Passover 4: The Foreknown Lamb- The Torah-The Word Made Flesh

Exo 34:
18 "You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Abib, for in the month Abib you came out from Egypt.
19 All that open the womb are mine, all your male livestock, the firstborn of cow and sheep.
20 The firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. And none shall appear before me empty-handed.

Lev 23:
4 "These are the appointed feasts of the LORD, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at the time appointed for them.5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the LORD's Passover.6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.7 On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work.8 But you shall present a food offering to the LORD for seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work."

Exodus 34:
25 "You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, or let the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover remain until the morning.
26 The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of the LORD your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk."
27 And the LORD said to Moses, "Write these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel."
28 So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.
29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.
30 Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.
31 But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses talked with them.
32 Afterward all the people of Israel came near, and he commanded them all that the LORD had spoken with him in Mount Sinai.
33 And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.
34 Whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded,
35 the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

The Passover, as shown through the scriptures in my previous articles, was declared to be a memorial day and a statute even before it was done in deed.

Exo 12:
14 "This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.

We see in the passages cited above that this was reiterated in the Law given at Sinai.
The feast of Passover, (the importance of calling Passover a feast to the Lord will become apparent by the end of this study), was given before the Law was given. This prophetic sequence of events foretells of the coming Messiah, the Lamb of God, who was foreknown before creation.

1Peter 1:
18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,
19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you
21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Foreknowledge of the Lamb before the foundation of the world was laid would obviously mean foreknowledge of the Lamb as grace, before the sojourn of slavery in Egypt, and the first Passover, and as stated above, before Sinai.

Gen 22:
7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, "My father!" And he said, "Here am I, my son." He said, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"
8 Abraham said, "God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." So they went both of them together.
9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.
10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.
:11 But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I."
12 He said, "Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me."
13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.

Paul also touches on this in his letter to the Romans.

Rom 5:
12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned--
13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law.
14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.

The Lamb was the always the plan of God. Even before the fall in Eden.

Rom 7:
7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, "You shall not covet."
8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead.
9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died.

The Law was given so that men would know that "man" is sinful by nature, and was committing sinful acts from the day of the fall. We then can deduce that when God gave the "Law" not to eat the from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, He knew what the outcome would be. Foreknowledge, foreknowledge, foreknowledge!

Rom 8:
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,
4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

The only way to overcome the flesh is to walk in the Law of the Spirit of Life which is accomplished only in Jesus Christ our Passover Lamb. Adam did not yet possess an immortal, incorruptible body. Which is why the Lord blocked the way to the tree of life. If they had eaten of that tree in their sinful state they would exist in a strange hybrid of immortality and corruption. Jesus had not yet come as sin in the flesh to put to death sin in flesh, so that all who believe could then put on the incorruptible upon His return. 1 Cor 15
Sonship in the firstborn had to be established, as Adam had lost that position.
The spirit of slavery (Egypt) is no longer holding us in bondage to fear. The blood of Jesus the firstborn Son, the Lamb of God, frees us and brings us into the family.

Rom 8:
13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"
16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Also:
29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Even creation will be freed from it's "Egyptian bondage" when the sons of God are revealed at His return. That day our sonship is sealed as the resurrection of the dead will bring the putting on of the incorruptible body, i.e. the fruit of the tree of life.
This would explain why even the firstborn of the animals were slain at Passover, and subsequently sacrificed as an offering to God according to the Law.

Rom 8:
19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.
20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope
21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.


Since the slain Lamb of Passover existed before creation, and the slain Lamb of Passover is a statute of the Law. Then Grace. the Law and the Word, (that is, the Lamb the firstborn son), are forever intertwined.

Matthew 5:
17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

John 1:
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Also:
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'")
16 And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Also:
29 The next day he (John) saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Joh 1:30 This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.'

The apostle Paul, a pharisee, and a Hebrew among Hebrews, can then pen this powerful declaration:

2Cor 3:
7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses' face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end,8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory?9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory.10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it.11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold,13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end.14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away.15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts.16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

We who are freed from bondage, in Christ, shine with the glory of God. We are all being renewed and transformed day by day into the image of the Son. We do not veil our faces like Moses had to. Rather we let the glory shine through.
Israel could not look on the glory of God in the Law. So the promise of the Law is veiled to them.
Now that the "fulfillment" of the Law has come, and been sacrificed, and has risen, and has ascended to the Father's right hand, (only a Son can ascend to the Father's right hand); and now that we are seated with Him as sons, at the Father's right hand; Eph 1:17-23 and 2:4-7; those who refuse to see the promise, and look upon the Lamb who was slain, today wear the veil over their hearts also. They are dead/dying men who cannot bear to look upon the glory coming from His people, that is, those are no longer slaves to the sin of the world. They cannot look upon the glory that comes from the preachers of the Truth that sets men free.

