Passover 2
An
exacting more detailed explanation of passover
This page contains scriptural passages and other resources to
help you decide for yourself what nights passover and the
exodus began and should be celebrated.
Even my wife and I disagree on this issue. I believe the evening of the first 6
hours of Nisan 14 is when "the passover" occurred,
and she believes that the proper time to have passover is the evening of the first part of Nisan
15 because that's when the Jews
now hold it, and did hold it in Jesus' time of 33AD; erroneously in my opinion. We hold communion
on both the evening of Nisan
14 as well as Nisan 15 each year to cover each's conclusions and disagreements of studying
this issue. We DO know when those
days are each year. Nisan 15 is always a full moon and Nisan 14 is always a day before
the full moon. This page will help you make
those decisions for yourself. We have all the passages here for you to use in your decisions.
The independant link above,
An
exacting more detailed explanation of passover, along with the links to
three other Christian churches further down who
confirm our thinking and keep passover instead of easter I think pretty much
settles the issue; just my opinion.
I have studied this issue of what really
happened back in 1548BC (some put this date as late as 1461BC) versus what happened
in 33AD (and this date could vary from 30AD to 33AD) when Jesus died, and
what is being practiced and believed today, for several years now, each year when
Passover arrives and Irina and I have our annual disagreement over when to celebrate it. . This year I
decided to study the issue until
I could settle the debate by going over every scriptural passage relating to it
and as many available resources as time would allow. What I discovered was disturbing, at least to me. The
degree of friction that exists between Jews and Christians is one of those
areas. Instead of trying to do God's will; both sides stick with traditional
error. Jews don't even want gentiles
to celebrate passover even though virtually all Jews celebrate it erroneously
today, and most of us know Easter
is pagan Christianity
right along with Christmas St Valentine's Day and Halloween.
Most people don't care, and take the "Hillary" position, "What
difference does it make? (her famous statement about Benghazi)".
I believe in God's realm it does make a
difference both in what you should believe as well as what you practice,
especially when
the truth is available to you and it comes to getting along with and respecting your fellow human beings whether they be Jew or
gentile. I
believe this "indifference" exhibited by many is responsible for the statistic
that only .1% to 2.5% of people who pass on make heaven
at death. I do not take the position that ignorance and going along
with the crowd is okay.
Satan always tries to steer us away from the
truth, to feed us lies and get us to disobey what God has asked of us. He
allows
close, but the goal is to get us to miss the mark of what God really asks.
The celebration of Passover as well as Easter is no
exception. Today most celebrate neither at God's appointed time. We don't follow
God's fourth commandment at God's appointed
time either. Matthew 28:1 tells us without doubt when the weekly sabbath is; the
day before the first day of the week. We know the
first day of the week is Sunday, therefore Saturday is the 7th day of the week
and is the weekly sabbath; and was up until a couple hundred years after Jesus'
death. So why do we go to church for sabbath on Sunday? Saturday to Sunday
is one of Satan's great accomplishments and deceptions. See www.detailshere.com/sabbathissue.htm
for that issue. Unlike not knowing exactly when
Jesus was born we do know exactly when Jesus was
crucified (but not the exact year), in the afternoon at the end of Nisan 14. He
was taken down off the cross and put in the tomb before the sunset at the end of Nisan 14 before Nisan 15 began, which began the Jewish
celebration of the Feast of Unleavened bread erroneously combined with passover
and the whole thing called passover.
The problem is that by that time in history the
Jews were no longer celebrating the passover at the proper appointed time.
The
Jewish people, except for Messianic Jews, don't believe Jesus came the first
time. They are still waiting for Messiah to come.
They hold no association between the passover lamb sacrificed in 1548BC at the
first passover and Jesus being sacrificed as
the passover lamb in 33AD which bought us back from satan. There is no pointing forward from the 1548BC passover
to the 33AD sacrifice for them. They combined the passover event with the exodus celebrated as the feast of
unleavened bread and call it all passover, erroneously. Outside of removing them
from the bondage of slavery in 1548BC, passover has no modern meaning
of Jesus being the passover lamb for them.
The focus of the night of passover on Nisan 14 in
1548BC was all about the lamb sacrificed whose blood was painted on the
doorposts to protect the Israelite's first born when the death angel of Satan
passed over Egypt that night resulting in their release
from the bondage of slavery. This pointing it forward to the 33AD passover
is extremely important. As Jesus as the sacrificial lamb
who died and was resurrected from the dead took humankind back from Satan and
released us from the bondage of sin. From
Adam and Eve to 33AD; Satan owned humankind; lock, stock and barrel. From 33AD
forward, we were free again. When the Jews
don't celebrate passover separately and properly they are in denial that Jesus
did this for us.
Here's what really happened in 1548BC for
those wanting to save time and cut to the chase without doing your own
homework. At the end of Nisan 13 late afternoon or near sunset when Nisan
14 was beginning, the Israelites , per direction
of God through Moses, sacrificed a lamb and painted it's blood on the
doorposts and lintels of each dwelling to protect them
from what was coming. Exodus 12 covers this. They ate the lamb that evening with
unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Around
midnight still near the beginning portion of Nisan 14, the destroyer came
and was allowed to kill all the firstborn of each household,
including animals and livestock, that did not have the blood of the lamb painted
on the doorposts. This applied mainly to Egyptians although it would have also
applied to any Israelite who didn't have the blood of a lamb painted on his
door-posts. This "passing
over" by the angel of death sparing the Israelites is the event called passover which God
commands us to remember, Ex 12:24.
At around 2am in the early morning Pharoh called Moses and Aaron and told them
to get the Israelites the flock out of Egypt.
The Israelites were instructed to stay in their houses until morning but to be
prepared to leave in a hurry. Come daybreak the
Israelites started to leave the land of Goshen, spoiled the Egyptians (took
gold, silver and cloth raments the Egyptians gave
them to hasten their departure) and assembled at Ramses, a short distance away,
for the journey out of Egypt. This involved
2-3 million people counting wives and children. At the end of Nisan 14 and the
beginning of Nisan 15, beginning in the evening
portion Nisan 15, the beginning of Nisan 15, under the full moon of Nisan
15, the exodus began; an event separated by almost
a full day from passover, the passing over of the death angel. People who
believe the Israelites left on the exodus in the night
time portion of Nisan14 shortly after Pharoh told them to go do not allow for
the logistics of assembling and moving 3 million
people out of Egypt. Just the 12 hours, the daylight portion of Nisan 14,
leaves insufficient time for all these people to move
out and assemble at Ramses for the journey out of Egypt.
Leviticus 23:5-6 states we are to remember
passover on Nisan 14 and the exodus (Feast of unleavened bread) on Nisan
15.
It doesn't state to kill the lambs at the end of Nisan 14 and celebrate passover
on Nisan 15 that became the Jewish practice later on.
Numbers 28:16-17 again confirms passover is
on Nisan 14 and Nisan 15 starts the feast of unleavened bread
(representing
the exodus out of Egypt - a separate event).
Numbers 33:3 says they departed Ramses on the morrow; the day after the passover,
which would be Nisan 15,
Not the day of passover, Nisan 14.
Deuteronomy 16:1 clearly states that
Yahweh brought His children out of Egypt by NIGHT. If passover happened at
midnight
and they were supposed to stay in their houses before morning, where is
the night part of that day to leave under? Clearly they
didn't leave Egypt on Nisan 14 but at the beginning of Nisan 15.
In Exodus 42, God designated
THAT NIGHT as a memorial for
all generations to come.
I
believe He is speaking of the first
twelve hour portion of Nisan 14 during which time the angel of death came over
Egypt and not the evening of Nisan 15 when
they actually started leaving Egypt from Ramses.
