Hope of Israel Ministries (Ecclesia of YEHOVAH):

Most people think of the Passover as being only a memorial of Israel's deliverance from Egypt, or of the Messiah's death on the tree. Those of us YEHOVAH God has called into His Church realize that the Passover has a fulfillment in Yeshua's death as the Passover lamb of YEHOVAH God. However, how many of us are aware that the Passover is PRIMARILY CONCERNED WITH A FUTURE EVENT, as are all of the Holy Days our Creator God has set aside to be observed by His people?

In Colossians 2 we read:

So let no one make rules about what you eat or drink, or about the subject of HOLY DAYS, or the new moon festival, or the Sabbath. All such things are only a SHADOW of things IN THE FUTURE; the reality is Christ. -- Verses 16-17.

YEHOVAH's HOLY DAYS, therefore, are SHADOWS OF THINGS TO COME in the future. Just before he instituted the New Testament symbols -- during the evening meal on the night before he died -- Yeshua himself stated:

I have wanted so much to eat this [coming] Passover meal with you before I suffer! For I tell you, I will never eat it until it is given its FULL MEANING in the Kingdom of God. -- Luke 22:15-16.

Yeshua the Messiah will eat the Passover again when it is fulfilled -- in the very near future!

YEHOVAH God's great future Passover, of which the first one is a type, HAS NOT YET BEEN FULFILLED. But it will be fulfilled in the future when the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God is brought to this earth, in POWER and GREAT GLORY, by the Lamb himself. The Messiah instituted a new memorial and a new MARK upon our lives, which is the SPIRITUAL MARK of the blood of our Passover Lamb. However, the future Passover of which Yeshua spoke, HAS NOT YET OCCURRED.

A Christian's present situation is similar to ancient Israel's when they had killed the Passover lamb "between the two evenings" on Nisan 14, and had MARKED their homes and were remaining inside on the evening of the 15th -- waiting for YEHOVAH GOD'S WRATH to envelope the Egyptians around them. We have been MARKED with the blood of Yeshua the Messiah. Like the Israelites under Moses who were waiting in their homes -- dressed and ready to leave Egypt -- we, as strangers and pilgrims (Hebrews 11:13) in this world, ARE ALSO WAITING for YEHOVAH's judgment on the world around us and for our orders to leave modern "Egypt" and head for the "Promised Land" of the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God!

We are now going through our OWN INDIVIDUAL PASSOVERS as we live out our lives in the Messiah.

The judgment upon Egypt (this world), and YEHOVAH's passover, remain FOR THE FUTURE and will occur just before the return of the Messiah to usher in his Father's kingdom. In the Passover observance each year, and in the Kiddush, YEHOVAH God's servants are showing forth the Messiah's death until he comes.

The apostle Peter warns us:

Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in IGNORANCE. But just as he who called you is holy, so BE HOLY IN ALL YOU DO, because I am holy.

Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as STRANGERS here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were REDEEMED from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious BLOOD of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. THROUGH HIM YOU BELIEVE IN GOD, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him, and so your faith and hope are in God.-- I Peter 1:13-21.

We have been REDEEMED by the blood of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. We are now IDENTIFIED by his blood. His life was given to redeem us from the EGYPT OF THIS WORLD; but this does not mean that YEHOVAH's judgment has passed over us YET.

Here we have a CLEAR WARNING that we must live our lives as children of OBEDIENCE TO YEHOVAH GOD'S LAW, living a new life that is 180 degrees from our FORMER LIFE before conversion. Back then we were controlled by the LUSTS OF THE FLESH and the IGNORANCE of YEHOVAH God' way of life. We must now be HOLY even as the Messiah and the Father are holy. If we are not -- if we do not BEAR THE FRUITS of our conversion -- we will NOT ESCAPE His judgment any more than the ancient Egyptians escaped YEHOVAH's judgment on their FALSE religion and idol worship.

We have been CALLED OUT of the false religions of this world (including apostatizing Churches of God); we now become believers in the TRUE God.

We are ADOPTED into Israel and become Abraham's children by faith. "And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Galatians 3:29). YEHOVAH, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is now OUR God; and we are His people to whom His covenants apply.

We are SEPARATED FROM THIS WORLD and its religions, which the Eternal God is going to judge in a FUTURE PASSOVER. YEHOVAH God judged the gods of Egypt on the original Passover night; and the great Passover of YEHOVAH God, yet to be fulfilled, will be a JUDGMENT UPON ALL FALSE RELIGION. The false religions of this world will then be totally DESTROYED!

