The Hebrew word is Pesach.  Passover is a “shadow” of coming things, and is an observance that involves the understanding of blood-covering, the significance of the firstborn, judgment, and the marriage feast of the Bride. It is a remembrance for all generations that Yahuah brought out the children of Israel from the bondage of slavery (sin).

  The remembrance meal which Yahushua instituted is a full day before the arrival of the 15^th,  and I’ve been studying the texts of Shemoth 12 & Luke 22 for the correct way of looking at this.  Yahushua sat down with His students at the beginning of the 14th and told them to remember Him, so the night of the 14^th has to be observed  -  there’s no way to ignore it.  The day of the 14^th remains a “preparation” day for the annual festival.   Because Yahushua instituted that we take bread and wine at the beginning of that day, we can reflect on His suffering during the entire preparation day, and have something to do on both nights.

The main thing I’ve seen by studying the events in Shemoth 12 concerns which night Yahuah slew the firstborn in Mitsrayim.  I’ve always understood that their deaths were on the night portion of the 14^th of Abib, but further study reveals it was on the 15^th that He slew the firstborn, and on the same day brought Israel out.   

Exo 12:17 ‘And you shall guard the Festival of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I brought your divisions out of the land of Mitsrayim. And you shall guard this day throughout your generations, an everlasting law.”

Exo 12:18 ‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month in the evening.”

Exo 12:51 “And it came to be on that same day that Yahuah brought the children of Yisra’ĕl out of the land of Mitsrayim according to their divisions.”  ~  Notice it says “that same day”;  in order to be the Festival of Unleavened Bread, it had to be on the 15th.

   If Yahuah had brought Israel out of Mitsrayim on the 14^th, it would not yet be the Unleavened Bread (Feast of Matsah).  The thing that was confusing me was the mention of the 14^th “at evening”, because I was sure that days begin at evening.  However, look at the way Yahuah uses the same way of expressing Himself for another very important annual Sabbath, the 10^th day of the 7^th moon, Yom Kaphar:  The “evening” of the ninth until the “evening” of the 10^th – completely encapsulating the “10^th” 24-hour period:

Lev 23:32 ‘It is a Sabbath of rest to you, and you shall afflict your beings.  On the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you observe your Sabbath.”

   Yahushua indeed instituted a memorial meal as the Passover Lamb at the beginning of the 14^th.  Yahushua’s statement that He desired to eat this Passover with them before He suffered can still be very troubling, however when the word “Pesach” is used it can refer to the general time around the festival.  As we see the Pagan culture around us perceives that “Christmastime” embraces a large span of days, yet it is only one day, so also the word Pesach is used to refer to a span of time. 

   We are corrrect in observing the memorial meal at the beginning of the 14^th, because Yahushua Himself did so.   We also observe the 15^th as a Sabbath, so generally much is still the same;  what has been altered is our understanding of when the Israelites put the blood on the lintel and doorposts, and that the “passing-over” occurred on the night of the 15^th.  The night of the 15^th is commanded to be a vigil in Shemoth 12, so we have the 14^th and the 15^th to consider as vigils.  The 14^th at midnight recalls the time of Yahushua’s arrest, and the 15^th at midnight recalls the time of the death of all the firstborn.  The thing to do is obey first, then the meaning will be revealed.  That is my advice for everyone.

Passover night is a vigil and a memorial  -  when is it observed?

   Israel in Mitsrayim was told to keep this night as a vigil throughout their generations.  On the first Passover at midnight, all the firstborn of man and beast were slain.  The next morning, the Israelites “plundered” the people of Mitsrayim, for the people of "Egypt" were greatly afraid and said “We’re all going to die!”.  (Shemoth/Ex 12).  This understanding helps explain that the whole festival of Matsah is called "The Passover".  Yahuah "passed-over" the Israelites on the night of the 15th, not the night of the 14th.  That next morning, still on the 15th of the first moon, Israel came out of Mitsrayim by day, and could travel by night with a full moon overhead (The movie, The Ten Commandments, had this detail wrong).  If Israel had placed the blood on the doorposts at the beginning of the 14th (as I have been thinking for many years), then it would have been too soon.    Yahuah did not pass through the land to smite the firstborn at midnight on the 14^th day, but rather the midnight of the 15th day;  here's the verse that proves this: 

 “And it came to be on that same day that Yahuah brought the children of Yisra’ĕl out of the land of Mitsrayim according to their divisions.”  Exo 12:51

Yahushua died at the same time the lambs were to be killed, between 3pm and sunset on the 14th day of the moon.

