FRIDAY MORNING MANNA March 30, 2018
Nathaniel Fajardo email:[email protected]
Biblical Numerology: NUMBER SEVEN – Part 41
The Lesson of the Passover
QUOTE FOR THE WEEK
“If you sit in a barbershop long enough, eventually you’re going to have a haircut. – From Alcoholics Anonymous
We address what I believe are relevant signs of the times, i.e., in the cast of antitypical fulfillments of previous types—whether invaluable teaching lessons for all time and all generations based on individual and national experiences recorded in the Old Testament,or key prophecies with apotelesmatic application since the sealed portions of Daniel’s prophecies (chapters 8, 9) were unsealed (understood) in “the time of the end,” the year 1798, the prophetic conclusion of the 1,260 years of the Dark Ages, 538-1798 A.D.
Then, the longest time prophecy of the Bible ended In October 1844 of the 2,300-day/years of Daniel 8: 14. The pre-advent judgment hour had commenced, announced by the first angel’s message. After 1844 there are no more time prophecies. The last few remaining unfulfilled prophecies will take place as chronologically given but with no more specific time attached to their fulfillment, for, “It is our privilege to hasten Christ’s second coming!” Yet “time-setters” of every hue keep rising up over and over again despite failure after failure!
In the summer of 1844, Christ’s parable-prophecy of the ten virgins of Matthew 25 was fulfilled in six intense months. The midnight cry“Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him” joined the second angel’s message giving divine power to the third angel’s message that followed after, focusing on keeping the downtrodden commandments of God, the seventh-day Sabbath in particular. Since then the third angel’s message has been swelling under the Holy Spirit’s power poured out at Pentecost as the former rain that “watered the seed of the gospel of a risen Savior.” Finally the “fourth angel” of Revelation 18 likewise joins the third angel, endowing it with latter-rain power of Holy Spirit resulting in the final loud cry of the Revelation 18 angel. Shortly after earth’s final test, it’s probation closes and the seven last plagues of Revelation 16 begin to be poured upon all who stubbornly refused to accept heaven’s invitation torepent (the combined and expanded Elijah and John the Baptist messages and work) in order to receive the final spiritual sealing of God (the seventh-day Sabbath memorial of creation) in, not on their foreheads, meaning, intellectually and spiritually. Instead they deliberately chose to receive the mark of the beast (the counterfeit sabbath enforced by civil law —the destiny-determining final apostasy of union of church and state powers starting in America and quickly followed by all the “great men and kings of the earth.” Revelation chapters 13, 14.
The reader must have already noted since the outset of this column, that I am merely fulfilling my little part in helping uphold and intensify interest and involvement in the all-encompassing three angels’ messages of Revelation 14 entrusted to the “commandment-keeping saints.”
Inspiration reiterates that the three angels’ messages given in their order yet combined are specifically the end-time continuation and antitypical work and messages of Elijah in the Old Testament, expanding to that of John the Baptist in the New Testament who prepared the way for the first coming of Christ as the prophesied Messiah. John’s appearance was prophesied by both the gospel prophet Isaiah and in Malachi, the book of the Old Testament.
“The prophet John was the connecting link between the two dispensations. As God’s representative he stood forth to show the relation of the law and the prophets [of the Old Testament] to the Christian dispensation. He was the lesser light, which was to be followed by a greater. . . . . Christ and His mission had been but dimly understood as typified in the shadowy sacrifices [including the Passover]. Even John had not fully comprehended the future, immortal life through the Savior.”- E.G. White, Desire of Ages, p. 220.1940
Before we address the Passover in more detail within the broad contextual bandwidth of our long-running series, I join the few who heaved a sigh of relief that we didn’t’ “sit around” the social media “barbershop” long enough” to eventually sign up with Facebook—which became the global social media juggernaut, practically overnight since it was launched February 2004 by founder Mark Zuckerberg, a Harvard student.
It seemed almost everyone I knew, except myself, after 2005 and on to 2009 were signing up to Facebook. Zephora Digital Marketing (updated March 18), says on its website: “Worldwide, there are 2.13 billion monthly active Facebook users for Q42017 (Facebook MAUs) which is a 14 percent increase year by year.” Now juxtapose that with the factoid that earth’s current population is over 7.6 billion.
Ooowow! as our 19-month old grandson blurts out when his yet infant and uncorrupted mind is impressed by anything or anyone. Indeed, Facebook is way too big to ignore. But is it really too big to fail? Here’s still-developing news, and I quote Time magazine, Mar. 26, 2018 10: 21 AM post. “Facebook Admits It May Collect Data About Your Calls and Text Messages . . . “ by Alicia Langone. Read on:
“Just as Facebook has been trying to overcome a user data scandal involving the U.K. political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, the world’s largest social media company is again under fire for practices related to overreaching data collection.