2Co 4:
1 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing.


John 8:
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
33 They answered him, "We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, 'You will become free'?"
34 Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.
35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.
36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.


John 14:
6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."


Passover is a meal prepared before creation, in which all all who are united with the Lamb partake of.


Luke 22:
15 And he said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.
16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."

Rev 19:
6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;
8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure"-- for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
9 And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." And he said to me, "These are the true words of God."
10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God." For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.


In Christ Alone
To The Glory of God Alone

Passover 3: The Unleavened Bread

As I begin this final installment on the Passover, The very first thing that will be established is this;

We are the literal body of Christ.
By we, I mean the true, born again saints of God. I have never viewed the scriptures as presenting merely an allegory re: the Body. We have died in Him as His body, and we live in resurrection life as His Body.

Romans 7:
4Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.

Romans 12:
4For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

1 Cor 12:
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.

1 Cor 12:
27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

Eph 3:
6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Eph 5:
23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.

Colossians 1:
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,

Colossians 3:
15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

It is evident that we, the members, comprise the "organic" body of the one man Christ Jesus, and that just as an organic body matures and grows, so we mature and grow together as one man.

Eph 4:
11And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

The Lord has given the "five-fold" gifts of ministry in order that all who are His body will attain to the unity of faith and knowledge and to mature manhood into all that is Christ, i.e. His fullness Christ. The promise is that all who are in actuality His body, will achieve this. So as a body we must be careful of what we eat, and we must be diligent to exercise and keep ourselves cleaned and groomed, in order to stay healthy.

What does this have to do with Passover? Let's go to Exodus 34;

Exodus 34:
18 "You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Abib, for in the month Abib you came out from Egypt. 19 All that open the womb are mine, all your male livestock, the firstborn of cow and sheep. 20The firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. And none shall appear before me empty-handed.

I ended the second installment with this passage.
Why are the celebration of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread connected? Once again we must look beyond forgiveness of sins as it is commonly taught. Our sins are forgiven so that we might be co-workers with Christ, and with each other in the Kingdom. The forgiveness found at the cross makes us worthy and capable of doing the works. Eph 2:8-10 Our abiding in eternity in the New Jerusalem is the "serendipity" so to speak, of the forgiveness we are granted. Now I am not treating eternity with the Lord casually. We have no idea what that will be like until we are actually there. I am addressing our role with, and in, His death and resurrection, in the here and now.

I believe that the 7 days of unleavened bread speak of the creation; six days He created, and on the seventh He established the Sabbath rest. All of creation was declared to be "very good". Genesis 1:31
Leaven is viewed as as something "not good". Typically it is used as a word for sin, or sin nature,i.e. the flesh. There are other examples though; Matthew 16:12 and 1 Cor 5:6.

So the original creation in it's entirety was free of leaven. However, through Adam a "little leaven" leavened the whole lump, which is why even creation groans to be set free.

Romans 8:
19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.
20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope
21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

The seven days of unleavened bread speak of the new creation, new heavens, new earth, and even the new man, which are leaven free for eternity. This is why we receive our new bodies last.
The flesh is not an issue in eternity. Our incorruptible bodies are our reward for completing the
race.

1Co 15:
44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
45 Thus it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

Christ Jesus as the last Adam, who is raised incorruptible, is the "leaven free" i.e. new man.
Therefore all who are His body are "leaven free" and we are kept until that day John speaks of.

1John 3:
2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

As His literal body, when He returns, the dead in Christ rise first, and then those who are alive will be changed.

When the Lord presided at His table and he took the bread and the cup. He and the disciples were entering into the feast of Unleavened Bread.

Luke 22:

7 Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.

And:

19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."

If we are His body, and we are, this was the moment He established that fact. We participate in his death symbolized in the unleavened bread. He is sinless, without leaven. Therefore all who participate in His body are without leaven. Read through 1 Cor 11:18-34. This is the true meaning of the Lord's Table. We discern Christ as present in His Body, US! When we do not discern one another (factions), we are not discerning Christ.

Roman Catholicism is so wrong. This has nothing to do with the bread being his literal body so we adore a wafer. Jesus is the Passover Lamb. We cannot ever participate in that, as He alone is the Lamb who is without blemish, the Lamb who is worthy to be slain. So, He did not offer lamb to his disciples to eat as His Body. He went to the cross and to death alone. (My God, My God, why have you forsaken me)

He offered the unleavened bread of His body to us to partake in His death in that way. The blood of the Lamb, i.e. the blood of the New Covenant, is the Life of the Body (unleavened bread). I fear that I am not doing justice to the profoundness of what the Lord has done here.

