Exodus 12:21-24 NKJV
"21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb.
22 And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. 23 For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you. 24 And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever."
22 And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. 23 For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you. 24 And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever."
What was done on our behalf on that cross 2,000 years ago is so beautifully detailed in the awesome feast of Passover. It is the basis on which we have a relationship with the most awesome person in the universe: JESUS. As this season of the year draws near, let’s take time out to meditate on this most important feast of the Jewish people, a beautiful picture of what Our Lord did for us so long ago.
Not A Religion.
Christianity is not a “Religion.” It is not simply “A” way to God: It is, in fact, the ONLY WAY. More to the point, it is the exact OPPOSITE of “Religion.” Though lumped together with all other “belief systems,” so called, represented in the picture above, it actually isn’t like any of them at all. Though it may called a “Faith Tradition” by some, IT IS SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT. In studying the Feast of Passover, we’ll discover why this is so. 😍
The one CRITICAL assurance that none of these can give, however, is this: AN IRON-CLAD GUARANTEE OF SAFE PASSAGE OUT OF THIS WORLD. Only Jesus can offer that.
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Passover.
For centuries, the Jewish people obediently observed the feasts God instituted, Passover being one of them. They didn’t know that what they were doing was a shadow representation of what Jesus would do in the distant future. It was just a religious ritual to them prescribed by God Himself.
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This holiday remains a mystery to modern Jewish people, who believe their Messiah has not yet come. They don’t realize that they missed their visitation. When their Messiah, the real Lamb of God, came into this world and died on the cross, they simply didn’t recognize Him. They didn’t understand that the Passover lamb they sacrificed for 1500 years was a pre-enactment of what their Messiah did on that hill 2,000 years ago.
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Other Religions vs Christianity.
Religion can be defined as “Man’s search for God.” There are lots of different ones in the world, all comprised of people who are doing just that: Looking for God or trying to reach some form of perfection. To the unbeliever, they all appear equally good. They mistakenly believe that all of them can lead a person to God and, ultimately, to heaven. They don’t! ALL those other belief systems are deceptions devised by a devil who hates mankind and will stop at nothing to destroy as many of us humans as he can.
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The big problem with all the other religions is that you must rely on yourself and your performance which, predictably, always falls far short. Under such systems, you stand to lose everything if you don’t measure up. Well that’s awful! 🤯 No human can do that. What assurance do you have that you are doing enough or being good enough? The answer is, “You have NONE.” 😟
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Christianity is the OPPOSITE of religion: It can be defined as, “God’s search for man.” That’s not just different: It’s 180 degrees opposite. Your salvation is based on the faithfulness of Another, Jesus, not imperfect you. HALLELUJAH! 🙌🏻💖
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Iron-clad Guarantee.
Wouldn’t you like to know for sure what will happen to you when you die? The one CRITICAL assurance that no religion offers is AN IRON-CLAD GUARANTEE OF SAFE PASSAGE OUT OF THIS WORLD. Well, I have good news! Such a guarantee does exist, and JESUS IS THE ONLY ONE Who can offer it. He opened the door!
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What do I mean by, “Safe passage?” Perfect assurance that you’re going to heaven, not hell. I know. Nobody likes to talk about hell. Neither do I. But believe me: Hell is an all-too-real place. You don’t want to go there! It is eternal torment with no get-out-of-jail-free pass. How do we know that?
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Our wonderful Jesus, Who loves us so much, talked a whole lot about it. He did so because doesn’t want us to go there. You see, it wasn’t designed for man. It was created to be a place of eternal punishment for Lucifer and his band of fallen angels.
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Assurance In The First Passover.
Can you really know for sure that you’ll go to heaven when you die? YES you can! You’ll find blessed assurance here in this story about the Children of Israel and the first Passover.
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The night before the Children of Israel were delivered from the Egyptians, they were instructed to put the blood of a lamb on the doorposts and the lintels of their homes. The Angel of Death was going to pass through the land on that night. If He saw blood on the doorposts of any home, He would “Pass over” that household and spare the lives of everyone inside.
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Moses had warned Pharaoh that this would happen. Sadly, not one Egyptian household had blood on their doorposts and, as God promised, EVERY first born of both human and animals died. 😔
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Mixed Multitude.
