How is the Passover related to our salvation? (1)

When Christians are asked, “Have you received salvation?” they reply, “Yes.” But, if they are asked, “Do you celebrate the Passover?” most of them will hesitate in answering. How is the Passover related to our salvation? When we study the books of the Bible, we see many accounts where the Passover is mentioned. However, the Passover is often misunderstood as only a Jewish feast. Below, we will understand how important the Passover is for those who wish to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Origin of the Passover

God brought plagues upon Egypt

God chose Moses and used him to bring about the emancipation of the Israelites, who had groaned under slavery in Egypt for 430 years. God commanded Moses to ask Pharaoh to set the Israelites free. However, Pharaoh refused and instead further rebelled against God, afflicting the Israelites more severely. Enraged, God brought plagues upon the whole land of Egypt: the plagues of blood, of frogs, of gnats, of livestock, of boils, of hail, of locusts and of darkness. Pharaoh’s heart hardened all the more and he stubbornly refused to release the Israelites. God allowed this to happen so that He could judge Egypt.

The shadow history and its reality

Through the tenth plague, God decided to kill every firstborn of Egypt—both men and animals. He appointed the fourteenth day of the first month, by sacred calendar, to carry this out. God did not want the firstborns of the Israelites to die along with the firstborns of the Egyptians. So He commanded the Israelites to put the blood of a sacrificed year-old lamb on their door frames. (Exodus 12:1-14 )

The blood of the lamb became the sign of God’s people. The destroying angels passed over the Israelites’ houses where the blood had been painted. This day was called Passover, meaning that the disaster would “pass over” those who had the sign. That evening, the Israelites put the lamb’s blood on their door frames, ate its roasted meat, and prepared to go on a journey. As the Israelites waited, loud wailing could be heard throughout Egypt. All of the firstborns of those who did not celebrate the Passover, including the firstborn of Pharaoh, were killed.

That very same night, Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and told them to leave Egypt. The Egyptians, who suffered all kinds of plagues, wanted the Israelites to leave their land as quickly as possible and even gave them clothing and articles of silver and gold. The Passover was the day when God freed the Israelites from the slavery of Egypt. This was a shadow of the things to come. In the New Testament times, the Passover is the feast that God chose to deliver His people from their bondage of sin and death.

Being Freed from Sin through the Passover

In order to go back to our place in the Kingdom of Heaven, which we lost because of our sins, we must first be forgiven for our sins. The Passover is the truth of God through which we can receive the forgiveness of our sins and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Luke 4:17-21 ….. “He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners ….., “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Some may ask, “What are men captive to?” Jesus freed His people from their sins and from the devil’s power through His precious blood, the blood of the Passover Lamb. (John 8:34)

Matthew 26:17-28 …So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover… Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

The history of the Israelites—who entered the desert of Sinai after being emancipated from Egypt through the blood of the Passover lamb—reveals that, in the New Testament times, the people who eat the flesh of Jesus, the Passover Lamb, and drink His blood will enter the spiritual desert and make their way towards God’s promised land, after being freed from their sin (1 Corinthians 10:1-12).

The Last Plagues and the Passover

It is only through the Passover that we can be saved from God’s last plagues. (Matthew 24:37-39, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3)

The most urgent thing now is for us to listen to the news of salvation. Let’s study the verses in the Bible that show us how we can escape the last disaster. If anyone does not believe God’s message of salvation, he cannot obtain eternal life from God, even though he may try to seek salvation by his own means—such as making an underground shelter, going to another planet, or fleeing to a peaceful country. These are merely temporary methods to hide from danger. In regard to this, some prophets prophesied as follows;

Zephaniah 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the LORD’s wrath.

Amos 9:2-4 “Though they dig down to the depths of the grave, from there my hand will take them. Though they climb up to the heavens, from there I will bring them down…….”

We have to follow God’s guidance.

Now the time has come to study and to follow the way of salvation, according to God’s guidance, as displayed in the prophecies of the Bible, instead of seeking man’s ways. In order to give salvation to those who believe in the prophecies, God has allowed the history of ancient times to serve as a shadow with the purpose of revealing what will happen at the end of the age.(Exodus 12:12-14)

In Hebrews 11:28, it is written, “By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.” This means that no destructive plague was brought upon the houses where the blood of the Passover lamb had been sprinkled, thus becoming a sign for the destroying angels to recognise God’s people. The power of the Passover will be revealed when the last plagues are brought upon the earth and those who keep the Passover, according to the new covenant established by Jesus Christ, are saved.

Christ Ahnsahnghong Restored the Passover of the New Covenant

The Passover was abolished at the Council of Nicea in AD 325. After that time, the Passover completely disappeared from the world. Who on earth can have eternal life since the truth of life was abolished? This is why Jesus promised that He would come a second time to restore the Passover.

Hebrews 9:28 …so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Ahnsahnghong restored the Passover of the new covenant, which had been abolished. Who must Ahnsahnghong be?

Isaiah 25:6-9 On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich foods for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine…..  he will swallow up death for ever. . In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God……be glad in his salvation.

Ahnsahnghong, who restored the Passover of the new covenant, is the Second Coming Christ who appeared in accordance with all the prophecies of the Bible..

God Promised to Give Us Eternal Life through the Passover

All men desire to have eternal life, but do not have the power to grant eternal life. Just as God saved the Israelites during the Exodus, only God is able to give us salvation and eternal life. Then, how will God grant us eternal life? God gives us salvation through the blood of Christ (1 Corinthians 5:7), which was represented by the blood of the Passover lamb during the time of the Exodus.

John 6:53-55 Jesus said to them, “……Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, ……..”

Jesus promised that the bread of the Passover was His flesh and that the wine of the Passover was His blood.

Matthew 26:17-28 …So the disciples ….. prepared the Passover… While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it,……, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took the cup, ……., saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins.”

We want to receive the flesh and blood of Jesus, which is given to us through the Passover, because Jesus is life. He promised that, when we eat His flesh and drink His blood, we will live forever. Since Jesus said, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53), how can we receive eternal life unless we celebrate the Passover?

Jesus Called the Passover the New Covenant

Jesus promised to give us eternal life through the Passover of the new covenant.

Luke 22:7-20 ………. “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”

Through the new covenant Passover that Jesus Christ established, we have eternal life. Through Christ’s mercy, we understand that Jesus is God, since only God can give eternal life. In our time, the Passover—the way to receive eternal life—was given to us, once again, by Christ Ahnsahnghong. Since Christ Ahnsahnghong is the one who allows us the forgiveness of sins and eternal life, He has showed us that He is God Almighty who came a second time to save His children. Let us give thanks to Christ Ahnsahnghong and celebrate the Passover to receive the forgiveness of sins and eternal life!