So in Exodus 34 the command is given;

18 "You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Abib, for in the month Abib you came out from Egypt.

19 All that open the womb are mine, all your male livestock, the firstborn of cow and sheep.

20b All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. And none shall appear before me empty-handed.

The first born, the firstfruits belong to Him, as they should have been sacrificed that night of Passover, but since they were covered by the blood of God's firstborn, the Lord now requires acknowledgement and acceptance of what He has done for all creation. He requires the tithe, the firsfruits. He commands that we worship Him.

The Book of Revelation speaks of the Lamb as redeemer, as husband, as light, and as Lord and King. In the eternity of the New Jerusalem, it is all about the Lamb.

Hebrews 11: (Speaking of Moses)
28By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.

We also participate as the firstfruits in Christ.

James 1:
18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Hebrews 12:
22But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

We are the first-fruits of creation as His incorruptible Body which is the first-fruits of the dead. I have heard many say that we are dead men walking. That is not true. The saints are truly alive. We walk in the newness of eternal life right now. Those who are not born again of the Spirit are the walking dead men.

We are those foreknown (before the foundation of the world was laid), by the Lamb (who was foreknown before the foundation of the world was laid).

Rev13: 8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, (the beast) everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.

Christ the Passover Lamb. Christ the Firstborn. Christ the Unleavened Bread.

Exodus 34:25 "You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, or let the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover remain until the morning.

We,the ekklesia, the called out (Exodus 6:6-8), the saints, as firstfruits:

Exodus 34: 20b All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. And none shall appear before me empty-handed.

Rom 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

and as unleavened bread.

1Co 5:7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

As I stated when I started this study; the Passover is the greatest event in the history of Israel, and foretells the greatest event in the history of the world.

Hebrews 5:
5Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me;6in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.7Then I said, 'Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.'"

8When he said above, "You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law), 9then he added, "Behold, I have come to do your will." He does away with the first in order to establish the second.
10And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Glory to the Lamb!

Passover 2: The Firstborn

Exodus 12:
12For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.
Also:
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 will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you.

Exodus 13:
1The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine."
Also:
11"When the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, 12 you shall set apart to the LORD all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the LORD’s. 13 Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. 14 And when in time to come your son asks you, 'What does this mean?' you shall say to him, 'By a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 15For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.' 16 It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt."

In Part 1 of this trilogy the focus was on Christ as Passover Lamb. Here in Part 2 the focus will on the firstborn, and especially Christ's significance as the firstborn.

Most of the church of today is familiar enough with the Passover narrative to know that the deliverance was wrought by God through ten plagues inflicted in the land of Egypt, and upon its' inhabitants, the tenth plague being the death of the firstborn.

Exodus 11:
4So Moses said, "Thus says the LORD: About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, 5and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle. 6 There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again.

The first thing that must be established is;
God intended to strike ALL the firstborn in (not of) Egypt whether they were Egyptian, or Hebrew or any other tribes or peoples who lived in Egypt be they slave or free.

Chapter 4 and verse 23 of Exodus has the Lord commanding Moses to tell Pharaoh that his firstborn would die, if he refused to let God's people go. We also see that with each succeeding plague sent upon Egypt, Pharaoh's heart became harder and harder. The Scriptures tell us that God hardened Pharaoh's heart, so the death of the firstborn is a foregone conclusion. Romans 9:14-18 Selah!

The point must also be made that in Exodus 1, Pharaoh commanded that ALL the male babies of the Hebrews must be killed, not just the firstborn. (Later the Lord calls all of Israel His firstborn son. All of this is God's sovereign plan)
So the firstborn of Egypt pertains to the firstborn male child. This is why the Passover Lamb had to be a male, and not female as in the sin offerings decreed in the later giving of the Law.

Passover is a stand alone event. It is the greatest event in the history of Israel, prophesying of Christ's death and resurrection, which is the greatest event in the history of the world.

Let us look at Christ as firstborn.

1. Jesus is the firstborn son of God. He is Israel. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of Israel as God's firstborn Son. Israel being all the saints, jew or gentile. Romans 11:25-29; Eph 2:11-22

Exodus 4:
22Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD, Israel is my firstborn son, 23and I say to you, "Let my son go that he may serve me." If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.'"

Hosea 11:
1 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.

Matthew 2:14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called my son."

Romans 8:
29For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.

