Matthew 26:1-5 is the news about PASSOVER.
Matthew 26:1-5
26:1. Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples,
26:2 "You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified."
26:3 Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,
26:4 and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him.
26:5 But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people."
In Old Testament, Passover is signified with the slain Passover lamb (animal).
In New Testament, Passover is signified with the crucifixion of Jesus as the Lamb of God. All animal offerings are fulfilled by Christ's sacrifice.
Exodus 12:14-15
12:14 'So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.
12:15 'Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.
Keeping Passover as a feast is with eating unleavened bread, meaning we have to throw away leaven.
Matthew 16:5-7,12
16:5. Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.
16:6 Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."
16:7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."
16:12 Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
In New Testament, the leaven refers to false teachings.
Galatians 5:9
5:9 A littleleaven leavens the whole lump.
A LITTLE false teaching has already destroyed the fellowship of the body of Christ, beginning from marriage, shepherding, and inter-shepherding.
The marriage, shepherding, and church-visit service will be destroyed if there is false teaching.
The Lord wants to fill the earthen vessel of our life with the true teaching Word and Holy Communion to become golden pot that has manna, perfect life as Jesus is.
Be careful because Satan wants to fill the mortar vessel with the leaven of false teachings which will destroy and perish the mortar vessel of our life.
2 Peter 2:1
2:1. But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.
There are three kinds of leaven as follows:
Matthew 26:1-5
26:1. Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples,
26:2 "You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified."
26:3 Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,
26:4 and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him.
26:5 But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people."
In Old Testament, Passover is signified with the slain Passover lamb (animal).
In New Testament, Passover is signified with the crucifixion of Jesus as the Lamb of God. All animal offerings are fulfilled by Christ's sacrifice.
Exodus 12:14-15
12:14 'So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.
12:15 'Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.
Keeping Passover as a feast is with eating unleavened bread, meaning we have to throw away leaven.
Matthew 16:5-7,12
16:5. Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.
16:6 Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."
16:7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."
16:12 Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
In New Testament, the leaven refers to false teachings.
Galatians 5:9
5:9 A littleleaven leavens the whole lump.
A LITTLE false teaching has already destroyed the fellowship of the body of Christ, beginning from marriage, shepherding, and inter-shepherding.
The marriage, shepherding, and church-visit service will be destroyed if there is false teaching.
The Lord wants to fill the earthen vessel of our life with the true teaching Word and Holy Communion to become golden pot that has manna, perfect life as Jesus is.
Be careful because Satan wants to fill the mortar vessel with the leaven of false teachings which will destroy and perish the mortar vessel of our life.
2 Peter 2:1
2:1. But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.
There are three kinds of leaven as follows:
- The leaven of Herod.
Mark 8:15
8:15 Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."
The leaven of Herod is false teaching resulting in Herod's characteristics as follows:- Anger without any reason = hatred without any reason = murdering.
Matthew 2:16
2:16. Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. - Lying, being full of trickery(he said that he would worship but actually he wanted to kill the Lord).
Matthew 2:7-8,13
2:7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.
2:8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also."
2:13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him."
Matthew 26:3-4
26:3 Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,
26:4 and plotted to take Jesus by trickeryand kill Him.
Herod's characteristics are equal to the characteristics of the chief priests.
- Anger without any reason = hatred without any reason = murdering.
- The leaven of the Pharisees.
Mark 10:2-5,10-12
10:2 The Pharisees came and asked Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" testing Him.
10:3 And He answered and said to them, "What did Moses command you?"
10:4 They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her."
10:5 And Jesus answered and said to them, "Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.
10:10 In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter.
10:11 So He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.
10:12 "And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."
It is false teaching which permits sons of God to divorce, and to get married with other person after that.
Consequently, one commits adultery and will be destroyed together with Babel as a destroyed mortar vessel.
Youth, be alert! The seed of divorcing and getting married after divorce is a habit of changing girlfriend/boyfriends.
1 Corinthians 7:8-11
7:8 But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am;
7:9 but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
7:10 Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband.
7:11 But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife. - The leaven of the Sadducees.
Mark 12:18
12:18. Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying:
False teaching happens because of the idea of men which is not in line with the Word of God.
Acts 23:8
23:8 For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection--and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both.
The leaven of the Sadducees is false teaching saying that there is no resurrection. In such teaching, men are only of blood and flesh as animals, there is nothing after the death.
1 Corinthians 15:32
15:32 If, in the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!"
This teaching encourages the sons of God to do these three things:- Living as beasts that are wild, or not being willing to be shepherded.
Not being shepherded, one hunts flesh interests as Esau has done. Consequently, he had what he wanted but lost everything and wept forever, he became as totally destroyed mortar vessel. - Sinning, up to the peak of sin, namely sins concerning eating-drinking and marrying-giving in marriage.
- Getting married with flesh lust.
Mark 12:19-25
12:19 "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.
12:20 "Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring.
12:21 "And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring. And the third likewise.
