Nissan- April 22-28, 2024  (YEAR 5784)

Exodus 12:1-2-Now the LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you. 

Joshua 1:2-“Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel.” This happened in the Hebrew month of Nisan.  A new day had come for the children of Israel. The old way of living (in the Wilderness) was over and it was now time to cross over into the Promised Land and receive all that God had promised them.

CHARACTERISTICS:

  • Nissan- 1st Month. God put His children in a redemptive cycle. Years are numbered in the fall at Tishri.
  • The month of Passover, Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits. A time of liberation, personal change, going from slavery to freedom, and the emerging out of the old, a restoration of the Power and Glory, a renewed interest in God! In Nisan the children of Israel shifted into a new season… a season of liberation as they followed Moses, the revivalist, out of Egypt.  
  • Nisan is the month of Repentance, Redemption and Miracles.  It’s called the season of the ‘miracle of miracles’ and your appointed time for great blessing!  Nissan has within it the word nes, which in Hebrew is miracle.  

EXAMPLES:

  1. It is the month King Jesus redeemed us by dying on the cross and rising from the dead.
  2. It is the month that the King had favor on Nehemiah and granted him permission to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the wall.  
  3. In Nehemiah chapter 8 the people gather as Ezra reads the Word of God. They stood listening to the Word for about 6 hours!! Then they began weeping, because they realized how much they had sinned against God, they were repentant and worshiping God after it was read. Their hearts were revived and turned back to God.  
  • It is also a month to watch your speech. Be aware of what your confessions are. If you speak negatively during this month, it will adversely affect you months down the road.  The seeds of negativity take root and will pull you backward. Your positive confessions should “grab the wind” and change the atmosphere. 
  • Move ahead confidently in God. Numbers 33:3- “They set out from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month. On the day after the Passover, the people of Israel went out triumphantly in the sight of all the Egyptians”.  In the Hebrew the word used is “rum” (pronounced room) It means exalted.  Psalm 18:4 says God exalts us above our enemies.  

ALAPHABET: “hei” 

  • This letter is for behold! It speaks of revelation and light. It is wind, breath, the Spirit of God blowing on us.  It is the divine breath of God’s creative power breathed into Adam.  
  • It is the number 5 which speaks of God’s grace and goodness.  It is the transforming power of Holy Spirit that changed Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah. 
  • This blessing of the letter “hei” is available to us in the month of Nisan. Ask the Holy Spirit to blow upon you for a fresh revival in your heart, for new revelation, and for a quickened understanding of what God is doing.

TRIBE: JUDAH

  • Nisan is the month of Judah.  It was the kingly tribe, the tribe of Messiah.  
  • They were the warring tribe who knew how to operate with sound. 
  • They were the tribe that went out first in battle (Judges 20:18)… 
  • They were also the first tribe in the order of procession- (Num. 10:14)  
  • Judah also means “to cast a smooth stone against your enemy.
  • That is what David, who was of the tribe of Judah, did to Goliath. Praise will bring your enemy down. Biblically praise and warfare are always connected.  
  • Psalm 149:6 describes the high praise of God in our mouths and as a double edged sword in our hands.  Praising God is an act of war!
  • Judah’s symbol is the lion. Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Judah comes from the Hebrew word,  “Yadah”, which means to praise God with lifted hands, to give thanks, to glorify.
  • This tribe camped to the East of the tabernacle.  The entrance to the tabernacle was on the East; likewise, the way into His presence is with praise.  
  • God assigned a portion of land to all the tribes…. Judah was given Jerusalem
  • Nisan is also called Aviv which means springtime.  It is a time of coming out of a dead winter and positioning yourself to bring forth new life and flourish. A time of rebirth and a fresh start. This month sets the course for your future. Spring is a time to plant. 
  • It is also the month when kings go to war (2 Sam 10:1). This is a time to reign as kings and use your authority.  To war for your covenant promises with praise.  

CONSTELLATION: Aries, the ram (lamb) – celebrate the Passover lamb as heaven and earth connect.

