On Monday the 18^th of April (10^th of Nisan), the Temple Institute held a re-enactment of a paschal offering, in anticipation of the approaching feast of Passover. While the Temple Institute stress that this is being performed for educational purposes only, as the actual passover sacrifice can only be carried out on the Temple Mount itself, this was a full-dress rehearsal. Kohanim, descendants of the sons of Aaron, carried out the 'offering' on the Mount of Olives beside a make-shift 'altar' directly opposite the Temple Mount area. They were dressed in priestly garments and bearing silver trumpets, manufactured by the Temple Institute in preparation for the soon rebuilding of the Jewish Temple. The event was attended by around 700 people, including several members of the Knesset.

Quote: “The practice offering included the slaughtering of a lamb, the sprinkling of the blood and the burning of fats and other parts of the lamb on the altar, and the blowing of trumpets by the Kohanim. Following the slaughter of the lamb, the singing of Hallel, the collection of Psalms prescribed to accompany the Passover offering made at the Holy Temple, was performed. The singing of Hallel was punctuated with blasts from the silvers trumpets fashioned by the Temple Institute.

In a few days time Jewish people from all over the world will once again be remembering the Passover, a time of national deliverance when the Lord saved the children of Israel out of the bondage of Egypt. Ever since, Jewish people have kept the Passover, commemorating the time when the angel of death 'passed over' them, having applied the lamb's blood to the doorposts and lintels of their houses. There is no doubt something significant must have happened for millions of people to celebrate this great event thousands of years after the fact.

But Passover actually speaks of something much greater than this. While Jewish people look backwards to a time of national deliverance from the slavery of Egypt, the Passover sacrifice itself also points forward to the coming of one who would bring in worldwide deliverance from the bondage of sin. Everything about the Passover was purposefully designed to teach the nation of Israel about the Messiah and what He would have to do in order to put away our sin once and for all.

It's very interesting that the Passover sacrifice in Exodus only mentions one lamb, an allusion to the one sacrifice that would be made by the Messiah for our sins. There is the sufficiency of the lamb in Exodus 12:4. The case is given for the household that is too little to be able to consume the lamb, but never the other way around. The lamb was be taken into the house on the 10^th day of Nisan. It was to be carefully watched for three and a half days to make sure it was without blemish. On the 14^th day of the month, the whole house of Israel was to kill it between the evenings, signifying a national involvement in the sacrifice. Those families that obeyed the Lord's command and applied the lamb's blood to their doorposts were saved.

The Lord Jesus Christ is our Passover Lamb. He is likened to a lamb in the Old Testament in Genesis 22:8 and Isaiah 53, and again in the New Testament He is referred to repeatedly as the “Lamb of God” (John 1:29, 1:36, 1^st Peter 1:19, and Revelation). He was observed by the nation of Israel for the three and a half years of His earthly ministry. 1^St Peter 1:19 says He was “without blemish and without spot”. At His trial, the Roman Procurator Pontius Pilate declared of Him on three separate occasions, “I find no fault in Him”, John 18:38, 19:4, 19:6. 2^nd Corinthians 5:21 says “He knew no sin”, 1^st Peter 2:22 says “He did no sin”, 1^st John 3:5 says “in Him is no sin”. Why was it so important that He had no sin? Was it to show how unjust His arrest and crucifixion were? No. The reason is, if Jesus Christ had sins of His own, He could never have borne the punishment for our sins and we could never have been saved. That is why God goes to great lengths to prove that His Son was truly without sin. At Passover time He was taken by the leaders of the nation of Israel to be put to death. He was put on the cross at the time of the morning sacrifice and He died at the time of the evening sacrifice 'between the evenings'. And all who by faith apply the blood of the Lamb of Calvary to the doorposts of their heart can be saved from the judgment of God against sin and have everlasting life in our promised land of heaven.

As you can see, Passover is actually one of the greatest proofs that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. It is direct evidence that it has been authored by someone who knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). The Bible may be made up of sixty-six books, but there is one unifying message throughout. A message of redemption and the forgiveness of sins. Have you trusted on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved (Acts 16:31).

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