|
Dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus:
Messianic believer David Silver, Out of Zion Ministries, has an excellent insight on Passover in Israel this year during wartime:
Celebrating Passover in the Shadow of War
by David Silver
Leviticus 23:4 - 6 'These are the feasts of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. 'On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the LORD'S Passover. 'And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; seven days you must eat unleavened bread.
As the sun sets this Wednesday afternoon, Jewish people in Israel and around the world, as well as many Christians who have discovered the blessings of celebrating the Feasts of the Lord, will celebrate 'Passover' with friends and family. This year all public or large Passover Seders have been cancelled due to the war restrictions.
As a family we will sit around a beautifully decorated table and recount how our God set our forefathers free from slavery to the cruel Pharaoh of Egypt, and the miracle of God opening the Red Sea to allow the Israelites to pass through on dry land, before He withdrew His hand and the waters came crashing back down drowning the entire Egyptian army.
We will also thank God for the saving power of the blood of Yeshua, and the power of healing in the stripes He bore on his back (Isaiah 53:5-6). Then we will sing some Passover songs and pause to enjoy a delicious meal. After the meal we will read the final section of the Haggadah, pray the the final two blessings over the cup of wine and end the celebration with the traditional declaration "Next Year in Jerusalem."
That final declaration must have been added to the Passover celebration about 2000 years ago when the Jewish people were in exile and Jerusalem lay in ruins, but as we all know that in May 14th 1948, half of Jerusalem was back in the Jewish hands, and in 1967 the other half was taken under Jewish control.
Just as the Exodus from Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea were miracles, so was the restoration of Israel in 1948 and the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967. There are many other miracles recorded in the Bible as the history of Israel unfolded. Passover is the celebration of one of the great victories by the hand of the God of Israel.
However this Passover, like several others in the history of the Jewish people, we are at war, and in need of a victory over four of our current evil enemies, Iran, Hezbollah, the Hoghtis and Hamas which has been quietly rebuilding and re-establishing its control over Gaza. Just like the Pharaoh had a hard heart, refusing to heed the warnings of Moses, these four evil groups have also refused many warnings from Israel and President Trump, and it has already cost them dearly, as it did the Pharaoh. With much of their weaponry destroyed and most of their leaders eliminated, they still refuse to surrender and continue to fight on.
Unless something dramatic happens before Wednesday evening, this Passover will be celebrated while Israel is at war defending herself from those who seek to destroy her. That means many of or sons and daughters will not be with their loved ones at the Seder table as they will be on duty in the army, navy and air-force. That also means that those of us who are at home will be celebrating at the Passover table, ready to stop and quickly make our way to the bomb shelter if the sirens sound alerting us to a possible missile attack. After 10 minutes we will able to return to the table and carry on where we left off, thanking and praising God for another victory.
For Jewish people who still have yet to wake up to the fact that God wants them back in Israel, this Passover may also be challenging. I read in the media that many Jewish people in the nations are fearful of terror attacks this Passover by a local terror cell sent by Iran or another terror group. The torching of the four ambulances belonging to a Jewish organisation in London, was found to be a terror attack carried out by an Iranian sleeper cell. Please pray that any planned attacks over Passover and beyond will be exposed and prevented.
As Passover week begins please continue to pray for the people of Israel who have already lost loved ones, suffered injuries or lost their homes and property, and pray that God and His angels will watch over and protect Israel and Jewish people in the nations over the seven day festival.
And lets not forget the good people of Iran who have been living under 'slavery' to the evil and cruel Islamic Regime, that they too will know true freedom from their oppressive leaders, and that they will find even greater freedom in Yeshua's salvation.
And let us all remember the main element of Passover - the blood of the lamb. The original passover was initiated by the blood of the sacrificed lambs applied to the door-posts of the Jewish homes in Egypt. Some 1500 years later, on the same date in the Hebrew calendar, as the Jews prepared to celebrate Passover, Yeshua, the perfect Lamb of God died in Jerusalem and His precious blood initiated and sealed the New Covenant of salvation, for the Jewish people, and for people of every tribe and tongue on Earth.
As we approach the season of Passover and Easter, let us reach out with the wonderful news of our miracle working God, and the gift of salvation and eternal life through His Son Yeshua, our redeemer, Messiah and coming King.
SPECIAL PASSOVER BLESSING: If you feel led to send a special Passover blessing, please use the Partner With US button below.
Hag Pesach Sameach and blessings from Zion!
Hag Pesach Sameach and blessings from Zion!
PARTNER WITH USFORWARD TO A FRIEND
| 
