THE FEASTS OF THE LORD God is a ‘righteous’ God. Man is born a ‘sinner.’ These are polar opposites. Man has no righteousness in him. He can try to demonstrate righteousness with outward actions , but inwardly he is nothing but sin. As the apostle Paul said, Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing : for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not It is for this reason, that anyone who is born of Adam, cannot be a child of God . And for this same reason, those who were born of the natural genetics from the man ‘Israel’, cannot be the eternal people of God . As our Lord Jesus Christ told Nicodemus; “ye must be born again.” God chose the genetics of Israel out from among the nations starting with Abraham, for two reasons; to prove for all eternity that He cannot make His eternal people from Adam , and to also make manifest the humanity of God Himself The humanity of the Son of God would provide the way to be “born of God.” Only those “born of God” can be the eternal people of God. This is ours by faith alone. God cannot dwell with those born of Adam. This was shown plainly to the children of Israel through the tabernacle in the wilderness. In order for man and God to dwell together for all eternity, a ‘natural born’ man must become identified as being joined to a ‘different posterity’ from that which he was born. And for this reason, our Lord Jesus Christ was made manifest from the humanity of Abraham, Isaac, Israel (Jacob), from the tribe of Judah, through David’s loins, born in Bethlehem. It was for this reason God called the children of Israel , “My people.” God’s humanity through our Lord Jesus Christ was necessary for Him to be a ‘kinsman redeemer’ , so that the children of Israel might be redeemed from being of the posterity of Adam However, He is not their ‘kinsman redeemer’ only, but ours also. The covenant of law was given to those who were of the ‘genetics’ of the man Israel. This was the nation, Israel. The covenant of law called for them to live up to the righteousness of God , still being of the posterity of Adam. This is ‘ Israel after the flesh .’ It is an impossible task to live up to the righteousness of God in the flesh And this is how God used Israel to prove for all eternity that He cannot make a n eternal people from Adam God proved this fact by giving Israel the ‘Covenant of Law.’ 1 As the apostle Paul said, Rom 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Rom 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin This ‘knowledge of sin’ proved that man had a ‘heart’ problem that he cannot change. B ut a man can realize this truth , only if a man will consider it from God’s righteous point of view , and then accept the verdict. Because of mankind’s heart problem, his outward actions are always the fruits of a deceitful and desperately wicked heart, even when he ‘thinks’ they are righteous acts. It is Jeremiah who points out..., Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Yes, who can know it? The natural man certainly does not want to know it. And this is why some men think ‘most’ of their outward actions are righteous, when indeed none of them are Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. This is proven with the ‘many’ in Matthew Chapter 7, who think they have performed righteous acts through motivation or discipline. Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord , shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord , have we not prophesied in thy name ? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works ? Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity These people have been genuinely ‘ deceived .’ They were ‘steadfastly sure ’ in this life that their actions were ‘in the name of the Lord’ They were ‘confidently sure’ that their works were ‘righteous works’ in the “name of the Lord.” Yet, what they perceived as ‘righteous works’, were indeed “iniquity.” Their heart had deceived them. The goats of Matthew Chapter 25 also prove man’s total inability to produce any outward work that is righteous before God . A man can indeed be seen as righteous by other men, but not with God. This we see in the ‘goats.’ (Vs.33) Mat 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 2 Mat 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations : (not just Israel) and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: Mat 25:33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left Mat 25: 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand , (the goats) Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire , prepared for the devil and his angels: Mat 25:42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: Mat 25:43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Mat 25:44 Then shall they also answer him , saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred , or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Mat 25:45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. Mat 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment : but the righteous into life eternal. Verse 44 is very telling. These ‘goats’ challenge the Lord Jesus Christ to name a time when they “did not” do these works! They were completely convinced in their minds that they had ‘worked righteous works.’ They had never truly admitted God’s definition of sin , which is far more than outward actions. Sin is a matter of the ‘heart’! They had adopted ‘ their definition s ’ , not God’s definition s of sin and righteousness. Therefore, they did not put their faith in Christ to do it in them, they instead tried to do it ‘for’ Him. And they ‘thought’ they were successful. They were just as deceived as the Pharisees of old. They were still legalistic in mind. Even though they thought they had , they never truly let the Covenant of Law teach them the knowledge of sin. The Covenant of Law was designed by God to start with outward actions , and move a person’s awareness of those wicked actions ‘inwardly’, in order to see our deceitful and desperately wicked heart as the ‘source’ of the outward actions. The man who is made aware, is now humbled, and admits that he is blind Only the man who realizes it and admits it , will God lift his blindness. Just like the “many” in Matthew chapter 7, and the “goats” in Matthew chapter 25, it is those who ‘think’ they can see, who will remain blind Joh 9:39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see ; and that they which see might be made blind Joh 9:40 And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also ? Joh 9:41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say , We see; therefore your sin remaineth 3 The covenant of law was designed by God to cause man to end up looking at his heart, not just his actions . The problem with man’s ‘deceitful heart’ is however, that he can indeed be somewhat successful in ‘clean ing up’ his outward actions, and therefore NEVER truly consider his deceitful and desperately wicked sin laden heart. This is the Pharisee, who truly thought he had ‘turned from sin.’ Our Lord Jesus explains it in Matthew chapter 23. Mat 23:25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess Mat 23:26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also Mat 23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward , but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness Mat 23:28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men , but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity From this verse we can realize that man can indeed find a carnal measure of success in turning from the ‘outward manifestations’ of sin. Yet it counts for nothing, because man cannot change his ‘inside’ one whit. This is what God is concerned with . Man cannot change his heart. Yet, “many” think they ‘should’ and ‘can’ , maybe even ‘think’ they ‘ have ’ These people have been deceived by the very ‘heart’ that they were born with. This heart indeed, follows Adam’s posterity. (Deut. 5:29) W e cannot change our heart; therefore, w e cannot truly turn from sin . If we could turn from sin, our Lord Jesus would not have needed to die We cannot dedicate, or vow to God to stop sin ‘in’ us, else Jesus Christ is of none effect. Many people yet today are still placing themselves under the performance - based system of LAW for ‘forgiveness and fellowship’ with God. But neither ‘forgiveness’ nor ‘fellowship’ are based upon what we do or don’t do before God. Both forgiveness and fellowship with God the Father are based upon the faith of Jesus Christ Paul explains in Galatians 2:16. Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ , even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ , and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. Our faith cannot produce righteousness. Only by putting our faith in the faith of Jesus Christ , (who has ‘performed’ righteousness before God), can we be reconciled to God’s righteousness , (forgiveness of sin) and also find forevermore fellowship with God. Our performance can do nothing. 4 So, it is by putting our faith in the object of our faith ; Jesus Christ, that we are saved. Yet, God did not save the part of a person that wants to perform righteousness and turn from sin. That person has died , whether they know it or not. Yet dead men are still trying to perform for God today. If that person has not died in their mind, then he will still ‘try’ and maintain his salvation , even try to maintain his fellowship with God through his performance before God. But our salvation and fellowship with God has been established on a much higher plain than our fleshly performance of cleaning up the ‘outside’. Paul says, Gal 3:2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith ? Gal 3:3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh ? The very person who is trying to earn, or maintain his salvation and fellowship with God is who God killed in the person of His Son at Calvary. Notice Paul, Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I , but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God , who loved me, and gave himself for me. Notice the “...yet not I,” Paul is not living any more. He does not credit his own faith but Christ’s faith. The man who was trying to perform well enough to get saved, and form a fellowship