Christ is Our Passover Lamb |
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And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
Exodus 12:30
It was in Egypt, that Israel's last generation of slaves first witnessed the midnight cry. It had been a devastating climax to God's judgments: giving their Egyptian slavemasters a first-hand experience of the power of the Hebrew God: of Jehovah; the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Life in Egypt had been comfortable, almost too comfortable. Only the most diligent and serious minded among them, had any thought of identifying with the distant land of Canaan in the early years. Joseph, who had once been sold into slavery as a youth, and had later been crowned vice regent of the most powerful nation on earth (indeed, he had helped to make it so!) —had made their life comfortable, quite comfortable. It is doubtful, that although the information was then available, that anyone welcomed the details of God's promise to Abraham:
And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
Genesis 15:13,14
Is it possible, that a Jewish scholar, might have half mumbled the first verse, while shouting the second? "(Sh-h-h) Slaves, in the land of Egypt for four hundred years . . . and yet INCREDIBLY RICH, WHEN WE LEAVE! Rah, Rah!! More wealth now!"
Forget the trouble and toil, necessary, to get them there.
Yet, Joseph had remembered. He'd seen trouble and pain enough, to be thoroughly convinced of its reality in this sin-cursed world—and knew that any realistic view of the future must always include it, within the final equation. God is not a politician, pandering to the cheers of the multitude, but the Lord of Glory, working out the salvation of his own. Thus, Joseph never really settled, into Egypt, in his heart, but kept his affections and attention, focused heavenward (or, in his own context, towards Canaan).
And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.Genesis 50:25
It is very doubtful, that the ones he was addressing, really considered the seriousness of Joseph's claim: God would visit them. "That's nice, and at the time of this visit we will take a pleasant stroll, out into the desert, after which we'll ask the Canaanites to allow us to put Joseph's bones under a rock, somewhere."
Not quite.
Such reminds me of interesting statements made by Christ, often in the midst of great popularity, concerning his going to the Cross. In one case, for example, Jesus had just come down from the Mount of Transfiguration. There, they'd seen him in a glory more closely approximating what he'd had, before leaving Heaven. As they rubbed their eyes, in near disbelief and some confusion (because Moses and Elijah had also appeared, and they thought it nice to erect temples honoring all three) the Father overshadowed the whole experience and thundered: "This is my beloved Son: hear him." (Mark 9:7). In other words, Jesus has no peer. No man, angel, or principality, may share in his glory.
They were still visibly shaken, no doubt, as they half stumbled down the mountain side, in the after glow. Until that moment, Jesus still had the appearance, at least, of being just like other men. But now .. . they'd seen a side of him which was truly awesome. Imagine seeing One you'd walked and talked with, glowing like a light bulb, as heaven came down to meet earth, in a heavenly "conference"!
What happened next, in no way surprised them. At the bottom of the hill (as usual) Satan's kingdom was in full fury, frightening the masses with another kind of power: the power of evil. The father of a young boy, who was both deaf and dumb, had brought his son to the disciples for deliverance. In today's lingo, we might say that he was given to seizures for, from early childhood, he had experienced uncontrollable fits; "And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us." (vs 22).
Can Christ do anything?!! There was no question, "all things are possible to him who believes," Jesus countered. I love that father's reply: "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief" (vs 24)! After which the Lord addressed the spirit: "Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.
And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.vss 25,26
The reality of spiritual warfare is often not a pretty sight. Yet, in the darkest hour, Christ is still the Master of all. "But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose." (Mark 9:27)
Whew! What a relief! Good thing Jesus was on hand. Those nasty demons certainly have met their match, when he's around! And then, just as they were ready to celebrate and go on with life as usual . . . Christ addressed his disciples, with a disturbing comment:
For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.Please note, particularly, the very next verse:
But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.vss 31,32
Couldn't understand?! What could be simpler! They're going to take your Savior, and hang him up against the sky, and murder him!!!
Yet, not only did they not understand . . . but they were afraid to ask him for an explanation (after all, hadn't he spoken to them in their own tongue, "in plain English" as we would say?) In other words, the problem was not with understanding . . . but in wanting to understand. —Not my Jesus! Not this one who shines like the sun, in its strength! Not this glorious one who heals all of our diseases! They loved him too much. "Don't be so negative, Master!" I can hear them starting to think. "We'll work this thing out. Just you wait and see!"
In fact, Peter even told him as much, just after having had a clear revelation of Christ's mission and purpose. "Lord," Peter had declared, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!" We believe you, now, in other words. We realize that there is more to God, than we at first understood. God, is also found in his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
Jesus, You are Lord!
Finally, they believed! The Lord answered:
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.Matthew 16:17
Now, the keys to the Kingdom of God, were available. Soon, those keys would be turned in the door of faith, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and a whole new world would open upon us: for the gospel would soon spread throughout the world, telling of the special gift now made available . . . through the Cross. Yes, the Cross, that's something they were yet to accept. The Kingdom, and God's salvation for all who would believe, could only be made possible, through the Cross. There was that unpleasant "detail," in the birth canal, leading into the new world, now awaiting them. That detail, was the pain of the Cross. It was necessary to try to prepare them for it: to tell them again, what he'd told them, so often before.