12:22 "So the seven had her and left no offspring. Last of all the woman died also.
12:23 "Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife."
12:24 Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?
12:25 "For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
They still think about worldly matters in the resurrection.
Jesus' answer [Mark 12:24-25] leads men to the spiritual marriage.
The true teaching will lead the marriage to become spiritual and perfect.
Any teaching that does not lead men to live in righteousness is a kind of false teaching.
Exodus 2:15-16
2:15 When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well.
2:16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. And they came and drew water, and they filled the troughs to water their father's flock.
The spiritual marriage has been prophesied as the meeting of Moses, referring to Jesus, with seven Midian girls, referring to the Gentiles, by a well of shepherding.
Shepherding Word leads us toward spiritual marriage.
Do not hear strange voice!
Revelation 1:11-13
1:11 saying, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last," and, "What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea."
1:12 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands,
1:13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band.
There will be a meeting in the air between Jesus, Heavenly Bridegroom, with the congregation, Heavenly Bride, at the time of Jesus' second coming.
Unfortunately, the condition of the congregation in the last days is like the church of Laodicea, who are rich physically but lukewarm spiritually.
Revelation 3:16-17
3:16 "So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
3:17 "Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' --and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked--
Consequently, one will be thrown away forever.
Exodus 32:15,18
32:15. And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand. The tablets were written on both sides; on the one side and on the other they were written.
32:18 But he said: "It is not the noise of the shout of victory, Nor the noise of the cry of defeat, But the sound of singing I hear."
The lukewarm condition is as the condition of Israelites on the foot of Mount Sinai when Moses went down from the mountain and found them lukewarm ("not the noise of the shout of victory, Nor the noise of the cry of defeat"= not being dead nor rising).
Drawing near Jesus' second coming, the church of the Gentiles will also lukewarm as follows:- Not being renewed, not being dead to old life nor rising in new life but being carnal men still.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
3:1. But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
3:2 For men will be lovers of themselves (1), lovers of money(2), boasters(3), proud(4), blasphemers(5), disobedient to parents(6), unthankful(7), unholy(8),
3:3 unloving(9), unforgiving(10), slanderers(11), without self-control(12), brutal(13), despisers of good(14),
3:4 traitors(15), headstrong(16), haughty(17), lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God(18),
3:5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
Meaning keeping the eighteen characteristics of flesh. Consequently, one will be stamped by antichrist because of rejecting the power of godliness or not prioritizing the true teaching Word even receiving the false one. - Singing = the lust or amenities of flesh, not of the Word of God or Holy Spirit.
Exodus 32:18
32:18 But he said: "It is not the noise of the shout of victory, Nor the noise of the cry of defeat, But the sound of singing I hear." - Keeping sinning, up to the peak.
- Disobeying the true teaching Word.
The Israelites, in their spiritual lukewarm condition, should have been punished with death because they had transgressed the ten commandments written in two tablets of stone.
Likewise, the church in the last days which is lukewarm spiritually is not worthy of welcoming Jesus' second coming, and will be left and become destroyed vessel.
Exodus 32:18-19
32:18 But he said: "It is not the noise of the shout of victory, Nor the noise of the cry of defeat, But the sound of singing I hear."
32:19 So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses' anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.
The two tablets of stone were broken, meaning Jesus must die on the cross to redeem our sins. It is better that Jesus alone dies to redeem our sins than all men have to die.
The result of redemption is as follows:- Golden calf is destroyed, meaning hard heart is destroyed to become meek to be able to hear and obey the true teaching Word.
Exodus 32:20
32:20 Then he took the calf which they had made, burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder; and he scattered it on the water and made the children of Israel drink it.
Obeying the Word, the power of sin is destroyed, even the sins we often do not realize.
The curse of sin will also be finished, so there is blessing for us. - The new two tablets of stone can be formed like the first ones.
Exodus 34:1
34:1. And the LORD said to Moses, "Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke.
Men are as hard stones. They have to be cut first by the work of the Word sharper than any two-edged sword. The lumps, referring to something different from Jesus' characteristics, are cutso the stone can be written by Jesus.
Numbers 23:19
23:19 "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
Tonight, let it begin with throwing away lies. As long as the lies are kept, one cannot be same with God! We have to dare say "yes" if "yes" and "no" if "no" whatever risk may come.
The next process is being written with the love of God. He never forgets us.
Proverbs 10:12
10:12. Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins.
The love of God will cover all our sins until we are blameless.
Romans 8:35-37
8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
8:36 As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."
8:37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
The love will also make us more than conquerors. We are powerless but we can defeat all things because the love of God fights for us.
It continues until we have the last victory, that is to say we are with Him in the spiritual marriage on the throne of God. The church of Laodicea is the most unclean but they can sit with the Lord forever.
Revelation 3:21
3:21 "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
- Not being renewed, not being dead to old life nor rising in new life but being carnal men still.
- Living as beasts that are wild, or not being willing to be shepherded.