With all glory to Yahweh and to our King, Yahshua Messiah, and with the understanding of Yahweh’s Spirit, which is Holy, we dedicate this study to Yahweh and to the advancement of learning for the Saints of Yahweh to help grow into the Holy House of Yahweh. To the law and the testimony, if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them.
One of the most misunderstood Feasts of Yahweh is the Feast of Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread. Because of the closeness of these Feasts and the misunderstandings of the hebrew words and their meanings it is easy to see why so many people have so many opinions on when the Passover is to be eaten and when the Feast of Unleavened Bread starts. In this study we will look at the scriptural facts. No commentaries, encyclopedias, or opinions of scholars. The source material will be the Holy Scriptures, Strong’s Concordance Dictionary, Gesenius Hebrew/Chaldee Lexicon and a Dictionary of the English language. Because we have a tendency to look at the scriptures with an English mindset we will attempt to use the Hebrew Dictionary and Lexicon exclusively and only use the English dictionary for added emphasis on the Hebrew. Should we reference any other source material it will only be to confirm what the scriptures have already confirmed.
In Exodus Chapter 12, Yahweh gives us a historical account of our forefathers, as they came out of Egpyt. The night that they were saved from the death malak is called the Feast of Passover, a Memorial night to remember, a solemn occasion. The next night they left Egypt is called the Feast of Unleavened Bread and this Feast is to be observed for seven days and is a joyous occasion. Both of these Feasts are to be observed forever.
Exodus 12:14 “This day shall be a memorial remembrance; and you shall keep it as a Feast of Yahweh throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a Feast by an ordinance forever.”
Exodus 12:17 “You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Therefore, you shall observe this day throughout your generations by an ordinance forever.”
PASSOVER, WHAT IS IT EXACTLY?
Most people do not understand what Passover is and because they don’t, it causes much confusion among many religions. For the body of believers this shouldn’t be a confusing subject when using the Holy Scriptures as the source of knowledge and history. Let’s read and see exactly what Passover is.
Exodus 12:11 “And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is Yahweh’s Passover.”
Can it be any more obvious than what we just read? Passover is the eating of a Meal, which could be a lamb or a goat, without blemish, and it was to be under one year old. This meal is a memorial remembrance for the children of Israyl, forever.
Exodus 12:5 “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or the goats.”
Now we read in the scriptures that the Passover had ordinances which were to be followed in order to eat the meal correctly and to remember this solemn event.
This was the ordinances for the eating of this meal. One of the biggest misunderstandings about this event is the time frame for it’s killing and eating. It is important to understand this time frame in order to understand the difference between Passover and Unleavened Bread. At this time I will not go into every aspect of the ordinances, as we are here to prove the correct time for Passover and show that it is a different feast from the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
BETWEEN THE TWO EVENINGS
When studying the Feast of Passover and it’s ordinances one must first understand Yahweh's timeline. In order to understand when the Passover lamb was to be killed, as well as when we are to observe this Feast, we have to understand the phrase “between the two evenings.” One of the most misunderstood defined words concerning Yahweh's Passover, is this word even and evening. It is misunderstood because we have two schools of thinking regarding the "between the evenings" as mentioned in the holy scriptures. One school of thought says that the lamb was sacrificed on the 14th, between the two evenings, and the other school of thought, which comes from Babylon, says that the lambs were sacrificed between the evenings, on the 14th, which they say is between 3 and 6 pm in the daytime. Let's examine the scriptures and let the scriptures interpret the scriptures.
In Exodus 12:6 "And ye shall keep 4931 it up until the fourteenth 702 6240 day 3117 of the same month 2320: and the whole 3605 assembly 6951 of the congregation 5712 of Israel 3478 shall kill 7819 it in 996 the evening 6153."
The word In is #996 in Strong's Hebrew Concordance which means: interval, space between, from root word #995 which means: to distinguish, to separate, to be easily distinguished.
The word evening is #6153 in Strong's Hebrew Concordance which means: evening, between the two evenings, used to mark the time when the Passover lamb was killed.
Gesenius Hebrew Lexicon shows that this word means: between the two evenings; According to the word of the Karaites and Samaritans it is the time between sunset and deep twilight which is favoured by Deuteronomy 16:6 and Exodus 30:8. The Pharisees considered the time between the sun's began to descend, to be called the first evening and the second evening to be the real sunset, which would be between 12-6 p.m. The root word is #6150 and means: to set as the sun, to draw towards evening.
