Christian Churches of God No. 190

Preparing for the Passover

(Edition 2.0 19970118-19990213-20080118)

The Passover is the most important period in the Church calendar. Preparation to take part in the Passover is a problem central to every Christian. Many did not prepare to take the Passover correctly over the years and have paid for the error, or lack of diligence, with their spiritual lives.

Christian Churches of God PO Box 369, WODEN ACT 2606, AUSTRALIA Email: [email protected]

(Copyright © 1997, 1999, 2008 Wade Cox)

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Preparing for the Passover

As we will see below, we are commanded to Discerning the Body prepare ourselves for the Passover. The build- Let us examine the second command first, up over the preparation period culminates in namely, to discern the body. the Lord’s Supper and is again commemorated in the meal of the Night To Be Much The text says: “anyone who eats and drinks Remembered. Firstly, the Lord’s Supper without discerning the body, eats and drinks represents the commission of the elect as judgment upon himself”. However, the term spiritual Israel. Secondly, the meal of Exodus actually is: “for the one eating and drinking 12 represents the salvation of all who take judgment to himself eats and drinks not shelter in Christ as part of the nation of Israel, discerning the body" (see Marshall’s Greek- being saved by the sacrifice of Christ, as the English Interlinear). The judgment is krima, lamb killed that evening for them. and the term discerning the body is diakrinõn to sõma. The word diakrinõn means to Paul said of the Lord’s Supper: separate or make a distinction. It can mean to 1Corinthians 11:23-32 For I received from the Lord prefer or separate one from the rest. Here it is what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and in the sense to determine, to give judgment or when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, decide a dispute (see New Thayer’s Greek- "This is my body which is for you. Do this in English Lexicon, p. 138). It can also mean remembrance of me." 25 In the same way also the people withdrawing from the true society of cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new Christians (ibid.). The sõma here is the body covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink and is used both of men and of animals. It can it, in remembrance of me." 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the be a corpse or the body of a man, or of an Lord's death until he comes. 27 Whoever, therefore, animal offered in sacrifice (see also Heb. eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an 13:11; Ex. 29:14; and Num. 19:3 LXX). It can unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the 28 also be the Temple of the Holy Spirit (see also body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine Thayer’s, ibid., p. 611). himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon The sense in which the distinction is made here himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and in Corinthians is in relation to the text in ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged 1Corinthians 11:18-22. 32 ourselves truly, we should not be judged. But 1Corinthians 11:18-22 For, in the first place, when when we are judged by the Lord, we are chastened you assemble as a church, I hear that there are so that we may not be condemned along with the divisions among you; and I partly believe it, 19 for world. (RSV) there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. 20 To eat the body and drink the blood of Messiah When you meet together, it is not the Lord's supper in an unworthy manner is to profane the body that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead and blood of the Lord. He who does this with his own meal, and one is hungry and another is drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and without discerning the body drinks judgment drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and upon himself. humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not. What does this mean? We have to take the (RSV) body and blood of Christ in a worthy manner. The factions (aireseis, i.e. heresies) are We are also to discern the Body. allowed among us to show who is approved (dokimoi) among us by God. Here, two commands present themselves: the first is to prepare oneself to take the Lord’s The discerning of the body is the determination Supper in a worthy manner; and the second is of that part of the body, which is genuine to discern the Body. among the factions or heresies, termed sects, which claim to teach the word of God. The Preparing for the Passover Page 3 word heresy is not used in a negative sense in power and not material wealth. He also the New Testament (see the Appendix to the chastises nations in this way, and over long paper Heresy in the Apostolic Church (No. periods. 89)). It is used of the Pharisees (Acts 15:5) and the Sadducees (Acts 5:17), and of the Church Let us examine how God was to deal with itself (Acts 24:5; 26:5; 28:22). It merely means Judah and Jerusalem, in the Book of Ezekiel. to choose and, hence, to be part of a choice, When this was written it must be remembered but rendered sect in English. In recent times, that Israel had already long gone into captivity the term heresy has come to mean that which by some centuries, and Judah was returned is not in accord with the orthodox system, but from the captivity and was re-establishing. Yet that was not its original meaning. Here it Ezekiel’s prophecies concerned another and means to rightly divide the word of God and to future captivity and trial. identify those who are properly part of the Ezekiel 5:1-17 And thou, son of man, take thee a Body of Christ and who partake of the Lord’s sharp knife, take thee a barber's razor, and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then Supper in the correct manner, at the proper take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair. 2 time and in the proper way. Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and There are many administrations (diakoniõn) thou shalt take a third part, and smite about it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind; but one Lord, and many different operations 3 (diaireseis energematõn) but the same God and I will draw out a sword after them. Thou shalt also take thereof a few in number, and bind them in operating all things in all (1Cor. 12:5). Thus thy skirts. 4 Then take of them again, and cast them we must examine each of the administrations into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire; and operations that claim to be of the Body and for thereof shall a fire come forth into all the house partake only with those that are of the true of Israel. 5 Thus saith the Lord GOD; This is Body of Christ, even though they are not all of Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her. 6 And she the same group or administration or ministry. hath changed my judgments into wickedness more God works all in all. However, we must than the nations, and my statutes more than the discern the Body and partake of the Lord’s countries that are round about her: for they have Supper with the true Body in the true Spirit refused my judgments and my statutes, they have 7 under one Lord and One True God. not walked in them. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye multiplied more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in my Trials prior to the Passover statutes, neither have kept my judgments, neither In the period building up to the Passover, God have done according to the judgments of the nations 8 allows us to be tried and tested. We are all that are round about you; Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, am against thee, and brought to a point where we reflect on our own will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the spiritual condition. God does not do this all at sight of the nations. 9 And I will do in thee that once for most people could not stand the which I have not done, and whereunto I will not do exposure. Each year a little more of the facade any more the like, because of all thine abominations. 10 is stripped away and we are made to overcome. Therefore the fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of thee, and the sons shall eat their fathers; This process is seldom very pleasant. During and I will execute judgments in thee, and the whole this period, the Adversary tries to attack and remnant of thee will I scatter into all the winds. 11 discourage us. We should all remember that Wherefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD; Surely, the period is one of trial and overcoming – of because thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy improvement and growth. detestable things, and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee; neither shall mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity. 12 A The problem in our modern society is that the third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and people have been brought up on the error of the with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of health-wealth gospel. To be sick or to be poor thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round indicates a weak relationship with God. about thee; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them. 13 Adversity is taken as indicative of the fact that Thus shall mine anger be accomplished, and I will God is not blessing us. However, God allows cause my fury to rest upon them, and I will be trial to correct us and to bring us to spiritual comforted: and they shall know that I the LORD Page 4 Preparing for the Passover

