A very important Christian event is happening soon on April 4th, and I’m not referring to Easter. April 4th will be Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew. Passover is the first Feast of the Lord (Remember there are 7) in the Biblical year and  is marked this year by a Blood Red Moon. As I wrote in 2015 Blood Red Moons, “Heavenly signs are God’s warnings of things to come and 2014 began a series of 4 blood red moons that occur on Biblical Feast days.” The two BRM’s of 2014 did indeed set the stage for increased trouble both for Israel and the world! 

Passover is the first of God’s Feasts of remembrance, His “appointed times” as they are called. God Himself commanded that this feast be remembered forever so, why are so many Christians ignorant of it?

And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever. – Exodus 12:14

The most common answer to my question is, “This was a command to the Jews only!” That is true but consider the following points:

1. These feasts are called Feasts of the Lord, not feasts of the Jews. (Leviticus 23:2).
2. We Christians have been grafted into the Root of Israel and made partakers of the commonwealth of Israel. (Romans 11:17, Ephesians 2:12, 13)
3. Without the promise of Passover, there would be no Christianity. (Ephesians 2:13)

I am not suggesting that we have to keep these feasts in a legalistic way such as those who demand we must become Jews, as they did in the Paul’s time and indeed even today. What I am suggesting is that by not properly remembering these feasts and understanding their implications, we are loosing something of Biblical Christianity that was meant for our instruction and growth in the faith.

For example, did you know that in the Passover only the father was to take the blood of the sacrifice lamb and paint it over the doorposts of his house? Remember, this was God’s way of delivering the faithful from the destruction that was passing over Egypt. There are several lessons in this act:

1. The blood of the sacrifice was required for salvation and we know Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophesy. (1 John 1:7)
2. The sacrifice blood had to be applied. (Exodus 12:7)
3. The head of the house was to apply the blood for his household.
4. They were to roast the lamb, not boil it in water.
5. They were to consume it all.
6. They were to ready to leave bondage and go out into freedom.

There are other lessons in Passover but I will concentrate on these. Passover marked a separation between God’s people and those who did not believe. It reminds us that there is to be a separation between Christians and the world.

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. – 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

In Passover, God makes it clear that He is not politically correct. He discriminates between good and bad and He gets to say what is good and what is bad! He does not discriminate on the basis of race or color but on the basis of who keeps His word and those who do not.

In Passover, God makes it clear He places high value on the man being head of his family. It is the man’s responsibility to place the blood on the doorposts of the house and only that will protect his family. God is not in favor of the modern values of broken families. Today, over 50% of American families are living in fatherless families by their own choices. Those fathers are going to pay a high price for this in the judgment to come. This does not mean a family without a father was lost, for God made provision for families to be joined together in the Passover.

And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb. – Exodus 12:4

The American family is being lost because of selfishness and rebellion. We have passed laws to make divorce easy – we call it “no-fault” divorce. The churches have relaxed their standards to allow divorce an remarriage as if there is nothing wrong with it. But remember, God will not judge by man’s standards but by His!

“For the LORD God of Israel says that He hates divorce, for it covers one’s garment with violence,” Says the LORD of hosts. “Therefore take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.” – Malachi 2:16

Do not think that because you are under grace that God will overlook His standards – He will not! He has but one remedy for sin and that is repentance. Believe and repent are action words – they require action. If you believe in God, you do what He says. And if you repent, you must turn around and do what is right! Jesus explained it this way, “If you love Me, keep My commands.” If the Church in America really believed in what the word of God teaches on this, they would either be a lot smaller or American families would be a lot more healthy.

The Passover reminds us that just eating a little of the lamb is not enough, it must all be consumed. Many embrace Christianity just enough to sooth a guilty conscience or to get a spiritual high but they don’t want to go any further, especially when the cost of taking up their cross and following Christ starts to become real to them. They are Sunday fair-weather Christians. Now while we all face these temptations, Passover reminds us that to follow Christ means embracing all of Him, even suffering for His names’ sake if need be.

Then the Passover Lamb was to roasted with fire, not boiled in water. The fire represents the working of the Holy Spirit. Jesus, our Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7), promised we would be baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire. (Luke 3:16). God also tests us with fire that all our dross may be purged away.

that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, – 1 Peter 1:7

Finally, Passover teaches us to prepare to leave the world of bondage. Some make a start with the Lord but, they fall by the wayside, not finishing the race, because they did not want to leave the world behind. We are called pilgrims in this world and our citizenship is not of this world, that we should come out and be separate, and these words are easy to say but hard to do. Jesus told the parable of the Sower to illustrate this (Mark 4:2-8), which we would all do well to read every so often. Passover teaches us that only those who prepared to leave and actually left made it to freedom. There are many who call themselves Christians but there are few who are preparing to leave on the journey to true freedom.

This Passover, God is giving us heavenly reminders and warnings to prepare for the journey ahead. We will not make it by our own strength or abilities, only God can satisfy the angel of death that will pass over the land. Only God can provide the blood that will save us and only he can part the Red Sea and bring us to the Promised Land. Our part is to apply the blood and get ready for the journey.