Paul shows how we can be saved from this judgment to come:

But God has shown us how much he loves us; it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us! By his death we are now put right with God; how much more, then, will we be saved by him from GOD'S WRATH. We were God's enemies, but he made us his friends through the death of his Son. Now that we are God's friends, how much more will we be saved by Christ's life! But that is not all; we rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, who has now made us God's friends. -- Romans 5:8-11.

While we were STILL SINNERS and disregarding the laws of YEHOVAH God, our Saviour died for us; and we are now justified from our past guilt by his shed blood. Now we can be saved from the judgment of YEHOVAH God through him.

The judgment of YEHOVAH God speaks of the future Passover, just prior to His return (and that of the Messiah) to this earth. YEHOVAH's WRATH has not yet passed over this world and spared His own true servants. His righteous anger is yet to be visited, from which we can escape through the MARK of our Passover lamb.

Past judgments of YEHOVAH God should make us mindful of OUR RESPONSIBILITIES to our Redeemer. Jewish tradition shows that the Passover season has, throughout their history, been a TIME OF JUDGMENT. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed at Passover time, as was the city of Jericho in front of the advancing hordes of Israel. The Midian host (Judges 6:1- 8: 28) was destroyed at this time; and Sennacherib and the King of Assyria were struck down by the hand of YEHOVAH God during the days of passover. Also -- and this is very significant -- the mysterious handwriting on the wall of Belshazzar's palace appeared, declaring YEHOVAH's JUDGMENT on the city of Babylon and its subsequent downfall, right at Passover time!

YEHOVAH God's judgments are sure!

The Eternal YEHOVAH God used the PASSOVER OF 70 A.D., when He caused Jerusalem to be destroyed by the Roman armies, to MAKE CLEAR the real meaning of Passover! Yeshua prophesied of this destruction in Matthew 24 -- a few days before his death -- when the Jews' rejection of him was complete. Notice the account in the first part of the chapter:

Jesus left the TEMPLE and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its [the Temple's] buildings. "Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I tell you the truth, NOT ONE STONE here WILL BE LEFT ON ANOTHER; every one will be THROWN DOWN." -- Verses 1-2.

According to Josephus (1st century A.D. Jewish historian), the Roman armies came SUDDENLY upon the city and surrounded it during the Passover. From the known number of Passover lambs sacrificed that year, it is estimated that about 3 million people were trapped in Jerusalem. The vast majority were killed in the fighting, or by sickness and starvation. Even cannibalism occurred in the latter stages of the siege.

It must be remembered that the Church of YEHOVAH God in Jerusalem escaped from this terrible calamity because they were obeying the laws of YEHOVAH God and keeping Pentecost AT THE CORRECT TIME.

YEHOVAH punished the nation of Judah by using Passover to trap a great number of people in one place! Interestingly, the number trapped in 70 A.D. corresponds closely to the number delivered out of Egypt some 1,500 years before during the first Passover.

The Eternal God DID NOT PASS over the Jewish homes in 70 A.D., but rather He sent the Roman armies for their destruction -- just as Yeshua the Messiah prophesied! THE PASSOVER OF WHICH EGYPT WAS A TYPE, AND JERUSALEM AN EXAMPLE, IS YET TO COME!

Notice, again, what the apostle Paul says:

For there is NO LONGER ANY SACRIFICE that will take away sins if we PURPOSELY go on sinning after the truth has been made known to us. Instead, all that is left is to be afraid of what will happen: the Judgment and the fierce fire which will destroy those who oppose God! Anyone who DISOBEYS THE LAW OF MOSES is put to death, without any mercy, when judged guilty from the evidence of two or three witnesses. What, then, of the man who despises the Son of God? who treats as a cheap thing the blood of God's covenant which cleansed him from sin? who insults the Spirit of grace? Just think how much worse is the punishment he will deserve! For we all know who said, "I will take revenge, I will repay"; and who also said, "The Lord will judge His people." IT IS A TERRIBLE THING TO FALL INTO THE HANDS OF THE LIVING GOD! -- Hebrews 10:26-31.

A true Christian has but ONE SACRIFICE FOR SIN. We may have many occasions for asking forgiveness and mercy, but retribution is promised if we WILLFULLY DISOBEY!

Members of the Worldwide Church of God and others today are very CARELESS of what sin is in YEHOVAH's sight. They WILLFULLY IGNORE, or water down and pass off as no account, many things that YEHOVAH God specifically instructs us to do in the Bible. As the Israelites of old were punished for IGNORING MOSES' LAW, even we, who have been saved and justified by the blood of our Passover Lamb, will be HELD ACCOUNTABLE for any WILLFUL disobedience.

