The Last Passover

Part Two: The Coming Servants Of The Lord

Two things that took place at the Master's Last Passover are a prophetic  foreshadowing of two events about to take place in the last days' church. Supper is about to end and many will depart from the faith betraying those they love and eventually turning their back on the Lord Jesus. On the other hand, many nameless servants will come forth who will have nothing more than a towel in their hand and the passionate burning love of Yeshuah in their hearts. They will carry the glory of God to the ends of the earth serving the hurting, the wounded, the dying, the poor, the orphans and the widows. The last days are here!

By Chris McDonald

TEXT: John 13:3-17  - Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; [4] He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. [5] After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. [6] Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? [7] Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knows not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. [8] Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. [9] Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. [10] Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. [11] For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. [12] So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? [13] Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. [14] If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. [15] For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. [16] Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. [17] If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

        As I sit in a hotel room in western Arkansas in early April, 2002 word has just reached me that Israel has gone on nuclear standby to protect itself in the current, ongoing Middle East crisis. This is a sobering thought that "supper is truly about to end." I may sound melodramatic to some of you reading this and that is fine. I know what the Lord has spoken to my heart and to the heart of others. Many people with prophetic insight have warned America that her time is short unless she chooses to fully repent of her sins and come back to God. One of the main issues that has brought God's wrath upon us is our "behind the scenes" betrayal of Israel. We may talk a good talk before the camera but Arab oil interests are clouding our judgment in Washington D.C. Politics are about to bring down one of the mightiest nations on the face of the earth. That is another journal for another time. But to repeat a resounding sentiment: judgment is coming. It's not coming to display God's anger at the world. No, indeed if anything, it's coming to get the world's attention off itself and restore a true love for God back to the hearts of many, including those in the church. Judgment comes to us to separate the things in our lives that separate our hearts from total LOVE of the Heavenly Father and His Son, Yeshuah.

        Many of the same people who have seen judgment coming to America have also seen in the Spirit realm a mighty revival sweeping the world and the United States. One such person saw a vision of several chariots circling the globe being driven by nameless saints. These saints all had one thing in common - they had HUGE hearts which were beating rapidly for the Lord, beating only for Him. They had been freed from self and were set pursuing only ONE THING in their life - to SERVE God and to SERVE others. These nameless saints sat in the chariot and did not move as much as a finger until a loud voice came from above the chariots that said "GO!!!!!!!!!!!!" At this moment, the individual who told of this vision said she saw the Lord in front in a chariot of His own directing the nameless saints. At His command, these chariots swept the earth with fire following each one. These fires were the fires of revival. Not man-made meetings mind you, but a true outpouring of the Holy Ghost enveloped the globe wherever these servant-hearted "lovers" went. That is the army of the last days! That is the second side of the events which are ahead of us.

        Yes, judgment will come. Many will depart from the faith, but many will not. The church's shaking it is about to experience will be one that eliminates the term "superstar," "famous" "well-known" and any other adjectives that do not glorify Yeshuah, but glorifies man. I read a recent issue of a leading Christian magazine. A few months back, a well-known southern-based ministry ran a full page "ad" in this magazine literally bragging on itself of how many headquarters it had established around the world. The ad made many in the Body mad (AMEN AND AMEN, we're getting the message!) and many wrote letters of disgust to this magazine. Most comments sounded out a clarion call to the ministry of the American church that the days of our "bragging" are coming to an end. Listen preacher, the sinner is not going to get saved by your bragging. He is going to get saved by the powerful agape love and power of Yeshuah's salvation! The only thing that will set drug addicts free, alcoholics free, prostitutes free, the religious free, IS THE BLOOD OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST - OUR PASSOVER LAMB! The ONLY  power that will last for eternity will be the power of servant hood! The power of that towel Yeshuah used on the night of the Last Passover is an open rebuke to the repugnant arrogance of the church here in America and other parts of the West. A well-known pastor in the city Lisa and I live in recently got up before his people and said that his church would not allow ANYONE to teach in their church who taught anything but the "doctrine" of the denomination the church belonged to. Another pastor looked me in the eye a few months back and said, "I don't let anyone in my pulpit anymore because the people in my church only want to hear "ME" preach." How lovely, yet how arrogant and sad.