Websters Dictionary defines evening as: the latter part and close of the day and early part of the night, the period from sunset or the evening meal to bedtime.
There is a key scripture that is overlooked by most scholars and it is found in the book of wisdom called Proverbs. This scripture gives us a very definitive description of twilight and of what is commonly called the two evenings.
Proverbs 7:9 "In the twilight as evening was coming on, before the black and dark of night."
In Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary the word twilight is #5399 and means: the evening twilight.
The scripture shows that the twilight was a time when the evening was approaching, which would have been after sunset and before the black of night.
Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines twilight as: the light from the sky between full night and sunrise or between sunset and full night produced by diffusion of sunlight through the atmosphere and its dust; also : a time of twilight.
In Gesenius Hebrew Lexicons the definition of evening, the Karaites and Samaritans believed the Passover should be sacrificed at this time. Let us look at another scripture that showed an example of this word evening as used in another scripture.
Exodus 30:8 "He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at evening so incense will burn regularly in front of Yahweh, a perpetual incense in front of Yahweh throughout your generations."
So are we to believe that it took the Priests from 12-6pm to light incense and candles to Yahweh? And why would they light the candles when it wasn’t going to be dark for several hours, if we are to believe the Pharisee way of thinking?
The phrase "between the two evenings", is found in the Scriptures in Ex. 16:12, 29:39,41, 30:8, Num. 28:4,8 apart from references to the Pesach (Passover, Ex. 12:6, Lev. 23:5, Num 9:3,5,11). It is used of the evening or as translated "at even", that is reckoned to the day just ending, and it is freqently opposed to an event in the morning of the same day [e.g., Num. 28:4]. The term 'between the two evenings' is used only of the evening at a certain time period, which the scripture indicates is when the sun is going down until dark. However, this term "between the two evenings" is not in the original scriptures but is added by translators and scribes of the Holy Scriptures who interpreted "at even" as between the two evenings. At Even in the Hebrew language is ben ha arbayim, meaning between the evenings or between sunset and dark. The Holy Scriptures confirm that ben ha arbayim means dusk, twilight.
Deuteronomy 16:6 "But only at the place Yahweh your Father chooses to place His name., There you must sacrifice the Passover at evening: at the going down of the sun: at the season you came out of Egypt."
Going down of the sun in the Hebrew is the word bow.
Bow is word #935 in Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Hebrew Dictionary and means: to go in, enter, come, go, come in. It means the sun as it goes down into the horizon.
The following verses illustrate the translation of the Hebrew word bow. These passages confirm that bow means at sunset or when the sun goes into the horizon, according to Brown, Driver and Briggs Hebrew Lexicon:
Genesis 15:12, the sun was about to set, and verse 17; when the sun set;
Genesis 28:11, the sun had set;
Exodus 17:12, until the sun set;
Exodus 22:26, before the sun sets;
Leviticus 22:7, as soon as the sun sets;
Deuteronomy 23:11, at sundown; 24:13, at sun down; 24:15, same day before the sun sets;
Yahshua 8:29, at sunset; 10:13, did not press on to set [hasted not to go down]; 10:27, at sunset;
Judges 19:14, the sun set;
II Samuyl 2:24, the sun was setting.
Ben Yehudah's English and Hebrew Dictionary, page 98, says dusk is English for the Hebrew phrase beyn-ha-arbayim.
J.H. Hertz, a Jewish commentator who edited the Pentateuch and Haftorah, translated between the two evenings as dusk, in Leviticus 23:5, Exodus 12:6, Numbers 9:1 and 11.
The Jewish Family Bible according to the Masoretic text (editors Rabbi Morris A. Gutstein, Ph.D., D.H.L. and Rabbi David Gravbart D.D., Ph.D.) translates between the two evenings as dusk.
Every English Dictionary define dusk as the time after sunset and before total darkness.
Oxford English Dictionary (OED): dusk = dark from the absence of light. The dark stage of twilight before it is quite dark at night; to become dim, grow dark.
Dusk is synonymous with twilight:
Oxford English Dictionary (OED): twilight = The light diffused by the reflection of the sun's rays from the atmosphere before sunrise and after sunset.
