The title "Preparation Day" is referred to 6 times in the New Testament (Matthew 27:62; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:14,31,42). Jesus died on this day (John 19:31-37). On the Jewish calendar that would be Nissan 14, which happens to be tomorrow at the time of this post, April 22, 2024. It was a day to prepare for the deliverance of God's people on the next day, which was Passover. Are you prepared, whether a Christian or not, for the judgments of God we are about to experience? Or is there still some "leaven" (i.e. sin) that needs to be removed from your life so as to be protected (i.e. saved or delivered)?
Also, isn't it interesting that we remember this day on the traditional day we call "Good Friday." Just a thought, but why have we adjusted God's schedule to fit our traditions, with Easter always on a Sunday? Wouldn't it be better if we adjusted our schedules around the Lord's instead? We seem to always be fitting God in when it’s convenient, don’t we…
Luke 23:50-54 – See the note below.
50 And a man named Joseph, who was a member of the Council, a good and righteous man
51 (he had not consented to their plan and action), a man from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who was waiting for the kingdom of God;
52 this man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
53 And he took it down and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had ever lain.
54 It was the preparation day [3904], and the Sabbath was about to begin.
NASU
NT:3904 paraskeue (par-ask-yoo-ay')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
as if from NT:3903; readiness [see Luke 12:35-48 which refers to the consequences of the Lord’s servant being dressed, or not, in "readiness"]
KJV - preparation.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
1. a making ready, preparation, equipping
2. that which is prepared, equipment
3. the day of preparation, i. e., the day on which the Jews made the necessary preparation to celebrate a
sabbath or a feast (Matthew 27:62)
(Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words)
paraskeue [NT:3904] - denotes "preparation, equipment." The day on which Christ died is called "the Preparation" in Mark 15:42 and John 19:31; in John 19:42 "the Jews' Preparation," RV; in 19:14 it is described as "the Preparation of the Passover"; in Luke 23:54, RV, "the day of the Preparation (and the Sabbath drew on)." The same day is in view in Matthew 27:62, where the events recorded took place on "the day after the Preparation" (RV). The reference would be to the 6th day of the week. The title arose from the need of preparing food etc. for the Sabbath. Apparently it was first applied only to the afternoon of the 6th day; later, to the whole day. In regard to the phraseology in John 19:14, many hold this to indicate the "preparation" for the paschal feast. It probably means "the Preparation day," and thus falls in line with the Synoptic Gospels. In modern Greek and ecclesiastical Latin, Parasceve Friday.
Preparation day was the day before a Sabbath day, or a festival day. It involved activities beyond the normal so as to be ready for this moment when normal daily routines were paused (see the Bible studies Preparing His Way and Preparing The Bride Of Christ). Spiritually speaking, we too are in a day of preparation before the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement are fulfilled on earth.
According to Josephus, an ancient Jewish historian, the Israelites began to make preparations for the sabbath well before sunset, which for Jewish people marks the beginning of the next day when the observances actually began. They would suspend normal business and social activity and prepare all food in advance.
In an article entitled “Preparation For Shabbat,” the following insights stood out to me;
“The quality of an occasion and the success of it is often determined by the amount of preparation that goes into it. In the Scripture, the day before the onset of Shabbat is called “Preparation Day” (Mark 15:42, Luke 23:54, John 19:31). To be able to keep the Sabbath properly, adequate preparation is necessary which means planning ahead…
The necessary preparation involves preparing special meals in advance, organizing the Sabbath artifacts, cleaning, and most of all, arranging our schedules for prayer and time together…
As a result of many generations of keeping the Sabbath, the Jews set apart the time starting from the evening sacrifice, from 3pm on Friday to “wind down” from the week’s affairs and concerns, and prepare their hearts and minds to embrace Shabbat. This may not be possible to have this time free in our society, but it is of benefit to employ this principle where possible to do whatever is possible ahead of time and finish any last minute preparations to ensure we are ready to enjoy this special day…
As part of the spiritual preparation, a cleansing ritual in a bath (mikveh) followed by a prayer and reading of the Word has become a tradition in order to draw close to Yahweh God for the commencement of the day…
A special meal is prepared and it is customary to make it a festive occasion in whatever way is meaningful, and to dress specially for the occasion. The Sabbath is a feast of Yahweh.”