        Other ministries are reeking with a wound of open defilement from pride and arrogance. God is about to bring it all down soon. The lofty looks of man and the haughtiness of the fellowship will be brought low. NO FLESH WILL GLORY IN ITSELF but our praise will be of God. That is why the American church cannot reach the society we live in. We have lots and lots and lots of buildings and "activity," but the local baker laughs at us when we see him on Monday morning and brag on how "great" our church is. When we make statements that our church "is on the cutting edge of ministry," we are embracing what the Bible calls "the pride of life." John the apostle said the pride of life was one of three things that were not of God - BUT OF THE WORLD. And the things of the world are at enmity with the things of God. We cannot keep walking down this path if we are to see a harvest of souls in the near future.

        We have no better example of servant hood than Yeshuah himself left for us on the night of the Last Passover. Even though He made the heavens and earth and breathed into man the breath of life, He was not too proud to get on his knees, humble himself and wash the feet (including Judas!) of the 12 apostles of the Lamb.

He Rose From Supper

        The Bible says Yeshuah "rose from supper." You can't serve others if you are serving yourself! You can't feed the hungry if you are feeding yourself. You can't minister to others if the only concern you have is ministry for yourself. SELF will destroy the work of God more than Satan. We can recognize Satan really easily and without really feeling condemned by that. Satan represents everything that is UGLY to the child of God. But when we start pointing the finger at SELF then things become sticky. There is not one of you reading this journal who like dying to self. If anyone says they enjoy it then they are out of touch with reality. Jesus never promised that the death to the self-life would be easy. That is why many times before He laid the line in the sand for people to follow Him He warned them of the price. He warned them that following Him would mean losing their life and finding it in HIM. He warned them that before they took this step they needed to "count the cost," for once they made the choice, then went back things would be WORSE for them than if they never chose to follow HIM in the first place. Ever seen a backslider? Ever seen how harsh and cold he is compared to a person who has never heard the gospel? The backslider is ten times worse and harder to reach than a homeless bum on the street who has never heard anyone talk to him about Jesus. The backslider is usually one who has made choices without counting the cost and when the cost got too high he/she went back on the Lord to their old life. NO, dying to self isn't easy. Turning the other cheek isn't easy. Allowing yourself to be defrauded and done wrong without retaliation is not easy. Rendering GOOD for evil is not easy, but it's the cost you and I pay if we are to deny ourselves and follow the master.

        Too many in the church are still eating supper in these crucial moments before Yeshuah comes. Sitting at the table and eating dinner requires nothing from us. Many will die in this state and will miss out on the eternal rewards that awaits them for going all the way with Jesus. I'm not arguing theology with you here, but to be honest, I wouldn't want to risk going out into eternity in this condition. The Judge of the Earth will most certainly do right but playing Russian roulette with my soul is not one of those things I want to spend my life doing. I want to be ready to meet Yeshuah no matter the time He decides to call. I don't want to worry about whether I was doing His will when I die. I want to have the confidence that comes from knowing my life doesn't belong to me anymore - it belongs to HIM. HE can do with me whatever He wants to. That may require small or great service but it still requires MY LIFE. The gospel message we preach in America has absolutely NO POWER to it because of this one issue.

        We preach a message that tells people "come to Jesus and all will be well," without ever telling them that when they "come to Jesus," they are coming to give their life away for ever, never to take it back again. This means they can't go to the places they used to go. They can't do the things they used to do. They can't spend money on the things they used to spend money on. They can't keep sinning like before, but they must repent and become like their Master. They can't say the things they used to say and hurt others anymore. Their tongues now belong to GOD! Their feet now belong to GOD. Their hearts now belong to GOD. Their pocketbooks and wallets belong to GOD. God is not too interested in the "10th" as much as He is interested in the TOTALITY of the one giving the tenth. He knows if He can get ALL of us, then giving a 10th to God will not make us happy - IT WILL OFFEND US THAT WE CAN'T GIVE MORE!!!!!!!!!!!..ARE YOU HEARING WHAT I AM SAYING TO YOU???