“Facebook acknowledged Sunday that for years it has been collecting the call and text history of users who own Android phones. It says it has been doing so with users’ permission, but it’s not that simple.” Did you really know that when you signed up?
Now consider the following Time magazine news post excerpts with the headline that made me squirm: “Divorce Lawyer: Facebook Is A Cheating Machine.” “If you’re unhappy with your relationship or marriage: stay away from Facebook.” By James Sexton, Mar. 26, 2018 10: 49 PDT, Time Magazine. James Sexton, Esq., is a divorce lawyer and author of the forthcoming If You’re In My Office, It’s Already Too Late: A Divorce Lawyer’s Guide to Staying Together.” Here’s some excerpts:
“Facebook is the single greatest breeding ground ever for infidelity. . . . Facebook is foreplay. It facilitates adultery and infidelity generally. It gives you the means, the excuse, and the cover to communicate with people you have no reason, no business to talk to . . . . Oh, and in case you’re interested: Every status you post on Facebook may be used against you in a court of law. In addition to those terms of service that everybody agrees to and nobody reads (not even lawyers), there should be some Facebook Miranda rights that are read to you when you sign up (read for yourself the scary portion that follows).” Sexton continues:
“I quit Facebook a year ago, and when people ask me why, I tell them candidly: I don’t want to look in people’s windows anymore to see what they’re doing. Even if they want me to. Especially if they want me to.
“Don’t waste your life crafting an advertisement for how great your life is. Get out there and live a great life.” (end of excerpt quote).
Aww! Excellent advise, admonition, and warning from a divorce lawyer addressed to all using their Facebook account “to look into other people’s windows” instead of spending diminishing time “storing the mind with the precious truths of the Bible” in preparation for the ongoing searching judgment, the rapidly-approaching final test of faith, and the close of probation!
NOW, FOR OUR TOPIC: LESSON OF THE PASSOVER
How much do we really know and understand what the Passover really is other than what tradition, religions, and even the media are saying? Who originated it? What was it divinely designed to teach throughout the generations from the time it was first established on the last night of ancient Israel’s 430-year ingress in Egypt—earth’s first atheistic empire, before the dramatic crossing through the Red Sea whose waters were miraculously parted to allow them a dry passage?
In the book Practical Lessons for the Church Today, pp. 766-767, third edition, revised and enlarged, 1902, 1914, 1926 by F. C. Gilbert, a Jewish scholar convert to Christianity, we take a quick break, as in a school break, from regular format by taking a 25-point test on the subject of the Passover, under Bible Lesson No. 7 of the book. Take your Bibles and let’s get started:
1. Just before Israel left Egypt, what command did God give to His people through Moses? Exo. 12: 3, 4.
2. What must be the character of this lamb? Verse 5.
3. When was this lamb to be slain? Verse 6, see margin also [K.J.V.]
4. What was to be done with the blood of the lamb? Verse 7.
5. Why were they to do this? Verse 13.
6. What must then be done to the lamb? Verses 8-10.
7. Who only must eat of this lamb? Verses 43-45.
8. What care must be taken in preparing the lamb? Verse 46
9. What service must be held in connection with the eating of this lamb? Exo. 13: 6, 7.
10. How was this service to be regarded? Exo. 12: 14.
11. When must this service be kept with special significance? Exo. 12: 25.
12. What was to be the effect of this service upon posterity? Exo. 12: 26, 27; 13: 14.
13. What command did the Lord give to Israel through Moses, a little later? Deut. 16: 1, 2.
14. Where was this to be done? Deut. 16: 6; 12: 11.
15. Could this Passover be observed in any other place than that which the Lord chose? Deut. 16: 5.
16. How many Passovers were kept by the Israelites in the wilderness? Num. 9: 1-3.
17. How long was it before another Passover was observed? Numbers 9: 1-3.
18. Then for how long a time did not Israel observe a Passover?—Thirty-eight years. Deut. 2: 14.
19. Why? Joshua 5: 2-9.
20. What command had God given concerning this feast? Exo. 12: 48.
21. Then what ceremony had to be performed before a person could keep the Passover?—The ceremony of circumcision.
22. But of what was this an object lesson? Deut. 10: 16.
23. 23. Why did God promise this? Deut. 30: 6.
24. Who is the real Passover? 1 Corinthians 5: 7.
25. Then what great lesson did God design to teach the people by this service? – That before a person could partake of Christ, the true Paschal Lamb, he must be converted to Jesus, or must be circumcised in the heart [See Romans 2: 25-29; 3: 1-4, N.K.J.V. recommended reading]. He must be born again. John 3: 3.
That’s a timely reason of the season to stop social networking for awhile and “search the Scriptures,” for, as Jesus declared, “These are they which testify of Me.”(John 5: 39.
(Continued next week)