Christ’s Last Passover Marks A Promise Of The Rapture!

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By Helena Lehman of the

Pillar of Enoch Ministry (POEM)

http://pillar-of-enoch.com

Although it is not very well-publicized, our Messiah, King and Bridegroom Yahshua Ha Mashiach (i.e. Jesus the Christ) stated that the Passover the Jews celebrated, which marked their deliverance from bondage to the Egyptians, and their election as the Chosen People of God, would NOT be fulfilled until the Kingdom of God comes. Yahshua said this as He was offering up the Third Cup of the traditional Jewish Passover meal. This meal is commonly called the “Last Supper” by Christians. There are four communal cups of wine served during the traditional Passover meal, and each one has a special meaning. The Jews call the cup that Yahshua used “The Cup of Redemption”, so it is appropriate that Yahshua commemorated His Redemption of mankind from sin and death with this cup:

Luke 22:14-18 - “When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. 15 Then He said to them, ‘With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’ 17 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, ‘Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’”

In this Scripture, Yahshua said “I will no longer eat of it until it (i.e. the Passover) is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” This strongly suggests that Yahshua was saying that the Passover will have a second fulfillment that will mark the full establishment of the Kingdom of God as a physical, as well as spiritual reality. Complimenting this idea is the fact that the Kingdom of God is within born-again believers due to the presence of the Holy Spirit within them. In addition, the Holy Spirit is also a seal on believers’ hearts that guarantees their inclusion in the Body of Christ at the time of the Rapture, or final stage of the First Resurrection (See 2 Corinthians 1:21-22). This means that the Kingdom of God won’t truly be fulfilled until the time that Yahshua is united with His Bride at the Rapture, and then takes His rightful Throne over all the Earth with her at His side when He returns to rule over the whole world.

Interestingly, this passage appears in the 22nd chapter of the Gospel of Luke, and 22 is a biblical number of completion that is tied to Yahshua as the First and the Last, and the Beginning and End of all things. This reference to the first and last letters in the Alphabet are tied to the fact that there are 22 letters in the Hebrew Alphabet, and Yahshua is referred to as the Alpha and Omega in Greek, or the Aleph and the Tav in Hebrew, as a sign of His preeminence in all things pertaining to our Redemption, Salvation, and Restoration.

On the first Passover before the Exodus, Yahshua redeemed Israel from slavery to Egypt and sin. On the Passover when He died, Yahshua procured Israel’s salvation. Perhaps at some future Passover then, He will procure our restoration as a royal priesthood with Christ in His Kingdom. This is suggested at another place in Chapter 22 of the Gospel of Luke, when Yahshua refers to the Kingdom of God as a future reality on the Earth that will include His resurrected saints in positions of authority: 

Luke 22:28-30 - “But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. 29 And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, 30 that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

Note here that Yahshua strongly suggested that only those who have continued with Him in His trials until the end of their mortal lives will be honored as royalty when He sets up His earthly Kingdom. Now, since Yahshua promised that there would be a re-occurrence of Yahweh God’s miraculous deliverance of His people on Passover - and Yahshua said the Passover would not be fulfilled until His Second Coming - there should be some expectation in all born-again believers that Yahshua could deliver His saints from their enemies in the Rapture on some future Passover - maybe even this upcoming one.

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Though the Rapture may not be on the exact date of Passover - especially since no one knows the day or hour - it could happen around this time. In fact, the entire 48-day time period between the Firstfruits offering during Passover Week to the 50th day after, which is called Shavuot or Pentecost, is strongly connected to the Rapture via the Barley harvest that goes on in Israel every spring. Interestingly, this is the time in which all the days of the Barley harvest are counted in a ritual called the counting of the Omer. As the first harvest of the year that officially begins during Passover Week, the Barley harvest is both thematically and symbolically connected to the First Resurrection. Interestingly, the Jews assign 48 “Middot” or Virtues that are used to acquire a deeper understanding of the Torah to the first 48 days of counting the Omer.

This number 48 also ties into God’s command for the Israelites to set up 48 cities for the priestly Tribe of Levi to live in throughout the land of Israel that were considered to be cities of refuge. These were places where people who were falsely accused could seek political and religious asylum. As shown in my book “The Language of God in the Universe”, these cities of refuge are tied to the 48 constellations in the ancient “Mazzaroth”or Zodiac.

The 48 days between the Firstfruits Offering and Shavuot or Pentecost may therefore be symbolic of the Torah or Gospel written into the heavens by the finger of the Preincarnate Christ, who was given the honor of creating the Universe for His Father. If you click on the two links embedded into the text in the two paragraphs above this one, you can read a summary of the 48 Virtues in the first one, and my own separate summary of the spiritual and prophetic meaning behind all 48 Mazzaroth constellations via the second link. If meditated on, each of these virtues and constellations can be seen as a chapter in a book filled with spiritual wisdom, and studying them can lead to a deeper understanding of God’s Will and Eternal Plan. The constellations are also a visual reminder that Yahweh told Abraham to look to the stars in the sky as a symbol of the number of his physical and spiritual, grafted-in descendants - those people of faith in Yahshua who will one day not only reflect, but shine God’s holy light! :-)

Just as the counting of the Omer was commanded by God, Yahshua’s talk about the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God in reference to Passover could be a hint pointing to the Rapture as possible anytime between Passover Week and Pentecost. In this regard, it’s interesting to note that Yahshua was visibly taken up to Heaven ten days before Pentecost or Shavuot, and this may be how the Rapture will take place - as a visible, worldwide event. This also suggests that we should look to the time period between Passover and Pentecost as a strong Rapture Watch period. For those who may not be familiar with it, the Rapture is the catching up of the saints to Heaven that the Apostle Paul spoke about in two of his epistles:

1 Corinthians 15:51-53 - “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 - “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore, comfort one another with these words.”