2. Jesus, as Son of God, is the firstborn of all creation.

Colossians 1:
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

Hebrews 1:
5For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son, today I have begotten you"?
Or again, "I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son"?
6And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God’s angels worship him."
Adam may have been called the son of God,(Luke 3:38) but he was made through Christ, who was foreknown before creation to be the firstborn son of all creation. Jesus Christ was the firstborn Son before the foundation of the world was laid. He is truly worthy of the worship of the angels, of which "He was made for a little while, lower than." Hebrews 2:6-8

4. Jesus is the firstborn son of man, of the woman, Mary.

Luke 2:7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

As a side note; it is really interesting that the scripture points out the fact that Jesus was Mary's firstborn, This is a blow to roman catholic teaching that Mary had no other children, and forever remained a virgin. The adjective "firstborn" would not have been used if He was the only child she had. He is firstborn among his half-brothers and sisters. Hallelujah!

5. Jesus is Firstborn from the dead.

1 Cor 15:
20But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Colossians 1:
17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,

Rev 1:
4John to the seven churches that are in Asia:
Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.

He is the firstborn Son of God of ALL creation, old or New.
His Father has "covered all the bases" re: sonship of the firstborn summed up in Christ.
We now see Jesus as Lamb of God, and firstborn Son of God.

Let us return to Egypt, so to speak.
God's required ransom for the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt is the death of the firstborn. This is as true today as it was then. When the Lord would see the blood of the Lamb on the doorposts and lintels of the Hebrew homes, He would not send the Destroyer in to take the firstborn's life. Why? They were covered by the blood of His firstborn Son, the Lamb. The price had been paid.The firstborn had died.
God knew which houses belonged to the Hebrews. The blood is a sign for His people. We must be under the blood to be brought out of bondage. This is not just forgiveness of our sins. It is release from enslavement to sin itself. God requires the death of the firstborn in order to accomplish this. All under the blood, are in Christ, the firstborn Son and therefore participate in His death. Christ stands as firsfruits of all creation. (now we now why even the cattle were struck down).

2 Cor 5:
17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

We share in His death, and in His resurrection.

Romans 6:
3Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
5For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

The firstfruits is the tithe. Jesus Christ is the tithe (payment) for all humanity. All who are under the blood by faith. Are bought and paid for.

1 Cor 7:
23 You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.

Hebrews 11: 28By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.

The Hebrews covered their doorways with the blood in an act of complete faith.
So after they had been brought out, and through the giving of the Law, God said:

Exodus 22: 29
"You shall not delay to offer from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to me. 30 You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep: seven days it shall be with its mother; on the eighth day you shall give it to me.

and:

Exodus 34:
18 "You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Abib, for in the month Abib you came out from Egypt. 19 All that open the womb are mine, all your male livestock, the firstborn of cow and sheep. 20The firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. And none shall appear before me empty-handed.

God required the consecration of the firstborn sons of Israel as an act of worship, acknowledging the price he paid in the giving of His firstborn and only begotten Son. The tithe is worship, it is not 10%!

Now one might say that the exodus from Egypt pre-dated Jesus' earthly existence so how would the Hebrews even be aware of this.
1 Peter 4:6;John 5:37-47;John 6:56-58; Hebrews 11, show that even the "old testament" saints are "saved by grace through faith."

Luke 2:
22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord")24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law,28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,29 "Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word;30 for my eyes have seen your salvation31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel."33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him.

In the final installment on the unleavened bread we will see the role of the redeemed as firstfruits, in Christ.

To the glory of God.

Passover 1: The Blood of the Lamb

This will be the first of three installments concerning Passover. This post will address the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, in Passover. The next will deal with the death of the firstborn, and the third with the unleavened bread.

Passover Part 1 The Lamb

Exodus 12:
1The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 "This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. 3Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. 4And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. 5Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, 6and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.
7"Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 8They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. 10And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. 11In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s Passover. 12For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. 14"This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.

and:

21Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, "Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb. 22Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the 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 will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you. 24You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. 25And when you come to the land that the LORD will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service. 26And when your children say to you, 'What do you mean by this service?' 27you shall say, 'It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.'" And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.



Hebrews 11:
28 By faith he (Moses) kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.

1. Of primary importance are these crucial aspects of the Passover:

a) The Lord institutes His calendar for the Hebrews, beginning with the month of Nisan. The Passover which is about to take place will occur on 14th day of the month. The fact that God creates this Calendar, i.e. a new reference re: keeping time for His people, speaks of the new creation. Rev 21:5;2 Cor 5:17;Galatians 6:15

b) The Lamb that was to be eaten, not offered, must be without blemish. It must be a male and a yearling. (a lamb which has reached the age of one year is technically a sheep)

If we compare this to Leviticus chapters 4 and 5, for example, there are some major differences. Lev 4 and 5 address, for the most part, offerings concerning sins committed unintentionally. The required animal sacrifices are bulls,rams (obviously male) and goats and lambs which must be female, and all without blemish. There are also offerings which can be made with turtledoves or pigeons, and even an ephah of flour. So we see there are many "sin offerings" depending upon the type of sin committed.

