“When I see the blood I will pass over you.” ―Exodus 12:13

Those words are so precious to me. The Lord used them when I was a teenager to give me the revelation that, through the shedding and presentation of His blood, Yeshua (Jesus) – the Lamb of God – fulfilled all God’s righteous requirements in relation to my sin. And God was satisfied. There was nothing more I needed to do but believe it and trust in Him for my salvation.

That Scripture comes from the account of God’s deliverance of the Children of Israel from Pharaoh, their cruel taskmaster. That event itself and its commemoration every year became known as “Passover,” a direct reference to that verse. As Jewish people worldwide pause to observe Passover (Friday evening, March 30 – Saturday evening, April 7, 2018), we have a prime opportunity to intercede for their present-day salvation and deliverance from forces and opposition against them.

As this email is sent out, we at Jewish Voice are in the midst of a week of prayer and fasting. Will you pray for the Lord to meet with us? And during this Passover season, will you join us in praying for the deliverance of the Jewish people in Israel and around the world?

Pray that unsaved Jewish people everywhere will be delivered from:

• Spiritual blindness – Romans 11:25, Luke 4:18
• Sin – Isaiah 53, Isaiah 43:25
• The evil one and all evil doers – Psalm 91, Psalm 109:21
• Lies and liars – Psalm 140:1, Galatians 6:7

And delivered into:

• Salvation and eternal life in Yeshua – 1 John 5:12; John 3:16
• God’s hand of protection – Psalm 121:4, 2 Thessalonians 3:3
• Communities of other believers – Acts 2:42, Acts 2:47

We pray:

Lord, it is hard to realize that many Jewish people no longer observe Passover. Of those who do, it saddens us that most cannot see it is a prophetic revelation of their Deliverer, Yeshua. Abba, please remove the spiritual blindness so that they would see that the sacrifice of Yeshua covers the sin of all who believe and receive Him.  May they be delivered into salvation by Your mighty hand and outstretched arm. In Yeshua’s name, AMEN.

Thank you again for your faithful prayers,

Paula

Prayer Center Coordinator

Messianic Jews view New Covenant faith in Yeshua through a Hebraic lens. Such an understanding reveals a marvelous continuity in the whole of God’s Word spanning from Old to New Covenants. Yeshua (Jesus) died at Passover, and He rose on the Feast of Firstfruits. Messianic Jews understand that this is more than coincidence; it’s God’s sovereign design.

Passover is the commemoration of God’s deliverance of the Hebrew slaves in Egypt. Each time Pharaoh refused to let the Children of Israel go, God sent a calamity on Egypt. The 10th and final plague was the worst: the death of the firstborn. God told the Hebrews what they must do to save their firstborn. They were to sacrifice an unblemished lamb and spread its blood on the doorframes of their houses. When the angel of death came upon Egypt, he would pass over every home under the covering of the blood, and spare the firstborn. God reached into human history and delivered the Jewish people from their bondage to Egypt, setting them free to live as a people and nation unto Him.

The Feast of Firstfruits was an agricultural observance a few days after Passover in which the Israelites brought the first of their spring barley harvest as an offering to God. They were not allowed to eat of the harvest until the very first had been offered to God.

Each of the biblical Feasts of Israel established by God in Leviticus chapter 23 has layers of meaning. Many of the Feasts are commemorative, honoring God’s provision and gifts in Israel’s history, and God commanded that they be observed throughout the generations. Within each Feast is also a prophetic foreshadow of God’s future redemptive plan.

The Feast of Passover contains a shadow of Yeshua’s sacrificial death. Yeshua fulfilled the imagery contained in Passover when He shed His blood to cover our sins. He fulfilled the prophetic picture of Firstfruits when He rose from the dead, the first of the resurrection that will be completed in the Last Days when the dead in Messiah will rise. Thus, Jesus is our Passover Lamb and the firstfruits of the resurrection from the dead.

“For Messiah, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed.”

