You know, there are so many great things in the Bible.....pictures of life, people, symbolism ....God....
I had never heard of the four cups of the Passover ceremony or maybe I had but hadn't really listened ....but the outstretched arm of redemption really caught me this week....
That "little phrase", "I will redeem you with an outstretched arm"....
Moses had stretched out his arms over the land of Egypt before pharaoh to free the Israelites from slavery....
The redeeming arms of Christ....there on the cross....stretched out....for the world ....it is an awesome/awful sight...but redeeming everyone who comes to that cross....believing....confessing....needing that redemption....
Christ's outstretched arms gave freedom as well, but so much more, unimaginable ....unfathomable, but true, real redemption, not just from earthly slavery, but slavery from everlasting hell....
thank YOU.....for your outstretched arms of redemption....on the cross, but for holding me so close...as well...comfort, redeeming....
The four cups of the Passover , Taken from Exodus 6:6-7,
Exodus 6:6-7
New International Version (NIV)
6 “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.
"Q. I’ve been told there are four cups in the Passover ceremony and when Jesus instituted the so-called Lord’s Supper He was actually using the third cup. What are the four cups and what do they mean?
A. The four cups of the Passover are based on the promise God made to Israel when He sent Moses to deliver them from Egypt. He said, “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.” (Exodus 6:6-7)
The first cup is called Sanctification (I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians), the second is Blessing (I will free you from being slaves to them), the third is Redemption (I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and mighty acts of judgment) and the fourth is Acceptance (I will take you as my people and I will be your God.)
Tradition says that when Jesus said “This cup is the new covenant in my blood which is poured out for you,” He was referring to the 3rd cup of the Passover, the Cup of Redemption. By His shed blood we can be redeemed from our bondage to sin, just as the Israelites were redeemed from their bondage to Egypt. He then said He wouldn’t drink wine again until the Kingdom had come.
The Gospel of John records an event that took place that same day as He hung from the cross.
Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:28-30)
He had given His body and shed His blood. Phase one of the Kingdom, allowing us to receive a full pardon for our sins, had come. To fulfill the Scriptures, He took a final drink of wine. It represented the 4th Cup of the Passover, the Cup of Acceptance. It’s as if He was saying to all who would believe in Him, “I will take you as my people and I will be your God.”
http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher/the-four-cups-of-passover-2/"
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoLHn15_bBPTYkkDsWWc5WJ4V70F3cbgDOmoeDoSiYL5p1SqCG_Fw-Th0KPaiPSgxXT4Q8eYaeg9uv-tqvLo8ElSng3_DsDP0E_v8fxqNZMDyaRD6pCXI_cD-Ae-SWLpbzu3ydMvBujYjA/s1600/passovercups.jpg
http://www.torahresource.com/EnglishArticles/Four%20Cups.pdf
John 3:16
New International Version (NIV)
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
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