Although
there are no Jewish sites I can find to support the above scenario, since Jews
don't separate passover from the
exodus, the following Christian sites who DO celebrate passover instead of
Easter DO agree with the above that passover
happened on the night of Nisan 14 and the exodus began the evening of Nisan 15;
separate events as depicted by Leviticus 23:5-6 and Numbers
http://www.cbcg.org/franklin/Christian_Passover_Ceremony_2014-View.pdf
http://www.ucg.org/booklet/fundamental-beliefs/passover/
and
http://www.lcg.org type "passover
" in the search box, specifically
http://www.lcg.org/cgi-bin/lcg/lcn/lcn-issue.cgi?category=LivingChurchNews&item=1390338933
from http://rcg.org/books/ghdoph.html
"On the
10th day of Abib (the first Hebrew month), Israel was to select an unblemished
lamb. Four days later, on the 14th
day of Abib, the lamb was to be killed. Exodus
12:6 says that it was to be killed “in the evening,” but the original
Hebrew
means “between the two evenings.” Some Bible margins plainly state
this. The Jewish Encyclopedia explains that this is the
period
commonly referred to as twilight or dusk. This period is
described as the time after sundown, but before full
darkness
has occurred. In other words, it was at the very beginning
of the 14th that the lamb was killed—and soon thereafter, the blood
of the
lamb was sprinkled above the doorposts of the Israelite’s houses. At
midnight, the death angel struck dead all the firstborn
of Egypt. But God had
told the Israelites, “when I see the blood, I will pass over you”—hence,
the well-known term Passover."
My studies show the Jewish nation DID celebrate passover properly on Nisan
14 and not combine it with the exodus on
Nisan 15 for sometime after the 1548BC passover. But then they stopped that when
they changed over to temple celebrations
instead of in home celebrations. This was man's change, not God's change.
Leviticus 23:5-6 never changed. This change of
celebration time and combining passover with the feast of unleavened bread and
starting the feast on Nisan 15 instead of Nisan 14
continued up until the 33AD crucifixion and continues on today. This Jewish
change of combining the rememberance of
passover with the feast of unleavened bread representing the exodus is what
makes the events of 33AD when Jesus
became the passover lamb so complicated, as the Jews don't recognize Jesus as
the passover lamb either. That part of
passover wasn't important to them, only the being freed from slavery in
1548BC.
In 33AD Jesus and his apostles held their
passover service the evening of Nisan 14 before everyone else did on Nisan
15.
Why? Because Leviticus 23:5 says that Nisan 14 is the day to hold passover; regardless of what the
Jews did erroneously
in that time period. In fact Jesus and His apostles were the only ones to hold passover at the
correct time. For those who claim
it was just a regular meal; and a not a passover meal;
Matthew 26:18-19, Mark 14:14 and 16,
and Luke 22:8, 11, and 13 all address
the fact this was in fact a passover meal. Later that evening in the night time
portion of Nisan 14, Jesus prayed in the Garden
Of Gesthemane, was taken by the Jewish sanhedrin thugs, found guilty of claiming
to be God, blasphemy, taken to Pontius
pilot, handed off to Herod, back to Pilot where He was beaten at the whipping
post, then sentenced to be crucified when that
didn't satisfy the Jews. In the daylight portion of Nisan 14 he carried the
cross up the De La Rosa , was nailed to that cross at
Calgary, and died in the late afternoon portion of Nisan 14 at the same time the
Jewish passover lambs were killed in preparation
for the upcoming feast of unleavened bread which at that point in time
included a rememberance of passover on Nisan 15
instead of 14 as Lev 23:5 and 6 required.
Back
to the point we know when Jesus died each year and why do we celebrate Easter
instead of Passover. Easter came
about when the church tried to combine the pagan celebration of Eostre, the
pagan goddess of fertility (hence the chicks, and
bunnies, and colored easter egg hunts, and chocolate bunnies and jelly beans)
and tacked the resurrection onto it to make the
celebration palatable to Christians. Easter is flat out pagan
Christianity. And they started out celebrating easter on Nisan 14;
not a week later as they do now. The date was changed to a Sunday a week later to distance
themselves from Jewish practices;
much like they changed sabbath from saturday to sunday much for the same reason. Now keep in mind
Nisan 14 isn't when
Jesus was resurrected, but sacrificed. Also
remember Satan likes to play the close game as long as you don't hit the mark.
So today everyone celebrating the resurrection on a Sunday, a week later than God's commanded passover of Lev.
23:5
satisfies that goal. So does celebrating the death of Jesus on good friday when Jesus didn't die on a Friday. He died
at the
end of Nisan 14. And we DO know what day of the week that is each year. So why don't we celebrate it then? Why do we
hold
fast to traditional error we know to be known error? Like I said Satan has done a good job of confusing people so they don't
know what they should be celebrating or when. Too many of God's people are lemmings, they go along with the crowd, church
leaders go along with the crowd, they don't question or research what is really right and what they should be teaching for fear
of being chastised for non conformity and for fear of losing their congregation if they dared to step out of the
box and be
considered outside the norm.
The above is the truth as I have researched it with literally hundreds of hours
of study to determine the truth.
Continuing on with additional info you can
research
To further confuse the issue, God's day of
sundown to sundown differs from our current day of midnight to midnight.
In God's time, first, there are 12
hours of night, then 12 hours of day. Nisan 14 begins at 6 PM to 7pm and lasts
24 hours until sundown at the end of the day part of Nisan 14 when
Nisan 15 begins. To further confuse the issue
the terminology of "between the evens" is used.
Your lamb
shall be without blemish..: And
ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the
whole
assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
Ex.12:5-6
The
New Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible says,
"The phrase ‘in the evening’ [literally,
‘between the evenings’]
means the period between sunset and darkness, ‘twilight’ (Ex. 12:6; KJV,
‘in the evening’)."
Hmmmmm Is that telling us they killed the lambs after sunset on Nisan 14 before
it got dark ? Yet other historical records
state that between evens means just before sunset.
From http://www.yahweh.org/publications/fsdy/fs13Chap.pdf
We get the definition of between the evenings as, ...the traditional
interpretation adopted by the Pharisees and Talmudists
was that the first "evening" was when the heat of the sun began to
decrease (like after 3 pm our today's time) and the second
evening began at sunset. This site states that the Jewish practice is to
slaughter the lambs in the afternoon of Nisan 14 near
the end of Nisan 14 and have the passover meal at the beginning of Nisan
15; again contrary to Lev 23:5-6.
Midnight when the angel of death passed over both Egyptian and Israelite houses is just 6 hours from when
Nisan 14 begins,
(or Nisan 15 begins if you conclude passover was 15 Nisan). But Leviticus 23:5-6
says passover is to be remembered on
Nisan 14, not Nisan 15.
This page will mess with your mind trying to figure this one out. After
literally hundreds of hours of study on the issue I support
a Nisan 14 evening 1548BC passover and a Nisan 15 exodus and feast of unleavened bread.
In 33AD I believe Jesus died on the afternoon of Nisan 14 before the sunset at the end of the daylight portion of Nisan 14
.The Jews celebrated passover in the
early evening of Nisan 15 in 33AD. They slaughtered the lambs at the same time Jesus
died in the afternoon portion of Nisan 14.
No argument with the sequence of events in 33AD. What happened in 1548BC is where
the questions arise.
But Jesus held the passover meal with His
disciples in a room before He was captured in the evening of Nisan 14.
Many try to say it was just a regular meal and not the passover meal but in
Mathew, Mark and Luke it is called the passover meal.
Matthew 26:18-19
Jesus tells us that meal WAS the passover meal.
Mark 14:14 and 16 Jesus tells us again it was the passover meal
and Luke 22:8, 11, and 13 all address the fact this was in fact a passover meal.
