Our Easter Hope against COVID-19 with the Passover sacrifice started about 4,000 years ago as a death plague swept across Egypt as families gathered indoors to consume the Passover sacrifice for protection.

Sounds familiar?

Because today on this Easter weekend, we stay home with our families for protection as the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps across the world.

The Easter Hope against COVID-19 with the Passover Sacrifice

ORIGIN: YAHWEH’s decree against Egypt to let His people go

From the pages of the Bible:

Exodus 12:1-13 (English Standard Version)

1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. 3 Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, 6 and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.

7 “Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 8 They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. 10 And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. 11 In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.

The Passover before the crossing of the Red Sea

The Israelites were slaves in Egypt for 400 years and God (YAHWEH) sent His prophet Moses as a messenger to lead His people out into freedom with signs and wonders aka miracles.

But the Pharaoh of Egypt was unwilling so God decreed a final sentence over Egypt to force Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go.

His final sentence was a death plague that would kill all the first born of Egypt.

Thus, the Passover sacrifice was instituted and every household with the blood of the sacrificed lamb on the two doorposts and lintels would be saved from this supernatural death plague.

From the pages of the Bible:

Exodus 12:29-32 (English Standard Version)

29 At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. 30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead. 31 Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Up, go out from among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as you have said. 32 Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also!”

The next event after was the crossing of the Red Sea.

EASTER: Jesus the Messiah/Christ’s decree of His death and burial and resurrection to release all bound by sin/sickness/the devil/death

From the pages of the Bible:

Matthew 16:21 (English Standard Version)

21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.

Matthew 20:17-19 (English Standard Version)

17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, 18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death 19 and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”

Matthew 20:28 (English Standard Version)

28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

John 3:16 (English Standard Version)

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

The Passover before the death of Christ on the cross, His burial and resurrection on the third day

Just before Jesus was betrayed by Judas and arrested, He ate with His disciples one last time according to the Jewish tradition of the Passover which GOD decreed to Moses on the night of the death plague in Egypt.

We would come to know this as the Last Supper.

From the pages of the Bible:

Matthew 26:17-19 (English Standard Version)

17 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.

Matthew 26:26-28 (English Standard Version)

26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

TIMELINE so far:

Death plague of the first borns in Egypt and the first Passover: About 1300 BCE

Jesus’ Passover with His disciples before His death as the Son of God: About 33 A.D.

EASTER: Jesus the Messiah/Christ as the Passover sacrifice for our eternal salvation against Death

After the resurrection of Jesus on the third day, He appeared to two of His disciples who lost all hope and explained to them that whatever Moses did at GOD’s direction was speaking of Himself, Jesus the Christ to come some 1,332 years later.

i) Everything Moses did was pointing to the coming of Jesus the Son of God

From the pages of the Bible:

Luke 24:13-33 (English Standard Version)

13 That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” 25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

28 So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29 but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” 33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem.

ii) Jesus’ flesh and blood to be eaten as the Passover

The Passover lamb to be eaten to mark the day the Israelites were freed from slavery by Moses was a prophecy of Jesus as the Lamb of God who was coming to free humanity from the slavery of Sin, Sickness, the Devil and Death.

From the pages of the Bible:

John 6:53-57 (English Standard Version)

53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.

iii) The significance of a blood covenant

When the first Man and woman sinned against GOD, blood was spilled to cover them When GOD made an agreement with Abraham, blood was spilled. When GOD directed Moses to free His Israelites from the slavery of Egypt, He made a covenant with them that He will be their GOD through the Passover and blood was spilled. In the Old Covenant, once a year the high priest would have sacrifice one goat and release another scapegoat for the atonement of the Sins of the people and thus blood was spilled. When Jesus the Messiah/Christ wanted to free humanity from sin, sickness, the devil and death, He had to go to the cross as directed by GOD His Father to form a New Covenant to all who would believe in Him and He spilled His blood on the cross for the forgiveness of our Sins.

TODAY: Against COVID-19 this Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday weekend

Jesus the Messiah/Christ came to give us eternal life through the sacrifice of His flesh and blood on the cross and His resurrection.

Consuming the Passover as Believers of Jesus the Messiah/Christ

If you are a believer, a Christian, let us partake of the Passover with the believers of our household.

And if you would like to believe in Jesus the Messiah/Christ to gain eternal life after all that you have read above, just say these words,

“Dear Jesus, LORD, I ask for your forgiveness for all my sins, I repent from all my sins, receive me into your Kingdom I pray. I am a part of Your body, your church and I am cleansed from all unrighteousness through Your blood. From today, I am saved. Amen. Thank You Jesus.”

After you have made this prayer, find a Holy Bible to read, talk to Jesus by prayer daily and a church community to plant yourself in.

As I was saying, if you are a believer of Jesus the Christ, let us partake of the Holy Communion, the Passover together as a family of Christians to proclaim the LORD’s death till He comes.

Prepare your communion elements.

From the pages of the Bible:

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (English Standard Version)

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 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.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

All images used are from the Action Bible

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My prayer for everyone affected by the COVID-19 season one way or another