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The Redeeming Blood
“AND 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.” (Exo 12: 13)
True Churches of God the world over partake of the most solemn and important feast of God, the Passover, every year. Almost everyone understand that not partaking of it without a valid reason is to be cut off from among His people.
The Passover is so important that it is the only festival which God allowed those who missed it with a valid reason to take it on the 14th of the second month. (Numbers 9:10-11). God is not unfair, He knows the importance of keeping or partaking of the Passover.
Looking back to the first Passover, if any firstborn failed to observe the ordinance, meant death. “WHY” Because this ordinance is to be kept at the precise time and date, year after year. Keeping it late by a day means not keeping it at all. God never delays or postpones. He is always serious regarding our attendance and attitude when it comes to all His feast.
Before Partaking of the Passover, we are recommended to “examine ourselves” “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup”(1 Cor 11:28 ). It would be good for us who keep the Passover to take time to review other verses associated to this festival. Read Exodus 12, Numbers 9 and John 13 through 18 in the New Testament. These will help us in rightly dividing God's word. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God , a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of God” (2 Timothy 2:15).
God's plan is in His feasts. These feasts are Holy Days for valid reasons. Days were made Holy or sanctified for Holy use. Like the weekly Sabbath which God blessed and made Holy for man, the annual Sabbaths (feasts) were likewise blessed by God for Holy use and purpose. Both weekly Sabbath and annual Sabbaths were sanctified, they both stand or fall together.
The purpose in saying this is to make us understand the importance of taking the Passover at the right time and day. We all need to realize the value of the redeeming blood of Christ if done properly according to Scriptures. In the book of Revelation, we are introduced to a woman. It is common knowledge that woman in the Bible refers to a Church. We are also introduced to a great, fiery red dragon. We understand this great dragon to be Satan, the devil. This reminded me of a riddle given during the feast. What is greater than God, worse than the devil and if you eat it you will die. The last statement was added for confusion. The answer is, nothing is greater than God nothing is worse than the devil, and if you eat nothing, you will die.
The story included how Satan [then Lucifer] convinced all the heavenly angels assigned with him to rebel against God. The woman bore a male Child [Christ] who was taken up to God in heaven. The woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared for her by God where she was nourished for 1,260 days. Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels versus the dragon. The dragon and his demons were defeated and he and his angels were cast into the earth. This event as witnessed by Christ. Christ said in Luke 10:18, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” “When the dragon saw that he was cast to the earth he persecuted the woman. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle that she might fly to her place in the wilderness where she is nourished for a time, times and half a time [three and a half year] from the presence of the serpent. So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman that she might be carried by the flood” (Rev 12:13-15). Many are of the opinion that the flood here could mean an army.
“The earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon spewed out of his mouth. And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ (Revelation 12:16-17).
One very interesting observation is noted that the dragon made war with the rest of the woman's offspring. The question to ask is, why were these offspring left behind. These people who were left behind that the dragon persecuted during [Satan's wrath] were faithfully keeping the commandments of God, they even had the testimony of Jesus Christ.
What wrong had these people done to not go to a place of safety? Surely they had partaken of the redeeming blood of the Lamb at Passover. There is something they did wrong “what”? They kept the Passover late and on the wrong day. God said to keep it exactly on the 14th of Abib. Psalm 104:19 says, “He has appointed the moon for seasons; The sun knows its going down.” If we look at the weeks sixth sunset to say it's the start of the Sabbath, why don't we look at the waning crescent moon phase to disappear to start the new month? God has placed the going down of the sun as the precedent for starting the month. Many will be left behind for observing a late Passover. This is the error of most splintered church's of God today.
God has opened the mind of people He is working with. The purpose for writing this article is to help people see their error. It is our hope that our former brethren won't be left behind. God did not leave us helpless. His plan is to save man. He has given people who dig deep into scripture solutions and with God's spirit the answers can be found. If someone does not want to go through Satan's wrath that will start prior to God's wrath need to read and follow Revelation 12:11, “And they overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” If we study this verse closely we can see the solution to escaping the wrath of Satan. One big solution is the blood of the Lamb. This is the answer. It's true that members of the Church of God partake of the Passover. Yet it cannot be denied that many partake of this redeeming blood of the Lamb on a late date. Postponing the feasts of God or observing it using the young waxing crescent moon is a type of disobedience and not listening to the words of Moses in Genesis one. It would be good if we review again the booklet, “Postponements, Another Mystery of the Ages” and the Special Calendar edition”!! Keeping the true dates will assure all that the “Redeeming Blood of the Lamb” will enable all to overcome the Dragon.
Sotero Sonza
The LORDS TABLE
“For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which He was betrayed took bread: And when He had given thanks, He brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is My body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me. After the same manner also He took the cup, when He had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in My blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till He come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.” (1 Cor 11:23-30).
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