‘Prepare ye the way of the Lord’
Topping up your oil & trimming your wick March 2026
For Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed. 1 Cor 5:7 We are fast approaching the time of year where our thoughts particularly focus upon the death and resurrection of Jesus, referred to as Easter.
It was the Roman Emperor Constantine back in the early 300 AD’s who declared the Roman Empire to be Christian though he was also very Anti-Semitic and sort to distance Christian celebrations from their Jewish roots. Under his reign, in A.D. 325 at the Council of Nicaea, the Catholic Church declared the term Easter, which came from pagan origins [named after the fertility goddess Eostre, hence the rabbits and eggs], to be the observance of the death and resurrection of Jesus on the first new moon after the Spring Equinox [being different to the Jewish lunisolar Calendar], taking away the God given name for this season, Passover, dissociating and cutting off Christians from the Jewish roots of their faith.
Passover is one of seven feasts which God gave to Israel to celebrate at a set time every year. These 7 feasts together prophetically reveal God’s plans and purposes for this world. The feast of Passover [14th Nissan our March/April]] embraces the 7-day feast of unleavened bread [beginning on the 15th Nissan] and the feast of first fruits [16th Nissan]. These 3 feasts occur over a period of 8 days and in Hebrew the number 8 represents new beginnings. Just as Israel was set free from the bondage of the Egyptians at the very first Passover, she was literally given a new beginning as the Israelites began their journey to the promised land.
Israel had been harshly enslaved to the Egyptians and in Exodus 2:23-25 it says,
The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.
God raised up Moses to be the deliverer of His people, though Pharaoh was not willing to let the Israelites go. As a result, in judgment upon the gods of Egypt, a number of plagues were sent. At the tenth and final plague, the feast of Passover was instituted.
The man of each family was to take for his household a one-year-old lamb on the 10th day of Nissan, inspecting it to make sure it had no blemish. Then, on the evening of the 14th day of Nissan the lamb was slaughtered, though none of its bones were to be broken, its blood caught in a basin and using some hyssop, the blood was applied on the lintel and two side posts of the household door. The family was to feast upon the lamb that night along with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. They were to eat in haste and be dressed ready to leave Egypt.
At midnight the angel of death passed through the land and every house that did NOT have the BLOOD on the door posts and lintel suffered the judgment of God. The firstborn of man and beast in every household of the Egyptians were killed. The Lord said this in Exodus 12:23 When I see the blood, I will pass over and the plague of death shall not touch you. In Exodus 4:22-23 God declared: Then say to Pharaoh, this is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, let my son go, so he may worship me. But you refused to let him go; so, I will kill your firstborn son.
In fulfilment of Bible Prophecy [Zechariah 9:9], Jesus, the true Passover Lamb, rode into Jerusalem on the 10th day of Nissan 32AD, which we often call Palm Sunday as recorded in John 12. This was the very day the Jewish people were collecting their lambs for Passover. Over the next 4 days Jesus was inspected by the religious leaders. They were trying to find some fault in Him; it was Pilate who declared in Luke 23:4 I find no guilt in this man. There was no leaven [no sin] in Him, hence the feast of unleavened bread.
At 9am, the crucifixion of Jesus began, the sinless, unleavened Lamb of God was nailed to Calvary’s cross, though none of His bones were broken and at 3pm Jesus declared these words as recorded in John 19:30. It is finished. With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. On the third day was the feast of First Fruits. In Israel, a person would go to the standing barley harvest, take one sheaf and bring it unto the priest. This sheaf was called ‘the sheaf of first fruits.’ It was always the finest, the best, and the foremost part of the crop. The priest would take this sheaf and in thankfulness and with the expectation of a fuller crop to come, wave it before the Lord. As the first fruits of the barley harvest were being offered with thanksgiving in the Temple and with the expectation of a fuller crop to come, Jesus the first fruits was raised from the dead with the promise and expectation of a fuller crop to follow, the promised resurrection of all believers. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. 1 Cor 15:20f
When our faith is in Jesus Christ, we have been set free from our bondage to sin, Our Passover Lamb purchased our freedom through His shed blood on Calvary’s Cross, causing death to “pass over” us [John 5:24, 11:25] and giving us a new beginning as we journey to our Promised Land, the New Jerusalem. It is time we reclaim our Jewish heritage by understanding the roots of the tree we have been grafted into and as we do, we will find a greater depth and meaning that will enrich our faith today. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Cor 5:17
Greg and Judy’s Update: On the 19th of February we attended an auction, subsequently purchasing a property, 67 Church St Parkes with settlement expected to be on Thursday the 2nd of April. We look forward to settling into our new home, a place of ministry and refuge to be used for the Lord’s purposes. We are very grateful for God’s mighty and gracious provision and thank you for your faithful prayers and interest in this whole process of selling and buying. It took longer than we expected but we can look back and see some of the reasons why. God is always faithful and His timing is perfect which encourages and challenges us to trust in His plans and wait patiently for His mighty hand to move.
Our you tube channel has had a number of views, which is encouraging, we have posted two other messages online.
The Millennium please use the following link: https://youtu.be/SiPkUpWQWkk
As in the Days of Noah and Lot please use the following link: https://youtu.be/_Lgj1Y1xwHU
Prayer Points: With our new home base found, we can now make more concrete plans for ministry. Please pray for the Lord’s leading in directing our pathway for ministry in the remainder of 2026. .We do have upcoming speaking appointments at Peak Hill, Parkes, Numurkah and Moree.
Continue to pray for Benjamin Netanyahu as he deals with the ongoing pressures that Surround Israel, such as Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the constant terrorism that plagues the nation and now the Israeli / US military campaign to bring down the fanatical Iranian regime. Pray that despite the various boycotts against Israel that their economy will blossom and be strong.
Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! Psalm 27:14