The Church of YEHOVAH God in Corinth suffered YEHOVAH's judgment for observing the Kiddush or sacred fellowship meal in an UNWORTHY MANNER. Notice Paul's account:

In the following directives I have NO PRAISE for you, for your meetings DO MORE HARM THAN GOOD. In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions [heresies] among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences [heresies] among you to SHOW WHICH OF YOU HAVE GOD'S APPROVAL. When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. Don't you have HOMES to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the Church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not!

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the BODY AND BLOOD of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks JUDGMENT on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we JUDGED OURSELVES, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be CONDEMNED WITH THE WORLD.

So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment. -- I Corinthians 11:17-33.

Let's understand one thing very clearly: The final meal Yeshua had with his disciples was NOT THE PASSOVER! The Passover was very plainly not yet come. John, in describing this final meal Yeshua had with his disciples, said, "Now BEFORE the feast of the Passover" (John 13:1). He plainly shows this meal or banquet was BEFORE the true Passover, which was scheduled to be eaten and observed the next night, Nisan 15 (John 18:18). The next day the Jews would still be "preparing" for the Passover (John 19:14, 31). Therefore, what exactly WAS this "last meal"? What few have realized, not being familiar with Jewish customs of the time of Yeshua, is that this meal could not have been the Passover, since Passover lambs would not be slain until the following afternoon, and then eaten in the homes of the Jews on the night of the actual "Passover" -- when YEHOVAH God slew the firstborn in the land of Egypt and "passed over" the Israelites -- Nisan 15. Yet obviously, this final meal was very important -- a meal of close fellowship and spiritual significance.

Most of YEHOVAH's people today have even LESS KNOWLEDGE of its meaning, and the CORRECT TIME AND MANNER in which to observe it, than the Corinthians. Paul stated that if we would be careful to DISCERN OURSELVES -- judge our own actions carefully -- we would not fall under YEHOVAH God's judgment. (I Corinthians 11:31).

YEHOVAH God is going to judge the entire earth in the future Passover, which will have many similarities to the first Passover in Egypt. The fall feasts of YEHOVAH God picture this in detail. Let us note the SIMILARITY between the first Passover and the one to come in the future:

After this I saw another angel coming down out of heaven. He had great authority, and his splendor brightened the whole earth. He cried out in a loud voice, "She has fallen! GREAT BABYLON HAS FALLEN! She is now haunted by demons and unclean spirits; all kinds of filthy and hateful birds live in her. For SHE GAVE HER WINE TO ALL PEOPLES AND MADE THEM DRINK IT -- the strong wine of her immoral lust. The KINGS OF THE EARTH COMMITTED IMMORALITY WITH HER, and the BUSINESSMEN OF THE WORLD GREW RICH from her unrestrained lust. Then I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "come out, my people! COME OUT FROM HER! You must not take part in her sins; you must not share her punishments! For her sins are piled up as high as heaven, and God remembers her wicked ways." -- Revelation 18:1-5.

The reasons for YEHOVAH's VENGEANCE AND DESTRUCTION will be EXACTLY THE SAME in the future as they were when He delivered Israel from Egypt and judged the gods of Egypt. He will judge the FALSE RELIGION spawned by ancient Babylon, which has deceived the whole world and is even now OVERTAKING THE CHURCHES OF YEHOVAH GOD. This religion of Rome has spread her false doctrines through many DAUGHTER RELIGIONS, and through religions of the East that we consider to be pagan. YEHOVAH God is CALLING His people RIGHT NOW to come out of spiritual Babylon. He will set free those who RESPOND to the call, and JUDGE modern Babylon just as He judged Egypt long before.

The people YEHOVAH God will call out of Babylon will not only be those descended from Jacob, but also those of His church who have FALLEN ASLEEP at the switch and are COMPROMISING WITH HIS TRUTH. Are you so DRUGGED and BRAINWASHED that the trumpet call of YEHOVAH God will go unheeded? Are you so DEAD to the TRUTH OF YEHOVAH GOD that you can't even recognize or discern the WARNINGS from YEHOVAH'S TRUE SERVANTS?

This, then, will be the fulfillment of Passover in the future, when YEHOVAH God will again deliver His people Israel from slavery, and will JUDGE this world's governments and religions just as He did in Egypt. At that time our nations will LITERALLY BE SLAVES to a system of government foreign to, and antagonistic to, YEHOVAH's laws and way of life.

