Teachinghearts	The Passover Seder God Hosts a Feast "Explore the Word. Change the World"	Lesson 7b: Time: 60 minutes Print: 11 pages

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Leviticus 23

The customs that they perform while eating the Passover meal are not recorded in the Bible. But after looking at them you will realize that they are part of God's word. When Moses received the law, some portions were also handed down by word of mouth and example.

Chametz (Leaven). The Passover season begins with the removal of leaven from their homes. Removing leaven represents submission of one's will to God so that one does not sin. They must stop eating leaven by the fourth hour after sunrise on Nisan 14. This is approximately 10 AM. At that time Jesus had been placed on the cross (9 AM). This is the moment in which He made an end of sin as required by the covenant.
"Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. (Daniel 9: 24)
... but now once in the end of the world He has appeared in the world to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. (Hebrews 9: 26)

The First exodus (The Meal and Its Meaning to the Jews).
After 400 years as slaves in Egypt, the people ate a meal (the seder) in haste before they left on the exodus to the Promised Land on the first Passover. The seder meal consists of four cups of wine, eating six symbolic items on the seder plate and three matzos on a separate plate. The symbols are based on their slavery and rescue from Egypt.

• Karpas (Simple Vegetable). This is a vegetable other than bitter herbs which is dipped in salt water Celery, parsley or watercress is used. Some dip it in vinegar or wine.
  » Salt Water. Salt water represents their bitter tears and the simple vegetable represents their simple foods.

  Freedom Deliverance Redemption Release The Four Cups and the Three Matzos
  Passover Menu Special
  Beitzah (Roasted Egg) Maror (Bitter Herbs) Z'roa (Roasted Lamb) Karpas (Vegetable dipped in salt water or vinegar) Not bitter Charoset (Nuts and Spices) Salt Water Chazeret (Bitter Vegetable)

• Charoset (Nuts and Spices). A sweet, crumbly, pebbly, brown mixture that represents the mortar used to make bricks. It is made with chopped walnuts, grated apples, cinnamon, sweet red wine. Dates and honey are added by some.
• Chazeret (Bitter Vegetables). A second bitter vegetable used with maror. e.g. Romaine lettuce.
  ... and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. (Numbers 9: 11)
• Maror (Bitter Herbs). Represents the bitterness and harshness of slavery. Horseradish is used.
• Z'roa (Roasted Lamb Shankbone). The sacrificed Passover lamb.
• Beitzah (Roasted Egg). The egg is not part of the original feast. It replaces the other meat bone used in the Passover festival sacrifice (korban chagigah).
  The egg now represents mourning which is for the destroyed temple where they can no longer offer sacrifices.
• A Bowl of Salt Water. This is for the two dippings (Karpas and Beitzah). Vegetables are also dipped in charoset.
• A Stack of Three Matzos. The unleavened bread are on a separate plate and are called "the bread of affliction".
  1. Top Matzah. This is eaten quickly with half of the middle matzo during the blessing of the Matzo.
  2. Middle Matzah. This is broken in two at the beginning of the ceremony.
     Afikoman (Hidden Manna). This is the larger half of the broken middle bread that is wrapped and hidden. At the end of the ceremony, the Afikoman is served with wine. It is the last thing eaten for the night.
  3. Bottom Matzah. This is released after the blessing and eaten with the maror like a sandwich.
  » Leaning to the Left. They lean while eating the bread or drinking the wine to represent the fact that only free people and royalty recline while eating.
• Yanin: Four Cups of Wine (Pure Grape Juice). They represent the four expressions of deliverance.
  Say, therefore, the sons of Israel I am the Lord your God, I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God, and you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burden of the Egyptians. (Exodus 6: 6-7).

  I Am	("I AM the LORD your God"). God establishes His identity and ownership of us.
  That	1 Cup of Freedom ("I will bring out"). Kiddush. The ceremony begins with a cup of wine but no blessing 2 Cup of Deliverance ("I will deliver"). Magid. A blessing and a cup of wine after telling the Passover story 3 Cup of Redemption ("I will redeem"). Bareich. It is the cup of blessing said with the prayer after meals. Cup of Elijah. A cup is also poured for Elijah, hoping that he will join the celebration of Israel's liberation. 4 Cup of Release ("I will take"). Hallel. Drink during the songs of praise with a prayer for the fruit of the vine
  I Am	("... That I AM the LORD your God"). God establishes His power to save us.
  Now we know the meaning of the phrase "I AM ... that ... I AM". This structure is in the SHMA. (Numbers 15: 41)

The Second Exodus (The Meal and Service after Christ).
The Seder represents the order of events on the day of crucifixion. The word "Seder" means order because of the feast which must be celebrated in a specific order.
After 400 months confined to the earth, Jesus was eaten as the Passover meal before He left on the exodus to heaven. When Christ died, the same symbols took on a more global meaning as He rescued the world from slavery to sin. Let us look at the entire service and see how Christ fulfilled the symbols of Passover. Pay attention to the hand washing and the blessings because they are also important.