have spoken it in my zeal, when I have judgments into wickedness (Ezek. 5:6). They 14 accomplished my fury in them. Moreover I will had perverted the Law with traditions and make thee waste, and a reproach among the nations that are round about thee, in the sight of all that pass polluted the sanctuary with idols and foreign by. 15 So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an customs and practices; and they were sent into instruction and an astonishment unto the nations that captivity. Their thinking was so perverse that are round about thee, when I shall execute when the Roman army surrounded Jerusalem judgments in thee in anger and in fury and in furious 16 on 1 Nisan 70 CE, exactly forty years after the rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it. When I shall death of the Messiah, the factions were send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send actually at war fighting each other. They to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon fought while the Romans were camped around you, and will break your staff of bread: 17 So will I them. Josephus says that effectively the send upon you famine and evil beasts, and they shall Romans did no worse to them than they did to bereave thee; and pestilence and blood shall pass each other. through thee; and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the LORD have spoken it. (KJV) In all this, the Church was protected to a large From this text we are taken forward to the degree, except the leaders. Many of them had destruction of Jerusalem, which was not to suffered horrendous hardship especially in occur until 70 CE. This destruction was to Judea, and collections had to be taken up from occur in accordance with prophecy and the the churches outside of Jerusalem to assist the time-frame allotted for the events by God (cf. Jerusalem Church. Every one of the Apostles, The Sign of Jonah and the History of the save John and three others, were held to have Reconstruction of the Temple (No. 13) and been martyred, and most of the major sees had Outline Timetable of the Age (No. 272)). their leaders martyred for centuries. God allowed most of the key leaders of the church From the prophecy, we see that the Church had to be killed, except John and a few others. a part to play in this activity. The hair represented the people of the nation of Judah. In Ezekiel 6:1-14 we see the fate of Israel The hair was divided into three parts. One- prophesied. third part was to be destroyed during the siege. Ezekiel 6:1-14 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, set thy face toward Another third was to be destroyed by the the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them, effects of the persecution and war, and the 3 And say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of remaining third was to be scattered and hunted the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD to the down with the sword. mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys; Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places. 4 And your The small portion of hair that was kept in the altars shall be desolate, and your images shall be hem of the garment was the people of the broken: and I will cast down your slain men before Church from Messiah who were persecuted by your idols. 5 And I will lay the dead carcases of the Judah up until 63 CE, when James, brother of children of Israel before their idols; and I will 6 Christ and bishop of Jerusalem, was martyred. scatter your bones round about your altars. In all your dwellingplaces the cities shall be laid waste, The Church fled to Pella under Symeon, the and the high places shall be desolate; that your altars young cousin of Christ, who by that time had may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols grown to succeed James as leader of the may be broken and cease, and your images may be Church and become one of the Desponsyni or cut down, and your works may be abolished. 7 And those Belonging to the Lord (cf. the paper The the slain shall fall in the midst of you, and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 8 Yet will I leave a Virgin Mariam and the Family of Christ (No. remnant, that ye may have some that shall escape 232)). the sword among the nations, when ye shall be scattered through the countries. 9 And they that From the dispersion, the Church itself was to escape of you shall remember me among the nations be spread, and the Faith entered Israel from whither they shall be carried captives, because I am Judah as prophesied. We see that God was to broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with their eyes, which go a deal with Judah and Jerusalem because they whoring after their idols: and they shall lothe had changed the Law and turned God’s Preparing for the Passover Page 5

