Christ our Exodus

"And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders: And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey." (Deuteronomy 26: 8,9 KJV)

"Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD." (Exodus 6: 6-8 KJV)

The Book of Exodus is the story of the exit of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. This story is full of prophetic significance. It is a picture of a greater Exodus, of superior exits from the burdens and slavery of sin.

In the Bible, the Exodus is called the "redemption" and the "ransoming" of Israel.

"Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments." (Exodus 6: 6 KJV)

"And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee." (Deuteronomy 13: 5 KJV)

"For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee." (Isaiah 43: 3 KJV)

"Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?" (Isaiah 51: 10 KJV)

In the Bible, Egypt is a type of the world, and Israel's slavery in Egypt is a picture of the sinner who is enslaved to sin in this "present evil world." (Galatians 1: 4 KJV)

When the sinner comes to place faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, he is then brought out of his servitude to sin. He is ransomed and redeemed, Lord God making a "way" for him to "escape the pollutions that are in the world." (II Peter 2: 20 KJV)

"And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease (exodus) which he should accomplish at Jerusalem." (Luke 9: 30, 31 KJV)

This is an interesting and pivotal verse in any bible study of the meaning and significance of the Hebrew Exodus. The NIV translates the verse as follows:

"They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem."

A. T. Robertson - "Spake of his decease" (elegon ten exodon). Imperfect active, were talking about his exodus (departure from earth to heaven) very much like our English word "decease" (Latin-decessus, a going away).

Moses and Elijah with Christ on the glorious mountain of Transfiguration! What was the subject of their conversation? The Exodus of Christ "which he should accomplish at Jerusalem"!

Christ exited heaven to come to earth to be the Messiah. But, Christ now also, after his death upon the cross, exits this evil world and returns back to heaven.

His "Exodus" experience, the experience of the cross and of his three days spent "in the heart of the earth," is truly varied in its aspects. (Matthew 12: 40 KJV)

"Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us." (I Corinthians 5: 7 KJV)

"Christ our Passover," yes; But, from the words of Moses and Elijah, we may with propriety also say - "Christ our Exodus."

"By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones." (Hebrews 11: 22 NIV)

"Get my bones out of this place!" We could easily translate his words thusly without doing violence to them. He knew that God had predestined the salvation of the Israelites and that they would surely be saved, and he did not want any part of himself to remain in the horrible "land of bondage."

"Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease (exodus) to have these things always in remembrance." (II Peter 1: 15 KJV)

"I am torn between the two: I desire to depart (exodus) and be with Christ, which is better by far." (Philippians 1: 23 NIV)

"For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure (exodus) is at hand." (II Timothy 4: 6 NIV)

A Christian, in addition to experiencing a saving Exodus, when he comes to Christ for new life, also experiences a glorious Exodus when he dies! He exits this present evil world and enters the heavenly. He "departs," and "goes" or "passes away," changing his place of residence.

"But the day Lot left (exited) Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all." (Luke 17: 29 NIV

"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (precede or go before) them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven (exit heaven) with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first (exit their graves): Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds (exit the world), to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (I Thessalonians 4: 13-17 KJV)

The bodies of Christians who are asleep in the grave, when Christ comes, will all be raised from the dead, and their bodies spiritualized and immortalized. This is a glorious Exodus from the prison of the grave!

The living saints, they too, together with the resurrected dead in Christ, will experience an Exodus from this earth to "greet the Lord in the sky." What a happy day when the Christian exits every burden, every servitude, and every evil thing! It is the Exodus of Christ that makes all the exits of the believer possible.

"The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses." (Psalm 25: 17 KJV)

"God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land." (Psalm 68: 6 KJV)

"Bring my soul out of prison..." (Psalm 142: 7 KJV)

"I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and (bring out) them that sit in darkness out of the prison house." (Isaiah 42: 6, 7 KJV)

The promise of Exodus in Christ! Praise God! Exodus even now from sin, anxiety, stress, and burdens of every kind!

Friend, is Christ both your Passover and your Exodus?