• Exchanged: Kadeish (Kaddesh) and Urechatz. This is the first cup of wine. It is followed by washing hands (Urechatz), but no blessing is said. In some traditions only the head of the household washes his hands.
  First Cup: ("I will bring out"). Jesus and Barabbas were brought out to the crowd. Governor Pilate, head of the household, washed His hands after condemning the innocent blood to death.
  But Pilate's hand washing was not blessed. He is guilty. His wife had a dream which warned Him.
  Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?" Jesus said to him, "It is as you say".
  The Dream. ... his wife sent him a message saying, "have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him".
  The Presentation. ... Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?
  The Washing. When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd saying, "I am innocent of this Man's blood; see yourselves". (Matthew 27: 11, 17, 19, 24).
  Freedom from Sin. Jesus freed us from the bondage of Satan by taking the burden of our sin from us.
  In a direct connection to the Lord's Goat on the Day of Atonement, the two goats were brought out. The Lord's Goat was selected and the scapegoat was set free. So the innocent was exchanged for the guilty.
  » The Cup of Freedom. We are all guilty of this innocent blood because He was exchanged for us and set us free.
  And all the people said, "His blood shall be on us and on our children!" (Matthew 27: 25)
• Karpas. A vegetable that is not bitter is dipped in salt water, vinegar or wine.
  Sour Wine and Myrrh Rejected. They tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh but He did not take it. And they crucified Him, and divided up His garments among themselves, casting lots for them to decide what each man should take. (Mark 15: 23-24)
  They gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it He was unwilling to drink. (Matthew 27: 34).
  It is amazing how God symbolized this event and the fact that He did not taste the sour herb. The ceremenoy symbolized the fact that He did not eat anything bitter at this stage by eating something that was not bitter.
  He refused the wine soaked in myrrh given at the beginning, before He was crucified. So He did not eat anything bitter before the cross. He ate the bitter herb, hyssop soaked in vinegar at the end while He was on the cross.
• Beaten and Crucified: Yachatz (Breaking the Middle Matzah). The middle bread is broken in two. The larger half is hidden and the smaller half is put back between the other two. Christ is the broken Matzah.
  Insulted, Scourged, Nailed and Broken. This is the moment He was crucified or nailed to the cross.
  Although the eating and chewing represented the physical, mental and emotional suffering and insult of Christ, this symbol says that some time before He was lifted on the cross something happened in the spiritual world. God was broken. His divinity separated Himself from His humanity before the affliction continued. This might be the first moment He submitted His outstretched arm and was split by the nail. The human Jesus suffered alone.
  Then he released Barabbas for them; but after having Jesus scourged, He handed Him over to be crucified. (Matthew 27: 26)
  
  » A Broken God. It was at this point that Jesus was as good as dead. He was separated from the Father and His humanity was set adrift from His divinity.
  » A New Covenant. He was split in two halves to establish the new covenant (Genesis 15: 9-18).
  
• On the Cross: Magid (Telling the Story). The matzot are uncovered. They are now called the "bread of affliction". Jesus is now being insulted on the cross.
  An invitation is made to all who are hungry and needy to join the seder. The magid ends with a second cup of wine (Kos Sheini) and everyone washes their hands (rachtzah) and a blessing is said.
  Second Cup: "(I will deliver"). We are all now dead to sin and have escaped death because He delivered us from the bondage of sin through the Holy Spirit. We are now justified and can be exchanged or redeemed by law.
  Deliverance from Sin. Jesus took the burden of sin that He removed from us as His sins and become sin.
  » Laodicea. Christ tells the church of Laodicea that the invitation is open to the whole world to eat the Passover.
  Behold I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to Him and will dine with him and he with Me. (Revelation 3: 20)
  
  The Passover story included asking four questions by the youngest child.
  » The Four Questions (Ma Nishtana). The youngest child will be the last generation. They will be asking these questions because God has prophesied that the Jews and the world will find Him at the end in the Passover seder.
  1. Matzah. Why is this night different from all other nights?
     Because on other nights we eat matzah and bread, but on this night we eat only matzah.
     Christ was the Passover Matzah, the Bread of Life from heaven who would be eaten up on this day.
  2. Bitter Herbs (Maror). Why on all other nights do we eat many herbs and on this night only bitter herbs?
     To recall the bitter lives of our ancestors, who were slaves in Egypt.
     Christ would experience bitter suffering at His trial and crucifixion.
  3. Dip Twice. Why on all other nights do we dip our food only once, and twice on this night? On all other nights we don't usually dip one food into another, why tonight - twice?
     It is our custom to dip on other nights. We dip a second time to remember that our ancestors dipped a leafy branch to smear lamb's blood on their doorposts. We dip the karpas vegetable in salt water and the maror in Charoset.
     Christ was the bitter herb dipped in His own blood and spread on the doorpost of the cross. He was betrayed by His friend who dipped in the bowl with Him. Judas fulfilled the second dipping.
  4. Recline. Why on all other nights do we sit up to eat, but recline on this night?
     Because free people reclined in ancient times, and our ancestors became free on this night.
     Christ is the Bread of Life who would recline to be nailed and recline in the grave after making the offering and being swallowed up in death. We should celebrate His death because it set us free from the power and condemnation of sin so that we have rest. Then we can recline with Him in luxury like kings.
     
     Now you shall eat it in this manner, with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste - it is the Lord's Passover. (Exodus 12: 11)
     On the first Passover they actually ate standing up with a staff in their hand as if they were ready to leave quickly. But when they are in the Promised Land they can eat at ease.
     At the last moment, Jesus ate standing up on the cross and possibly leaning left. He was ready to go on the exodus. When He paid the price for sin He was now lying down at rest in the grave.
     But He was naked and barefoot with nails in His hands.
  
  » The Four Children and Their Questions. They represent the different groups at the end of time.