The Interpreter's Bible confirms that the Hebrew expression, ben-ha-arbayim has been reinterpreted by the Jews, revealing that the rabbinical teaching of from noon onward is a newer teaching. Notice: The usage of the time referring to that after sunset and before darkness is the older practice, page 919.
The Sadducees, the Karaites, and Samaritans, who were in charge of temple worship, observed Passover at sunset at the start of the 14th, not mid-afternoon of the 14th. The Pharisees later changed the Passover to the 15th, adding many other non-scriptural traditions the rabbinical Jews still follow today.
Now Yahshua Messiah was accused of being a Samaritan as it is written:
Yahchanan 8:48 “Did we rightly say that you are a Samaritan, and have a demon?”
Now Yahshua never said he wasn’t a Samaritan, only that he did not have a demon. The Samaritans kept the law according to the Torah, and history shows they followed it diligently, even until this present day! They built a House of Yahweh on Mount Gerizim, which they still hold sacred to this day and still sacrifice the Passover on the 14th day at twilight. This Mount Gerazim is the mountain on which the blessings were transferred to us. This day we are blessed and stand on Mount Gerazim, that is, if we follow the Laws. Now these Samaritans, also with the Karaites, and Sadducees, followed the teaching that Passover was on the 14th at dusk or twilight, according to the Law, and were different to the Pharisees teachings. Since we cannot find in the scriptures where Passover was on the 15th day, why would we not accept the Law as it is written?
For Yahshua was not only represented by a Passover offering, but also a sin offering, Leviticus 16:21 (Day of Atonement), Ashes of the Red Heifer, Numbers 19:1-22 (Water of Purification from death) and many other offerings. But yet he wasn’t sacrificed on the Day of Atonement, nor was his body burned, with water added, Hyssop, and wool, and then sprinkled on the people. He also wasn’t under a year old when sacrificed as according to the ordinance of the Passover Lamb/Goat offering, nor was His body burned before morning. So we must end any contentions with the Law, which is our Teacher up to Messiah!
THE ORIGIN OF EVENING AND IT’S MEANING
In the beginning Yahweh created the heavens and the Earth and all that pertains to life. In Genesis he reveals to us what is evening, morning, light, and darkness.
Genesis 1:5 "And God 430 called 7121 the light 216 Day 3117, and the darkness 2822 he called 7121 Night 3915. And the evening 6153 and the morning 1242 were the first 259 day 3117."
In Strong's Hebrew Dictionary and Gesenius Lexicon of the Old Testament we find the following definitions of the above referenced words.
Light is word #216 and means: light of the day, light of the sun.
Day is word #3117 and means: the day (as opposed to night), the heat of the day; Websters Dictionary defines day as: the time of light between one night and the next.
Darkness is word #2822 and means: darkness; from #2821 and means: to be dark, to be surrounded by darkness.
Night is word #3915 and means: night as opposed to day; Websters Dictionary defines night as: the time from dusk to dawn when no sunlight is visible.
Evening is word #6153 and means: evening, at sunset; between the two evenings; Used as marking the space of time during when the Paschal lamb were slain.
Webster's Dictionary defines the word Sunset as: the apparent descent of the sun below the horizon; the time when the upper limb of the sun dissapears below the horizon as a result of the diurnal rotation of the Earth.
Morning is word #1242 and means: morning, daybreak, dawn, the breaking forth of light; Websters Dictionary defines morning as: a period of first development, the time from sunrise to noon; dawn.
From the above definitions we can see that there is a distinction between light/day, darkness/night, and evening/morning. The words that Yahweh places in His inspired Scriptures are there so that we can understand His Plan and how to keep and uphold His Laws.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Reverence Yahweh, and observe His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man."
The word Evening was placed from the beginning, in the scriptures, for Yahweh's people to understand when Yahweh's Passover lamb was to be sacrificed, as well as the time that the evening sacrifices were to be kept and the incense and lamps were to be lit. The definition of the word evening helps us to better understand Yahweh's laws and is placed there by Yahweh to show a distinction between day and night. Yahweh give us the word evening to make it clear when we are to uphold his ordinances and Law. This word is not left up to private interpretation. We must always let the scripture interpret the scripture.
With these facts in mind you can conclude that the lambs/goats were sacrificed between the setting of the sun and darkness. The scriptures leaves no doubt as to the time frame that Yahweh allowed for the Passover lamb to be killed. We must remember that the meal took place at night after the ordinances of the sacrifice were performed according to the Law.