He Laid Aside His Garments.....

    Jesus laid aside His garments after supper. This is a beautiful picture of what we call the "kenosis" of Christ, or self-emptying. It's principle is found in Philippians 2:

Philip. 2:2-9  - Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. [3] Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. [4] Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. [5] Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: [6] Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: [7] But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: [8] And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. [9] Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

        Laying aside His garments Jesus did NOTHING in vainglory or strife. Ever notice the church world today with all it's bickering and division. Ever notice that when you strip away all the religious talk and the games we play that it comes down to VAINGLORY! It comes down to what we are pursuing - and whether we are seeking the Lord's will or our own will. Whether we are seeking a name or ministry for OURSELVES or sign up to be one of those nameless saints who will ride a chariot of fire across the Earth. We are not called to build ministries! We are called to LOVE JESUS and BUILD PEOPLE!

        Jesus had lowliness of mind and esteemed others better than Himself. God give the church a fresh anointing of this. Our selfishness is the reason people don't want anything to do with us. It's not the sinner man that is not interested in God - the sinner man is VERY interested in God. He's just not interested in the selfishness and arrogant  promotion of our church programs and activities. The soul of man is so big that a church league softball game will not satisfy the thirst inside it. The soul of man is so big that a "Christian" concert will not satisfy the thirst inside.

        Jesus never looked "to His own things." Today, the church looks to its own without any care of looking to the things of others. Many have become "in-grown" and feel just like an "in-grown" toe nail - HURTFUL! Seducing spirits cause some to pursue a big or huge ministry without pursuing the Lord Himself. HE is altogether lovely. If HE be lifted up, HE will draw all men unto HIM. The problem we face today in the church is that we are drawing people to our churches and not to HIM. Jesus has their answer, we are no more than the vehicle.

He Took A Towel And Girded Himself

        The actions of Yeshuah on the night of the Last Passover is the last days message to the Church - "Get a towel and gird yourself." The Bible speaks a great deal of us "girding" up our loins in the last hours as we watch for Yeshuah's return:

        The words "gird," "girt" and "girded," comes from the Greek words "1. "zonnumi ^2224^, or zonnuo," "to gird" in the middle voice, "to gird oneself," is used of the long garments worn in the east, <John 21:18; Acts 12:8>; and "anazonnumi" ^328^, "to gird up" (ana, "up," and No. 1), is used metaphorically of the loins of the mind, <1 Pet. 1:13>; cf. <Luke 12:35> The figure is taken from the circumstances of the Israelites as they ate the Passover in readiness for their journey, <Exod. 12:11>;

Exodus 12:11  - And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord's Passover.

1 Pet 1:13-15 - Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; (KJV)
 

        The Christian is to have his mental powers alert in expectation of Christ's coming just as the Israelites were commanded by God through Moses to be alert at any moment in Egypt the night of the death angel. At any second, at a moment's notice, the call to leave Egypt could have come. We are living in the same time now. Yeshuah is coming! Yeshuah is getting ready to split the Eastern Sky with the trump of God and with the voice of the Archangel. And we as HIS CHURCH would do WELL to prepare ourselves for HIS COMING!

        The verb is in the middle voice, indicating the special interest the believer is to take in so doing. The prophet Joel speaks of a "girding" of ourselves with supplications, weeping and howling. That's the condition the church needs to come to. We don't need a social gathering - we need a weeping gathering. We need to have our hearts broken for the lost in such a manner that our eyes literally gush with tears. The time is short. We don't have much time left. The night of the Last Passover was an example to the church that as we SERVE others through love and humility that we are to also have our minds and feet GIRDED with truth and our hearts GIRDED with passion and brokenness.