  Passover Laws » Seder » 12 Tribes » Offerings » 5 Signs of Judaism » Covenant » Sign in Hand and Forehead

  1. Wise Child. "What are all the laws God has given you about Passover?"
     Through our studies we have shown how all the laws point to the death of Christ. Passover is the festival that merges all these symbols. Therefore, the Passover and the Jewish laws are cruical knowledge in understanding the death of Christ and in proving that Christ is the Messiah.
  2. Wicked Child. "Why do you bother with this Seder?"
     The wicked Christian church asked the same question when they substituted Easter for Passover so that they could further separate the Christian church from the Jewish church. They are doing the Devil's work. God needs the last generation to thoroughly understand the Passover rituals so that they can prove that Christ is the Messiah. The Easter celebration does not have this power or authority and it was not ordained by God. It is the fable of the Antichrist.
     God allowed this separation of the church but it was not His will that the Christians should separate themselves from the only scriptures used by Christ. But in ordering the separation, Ezekiel showed that the Jewish branch of the church would be asked to preserve the laws about the sanctuary because the other branch would be unfaithful. The final church would need it.
  3. Innocent Child. "What is this talking about?"
     At the end of time, the curious people will ask about Passover, giving us an opportunity to lift up Christ.
  4. Ignorant Child. This child says nothing because he does not know what to ask or that he should ask.
     At the end of time, we should also make everyone else understand, even those who do not know God.
  
  » The Ten Plagues. Then they told the story of the ten plagues, which were the wrath of God on the Egyptians. During the story they take a little wine out of the cup with their little finger.
  At this point, the wine on the little finger is the wrath of God which was being poured out on Christ. In another lesson we show how Christ suffered the seven last plagues for the righteous.
  
• Lifted Up on the Cross and Killed: Motzi Matzo (Blessing the Matzo).
  Hands are washed and all three breads are lifted and a blessing is said. The bottom matzah is released and the top two (1½) are eaten quickly while leaning.

  The Three Matzos This is the first symbolism of the Trinity that I have seen. Here we have a symbol of Christ in the middle, broken in two. While the world was cursing Him, and two thieves were on either side cursing Him, and it appeared that God had forsaken Him, here we have a picture of the Father and the Holy Spirit on either side of Him. The Passover symbols go on to show that the Father and the Spirit were swallowed up with Him. The Hidden Manna (Afikoman). This half is His divinity because it has the power to give life. The other half is His humanity. The Tree, Water and Bread of Life. Like the cross, the Father stayed with Him and held Him. The Holy Spirit was released when He died and when water poured out of His side.

  
  The picture of the two and a half Matzo lifted up says that the Father and the Spirit were on either side of His broken body on the cross.
  When Christ bowed His head and died, the Father was with Him. This is the top matzah. The entire Trinity suffered.
  It is Finished. Lifting the bread is lifting Jesus up on the cross. Bowing His head is symbolized by their leaning. Releasing His Spirit is the releasing of the bottom matzah. This is the moment He died.
  Releasing the Spirit. Jesus ... yielded up His Spirit. (Matthew 27: 50)
  Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And He bowed His head and gave up the Spirit. (John 19: 30)
  
  » Eating Quickly. This symbol and the others are a symbol of His burial or being "swallowed up in the grave". The bread was eaten quickly because He had to be buried quickly before the Sabbath. It was about three hours before sunset. It could also represent how quickly He died after releasing the Spirit. The bread was supposed to be swallowed within two to four minutes but not more than nine minutes.
  » The Leaning. The custom is that men and boys over thirteen, the age of bar mitzvah when they are responsible for the covenant, must lean to the left on a pillow when they drink the wine or eat the matzo or the Afikoman. Some lean for the karpas. They do not lean while eating the maror because He is dead at this time.
  Therefore Christ must have been leaning to His left side when He was on the cross. There was more pain on that side because He was suffocating from the fluids built up in His lungs, the pressure on His heart and from His inability to lift Himself to breathe.
  Two Fountains of Cleansing (Sin and Impurity). This is the moment blood and water poured from His side when He was struck with the spear. A blessing is said because this blood and water is for our cleansing.
  This symbol says that because a blessing is said with the washing, the people were not guilty. As a nation, their guilt came forty years later when they had a chance to learn and understand and they still rejected Him.
  But Jesus was saying, "Father forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing ..." (Luke 23: 34).

  The Tree of Life (Aaron's Rod) The River of Life (Two Rivers) The Bread of Life (Manna) The Law of Life (Commandments)
  The Cursed One Dies on a Dead Tree Two Rivers (Blood and Water) The Broken Bread The Burning Thorn Bush Ram Caught in the Thorn Thicket The Man Without Sin

  
  » The Death of God. Ironically, the Bread of Life died while He was suspended on the Tree of Life suffocating in the Water of Life. His lungs, filled with the breath of life were being filled with water. This water of life came pouring out of His body when He was pierced with the sword.
  » The Birth of The Church. On the afternoon of the sixth day, when Adam fell asleep, a wound was made in His side with a sword. Through this wound came a woman who would be a church filled with the Holy Spirit.
  » Kissing the Matzo. It is a custom to kiss the matzot and maror before eating it to show affection for it. Judas kissed Jesus just before He was handed over to the unfriendly mob to be swallowed up into the belly of humanity.
  