Today, many holy days, doctrines, and symbols that originated in the ancient Babylonian religion, are KEPT by the great MOTHER CHURCH and her various WAYWARD daughters. PAGAN OBSERVANCES, such as Christmas, Easter, Sunday-worship and the various SIGNS and symbols such as the cross, the steeple, the circle or halo, ALL identify the adherents of these BABYLON-BASED religions.

It should be obvious why many people, calling themselves Christians, do not have any real knowledge of who their God is, and how to differentiate between the TRUE GOD and the gods of other religions: They have taken the Babylonian gods and observances, and ADOPTED THEM into a system of worship labeled Christian. They cannot consciously DIFFERENTIATE between their God and the gods of other religions because their IDEAS about YEHOVAH God have been BORROWED FROM BABYLONIAN SOURCES also.

People ignore the SIGN YEHOVAH God gave to Israel (the Sabbath) that would clearly identify Him, and SUBSTITUTE other holy days with different meanings. Yeshua the Messiah cannot fulfill his promise to reveal himself and his Father to them because they are NOT OBEYING THE COMMANDMENTS OF YEHOVAH GOD!

Paul exhorts:

So then, my dear friends, KEEP AWAY FROM THE WORSHIP OF IDOLS. I speak to you as sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing for which we give thanks to God: do we not share in the blood of Christ when we DRINK FROM THIS CUP? And the bread we break: do we not share in the body of Christ when we eat this bread? Because there is the one bread, all of us, though many, are one body, because we all share the same loaf. Consider the Hebrew people; those who eat what is offered in sacrifice share in the altar's service to God. What do I mean? That an idol or the food offered to it really amounts to anything? No! What I am saying is that what is sacrificed on PAGAN ALTARS is OFFERED TO DEMONS, not to God. And I do not want you to be partners with demons. YOU CANNOT DRINK FROM THE LORD'S CUP AND ALSO FROM THE CUP OF DEMONS; you cannot eat at the Lord's table and also at the table of demons. Or do we want to make the Lord jealous? Do we think that we are stronger than He? -- I Corinthians 10:14-22.

A true servant of YEHOVAH God CANNOT PARTICIPATE in the body and blood of the Messiah if he is engaged in the rituals and festivals that have come from ancient Babylon. He may physically partake of the symbols of the Kiddush or sacred fellowship meal, but Paul makes it very plain that NO ONE CAN PARTAKE OF THE CUP OF THE LORD AND THE CUP OF DEMONS. This refutes Herman L. Hoeh of the Worldwide Church of God who claims, with astonishing IGNORANCE of the scriptures, that a true Christian can have both the spirit of YEHOVAH God and the spirit of Satan -- or a demon -- at the same time! What an incredible perversion of the TRUTH! Christians who partake of the "cup of demons" show that the true meaning of the Kiddush is not within them. They are still IN SLAVERY to sin. There is no evidence, no fruits, that they have entered into the New Covenant in Yeshua the Messiah's blood.

YEHOVAH's Passover, in which those marked with the blood of the Lamb are spared, is yet future. YEHOVAH God is going to UTTERLY DESTROY this world's false religion, and the people who participate in it. At that time He will set His people free from SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL SLAVERY, and deliver the remnant of Jacob. Those of us today who are MARKED with the blood of the Messiah will be spared from YEHOVAH's WRATH, providing we truly sanctify ourselves -- set ourselves apart to be holy to YEHOVAH God.

This, then, is the meaning of the Passover observance -- both present and future. If we drink of the LORD'S CUP we are to be spared from YEHOVAH's judgment and wrath, even if we are in the midst of the people being judged at that time. True servants of YEHOVAH God who died in the past, and who came out of the world and were separate, went through their own personal Passover during their lives. They were judged during their lives so that they WILL NOT BE CONDEMNED WITH THE WORLD!

This applies to us as well -- will you HEED the warning and COME OUT of Babylon? Will you STOP drinking from the "CUP OF DEMONS" and drink only of the Lord's cup? Time is running out!

The Eternal God DID NOT pass over the Jewish homes in 70 A.D., but rather He sent the Roman armies for their destruction -- just as the Messiah prophesied!

Are you so DEAD to the TRUTH OF YEHOVAH GOD that you can't even recognize or discern the WARNINGS from YEHOVAH'S TRUE SERVANTS?

A true servant of YEHOVAH God CANNOT PARTICIPATE in the body and blood of the Messiah if he is engaged in the RITUALS AND FESTIVALS that have come from ancient Babylon.