Exodus 12:8 "Then they must eat the meat in that night: roasted in fire. With unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it."
There are many who will argue that we do not have to kill the lamb nor eat lamb/goat at Passover. However, there is no scripture to back up this theory or argument. If we do not eat lamb at the Passover Feast, then we are simply not keeping the Feast of Passover correctly, because Passover is a Feast meal! There are those who say that Yahshua is the Passover lamb and by being this lamb/goat he had to die at the same time the lamb/goat was killed. However, there is not any scriptures to back up this belief or theory, nor does Yahweh’s Law state that the Messiah had to die at the exact time of any sacrifice! There are those who will say that we must keep a Passover Seder meal and by doing this we are keeping Passover correctly. However, there is not any scriptures to show keeping a Seder meal is the proper Passover meal, in fact history shows this to be a rabbinical invention which comes from Hellenistic Greek/Roman pagan banquet festivals. Isn't it time for us to stop following our own personal beliefs, religious traditions, opinions of commentators, and the ways of the gods, and keep the Passover according to the pattern shown to Mosheh?
PASSOVER WAS ALWAYS ON THE 14TH DAY, NOT THE 15TH
By now you should have a clear understanding of the evening or between the two evenings. It was not a 3 or 4 hour period in the daylight hours, but a time of when the sun went down until complete darkness or night. Another key to understanding the Passover Feast is that it was always held on the 14th day. The Feast of Unleavened Bread was on the 15th day through the 21st day of the month of Abib.
Exodus 12:6 “Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same moon. Then the whole congregation of Israyl shall kill it at twilight.”
If you read the time frame of the lamb being taken until it was killed you will notice in Exodus 12:3 it was to be taken on the 10th day up until the 14th day. The word until as it is used here in Exodus 12:6 is not understood by most people and because of the lack of understanding they think the lamb was alive on the 14th day until the daylight hours. The word until is defined as: up to the time of, (before) a specified time.
So we can see that it was to be kept up to the time of, or before the specified time of it’s killing. We have already seen that the lamb/goat was to be killed at twilight/dusk/evening. So we can see from this scripture that it was kept until it’s time of sacrifice. It was alive on the 14th, but not for very long, for as soon as the sun set, it was killed between the evenings/twilight.
Here is a list of other scriptures that give us the day of the Feast of Passover, a Feast meal unto Yahweh, which was always on the 14th day of the month of Abib.
Leviticus 23:5
Numbers 9:3,5,11
Numbers 28:16
Yahshua 5:10
II Chronicles 30:15,
II Chronicles 35:1
Ezrayah 6:19
Yechetzqyah 45:21
In Numbers 33:3, we are shown the time frame of when our forefathers left Egypt. There are words that give us more understanding on when Passover was eaten. Reading further we find:
Numbers 33:3 “And they set out from Ramses in the first moon, on the fifteenth day of the first moon; on the morrow after the Passover, the children of Israyl marched out boldly in the sight of the Egyptians.”
We find that the children of Israyl left Egypt on the morrow after the Passover meal was eaten. The key to understanding this is to know what the word morrow means.
The word morrow in Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary and Gesenius Lexicon is word #4283 and means: tomorrow, the next day, the morrow of that day; it is from word #3279 which means: tomorrow about this time; afterwards in future time.
In Webster’s the word morrow is defined as: the following day; The time immediately subsequent to a particular event.
So we can see from the above definitions that the children of Israyl left Egypt at the same time, the next day, immediately subsequent to a particular event or tomorrow about this time! We know that they ate the Passover the night of the 14th and this verse shows that they left Egypt at the same time the next day subsequent to that event, which means they left on the 15th at sunset or twilight.
IS THE FEAST OF PASSOVER A SABBATH DAY?
Another misunderstood event about the Passover is the controversy of whether it is a Sabbath or not. If you look throughout the scriptures you cannot find one passage where the Passover is mentioned as a Sabbath. We find in the scriptures that it is a Holy Convocation, but nowhere does it mention that it is a Sabbath.
Leviticus 23:4,5 “These are the Feasts of Yahweh; his Holy Convocations, which you shall proclaim at their appointed seasons; On the fourteenth of the first moon, at even (twilight) is Yahweh’s Passover.”
Convocation in Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary and Gesenius Hebrew Lexicon is word #4744 and means: a calling together, an assembly called together, a sacred gathering.