  » God Passes By in the Darkness. While it was dark, God came to the feast and attended the public judgment of Satan. As He passed by, He forgave the sins of the world. (Exodus 33: 18-23) He hid us into the cleft of the split Rock, named Christ so that Christ became sin. Then He covered us with His hands and He hid Himself from our sins by turning His back on Christ and turning off the lights and made a proclamation about His goodness, saying, "I will forgive".
  The Passover Proclamation. I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion. But He said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!" Then the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen. (Exodus 33: 19-23)
  
  This is the perfect opportunity to define the cross.
  The righteous are symbolized as a tree by the throne of God, watered by the river from the throne. The roots are deep, the branches are broad with green foliage and fruit. A sinner is a tree whose roots are dried up, the branches are cut off, the foliage are stripped and the fruit are scattered.
  • Dead Wood. We are the broken branch with the dried up roots.
  • Burden. We are the burden on His shoulders that He carries.
  • Rod and Staff. We are the rod that beat Him mercilessly and the Egyptian staff that became a serpent.
  • A Place By Me. We were nailed to Him, hidden behind Him as God passed by.
  • In the Cleft. We are the splinters in the cleft of the Rock covered by the hand with the nail.
  • I Will Forgive Anyone. His sovereign mercy and justice made Him forgive us as He claimed the right to forgive anyone. His sovereignity is not an arbitrary attribute that gives Him the right to break His own laws or make up unjust laws that are unfair to others. He uses His sovereignity to show mercy where the law would demand harsh justice.
  • You Cannot See My Face and Live. In a face to face position, the problem does not lie in us looking at God, but in God looking back at us. While we are sin at this crucial moment in time, we cannot see the face of God as He is judging sin because it means that He is also looking back at us while we are sin.
  
  » God's Death Struggle in the Darkness. The story of Jacob's struggle is a picture of Christ struggling to get out of the grave in time for the resurrection at dawn.
  Death Struggle. Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with Him until daybreak.
  A Crippling Injury. When he saw that He had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so that the socket of Jacob's thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him.
  Dawn. Then He said, "Let Me go for the dawn is breaking".
  Bless Me. But he said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me".
  Israel Prevailed. He said, "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed". So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said,
  I Saw the Face of God! "I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved". (Genesis 32: 24-26, 28,30)
  • Jacob's Struggle. Jacob, the deceiver, held fast to the one who could get him out of the land of the dead.
  • Dawn is Breaking. Christ must be raised from the dead at dawn, so He must end the struggle with sin and death.
  • Touched Thigh. Touching the thighs is a sign of making a vow. When Christ touched Jacob He crippled death, gave him a new name and made a vow. This vow was to rescue us from sin and death.
  • Bless Me. As part of this vow, He also blessed Jacob and gave Him a new name and new life.
  • I Have Prevailed. This is the same expression as Naphtali, the son who represents the resurrection.
  • Israel's Victory. He won by wrestling man and God by clinging to the One who was both Man and God.
  • You Saw My Face and Lived! On the cross we cannot see the face of God and live because we were sin. Now, in the resurrection we can see God and live because Christ won the death struggle with sin and we have been forgiven and washed clean in the eyes of God.
• Buried: Maror, Chazeret and Charoset. The bitter herbs are dipped in charoset, it is shaken off and the herbs are eaten. These represent His death and the preparation of His body for burial.
  Sour Wine and Hyssop Eaten. After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill scripture, said, "I am thirsty". A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon hyssop and brought it to His mouth. Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And He bowed His head and gave up the Spirit. (John 19: 28-30)
  This represents the bitter hyssop used to spread the blood on the doorposts and the lintel in the first Passover. This time Jesus ate because He was in the correct position. He was upright on the cross and the cross beams of the lintel were horizontal. He was the door posts, lintel and the door to life.
  The Dead Seed. The broken nuts represents the crushed seed. The wine is His blood. The spices are the embalming spices. The grated apples might be a reference to the original sin of eating a forbidden fruit that resulted in this death which pays for that crime.
  
  » Burial Mortar. This spicy, brown, pebbly mixture is the spices used to embalm Him and the dirt and rocks under which He was buried.
  Wrapped in Spices. ... bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes ... So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. (John 19: 39-40).
  He was returned to the dust as a curse.
  Returned to Dust. ... till you return to the ground ... for you are dust and to dust you shall return. (Genesis 3: 19).
  
  » The Bitter Tears of Jesus. Symbolized by a bitter liquid, or a salty liquid mixed with a bitter herb.
  » Bitter Vegetables. Eating the bitter vegetables brought tears to His eyes.
  » Salt Water. Tears are salty water.
  » Vinegar ("Sour Wine"). This is a clear, bitter liquid made from stale grape juice.
  » Myrrh ("Tears"). This comes from tears that flow spontaneously from a tree. This is a bitter gum that flows from a thorny bush. After an incision is made in the stem clear, transparent resin flows in the form of tear drops. They become a deep red color as they grow older. Myrrh is used for perfume, incense and embalming and to anoint kings. The tree grows on rocky hillsides in barren and dry locations.
  Who has believed our message? And to whom was the arm of the Lord revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground. (Isaiah 53: 1)
  One cannot miss the symbol of what happened to Jesus at this point. He was now the tree with the thorns on His head in which they have just made four incisions when they nailed Him to the cross. Then it was no longer tears that were flowing out of Him it was the deep red, crimson blood. He is now the burning bush that Moses saw. He was now the thorn thicket that trapped the horns of the ram that Abraham substituted for Isaac.
  He could not drink the myrrh at this point because the cross was lying flat on the ground. He must drink while the wood is upright and the cross beam is horizontal like the door post and lintel.
  Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two door posts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.
  Passover. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will come on you to destroy you when I strike the land was Egypt.
  Hyssop. You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts and none of you shall go outside the door of this house until morning (Exodus 12: 7, 13, 22)
  » Hyssop. This is also a hot, bitter herb with a very aromatic odor. It is unusual in that the stem is square and woody at the base like the wood of the cross. It grows best in poor soil. It seems to represent the bitterness of the cross. The seeds and the plant itself are only vital for three to four years. The hyssop flower is usually blue and the myrrh has a flower that is blue or purplish blue. This is the symbolic color of the high priest, the environment in which He grew up, His years of ministry and the cross He bore.
  » Frankincense. It is also harvested by making slits in the bark so that the resin bleeds out and hardens into the white "tears" of frankinsence. It had the same value as gold but myrrh was seven times more valuable. It was used at the altar of incense, but there was no record that they tried to give this to Jesus at His death, only at His birth. However the myrrh incorporated all the symbols.
  