From that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.Vs 21
Enough of these negative vibes! Jesus, you've got it all wrong! Didn't you say that all things are possible to him who believes? Listen, we'll talk this out. You need for someone to set you straight! And, yes, now Peter is ready to do it:
Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
vss 21-23
Jesus saw right through Peter. He's not like me. I'll show persons what can be clearly seen in the scriptures (even sharing fulfillment) and they'll tell me , "Frank, we don't believe like that. All that pain is unnecessary. We'll be at the marriage feast, safely enjoying ourselves, while this old world suffers." —And I'll shut up.
True, they are carelessly overlooking the bloody details of that very same marriage feast (Rev. 19:7-18)—but what can I do? What can I say, when told that scripture states we will escape the Great Tribulation (as per Luke 21:36 - "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (emphasis added).) —While ignoring the context of this statement. Escape all of these things??
Back up, a few verses, will you please?
And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.
So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
vss 29-31
That's to verse thirty-one. Verse thirty-two states that the generation observing the above phenomena will also see Christ returning—while the next, states that heaven and earth will pass away before Christ's words are voided!
Excuse me, but did you notice? Please forgive my pointing this out, but vs. 29 is universally accepted, by the Evangelical World, as referring to the return of the Jews to their homeland (as the budding of the fig tree). You have noticed, that we are still here (so we did not escape this event!!!).
No, it is verse thirty-four, which our Lord refers to:
And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.Which is strengthened by verse thirty-five's warning:
For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.vss 34,35
To the challenge presented by the last two UPLOOKs, to pin-point where the abomination of desolation is mentioned in John's Revelation, I got a mixed response: understanding the seriousness of the question, but denying the obvious.
Yes, it is true that the rebuilding of the temple is a central theme in much of Scripture, when considering the new covenant (Ezekiel 40-48, for example). Yet, the point made last UPLOOK, is that the apostles stated clearly, in Acts 15, that it is to be a spiritual temple, which is already being rebuilt, so that we (gentiles) may enter in (Acts 15:14-17).
Does this mean that we may (now) know every detail, regarding how the future will unfold? Certainly not (at least, that's not my contention). I have repeatedly been surprised by the awesome manner in which the Lord fills in out prophetic forecasts. In the case of the eagle's wings interpretation (shared last UPLOOK) for example, I really had no expectation that the Soviet Union would crash, altogether. I'd thought that some sort of working alliance would result.
Such half stepping was not enough for the Lord, however. Other instances could be cited (see OIL WAR on the website), but the point made here is, that we owe it to ourselves to be:
Committed to the truth of God's Word.
Willing to listen to the Word.
To tell me, for example, that the temple must be rebuilt, because the Jews expect for it to be so, in no way validates those expectations . . . any more than their mistaken beliefs certified Christ's establishing his kingdom, as they expected, the first time. They shed their blood in revolts, attempting such, the first time, and yet, the Lord paid no attention to human imaginings and wishes, as he proceeded with his own program.
Every Protestant denomination has worded their official statement of belief, in such a way, as to make room for the Lord's fulfillment of prophecy as he sees fit. Not to do so would be quite foolish. The Assemblies of God, official statement for example, reads:
THE BLESSED HOPE:¹
The resurrection of those who have fallen asleep in Christ and their translation together with those who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord is the imminent and blessed hope of the church.
THE MILLENNIAL REIGN OF CHRIST ²
The second coming of Christ includes the rapture of the saints, which is our blessed hope, followed by the visible return of Christ with His saints to reign on earth for one thousand years.
Notice, how closely these statements "hug" the scriptures. For, although it is true that mention is made of the fact that the blessed hope will be followed by the visible return of Christ . . . it does not say how closely that return will be (it could be immediate).
One other illustration of this point, from the Southern Baptist Convention:
X. LAST THINGS ³
God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will he raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord.
The careful wisdom of the above statement is self evident: God will close out the age, as he sees fit.
God is Sovereign. What this means, is that he answers to no one, but himself, as he keeps his own word. It is foolish to say that we know exactly how he will act in the future, unless he chooses to reveal such information to us. Therefore, it is unwise to quibble over details . . . usually.
I do have one concern, however, in regard to a particular warning issued by our Lord, when advising us of what to look for, as this present age closes. It is in this connection, that I've started this article with the opening quote, from the Old Testament.
Every believer benefits from the New Testament equivalent of the Jewish Passover. Scripture says plainly, that Christ is our Passover lamb, sacrificed for us (I Cor. 5:7). When the death angel comes looking for us, we may point to the blood, so that he will skip over (or pass over) our lives. This is our "Passover." As Jesus now assures us:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.John 5:24
Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
John 8:51
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Thus, those who are not truly born again, already have the wrath of God hanging over their heads (John 3:36)!