SUMMARY: Nisan is a time God has scheduled on His calendar for a a powerful outpouring of salvation and deliverance for our families, breakthroughs in our business and finances and the miracle of a new beginning in every area of your life! It’s time to align yourself for an abundant harvest!  It’s a window of opportunity that’s passing by right now, so press in and lay hold of every blood bought promise of God, paid for in full by Jesus Christ our Passover Lamb.  This is a time to expect miracles not only in your life but also to expect signs, wonders and miracles working through you.

DECLARATIONS:

  1. I Decree this is my month of Repentance, Redemption and Miracles.  
  2. I Decree I am breaking old cycles of destruction and beginning new cycles of Triumph!
  3. I Decree God’s grace, goodness, redemption, revelation and Holy Spirit is transforming me and making me fruitful and productive.  
  4. I Decree I am Giving my First Fruits offering in obedience to God’s appointed season and that my harvest is being secured for the year. 
  5. I Decree I will guard my speech and will make it life and encouragement.
  6. I declare transformation in my life, my family, my city, my church and my nation!  
  7. I Decree I am moving from Surviving to Thriving!

THE LORD’S PASSOVER

Leviticus 23 (NLT)

The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, which you are to proclaim as official days for holy assembly.

3 “You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of complete rest, an official day for holy assembly. It is the Lord’s Sabbath day, and it must be observed wherever you live.

4 “In addition to the Sabbath, these are the Lord’s appointed festivals, the official days for holy assembly that are to be celebrated at their proper times each year.

Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread

5 “The Lord’s Passover begins at sundown on the fourteenth day of the first month. 6 On the next day, the fifteenth day of the month, you must begin celebrating the Festival of Unleavened Bread. This festival to the Lord continues for seven days, and during that time the bread you eat must be made without yeast. 7 On the first day of the festival, all the people must stop their ordinary work and observe an official day for holy assembly. 8 For seven days you must present special gifts to the Lord. On the seventh day the people must again stop all their ordinary work to observe an official day for holy assembly.”

Celebration of First Harvest

9 Then the Lord said to Moses, 10 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you enter the land I am giving you and you harvest its first crops, bring the priest a bundle of grain from the first cutting of your grain harvest. 11 On the day after the Sabbath, the priest will lift it up before the Lord so it may be accepted on your behalf. 12 On that same day you must sacrifice a one-year-old male lamb with no defects as a burnt offering to the Lord. 13 With it you must present a grain offering consisting of four quarts of choice flour moistened with olive oil. It will be a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. You must also offer one quart of wine as a liquid offering. 14 Do not eat any bread or roasted grain or fresh kernels on that day until you bring this offering to your God. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed from generation to generation wherever you live.

The Festival of Harvest

15 “From the day after the Sabbath—the day you bring the bundle of grain to be lifted up as a special offering—count off seven full weeks. 16 Keep counting until the day after the seventh Sabbath, fifty days later. Then present an offering of new grain to the Lord. 17 From wherever you live, bring two loaves of bread to be lifted up before the Lord as a special offering. Make these loaves from four quarts of choice flour, and bake them with yeast. They will be an offering to the Lord from the first of your crops. 18 Along with the bread, present seven one-year-old male lambs with no defects, one young bull, and two rams as burnt offerings to the Lord. These burnt offerings, together with the grain offerings and liquid offerings, will be a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 19 Then you must offer one male goat as a sin offering and two one-year-old male lambs as a peace offering.

20 “The priest will lift up the two lambs as a special offering to the Lord, together with the loaves representing the first of your crops. These offerings, which are holy to the Lord, belong to the priests. 

21 That same day will be proclaimed an official day for holy assembly, a day on which you do no ordinary work. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed from generation to generation wherever you live. 

22 “When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. Leave it for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I am the Lord your God.”