with God, God put ‘in’ His Son on the cross and killed him there. Gal 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law , (that is me turning from sin.) then Christ is dead in vain. Righteousness is what it takes for both salvation and fellowship with God. And this is the higher place upon which our Lord Jesus established, and maintains our salvation and fellowship with God. But for the man who is still trying to ‘maintain’ through his own ‘performance’, Paul says, Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? And this is the desperate and destitute place the Covenant of Law left Israel “after the flesh .” It was an impossible obligation to become righteous ‘in the flesh’ through turning from outward sin. Just as us today, they needed our Lord Jesus Christ to “perform” the law for them. And this is where the Ordinances given to Moses in the mount come alongside the ‘Covenant’ of Law . The Covenant of Law was made first, and then afterward , God provided the Ordinances. The ‘Covenant’ was man’s impossible obligation to God. The ‘Ordinances’ were God’s solution of mercy, pointing toward His grace, for those who would allow the Covenant to humble them For those who would not allow the Covenant of Law to humb le them, they remained blind hypocrites 5 Feasts and Sabbaths The Ordinances were not the solution in and of themselves, but were a ‘temporary’ solution , until that “Promised Seed ” would come , and be that ‘eternal ’ solution . These Ordinances would only ‘cover’ sin, not ‘take it away.’ The Ordinances were ritualistic practices that would point to God’s eternal solution for the impossible covenant of law. They would point to our Lord Jesus Christ. The feasts and Sabbaths that Israel was to observe under the Ordinances , were ‘shadow pictures’ of not only ‘WHAT’ God would do for all mankind through His Son, but His TIMING in doing so. The Sabbaths pointed Israel and us, to the fact that man must ‘rest’ , just as God rested on the 7 th day. It pointed Israel to the ‘reason’ God refashioned this earth in 6 days. God did so in view of His Son. Therefore, man also must ‘stand still , ’ and do no works Standing still takes FAITH Faith is what it takes for man to be ‘identified’ with the ‘right posterity’ , which is of God Himself It is this posterity which a man must be identified with, in order to be the ‘eternal’ people of God God’s Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, would ‘come’ to this earth and do it all for us, as we simply ‘rest’ and place our faith in His righteousness and faithfulness . Once again, as the apostle Paul says, Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ , even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ , and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified Yes, God’s plan from before the foundation of the world was that our Lord Jesus would COME, and do it all for us. And we should realize that God is a God of order and precision He has precise timing for His Son to come to earth. And this timing is included in the “Feasts of the LORD.” His feasts, that Israel was to observe, not only pointed in a ‘shadowed’ way to ‘what’ God would do through His Son, but God’s timing in performing it as well. This is to be realized even in the Hebrew word translated ‘f easts.’ Lev 23:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Lev 23:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts (H4150 ) of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts The following is the definition that Strong’s Dictionary gives for H4150 ; 6 H4150 mo - ade', mo - ade', mo - aw - daw' From H3259 ; properly an appointment , that is, a fixed time or season ; specifically a festival ; conventionally a year ; by implication, an assembly (as convened for a definite purpose); technically the congregation ; by extension, the place of meeting ; also a signal (as appointed beforehand ): - appointed (sign, time), (place of, solemn) assembly, congregation, (set, solemn) feast, (appointed, due) season, solemn ( - ity), synagogue, (set) time (appointed). Total KJV occurrences: 223 Indeed, God would keep His appointments that He Himself set for His Son to come to this earth We should note that these were not Israel’s feasts , but the “Lord’s Feasts.” Israel was to observe them in their due season, reminding them of their status as God’s ‘temporal earthly’ people. It would be ‘from the humanity of Israel’ , that the Son of God would be made manifest to this earth. This is why Israel was to observe the ‘Lord’s feasts.’ And this is the reason God took Israel out of bondage from Egypt. God was keeping His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in that the ‘Promised Seed’ to come , from the genetics of Israel, was now underway. This is why God redeemed the nation Israel from the bondage of Egypt and Pharaoh. It pointed toward mankind’s redemption from the bondage of sin and Satan, through our Lord Jesus Christ. This is why we read, Exo 4:22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son , even my firstborn: Exo 4:23 And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn. Our Lord Jesus was in view with that statement. He is ‘true Israel.’ So, it should not surprise us that while the nation Israel was yet in Egypt, God would start to reveal His plan of redemption , and the timing of that plan. Exodus chapter 12 is where we find NOT the ‘first REAL Passover’, but the first ‘shadow picture Passover.’ We will come to understand later in these lessons when the one and only ‘REAL’ Passover took place. Note Exodus chapter 12, verses 1 and 2. Exo 12:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, Exo 12:2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months : it shall be the first month of the year to you Note how this passage in Hebrews chapter 1 is relevant to Exodus 12:2. Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds ; 7 The word ‘worlds’ is the Greek word aiōn It means ages or time Time is certainly the issue in Exodus 12:2. It is ‘God’s tim ing .’ In Genesis chapter 1 when God said, “Let there be Light”, it was a proclamation concerning His Son coming into the world, to fulfill the Father’s purpose of redemption for mankind. God needed Adam to do what Adam did to his posterity, so that God’s plan for His Son’s posterity could be realized. Note here in 1 st Peter chapter 1, God’s plan before Adam was even made from the dust of the ground. 1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ , as of a lamb without blemish and without spot : 1Pe 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world , but was manifest in these last times for you, So, we should realize that God’s plan which He made before the foundation of the world, was not only based in the blood of His Son, but His plan included the humanity from which His Son would come. It is the nation Israel, from which the humanity of our Lord Jesus would come, even the tribe of Judah, even the seed of David. It should become obvious, (as Hebrews 1:2 points out) that not only the ages were formed ‘in view of’ the Father’s purpose in His Son, but the creation itself is formed ‘in view of’ the Son of God. And this is what God is telling Moses in Exodus chapter 1 2. Again, He tells Moses, Exo 12:2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months : it shall be the first month of the year to you This is about God’s timing Israel was to follow a ‘new calendar.’ And beside even that, they were to follow the ‘24 - hour day’ as God had designed it to be Today, in our culture, we do not follow the ‘24 - hour day’ as God designed it for Israel. Note in Genesis chapter 1 how God designed the ’24 - hour day.’ Gen 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day God designed the 24 - hour day ‘in view of’ the nation Israel, and His timing for His Son to come. We should note that the ’24 - hour’ day started with “the evening.” And this is how Israel was to also count their day. Their day started “at even”. When the sun went down, a new day started for Israel. This was ‘God’s timing’ for the 24 - hour day, and it is vitally important to understanding how God wanted Israel to represent His timing. As His people, (the people from whom He would realize His humanity), Israel was to represent all aspects of God’s plan and purpose in His Son 8 Therefore, it is vitally important to understand ‘God’s timing’ for the 24 - hour day , in order to understand the Feasts of the LORD . From Exodus 12:2, we see that the genetic nation of Israel is to now start keeping God’s time . Not only were their ‘days’ to begin differently, but their ‘calendar’ was also different. It would reflect God’s timing in sending His Son . From what we read in Exodus chapter 12, we should realize that God is showing Israel that He will now become proactive in fulfilling the ‘promise d Seed to come’, through the humanity of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. All the events that occur with the nation Israel, point us to some aspect concerning our Lord Jesus Christ. Exo 12:3 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 an house: It is important to note that they were not to do this activity on the ‘ninth’ day, nor the ‘eleventh’ day. That would not represent God’s timing at all. God’s timing for His Son is precise . Before we understand why it was the ‘tenth day’, let’s read on in the text. Exo 12:4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour 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. Exo 12:5 Your lamb shall be without blemish , a male of the first year : ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: Exo 12:6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month : and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening We should realize that they were to separate this lamb from the rest of the herd. And if you ‘separate’ it at the beginning of the 10 th day, and watch it for ‘blemishes’ until the ‘evening’ of the 14 th day, you would have been observing the lamb for 5 days , for ‘faults.’ The ‘perfect’ lamb was then to be killed at the end of the 14 th day “ in the evening” (3PM to 6PM). Not only do we see the timing of God the Father, (“sparing not His own Son, but delivering Him up for us all,”) we also see the person of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. He is without spot or blemish , just as His eternal people will be , because His eternal people will be of His Body . His eternal people will be gathered together as ‘one assembly’ when Christ returns, and the graves are opened in resurrection. This will be the manifestation of the “church which is His Body .” Paul explains it. Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church , and gave himself for it; Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word , Eph 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot , or wrinkle , or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish 9 Obviously, this is what not only the shadow picture Passover lamb needed to represent, but our Lord Jesus must be also, so that His eternal people might be, “like Him” ... “without blemish.” 1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God , and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him ; for we shall see him as he is. This was the representation of the Passover lamb. Just as we read in John chapter 1 the words of John the Baptist. Joh 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God , which taketh away the sin of the world We can now realize that our Lord Jesus was ‘watched’ for blemishes and fault , for the duration of 5 days, before His crucifixion. In John 12:1 we read, Joh 12:1 Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. This was when Mary anointed the feet of our Lord Jesus in preparation for His death. This took place 6 days before the Passover lamb was to be killed. Indeed, even the ‘REAL’ Passover Lamb. And then we read in verse 12, Joh 12:12 On the next day (day 5 and counting down ) much people that were come to the feast , when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, Joh 12:13 Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord From verse 12 we can know that the day that our Lord Jesus sat on that colt, riding into Jerusalem, it was 5 days away from the killing of the spotless Passover Lamb . Yes, the King had come . But in His first coming, He came as “The Passover Lamb.” This is His first coming in lowliness and humility , for the purpose of being that REAL Passover Lamb. Next, we read in John chapter 12, Joh 12:14 And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written , Joh 12:15 Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt Verse 15 is a quote from Zechariah 9:9, which reads like this, Zec 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation ; lowly , and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. This was not the ‘salvation’ the carnally minded leaders of Israel were looking for. They wanted the powerful King which the ‘prophets’ promised would come. They had missed Messiah’s ‘first coming’ as being ‘lowly.’ But God’s timing was proceeding right on schedule 10 The Lamb had come, and was about to be watched for 5 days . Riding into Jerusalem in ‘lowliness’ on a ‘colt’ was a far different scenario from when our Lord Jesus will return at His 2 nd coming. Notice His 2 nd coming. Rev 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse ; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True , and in righteousness he doth judge and make war Rev 19:12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. Rev 19:13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. Rev 19:14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses , clothed in fine linen, white and clean. Rev 19:15 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. Rev 19:16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS This is yet to come on God’s timeline. His 2 nd coming will not be in ‘lowliness’ and ‘meekness’. At His 2 nd coming He will not be riding on a ‘colt’ , but a ‘white war horse.’ This 2 nd coming we will note in the Lord’s Feasts later in these lessons. For now, we are yet considering our Lord’s first coming. He needed to be watched for 5 days, to see if He had spots, blemishes, or fault. Luke records it quite well. Read Luke 19:28 - 48 If we recall the account of the Ethiopian eunuch and Phillip, we realize that what we just read in Luke, is the fulfilling of the prophecy which the Ethiopian was confused about. The Ethiopian was reading from the prophet Isaiah chapter 53. The Ethiopian read, Act 8:32 “... He was led as a sheep to the slaughter ; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: The account in Luke 19: 28 - 38 , is the fulfilling of what the Ethiopian eunuch was reading about. In Luke 19:37 we find the Lord Jesus descending from the mount of Olives riding on the colt, being led headlong to His death . He is presented in the passage, as Isaiah presented Him, the Lamb sent from God , heading straight for the slaughter When we ‘connect the dots’ found in the Old Testament, we find the Passover lamb in the rituals of the ordinances, and the lamb in Isaiah 53:7, to be the same lamb . This is what the leaders of Israel did not know , and therefore did not teach in the synagogues. Luke 19:38 is a quote from Psalm 118:26. These people were quoting Psalm 118:26 11 Psa 118:26 Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD. But