"And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives."
On a night like tonight, 12 men met to observe the Passover meal. One man would betray another, the God-man, the Lamb of God. On this night, thousands of years ago, the men observed a memorial that the LORD had commanded the children of Israel to keep. It was an event, too, that had happened thousands of years ago. In both of these events, they spoke of the same Person, Jesus the Messiah. Examine Exodus 12:5-14,
5Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
6And 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.
7And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
8And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
9Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.
10And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
11And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD's passover.
12For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.
13And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
14And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.
God judged Pharaoh and Egypt experienced the greatest plague it had ever seen: the death of their firstborn. Meanwhile, death passed over the household of the Israelites (i.e., the Jews) because the blood was on their doorposts. What God did for them, Christ also did for the world. That is, He died on the cross and shed His precious and holy blood (Heb. 9:22) so that all those who believed on His name (Rom. 10:9-10) would not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16, 36).
But, before Christ died on the cross, He was severely beaten and tortured and bruised and battered. As Isaiah prophesied in that Old Testament book in chapter 53:4-5, 10, he spoke of the Messiah.
4Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
10Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
If it hadn't been for God reaching out to a lost and dying world through Jesus Christ, all of us would have been condemned to hell, and rightfully so. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).
What about you, Reader? Are you saved and glory bound? Or, are you condemned to hell and the everlasting place called the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:12-15)? It doesn't have to be that way, you know. There's a heaven to gain and a hell to shun. Make your peace with God now before it's too late.
Click here and settle your sin debt with God: I Don't Want to Go to Hell. Save Me Now Jesus!
Judgment is coming, all will be there,
Who have rejected, who have refused;
O sinner, hasten, let Jesus in,
Then God will pass, will pass over you.
When I see the blood,
When I see the blood,
When I see the blood,
I will pass, I will pass over you.
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