themselves for the evils which they have committed eagerly await the Messiah, who will return to 10 in all their abominations. And they shall know save us. that I am the LORD, and that I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them. 11 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Smite with thine hand, and stamp with We are not to be discouraged by trials and thy foot, and say, Alas for all the evil abominations other problems. The world will be brought to of the house of Israel! for they shall fall by the its knees in these Last Days, and we are still sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence. 12 He living in the world. We are told to come out of that is far off shall die of the pestilence; and he that the world, but necessity dictates we live in it. is near shall fall by the sword; and he that remaineth and is besieged shall die by the famine: thus will I accomplish my fury upon them. 13 Then shall ye Preparing for the Lord’s Supper know that I am the LORD, when their slain men Let us now examine the first of the two orders: shall be among their idols round about their altars, to prepare for the Lord’s Supper. upon every high hill, in all the tops of the mountains, and under every green tree, and under every thick oak, the place where they did offer It is obvious that no one can just take the sweet savour to all their idols. 14 So will I stretch out Lord’s Supper. It requires preparation and the my hand upon them, and make the land desolate, development of a right relationship with God. yea, more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblath, in all their habitations: and they shall know that I am the LORD. (KJV) Often this is taken as a means of escape by some, in that they feel they are not good This prophecy deals with Israel and its enough to take the Lord’s Supper. This is of idolatry. The Church is not separated from the itself a contradiction in terms. Being good nation in all of this activity. enough to take a meal that was only necessitated by the fact that we were sinners The Church will be within the nation during all and were given salvation by grace means that of the period of its persecution, until the we will never be good enough to qualify to coming of the Messiah. take the Lord’s Supper. However, having put our hands to the plough we must eat the body Messiah himself said that the Church would and drink the blood of Messiah or we will not not have finished fleeing from persecution enter the Kingdom of God. Christ said: through the cities of Israel before he comes. John 6:53-58 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Matthew 10:21-23 And the brother shall deliver up man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; 54 the brother to death, and the father the child: and the he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has children shall rise up against their parents, and cause eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 them to be put to death. 22 And ye shall be hated of For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to indeed. 56 He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood the end shall be saved. 23 But when they persecute abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread Israel, till the Son of man be come. (KJV) which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live This text shows that betrayal within the Church for ever." (RSV) and in families will be endemic in these Last Days. More particularly, the hatred of all men Many people fell away from the Messiah after is levelled at us because we are of Christ. This this comment. They did not understand the also indicates a greater level of intolerance significance of the matter. We cannot enter the than ever before understood. Kingdom of God without taking the Lord’s Supper. This sacrament has many The Church is chosen and called according to requirements. God’s purpose. There is no guarantee that we will not be allowed to be poor or ill or suffer The primary requirement is to be baptised. If the trials and problems that our people are we are not baptised, we are dead in our sins made to suffer. We have an obligation to work and we will be consigned to the Second for and pray for our people in the nation and to Resurrection. This is the resurrection of krisis Page 6 Preparing for the Passover or judgment. We are judged and corrected Footwashing (No. 99) and Significance of the there by what we know. It is not sufficient to Bread and the Wine (No. 100). abstain from baptism now or put it off to a later time, as we are judged by what we know and The Passover is the first of the Feast offerings. how we act within that knowledge. Thus, some Malachi says that the sign of the return to the who put off baptism will be corrected for that Lord is that the tithe is paid (Mal. 3:6-12). fact in the Second Resurrection. Malachi 3:6-12 "For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. 7 We will now examine the sequence step by From the days of your fathers you have turned aside step so that each of us can work out our own from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to salvation in fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12). me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, `How shall we return?' 8 Will If we are not baptised, we should prepare for man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, baptism. If we are baptised, we should review `How are we robbing thee?' In your tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are our baptism and what it means. Study the paper robbing me; the whole nation of you. 10 Bring the Repentance and Baptism (No. 52) and the full tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food subsidiary papers: in my house; and thereby put me to the test, says the  Steps to Overcoming Sin (No. 11); LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an  Freedom and Responsibility (No. 9); overflowing blessing. 11 I will rebuke the devourer  The Relationship Between Salvation by for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your Grace and the Law (No. 82); soil; and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, 12  The Sacraments of the Church (No. 150). says the LORD of hosts. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts. (RSV) We have been given the Holy Spirit as a down- payment on our redemption as a son of God. The Lord’s Supper is the sacrament of the What does that mean? Study the papers The return to God. Tithing is a physical sign of that Holy Spirit (No. 117) and Consubstantial with return. Have we established our relationship the Father (No. 81). with God on a firm footing? Have we paid our tithes, and do we have an offering ready for the We should now prepare for the Passover, first of the three Feast seasons? Remember, having become eligible to partake of the Lord’s there are only three offerings a year. Each Supper. offering is at the commencement of the Feast, either of Passover or of Pentecost or of When is the Passover? Study the paper God’s Tabernacles. Study the paper Tithing (No. 161) Calendar (No. 156) and the subsidiary papers: and the subsidiary papers:  Tishri in Relation to the Equinox (No. 175);  Ingathering (No. 139);  Jeroboam and the Hillel Calendar (No.  Procedures for the Lord’s Supper (No. 191). 103B);  Keeping the Feast (No. 56); What symbolism does the Passover have in the  The First Commandment: the Sin of Satan Bible? What is the overall plan? Study the (No. 153); paper The Seven Great Passovers of the Bible  The Covenants of God (No. 152); (No. 107).  The Sin of Onan (No. 162); What is the structure of the Passover? Study  Law and the First Commandment (No. 253); the paper The Passover (No. 98) and also the  Law and the Fourth Commandment (No. paper on The Night to Be Much Observed (No. 256). 101). We should now be at the Passover ready to What is the symbolism of the Lord’s Supper? partake of the Lord’s Supper. Study the paper Study the papers Significance of the The Lord’s Supper (No. 103). Preparing for the Passover Page 7

