16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.
John 3:16-18
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever opened the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine.
3 And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten.
4 This day came ye out in the month Abib.
5 And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou shalt keep this service in this month.
6 Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the Lord.
7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters.
8 And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the Lord did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt.
9 And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the Lord’s law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the Lord brought thee out of Egypt.
10 Thou shalt, therefore, keep this ordinance in his season from year to year.
11 And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, as he sware unto thee and to thy fathers, and shall give it thee,
12 That thou shalt set apart unto the Lord all that openeth the matrix, and every firstling that cometh of a beast which thou hast; the males shall be the Lord’s.
13 And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem.
14 And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the Lord brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage:
15 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the Lord slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of beast: therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the firstborn of my children I redeem.
16 And it shall be for a token upon thine hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes: for by strength of hand the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt.
17 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt:
18 But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.
19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straightly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.
20 And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness.
21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:
22 He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
Exodus 13: 1-22
I began this article by putting together two scriptural passages; one of them is the greatest of them all from the New Testament. The second one is from the Old Testament book of Exodus which narrates in part the First Passover that preceded the Hebrews’ departure from slavery in Egypt.
Many of us believers in God who are Gentiles perceive the First Passover as a strictly Jewish event that cannot possibly concern us at all.
Many of us believers in God, those who are of the Jewish faith and who do not recognize Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, as the Promised Messiah, do not identify with the verse regarding Life Everlasting as a gift for only those who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and personal Savior.
At first look, there appears that no possible connection ties these two passages together except that both come from the Bible.
And yet together they very much belong, and the remainder of this article is written to show how and why they belong very much together.
The factor, the What, that does drive these two passages from the Word together struck me and led me to tie them in together came to me a little while ago, this very afternoon.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
“Bible Gateway Passage: Revelation 17:12-14 King James Version”. 2018. Bible Gateway. Accessed December 16, 2018. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+17&version=KJV
To tie everything together, in order to make everything so far presented understandable, it is important to answer: Why is Jesus Christ called the Lamb? In what way is Jesus Christ the second Passover Lamb?
“The sacrifice of lambs played a very important role in the Jewish religious life and sacrificial system. When John the Baptist referred to Jesus as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), the Jews who heard him might have immediately thought of any one of several important sacrifices. With the time of the Passover feast being very near, the first thought might be the sacrifice of the Passover lamb. The Passover feast was one of the main Jewish holidays and a celebration in remembrance of God’s deliverance of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. In fact, the slaying of the Passover lamb and the applying of the blood to doorposts of the houses (Exodus 12:11-13) is a beautiful picture of Christ’s atoning work on the cross. Those for whom He died are covered by His blood, protecting us from the angel of (spiritual) death.” 1
1 “What Does It Mean That Jesus Is The Lamb Of God?”. 2018. Gotquestions.Org. Accessed December 16,2018. https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-Lamb-of-God.html.
It is said that those who are born twice (once physically and once spiritually) will suffer just one death, while those who are born but once (physically) suffer two deaths. We all have a choice—salvation in Jesus, or our own will which is in rebellion to God. Scripture tells of a time of judgment in which those who reject Jesus will suffer and those who accept Him will spend eternity with Him. This is a warning for some, and an encouragement for others to share their faith. 2
2 “What Is The Second Death The Bible Talks About?”. 2018. Compellingtruth.Org. Accessed December 16, 2018. https://www.compellingtruth.org/second-death.html.
The Ancient Egyptian kingdom were the ancient Hebrews were held as slaves then refers to the world at large, the world of unbeliever. Since they did not partake of the Passover, since their homes were not painted with the blood of lambs, the angel of death struck there, at their homes, and their firstborn were taken from them.
The angel of death who during the Passover killed the firstborn of the Egyptians today represents the Second Death, he represents the perishing into the Lake of Fire forever, of all those who today and since Christ died on the cross have not accepted Jesus Christ, they lack the presence of Jesus Christ’s precious blood upon them.
If they repent while they’re still living, then they will also acquire the presence of Christ’s precious blood upon them. Once they acquire it, the angel of Death will skip over them as well.
There will be no Second Death for any of those who today accepts Jesus Christ as his or her own Personal Savior. It will be as if, back then, during the Exodus era, some Egyptian had joined the Hebrews and spent the Passover with them in faith.
If that Egyptian had been the firstborn son of some Egyptian family, even though that Egyptian had descended from the bloodline of a heathen Egyptian family, because that Egyptian shared the faith of the Hebrews, and was with them when the Angel of Death passed by, he too would be spared and not taken.
That hypothetical spared Egyptian back then is equivalent to the sinner of today who repents and accepts Jesus Christ as personal savior. Then Jesus would take all of his or her sins away and impute upon him or her, the righteousness of God. Jesus at that moment claims that former sinner as His own and God’s own adopted son or daughter.
Thus, by now, you can probably tell that Jesus Christ becoming the accepted personal Savior of all sinners today is the equivalent of that poor lamb back during the time of Moses and Exodus that was sacrificed and which blood was smeared on posts and doors of Hebrew homes that death would skip over them and move on.
I did accept Jesus Christ as my savior. I recognize that without Him and His sacrifice for me, I’d be lost, I’d perish and perish forever. The eternal separation from God, the Second Death, would claim me too. There would be no hope for me at all ever if I died in my sins, without having grabbed onto the olive branch that God offered me in the form of being saved by Jesus Christ. That’s the only hope there is.
Grab it while you’re still alive, while there’s still enough time for you too.
Roberto E. Fiad
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