―1 Corinthians 5:7

“But now Messiah has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”

―1 Corinthians 15:20

For this reason, Messianic Jews celebrate the resurrection of Yeshua during the Feast of Passover.

So, if Jesus died on Passover and rose on Firstfruits, how did we get Easter?

Jesus’ first followers were Jewish and considered members of a sect within Judaism. But by the fourth century A.D., most of “the Church” was composed of Gentiles and had become infected with anti-Semitic attitudes. In 325 A.D., the Council of Nicea concluded with a letter to the Emperor declaring – in remarkably malicious language – that they wanted nothing to do with the Jewish people.

Though the resurrection occurred on the Sunday following Passover, the Council abandoned the Jewish religious calendar for a new “Christian” calendar built on the Gregorian system. The group declared the resurrection would be celebrated the first Sunday after the new moon following the Spring Equinox. It adopted the date of an existing pagan holiday to the goddess Ishtar and separated the Messiah’s death and resurrection from the Jewish origins of Passover and Firstfruits.

The detachment obscured the intentional correlation designed by God to reveal His redemptive thread connecting Old and New Covenants. The Council overlooked that the Gospel was “for the Jew first” (Romans 1:16) and that Gentiles are grafted in to the covenant God made with the Jewish people (Romans 11) through Yeshua. The decision shows just how soon in history the Church let the apostle Paul’s words fade from their understanding.

For Messianic Jews, the death and resurrection of Jesus are inseparably tied to Passover week. So, while you won’t find Messianic Jewish congregations celebrating Easter, you will find them worshipping the Messiah Yeshua each Shabbat (Shah-BAHT), or Sabbath. And at Passover, Messianic Jews commemorate the biblical Feast commanded by God along with its prophetic fulfillment in Yeshua’s death and resurrection to deliver us from our bondage to sin and free us to eternal life.

Meanwhile, Israel had offered citizenship to the Palestinian Arabs living in the region. Roughly 160,000 Arabs accepted. But when Arab nations launched their assault on the hours-old nation of Israel, 700,000 Palestinians left and became refugees. Some departed because of the war, but others were told by the Arab nations to leave the region. The plan was to quickly destroy the new Jewish State and then all the Palestinian refugees could return to their homes. But that victory never came, and Israel stands today.

Instead of absorbing the Palestinians as citizens, these Arab nations received them into refugee camps and enacted laws that continue to:

• Deny Palestinian refugees citizenship (except for Jordan)

• Bar them from entering many professions

• Restrict their land ownership and free movement, and

• Deny them education and health services

While more than 1.6 million Arabs enjoy full citizenship and equal rights in Israel today, Palestinians living as refugees in Arab nations have endured decades of poverty. Sir Alexander Galloway, former UNWRA director in Jordan, wrote plainly on the matter in 1952. He said, “The Arab nations do not want to solve the Arab refugee problem. They want to keep it an open sore … as a weapon against Israel” (The Truth about the Refugees).

This remains true 70 years after statehood was established. Palestinian refugees could be citizens of Arab nations or Israel today if not for the overriding goal of destroying the Jewish State.

But who exactly is a Palestinian refugee? The United Nations defines them differently than any other refugee on earth.

UNRWA and the UNHCR

In 1949, the U.N. created UNWRA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. A year later came the UNHRC, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, to address the needs of all other refugees in the world. The two agencies have remained separate with distinct definitions and guidelines. For instance:

• THE UNHCR helps worldwide refugees return to their home nation if that’s possible. UNWRA does not assist Palestinians in this way.

• When it’s not possible for refugees to return home, the UNHCR encourages them to resettle in other countries. UNWRA does not encourage Palestinian refugees to do so.

• According to the UNHRC, a person loses refugee status when he or she becomes a citizen of another country. Palestinian refugees, according to UNWRA rules, retain their refugee status even after receiving citizenship and assimilating into another nation.

• Under the UNHRC, refugee status does not extend to future generations – over time, decreasing the population of those considered refugees. According to UNWRA, Palestinian refugee status transfers to children of the original refugees – and all future generations. It is a definition exclusive to the Palestinians, making them the only refugee status that is inherited, and the only refugee population that is increasing.

