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"for the endtimes in which we live".... The Watchman
Bread of Affliction
‘The Days of Unleavened Bread’
by the Watchman Dana G Smith
Easter in the Original KJV!
Acts 12:2 And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
3 And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)
4 And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.
Simply put, living in the Roman Empire had its advantages and its disadvantages. If you belonged to a new group of the ‘Way’ which followed a Jewish Rabbi called Yeshua, there were problems. The main problem was the Jews themselves who saw that this young Rabbi Yeshua was put to death on a Roman Cross. Then they persecuted his followers who claimed he had risen from the dead. This group became known as the ‘way’. It was this same group a Pharisee name Saul, later known as Paul persecuted the ‘way’ as well. It would be later on this converted Paul followed the ‘way’ as did those he persecuted in his ignorance of it.
Acts 19:23 And the same time there arose no small stir about that way.
Acts 22:4 And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.
Acts 24:14 But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:
In the verse above [Acts 12:4] we find that during the days of ‘unleavened bread’, Peter was taken by King Herod. It is interesting to note here that the only occurrence of Easter in the bible is found in this translation which is the KJV. The word Easter here is a mistranslation because it is the greek, pascha. It is used 29 times in the New Testament. Twenty eight of those times, count it 28, the word pascha is translated ‘Passover’ in the English. But for the translation of the King James, at least for this original version of the KJV, it was translated ‘Easter’. Now in looking at this, I reviewed other translations of the bible: Darby, Young’s literal translation, Webster Bible 1833, and the New King James version, which all had properly translated the greek word ‘pascha’, strongs 3957, as ‘passover’. After all, it was the ‘days of unleavened bread’, which follow Passover. If they mentioned ‘Days of unleavened bread’, they would also use ‘Passover’. The trouble in this translation was the ‘anti-Jewish’ sentiment that ran deep since the time of Constantine. As the church removed all vestiges of the Jewish feasts and celebrations, including sabbath and put in their own. As with most celebrations, the church incorporated, some pagan symbols and practices in the process as well. But that is for another time. It is here that we need to understand the early church and the fact that they kept the feasts, shabbat, and related celebrations commanded by God in the Torah. They were simply following what their Lord had done. Afterall, Yeshua [Jesus] kept all of them, so did the Apostles, and the early church.
It was during one such feast. Passover just getting over, the feast of unleavened bread, or the ‘days of unleavened bread’ were being observed. Not only by the Jews who disclaimed the Rabbi Jesus as anyone to follow, but the early church who knew he was the ‘only begotten son of God’. They knew, they saw him crucified, and then resurrected. Peter saw his Lord betrayed on the same feast.
The enemies of Christ sought to kill him during Passover and unleavened bread!
Mark 14:1 ¶After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death.
2 But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.
It turned out that indeed on the Passover, Yeshua was crucified. Pilate was going to release him after simply scourging him. It was the feast, Passover, and he had a tradition to release someone on the feast. But the Jews protested, and Christ was sent to the cross. He became the Passover Lamb, the sacrifice for our redemption and salvation unto God.
Luke 23:16 I will therefore chastise him, and release him.
17 (For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.)
18 And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas:
As we look at the early church and in the first scripture with Peter, that he too, was now taken during the feast. It was the ‘days of unleavened bread.’ This is also known as the ‘bread of affliction’. For the LORD delivered Israel out of the land of Egypt in haste. Thus these days were to remember that haste in which they made bread but had no time to let yeast rise, so they made it without, simply baking them. Thus unleavened bread, eaten in haste, with their shoes on, and fully dressed. They were commanded to be ready to leave in a hurry. They were to be prepared.
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Deuteronomy 16:3 Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.
But the ‘days of unleavened bread’ were also a remembrance to the early Christians and to us today as well. It signifies the deliverance we all had in our former lives from sin and ignorance. Peter knew well of this former life. He had seen the ‘transfiguration of Christ’, he had been rebuked by Jesus, he also had Jesus say to him, ‘upon this Rock I will build my church.’ The rock being the statement of faith proclaimed by Peter. That Rock was faith in and testimony of Jesus Christ, Yeshua Ha Massiach, on this the ‘called out ones’, i.e. the church would be formed. Peter also was willing to fight to keep Jesus from dying, but was told he would deny Jesus. This Peter did, three times. It was also Peter who was forgiven, then after the resurrection of Christ, preached from the top of the synagogue in Jerusalem and 3000 were added to the church on Pentecost. Now Peter being a leader in the group was now taken during these ‘days of unleavened bread’.
1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.1 Peter 4:1 ¶Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;
2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:
4 ¶Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:
Thus the bread represents affliction. We came out of our affliction and became saved through Christ, re-united to the Father. Through our deliverance in Christ’s death and resurrection, we became a people, a people of God, united also to Abraham by faith. It also tells us that even though we are re-united to the LORD God, our affliction of sin and its consequences are made null through the vicarious death of Christ and his resurrection, but we are not above our master. As our master Yeshua suffered, so we must. As he met enemies, faced death, was called a devil, and saw persecution, yet he also overcame, so too, must we! When we look at the ‘bread of affliction’, the days of unleavened bread we are reminded of our calling to follow the LORD, take up our cross and follow Him, even unto death. This is what the ‘days of unleavened bread’ meant. It meant that then, it means the same today.
Acts 20:6 And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days.
1 Corinthians 5:7 ¶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:
8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
When we as Gentiles who were in the flesh, became grafted into Christ through faith and the power of God, we became the ‘people of God.’ We were bought with a price. We are not our former selves nor walking in the same ignorance and darkness as before. But we fail to see the whole picture when we ignore the richness of our Jewish savior, the Jewish apostles, and the early church, which was Jewish. It was to the Jews first, then to the Gentiles. We are all, united in God, through Christ. We must waken to the full picture of Gods redemption plan. The feasts reveal that, and the ‘days of unleavened bread’ also show the ‘bread of affliction’ to all who have received Jesus Christ as both Savior and LORD!
Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Romans 1:16 ¶For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
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