The real question becomes, when did the exodus (represented by the feast of unleavened bread) begin; the morning of
12 hours into nisan 14 or 15, or the beginning evening of Nisan 15?
The other historical glitch in the pudding is
that the even though the Jews celebrated both passover and the exodus
separately
for many years after the 1548BC passover ; they then at some point in time combined both events into
the feast of unleavened
bread and called the whole thing erroneously passover - not distinguishing
between the two events, ;
and started the celebration
on Nisan 15. This was going on in the time period of Jesus crucifixion. So even though Jesus
was not crucified at the time the
passover lamb was in 1548BC, if you believe the angel of death passed over
at midnight 6 hours into Nisan 14 instead of Nisan
15, he was sacrificed at the same time the passover lambs were at the end
of Nisan 14 for a Nisan 15 feast in 33AD.
Exodus 12:6 tells us the lamb to be killed for
passover was to be held until Nisan 14 and it shall be killed in the evening.
As
the dark part of Nisan 14 precedes the daylight portion of Nisan 14 , it
is assumed by many this entails the first part of
Nisan 14 and not the last. But "even" could also mean the last hours of
Nisan14. Was it killed in the afternoon of Nisan 13
and
eaten after sundown on Nisan 14? OR was it killed at the beginning Nisan 14
between sunset and darkness? OR, was
it killed in the afternoon of Nisan 14 and eaten and the doorposts painted at the
beginning of Nisan 15; that is the question.
Scripture doesn't
adequately answer this question.
Most everyone agrees the blood of this lamb was to be painted on the lintels and
doorposts in the first 6 hours of Nisan 14
or Nisan 15 BEFORE the angel of death came at midnight (Ex 12:29) and destroyed
the firstborn of all who didn't have this
blood showing. Exodus 12:22 commanded the Israelites not to leave their houses
until morning. Exodus 12:24 states we
are to observe this event forever. Ex 12:24 is NOT speaking of the exodus yet;
but only of killing the lamb, painting it's blood
on the doorposts, the death angel passing over and staying in their homes until
daybreak.
Pharoh summoned Moses that night after discovering the firsborn dead, including Pharoh's son, and told him to get
his
people out of Egypt. At daybreak the Israelites packed up their belongings and left Goshen as they spoiled the Egyptians
(took
silver, gold, cloth and other things the Egyptians gave them). They assembled at Ramses during the daylight portion
of Nisan 14 I believe, and then set out to Succoth on the exodus come evening of Nisan 15; exodus
12:37 Exodus 12:42
says it is a NIGHT to be remembered, not a day to
be remembered.
Some say this all happened on Nisan 15, not
Nisan 14. Leviticus 23:5 and 6 states the 14th day of the first month at
even
is the Lord's passover. It also says the 15th day of the same month is the feast
of unleavened bread and 7 days we must eat
of unleavened bread.
Numbers 33:3 says they departed Ramses on the morrow; the day after the passover,
which would be Nisan 15,
Not the day of passover. It doesn't say the 15th; it says the 14th.
Deuteronomy 16:1 clearly states that
Yahweh brought His children out of Egypt by NIGHT. If passover happened at
midnight
Nisan 15 and they were supposed to stay in their houses before morning, where is
the night part of that day Nisan 15 to leave under?
In Exodus 42, God designated
that NIGHT as a memorial for
all generations to come.
Which
night? The night of Nisan 14
or the night of Nisan 15. The Bible doesn't clearly say.
Leviticus 22:30 says on the same day it shall be eaten up ; ye shall leave none
of it for the morrow. Does that mean if you kill it on the 14th you have to
eat it on the14th?
And in
succeeding passover celebrations in Deutoronmy 16: 6
down of the sun? That to me means before sunset. As the going down of the sun is either at the end of Nisan 14
or at the end
of Nisan 15, it raises the question, when was the 1548BC passover; at midnight on Nisan 14 or midnight Nisan 15? I
told you this
would mess with your mind.
From the
website of www.lcg.org under
"Passover" - The tenth and final plague promised to be the most
overwhelming of all.
The LORD decreed that in one night the He would pass through the entire land of
Egypt and every firstborn male in the land,
both of people and animals, would be struck dead. Death was coming surely and
inexorably. There was only one way of escape.
That way was for the people of Israel to take yearling lambs and at dusk,
when
the 14 day of the first month began (not at
the end of Nisan 14) each household was to slay its lamb. The father in each home was to put the blood on
the doorposts and
the lamb was to be roasted and eaten during the evening.
During the daylight portion of Abib 14 (Nisan 14),
halfway through Nisan 14, the people gathered quickly together for their
journey. Many of the
treasures of Egypt were thrust upon them (Exodus 12:35–36). Finally, about sunset at the
beginning
of the fifteenth (Numbers 33:3; Deuteronomy 16:1), the Israelites
began their long march. They could scarcely contain their
excitement as they
came out “with an high hand” (Numbers 33:3, KJV).
Jesus'
death occurred on the afternoon of the 14th of Abib (Nisan 14) , the date of the Passover.
We know this because it
was the preparation day for the annual Sabbath that
followed on the 15th, the first day of the seven-day Feast of Unleavened
Bread (
Matthew:27:62;Mark:15:42 Luke 23:54; John 19:14, 31, 42.). Jesus was sacrificed at the same
time as the Passover
lambs at that point in time as the Jews had combined passover with the feast of
unleavened bread and called the whole thing
passover instead of keeping the passover and exodus separate as was commanded in
Leviticus 23:5-6. In the passover of
1548BC the lambs were sacrified at evening on Nisan 14th as the sun was going
down at the BEGINNING of Nisan 14th; not
at the end of Nisan 14 as was done by 33AD. Nisan 14 was set by God as passover,
not the beginning of Nisan 15 which
technically was supposed to represent the exodus; not the passover. The
passover and exodus were separate events a day
apart. Jesus and His disciples were the only ones eating the passover meal at
the correct time; everyone else was a day late.
The Jews today celebrate passover a day late and still combine it with the feast
of unleavend bread and call the whole thing
passover.In observing the
Passover every year afterward on the same date, the Israelites were to recall
this redemption in Egypt (while
the Feast of Unleavened Bread that followed memorialized their deliverance from
Egyptian slavery in the Exodus). Lev 23:5-6
From http://www.ucg.org/booklet/fundamental-beliefs/passover/
From http://www.cbcg.org/franklin/Christian_Passover_Ceremony_2014-View.pdf
According to this site the Christian Passover is to be held after sunset on the
13th day of the first month, which is actually the
evening and night of 14th day of the first month; called Nisan 14. Today the
Jews do not keep a 14th passover at all. The Jewish passover is observed a day
late and is combined with the Feast of Unleavened bread which starts on Nisan 15
and continues
for 7 days. In violation of the scriptural commands, the Jews have added an 8th
day to their "passover" extending it to the 22nd
of the 1st month. There is no distinction between passover and the exodus in the
Jewish festivities.
Other resources
http://www.bibletrack.org/notes/resource/misc/Passover_day.html
It appears that it was standard practice to observe the Passover meal either
way in the first century. I say so because there is never a question raised from
Jesus' disciples about observing the Passover meal when they did, nor does
John's gospel give us any explanation regarding why the Jews in John 18:28
observed the Passover meal the next evening. Strictly speaking, however, the
scripture text we've observed seems to clearly indicate that the correct time to
observe the Passover meal was when Jesus did, at the very beginning of Nisan 14
in the evening. After all, on how many issues from the Law of Moses were
the Jewish leaders NOT confused about in Jesus' day? So, who are you going with?
Jesus...or the ones who crucified him?
http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/june2012/marilyna611.htm
If Passover was Nisan 15, the Israelite’s first-born would have died when
the death angel came at midnight on Nisan 14.
