This is the Eleventh post from Chapter 8 of Friends With God: God’s Friendship With Israel And The Church, in which we are exploring the relationship, similarities, and differences between the Old and New Covenants.
At the first Passover, what you see is God making Pharaoh agree to release the Israelites from bondage. Up to the Passover evening, God had been putting a great deal of pressure on Pharaoh to make him give up his “ownership” of Israel, Also God was demonstrating to Israel His great power – that He was far more powerful than Pharaoh and the Egyptian gods and that He wanted to take care of them and to release them from their suffering and bondage, He wanted to give them freedom from bondage if they would become His special people. They had to show that they wanted to be released from Pharaoh’s bondage and that they did not want to follow the gods of this land, but wanted to come under the protection of God Himself.
At the Passover that Christ instituted with the disciples, He was about to engage in a monumental spiritual battle with the forces of darkness- viz. Satan in which Satan would use his human agents (like Pharaoh) to arrest and kill Christ. Christ had been demonstrating who He was for the past three and a half years to Israel and to His disciples and now was coming a time for people to choose who to follow – their religious leaders or Christ. Christ went through this battle largely unsupported by his disciples. He was ministered to by angels of God during this harrowing ordeal.
It was not until after Christ had died and returned to heaven that God sent the Holy Spirit so that people could become able to follow Christ and worship God in spirit and in truth. People now are not saved because Christ died – each one of us has to personally decide to repent and be baptised and receive the Holy Spirit to follow God for the rest of their lives.
Similarly, Israel was released from bondage and was out in the wilderness for a little while before God presented them with His laws and statutes. They were asked if they wanted to be His special people, living in obedience and loyalty to Him and for Him to take care of them.
There are two stages to being saved from Satan and his sinful system – you have to be freed from Satan by Christ and then you have to recognise Him as your God and come into a relationship of obedience with Him to receive His care and protection and to overcome sin and receive eternal life.
Some thoughts about the above post by a Friend:
At the first Passover, what you see is God making Pharaoh agree to release the Israelites from bondage. Up to the Passover evening, God had been putting a great deal of pressure on Pharaoh to make him give up his “ownership” of Israel, Also God was demonstrating to Israel His great power – that He was far more powerful than Pharaoh and the Egyptian gods and that He wanted to take care of them and to release them from their suffering and bondage, He wanted to give them freedom from bondage if they would become His special people. They had to show that they wanted to be released from Pharaoh’s bondage and that they did not want to follow the gods of this land, but wanted to come under the protection of God Himself.
At the Passover that Christ instituted with the disciples, He was about to engage in a monumental spiritual battle with the forces of darkness- viz. Satan in which Satan would use his human agents (like Pharaoh) to arrest and kill Christ. Christ had been demonstrating who He was for the past three and a half years to Israel and to His disciples and now was coming a time for people to choose who to follow – their religious leaders or Christ. Christ went through this battle largely unsupported by his disciples. He was ministered to by angels of God during this harrowing ordeal.
It was not until after Christ had died and returned to heaven that God sent the Holy Spirit so that people could become able to follow Christ and worship God in spirit and in truth. People now are not saved because Christ died – each one of us has to personally decide to repent and be baptised and receive the Holy Spirit to follow God for the rest of their lives.
Similarly, Israel was released from bondage and was out in the wilderness for a little while before God presented them with His laws and statutes. They were asked if they wanted to be His special people, living in obedience and loyalty to Him and for Him to take care of them.
There are two stages to being saved from Satan and his sinful system – you have to be freed from Satan by Christ and then you have to recognise Him as your God and come into a relationship of obedience with Him to receive His care and protection and to overcome sin and receive eternal life.