So the Feast of Passover is a sacred calling together or gathering, where we assemble to partake in the Feast meal, which is Passover. Nowhere does is mention it as a Sabbath day, nor does it say we cannot do servile work, which was not to be done on the Sabbath. Since it is not in the Law we cannot add to it to make it fit our opinion.
We find that even the disciples thought that Yahdah Iscariot was going to purchase some things for the Feast of Unleavened Bread on the night he betrayed Yahshua after the Passover Meal or as they translate it in the KJV, a Supper, which was not a Sabbath day.
Yahchanan 13:29
We must remember that the Passover is a Feast Meal, unto Yahweh.
The word translated Passover is word #6453 and means: to eat the passover; to prepare the sacrifice of the passover.
The word supper, as used in Yahchanan 13:2,4 and in varous other places when describing the Meal that the Saviour and the Disciples ate, in Strong’s Greek Dictionary is word #1172 from #1173 and means: to sup; a formal meal usually held at evening; used of the Messiah’s Feast.
The Messiah’s Feast meal that night was Yahweh’s memorial feast meal, called Passover. Yahshua would never add or take away from Yahweh’s law, so there is not any way that the supper he ate would be called his feast. The translators have assumed this, not realizing or understanding that the meal eaten that night was the Passover meal, so they called it Messiah’s Feast. The world places a lot of emphasis on this last supper, not even realizing that it was the Passover Meal, which is the Feast of Yahweh.
FACTS CONCERNING YAHSHUA MESSIAH AND THE PASSOVER
Let’s examine some myths and opinions of the Passover concerning Yahshua Messiah. There are many groups who think that Yahshua Messiah was the Passover lamb. We know that the scriptures state that Yahshua Messiah, was the ultimate sacrifice, however, we cannot find that he had to emulate every sacrifice and it’s timing. Otherwise he would have had to die on the Day of Atonement, as well as other times to fulfill the sacrificial times and ordinances. In fact, let us examine the theories that Yahshua Messiah was the Passover lamb/goat and compare it with the ordinance concerning the Passover lamb/goat.
I CORINTHIANS 5:7 AND IT’S TRUE MEANING
Let us examine not only this particular scripture but the whole context of the chapter that this scripture was written in.
I Corinthians 5:7 "Purge out 1571 therefore 3767 the old 3820 leaven 2219, that 2443 ye may be 5600 a new 3501 lump 5445, as 2531 ye are 2075 unleavened 106. For 1063 even 2532 Christ 5547 our 2257 passover 3957 is sacrificed 2380 for 5228 us 2257"
The following definitions are from Strong's Greek Dictionary and Thayer's Greek Lexicon.
The word For is #1063 and means: for, truly therefore, as the case stands; a particle of affirmation and conclusion.
The word Even is #2532 and means: and, indeed; it connects single words or terms.
The word Christ is #5547 and means: annointed; a mind conformed to the mind of Yahshua Messiah.
The word Our is #2257 and means: our, we, us;
The word Passover is #3957 and means: 1) the paschal sacrifice (which was accustomed to be offered for the people's deliverance of old from Egypt)
2) the paschal lamb, i.e. the lamb the Israelites were accustomed to slay and eat on the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan (the first month of their year) in memory of the day on which their fathers, preparing to depart from Egypt, were bidden by God to slay and eat a lamb, and to sprinkle their door posts with its blood, that the destroying angel, seeing the blood, might pass over their dwellings; Christ crucified is likened to the slain paschal lamb 3) the paschal supper 4) the paschal feast, the feast of the Passover, extending from the 14th to the 20th day of the month Nisan.
The word Sacrificed is #2380 and means: 1) to sacrifice, immolate 2) to slay, kill a) of the paschal lamb 3) slaughter.
The word For is #5228 and means: in behalf of, for the sake of; for ones advantage or benefit;
The word Us is #2257 and means: our, we, us;
From these definitions we can see that those who have the mind of Yahshua Messiah, will remove the leaven of carnal, lustful, desires of the fleshly man and put on the unleavened teachings of sincerity and truth of Yahweh’s righteous laws, and follow the righteous mind and example of Yahshua Messiah. The Passover sacrifice and meal, is a reminder of Yahweh passing over us and sparing us from death. Yahshua Messiah was represented by this ordinance of Passover, by becoming an sacrificial offering for us and paying the death penalty for our sins. However, this doesn’t make him the Passover lamb. For no animal could take away the sins of anyone, nor could a lamb take away the death penalty from sin. The Feasts are a shadow of the righteous things to come. When Yahshua came, he was the righteous one to come, of which the law spoke about. His death, saved us! Without Him, we cannot enter the Most Holy Place where Yahweh dwells, and cannot receive salvation. This is the blood covenant that was ratified with Abraham and the Promise given to him by Yahweh, of his Seed being our salvation, or a Great Nation.