did they understand what they were quoting? It seems they did not. Maybe if they had also quoted the next verse in Psalm 118, they might have realized what was happening. Note Psalm 118:27. Psa 118:27 God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar. He was heading into Jerusalem as the ‘Passover Lamb’, the “sacrifice” provided by God. In Luke 19:38, the people are actually quoting or singing out loud the prophecy of Psalm 118, which our Lord Jesus at that time was fulfilling Verses 43 and 44 then describe events just before His 2 nd coming which are Feasts of the Lord that have not yet been fulfilled to this day. We will examine this later in the lessons. The problem was that the people did not understand what the prophets had written about concerning His 1 st coming . Nor did they understand that the Feasts of the Lord had also been pointing them toward both His 1 st and 2 nd coming . Our Lord’s ‘coming’ is referenced in verse 44, as His ‘visitation.’ Luk 19:44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou _____________ ______ the _____________ of thy ________________________ They did not recognize the ‘time’ which was at hand. These were the 5 days of watching the lamb. And on each of these 5 days we read that the ‘real Lamb’ was teaching in the temple. Luk 19:47 And he taught _____________ in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him , It was through His teaching in these 5 days, that they were trying to find ‘fault.’ They were looking for a ‘spot’ or ‘blemish’ in His teaching, or His actions, whereby they might condemn Him. Of course, what happened aligned perfectly with God’s timing. T his is why verse 48 says what it does. Luk 19:48 And could _______ __________ what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him. As verse 47 states, they wanted to find opportunity to “destroy Him”, but God’s timing was not yet at hand. The 5 days of observation to find spot and fault, must be fulfilled Read chapter 20:1 - 8 . Verse 1 says, Luk 20:1 And it came to pass, that on ________ of __________ ________ , as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders , 12 As is noted in the first part of verse 1, the event recorded in verses 1 - 8 happened on ‘one’ of ‘those 5 days.’ We should note who it was that was observing the ‘Lamb’ for 5 days. It was the “ chief priests ... the scribes ... with the elders .” This is very significant. They were the very ones who were to ‘study’ and ‘teach’ about the ‘ordinances of the law.’ It is in the ‘ordinances’ we find the ‘Lord’s Feasts.’ They were completely ignorant of the truth of God , yet were the ‘intellectuals’ in Israel who were to study and teach the scriptures. They had no idea of the truth of God. And as we can see from this section of scripture (Lk. 20:1 - 8), they were trying to find fault in Him yet could not By their answer in verse 7, we see that they had nothing whereby to find fault. Read Lk. 20:19 - 26 Once again in verse 19, we find that God’s timing had not yet arrived. They “ sought to lay hands on Him ”, but could not. Then in verse 20 we see the real Lamb sent from God being ‘watched.’ Luk 20:20 And they ________________ him, and sent forth __________ , which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor. Verse 26 then states, Luk 20:26 And they __________ _______ _________ __________ of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace. This is another way of saying they could not find fault or blemish in His words with which to destroy Him. No fault is found in the ‘real’ Lamb. Read verses 27 - 40 The Sadducees were another sect of the leaders of Israel. They too taught the people. They too were trying to find a ‘spot’ or a ‘blemish’ in the real Lamb sent from God . But once again, we find in verses 39 and 40, that they could find no fault in Him. Luk 20:39 Then certain of the scribes answering said, Master, thou hast well said Luk 20:40 And after that they durst not ask him any question at all The leaders of Israel were desperately trying to find fault in the real Lamb. Scripture records why it was that they were so desperate. Speaking of Pilot, scripture says, Mat 27:18 For he knew that for envy they had delivered him. So, out of their envy, desperation grew in them to find fault in the Lord Jesus. But desperation will never lead a man to the truth. They eventually found what they ‘perceived’ as a fault. His claim to be the Son of God was considered to be ‘blasphemy’ toward God. And inde ed, such a claim would be blasphemy, if it came from any other man 13 The 5 days of watching the lamb is about to come to an end when we arrive at Luke chapter 23. Read Luke 23:1 - 4, and notice that the ‘watching’ is not limited to the leaders of Israel Luk 23:4 Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people , ___ __________ _____ ____________ in this man. We should note that the finding of fault through the examination of the Passover Lamb, is not limited to the leaders of Israel , but includes the leaders of the nations as well. The examination now extends beyond Pilate to Herod. It was the desperation caused by the leaders of Israel which caused the ‘examination’ to continue. Notice it... Luk 23:5 And they ( Leaders of Israel) were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, (Judaism) beginning from Galilee to this place. Luk 23:6 When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man were a Galilaean. Luk 23:7 And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod , who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time. But neither could Herod find fault. This is shown in verse 11. Luk 23:11 And Herod with his men of war set him at nought , and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate. Herod did not find fault in the Lord Jesus, but only considered Him as ‘nothing.’ He “set Him at nought.” In other words, the Lord Jesus was not seen as a ‘threat’, nor of doing anything ‘wrong.’ Herod considered our Lord Jesus to be a ‘fool.’ Once again, He is in the hands of Pilate. Luk 23:13 And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, Luk 23:14 Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having _______________ him before you, have found _______ ______________ in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: Luk 23:15 No, nor yet Herod : for I sent you to him; and, lo, ________________ worthy of death is done unto him. Luk 23:16 I will therefore chastise him, and release him. But Israel protested. Luk 23:20 Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them. Luk 23:21 But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Luk 23:22 And he said unto them the third time , Why, what evil hath he done? I have found _ ____ ___________ of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go. The 5 days of examination were now over. They had been ‘fulfilled’ just as was prescribed in the shadow picture ritual of the Passover. Exo 12:5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year 14 As we have just seen, the fulfilling of the 5 days of examining the Passover lamb is found in the accounts that we read in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. This is indeed where we find the ‘fulfilling’ of the feasts. However, as we continue our study, we will save the explanation of how they are fulfilled until we have learned the ‘instructions’ on how Israel was to practice the rituals found in the feasts. There is much more to track in scripture concerning the ‘fulfilling’ of the ‘Feasts of the Lord’, but we must first simply understand the order in which the particular rituals were to be conducted. We must now return to Exodus chapter 12 , to learn more about what happens after the 5 days of ‘watching’ the lamb for ‘purity.’ As we continue on in our study of the feasts, we will now simply learn in an ‘instructional way’, how Israel was to conduct the rituals found in the Feasts of the Lord. Later we will return, and consider for our Spiritual understanding, how these rituals have been fulfilled in our Lord Jesus Christ. Read once again, Exodus 12:1 - 6 The Passover We now resume with the ‘killing’ of the Passover Exo 12:6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it _____ ________ ____________ The first thing we should note from scripture is that, “the Passover” is not a ‘feast.’ That is to say, it was not a ‘feast’ by the instruction of God , but it was the ‘Jews’ who started calling “the Passover” a ‘feast.’ The Passover is a lamb . Over time the ‘religious Jews’ progressed in their minds, to where they were not ‘segmenting’ God’s instructions for the ritual of Passover. They had ‘lumped together’ the ‘ watching ’ of the lamb, the ‘ killing ’ of the lamb, and the ‘eating ’ of the lamb’, all together and called it “ the feast of Passover .” This was not by God’s instruction, but by their own inventio n. So, they called the whole process ‘the feast of Passover.’ This you will notice, if you study scripture carefully . But in order to understand the relevance of scripture, we must understand that the Passover is a lamb . Notice a few examples. Mat 26:17 Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the Passover ? (This was to ‘ eat’ the lamb .) Mat 26:19 And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the Passover (They ‘killed’ the lamb .) Mar 14:12 And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover , his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover ? 15 It is evident in scripture that the Passover is not the ‘feast’, but the lamb. Yet, the religious Jews ‘re - named’ what God had designed. Here are two examples. Joh 2:13 And the Jews' Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, Yes, to them this ritual was ‘theirs’. But in reality, the Feasts and the rituals found there, are “The Lords.” Here is a pointed example, Luk 22:1 Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover. In reality, the feast is “the feast of unleavened bread.” This we will see as we continue our study. But the ‘ segments ’ which God had designed for these rituals is vitally important for us to recognize as being their own shadow picture At Even/Evening We note at the end of Exodus 12:6, that the Passover was to be ‘killed’ “...in the evening.” Our understanding must now return to the 24 - hour day , t