Lev 23:5.6 (KJV) says, "In the FOURTEENTH DAY of the first month at even
(i.e., when Nisan 14 began at 6 PM on Nisan 13)
IS THE LORD'S PASSOVER. 6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month (i.e., when
Nisan 15 began at 6 PM on Nisan 14)
is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD"( symbolizing the beginning
of the exodus from Egypt under a full moon)
To understand this correctly, we have to orient ourselves to the Hebrew
day. First, there are 12 hours of night, then 12 hours
of day. Their Nisan 14 begins at 6 PM on Nisan 13 and lasts 24 hours.
Midnight when the angel of death passed over both
Egyptian and Israelite houses is just 6 hours from when the 14th begins, not the
next evening.
http://www.waoy.org/Nisan14Pass..pdf
Here's a long disscertation that agrees Jesus was slain near the end of Nisan 14
but the last supper He and His disciples
celebrated was not a passover mealand the passover started on Nisan 15. But Matthew, Mark and Luke DO call it a
passover
meal. I have a problem with this scenario and waoy.org's theology.
Matthew 26:18-19
Jesus tells us that meal WAS the passover meal.
Mark 14:14 and 16 Jesus tells us again it was the passover meal
and Luke 22:8, 11, and 13 all address the fact this was in fact a passover meal.
http://www.waoy.org/17_Proofs_Why_Passover_is_Nisan_15.pdf
Another document from the same group claiming the 1548BC passover lambs were
slain at the end of Nisan 14 (between the evens of nisan 14 and nisan 15) ,
eaten early evening of Nisan 15, angel of death came over at midnight nisan 15,
, Pharoh gave Moses the boot about 2am , the Israelites came out of their houses
early morning, received spoils from the Egyptans and headed down the road in the
daylight portion of Nisan 15. This scenario doesn't allow them time to gather
2-3 million people from their homes to Rameses for the journey (not a one
hour affair) nor does it give them time to receive spoils from the Egyptians,
nor put them starting out under a full moon as they would be leaving mid day on
Nisan 15 and not at the beginning of Nisan 15 during the night portion of the
day.
http://www.cogwriter.com/passover_on_the_fourteenth_or_fifteenth.htm
Good site, Shows John 13 is supportive of a nisan 14 passover. Apostle
Paul teaches that our Saviour clearly kept Passover Himself the 14th right after
sunset. Those who follow Jesus will do
the same. Epiphanius recognized that Jesus HAD to be slain on the 14th of the
month.
When Was The Passover Lamb Sacrificed?
A
controversy has existed for hundreds of years concerning the correct time of the
Passover sacrifice. Was it at the beginning or end of the fourteenth of Abib?
Many sources outside the Bible can be used to support both beliefs. However,
following the example of the Bereans in Acts 17:11, the Holy Scriptures should
be our ultimate source for truth. This study will use only the Bible to arrive
at the answer.
To begin with we must understand that Yahweh's plan of salvation existed before
the creation of the worlds. That plan included the slaying of His Son Yahshua as
we read in Rev.13:8 - "And all that dwell upon the earth shall
worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world." Not only was it part of Yahweh's plan to
provide His Son as the lamb, but Yahweh Himself was the one who bruised him as
we read in Is.53:10 -" Yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise him; he
hath put him to grief." Considering these two verses we must conclude that
Yahweh bruised Yahshua, as His Passover lamb, at the exact time that He decreed
the Israelites to kill their Passover lambs.
Yahweh is a mighty one of perfection and exactness. Would He not have slain His
lamb at the correct time? Yahweh has an appointed time for everything whether it
be the resurrection of the dead, judgement day, the day of Yahshua's second
coming, etc. The appointed time of His Son's death was firmly established before
the foundations of the world as well. It is this premise that must be kept in
mind as we study the correct time for the Passover sacrifice.
Matthew tells us that Yahshua died about the ninth hour which is equivalent to
3:00 pm. (Mt.27:45-50). This time, then, would be the fulfillment of Ex.12:6 and
the phrase "kill it in the evening" or more correctly "between
the evenings." The Jews have always understood the first evening to begin
at approx. 3:00 pm and the second evening to begin the moment the sun sets.
Others believe the phrase "between the evenings" to mean from sunset
to darkness or the time known as twilight. Interestingly, two Hebrew words were
translated twilight in the KJV neither of which were ever used concerning the
Passover. In addition, the Jews had another phrase (between the suns) that they
used to denote the time between the setting of the sun and the appearance of any
star (Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Hebraica - John
Lightfoot, Vol. 3, pg.217).
The phrase "between the evenings" appears 11 times in the Hebrew text.
Five of those pertain to Passover leaving us with six verses to examine and
interpret its meaning. Ex.29:39,41 and Num.28:4,8 concern the morning and
evening sacrifice which was offered daily. Since they all say the same thing we
need only examine Ex.29:38-41 -" Now this is that which thou shalt
offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually. The
one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at
even : And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth
part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink
offering. And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even , and shalt do
thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and according to the
drink offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto
Yahweh."
Two lambs were to be offered each day; one in the morning and the other between
the evenings. The word "one" in verse 39 is the Hebrew "echad"
which can also mean "first" as in Num.29:1 - "And in the
seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have an holy
convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the trumpets
unto you." The word "other" in verse 39 is the Hebrew "sheniy".
According to Strong's Concordance it means "double ie: second." If the
other lamb or more correctly, the second lamb, were sacrificed after sunset then
it would be a new day making it the first lamb sacrificed. This is one reason
the Jews always sacrificed the second lamb at 3:00 in the afternoon.
The next use of "between the evenings" is found in Ex.30:8 -
"And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even , he shall burn incense
upon it, a perpetual incense before Yahweh throughout your generations."
The Tabernacle was made from animal skins which means they would not allow much
light to enter the sanctuary. If Aaron had waited until sundown to light the
lamps he would not have had any light to see what he was doing. Lighting the
lamps before sunset would make more sense. If Aaron had to light the lamps after
sunset and offer the second lamb after sunset, when did he have time to offer
the Passover sacrifice?
The last usage of "between the evenings" is found in Ex. 16:12,13
- I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them,
saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be
filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am Yahweh your Elohim. And it came
to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in
the morning the dew lay round about the host." The word "even" in
verse 12 is "between the evenings" and the word "even" in
verse 13 is "ereb." Some say that ereb means sunset therefore
"between the evenings" must be twilight. However, ereb and ben ha
arbayim (between the evenings) are used interchangeably. Lev.23:3 uses ereb
concerning the time of lighting the lamps and II Chr.13:11 uses ereb concerning
the time of the evening sacrifice. Therefore the quails could have come into the
camp by 3:00 pm and been eaten before sunset. Twilight only lasts approximately
40 minutes. If the quail didn't come in until sundown, how did the Israelites
manage to catch, kill, clean and cook them before dark? Incidently, according to
"Aid to Bible Understanding", Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of
New York, Inc., 1971, under the heading "Quail" it states that they
often fly at night which brings into question the assumption that they came in
at sundown to roost in the trees. Ex.16:13 says the quail "covered the
camp" implying that they landed on the ground and not in trees. Since this
was a miracle performed by Yahweh, He could have brought the quail in at any
time. He did not have to bring them in at the normal roosting time of other
birds.
"Between
the evenings" means just that; a period of time that falls between two
different evenings. Scripture undoubtedly teaches that evening begins the moment
the sun sets. It then continues on towards morning. Scripture never states that
a second evening begins when twilight ends. It does show that another evening
can occur as early as 3:00 pm (ereb).
Those who believe the lamb was killed after the sun set beginning the 14th of
Abib also say that the Hebrew phrase "ba ereb" always means the end of
the day. However we find the same phrase used pertaining to the Passover in Jos.5:10
- "And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on
the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho."