Here in Exodus we have a lamb which is a male and will be eaten. Whatever is not eaten must be burned, but none the less, every portion of this lamb must be consumed. There can be no trace left.

Also the Passover, and its' requirements, was obviously instituted before the Law was given to Israel at Sinai. Therefore the Lamb of Passover, and the animal sacrifices of the Levitical law, have completely different functions. There is no mention of forgiveness of sins concerning the Passover Lamb.

The blood of this totally consumed lamb, must be spread on the lintel and doorposts of each Hebrew home.

The Lord was going to strike Egypt with a terrible and final plague, the death of all the firstborn of Egypt, including the firstborn of all the animals. He himself, was going to pass through the land with the Destroyer, who would slay these firstborn. The blood of this lamb on the doorways of the Hebrew households would prevent God from sending the Destroyer into those particular homes. Those who abide under the covering of the blood belong to the Lamb. They have entered into the "covering" of His death, so that they would live.

Hebrews 11: 28 tells us that to enter into the death of the lamb is an act of faith.

Eph 2: 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Heb 11: 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him

James 2:17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

2. Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God. He is the Passover Lamb.

1 Cor 5:
6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

1Peter 1: 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you

John 1: 29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

The fact that there would be a need for the Lamb, was foreknown by God. This knowledge pre-dates creation. So the Lamb is eternal, i.e. always was, is and will be.
All the required attributes of the lamb, e.g. no spot or blemish, a male etc etc, are found in Christ. Only the one who is perfect, sinless, without blemish, is worthy to be the Lamb who was slain. He alone is worthy to be the sacrifice as all the other sheep are blemished, and His death makes Him worthy to receive the joy set before Him.

The blood of the Lamb is the ransom paid for the redeemed. The redeemed are those delivered from the hand of the Destroyer. Matthew 20:28;Mark 10:45

Rev 5: 11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,12 saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!"

Interesting to note that Moses told the elders of Israel to kill the Lamb. Ex12:21

Compare that to this:

John 11: 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the Council and said, "What are we to do? For this man performs many signs.
48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."
49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all.
50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish."
51 He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation,
52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.

3. The Lamb who was slain has book of life in which only the names of the redeemed appear. These names are also foreknown before the foundation of the world. The redeemed belong to the Lamb.

Rev 13:8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, (the beast) everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.

1Co 7:23 You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.

The redeemed are Israel, i.e. all who are of the lineage,by faith, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
They are all who are called out by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. My previous posts on Isaac and Ishmael and Jacob and Esau go into more detail about this. They are all who are baptized into the death of the Lamb.

Rom 6:4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

Passover marks the day that the Lord brings His people out, and delivers them out from the burdens of slavery. The day redemption comes in mighty acts of judgment. The day they become His and he becomes theirs'. The day that the journey begins to bring them into the land which He gives to them as a possession. Praise God we are His people!
Exodus 6:6-8

Rom 6:10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

So Christ, as the Lamb of God, suffers death, for the sake of those who are being brought out.
Passover is the story of the judgment of death to the sin nature, the old man, i.e. first Adam, and the resurrection into new life.


Rev 5: 6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.
8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
9 And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth."
11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,
12 saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!"
13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!"


Next: The Firstborn and the Unleavened Bread

Worthy Is The Lamb!

Jacob and Esau; Israel and Edom: A Synopsis

A final summing up on this matter re: remnant Israel and the remnant of Edom.
You can refer to the two preceding posts.

Conclusion:
1. Abram fathered Ishmael, the son born of slavery, conceived by the flesh, with Sarai's slave Hagar.
2. Abraham fathered Isaac, the son of promise conceived by the power of the Spirit, with Sarah after they had long passed the age of any hope.
3. Isaac fathered the fraternal twins Jacob and Esau. The Lord through His sovereign election places Jacob over Esau, since the gentile nations, (Babel), were dispersed throughout the earth first, so that God could call Abraham out of Babylon, and begin the work of salvation through the called out remnant. Genesis 12: 1-3; Jeremiah 51:6; Rev 18:4
4. Jacob becomes Israel, Esau is renamed Edom.
5. Paul tells us in Romans 9: 4-9; and 11:1-15; 25-26 that there is both a remnant of Israel, not born according to Ishmael, that is the flesh, but born again of the Spirit, from Isaac, the promise; and there is a fullness of the gentiles, i.e the remnant of Edom, Amos 9:11-12; Acts 15:1-19.
The rest of mankind both jew and gentile are described in Galatians 4:22-31 and Malachi 1:1-4
6. Therefore true Israel, both Hebrew and gentile, are the remnant of mankind, represented by Jacob/Israel and Esau/Edom. The remnant, whether jew or gentile, can only be those descended from Isaac. Roamans 4;16-25
All others fall under Ishmael, i.e. those in bondage to the Law and to the flesh, the Edomites and all other gentile/pagan nations. Romans 7:5-24 All nations are blessed because of Abram/Abraham; however not all are the remnant,i.e. the "called out" from the nations.
7. All of this is done by God's sovereign election of all that he foreknew, predestined, called, justified, and glorified. Romans 8: 29-30.
8. All of this is accomplished by, through, and in Jesus Christ. In Him God and man, earth and heaven, jew and gentile are reconciled. 2 Cor 5:18-21;Galatians 3:26-29; Colossians 1:15-22; Eph 2:11-22; Genesis 28:10-17; John 1:46-51.