The lustful sins that the Apostle Shaul was expounding on in the 5th chapter of 1st Corinthians, were sins that would make the Corinthians unworthy of the Kingdom of Yahweh and of partaking in the Passover meal, which was a reminder of Yahweh’s Sparing. The Passover meal was a reminder of Yahweh sparing not only our forefathers, but us from death, which was caused by our sins. Judgment was given and rendered to the gods of Egypt (sin), thousands of years ago. The Egyptians paid this price by their first born sons. This sacrifice was a representation of the 1st born son of Yahweh, coming at a future time, who would be sacrificed for the sins of the whole world. Reading further in Corinthians we find the particular sins that the Apostle Shaul was correcting in the brethren of Corinth.
I Corinthians 5:1 “It is actually reported that there is sexual impurity among you, and such sexual impurity as is not even named among the gentiles, that a man has his own father’s wife!”
The Apostle Shaul goes on in this chapter to describe the sexual sins and foolish arrogant pride, comparing this to leaven and how it must be purged out of the body of Messiah. He was showing that those who have the mind of Yahshua, the body of Messiah, must glorify Yahweh in their body and spirit and in order for this Passover sacrifice to be effective, they must put off these sins, which so easily entrapped them.
Many have taken I Corinthians 5:7 totally out of context to imply that the Apostle Shaul was stating that Yahshua was the Passover Sacrificial Lamb, and that we no longer have to keep and uphold Yahweh's Laws concerning the Feast of Passover. Through the definition of the word translated Christ in the KJV, and not Jesus, as some have translated it, we see that it is referring to the character and mind of Yahshua, not the man himself. He was trying to get the Corinthians to understand that they must put on righteousness and be zealous for righteousness, and put off the illicit sexual practices that they were committing. He was telling them to put on the mindset of Yahshua who didn't allow unlawful lusts to rule his mind and life. The whole chapter of I Corinthians 5 is dealing with illicit sexual practices, unlawful lusts, and brothers who had not overcome this mentality.
Galatians 4:18,19 18- "Be righteous and be zealous for a righteous thing always; not just when I am with you." 19-"My children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until the character of Messiah is formed in you."
In I Corinthians 5:7, the word Sacrifice has the meaning of immolate which is a past particle of immolare which means: to sprinkle with meal before sacrificing.
Immolate means: to offer in sacrifice, to kill as a sacrificial victim, to kill or destroy often by fire. Yahshua established the law by being a burnt offering, sin offering, grain offering, an offering once and for all on our behalf and on behalf of the whole nation of Israyl. The offerings had to be without blemish, perfect, and of the finest quality. Yahshua was the perfect offering! If you read the Laws of the grain offerings and other offerings that the Priest presented before Yahweh you will find how they parallel Yahshua Messiah as the perfect offering. He upheld these laws and showed us by His example, of how they were kept according to the Melchitzedek Priesthood. He showed us the deeper aspect of these Laws.
One of the ordinances of the Passover was that a person had to be circumcised according to the Law. This meant physically, but most importantly, in heart and mind, just as many of the Apostle Shaul’s writings confer when talking about circumcision. Yahshua Messiah even warned of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, who were physically circumcised, but not in heart and mind. Their leaven was unrighteous teachings, which cuts you off from Yahweh. One of these teachings of the Pharisees was that the Passover lamb/goat was sacrificed on the 14th day between 3-6 pm.
Mattithyah 16:6,12 “And Yahshua said to them: Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees; Then they understood that He did not caution them to beware of leaven in bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
The difference between the Sadducees and the Pharisees was that the Sadducees rejected the teachings of the Talmud and followed the written Law. Let me make it perfectly clear that this study is not siding with either of these groups, as Yahshua warned his disciples about both groups teachings which were contrary to the law. They are referenced here to show their differences and to understand who was in charge of the Temple services and administration, and get an insight as to the religious climate during the times of Yahshua Messiah and the outlook on the Passover services and how they were viewed.