The Israelites kept the Passover at even (ba ereb) meaning at the end of the
fourteenth. Deut.16:4,6 also uses "ba ereb" to show the sacrifice
occurred at the end of the fourteenth. Deut.16:6 - " But at the
place which Yahweh thy Elohim shall choose to place his name in, there thou
shalt sacrifice the passover at even , at the going down of the sun, at
the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt."
.
. . . . Therefore, when Deut.16:6 says," sacrifice the Passover at even (ba
ereb), at the going down of the sun,..." it shows that "ba ereb"
in this case means prior to sunset. . . . . .
It
is also believed by some people that the word "until" in Ex.12:6 means
"up to" or the beginning of the fourteenth. Ex. 12:6 -
"And ye shall keep it (up, not in Hebrew) until the fourteenth
day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel
shall kill it in the evening." The same Hebrew word also means
"through till the end" as we see in Ex. 12:15,18 -
"Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put
away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the
first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel
. . .In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, you shall
eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at
even." If "until" meant the beginning of the day then we would be
permitted to eat leaven on the seventh day of the feast (Abib 21).
Notice also this crucial point; The Hebrew of Ex.12:18, "on the fourteenth
day of the month at even," is the exact same phrase in Josh.5:10 declaring
the time when Joshua kept the Passover. In Ex.12:18 it means the end of the 21st
day and in Josh.5:10 it means the end of the fourteenth. Lev.23:32 shows this
phrase to mean the end of the ninth day. [
Here difference should be made between the “keeping” of the Passover
in the sense of having it killed “at even” and in the sense of having
it eaten after sunset in the night of the new day – with
unleavened bread. Thus, unleavened bread is eaten the seventh time in the night
or beginning of the 21st day and not on “the end of the 21st day”.
CGE]
It
is often said that Ex.12:6-14 refers to Abib 14, especially the phrase
"this night" in verse 12. If we understand that "between the
evenings" (vs.6) means approximately 3:00 pm, then obviously "this
night" must mean Abib 15. It all depends on your understanding of the
meaning of "between the evenings." Notice, however, verse 14.
"This day" (the day Yahweh passed over them) shall be a memorial
; and you shall keep it a feast to Yahweh throughout your generations;
you shall keep it a feast forever." Whenever Yahweh memorializes a
day He does so by making it a Sabbath just as He memorialized His finished work
of Creation, the Day of Atonement, Trumpets, etc. He also memorialized the day
He passed over Israel by making it a Sabbath, Abib 15. That is why the term
"feast" is used in this verse. The Hebrew word is "chagag"
which was also used in Ex.23:14; "Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto
me in the year." A chagag is a special time of rejoicing and dancing.
Certainly, Abib 14 cannot be considered a chag or chagag in any way. It is
merely the day that the Passover lamb was sacrificed.
It is taught that the killing and
eating of the Passover Lamb takes place on Abib 14. Ex.12:43-50
outlines this eating concerning strangers. Notice verse 51, "And it came to
pass the selfsame day ,
that Yahweh did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their
armies." The "selfsame day" can only refer to the previous verses
concerning eating. The selfsame day the Passover was eaten they came out of
Egypt; Abib 15 (Num.33:3). Those that keep Passover at the beginning of Abib 14
believe it was eaten that night followed by the exodus the next night.
II Chr.35:1-19 recounts Josiyah's Passover. Verse 14 suggests the
sacrifices and offerings took place hours before nightfall in order to complete
them. Since twilight is only a period of approximately 40 minutes, how could
they kill, bleed, clean and cook so many offerings and sacrifices in so short a
time? This verse takes place after they had roasted the Passover
offerings which would have taken several hours.
It is implied in verse 14 that the priests were busy with burnt offerings from
before sunset until night and therefore, the Levites took charge of the passover
lambs themselves. Yet, verse 11 implies that the priests
Beginning of the 14th proponents use verses 16 & 17 to teach, "The
whole service of the Passover
[including eating] was observed
that day (in one day) just as Moses prescribed; that is, on the 14th."
(emphasis & brackets mine). The KJV says, "So all the service of
Yahweh was prepared
the same day to keep the passover..." Notice the difference in the
emphasized words.
Moffatt's translation is often used to support that view. It says, "In this
way, the whole service of holding the
passover in honor of the Eternal and sacrificing burnt-offerings
on the altar of the Eternal was carried out that day..." The phrase in bold
type is not in the Hebrew. It simply says, "all the service of Yahweh was
prepared the same day..." Moffatt's version leads one to believe that it is
talking about a Passover service or ceremony whereas the Hebrew shows the
service to be people
prepared to conduct the passover ceremony. This can be seen by verses
2-5,10,14-16. Each family division had a specific service to perform and to
prepare for. Verse 16 says that all those that had a service to perform were
prepared the same day, Abib 14.
The last Old Testament verse we should read is Eze.45:21 . "In the
first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, ye shall have the Passover, a
feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten." This verse does not
say "and a feast of seven days" thereby making a distinction between
Passover and Unleavened. According to Strong's Concordance, Passover can mean
either the festival or the victim (the sacrifice). Passover in this verse would
refer to the festival. Verses such as Ex.12:6; Nu.9:5; and Lev.23:5 refer to the
victim. Many people do not understand this and erroneously assume the killing
and eating must take place on the same day. Once the Passover is sacrificed at
the end of the fourteenth it is eaten as the first meal of the feast. . . . . . .
Between
the Evenings
A
correct understanding of this phrase is crucial in determining when the Passover
lamb was to be sacrificed. We cannot use circular reasoning to arrive at its
meaning. By that I mean, because Yahshua apparently ate the
Passover at the beginning of Abib 14, we cannot conclude that "between the
evenings" must be a time period prior to that supper, namely sunset or
twilight beginning Abib 14. That is circular reasoning and poor exegesis.
There is firm historical support showing that the Hebrew phrase "ben ha-erebim"
(between the evenings) was a time period between noon and sundown (See
'Historical Evidence to Support a Passover Sacrifice at the End of Abib 14').
There is virtually no historical evidence I know of to support that phrase
meaning twilight. One can find many modern day commentators and Bible
translators supporting that position, but their position is based on opinion,
conjecture, and a misunderstanding of Hebrew thought on this subject. By 'Hebrew
thought' I mean their beliefs as far back as three hundred years prior to
Messiah Yahshua, not their thoughts after 70 C.E.. Although Jewish thought on
this subject did not change at that time, some people believe it did.
The phrase in question appears eleven times in the Hebrew text. Five of those
times pertain to the Passover.
Ex.12:6 - "And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the
same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in
the evening ."
Lev.23:5 - "In the fourteenth day of the first month at
even is Yahweh's passover.
Num.9:3 - "In the fourteenth day of this month, at even
, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it,
and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it."
Num.9:5 - "And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the
first month at even in the wilderness of Sinai: according to
all that Yahweh commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel."
Num.9:11 - "The fourteenth day of the second month at even
they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs ."
Ex.16:12 - "I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel:
speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the
morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am Yahweh your
Elohim. The "flesh" the Israelites would eat "between the
evenings" was quail (vs.13). The question is, if "between the
evenings" means twilight, which is a period lasting approximately 40
minutes, how did the Israelites manage to catch, kill, clean, cook and eat the
quail in that short time period? It is obvious that much more time is required
to do all that. They may also have had to start fires to cook the quail. We
shouldn't assume that they had fires ready in anticipation of the quail coming.
Ex.29:39,41 is repeated in Num.28:4,8 so we need only look at Num.28:4,8 to
understand the next four uses of "between the evenings."