Rom 8:
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,
4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot.
8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"
16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him

John 1:
9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.
11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'")
16 And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

John 3:
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him."
3 Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
4 Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"
5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he
cannot enter the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'
8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

John 3:
16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.


Rom 9:
22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,
23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory--
24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?

Soli Deo Gloria!

Jacob and Esau; Election and Rejection-The Remnant of Mankind: Part 2

As we proceed in this study of Jacob and Esau, I would like to quickly review some of the main points from Part 1.


1. Jacob and Esau represent God's sovereign election and rejection. God prophesied it to be so.
2. They represent two nations,which represent all of mankind.
3. Jacob becomes Israel, the elect, the called and chosen. Esau becomes Edom, the gentile nations,i.e. the rest of mankind.
4. They are truly at odds with each other.
5. God's desire is to save a remnant from both nations.


To see how all of this is being enacted, we must first take a look at some of the events in the lives of these two brothers.

We have already looked (Genesis 25:21-34) at the birth of Esau and Jacob. Esau was born first but Jacob, the "heel grabber" was right behind. The fact that they constantly struggled in the womb, and Jacob emerged holding Esau's heel, taken together with God's declaration of His irresistible will that Jacob would rule as the first born, show the intensity of Jacob to enforce God's will, and Esau's equally intense effort to resist it. Their birth is a prophetic event. It foretells what will ensue in the not too distant future.

Romans 9:
19 You will say to me then, "Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?"
20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me like this?"

We then saw this begin to manifest outside the womb, as Jacob "tricked" Esau out of his birthright. This was actually another prophetic action, which would come to final fruition later on.
Esau despised (sold) his birthright for bowl of lentils:

Gen 25:
30 And Esau said to Jacob, "Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!" (Therefore his name was called Edom.)
31 Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright now."
32 Esau said, "I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?"


Compare this to,


Genesis 3:
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.


Interesting that, in both instances "eating" is the modus operandi.

Adam and Eve ate to become "like God" and to fill their stomachs. In doing so Adam gave away his birthright.

Esau ate to fill his stomach, as he stated he was about to die from hunger. That was more than an overstatement. He was not going to die from hunger. He simply wanted to satisfy a desire for that moment. Adam and his wife were seeking the same thing, fulfillment of a momentary desire, i.e. I can be like God and get a good meal to boot.


Genesis 25:
33 Jacob said, "Swear to me now." So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.


It should be obvious why self control is the final fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22-25. There is plainly no self control demonstrated here.
Esau, now Edom, simply walked away after having his fill, and more than likely never gave his deal with Jacob another thought. That would be his final undoing.
Both He and Adam gave up the right of the firstborn, which is simply the right to be called the first born son of their father and receive the blessings attached to that honor.

We see in several ways how Esau's nature caused him to err.

In Genesis 26:34-35. he married two Hittite women and the scriptures says that caused nothing but grief for Isaac and Rebekah. This marital mis-step would factor in to Jacob's later departure to Laban's home.

Glory to God! All events are foreknown and nothing is without purpose. We can truly say that ALL things work together for good to those who love God,because He has called them according to His purpose. Romans 8:28-29

Genesis 27 begins with Isaac in has final years. He had literally lost his eyesight.
He called Esau to himself, in order to give him the blessing of the first born. He requested that Esau go out and hunt for some wild game, and to cook it so that he may eat of it. (there's that eating issue again). Then the blessing would be bestowed upon Esau. This was going to be quite the event. A feast and a blessing. Verses 1-4
Rebekah overheard this conversation and conceived a plan of her own. She tells Jacob to get two young goats from the flock,kill them, and cook them in the way that Isaac loved his food to be prepared. She then takes the goat skin and puts them on Jacob's hands and neck in order to fool Isaac into thinking that Jacob was Esau. Evidently Esau must have been quite "hairy".
Jacob lies to his father about who he is. Isaac still wasn't sure, and touched him to be sure.