Joel 1:13 - Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is with holden from the house of your God. (KJV)

Luke 12:34-36 - For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. (KJV)


        Another Greek word for "gird" is "diazonnumi" is actually the same word used in John's account of the Last Passover. It speaks of the Lord's act in "girding" Himself with a towel, <John 13:4,5>, and of Peter's girding himself with his coat, <21:7> A fourth Greek word, "perizonnumi" "to gird around or about," is used (a) literally, of "girding" oneself for service, <Luke 12:37; 17:8>; for rapidity of movement, <Acts 12:8>; (b) figuratively, of the condition for service on the part of the followers of Christ, <Luke 12:35; Eph. 6:14>; (

        The call to "gird" ourselves also speaks of our being "priests" unto God in symbolic type of our Great High Priest - Yeshuah. The word "gird," was used in the Old Covenant when the Lord commanded Aaron the High Priest to "gird himself with the girdle of the ephod." The ephod of the High Priest  is a vest worn by the HIGH PRIEST when he presided at the altar <Ex. 28:4-14; 39:2-7>. Worn over a blue robe <Ex. 28:31-35>, the ephod was made of fine linen interwoven with some threads of pure gold and other threads that were blue, purple, and scarlet in color. The ephod consisted of two pieces joined at the shoulders and bound together at the bottom by a woven band of the same material as the ephod. This band perhaps served as a girdle. Upon the shoulders of the ephod, in settings of gold, were two onyx stones. Upon these stones were engraved the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. The front of the vest, or the breastplate, was fastened to the shoulder straps by two golden chains <Ex. 28:14> and by a blue cord <Ex. 28:28>.
 

        In later years, ephods were worn by associate priests as well as the high priest <1 Sam. 22:18>. Even the boy Samuel, dedicated to serve in the Shiloh temple, wore an ephod <1 Sam. 2:18>. David, although not a priest, wore an ephod when he brought the ark to Jerusalem <2 Sam. 6:14; 1 Chr. 15:27> Since Christ is our great High Priest <Heb. 8:1-6>, the symbols in the ephod may be applied to Him. White linen speaks of His absolute righteousness. Scarlet (the color of blood) symbolizes His atoning work on the cross; purple, His royalty; gold, His divinity. Blue, the color of the sky, signifies Christ's origin with God the Father in heaven.

        It's also <Rev. 1:13>, indicative of  our Lord's majesty of attitude and action. He came to earth the first time being gird about with a towel. The second time He comes He will come gird about with a golden girdle! This golden girdle speaks of righteousness and judgment and the fact He will come back KING OF KINGS! Glory to God. He came to serve and we have received the same call today. He will come back the second time to serve too but this time He will not be put on a cross! He will rule and reign over the whole earth with a rod of iron and with the power of His very words!

Exod 29:5-6 - And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod: And thou shall put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre. (KJV)

Rev 15:6-7 - And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. (KJV)

Rev 1:13-19 - And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shines in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;

He Poured Water Into A Basin And Washed Their Feet

        Praise God. This "pouring of water" into a basin speaks to the last days church of two things I believe. One, I believe it speaks to us of the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Water is a type of the Holy Ghost. In the last days the Lord will POUR OUT His Spirit upon ALL FLESH. We are living on the brink of that right now. One of the greatest harvest of souls is right around the corner for the church! Many will be saved. Many will be delivered. Many will receive prophetic anointing and utterances. Many will be baptized in the mighty Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking with other tongues. Many will become deliverers themselves and see a powerful move of God in the earth!

        Pouring out the water also speaks to us of brokenness. Yeshuah was "broken" for us and "poured out" like water for our salvation. It will be this same type commitment that will bring the church to the place of end-time harvest the prophets foretold and saw. That burden rests on us. I know the Lord is going to have a glorious church. We here in America may not see a "glorious church" here but there is a glorious church in other parts of the world. There is a church that is broken and spilled out before the Lord who only have His heart and are willing to wash feet and serve even in the smallest of tasks.