  » The Blood of Jesus. In their older form some symbols that represented His tears also became His blood.
  » Wine. The blood red wine was a symbol of His blood.
  And of the blood of grapes you drank wine. (Deuteronomy 32: 14).
  He washes his garment in wine and his clothes in the blood of grapes. (Genesis 49: 11)
  » Myrrh ("Red Tears"). When the myrrh turned crimson, it now symbolized His drops of blood flowing like tears.
  » Sour Wine. The red sour wine also represents blood because it was also made from the blood of grapes.
• Koreich (Sandwich). The bottom matzo, maror and z'roa are combined and eaten like a sandwich. The Holy Spirit was swallowed up with Christ. The Spirit would bring Him back to life.
• Shulchan Orech (The Meal). The roasted egg is dipped in salt water then the festive meal is eaten.
• Sabbath In the Grave: Tzafun (Finding and Eating of the Afikoman). It is the last food eaten for the night. The hidden, broken bread is now eaten in the reclining position. This is the Bread of Life lying down in the grave.
  Children and adults play hide and seek with this desert. The children play a game by trying to find the Afikoman. They try to "steal" the Afikoman, and later negotiate a king's ransom for its return.
  God went to find His Son hidden in the grave to resurrect Him. He paid the ransom for our sins with His own life, the life of the King of kings.
  Third Cup: ("I Will Redeem with Great Judgments"). It is called the cup of redemption and the cup of judgment. It ends with drinking the third cup of wine (Kos Shlishi) after grace. This is the blood that gives life to redeem us. Legally the just can now be exchanged for those who have just been justified.
  Redemption from Sin. Jesus freed us from the bondage of Satan and paid the ransom for sinners by giving His life in exchange for ours.
  Outstretched Arms. .. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments ... (Exodus 6: 6)
  Redemption. Christ redeemed us from two punishments by suffering the judgments for us.
  • Death: (With an Outstretched Arm). Christ died for us when He stretched out His arm on the cross.
  • Wrath: (With Great Judgments). Christ suffered the wrath of God for us on the cross.
  
  This is a prophecy of His manner of death on the cross with his arms stretched out. He also suffered the great judgments of the wrath of God for us in the cup of indignation. We discuss these in another lesson.
  
  Hidden Manna. Being inside the grave was like being hidden and protected in the Ark of the Covenant.
  • Manna. Jesus was the hidden manna who was being protected by God. Normally, the manna would become infested with worms by the next day. But a double portion of the manna collected for both Friday and Sabbath would last two days. (Exodus 16: 14-27,32)
    Now on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one.
    Baked by the Leaders. When all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, then he said to them, "This is what the Lord meant: Tomorrow is a Sabbath observance, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over put aside until morning."
    No Worms On Sabbath. So they put it aside until morning, as Moses had ordered, and it did not become foul nor was there any worm in it.. Moses said, "Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field." Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none. (Exodus 16: 22-26)
    Jesus was promised that His body would not see decay (Psalm 16: 10).
    The Passover Matzah was the double portion of bread gathered on Friday. Half was eaten on Friday and the second half was put away for Sabbath. So, as the manna, Jesus was gathered, split in two and eaten on Friday. He was preserved in the grave during the Sabbath as the Afikoman.
  • Ten Commandments. In dying and in the grave, Jesus kept the covenant, the commandments of God.
  • Aaron's Rod. Jesus was the dead Branch that was cut off, but would spring to life and bear fruit.
  
  Hidden Divinity. The Afikoman is the hidden divinity of Christ. It is eaten in the reclining position because He is now dead, laying in the tomb. It represents Christ in the grave and revived after the Sabbath, during the dark hours of the first day of the week but still swallowed up in the grave for twelve hours until dawn.
  This third cup redeems us because God now has proof of the death and resurrection and He can fulfill the promise of the covenant through the Holy Spirit.
  This sequence also proves that He obeyed the law of Leviticus 27: 26, 28-29 when we were ransomed. The law allows only even exchanges for an offering. The just cannot be exchanged for the unjust. So He first delivered us from sin with the blood of the second cup. Then He delivered the blood that will redeem us at His resurrection. He makes the fair exchange with the third cup as we accept Him.
  » The Broken Bread and Cup of the New Covenant.
  And when He had given thanks He broke it and said, "this is My body which is broken for you, do this in remembrance of Me". In the same way He took the cup after supper and saying "this cup is the new covenant in My blood, do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of Me". For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. (1 Corinthians 11: 24-26).
  This is the broken bread and the cup that points to the coming of Christ in the Elijah tradition.
  
  The Elijah Tradition (The Redemption of Israel and The Wrath on Unbelievers)
  Traditionally, Elijah the prophet visits each home on Seder night as a foreshadowing of his future arrival at the end of the days, when he will come to announce the coming of the Jewish Messiah.
  Kos shel Eliyahu ha-Navi (Cup of Elijah the prophet). At this point the front door is opened and a cup of wine is poured for Elijah and the following words are said.
  Cup of Judgment. Pour out Your wrath upon the nations which do not know You, and upon the kingdoms which do not call upon your name. For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation. (Psalm 79: 6-7).
  You shall pursue them in anger and destroy them from under the heavens of the Lord. (Lamentations 3: 66).
  Israel is attacked by the surrounding nations before the latter rain and the wrath is sent.
  