21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not."
22 So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, who felt him and said, "The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau."
23 And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands. So he blessed him.

Jacob received the blessing of the first born, and the usurpation was complete. Verses 5-29

As soon as Jacob left, Esau comes with the freshly killed and cooked game. It becomes apparent to Isaac that Jacob had duped him, and woefully apparent to Esau that he was duped yet again.
Esau pleads and weeps for a blessing. Isaac says that he cannot give Esau the blessing of the first born as he already gave it to Jacob, even though it was acquired by subterfuge. Never the less he does give Esau "a" blessing, just not the one he would have liked to have. This caused murderous hatred to stir in Esau against his brother. Verses 29-41

We must stop and ask why God would honor Rebekah's and Jacob's deception. We must remember that Rebekah overheard Isaac and Esau and she would have always remembered what God had said:

Gen 25:
23 And the LORD said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger."

Just like Abram and Sarai re: Ishmael, Rebekah devised a plan in the way that men would think. This takes us back to God's election and all things working together for good. The sins and plots of men cannot thwart the plan of God. Acts 4:24-31
Rebekah's deceitful plan was part of the fulfillment the prophecy given by the Almighty God.
Think about the fact that God became man, and entered into His creation in that way, as an unblemished lamb could not be found in the earth. If that is not a covert act, I don't know what is.

Heb 12:
15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no "root of bitterness" springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;
16 that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal.
17 For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.

The writer of Hebrews is extremely clear. Esau selling his birthright for stew, is the reason why God allowed and worked through the deceptive actions of Rebekah and Jacob. I wonder how many meals Esau ate in his lifetime, knowing that it was a single meal that cost him so dearly.
It must have really fueled the fire even more so.

Nevertheless:
Heb 11:
20 By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau.

Thanks be to God.

Chapter 27 ends, and 28 begins, with Rebekah learning that Esau planned to murder Jacob,so she decides to send him to her brother Laban in Haran.
She then goes to Isaac with another plan. She brings up the painful fact of Esau's Hittite wives to her husband and the fear she has of Jacob marrying a woman like them.So Isaac also tells Jacob to go to Laban and take a wife from their own people, not one from Canaan. (I bet Isaac thought he came up with a good idea there) Gen:42-28:5

Esau overhearing Isaac instructing Jacob about not taking a wife from the Canaanites, something he had already done, and being eager to receive any kind of commendation from his father;he goes to Ishmael, Isaac's brother, and takes one of his daughters, Mahalath, as a wife. He did not go to Rebekah's brother as Jacob did. He chose for himself, a daughter of the son of the slave woman. Gen 28:6-9

Genesis 28 ends with God repeating the same covenant to Jacob that He gave to Abraham and Isaac. However instead of believing like his grandfather, Jacob says:

Gen 28:
20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear,
Gen 28:21 so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God,

He is attempting to strike the bargain of men with God instead of receiving the covenant God had already made. Jacob needed to be disciplined. Chapters 29-30-31 tell us how that came about. Let's say that Jacob's uncle Laban was was as much, if not more so, a conniver than Jacob.
Oswald Chambers once said (I paraphrase);"God will always surround you with people just like yourself." Lord have mercy.

Genesis 32 and 33 describe (the now much humbler) Jacob's journey back home.
Jacob still fearing Esau, and still acting like the old Jacob, comes up with a plan to evade, what he feels will be, certain death. He then hears the news that Esau is coming out to meet him and he goes into overdrive in his planning. Gen 32:1-23

At least this time he prays the right prayer born from covenant:

Gen 32:
9 And Jacob said, "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O LORD who said to me, 'Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good,'
10 I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps.
11 Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children.
12 But you said, 'I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.'"

He finally believes like his grandfather.

Chapter 32 ends with the great story of Jacob wrestling with the Lord and prevailing, i.e. he didn't defeat God, he hung in there for dear life and the blessing. he was now named Israel, father of the 12 tribes representing those who are called out to be God's people; the elect.
Verses 24-32

Genesis 33 ends the story of Jacob and Esau with their reconciling. It ends with Jacob/Israel's
act and declaration of true worship:

18 And Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, on his way from Paddan-aram, and he camped before the city.
Gen 33:19 And from the sons of Hamor, Shechem's father, he bought for a hundred pieces of money the piece of land on which he had pitched his tent.
Gen 33:20 There he erected an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel. (God-the God-of Israel)

The reconciling of the brothers is a prophetic picture which was later spoken of by the prophet:

Amos 9:
11 "In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old,
12 that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name," declares the LORD who does this.

This is currently being fulfilled.