Yahshua kept the Laws of Yahweh and because he upheld them, he most certainly had to eat the Passover meal before he was hung on the stake, because he died on the 14th day at the ninth hour. Does this mean that by Him completing this Law, that he did away with the Passover ordinances and now we aren't supposed to uphold Yahweh's Laws in these last days? By no means! On the contrary, he set an example for us to follow. When Yahshua told his Disciples to go and prepare for the Passover, as we read in Luke 22:8, he was instructing them to follow the Laws of Yahweh that we find in Exodus the 12th Chapter. It was these Laws and Ordinances they followed, as taught to them by Yahshua our Messiah. When we keep any Law of Yahweh we are completing these laws in our life. They make us complete. But by keeping them we don't do away with them. We repeat them over and over again, until we have kept them perfectly and by doing so we perfect our lives. By reading the scripture below you will find that the Apostles did as Yahshua instructed them by preparing the Passover so they could eat it. Since Yahshua kept all of Yahweh's laws we can be assured that He kept the ordinances of the Passover according to as is written in the Law. There is no evidence anywhere in the Holy Scriptures to indicate that Yahshua changed the Passover ordinances, or that He kept Passover different than what is written in the Law. One thing to keep in remembrance of the Passover was that Yahshua showed us the aspects of the law that most never see. That not only was the lamb an important aspect of Passover, but the unleavened bread which represented a sinless body and the drink offering which contained wine, representing the blood covenant, also was important and instituted by Yahshua on the night he was betrayed. He is our teacher and was sent to teach us to understand the laws and their meanings.
Passover was one of many sacrifices in the Law, that represented the true sacrifice to come. Yahweh has never been interested in sacrifices, but because of sin and trespasses, they were required to be restored to holiness. When our forefathers came out of Egypt, Yahweh never wanted sacrifice, he wanted obedience. The sacrifices of the 1st born of Egypt, were a result of Israyl’s disobedience. They had been ensnared into Godworship for over 400 years in Egypt. When Yahweh took them out, he required obedience, not sacrifice. However, then, just as now, carnality has power over those who will not submit to Yahshua Messiah, our perfect example of righteousness. He is the reflection of Yahweh, in the flesh.
Yeremyah 7:22-24 “For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them about burnt offerings or sacrifices in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt; But this one thing I commanded them, saying: Obey my voice, and I will be your Father, and you will be my people. And walk in all My ways that I have commanded you, so it may be will with you! But they did not obey, nor pay any attention; instead they walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward.”
Exodus 13:3 “And Mosheh said to the people; Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of Godworshippers; for by strength of hand Yahweh brought you out of it. No leavened bread shall be eaten.”
It has been scripturally proven that Passover was on the 14th at twilight, and that the Feast of Unleavened Bread was on the 15th day. Two separate events on two different days. Therefore, Yahshua Messiah who kept the law, had to eat the Passover meal, because we know from history that he died on the 14th day at the ninth hour and we know that he ate a Feast Meal/Supper, the night before he died, which was the Passover Meal. Remember nuclear war starts with plans and so did Yahshua’s death. The night he was betrayed, Passover night, the plans were finalized for his death, he was sacrificed for us that day! That night Yahweh brought judgment upon sin, once and for all, but it was the 1st born son of Yahweh that died for our sins!
Mattithyah 26:45 “Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.”
This is what Yahweh says to the false prophets and teachers, if they don’t repent and remove the leaven of their teachings, which is scattering the sheep of Israyl, the holy ones of Yahweh.
Yeremyah 23:1 “Woe to the pastors who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture! says Yahweh. Therefore this is what Yahweh, the Father of Israyl, says against the Pastors who feed My people: You have scattered My flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them. Behold, I am going to visit you for the evil of your doings, says Yahweh: But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; they will be fruitful and multiply. And I will set shepherds over them who will feed them; and they will fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither will they be lacking, says Yahweh. Therefore behold the days come, says Yahweh, they will no longer say; As surely as Yahweh lives Who brought up the children of Israyl out of the land of Egypt; But they will say; As surely as Yahweh lives Who brought up and led the seed of the House of Israyl out of the protected place, and from all countries where I had driven them; and they will dwell in their own land.”