  » Wrath. The wrath of God was poured out on the Messiah during Passover. This tradition also sees wrath at the end of days. This is the seven last plagues which Christ suffered for the righteous at His death. It is significant that at the moment Christ felt the full force of the wrath of God, that the people thought that He was calling Elijah.
  At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice,"Eloi, Eloi, Lama sabacthani?" which is translated "My God, My God why have You forsaken Me?" When some of the bystanders heard this they began saying, "Behold, He is calling for Elijah". (Mark 15: 34-35).
  » John the Baptist and Elijah. Jesus told the disciples that Elijah had already come through John. (Mark 9: 11-13 and Luke 1: 16-17). John introduced Him to the nation at His baptism (John 1: 29).
  Malachi says that Elijah shall come and turn the nation back to God before the Day of the Lord.
  Look, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse. (Malachi 4: 5-6)
  But the crucifixion was not a complete fulfillment of the events of the third cup because John did not reconcile Israel to God at the First Coming. So there still remains a "coming of Elijah" to introduce the Jews to the Messiah before the final wrath of the seven last plagues and the Second Coming. They will respond to this invitation.
  
  Israel Recognizes the Messiah in the Breaking of the Passover Bread
  This story predicts that Israel will recognize the Messiah during a future Passover. After the resurrection, close to sunset, the two disciples on the road to Emmaus also recognized Him in the breaking of the bread. Jesus first showed them how the law and the prophets prophesied about Him. But it was after they ate that they recognized Him.
  • Prophecies about Jesus. First teach them how the scriptures prophesied about Jesus.
    Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained the things concerning Himself in all the scriptures. Now He said to them, "These are My words which I spoke with you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled". (Luke 24: 27, 44).
  • The Broken Passover Bread. Celebrate the Passover symbols as the liberation from sin through Christ.
    When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight. They began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread. (Luke 24: 30-31, 35).
    The Centurion. At His crucifixion, the centurion recognized Him the moment He died. This was the moment the Bread of Life was broken.
    When the centurion who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God". (Mark 15: 39).
  • The Ascension Liberation. After they recognized Him, He must have ascended to Heaven. This was at sunset on Sunday, when the three days and nights in the earth were over.
    After the Jews recognize the Messiah, then we will also vanish from this earth in the Second Coming.
  This means that the nation of Israel recognized the Messiah during a future Passover meal after the nation has been taught how the scriptures prophesied about Him. But it is at Passover time, when the bread is broken, during this third cup when they celebrate the symbols of Passover not just as their liberation from Egypt but as their coming liberation from earth to the Promised Land in the New Jerusalem. They will be seeing the meaning for the first time in this Passover celebration. Then everything will click in their minds at this time.
  
  » Doubters and Unbelievers. With all the evidence there will still be unbelievers. Jesus dealt with the doubters by revealing Himself in the scriptures and by also showing them the holes in His hands and feet. We can show at least ten prophecies that demonstrate that the Messiah would have four holes in His body when He died.
• Resurrection: Fourth Cup: "(I will take)" Hallel (Songs of Praise). The fourth cup is drunk during the songs of praise with a prayer for "the fruit of the vine" (Psalms 113-118, 136). God took Him from the grave when He was resurrected and translated Him to heaven on Sunday. This is a prayer for the hope of the resurrection or new life. This is the life transferred to us as He takes His people at the Second Coming.
  At the final Passover meal, Jesus did not drink this fourth cup. Jesus drinks this next cup with us in the New Jerusalem after the rapture.
  But I say unto you I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until the day I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom. (Matthew 26: 29).
  » Fruit of the Vine. This is the righteous people at the Second Coming harvest and those at His resurrection.
  Taken from Sin. Jesus will take us away from the land of sorrows where we were held as slaves.
• Nirtzah. The seder ends with a prayer that the service is accepted. Since Passover is connected to the Messianic age, a hope for the Messiah is expressed in the words.
  "L'shanah haba'ah b'Yerushalayim! ("Next year in Jerusalem!")
  The Messianic Hope (The Fourth Cup)
  Somehow, their traditions have an expectation of the Messiah at Passover. Jesus did come at Passover and He also said that John the Baptist was the Elijah who introduced Him to them.
  In Zechariah 12, God says that the Holy Spirit will be poured out and that Israel would accept the Messiah that they rejected. Perhaps this will occur during a Passover when they are under siege by the other nations and another prophet like Elijah convinces them. Israel and the church of Laodicea recognize the Messiah who is knocking at the door. They will be taken up the heaven just as Elijah was taken alive to heaven.
  When Israel recognizes their Messiah, they will recognize these two streams which opened at the crucifixion.
  In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and impurity. (Zechariah 13: 1)
  The four cups merge Passover with Tabernacles as one great period of final deliverance which is repeated in the seven thunders. The first two thunders correspond to the call of Moses and the last five are the deliverance.

Passover				Second Coming	Tabernacles
Exodus	Spirit Released	Elijah Comes	Wrath
Guilty	Justified	Exchanged (Redeemed) and Judged		Reconciled and Reunited
Out of Babylon	Latter Rain	Three Angel's Message	Seven Last Plagues	Resurrection, Rapture
Third Thunder (Babylon Falls)	Fourth Thunder (Latter Rain)	Fifth Thunder (All Israel Responds)	Sixth Thunder (Persecution)	Seventh Thunder (Sabbath Rest)

» Roasted Lamb and Roasted Egg. These two items are on the seder plate but they are no longer eaten. The egg is a substitute for the other meat offering sacrificed at Passover. Since a temple no longer exists in Jerusalem sacrifices cannot be done. Both represent the death of Christ. At a funeral, eggs are the first things served to mourners. The roasted egg represents the death of the Seed that was promised to Eve as her Savior. The egg also represents the promise of new life or the resurrection available through the Seed. Even though they substituted a symbol and had to stop the sacrifices, yet the meaning has remained intact for 2000 years.

