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As we enter our seventh week in Revelation, I thought it would be helpful over the next few eLetters to highlight several of the seven Jewish feasts. The more I study this book, the more convinced I become that reading Revelation through the lens of these feasts makes its structure theologically clearer. We see a recurring pattern: deliverance and witness, trial and purification, and ultimately the promise of dwelling and resting with God.

 

Passover commemorates Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt through the blood of a substitute. Judgment passed over those marked by the lamb. It reminds us that salvation begins in divine mercy, not human effort. In the New Testament, this is fulfilled in Jesus Christ—the true Passover Lamb—whose death delivers His people from sin, death, and the wrath we deserve. Revelation opens not with chaos but with Christ: the risen One, the First and the Last, who was dead and now lives forever (Rev. 1:17–18). Redemption is not a side theme in Revelation; it is the foundation.

 

The Feast of Unleavened Bread followed Passover and lasted seven days. During that time, Israel was commanded to remove all leaven from their homes. The message was clear: a redeemed people must also be holy. Deliverance was never meant to leave them unchanged. This pattern also appears in Revelation 2–3, where Christ addresses His churches. He praises what is faithful, but He also calls for repentance, purity, and perseverance. In Revelation, redemption leads to transformation.

 

As we prepare to study Revelation 2:18–29 this Sunday, I would encourage you to:

  1. Read Revelation 2 in its entirety.
  2. Ask the Lord to reveal any “leaven” in your life that needs to be removed.
  3. Commit yourself to addressing whatever the Holy Spirit brings to your mind and heart.

 

I look forward to seeing you this Sunday as we continue walking through this remarkable book together.

 

 

Grace,
Pastor Keith