Num.28:4,8 - "The one lamb shalt thou offer in the morning, and
the other lamb shalt thou offer at even ;
And the other lamb shalt thou offer at even : as the meat
offering of the morning, and as the drink offering thereof, thou shalt offer it
, a sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto Yahweh."
Both phrases in bold type are from the Hebrew "ben ha-erebim." These
verses deal with the time of the evening sacrifice. Keep in mind that a Hebrew
day ends at sunset as we study these verses.
First, the historical testimony of Josephus places the evening sacrifice at
"about the ninth hour" or approximately 3:00 p.m. (Antiquities
14.4.3). This agrees with his statement that the Passover lamb was sacrificed
"between the ninth and the eleventh hour" (Wars 6.9.3). Two different
sacrifices, both occurring at about the ninth hour and both fulfilling the
command to sacrifice "between the evenings."
Secondly, we have the clear meaning of two other Hebrew words to assure us of
the meaning intended. The word "one" used in verse 4 is the Hebrew
word "echad" which can also mean "first" as in Num. 29:1 and
many other texts.
That leaves us with one verse left, Ex.30:8. Josephus says this was done at
"sunsetting" (Antiquities 3.8.3). He does not say "sundown"
or "sunset." This time period, in the Jewish culture, begins at noon.
The sun begins setting at that time. It continues to set until
it vanishes from sight beginning a new day. Ex.30:8 - "And when
Aaron lighteth the lamps at even , he shall burn incense upon
it, a perpetual incense before Yahweh throughout your generations."
The
Tabernacle in the wilderness was made out of animal skins which means they would
not allow much light, if any, to enter the sanctuary. If Aaron waited until
sundown to light the lamps, he would not have had any light to see what he was
doing. This would especially be true when the moon was not full. Lighting the
lamps before sunset would make more sense. Also, if Aaron had to light the
lamps, burn incense and offer the evening sacrifice after sunset, when did he
have time to offer the Passover sacrifice? Twilight only lasts about 30 minutes.
Interestingly, Lev.23:3 uses the Hebrew word "ereb" concerning the
time for lighting the lamps and 2 Chr.13:11 uses "ereb" for the time
of the evening sacrifice. Therefore, ereb and ben ha-erebim are interchangeable
as far as these times are concerned.
Conclusion: The weightier evidence, both historical and scriptural, is clearly
in favour of "between the evenings" meaning a time period before
sunset. Appealing to modern day commentators and translators is fruitless since
support can be found for both views. History, however, cannot be refuted and
neither can context.
Deuteronomy
16:6
"But
at the place which Yahweh thy Elohim shall choose to place his name in, there
thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even [ba-ereb], at the going down
of the sun , at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt."
Historical Evidence to Support a Passover Sacrifice
at the End of Abib 14
The Book of Jubilees
- (2nd Century B.C.E.) -
"Remember the commandment which the Lord commanded thee concerning the
Passover, that thou shouldst celebrate it in its season on the fourteenth of the
first month, that thou shouldst kill it before it is evening, and that
they should eat it by night on the evening of the fifteenth from the time
of the setting of the sun."
"Let the children of Israel come and observe Passover on the day of its fixed time, on the fourteenth day of the first month, between the evenings, from the third part of the day to the third part of the night, for two portions of the day are given to light, and a third part to the evening."
"This
is that which the Lord commanded thee that thou shouldst observe it between the
evenings. And it is not permissible to slay it during any period of the light,
but during the period bordering on the evening, and let them eat it at the time
of the evening until the third part of the night, and whatever is left over of
all its flesh from the third part of the night and onwards, let them burn with
fire." (Each 'part' was approximately 4 hours long). 'Apocrypha and
Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament in English' by R.H. Charles, chapter 49.
This shows that, as early as two centuries before Messiah, there were Jews who
believed the Passover was to be sacrificed at the end of Abib 14 and eaten on
the 15th. This also shows that this practice did not begin after the destruction
of the second temple in 70 C.E.
Philo - (early 1st century C.E.) -
"After the New Moon comes the fourth feast, called the Crossing-feast,
which the Hebrews in their native tongue call Pascha. In this festival many
myriads of victims from noon till eventide are offered by the whole
people ... The day on which this national festivity occurs may very properly be
noted. It is the 14th of the month ..." 'De Specialibus Legibus, 2,' 145,
149.
Again, these offerings took place at the end of the 14th. Philo wrote from about
20 B.C.E. to 45 C.E. So this would have been the practice in Messiah's day.
Another treatise ascribed to Philo, 'Quasestiones et Solutiones in Genesin et in
Exodum,' states the time of the Passover sacrifice to be after 3 p.m.
Josephus - (late 1st century C.E.) -
"... accordingly, on the occassion of the feast called Passover, at which
they sacrifice from the ninth hour to the eleventh hour , [3 p.m. to 5
p.m.] and a little fraternity, as it were, gather round each sacrifice, of not
fewer than ten persons" War 6.9.3.
Josephus also wrote about the time of the evening sacrifice that was offered
between the evenings as was the Passover.
"...but did still twice each day, in the morning and about the ninth hour
[3 p.m.], offer their sacrifices on the altar;"
Antiquities of the Jews 14.4.3
This was the practice in the days of Pompey (65 B.C.E.). It continued this way
until the destruction of the temple in 70 C.E.
Writing on the subject of offering incense as it was practiced in Moses' time,
Josephus says;
"... but incense was to be offered twice a day, both before sunrising and at
sunsetting ." Antiq. 3.8.3.
The phrase "at sunsetting" has led some to believe that incense and
the evening sacrifice were offered originally at sunset, but later changed to
mid-afternoon. Note that Josephus does not say "sunset" or
"sundown", but "sunsetting." To a Jew, the sun is setting
from noon until it disappears below the horizon. Even to an American today, the
sun is continually descending until sundown. So Josephus does not contradict
himself, nor does he teach that a change was made.
Septuagint - (3rd Century B.C.E.) -
Lev.23:5 gives a literal translation of the Hebrew "ben ha-erebim"
(Greek: anameson ton hesperinon = "at between the evenings.") However,
in Ex.12:6,12 and Num.28:4,8, ben ha-erebim is translated as "toward
evening," (Greek: pros hesperan). Ex.29:39,41 translates ben ha-erebim as
'to deilinon' in Greek meaning "in the afternoon" or "toward
evening."
This shows that the Hebrew phrase ben ha-erebim was understood to mean the
evening at the end of the day approximately 300 years before Messiah.
Ezekielos - (approx. 90 B.C.E.) -
Ezekielos was a Jewish dramatist who composed a tragedy in Greek on the theme of
the Exodus. He writes, "And let them be kept until the fourteenth day is bright
; then sacrificing them towards evening (you will eat them) all
roast, together with (their) entrails."
Eustathius
-
"Eustathius, in a note on the seventeenth book of the Odyssey, shows that
the Greeks too held that there were two evenings, one which
they called the latter evening, at the close of the day; and the other the
former evening, which commenced immediately after noon . . ."
McClintock and Strong, vol. VII, 1877, p.735. Irenaeus - (120 -
202 C.E.) -
"Of the day of His passion, too, he was not ignorant; but foretold Him,
after a figurative manner, by the name given to the passover; and at that very
festival, which had been proclaimed such a long time previously by Moses, did
our Lord suffer, thus fulfilling the passover. And he did not describe the day
only, but the place also, and the time of day at which the sufferings
ceased, and the sign of the setting of the sun, saying: "Thou
mayest not sacrifice the passover within any other of thy cities which the LORD
thy God shall choose that His name be called on there, thou shalt
sacrifice the passover at even, towards the
setting sun ." Ante-Nicean Fathers, Vol.1, pg. 473.
