Passover is the oldest continuously observed Feast in the World – Over 3500 Years
* It was celebrated in the Wilderness [Numbers 9:1-14]
* It was celebrated when the Children of Israel came into the land of Israel [Joshua 5:10-12]
* It was celebrated during the days of King Hezekiah [II Chronicles 30] and King Josiah [II Kings 23:21-23; II Chronicles 35:1-19]
* It was celebrated after the return from Babylonian Captivity [Ezra 6:19-20]
* It was celebrated in the days of Yeshua [John 11:55]

So important was Passover that God gave an alternate date for those who were unable to observe Passover on Nisan 14. You will find this listed in Numbers 9:1-14; and II Chronicles 30:2, 15.
NO other Feast has this

In History, there are 3 Sets of Passover
1) Original Passover (First Time). This Passover consists of
- The Lamb
- The Matzah
- The Bitter Herbs (morer)- To commemorate the bitter slavery

This continued until the time of Ezra. Items were added from …
2) Ezra to the destruction of the Temple
- The four questions were added. Also added were the five cups
- The four cups were connected to Exodus 6:6-7
o First Cup – The Cup of Sanctification – “I shall take you out”
o Second Cup – The Cup of Deliverance – “I will rescue you”
o Third Cup – The Cup of Redemption – “I will redeem you”
o Fourth Cup – The Cup of Acceptance – “I will take you to Me”
- The Cup of Elijah was connected to Exodus 6:8 – “I will bring you into the land”
This continued until the destruction of the Temple in 70CE

3) In the Post Temple period until today, three more items were added to the Passover
- The Charoset
- The Roasted Egg (represented the Timid Offering – peace offering done in the Temple)
- And the “AFKIOMON”

There are three changes in the Lamb as recorded in Exodus 12:3-6, 8-11
* “A LAMB” – one out of many
“Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a house:” (Exodus 12:3)

* “THE LAMB” – the Chosen lamb
“And if the household is too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.” (Exodus 12:4)

* “YOUR LAMB” – Sacrificed for you
“Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:” (Exodus 12:5)

The Lamb is called “The Crowning Sacrifice” because of the way it was, and is, cooked

Consider this: The Bedouins in Israel today live the same way Israel would have lived in the Wilderness. If you were invited to dinner by one of them and they served you Lamb, how would it be cooked? – Texas BBQ Style?

The Lamb would be skinned and placed on a single rod standing upright in the fire. The Lamb would be pushed on that rod until the Head of the Lamb stopped it.

Question – What is the “SPIT”?
When the Lamb is cooked this way, the weakest portion of the Lamb is the 2 front legs. They are too weak and will fall into the fire. To prevent it, another rod, called a “SPIT”, is applied in a horizontal manner connecting the 2 front legs, producing a ‘Cross.’
THE ORIGINAL PASSOVER LAMB WAS CRUCIFIED!

Why is the Cup of Elijah in the Passover Seder?
It is to remind Israel of the purpose of Elijah.
* He was to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to the fathers.
* That is what God is doing by the restoration of the Torah back into the minds of His people.

What was the original message of Elijah?
I Kings 18:21 reads, “And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.”
The last day’s message of Elijah will be a call back to God and His Torah.

The “AFKIOMON” is the ‘dessert’ of the Passover. It is the last piece eaten and is to represent the Lamb sacrificed in the Temple. This is a broken piece of Matzah and was added to the Jewish Passover after the Destruction of the Temple It is the ONLY GREEK ITEM on a Jewish Hebrew Passover

Question:  HOW did a “GREEK” Item get on a HEBREW Passover?
Acts 21:20 reads“…And they are all ZEALOUS FOR THE LAW”
These Messianic Jewish Believers brought the “Lord’s Supper” and this ‘dessert’ into their Passover Seders.

When the Temple was destroyed, the Jewish Authorities took as many functions as they could from the Temple and added them to the Home. This was one of the Items added. – It represented the Lamb of Passover and is the last piece eaten during the Seder.

On Passover, three Matzahs are placed in a layered bag – one Matzah for each layer
Major Point: The Messianic Believer sees these three Matzahs in this “Matzal Tash” as
* The Father
* The Son
* The Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit)

It is the middle piece, (the Son), that is broken, wrapped, hidden, and brought out at the end. The Messianic Believers at that time saw this as the Death, and resurrection of the Messiah

The word “AFKIOMON” has two meanings “Hidden” and “I Came”
CONSIDER THIS: On Every Passover Seder, the youngest person will ask the four questions to the Leader. One of these questions is “Why is this Night So Different?” On the Passover Table, comes the Answer: “I Came”

In Exodus 6:7, it reads: “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and great Judgments”. This is the third cup – the Cup of Redemption. This cup acknowledges that the work of redemption is a work of God alone. He alone redeems His people back to Himself and removes them from the grip of Egypt.

The Doctrine of Redemption, which is the freeing of slaves into freedom, is the heart and soul of Passover. It is impossible for us to free ourselves from sin. Like Israel of old, we need someone other than ourselves to bring about our redemption.

This cup commemorates the past and symbolizes the future

In commemorating the past, this cup is drunk at the conclusion of the blessing after the meal. It represents your gratitude to God for being the one who sustains all creation.

Moses was a type of the Messiah. He prophesied that God would rise up another deliverer, and if you do what he says, you will obtain Redemption. This third cup will also become known as communion in the church

Luke 22:20 reads, “And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.”

To symbolize the future, consider this: The Hebrew word, “Ga’al” means, “to redeem, to buy back, to require bloodshed, to require bloodshed by a near kinsman.” This word in Hebrew denotes the assumption of an obligation placed upon someone to another person, or in favor of another person.

The Lamb of the Passover offering was not a sin offering. Yeshua, as the Passover lamb, did not take away your sins. The sin offering is found in the Yom Kippur Offerings.

It was a redemptive offering. God did not redeem you for your sake. God raised up a deliverer, Moses, to deliver Israel out of Egypt because of His covenant that He swore to Abraham. Yeshua came to redeem you because of that Covenant.

You have been redeemed for a kingdom, and Yeshua said He would not return until the good news of the kingdom has been preached to every nation. Redemption is a buying back that requires blood.

Remember the “Blood Avenger” that would hunt someone down and kill them? Yeshua will become, according to the book of Revelation, the “blood avenger” for everything that has been done wrong to Israel.

WHY?
It is to perform the covenant He swore to Abraham. In this context, you want Yeshua to be your High Priest, not the Blood Avenger.

Shalom