The Festival of Trumpets

23 The Lord said to Moses, 24 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. On the first day of the appointed month in early autumn, you are to observe a day of complete rest. It will be an official day for holy assembly, a day commemorated with loud blasts of a trumpet. 25 You must do no ordinary work on that day. Instead, you are to present special gifts to the Lord.”

The Day of Atonement (YOM KIPPOUR)

26 Then the Lord said to Moses, 27 “Be careful to celebrate the Day of Atonement on the tenth day of that same month—nine days after the Festival of Trumpets. You must observe it as an official day for holy assembly, a day to deny yourselves and present special gifts to the Lord. 28 Do no work during that entire day because it is the Day of Atonement, when offerings of purification are made for you, making you right with the Lord your God. 29 All who do not deny themselves that day will be cut off from God’s people. 30 And I will destroy anyone among you who does any work on that day. 31 You must not do any work at all! This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed from generation to generation wherever you live. 32 This will be a Sabbath day of complete rest for you, and on that day you must deny yourselves. This day of rest will begin at sundown on the ninth day of the month and extend until sundown on the tenth day.”

The Festival of Shelters (TABERNACLES)

33 And the Lord said to Moses, 34 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. Begin celebrating the Festival of Shelters on the fifteenth day of the appointed month—five days after the Day of Atonement. This festival to the Lord will last for seven days. 35 On the first day of the festival you must proclaim an official day for holy assembly, when you do no ordinary work. 36 For seven days you must present special gifts to the Lord. The eighth day is another holy day on which you present your special gifts to the Lord. This will be a solemn occasion, and no ordinary work may be done that day.

37 (“These are the Lord’s appointed festivals. Celebrate them each year as official days for holy assembly by presenting special gifts to the Lord—burnt offerings, grain offerings, sacrifices, and liquid offerings—each on its proper day. 38 These festivals must be observed in addition to the Lord’s regular Sabbath days, and the offerings are in addition to your personal gifts, the offerings you give to fulfill your vows, and the voluntary offerings you present to the Lord.)

39 “Remember that this seven-day festival to the Lord—the Festival of Shelters—begins on the fifteenth day of the appointed month, after you have harvested all the produce of the land. The first day and the eighth day of the festival will be days of complete rest. 40 On the first day gather branches from magnificent trees—palm fronds, boughs from leafy trees, and willows that grow by the streams. Then celebrate with joy before the Lord your God for seven days. 41 You must observe this festival to the Lord for seven days every year. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed in the appointed month from generation to generation. 42 For seven days you must live outside in little shelters. All native-born Israelites must live in shelters. 43 This will remind each new generation of Israelites that I made their ancestors live in shelters when I rescued them from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”

44 So Moses gave the Israelites these instructions regarding the annual festivals of the Lord.

The First Day of Nisan — March-April

Nisan is the first month in the Jewish calendar. The theme of this first day of Nisan is ritual cleansing and a new beginning. Four events have already transpired in Israel’s history on this date, all of which carry this same theme. These historic events are:

1. Dedication of the Tabernacle In The Wilderness — Two years after God delivered the children of Israel from Egypt, He instructed Moses to build the Tabernacle. [Exodus 40:17] God told Moses that He would fill the Tabernacle with His presence and “Shekinah” glory to guide Israel [Exodus 40:2, 33-34]

2. The Cleansing of the Temple by King Hezekiah — God raised up righteous King Hezekiah to bring Israel back to her fundamental Jewish roots, following a number of kings after Solomon who practiced all manner of evil, starting with idol worshipping. On this date, in the first year of his reign, Hezekiah open the doors of the house of the Lord, to repair them. [2 Chronicles 29:2-3]

3. Ezra began his journey to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple — On the first day of Nisan, 457 B.C., Ezra began his trip to Israel to bring in additional groups of returning captives to help lead the rebuilding of the Second Commonwealth of Israel. Jeremiah joined this effort 13 years later [Ezra 7:9]

4. The decree to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem — The Persian King, Artaxerxes, issued a decree which authorized Nehemiah to travel to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls of the city. This event began the incredible 70 Weeks of Prophecy found in Daniel 9:24-27 — the most remarkable prophecy fulfillment in the entire Bible — and it began to mathematically unfold on the First Day of Nisan, (March 14) 445 B.C. [Read NEWS1751, “The Three Wise Men: How Did They Know When To Come?”]