As long as someone is a descendant of at least one original Palestinian refugee, he or she is considered a refugee even if born and raised in another country. Daniel Pomerantz, Senior Editor of Honest Reporting, points out that, under this definition, even the famous and wealthy fashion model Gigi Hadid, who was born and raised in L.A., is a “refugee.”

How many Palestinian refugees are there?

Using the UNWRA definition, there is a shocking number – 5 million Palestinian refugees in the world today. However, a report conducted in 2012 by the United States Senate reveals that, if the same definitions used by international law and the UNHRC are applied, there are only 30,000 actual Palestinian refugees (Honest Reporting).

To be sure, those true refugees living in Arab nations suffer under the oppressive laws designed to perpetuate blame against Israel. Today, the hatred remains alive among Arab countries and especially among the Palestinians who continue to incite violence against Israelis.

Despite this, a survey conducted in September 2017 reveals that 63% of Arab citizens in Israel today acknowledge it is a positive place to live. Many also responded favorably saying that the country provides a strong sense of personal freedom and stability (Jerusalem Post).

Palestinian Refugees and Israel Today

When President Trump advised the U.N. that he would reduce funds to UNWRA, news reports circulated that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu quietly tried to persuade him to reconsider. The U.S. cited legitimate reasons for withholding funding, including that the Palestinians continue to obstruct peace efforts while funding terror with foreign aid.

Some reports have indicated that Netanyahu encouraged Trump to transfer the funds from UNWRA to the UNHCR. Why?

In 1974, the Israeli Supreme Court declared that – whether or not it agrees with the accusation that Israel is an “occupation" – the Jewish State must follow international laws related to occupation. That means Israel is obligated to provide Palestinians with such things as welfare, education, health, transportation and more. Currently, these are subsidized by foreign aid and international relief organizations like UNWRA. If this aid were to dry up today, Israel would bear the full obligation.

It’s a difficult and complex matter. But the next time you hear the staggering 5 million figure applied to Palestinian refugees, you’ll know it also includes full-fledged citizens of other countries who may have never set foot in the Middle East. When next you hear about the Palestinian refugee “problem,” you will know that the issue is real for approximately 30,000 people who need our prayers.

And you’ll know that the matter could have been resolved seven decades ago, if only the refugees had been met with open arms rather than a ploy to use them to spread hatred even now toward Israel today..

Evidence of Isaiah?

The seal was one of 34 items – each called a bulla – that Mazar’s team unearthed in 2009 near the southern wall of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. Mazar believes royal bakers used the site. Archeologists first discovered the location in 19861989 excavations. Babylonians razed it while destroying Jerusalem in 586 B.C.

In 2015, Mazar announced that one of the 34 bullae proved Hezekiah’s existence. The revelation earned international headlines. In the March-June 2018 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, she reported finding Isaiah's bulla just 10 feet from Hezekiah’s.

In her article titled “Is This the Prophet Isaiah’s Signature?” Mazar cautioned that time had damaged the seal. A missing letter inserts some doubt that it belonged to the biblical prophet rather than another person named Isaiah. Yet, the proximity of the Isaiah and Hezekiah fragments led Mazar and her team to conclude it likely belonged to the prophet Isaiah.

Significance of the Find

The bulla lacks an important letter that would give irrefutable proof of the prophet. Still, it could be the first-ever scientific evidence of the prophet’s existence outside of the Bible. The books of Kings and Chronicles mention Isaiah but reference the book of Isaiah itself. No other proof of the prophet Isaiah’s life exists.

Isaiah is the most quoted Hebrew prophet in the New Covenant. Isaiah 7:14 prophesies the virgin birth of the Messiah. Isaiah 52:13-53:12 tells of the servant who suffered and died for our sins.

Mazar described King Hezekiah as “one of the most important kings in the history of Israel,” and Old Covenant accounts confirm that. In fact, 2 Kings 18:5 says, “There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him.”