Obedient to the Commandments
He kept the commandments on the cross. The first four commandments and the four feasts are a picture of the great powers of God. These are symbolized by the four cups. Each cup is associated with a feast and a commandment.

1. One God. He kept His role as the God who delivers from bondage. This time it is from slavery to sin.
   I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other Gods before Me. (Exodus 20: 2-3).
   Freedom and Passover. This is the God of the Passover who can free us from all slavery.
2. Worship Idols. He is the only image of God than can be worshipped (Colossians 1: 15). Yet He submitted Himself to death in obedience to God, without using His powers to free Himself.
   Deliverance and Shavout. This is the God who delivers His Holy Spirit, His law and His promises. He writes the law into our hearts so that we are delivered from the bondage of false gods, behaviors and associations.
3. The Name of God. He had the name of God inscribed above His Head like a mezuzah. "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews". But He also suffered the wrath of God, or His judgments and punishments for three days.
   You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain, for the Lord will not leave Him unpunished who takes His name in vain. (Exodus 20: 7).
   Redemption and Judgment (Trumpets and Yom Kippur). This commandment is God's right to bless us as His children and to judge and punish those who reject His name. When He redeems us He gives us a name.
4. The Sabbath Seal. He rested on the Sabbath while He was dead and buried. On the Sabbath, a seal was placed on the stone that was over His tomb. Within the Ten Commandments on the tables of stone is the Sabbath which is the sign and seal of God.
   Now on the next day, the day after the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate. and said, "sir, we remember that when He was still alive the deceiver said, 'After three days I am to rise again' " therefore give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day, otherwise the disciples may come and steal Him away and say to the people "He has risen from the dead", and the last deception will be worse than the first. And they went and made the grave secure and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone. (Matthew 27: 62-64, 66).
   Release and Tabernacles. This is the God who can take us out of the land of the dead to go and live with Him in a place where we can have a Sabbath rest.
   
   The Three Cups of Tabernacles
   Exodus 6: 6-8 actually lists seven actions of God for the righteous. The first four are the four cups which are endured during our captivity on earth. The last three begins with our new life with God.
   Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God, and you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burden of the Egyptians. I will bring you to the Land which I swore to give to Abraham, Issac and Jacob and I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord. (Exodus 6: 7-8).
   5. Adoption ("I Will be your God"). This is when He reestablishes a physical relationship with us.
   6. New Home ("I Will Bring You To"). We are taken to the Promised Land.
   7. Inheritance ("I Will Give"). We will inherit the Promised Land.

Ruth and Boaz
The Jews believe that this is a Messianic prophecy.
Bread and Vinegar. At meal time Boaz said to her, "Come here, that you may eat of the bread and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar". So she sat beside the reapers; and he served her roasted grain, and she ate and was satisfied, and had some left. (Ruth 2: 14)
Boaz is a type of Christ. Ruth is the Gentile woman who joined Israel, the future bride. The meal is the Passover Seder. The reapers were the priests and leaders who cut down Christ. The bread and roasted grain is Christ.

As you look at the entire story you will conclude that it continues to prophesy about the fate of Israel and the final harvest.
Gathering the Harvest. So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. (Ruth 2: 17)
The beating of the grain after the gleaning is a symbol of our persecution after the Gospel is finished. In particular it was the mistreatment of Christ who became a part of the barley harvest.
Barley and Wheat Harvest. ... furthermore, he said to me, "You shall stay close to my servants until they have finished the harvest". So she stayed close by the maids of Boaz in order to glean until the end of the barley harvest and the wheat harvest. (Ruth 2: 21, 23)
The barley harvest in Israel was reaped at the resurrection of Christ and the wheat harvest was reaped at Shavous (Pentecost) when 3000 Jews accepted Christ as the Messiah.
Boaz also gave instructions to his servants that they should not insult her and they should be kind to her and help her by purposely taking some of the crop they had gathered to leave it for her to find.

» Redeemed in Bare Feet. Boaz wanted to marry her. It was not his right to redeem her because she had a closer relative who had the first choice to marry her. So he went and bargained for her and the man gave up his rights. To seal the deal he gave him the money and his shoes.
Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redemption and the exchange of land to confirm any matter: a man removed his sandal and gave it to another; and this was the manner of attestation in Israel. (Ruth 4: 7)
Jesus redeemed us from Satan who now had the first rights to us that Adam lost to him. Christ redeemed us and was bruised in His feet by the serpent.
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel. (Genesis 3: 15)
This bruise was caused by the nails driven into His heel and ankles. It is also the omnipresence that He had to give up for 33 years as a human and for 33 hours nailed and as a corpse in the grave.

» Him Whose Sandal is Removed. Christ had rejected Israel and was now building up his own house.
Trial by the Sanhedrin. Then the elders of the city shall summon him and speak to him. And if he persists and says, "I do not desire to take her",
Humiliated. Then his brother's wife shall come to him in the sight of the elders, and shall pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face and shall declare, "Thus it is done to the man who does not build up his brother's house". In Israel his name shall be called, "The house of of him whose sandal is removed". (Deuteronomy 25: 8-10)
When Christ built up His own house and not the house of Satan, He rejected the covenant with Israel and He was summoned before the elders and they spit in His face, took his clothes and shoes and killed Him.