Act 15:
12 And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.
13 After they finished speaking, James replied, "Brothers, listen to me.
14 Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name.
15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,
16 "'After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it,
17 that the remnant of MANKIND may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things
18 known from of old.'
19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God,

After Esau and Jacob parted ways, and even though they reconciled, their descendants bore a very bitter enmity toward one another . This is the fruit of Esau. Remember that Hebrews 12 instructs us not to let a root of bitterness spring up and defile us, like Esau.
Edom became a great enemy of Israel ,so much so, that the Lord spoke many times through the prophets against Edom and foretold their destruction.
(Psalm 137:7; Isaiah 63:1-6: Jeremiah 49:7-22; Amos 9:1:11; All of Obadiah's prophecy: Ezekiel 26:12-14; Ezekiel 35 the whole chapter.) Also you may recall that the Lord speaking in Malachi 1:4, says that even if they try to rebuild the ruins of their destruction, and they were utterly destroyed, that He would bring that down also. They are the people He is angry with FOREVER!
Yet there is a remnant of Edom, that Israel will possess

For us today, so many years removed from these events. God is still speaking.

Romans 9 tells us that all who call themselves Israel are not Israel. Therefore not all who are in the nation of Israel past,present, and future, are of the elect. The elect are a remnant of those who call themselves Israel.
The elect are the true Israel, who will possess the remnant of Edom. According to James, speaking in Acts 15, the ingathering of the Gentiles into the church, is the fulfillment of that prophecy. The gentiles who believe by faith, like Abraham, are the remnant of the rest of mankind. They are Abraham's children also. They are the "grafted in" of Romans 11:17-24
It should be apparent I am saying that "we" today are part of the "they". The restoration of David's booth is yet to be finished. This is the fullness of the gentiles that Paul speaks of in Romans 11:25. By fullness he does not mean that every man will enter into salvation. The fullness of the gentiles are the remnant of mankind. So Israel is both the remnant of Israel, and the remnant of Edom.

Rom 11:
25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I want you to understand this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
Rom 11:26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, "The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob";

Israel is both jew and gentile; always has been, and always will be. Israel is the remnant of mankind that believe by faith, and are accounted righteous.
This is why Abraham believed before he was circumcised.This is why Jacob and Esau come from the son of the promise, who comes from the father of faith.

One last thing: the "tent"
Remember Jacob dwelt in tents. Gen 25:27; After he and Esau reconciled, Jacob, now Israel, went to an area that became known as Succoth. The word succoth means booths. He had constructed booths for his animals there. Long after Jacob's time was over, God would lead Israel out of bondage and they would dwell in booths/tents/succoth. When God established the feasts, the final feast of the great ingathering of the harvest would be called Succoth.

Now the word used for tents in Gen 25:27 is 'ôhel, not succoth.
'ôhel is for Jacob the tent dweller. Succoth is for Israel those who would dwell in booths.
The word used for tent in Amos 9:11 is sukkah (succoth;plural) as this prophecy is referring to Israel possessing the remnant of Edom.
However the word that David used when referring to the tent in which he placed the ark is; 'ôhel. 1 Chronicles 15:1 and 16:1; 2 Chronicles 14:1;Psalm 15:1.
The word he uses in 1Chronicles 17:1 actually means curtain which in the context makes sense as he was making a comparison between his grand palace and the curtain that covered the ark, in that this should not be the case re: the Lord's ark.

Now we have this passage from Isaiah:

Isa 16:
5 then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness."

The word here is also 'ôhel not sukkah. The verse here is a prophecy re: David's descendant,
the Messiah.
So the the King of Kings, the Messiah sits in the restored tent of David, which is the remnant of Israel possessing the remnant of Edom/mankind.

Eph 2:
11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called "the uncircumcision" by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands--
12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility
15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,
16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.
18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,
21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Israel, is the restored tent of David, both jew and gentile reconciled together in Christ. It is both succoth and 'ôhel. It is the dwelling place of God, and is the place of the King's throne.


Rev 21:
2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.


Rev 22:
1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.

It is my belief that if we are the Bride of Christ and the new Jerusalem comes down as the Bride of the Lamb, then we the restored tent, the dwelling place of the King and His throne, are the New Jerusalem.
(Please, always study this out as the Bereans did.)

So through this lengthy two part teaching, I believe that we are able to see the incredible plan of God through His election of a remnant of the peoples of the earth, a tithe from mankind if you will. Christ is the firstfruits, i.e. a tithe 1 Cor 15:23, and we are in Christ as a type of firstfruits also. James 1:18
We teach tithe as just 10% of the whole. It is actually the best 10%. The tithe represents the entirety. So men are saved FROM every nation, tribe and tongue.

Rom 11:
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
34 "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?"
35 "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?"
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

By the Word alone!
For the glory of God alone!