What is Scriptural salvation? What does it mean when Scripture says to believe and you shall be saved? Starting today I am going to work on developing what this means for us. Is it simply asking "Jesus" into your heart? where in Scripture does it say to do that?
To begin with we will look at the four cups of Passover. Now, these cups are not mentioned in the story of the exodus. However, the cup is spoken of by Yashua Messiah.
Passover, a memorial commanded by Yahweh Elohim to be remembered through all generations.
Passover was the final plague that assailed Egypt. It was the final straw that broke Pharoah's back to let Israel go from slavery to worship Elohim and go to the promised land. It is filled with spiritual significance for all of us today. Without fully understanding Passover, we cannot fully understand what Yahshua Messiah did for us on the stake.
Many reasons are given for drinking four cups of wine. Here are some of them:
When promising to deliver the Jews from Egyptian slavery, Elohim used four terms to describe the redemption (Exodus 6:6-8): a) "I shall take you out..." b) "I shall rescue you..." c) "I shall redeem you..." d) "I shall bring you..."
liberation from Pharaoh's four evil decrees: a) Slavery. b) The ordered murder of all male progeny by the Hebrew midwives. c) The drowning of all Hebrew boys in the Nile by Egyptian thugs. d) The decree ordering the Israelites to collect their own straw for use in their brick production.
The four cups symbolize freedom from four exiles: The Egyptian, Babylonian, and Greek exiles, and the current exile which will end with the coming of Messiah's kingdom.
The words "cup of wine" are mentioned four times in Pharaoh's butler's dream (Genesis 40:11-13). According to the Midrash, these cups of wine alluded to the Israelites' liberation.
According to Kabbalah, there are four forces of impurity (anti-divinity, or kelipah). On Passover, when we celebrate our physical freedom, we also celebrate our liberation from these spiritual forces. Our physical departure from Egypt was a reflection of our spiritual one—we were pulled from the clutches of depravity and impurity and set on the path to receiving the Torah and connecting with Yahweh Elohim.
Four Cups Of Passover - The Tradition New Testament has mentioned the 'Pesach Cup' at the time when Yahshua celebrated the feast with his disciples. He raised a cup at least twice during the meal to make important statements about himself. Jewish tradition has a very little story to tell about these cups. They believe that during Seder, it should be filled with red wine to remind us of the blood of the Passover lamb. Every year, during the Pesach, it is necessary to consume four "cups" of wine during the Seder meal. There is difference of opinion as to what these cups actually symbolize. I would also like to remind you we are not bound to keep the "traditions" of men, but the keep/guard the commands and statutes of Yahweh Elohim.
Significance Of Passover Cups
The First Cup
This is regarded as the "cup of sanctification" that represents the first 'I Will' of God - his promise to free Israelites off from the slavery under the Egyptians. It is believed that the Messiah lifted the cup to remind people of this promise of God. Every person attending this ritual should focus their attention to the incident when God freed His people, keeping his promise.
What significance does this have for believers today? We will look into that next time.
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