        Have you ever washed anyone's feet? Let me tell you it humbles you. And the coming storms of the end-times are about to humble us as a Church to the point that we will find ourselves like Yeshuah found Himself on the night of the Last Passover - "washing feet." When you wash someone's feet you kneel in humility and remove the dust and dirt of the day off their bodies. That is what the church has been called to do the lost - serve them and help get them washed off by the "watering" of the Word of God. The Word of God is so "watered" down today in a negative sense that there is very little conviction in our preaching anymore. There is very little passion. But friend, as we near the end, the events of the Last Passover are about to be played out for us once again. The church is headed to Calvary afresh with Yeshuah. We are about to learn what Paul meant when he wrote the "fellowship of His sufferings." We are going to experience that in a real way.

Peter's Protest And Yeshuah's Call To The Church

        Peter says in pride, "Lord I'm not going to let you wash my feet." Yeshuah turns to Peter and says "If I don't do this then you don't have a part in me." If the Church doesn't come to the place of Yeshuah on the night of the Last Passover we will not have a part in Him either. It's very sad the world sees very little of Yeshuah anymore in our efforts. We are so so busy building churches we have forgotten the lost passion of just simply pursuing YESHUAH and loving HIM! There is without a doubt a Laodicea spirit on the church of this generation. Should the Lord tarry the generation that follows us will rebuke us for our lukewarmness because I believe without a doubt that a true move of God is coming to Planet Earth before the end. When that happens I wonder if we are going to be caught kneeling in service to others or protesting like Peter because of our pride.

        Yeshua's call to Peter is our call today. He's asking us do we want to have a part in HIM? Or do we want to keep playing our church games. Do we want to continue boasting about our so-called growth (which is really transfer-growth anyway-SHIFTING SAINTS) or are we willing to get on our knees and wash the feet of those around us. Washing another's feet is more than just an act - it's an attitude. It's an attitude of humility that is so lacking in the church today. We have such an arrogant spirit and I'm afraid the Lord is about to break it off of us in an intense manner.

Isa. 10:33 - Behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror: and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled.

        Jesus asked the other 12 if they understood what He had done. They didn't reply and I'm not so sure we would know how to reply either today. We just don't get it. We have substituted simple servant hood for showmanship and hype. But don't be foolish - we're not deceiving the world with our emptiness. They are so hungry and thirsty for the servant Yeshuah and His heart that when we as the church offer them our "programs," it just makes them sick. There will be no excuses at the judgment of God but there will be many Christians who lose their reward for the missed opportunities we had on Earth to be servants to the world.

        As I close this short journal I leave you with the words of Yeshuah to the 12. If we learn the lessons from the Last Passover, then "happy are we" if we follow the example left to us by our Master. Maybe the reason our churches have so many "counselors" on staff is the fact we are not doing what the Lord told us! The last days are upon us. We need to take a hard look at the LAST PASSOVER. This was a dress rehearsal for what is ahead of us. Supper is about to end. There is going to be a humility and brokenness coming to the church. We are being called in these last days to be servants. We are called to repent of our pride and understand that when we serve others we are in essence saying, "my life does not belong to me, it belongs to Yeshuah." That's the story of the Last Passover. That's the story and call of the modern-day church.

Heavenly Father, we thank you in Yeshuah's name for Your love to us. Help us to repent of our pride and arrogance in the church today. Forgive us for trying to bring people into our "churches" instead of bringing people to Your Son, Yeshuah. Forgive us for promoting organizations instead of building people. Forgive us for not having a servant's heart. Give us a passion for people and humility to go with that passion that we are willing to wash another's feet if need be. Bring back your glory in these last days. Lord, we HUNGER and THIRST for YOUR righteousness. WE cry out for a breaking in our hearts that WE can no longer be seen but ONLY THEE! Kill our flesh Lord to help the Spirit of God become more real and powerful to others. Thank you for your wonderful salvation and thank you Lord for giving us Your grace. We need Your grace in these last days more than some even know. Open our eyes and remove our pride. Forgive our arrogance. WE NEED YOU YESHUAH to become our CORNERSTONE again. You are the foundation and substance of our faith. Open our eyes that we can see that. In YOUR NAME, AMEN.