| The Royal Marriages, Part 4: The Manchild with the Rod of Iron. The 144,000. The Beast, and the Mouth of the Beast. The Lord provided that most of the events and peoples of the End Times would be foreshadowed by events and peoples during the days of the Exodus and/or Esther. Here are three more major End Times themes and their foreshadowings. Because of their complexity, I skipped over them in earlier articles. Preface: The History and Meaning of the Passover At the time of the Exodus, God established the ordinances of the Passover festival, which he commanded the Israelites to celebrate yearly. However, the basic theme of the Passover wasn't new: God had previously revealed key elements of the Passover theme to Abraham twice, in two different ways at two different times. The first of these events occurred when God formally established his covenant with Abraham (then Abram), and through him with his seed. Gen. 15 Abram cut sacrificial animals in half, and separated the halves. According to the ancient custom, God and Abraham were both to pass through the cut pieces to confirm their covenant. The Hebrew word for covenant, berith, comes from a root meaning to cut. It signified that each party of the contract had confirmed a blood oath, and were liable to being so cut themselves if they defaulted. We still use the terms "cut a deal or contract" and "cut papers," which derive from this ancient custom. Now, although both God and Abram were to go between the divided pieces, God put Abram into a deep sleep. The Lord then prophesied that Abram's seed would become afflicted servants in another people's land, which nation He would then judge, and "afterward they shall come out with great possessions." Gen. 15:13-14 After prophesying, the Lord "appeared [as] a smoking furnace and a burning torch that [alone] passed between those pieces" � thus unilaterally confirming the covenant. He then "covenant[ed] with Abraham" to give to his seed all the land of Canaan (and more). 15:17f. All of these things prophetically foreshadowed and began to be fulfilled at the first Passover. At that time the Israelites, Abraham's seed, after having been afflicted in Egypt, 'came out with great possessions' (see Ex. 12:35-36) when the Lord judged the Egyptian nation. He then led them "in a pillar of cloud" (= smoking furnace) and "in a pillar of fire" (= burning torch), Ex. 13:21-22. Israel passed between the "divided waters" of the Red Sea, thereby confirming � belatedly � their part of the covenant. Ex. 14:21f. The second time the Passover was presaged was when Abraham, having been commanded by God, went to sacrifice his "only son" Isaac on Mount Moriah. Gen. 22 Both father and son willingly went to fulfill the command; but at the last instant, God had Abraham substitute "a ram...for a burnt offering instead of his son," :13.1 Again, these elements clearly foreshadowed the first Passover, at which time the Israelites were commanded to sacrifice young rams in substitution for their firstborn sons, in order to "redeem" them. Ex. 12: 13:11-15 The only true Redeemer, of course, is Jesus Christ, 'the Lamb of God slain for the sins of the world.' Rev. 5:6, 9; 1 John 2:2 "Christ our Passover [lamb] is sacrificed for us." 1 Cor. 5:7 Jesus Christ is also the Only Begotten Son of the Father. John 1:14. It is widely recognized that many of the times and incidents that took place from the first Passover through the first Pentecost were ultimately fulfilled at the First Coming of Christ: 1) Unblemished Passover lambs were chosen for sacrifice on the 10th day of the first month, Abib (later called Nisan). Ex. 12:3-5 The sinless Christ was likewise 'anointed for burial' privately in the evening of Nisan 10 (Jewish days began in the evening); then acclaimed/chosen by "a great multitude" of Jews "the next day" (i.e., daytime, still Nisan 10), when he made his entry into Jerusalem to shouts of "Hosanna." Hosanna literally means "Save [us]," which is what he, the Redeemer, did with his Lamb's blood shed on Passover. John 12:1-13 2) Just before the Exodus, the original Passover lambs were slain on the 14th day of the 1st month. The Israelites then ate their Passover meal (seder). Jesus was slain on the same month and day. He partook of the Passover meal earlier on the 14th with his disciples, and established his Body and his Blood to be the archetypal fulfillment of the Passover seder. Ex. 12:6f.; Luke 22:7f. 3) The Israelites traveled "three days into the desert" and began to "eat and drink and celebrate" before the Lord. Ex. 5:3; Jash. 81:6-8, 12 After three days of sorrowing, Jesus' disciples learned of his Resurrection and likewise began to celebrate. This was on "the first day of the week" = Sunday, as it was during the Exodus (according to Jewish tradition, and confirmed by my own chronology in Sacred History, Sacred Times). Luke 24:1f. The first Sunday/first day of the week after each Passover was instituted by Moses to be the day of the Firstfruits wave offering. Jesus is called in Scripture "the firstfruits of the dead." Lev. 23:9-15; 1 Cor. 15:20, 23 The Rod of Iron 4) After 40 days,2 Moses went up on a mountain accompanied by two others, Aaron and Hur. There he raised "the rod of God in [his] hand," keeping it aloft with their help. By the use of this rod, the Israelites were able to prevail in a bitter fight against their perpetual mortal enemies, the Amalekites. Ex. 17:8f. "Forty days" from his Resurrection, Jesus went up on the Mount of Olives, accompanied by two angels. From there he ascended into heaven to "stand at the right hand of God." Acts 1:3, 7:55 "The right hand of God" in the Scriptures always signifies power and authority; e.g. � Your right hand, O LORD, has become glorious in power; Your right hand, O LORD, has dashed the enemy in pieces. Ex. 15:6 Personified, the Right Hand of God signifies the Messiah (Hebrew for Anointed One; Greek, Christ): Let your hand be upon the man of your right hand, Upon the Son of Man whom you made strong for yourself. Psalm. 80:17 The LORD said unto my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, Until I make your enemies your footstool." The LORD shall send the rod of your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of your enemies! Your people shall be willing in the day of your power. Psalm 110:1-3 Continue Part 1, Royal Marriages b/w Return to Index Return to Index page 2 |