The Old Covenant links King Hezekiah with the prophet Isaiah 14 of the 29 times he is mentioned in 2 Kings 19-20 and Isaiah 37-39.

Given this close relationship and proof that Hezekiah existed, Mazar said, “[The] chances of [the bulla] belonging to any other but the known prophet Isaiah are extremely slim. No other figure was closer to King Hezekiah than the prophet Isaiah.”

Scholars Raise a Question

Scholars inject some caution into Mazar’s conclusion. The biggest obstacle is the word “nvy” on the bulla. It could mean prophet if it also contained the word “the,” which it does not.

Christopher Rollston is a professor of Semitic languages at George Washington University. He explained that most biblical references to a specific prophet say “the prophet.”

“If this were the word ‘prophet,’ I would have liked to have seen the word ‘the,’ as in ‘Isaiah the prophet,’” Rollston said. “There were lots of people walking around with the name Isaiah or names that were based on the same root-word. The assumption that this is a [seal] of Isaiah the prophet is scintillating, but it is certainly not something that we should assume is at all certain.”

Mazar conceded that the Isaiah bulla lacks the important word. She argued it could have been on a missing corner of the bulla and cited similar archaeological and textual examples where the word was excluded.

The Life-Changing Impact of Isaiah

Believers know that hundreds of years before the birth of Yeshua (Jesus), God inspired an amazing prophecy about the Messiah.

At one time, synagogues read Isaiah 53 each year, but rabbis later stopped the practice. Today, showing the chapter to Jewish people causes the blindness to fall from their eyes. It is the clearest prophecy of the atoning death and resurrection of Yeshua in the entire Bible.

How You Can Pray

• Please pray for our efforts at Jewish Voice as we sow seeds of the Gospel into the lives of Jewish people everywhere.
• Pray that this discovery becomes a tool blessed by God to make the Jewish people more aware of the prophecy of Isaiah, that they will learn about the Good News of their Messiah Yeshua (Jesus).

How Your Gift Now Makes a Difference

• Your Gift to Jewish Voice helps spread the news of Yeshua to the global Jewish community. The Good News shows them from their own Scriptures that their Messiah has come, beyond the science of proving it.
• In Israel, Your Gift to Jewish Voice supports more than 30 Messianic Congregations reaching out on a daily basis to share the Gospel and love of Yeshua (Jesus), their Messiah, to Jewish people throughout the Land.

As a token of our appreciation for your gift of $75 or more today, we’ll send you an inspiring piece of art for your home. One of the most powerful Messianic passages in the Holy Scriptures is presented in this beautiful, framed display. It’s an ancient Hebrew manuscript of Isaiah 53:5, in an aged parchment-style presentation, complete with the English text below.

“But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.” This inspiring piece of art will give testimony of Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Messiah) to all who enter your home or office. The beautiful presentation includes the classic wooden frame complete with protective glass. It measures 16.5” x 16.5.” A sawtooth hanger ensures that it’s ready to hang in your home as soon as it arrives.

Passover is the second most important holy day of the Jewish year. Jewish families gather for a ritual meal called a Seder (SAY-dur), during which specific elements recount the history of Israel and retell the story of God’s dramatic deliverance of their ancestors.

1. God delivered the Jewish people from 400 years of slavery

Four hundred years before the Passover, God saved the Jewish people from a deadly famine by bringing them to Egypt, the only nation prepared with storehouses of food. By God’s sovereignty, Joseph, one of Israel’s 12 sons who was sold as a slave by his brothers, had risen to second in command over Egypt. When the Israelites faced starvation, Pharaoh welcomed them into the land because of Joseph. But after Pharaoh died, his successor put the Jewish people to work as slaves. They lived in bondage until God called Moses as His instrument to deliver them 400 years later – to the day – at Passover. "If God had not delivered us,” the Passover Haggadah (HAH-gah-dah) reads, “we would still be slaves.”