Yet, as with Israel in Egypt, we all experience tribulation and trouble, in this life. In one particular case, however, there is a very serious bump in the road, over which Jesus sought to give us advance warning. This regards the midnight cry.
It does seem curious, that as Christ was facing his own offering as our Passover Lamb (on the Cross) he would present us with a flip side of the midnight cry. In Egypt, the midnight cry was one of anguish, over the passage of the death angel. In Christ's parable, however, he does something truly amazing: he connects it with a wedding feast (the very same one, mentioned in Rev. 19 . . .).
The picture which Christ paints is at first a very pleasant one: There are ten virgins-five wise, and five foolish- all awaiting the bridegroom's entrance into the city. As they wait, night approaches, their lamps are lit, and they fall off to sleep. When the bridegroom is just about to appear, the virgins awaken to realize that the oil in their lamps has run out. It is midnight, and dark, and it is obvious that the first order of business is to light their lamps, and get their bearings, and yet—half of them find that they've no "extra" oil, with which to fill up.
Suddenly, a new perspective becomes evident: as with another parable, involving preparedness for the wedding (Matt. 22:8-14) it starts to look like the foolish will be unable to follow the bridegroom, when he arrives.
"Give us some of your oil," the foolish beg the wise. But the hour is too late, and the situation too tenuous, to pass the oil from one anxious hand to another, in the midnight hour. "Go to those who sell, and buy for yourselves," they are told. (Similar to the command in Rev. 3:18). Then, as the foolish begin the painful task of acquiring a deeper experience (with more oil) with their Lord—the bridegroom returns, before they've finished that very serious lesson.
And they are shut out (Matt. 25:12).
Careful expositors normally shy away from this parable, because it presents the thoughtful reader with several real problems:
- What is the "midnight cry"?
- Why is everyone sleeping prior to midnight (which is forbidden -I Thes. 5:4-6, Rom. 13:11)?
- hat ever event this is, it is not the rapture (which takes place "in a moment" - literally an atom of time -I Cor. 15:52), and therefore:
- It is evident that this "midnight cry" will take place at some time between the present. . . and the Lord's return (when the faithful are later received into the wedding feast, as the foolish are shut out).
I have often heard denials, concerning our being here when Antichrist arises (in direct contradiction to II Thes. 2:1-3. Note that vss 1-3, speak of apostasy precipitating this event, while vss 4-7 intone that the Holy Spirit who is grieved by the apostasy in the Church will then release his restraining hand (Matt. 24:37, Gen. 6:3). In other words, the apostasy, and sleeping virgins . . . are one and the same.)
Here is a serious warning, therefore, in which no one denies Church involvement!! Any honest appraisal of this parable must also allow that the virgins are true believers (II Cor. 11:2) who are undefiled. Nowhere, in the New Testament, do virgins symbolize anything other than true believers (in one case, this is how Heaven's saints are described -Rev. 14:4!). In other words, Tribulation or not, here is a serious test, which knocks out half of those claiming Christ as Savior!! What Christ was saying, therefore, in this "cute" parable, is that just as the Passover was the defining event which allowed the Children of Israel to depart out of Egypt . . . even so, the "midnight cry" will be a final purifying event, for the body of Christ. During this event, his bride will be made truly ready, for his Return in the sky.
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
. . .
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God
Revelation 19:7-9,14,15
Don't wait until Midnight, my friend, to cry out to the Lord. Prepare today, to be truly ready, tomorrow.
The choice is ours.
Amen.
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Footnote:
The statements of faith, cited above, are from the following websites:
¹ http://dev.ag.org/16-fundamental-truths/single_item.cfm?root=2770 —1Thess. 4:16,17, Romans 8:23, Titus 2:13 1 Cor. 15:51,52
² http://dev.ag.org/16-fundamental-truths/single_item.cfm?root=2771 – Zechariah 14:5, Matthew 24:27,30 Revelation 1:7, 19:11-14, 20:1-6
³http://www.utm.edu/martinarea/fbc/bfm/10.html —Isa. 2:4; 11:9; Matt. 16:27; 18:8-9; 19:28; 24:27, 30, 36, 44; 25:31-46; 26:64; Mark 8:38; 9:43-48; Luke 12:40, 48; 16:19-26; 17:22-37; 21:27-28; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 17:31; Rom. 14:10; 1 Cor. 4:5; 15:24-28, 35-58; 2 Cor. 5:10; Phil. 3:20-21; Col. 1:5; 3:4; 1 Thess. 4:14-18; 5:1 ff.; 2 Thess. 1:7 ff.; 2; 1 Tim. 6:14; 2 Tim. 4:1, 8; Titus 2:13; Heb. 9:27-28; James 5:8; 2 Peter 3:7 ff.; 1 John 2:28; 3:2; Jude 14; Rev. 1:18; 3:11; 20 to 22:13.