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Yahshua our beloved Messiah comes for us sometime during or near to this Passover Week? Though it may not happen then, it certainly could. In fact, our Bridegroom Yahshua might even decide to come for us on the day of Firstfruits, which is also called Easter or Resurrection Sunday. Although we who hope in the Rapture are called fools for believing in our coming deliverance from the Great Tribulation, wouldn’t it be appropriate if the only fools this year are the ones left behind to face the Wrath of God, and the reign of the Antichrist? If so, the Foolish Virgins or lukewarm believers that Yahshua spoke about in “The Parable of the Ten Virgins” will be among them.

Before I close this article, I wanted to let you know that my friend and sister in Christ named Gina inspired me to create it with her own article on the subject, and I encourage you to read it. Here is the title and link to it:

THE PASSOVER MEAL WAS NOT COMPLETED

AND IS STILL WAITING TO BE FINISHED!

http://theworldisshaking.blogspot.com/2012/04/passover-meal-was-not-completed-and-is.html

In honor of Passover and Resurrection Sunday this year, I also wanted to let you know that I did a revision of a POEM Blog Article that I originally published in April of 2009, which is linked to below. It contains a short excerpt from my 675-page book “The Language of God in Humanity”, which shows the symbolic meaning of the Passover Meal in reference to Christ. I’ve also provided a link to a Christian version of a traditional Passover Meal Seder or Service that was originally created in 1993, and has been revised recently. I hope that you will take the time to read through these article presentations concerning Passover and Easter, and that they will abundantly bless you with spiritual riches as we await the return of our Messiah Yahshua.

However, before you read these articles, please keep in mind that I have NEVER advocated that grafted-in believers should keep Jewish Feasts as the Jews do. In the Book of Acts, it was made abundantly clear to the Apostles that grafted in believers were under NO OBLIGATION to keep the requirements of the Law, or the vain traditions of men. In my home, I keep the feasts with Bible study, prayer, singing in worship, and dancing. I have a menorah I light occasionally too just because I enjoy its beautiful symbolism. I also use a prayer shawl occasionally. I do some spring cleaning in honor of the Passover tradition, and throw away any foods that may no longer be healthy to eat. But I have been known to keep and use dried foods well past their supposed expiration date without ill effects, and I do not see them as leaven! Please use your common sense, and don’t follow the vain traditions of men when they make no sense. 

I also want you to know that am not against the Christian celebrations of Easter or Christmas as they are kept among educated and biblically well-versed Protestants. I also do not have a problem with Easter eggs or bunnies. I am a teacher of the Language of God, or the meaning of God’s language as hidden in symbolism. Though I primarily decipher symbols within the Bible, I have also shown how all originally non-satanic symbols can and should be re-interpreted with God’s original intention in mind. For example, eggs, chicks, and bunnies were originally created good. God also gave mankind permission to eat eggs and chickens as food. The fact that chickens and bunnies are prolific breeders was also not lost on God. He created them that way. So seeing them as a symbol of God’s gift of life isn’t evil at all. We do not bow down and worship chickens, eggs or bunnies, so they are not idols, and are not intrinsically evil. We should not see evil in what God made good. In the meantime, here are the descriptions and links to my articles concerning Passover. I hope you enjoy them:

POEM Blog Article: Easter Not Pagan, But A Celebration of Firstfruits! - Excerpt: The Christian Celebration of Easter, which usually falls during Passover Week, is a particularly good time to revisit the story of Christ’s arrest, trial, scourging, crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. After much research, I’ve concluded that the Master of the Universe and Author of our Salvation probably died to pay for our sins on a Wednesday in April of 31 AD, and rose from the dead before dawn on the following Sunday after being dead three full days. Serendipitously, on the day that Christ rose, the Firstfruits wave sheaf offering was made in the Temple in Jerusalem. The ritual of waving a sheaf of new barley before the curtain in the Temple’s Most Holy Place marked the first day of counting the Omer, or the days leading up to Shavuot or Pentecost.

Easter Not Pagan, But A Celebration of Firstfruits!

http://pillarofenoch.blogspot.com/2009/04/easter-not-pagan-but-celebration-of.html

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A Christian View of the Meaning of Passover - Description: This Christian version of the Order of Service for a Passover Meal was made in 1991, long before I became involved in the Messianic Movement. It was created in an effort to educate the people in my Evangelical Congregation of the importance of Easter, Passover, and Firstfruits as the central rituals identifying and defining the Christian faith. Since this essay is meant to serve as a “Haggadah” or “storyline” for a Christian Passover Seder or “order of service,” it is not identical to a Jewish Haggadah. Instead, with the exception of the use of “Yahshua” for Christ’s name, it is a Christian reinterpretation of a traditional Passover Seder. Recipes are included in this Haggadah to aid those who wish to prepare a special dinner, and follow this guide for their own Passover Seder. Please feel free to download, print and use this Christian Passover Haggadah at your own Christian Passover celebrations, and to add your own favorite recipes and religious songs, if desired. The link below will take you to an online and PDF version of the article at my POEM web site:

A Christian View of the Meaning of Passover

http://pillar-of-enoch.com/essays/index.html#Lamb

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I pray that these articles will bless you, and help you to grow in spiritual understanding as we await the Rapture. In the meantime, remember that...

Yahshua is coming SOON! Maranatha!

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