The Tenth Day of Nisan — March – April –

Sanctification is the theme associated with the tenth day of Nisan. This was the day heralding the setting-apart of the Passover Lamb for a holy purpose. God has caused four major events to occur on this special day:

  1. The Sanctification of the Passover Lamb During the Exodus From Egypt — When the Israelites followed God’s command to set aside their unblemished lamb, this act was the first act of rebellion against the bondage of Egypt. Four days before the great night in which Israel’s passover occurred, Moses instructed the people: “In the tenth day of this month, they shall take to them every man a lamb …a lamb for an house … your lamb shall be without blemish … And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month.” (Exodus 12:3-6)

2. Israel Crossed Over The Jordan River To Enter The Promised Land — After 40 long years of a forced wandering through the wilderness, the Israelites were ready to cross the Jordan River into the Promised Land (Joshua 3:16). Just 40 years after God parted the Red Sea in order to allow the Israelites to escape the clutches of the Egyptian Army, God parted the Jordan River waters to allow the people to cross over to begin claiming their Promised Land.

3. Jesus Christ Our Passover Lamb Was Proclaimed Messiah in 32 A.D. — This date in 32 A.D. (April 6), is the end of the 173,880 days of prophecy that began on the First Day of Nisan (March 14) 445 B.C.! When the people enthusiastically cast their coats and palm branches under the feet of the donkey on which Jesus was riding, and when they proclaimed, “Hosanna”, they were acknowledging Him as the long-awaited Jewish Messiah (Matthew 21:9-15; Mark 11:9-10; John 12:13). Angry Pharisees met immediately to finalize the plot to kill Him, an event which happened on Passover, on the night of the Feast, 14th Day of Nisan.

4. Prophet Ezekiel’s Vision of the Millennial Temple — After God revealed the prophecy of the terrible invasion of the forces of Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38-39, He then gave the old prophet a vision of the glorious Millennial Temple (Ezekiel 40:1-2). This latter vision occurred on this date.

The Fourteenth Day of Nisan — Passover Supper –

“These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD’S passover.” [Lev 23:4-5]

Passover always falls on the first full moon of Spring. All Jewish males were required to go to Jerusalem three times yearly to commemorate the following feasts — Passover, Pentecost and Feast of Tabernacles. Passover was the first such feast. Passover is the most important and significant of all the festivals of Israel. For almost 3,500 years, Jewish families have gathered to commemorate God’s miraculous deliverance from their 430-year slavery in Egypt.

Six times in history, the fourteenth Day of Nisan has marked a milestone in the spiritual and national life of Israel.

1. God Made A Covenant With Abraham Regarding the Promised Land — [Genesis 15:18] — In this passage, God promised Abram and his wife, Sara, they would have a son who would become the progenitor of the Jewish race. God promised the land of Israel to Abraham’s son.

2. The Exodus Passover Supper — God delivered the final, crushing blow of plagues against Egypt, when His Death Angel slew the Firstborn in the land of Egypt, passing over the Jewish doorways which had been painted with the blood of the slain Passover Lamb. Exactly 430 years after God made His covenant with Abraham, He delivered the final blow that would force Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. [Exodus 12:41]

3. First Passover In Canaan –[Joshua 5:11-12] — When God gave Moses regulations for celebrating the Passover [Genesis 17:10-11], He reconfirmed that no male not circumcised could participate. Since none of the males brought up according to Egyptian traditions had been circumcised, Moses carried out this first circumcision on this first Passover in Canaan. On this date, the Israelites ate the fruit of their new land, and on the next day, God delivered the last of the manna Israel would ever eat. Israel celebrated her great, miraculous national deliverance from Egypt, which was meant to be a foretaste of their ultimate deliverance when Messiah would appear to set up His final kingdom.