» The Holy Spirit Builds the Church. When Christ died, His brother built up His house in His name. His brother is the Holy Spirit who became the constant companion of the church after the resurrection. Here is the law.
The Duty of a Husband's Brother. When brothers live together and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the deceased shall not be married outside the family to a strange man. Her husband's brother shall go in to her and take her to himself as wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her. It shall be that the firstborn whom she bears shall assume the name of the dead brother so that his name shall not be blotted out from Israel. (Deuteronomy 25: 5-6)
» The Holy Spirit Gives A Son to Israel. In addition, the Holy Spirit came and performed the duty of a husband when Mary became pregnant with the firstborn Son of Israel, Jesus Christ. In this case, it appears that the two brothers are still the same. Christ died before the foundation of the earth. He also submitted to become a seed and die, so that He could fall into the earth in the body of Mary where the Holy Spirit placed Him.

The Sanctuary in the Last Passover Meal
This final meal was a model of the furniture of the sanctuary all merged into one event at one table.

• Altar of Sacrifice. The broken bread. Jesus is the Lamb of God.
• Laver. Jesus washed the feet of the disciples.
• Table of Shewbread. The table where they sat and ate the Passover meal, bread and wine.
• Menorah. Jesus was the light of the world as John explains.
• Altar of Incense. Jesus as the High Priest offering prayers and guidance.
• Ark of the Covenent. Jesus was God with loved ones surrounding Him.

The Passover Time Line (Three Days and Nights)

Thursday		Friday												Saturday			Sunday
Nissan 14													Nissan 15 (Sabbath)			Nissan 16
Night 1			Day 1										Night 2		Day 2	Night 3		Day 3
Passover	Garden	Trial		Trial		-							Buried in the Grave (Tomb)					Resurrected
Roasted, Boiled and Chewed up													Swallowed					Vomited
The Seder and Matzah				Karpas			Yachatz					Z'roa	Maror, Charoset			Afikoman
Innocent Lamb. (Suffering) Forty Four hours »							8 hours						36 hours					No Sin
Sinful Goat. (Darkness) Forty Two hours »							-	-	6 hours				36 hours					Light
(Dead and Buried) Forty hours »							-	-	-	-	-	3 hours	36+1 hours					Life
(Dead) Twenty Eight hours »							-	-	-	-	-	3 hours	24+1 hours			Revived		Life
(Abandoned) Thirty Two hours »							8 hours						24 hours			12 hours		Hosea 6: 1-2
Hosea 6: 1-2			Wounded				32 hours (Humanity Torn and Wounded)									Revived		Raised up
Leaven							No Leaven

These timelines are also represented by the fabric coverings over the sanctuary and the coils in the tzitzit.

• 44 Hours (Goat's Hair Covering Unfolded). This was the time from which leaven must be removed until His resurrection. He was probably nailed to the cross at this time.
• 42 Hours (Goat's Hair Covering Folded). This was the total time of darkness. This started from the sixth hour when darkness covered the land, until His death and burial.
• 40 Hours (Linen Covering). This is the time in which He was dead or buried. He was resurrected in hour forty. This was from about the ninth hour on Friday until about dawn on Sunday.
• 32 Hours (Sanctuary Length). This is the length of time during which He was abandoned by God and unsure of His fate. But after He was revived He knew that He was victorious. After this it was simply a matter of divinity submitting to being entombed in the grave of His own free will until His Father called Him at the appointed time. He must still be swallowed up in the grave for another twelve hours.
  Humanity. His humanity was abandoned and dead for 32 hours from the fourth hour until sunset on Sabbath.
  Divinity. His divinity was swallowed up for about 36 hours, from sunset on Friday until dawn on Sunday.
  Three Days of Suffering. Come, let us return to the Lord. For He has torn us but He will heal us. He has wounded us but He will bandage us. He will revive us after two days. He will raise us up on the third day, that we may live before Him. (Hosea 6:1-2)
  1. Torn and Wounded. Jesus suffered and was nailed on the first day, Thursday night to Friday.
  2. Revived. He came back to life after the Sabbath was over, after two days, and remained in the grave.
  3. Raised Up. He was resurrected at dawn on the third day.
• 33 Hours (Unable to Walk). From the moment He was nailed until the hour after He was able to get up.

With this mountain of evidence about the symbols of Passover, how could we ever substitute Easter for this wonderful ceremony and how could we possibly believe that the feast was abolished and is for the Jews only?

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Study to show yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.   2 Timothy 2: 15 Copyright  . This File First Created: 12 July 2006. Updated : July 2008 Credits: Author: Laverna Patterson. Editor: Patterson (January 2008) All images and page design created by Laverna Patterson and are the property of teachinghearts. I learned not of this lesson from anyone except the Holy Spirit. Most of this website was taught to me in the same way. He fills my mind with questions and answers. He tells me what historical information to read, then He explains it. He pours out volumes of data in seconds to me. July 12-14, 2006. Holy Spirit reveals the symbols of the Passover Seder and the three cups of Tabernacles. July 10-11 reveals the Sh'ma and five symbols of Judaism. September 2007 - The proclamation and reaping, the Judas kiss. February 2008. Ruth and Boaz. July 2008. The Holy Spirit as Brother September 13-22, 2007. Thanks to the Holy Spirit for revealing the timetable during the ten days of awe. Judaism 101. URL: http://www.jewfaq.org/toc.htm