This work explains the meaning of the Seven Great Passovers in the sequence to the coming of Messiah in the Incarnation.

Email: secretary@ccg.org

This paper is available from the World Wide Web page:
http://www.logon.org and http://www.ccg.org

In Genesis 3:15 we are dealing with the transfer of authority of the world systems to Christ and his Church (spiritual Israel), the Messianic system of the Millennium. The system is centered in Jerusalem, and the Law and Holy Days will be enforced. Because of the teaching of mainstream Christianity, the people do not keep the Law and so the understanding of the process is removed by God.

The fall of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:23-25) indicates a type of Passover. The inclusion of unleavened bread represents a sacrifice (Ex. 23:18, 34:25; Lev. 2:11). Lot had taken the rich lands of the Sodomites and Christ was showing Lot how He would take the land of the nations, and give it to Abraham’s family.

Passover 1: The fall of Egypt and the release of Israel from bondage. See the papers Moses and the Gods of Egypt (No 105) and The Passover (No. 98).

Passover 2: The second Passover was when the Promised Land was given to Israel. The children had not been circumcised during the 40 years of wandering (Jos. 5:7). This symbolised the 40 Jubilees of the Church in the wilderness from Messiah to his return as King Messiah. The falling of the circumcised in the wilderness represented Judah, who rejected Messiah, and the uncircumcised (the Gentiles) are brought into the Kingdom of God.

From Joshua 5:10-11 we see the Passover is kept on the plains of Jericho, prior to the destruction of that city.

Joshua 5:13-15 shows how the Lord, as the Captain of the Armies of God, intervened in the establishment of the people in the Promised Land.

Joshua 6:1-16 shows the Lord had given Jericho to Israel. The Passover symbolises the primary action in the fall of the nations.

Passover 3: Israel had turned to idolatry and apostasy after 40 years of peace, and God allowed them to be delivered to the Midianites and Amalekites who were cruel and destructive to the Israelites (Judges 6:1-3). The people cried out to God and He heard and sent a prophet (Judges 6:6, 8-10). The Lord God sent the Angel of the Lord (Jesus Christ; cf. Zech. 12:8; Heb. 1:8,9) who spoke to Gideon (Judges 6:12-13). Gideon does not equate their plight to their idolatry. The same could be said of our people today; they do not obey God’s Laws, and adopt false gods, and worship the things of materialism, and punishment awaits them.

The timing of the activity in Judges is related to the Passover, which the nation was not observing, having turned to false gods; namely Astarte or Ashteroth with the phallic symbols associated with the gods of fertility.

From Judges 6:20-21 we see that Christ, through His actions re-establishes the Passover, the Law. Gideon and his ten men destroyed the altar of Baal, and the people were so incensed, they wanted to kill him, because they thought it impious to cut down a false god. Joash said if Baal is a god, let him contend for himself (Judges 6:27-31). No false god can stand up to the One True God.

As today, people become upset when it is pointed out they should be worshipping God the Father, the One True God (Jn. 17:1) and not his created son, Jesus Christ.

So the Lord freed Israel from the Midianites and through this third sequence Israel was restored.

The story then takes up where David established the temple ordinances (lChr. 23:31), which lasted until Messiah. Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem and established other ordinances and sub-systems with the Temple (2Chr. 8:12-13). The underlying plan of salvation, seen in the Holy Days, does not change.

Passover 4: Israel had again fallen into idolatry under Ahaz. Hezekiah ordered the cleansing of the Levites and priests, and the clearing out of the rubbish in the Temple. It could not be restored in time for the 14 Nisan, Passover, the pollution was so bad (2Chro. 29:17). The priesthood needed to re-sanctify themselves, so that on 7 Nisan they should fast for the simple and afflicted. Hezekiah ordered sacrifices to cleanse the nation, which symbolises the falling away of the elect in the last days (the "apostasia") meaning a falling away from understanding (2Chro. 29:22-24, 30).

Thus we see the restoration of the nation (Ps. 133).

Passover 5: The fifth Passover was that of Josiah (2Chro. 35:1, 10-18); a very important Passover -- one of significant note (2Chro. 35:18). This was in the first year of a new Jubilee, or a year of return. The Jubilee can be determined from Ezekiel 1:1. This Passover was the second restoration at the Temple.

Passover 6: The third restoration was in Ezra 6:3-22. Verse 3 shows we are dealing with the House of Eloah, and its restoration. The Temple had been destroyed and Israel had been taken to a foreign land because of idolatry and disobedience to God’s Laws. Thus, the elect are dealt with on a progressive basis until the truth sinks in.

From Ezra 7:12 we see that the Law is of Eloah. We are speaking of God the Father, His will, His House and His Kingdom (Ezra 6:9-12). From Ezra 6:15-22 we see that the Temple is completed in the reign of Darius the King. This is Darius 2.

From Ezra 6:16-17 the Temple is dedicated. From verse l8 the divisions are reset after the captivity. From verse 19 we see the Passover is kept. That Passover appears to be the Passover referred to in the Passover Papyrus in the Aramaic letters from Elephantine. These 6 Passovers built up to the Messiah.

John the Baptist began his ministry from October 27 CE. Christ commenced to preach after John’s imprisonment after Passover 28 CE, which was a year of return in the new Jubilee. Christ began his restoration in the new forty Jubilee cycle.

Passover 7: God gave the Last Great Passover Lamb (Christ), to make atonement for sin, and to make an end of the world systems. This advent of Messiah marks the Seventh Great Passover. The concept of the Passover Lamb permeates the whole Bible, as Scripture shows (Rev. 21:14, 22:3), and when He comes again to take up rulership, the elect share with Him (2Pet 1:19, Rev 2:28, 22:16) in the rank of Morning Star.

A man’s life is 70 years. One has 20 years before adulthood, and 50 years (a Jubilee) in which to complete seven x seven-year cycles, being dealt with by God. The sequence of seven Passovers shows a framework of seven great cycles, within the Jubilee. In each year there are seven Holy Days. There is the sequence of seven churches and eras, in Revelation 2 and 3.

Genesis 2:9 deals with the two trees. Zechariah 4:3-6 states that these olive trees were either side of the bowl that contained the oil of the Holy Spirit. The two olive trees indicate two witnesses (Rev. 11:3 ff), two resurrections and the two advents, preceded by two prophets.

Luke 3:7-14: Good trees must bear good fruit. We must modify our behaviour and teach repentance to the world. Judah turned from Christ, and they have not brought forth fruit. The priesthood and oracles were taken from Judah, and given to spiritual Israel; thus the Church is required to perform.

Spiritual Israel is developed by the sequence of the seven year cycle as explained in Luke 13:6-9. So too a person’s life has a seven year cycle — three years for growth, the fourth year for pruning and fertilizing; the fifth year is of grace. The sixth year a person is in trial to test the growth. The seventh year is a year of rest. This is done in seven cycles with each cycle to show spiritual growth.

To develop we must work hard, so that each Passover we are ready to go on to the next stage. Our greatest asset is our relationship with Christ and being in service to God. The second asset is the relationship with each other. Let us pass over the finishing line together.