Although this source testifies from about 100 years after the temple was
destroyed, I feel it is important. This was written at a time when weak
Christians were avoiding persecution by forsaking the appearance of anything
Jewish such as Sabbath observance. If the practice of sacrificing the Passover
before sunset was a Jewish invention after 70 C.E., it most certainly would have
been forsaken by Messianic believers at that time. But there is no evidence of
that in Irenaeus's account.
Rabbinic Literature can also be added to this list of historical evidence, but
since they are accused of changing the time of the Passover sacrifice, they
won't be included.
All of the sources listed are unified in their support of "between the
evenings" meaning at the end of the day. I have yet to see any historical
documentation supporting a beginning of the 14th Passover. Most of the
extra-Biblical support for that position comes from modern commentaries and
translations written by people who did not understand Jewish thought on this
subject.
An
exacting more detailed explanation of passover taken from
http://rcg.org/books/ghdoph.html
- this link also discusses the other Holy Feast Days
The Passover
God told the Israelites to take a young lamb, without spot or blemish, to represent a type of Christ—the Lamb of God (John 1:29). This was always to be done on the tenth day of the first month of the Hebrew sacred year. Unlike all humanly-devised calendars that begin the year in mid-winter, this sacred year began in the spring, around the equinox, with the new moon.
Israel had also lost knowledge of the sacred calendar. Notice what God instructed: “This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you” (Ex. 12:2). As Christ’s sacrifice was the beginning of God’s Plan, the Passover was to be in the “beginning” month.
So many understand some aspects of Christ’s sacrifice, but do not see beyond it to the great purpose God reveals in each of the other Feast Days that follow.
On the 10th day of Abib (the first Hebrew month), Israel was to select an unblemished lamb. Four days later, on the 14th day of Abib, the lamb was to be killed. Exodus 12:6 says that it was to be killed “in the evening,” but the original Hebrew means “between the two evenings.” Some Bible margins plainly state this. The Jewish Encyclopedia explains that this is the period commonly referred to as twilight or dusk. This period is described as the time after sundown, but before full darkness has occurred. In other words, it was at the very beginning of the 14th that the lamb was killed—and soon thereafter, the blood of the lamb was sprinkled above the doorposts of the Israelite’s houses. At midnight, the death angel struck dead all the firstborn of Egypt. But God had told the Israelites, “when I see the blood, I will pass over you”—hence, the well-known term Passover.
The word Passover is found in the New Testament in a most powerful scripture. Paul wrote the Corinthians about how “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.” This verse removes any doubt about who is the centerpiece of the Old Testament Passover observance. It was Christ—and this is one of our first great clues that the Old Testament Feast Days are directly linked to God’s Plan. The shed blood of the Old Testament lamb was a type of the shed blood of Christ, the Lamb of God. Every professing Christian recognizes that Christ’s sacrifice is all-important to salvation. Why can they not see—or be willing to investigate—that the rest of His Feasts might also have great spiritual meaning to their observance?
Exodus 12:6 explains that the Passover lamb was to be killed “in the evening”—at dusk (official Jewish translation). We should briefly explain that some believe that the lamb was killed after noon (around 3 p.m.) on the daylight part of the 14th. It is then thought that it was eaten in the evening of the 15th, with Israel leaving Egypt the same night. This theory is impossible. Let’s understand why.
Deuteronomy 16:6 shows that the lamb was always slain as the sun was going down. Yet it was always eaten during the 14th, not after (Lev. 23:5-6). God does things exactly on time! The time is once a year, at night, in the beginning of the 14th of Abib—after the sun has set!
Returning to Exodus 12, verses 8-11 describe how it was to be roasted and eaten on the night of the 14th. Verse 12 explains how God would “pass through the land of Egypt this night, and…smite all the firstborn.” Verse 22 describes what the Israelites were to do with the blood from the slain lamb: “…strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.”
Make careful note that none were permitted to leave their houses during the night. Verse 29 states that “at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn.” Verses 30-31 explain that Pharaoh “rose up in the night” and called for Moses and Aaron to tell the Israelites to leave. The Egyptians tried to get rid of them (vs. 33) and the Bible records that the Israelites “borrowed of” (vs. 35)—or “spoiled” (vs. 36)—the Egyptian people.
This means that they took gold, silver, jewels and clothing upon demand. This took several, or even many, hours but it could not have been during the night since the Israelites were not permitted out of their homes during this time. Obviously, Israel’s seizing of these physical goods occurred during the daylight portion of the 14th. Since there were millions of Israelites and notifying them would have been an extensive task, more hours were required just to complete
this.Exodus 12:10 adds proof that the people could not have left Egypt during the night that Pharaoh arose because they were to burn whatever “remained of it [the lamb]” in “the morning.”
Deuteronomy 16:1 adds another important corroboration of when Israel departed Egypt: “…keep the passover unto the Lord your God: for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you forth out of Egypt by night.” Clearly, this had to be the night of the 15th because Israel remained indoors through the night of the 14th.
Numbers 33:3 confirms that this was the 15th: “And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the morrow after the passover the children of Israel went out with a high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians.”
Exodus 12:41-42 introduces the “night of the Lord to be observed…” Notice: “…even the selfsame day [the 15th] it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. It is a night to be much observed unto the Lord for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the Lord to be observed.” (Verse 43 through the end of the chapter is a new section clarifying who was permitted to eat the Passover.)
The Passover was kept on the night of the 14th, but the night that was to be “much observed,” when Israel departed from Egypt by night, was the 15th. God intended that Israel remember their deliverance from Egypt through a special and separate celebration one night later.
The Old Testament Passover always preceded the annual Sabbath called the first Day of Unleavened Bread. This day was a High Day or a Feast Day to be celebrated each year, again, on the day immediately following the Passover. Notice Numbers 28:16-17: “And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of the Lord. And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast.” This Feast was the first Day of Unleavened Bread. Recall that Leviticus 23:5-6 said the exact same thing. The Passover is the 14th and the following seven days are the Days of Unleavened Bread.
The Days of Unleavened Bread
From the 15th through the 21st of Abib—a period of seven days—is a festival called the Days of Unleavened Bread. This means that only unleavened bread—bread made without yeast or other leavening agents—should be eaten every day for this one-week period immediately following the Passover. By the time of the New Testament, the Days of Unleavened Bread were generally spoken or thought of as eight days because leavening was usually put out of homes during the daylight portion of the 14th. Yet the seven-day unleavened bread period begins after the Passover—on the 15th.
The first and last of these days, the 15th and the 21st, were to be annual Sabbaths. While Leviticus 23:4 plainly includes Passover as one of God’s festivals, recall that Numbers 28:17 said, “And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast.”
Exodus 12:14-16 makes a critical distinction about the importance to God of the Feast kept on the 15th: “And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and you shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; you shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever. Seven days shall you eat unleavened bread; even the first day you shall put away leaven out of your houses…the first day [15th] there shall be a holy convocation, and in the seventh day [21st] there shall be a holy convocation…”
This passage makes plain that the Feast on the 15th was a memorial to God. He intended that this day (not the 14th as some claim) be a memorial—an annual reminder—that God had delivered Israel from Egypt. It was to be an “ordinance forever”—“throughout your generations.” The Days of Unleavened Bread are important to God, and this repeats what He said in Leviticus 23 about the permanence of this and His other Feasts. Remember that “holy convocation” means commanded assembly. God commanded that His people assemble on this day perpetually, throughout all generations—forever!
In verse 17, God drives home His purpose that this day be kept “forever.” But this verse also begins to explain why: “For in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall you observe this day in your generations by an ordinance forever.” Some translations reflect that God intended this entire “period” as “an everlasting institution.” (Verse 24 also repeats the word “forever” in regard to the Passover.)
This ordinance was established before the law of Moses had been given. But why was it established?