All of these preparations have spiritual parallels for us; special meals, adjusting our schedules, winding down from worldly affairs, a cleansing ritual, and to dress [spiritually speaking] specifically for the occasion. It is time.
Exodus 19:10-17- The people of God were told to consecrate themselves in preparation to meet the Lord. So must we. The Lord is coming back for the spotless Bride that, after hearing His trumpet like ministers, has answered the midnight call to “come out to meet Him” (Matthew 25:6). They have in obedience and anxious anticipation prepared their hearts by faith. The others within the camp of the church who heard but did not do what God willed, will not enter into His glorious presence but will be cast into great tribulation where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth with the wicked (see the Bible study Outer Darkness). They are the foolish virgins who will not be allowed entrance into the wedding feast of the Lamb.
10 The Lord also said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments; [see the Bible study Consecration]
11 and let them be ready [“firm, stable, established, to prepare, to be ready”] for the third day [see the Bible study The Third Day], for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
12 "You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, 'Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch the border of it; whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.
13 'No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot through; whether beast or man, he shall not live.' When the ram's horn sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain."
14 So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people, and they washed their garments.
15 He said to the people, "Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman."
16 So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.
17 And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.
NASU
Jeremiah 23:16-22 – False prophets give a false word (lies) that create a false sense of peace and safety (i.e. security) among God’s people. The lie of the deliverance from the calamity of His wrath (i.e. “pre-trib rapture”) of those in the church who continue to walk in the stubbornness of their hearts, not seeking diligently to walk in obedience, will destroy many Christians if not repented of, shipwrecking their faith.
16 Thus says the Lord of hosts, "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; they speak a vision of their own imagination, not from the mouth of the Lord.
17 "They keep saying to those who despise Me, 'The Lord has said, "You will have peace"'; And as for everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, they say, 'Calamity [7451- “bad, evil, distress, adversity”] will not come upon you.'
18 "But who has stood in the council of the Lord, that he should see and hear His word? Who has given heed [7181- “to be attentive, to pay attention, to listen”] to His word and listened [8085- “to hear, to obey, to understand, to yield to”]?
19 "Behold, the storm of the Lord has gone forth in wrath, even a whirling tempest; it will swirl down on the head of the wicked.
20 "The anger of the Lord will not turn back until He has performed and carried out the purposes of His heart; In the last days you will clearly understand it.
21 "I did not send these prophets, but they ran. I did not speak to them, but they prophesied.
22 "But if they had stood in My council [5475- “an assembly, secret or confidential plan(s), intimacy (with God)”], then they would have announced My words to My people, and would have turned them back from their evil way and from the evil of their deeds.
NASU
Leviticus 16:2-4 - See the note below.
2 And the LORD said to Moses, "Tell your brother Aaron that he shall not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.
3 "Aaron shall enter the holy place with this: with a bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.
4 "He shall put on the holy linen tunic, and the linen undergarments shall be next to his body, and he shall be girded with the linen sash, and attired with the linen turban (these are holy garments). Then he shall bathe his body in water and put them on.
(NAS)
This passage deals with the requirements of the Lord for the High priest before entering the Holy of Holies, behind the veil, on the Day of Atonement. First of all, he did not enter at any time. It had to be at the appointed time. And so it is for us at the end of this age, before the fulfillment of the final Day of Atonement. We are to prepare to enter into the Lord’s presence by bathing the Body of Christ (His willing Bride), who is our High Priest, with the washing of the word of truth (Eph. 5:26).
Those who have ears to hear and respond favorably in faith by putting on holy garments of fine linen, just like Aaron was required to do on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:4), will receive the favor of God and be spared from His wrath.
According to Revelation 19:8, “the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” Remember, this spoke of the preparation of the Bride of Christ for the marriage of the Lamb. The Bride will then be taken behind the veil where the marriage will be consummated and the two, Christ and His Bride, will then finally become one in Him!
As in Jewish customs, the outer veil will then be removed by Jesus, revealing to the world the exact identity of His Bride. She will then rule the nations in the millennium with the authority of her Husband, Jesus Christ.
