission He has chosen. He will reach to the very depths of misery to rescue a lost and ruined race.” Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 3, 99, 100.

Having made this decision He falls in a dying condition to the earth. Had it not been for an angel, who was sent from heaven to support Him, He would have died then and there. But the angel enabled our Saviour to drink the cup. Christ now stands in the sinner’s place, forsaken by God and forsaken by man.

“The Saviour could not see through the portals of the tomb. Hope did not present to Him His coming forth from the grave a conqueror, or tell Him of the Father’s acceptance of the sacrifice. He feared that sin was so offensive to God that Their separation was to be eternal. Christ felt the anguish, which the sinner will feel when mercy shall no longer plead for the guilty race. It was the sense of sin, bringing the Father’s wrath upon Him as man’s substitute, that made the cup He drank so bitter, and broke the heart of the Son of God.” The Desire of Ages, 753. What a cost for our salvation!

Christ knew that His hour had come. He knew that the Passover lamb would be offered in the temple at the moment that He would die on Calvary’s cross. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit He sees it all. As the priest lifts the knife to slay the lamb on the altar, suddenly there is a rending noise as the veil of the temple is torn open from top to bottom. Thus opening the way into the heavenly sanctuary in which the true Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, will mediate for us before God the Father.

“All is terror and confusion. The priest is about to slay the victim; but the knife drops from his nerveless hand, and the lamb escapes. Type has met antitype in the death of God’s Son. The great sacrifice has been made. The way into the Holiest is laid open. A new and living way is prepared for all. No longer need sinful, sorrowing humanity await the coming of the High Priest. Henceforth the Saviour was to officiate as Priest and Advocate in the heaven of heavens.” Ibid., 757.

What an atonement Jesus made on Calvary for our sin! “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.” 1 Corinthians 5:7. It is one thing to believe this happened for us, but in reality, more than belief is necessary. There are actions of response required by each of us.

“It is not enough that the Pascal lamb be slain; its blood must be sprinkled upon the door posts; so the merits of Christ’s blood must be applied to the soul. We must believe not only that He died for the world, but that He died for us individually. We must appropriate to ourselves the virtue of the atoning sacrifice.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 277.

That is why we must come to the place where we know of a surety that Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us. Hyssop, used to sprinkle the blood (symbol of purification), was used by the priests to cleanse the leper, and those defiled by contact with the dead. “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Psalm 51:7.

The lamb was to be prepared whole, for not a bone was to be broken in the Lamb of God. This represented the completeness of Christ’s sacrifice. A full ransom was to be paid.

After the sacrifice, the flesh of the Pascal lamb was to be eaten. “It is not enough even that we believe on Christ for the forgiveness of sin; we must by faith be constantly receiving spiritual strength and nourishment from Him through His Word. Said Christ, ‘Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood hath eternal life.’ John 6:53, 54.” Ibid.

To explain what He meant, He said, The words that I speak unto you they are spirit, and they are life. What does this mean? “The followers for Christ must be partakers of His experience. They must receive and assimilate the word of God so that it shall become the motive power of life and action. By the power of Christ we must be changed into His likeness, and reflect the divine attributes.” Ibid., 278.

And there was another lesson we would do well to recognize. “The lamb was to be eaten with bitter herbs, as pointing back to the bitterness of the bondage in Egypt. So when we feed upon Christ, it should be with contrition of heart, because of our sins.” Ibid.

“The use of unleavened bread also was significant. It was expressly enjoined in the law of the Passover . . . that no leaven should be found in their houses during the feast. In like manner the leaven of sin must be put away from all who would receive life and nourishment from Christ.” Ibid.

Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, “Purge out therefore the old leaven that ye may be a new lump . . . For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.” 1 Corinthians 5:7. We have ministers today who are teaching us that we may sin until Jesus comes. God forbid!

Consider the blood that was sprinkled on the doorposts. This was a sign to show that the family was completely separated from Egypt. They must show their faith in the deliverance to be accomplished. They must separate themselves and their family from the Egyptians and gather within their own dwelling. This is the same message that has been given to the Remnant today. Come out from among them and be ye separate.

“Had the Israelites disregarded in any particular the directions given them, had they neglected to separate their children from the Egyptians, had they slain the lamb but failed to strike the door posts with the blood, or had any gone out of their houses, they would not have been secure. They might have honestly believed that they had done all that was necessary, but their sincerity could not have saved them. All who failed to heed the Lord’s directions would lose their first-born by the hand of the destroyer.” Ibid.

The atonement Christ provided for each of us on the cross of Calvary demands not only belief but also obedience. “By obedience the people were to give evidence of their faith. So all who hoped to be saved by the merits of the blood of Christ should realize that they themselves have something to do in securing their salvation. While it is Christ only that can redeem us from the penalty of transgression, we are to turn from sin to obedience. Man is to be saved by faith, not by works; yet his faith must be shown by his works. God has given His Son to die as a propitiation for sin, he has manifested the light of truth, the way of life, He has given facilities, ordinances, and privileges; and now man must cooperate with these saving agencies; he must appreciate and use the help that God has provided—believe and obey all the divine requirements.” Ibid., 279.