2. God showed His power through the miracles surrounding Passover

Pharaoh recoiled at the idea of letting the Hebrew slaves leave Egypt. If they departed, he would lose a million laborers. He refused to let them go and, in so doing, opened the door for God to reveal His power to all of Egypt. After each of Pharaoh’s obstinate denials, God brought a supernatural plague upon the nation of Egypt. From locusts to frogs to boils to water-turned-to-blood, God displayed His power throughout the whole land.

All who endured the plagues recognized that the God of Israel was mighty and determined to liberate His people. Israel, too, observed the God of their fathers intervene for their rescue. The miracles continued after their departure. When Pharaoh’s armies pursued, the Israelites walked on dry ground right through the middle of the Red Sea as the waters created a high wall on either side of them. Through the Passover and Exodus, the God of Israel was manifested and glorified for all to see.

3. God reaffirmed His covenant with Abraham and further set apart the Jewish people as His Chosen People

For generations, slavery was all the Jewish people knew. They were born into bondage and died in bondage. When God stepped in to extricate them as a people, He conveyed to them that He had not forgotten them. The God of Israel is faithful to keep His covenant with their father, Abraham. He would not forsake His promise. God’s intervention to free the Children of Israel told them that they were still His people, and He was still their God. He raised them up from a subjugated people and reminded them that they were a called and chosen people.

4. God called the Jewish people out to give them a Land of their own

The Israelites didn’t know where they were going, but they knew their God had set them free and had promised to give them “a good and large land” in which to dwell as a nation (Exodus 3:8). No longer would they serve Pharaoh. They would live in the Land given to them directly by God. Israel was on her way to becoming a nation with a homeland of her own. The impact of that land grant reverberates through the centuries, standing strong and true despite various exiles over the years or dissenting opinions today. Passover opened the door to receiving the Promised Land.

5. God established a watershed for the Jewish people and an inheritance of faith to pass on

Passover is known as the watershed event in Jewish history. It was a turning point, a defining moment for the Jewish people. Everything changed for them with Passover. God rescued, preserved, and called them out to be His people in their own land. Immediately upon their departure from Egypt, He instituted the Feast of Passover as an everlasting memorial to the astounding feat of their deliverance. God set an annual appointment for Israel to intentionally remember what He had done for them in the Passover and Exodus. Thousands of years later, Jewish people commemorate this and tell their children, passing on a legacy of faith in the one true God, just as He commanded them.

6. God revealed a prophetic glimpse of the promised Messiah’s sacrificial death

By God’s sovereign design, the Feasts of Israel established in Leviticus 23 contain a prophetic shadow of God’s redemptive plan for mankind. Within Passover is the picture of the Messiah’s death to deliver us from the bondage of sin.

The final plague in Egypt was the death of the firstborn of all households. God revealed to Israel the one way they would be spared: They were to sacrifice an unblemished lamb and brush its blood on the lintel and doorposts of their homes. Only then would the Angel of Death pass over their homes and spare their firstborn.

1 Corinthians 5:7 tells us that “Messiah, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed.” Yeshua’s (Jesus’) shed blood covers our sin, and His sacrificial death on our behalf – when received in faith – delivers us from the bondage of sin.

As Jewish families come together at Passover, they remember and teach the next generation about the event that delivered them as God’s people. As Messianic Jews celebrate Passover, they also celebrate the eternal deliverance provided by Messiah Yeshua.

Time is running out to use your gifts and talents to help transform the lives of Jewish people in Enfranz, Ethiopia.

Jewish Voice's weeklong Medical Outreaches provide medical aid and spiritual care to thousands of people in poverty-stricken African Jewish communities. The only time many of these people will see a medical professional all year will be during our Outreach Clinics.

You could be a part of bringing critical medical care to these suffering people, as well as the life-changing Good News of Yeshua (Jesus), but only if you act now.

The payment and medical credential deadlines for the May Outreach are approaching fast. We need to hear from you before March 29.

Not sure you want to join? Watch this short video to see how the Outreaches change lives.

For more details about the May Medical Outreach in Enfranz, click the button below.