4. The Book of the Law Was Discovered — [2 Chronicles 34:2-3] — King Josiah was one of the most righteous kings of the divided kingdom, Judah. In the eighth year of his reign, Josiah ordered the cleansing of the Baal idolatry, and the repair of the Temple; during this restoration, Hilkiah the priest discovered the Book of the Law of the Lord given by Moses. When Josiah read the words of this book, his heart was convicted, and he read the words to all the people gathered in the House of the Lord. Both king and people rededicated their lives to serving the One True God of Israel and keeping His commandments.

5. The Dedication of the Rebuilt Temple — [2 Chronicles 36:19] — In 520 B.C., Israelites began rebuilding the Temple the Babylonians had destroyed in 587 B.C. Against great opposition, the people rebuilt the Temple. On this day, 515 B.C., the exiles celebrated the Passover by dedicating the rebuilt Temple under Ezra (Ezra 6:16-19).

6. The Last Supper — [Luke 22:19-20] — After Jesus’ disciples had sacrificed their Passover Lamb in the Temple, they met in a large upper room to prepare for the feast. This supper was like no other they had ever celebrated, as the Lord Jesus pronounced the words of the Second Covenant, which was soon to be ratified by His shed blood on Calvary. In response to Jesus’ commandment to “do this in remembrance of me”, Christians have celebrated his completed sacrifice (1 Corinthians 11:26).

The Fifteenth Day of Nisan, The Feast of Unleavened Bread — [Leviticus 23:6-7, 10-11] — 

Although the Feast of Unleavened Bread is quite distinct from the Passover Feast, it is celebrated at the same time and lasts for a full seven days, from the 15th through the 21st day of Nisan. During these seven days, Israel is to eat bread without leaven (leaven symbolizing sin) in remembrance of the time they baked unleavened bread in their haste to escape Egypt. Jews in both Old and New Testament times usually treated the first day of Unleavened Bread and the Passover as one.

The Matzoh (unleavened bread) that is eaten reminds Israel of that terrible, but hopeful, night, when they ate the sacrificial lamb and unleavened bread in obedience to God’s command. The unleavened bread symbolized the purging out of the sins of pagan, idolatrous Egypt. Matzoh thus became a symbol of a slavery that God transformed into freedom by His marvelous redemptive act known as the Exodus.

Three notable events that have thus occurred on the Feast of Unleavened Bread are:

1. Exodus From Egypt — [Exodus 12:41] — Exactly 430 years after God promised Abram, He brought out a Chosen Nation from Egyptian bondage. Israel was commanded to remember this date in perpetuity.

2. The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, our “Passover Lamb” — Jesus Christ, the Perfect Passover Lamb, was killed and buried on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, rising three days later on the Feast of Firstfruits to become the “firstfruits” of our resurrection.

3. The Final Fall of the Jewish Resistance at Masada — For two years,(73 A.D.) a small, brave contingent of Jewish resistance fighters held out against the Roman Legion at the natural defensive position known as Masada. When the Romans built a massive earthen ramp that would allow their soldiers to breach the defensive wall, the Jewish defenders knew their hope was gone. Rather than allow their children to be brutally tortured and slaughtered by the Romans, the defenders decided to take the lives of their loved ones and themselves. Was it coincidence that the Romans made their final breach of the defenders wall on the 15th Day of Nisan, the Feast of the Unleavened Bread?

The Seventeenth Day of Nisan — The Feast of Firstfruits — [Exodus 23:19] 

This period of the year celebrated the harvest of the early crops of Spring. God wanted Israel to acknowledge that they owed Him, not only firstfruits, but that everything they possessed was directly from His mighty hand. God wanted Israel to acknowledge His daily provision. Four historically important events have occurred on the Feast of Firstfruits.

1. Noah’s Ark Rested On Mount Ararat — [Genesis 6:5]. After floating in the ark for a year, Noah and his family finally felt it rest on ground. They opened the door on the seventeenth day of Nisan [Genesis 8:4]. The world was to experience a new beginning, and God caused that day to be the Feast of Firstfruits.