Why the Days of Unleavened Bread?
Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread stand or fall together. Here is why. Passover depicts Christ’s sacrifice so that sin can be forgiven and removed. The Feast of Unleavened Bread does not foreshadow Christ’s sacrifice.
We ask: What point would there be in observing Passover if those who are cleansed turn right around and go back into sin? Egypt is a type of sin. The Days of Unleavened Bread picture God’s people being taken out of sin—and putting it away from their lives through obedience to God’s Law. This is a vitally important point. Consider. Passover is a one-day Feast. In one sense, it pictures a single event: The forgiveness of sin by the blood of Christ. The Days of Unleavened Bread are a seven-day period. They reflect duration of time, rather than a moment in time. The Christian practices putting sin out of his life as a way of life. God, through Moses, presented all of this institution to Israel before He ever gave a single word of the ceremonial and ritual washings and sacrificial laws referenced earlier!
No honest person can believe that God did not intend all those who serve Him to keep the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread as a perpetual, permanent institution. But why would God do this?
Eating unleavened bread pictures putting leaven—sin—from people’s lives. How do we know this? Does the Bible state this plainly? First notice: “And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day [15th], in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage…” (Ex. 13:3). This verse sets the stage.
Now we are ready to understand God’s great purpose for this Feast. Let’s see it clearly: “Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the Lord…And you shall show your son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the Lord did unto me [any Israelite parent talking to his child] when I came forth out of Egypt. And it shall be for a sign unto you upon your hand, and for a memorial between your eyes, that the Lord’s LAW may be in your mouth…You shall therefore keep this ordinance in His season from year to year [memorials are annual]” (vs. 6, 8-10).
This is an extraordinary and powerful verse! Keeping the Days of Unleavened Bread has to do with God’s Law being actively at work in our minds and hearts. Again, what is the purpose of Christ’s forgiveness for past sins if one continues practicing sin as a way of life? Of course God had to establish the ordinance—the statute—of the Days of Unleavened Bread as a follow-up to the keeping and meaning of His Passover! It is absolutely vital that you see and understand God’s mind—His purpose—regarding this Feast Day!
The reference to this Feast being a sign “upon your hand” means that it involves actions—our works. The phrase “between your eyes” connotes the mind—the will.
All human beings sin (Rom. 3:23). Christ’s blood forgives “sins that are past” (vs. 25). But people do not have the inherent strength to overcome sin by themselves. They must be delivered from it in the same way Israel was delivered from Egypt. Do you see this? Can you grasp more
fully the meaning of this Feast?We earlier referenced I Corinthians 5:6-8 when speaking of “Christ our Passover.” This New Testament passage expands upon Exodus 13. Let’s now read these verses in their entirety: “Your glorying is not good. Know you not that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven [physical leaven], that you [the Christian] may be a new lump, as you [the Christian] are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven [physical leaven], neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness [spiritual leaven]; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
What could be plainer? Leaven and sin puff up the mind. Verse 6 condemns leaven. Paul even warned the Corinthians of this very thing when he said, in reference to sins committed there, “you are puffed up” (vs. 2). This phrase actually leads into verses 7 and 8.
Paul, in the New Testament, instructed the Gentile Corinthians to “keep the Feast,” immediately after reminding them that Christ was the Passover. Some believe that this only means spiritual leaven. But Paul did not “spiritualize away” the literal putting away of leavened bread from our physical “dwellings”—our homes. He emphasized removal of both “old (physical) leaven” and all forms of spiritual leaven—typified by malice and wickedness. Again, He commanded, “KEEP THE FEAST.” Christians keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread both physically and spiritually. Why does the professing Christian world ignore even this plain New Testament scripture?
The world—and human nature—do not want to obey God (Rom. 8:7). Many want to take the name of Christ—to call themselves Christians—but want no obligation placed upon them to actually do anything (Luke 6:46)!
Putting Leaven Out
The world’s churches always leave Christ hanging dead on the stake. Millions of idols in churches and homes have branded this image indelibly into the minds of all who think of Christ as a “dead Jesus.” Yet Christ is alive in the third heaven, at His Father’s right hand, serving as our High Priest.
Notice: “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy [forgiveness for sins already committed], and find grace to help [to overcome temptation for any future sin] in time of need” (Heb. 4:14-16).
I John 3:4 states that “sin is the transgression of the law.” Exodus 13:9 explained that God wants His Law in our mouths. He wants us practicing obedience to His commandments—practicing righteousness (Psa. 119:172). To observe the Passover without continuing to the Days of Unleavened Bread ignores our need to obey God—to stop practicing sin!
Almost all professing Christians believe that “Christ did it all for you,” and that you have no obligation
to obey God. This makes Christ’s sacrifice a license to sin. Yet, sin is what put Christ to death. Do we mock Christ’s sacrifice by continuing to do the very thing that brought His death? As Paul said, “God forbid”!We read, in Exodus 13, that the memorial of the Feast of Unleavened Bread was a sign. Exodus 31:12-17 reveals that the Sabbath is also a sign—between God and His people. Both the weekly and annual Sabbaths are rest days. Work is not permitted on these days. The Christian is called to rest from, not freely commit, sin. How plain, how clear, how obvious is the great meaning behind the Days of Unleavened Bread, which are signs pointing us to God!
Having pastored many thousands of people, I have witnessed numerous stories of people discovering pieces of bread, cookies and other leavened products in their homes after the Days of Unleavened Bread had begun. This is so true of sin, and how it creeps up on us and is found in places where we least expect it, after we thought it was all gone. Overcoming sin and putting it out of our lives is an on-going process.
The Clear Meaning
We have seen that Egypt is a type of sin. Certainly Pharaoh and his army are a perfect type of Satan and his spiritual army of demons. Supernatural intervention and help was the only possible way that Israel could escape their slave-masters, who kept them in bondage exactly as Christians are kept in bondage to sin by the “god of this world”—Satan (II Cor. 4:4).
Israel had to physically walk out of Egypt. This represents human effort to start the process of delivery from sin. But Israel had made their escape. Bondage was over. Freedom lay ahead. God was with them. No wonder Numbers 33:3 says that Israel left Egypt with “a high hand.” They did not need to fear as long as they depended on His continued miraculous help to sustain them.
But the parallel between Israel leaving Egypt and the Christian leaving sin holds additional lessons. Though still excited with the first flush of freedom, God’s assistance almost immediately became necessary when Pharaoh and his army (the devil and sin) fought back to stop them. Some Israelites became so frightened that they thought they were going to die, and cried out to God. Read Exodus 14:10: “And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord.”
God heard the prayers of the frightened Israelites. Notice verses 13 and 14: “Fear you not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord…for the Egyptians…you shall see them again no more forever. The Lord shall fight for you.” This is true of Christians, if they turn their problems over to God. Verse 19 describes how God led Israel: “And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them.”
But verse 22 reveals how the completely unexpected and miraculous delivery took place when surrounded by impossible circumstances: “And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.” Christ taught His disciples that water is a type of the Holy Spirit (John 7:37-39). Isaiah 55:1 adds, “everyone that thirsts, come you to the waters.”
God has repeatedly promised that He will never leave or forsake His servants. With His Holy Spirit within converted minds (Acts 2:38), such have His constant reassurance that He will guide, protect, strengthen and deliver them from their constant adversary—sin. Like the blood of Christ when it covers our sins, the waters of the Red Sea covered the armies of Egypt. When Christ removes our sins, like those armies, we literally “see them no more
.More
reading resources
http://www.leaderu.com/theology/passover.html
http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/11933-passover
http://jewishvoice.org/messianic-education/jewish-roots/feasts/should-non-jewish-believers-celebrate.html
http://www.oocities.org/genebrooks/exodus.html