Is Passover for Christians? Whether or not a Christian celebrates Passover would be a matter of conscience for the individual Christian. Like all the Old Testament Jewish Feasts, the Passover Feast was a foreshadowing of Christ’s atoning work on the cross. Colossians 2:16-17 tells us that we should “let no man, therefore, judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” We offer a series of videos from Zola Levitt Ministries on the Holy Days of the LORD. Guests: Gershon Salomon, Sefi Hanegbi
Yeshua (Jesus) our Passover Lamb in Prophecy
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, [Concerning] the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim [to be] holy convocations, [even] these [are] my feasts.
Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day [is] the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work [therein]: it [is] the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings. These [are] the feasts of the LORD, [even] holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. Leviticus 23
Series: “The Holy Days of Our Lord”
On location in Israel, we created this presentation of the holidays our Lord celebrated. Given to Moses on Mt. Sinai, these celebrations comprise one of a fascinating study of Biblical types and shadows. Since knowledge of these feasts seems to repose mainly with Jewish people, whether Messianic or other, we wanted to acquaint our large audience with this information. Few churches or seminaries teach what we take up in this series. Below are descriptions of each program.
Episode: “Passover”
In front of a blood-stained doorway, Zola gives us a look at the original Exodus and our own deliverance from the wilderness of a sinful life. Each element of the traditional Seder is explained as it relates to Christ’s fulfillment and the Lord’s redemptive plan and picture.
The Meaning of Passover
By Laura J. Bagby
Origination of Passover
Moses had been instructed to lead God’s people out of Egypt and save them from the evil and ungodly Pharaoh. Because of Pharaoh’s disbelief in the power of the One True God, Yahweh sent a series of ten plagues upon the Egyptians: the Nile turned to blood and at various times the land was filled with frogs, gnats, flies, hail, locusts, and darkness. In one awesome act of God’s ultimate authority, He sent one final devastating plague: every firstborn of every household would be annihilated.
In His mercy towards His people, God would shield the Israelites from such unmerciful judgment if they would follow the instructions He gave to Moses and Aaron. The specific instructions are outlined in Exodus 12:1-11. In sum, each family was to take a lamb and all households were to slaughter their lambs at the same time at twilight after a certain number of days. Then they were commanded to paint the sides and top of their doorways with some of this blood. Once this was done and all the meat of the lamb was eaten in accordance with God’s instructions, God would spare the Israelites from death. This is what the Lord said:
“On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn — both men and animals — and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come, you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord — a lasting ordinance” (Exodus 12:12-14).
The Seder Meal
The highlight of a contemporary Jewish Pesach, or Passover, is the Seder.
The Seder meal consists of six highly symbolic elements: matzah, a roasted shank bone, parsley or green herbs, the top of a horseradish, charoset, and an egg. On each plate are three pieces of matzah (a special type of cracker or unleavened bread). Two of these pieces represent the traditional loaves used in the ancient Temple during festivals and the third piece symbolizes Passover. The roasted lamb bone connotes the sacrificial Passover lamb. Herbs symbolize springtime growth. The horseradish represents the bitter years of slavery in Egypt; charoset, a mixture of fruit and ground nuts soaked in wine, represents the mortar used in Egypt; and the egg represents the chagigah (a secondary sacrifice prepared along with the Passover lamb).
The Biblical Accounts of Jewish Holy Days & Christians
Accounts of what happened can be found in all four gospels — Matthew 26:17-27:10; Mark 14:12-72; Luke 22:1-65; John 13:1-18:27.
About Zola Levitt Ministries
We hold to a strictly literal and inerrant Bible interpretation, salvation through Christ alone, a soon pre-tribulation Rapture of all believers and the establishment of a thousand-year kingdom on Earth.
The evangelism of the unbelievers and the exhortation of the believers take precedence over all other activities of this ministry.
Zola, What We Do
Founded in 1979, we are principally a teaching and evangelistic association.
- Our national television program, Zola Levitt Presents, airs on nearly a hundred independent stations and teaches the Bible with an emphasis on Israel, prophecy, and the Jewish roots of Christianity.
- Our free monthly Levitt Letter newsletter users give concise Biblical perspectivewith updates on recent events in Israel. The Levitt Letter is mailed to almost 40,000 households and 9,200 online per monthly.
- Our Institute of Jewish-Christian Studies correspondence course teaches the Jewish roots of the Christian faith to more than 3,000 currently-enrolled students.
- Our online store carries a large number of teaching materials.
- We offer several tours each year to Israel, Greece, and locations in the U.S.
- We offer speakers for churches, civic groups, university conferences and the like to speak on the subject of the Holy Land, End-times Prophecy, and general bible discussions.
Zola Levitt Ministries has sent hundreds of books to the Holy Land and planted thousands of trees throughout Israel.
Zola Levitt was the most beloved and well-known Messianic Jewish Bible teacher and Middle East commentator of his day. He was a Jewish Christian thoroughly educated in the synagogues and brought to the Messiah in 1971. He held music degrees from Duquesne University and Indiana University (doctoral coursework completed), and an Honorary Th.D. from Faith Bible College. He played the oboe, English horn, recorder, and piano.
He is best known for hosting the weekly national television program Zola Levitt Presents. He formerly hosted two top-rated radio talk shows — The Heart of the Matter in Dallas, and the nationally syndicated Zola Levitt Live.
Zola was a widely published author with more than 50 books in several languages, and the composer of some 200 spiritual songs, personally performed on most of his albums.
Zola lectured and hosted on more than 100 tours to Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, the areas of the seven churches, Mediterranean islands, European capitals, etc. He taught a course on “Christ in the Old Testament” at Dallas Baptist University and gave seminars at other education institutions.
Zola Levitt, founder, and patriarch of Zola Levitt Ministries, died peacefully on April 19, 2006 at his home in Dallas, Texas, following a courageous two-month battle with lung cancer. He was 67 years old.
Those he left behind mourn his passing but celebrate his “promotion the Head Office.” They include his beloved wife Sandra; a son Mark, who takes the lead in administrating this ever-expanding worldwide ministry; a son Aaron, who participates behind the scenes, helping with writing, editing, and more; and a stepson Will. With Ken Berg—Zola’s faithful producer of 28 years—and a dedicated staff of professionals, the Levitt legacy continues, as it will until the Second Coming of our Lord.