2. Israel Miraculously Crossed Over The Red Sea — About 600,000 Jewish people left Egypt the night of Passover, and had arrived at the shores of the Red Sea. Looking back, they could see the dust of the approaching Egyptian Army, sent to force them to come back to Egypt to be slaves once again. The people immediately panicked, for they could see no human way out of this disaster. They had the Red Sea in front of them and the massive numbers of the soldiers of the only superpower of the day, Egypt, behind them. They began to panic and complain to Moses (Exodus 14:11-12].

Before their eyes [Exodus 14:13-14], God parted the waters of the Red Sea, causing the land under the waters to be instantly dry. After the last of the Israelites crossed over safely, God caused the parted waters to violently flow back together, killing the entire pursuing army of Pharaoh! Losing this army caused Egypt to go immediately into decline, from which she would never return. God killed a superpower that day by annihilating the army of that superpower. Egypt never recovered.

God killed this superpower on the 17th Day, Nisan.

3. Israel Eats the Firstfruits of their Promised Land — [Joshua 5:10-12] — During the 40 years of desert wanderings, God continually supplied the children of Israel with manna to eat. Not once did God fail to bring the manna. The Bible records that, after they crossed over the Jordan River, they ate the Passover Supper on the 14th of Nisan. On the next day, the 15th of Nisan, they ate of the old corn of the land, the day after the Passover. The next day, the 16th of Nisan, God provided the last manna.

On the next day — 17th Nisan — Israel ate of the fruit of the Promised Land, Canaan. For the first time in 40 years, Israelites ate a delicious, and varied, diet of fruits and vegetables gathered from their new, Promised Land.

4. Resurrection of Jesus Christ — [1 Corinthians 15:20]

In this above passage, the Apostle Paul eloquently states: “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.” [1 Cor 15:20]

Jesus celebrated this feast by first conquering death Himself, and then offering the firstfruits to all future resurrections. “Death is swallowed up in victory.” [1 Corinthians 15:54]

7 Blessings of Passover

Passover is a “commanded feast.” Every Israelite had to take part. And it holds even more meaning for you and me than it did for the children of Israel in the Old Testament. In Christ, our Passover Lamb, we have seen the fulfillment of God’s promise. The Apostle Paul urges, “let us keep the feast” (1 Corinthians 5:8).

How should Christians should celebrate Passover?

  1. Come Before Him
  2. Bring Extravagant Worship
  3. Honor the Blood of Jesus
  4. Bring an Extravagant First Fruits Gift
  5. Activate the Redemption of Jesus through Faith

God commanded this celebration and promised SEVEN blessings for those who were obedient — listed in Exodus 23 — and they are meant for YOU!

  1. He will bless us with assigned Angels to keep us on track and bring us to our place of promise! (Exodus 23:20). God promised an angel to guide the people into the land prepared for them. 
  1. He will bless us by being an adversary to our adversaries- He will fight our          Battles. (Exodus 23:22). God Himself will beat back your enemies.
  1. He will bless us by breaking old cycles of destruction and beginning new cycles of victory! (Exodus 23:24). Passover begins the year of living in abundance in every area of our lives. A blessing on your family, your career, your finances, your health, your emotions. 
  1. He will bless us with assets and provision necessary for life. (Exodus 23:25). Food, clothing, shelter — everything needed for you and your family to live. A blessing on your bread and water.
  1. He will bless us by removing affliction. (Exodus 23:25). Not only will YOU not be sick, but there won’t even be sickness around you!
  1. He will bless us by fulfilling our days and satisfying our lives! (Exodus 23:26). God promised babies to barren women and to fulfill the number of our days with long life He will satisfy us, and our youth will be renewed! 
  1. He will bless us by setting our times and sending abundance. (Exodus 23:31). God promised Israel a land flowing with milk and honey — a place where they would thrive! This place has been prepared for you, too!