Did you know that the Children of Israel weren’t the only ones who escaped death? It’s true. 😲 You see, by the time the 10th plague hit, the one where all the first-born died, many Egyptians had wised up. The scripture below bears this out:
“A mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds—a great deal of livestock. (Exodus 12:38)
The word for mixed here in Hebrew is, “Ereb,” which means “Arabia.” Yep! Many Gentiles were saved and traveled with the Israelites when they left Egypt!
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These Egyptians realized that this God was the real deal and NOT One to be trifled with. So, wisely, they sought refuge with their Jewish neighbors that fateful night. Just like the Jewish people, they were spared the fate of their countrymen. That tells you that the Israelites didn’t escape death simply because they were Jewish; they escaped death because they were covered by the blood of the Lamb: JESUS!
Types And Shadows.
Throughout the Bible there are pictures of Jesus represented in what are called, “Types.” The Book Of Hebrews is full of revelations about these types as given to the writer of the book, presumably the Apostle Paul. They show us many wonderful things about Jesus that are hidden in the Old Testament. The story of Passover is a prime example. It is all about Jesus! 💖
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Egypt is a typology of the world. The blood on the doorposts is a foreshadowing, or “Type,” of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross. The message couldn’t be more clear: No one….NO ONE…..is getting out of “Egypt” alive without the blood on the doorpost of their heart; and be assured: Once it is applied, it can NEVER be removed. This is our IRON-CLAD GUARANTEE.
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Yep; you read that right: Once you are saved, YOU ARE ALWAYS SAVED. 💖
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Sin Debt.
Why do we need a perfect sacrifice to offer God? Because there is a sin-debt that we all owed to God as a result of Adam’s sin. It was a debt we could not pay, so Jesus paid it for us! 💖 Actually, He OVERpaid it and gives it to us as a free gift. As the scriptures say, “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”
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You see, ALL humans are tainted with sin. We are born with it. Yes, you read that right, too. We are born in sin into this world. Being stained with sin disqualifies us from being our own sacrifice. We can neither offer ourselves nor do enough good works, as if we were tipping some kind of heavenly scale in our favor. We are blemished, imperfect, and unqualified from birth. No matter how hard we try, we can never measure up. That’s the biggest downfall of all the world’s religions. That’s why we need a Savior!
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The Bible says “ALL OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS is as filthy rags.” If you try to offer yourself as your own sacrifice, God has to reject your offering because there can be no spot or wrinkle…and off to hell you go. 😔.
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Accept Or Reject.
Just like any gift, you are free to either accept it or…..at your own peril…..reject it. This tells you that SALVATION is not universal or automatic. If you reject the free gift He is offering, God is an awesome respecter of your free choice. He will never force salvation on you. Please understand that there are consequences accompanying whatever your choice. If you accept His free gift, you can NEVER die. Your eternal life in heaven is assured. But if you refuse it, you, who are already dead, WILL REMAIN SO FOREVER…..and suffer the eternal consequences. 😭
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Other Religious Founders.
What about these other religions? Do any of their founders claim to have created the heavens and the earth? NO. Only the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob records that He, and He alone, created the universe and all that is therein. Looks like He’s the real ALMIGHTY ONE!
Can any of the founders of any other “religious traditions” say that they died and rose again? Nope. ALL OF THEM ARE STILL DEAD.
Can any other founder provide an offering acceptable to the God of the Universe–You know, The One Who makes the rules–which can give you SAFE PASSAGE OUT OF THIS WORLD? Again, NO, NO, NO!
THEREFORE: No other religion in the world can offer you the ASSURANCE of heaven.
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Metanoia: Change Your Mind!
If you die, i.e. leave Egypt without blood on the doorposts of your heart, YOU WILL BE TURNED AWAY at the gates to spend eternity in hell, from which there is NO REPRIEVE. But fear not; Jesus’ priceless gift is offered freely to ALL without reservation. Accepting it is so simple. Just “metanóia: change your mind” about whatever it is you thought God required of you.
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Going to heaven was never about doing enough good to outweigh the bad so you can somehow end up with the scale tipped in your favor. It isn’t about attaining some higher state of consciousness. IT HAS ALWAYS AND ONLY BEEN ABOUT PRESENTING AN ACCEPTABLE SACRIFICE. Jesus is THE ONLY sacrifice that qualifies.
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Please, please, PLEASE: Accept His free gift before the door to salvation is closed. Just say “Thank you,” and your eternity is forever secure. The blood of The Perfect Sacrifice is now on your doorposts and can NEVER be removed.
Thank you, Jesus for opening up the door of heaven for us!
You may follow the link below to part 2 to continue this series:
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