The following papers are of importance at the Ruth is the text for Pentecost or Shevuoth. It appropriate time over the Feast of the Passover represents the humble Moabite proselyte, who and Unleavened Bread. The Wave-Sheaf left her people to live in poverty in Israel and Offering must be delivered at 9 a.m. on the who became the ancestor of the Davidic line of Sunday within the Feast of Unleavened Bread. kings. This story is that of the Church as a nation of kings and priests. Lamentations is How did God deliver Israel at the Passover? read on 9 Ab or the fall of the Temple and Study the paper Moses and the Gods of Egypt Ecclesiastes is read on Sukkoth or the Feast of (No. 105). Tabernacles. Study the paper Commentary on Esther (No. 63). How was sin overcome? Study the papers:  The Old and the New Leaven (No. 106a); This then leads us into the build-up to  The Wave Sheaf Offering (No. 106b); Pentecost.  Forgiveness (No. 112). Study Psalms 1-41 (The Genesis Book of Links in the Story of Salvation: Psalms). This work can be studied from the The Five Megilloth end of Tabernacles. Study The Exodus Book of Psalms for Passover and up to Pentecost. How does the story of Esther relate to the Psalms 42-49: For Israel’s Ruin. salvation of Israel? This text is normally read Psalms 50-60: For the Redeemer (refer to on the feast of Purim by the Jews. However, its Psalm 45 also). clear Messianic content and its role in the Psalms 62-72: For Israel’s Redemption. salvation of Judah is appropriately a Passover These Psalms all lead to Pentecost. text. The Song of Songs is usually read for Passover, as it portrays Israel’s cleaving to the Study of the papers should be completed in the Almighty in the eyes of the Jewish worshipper. appropriate sequence prior to Passover and However, when we study the Song of Songs, Unleavened Bread. The responsibility for the we see that it is a story of the Messiah and his adequate preparation for the Passover rests on relationship with the woman, who is his the individual and their relationship with God betrothed. This woman is seen by Judah as the through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit. No one physical body of Israel, but it is more else can do it for us. appropriately the spiritual body which is the Church. Hence, the Song of Songs is the link between Passover and Pentecost. The Book of q