Scripture clearly identifies the Bride as Israel, Yahuah’s Wife. People of Israel, all 12 tribes—12,000 from each—become the firstfruits at the harvest of the Earth (Rev. 14:4). The Passover in Mitsrayim which was the culmination of the 10 plagues, will relate to the fall of Babylon when final judgment falls on the whole earth as described in the book of Revelation. Pharaoh represented ha shatan, who will not allow Yahuah’s people to be free from the bondage of sin.

A mistranslation at Acts 12:4 in the KJV:

     After the Great Flood, Nimrod set up the Kingdom of Babylon. It was in opposition to YHWH, and ESTABLISHED THE WORSHIP OF THE OBJECTS (CREATION) IN THE SKIES. Directed by the rebellious watcher ha shatan, Nimrod misled the descendants of Yaphath and Ham to establish customs involving the worship of the sun, moon, planets, and stars. This was the inception of Paganism, and it was carried all over the Earth. In Egypt, or Mitsrayim, King Menes became that nations’ counterpart of Nimrod. The firstborn son of each ruler became the next son of “RA”, which they called their mighty one, the sun (shatan's office or seat). The solar disc, the sun-ray obelisk, and the EAGLE-winged sun disc were emblems for RA. These same symbols originated from Babylon, moved through Media-Persia, on through Mitsrayim, and into Greece and Rome later on. Mitsrayim had other mighty ones, but RA was the chief.  Diverting worship from YHWH was the plan.

     Adam and Chuwah were created as eternal creatures, “covered” by the Chabod of YHWH—He dwelt with them literally. Never was there a separation, until “disobedience” occurred.  Love produces obedience, and hatred produces disobedience. Pride gave birth to hatred in ha shatan.  This source of hatred in ha shatan “infected” Chuwah, spreading it like YEAST to her husband, Adam. Love is the unselfish helping of others, and emanates from YHWH. Being cut off from YHWH and without this love, His creation languishes in hatred and selfishness. Upon the removal of YHWH’s Chabod, and having taken upon themselves the choices of what is good and evil, Adam and Chuwah realized their nakedness and withdrew further from YHWH—hiding from Him. They began to die. YHWH “covered” their now dying bodies with bloody lamb skins. This was a type for the first Passover. Without the shedding of blood, there is no covering for sin. The life is in the blood.

     The blood of clean animals was provided as a covering for sin on the altar. One side of the Ark’s mercy seat was sprinkled as a future picture of our Passover Lamb’s offering of His life.  Later, He would sprinkle the other side with His own blood.

     According to Leviticus 23, Deut. 16, and Exodus 12, we are able to determine that the "first moon of the year" comes in the SPRING.   This is clearly understood to involve the celestial body that enables us to calculate YEARS;  THE SUN.    The sun is for determining days and YEARS.  When the sun crosses the celestial equator in the SPRING, it is an event called the "equinox"  -  and this means winter is done, and the arrival of spring makes that next new moon the beginning of the YEAR.    We have to use the sun AND the moon.  PESACH, or PASSOVER  is the fourteenth day of this first moon, which arrives at evening, the beginning of the day.  Twilight is the period just after sunset, and lasts about thirty minutes.  This “evening” is the twilight, the beginning of a new day  -- “And there was evening and there was morning the first day.”   A day begins with evening, or darkening;  then morning, or lightening arrives.  It is half dark, and half light, just as in the beginning when Yahuah began creating in darkness, and during the first day He said, "Let there be light".   “And there was evening (darkening), and there was morning (lightening), the first day.”

     About every third year, we run into divisive brooding among all of Israel's various sects over the necessary adjustment of the number of moons for that year  -- and Roman year 2005 was one of those years.   The “intercalating” (adding) of an extra month is needed to keep the seasons balanced with the months, so about 7 out of every 19 years needs to have 13 months.  The last Sanhedrin set up the standardized method for the calendar, and no one has the authority to trump or overrule this, except the entire Body of Mashiach.  If we use the moon AND the sun to regulate our year, then Passover will not drift backward into the winter, and keep backing up through the seasons as we see the Islamic calendar does.  Give the Arabs some credit though, they gave us our numerals zero through 9;  you wouldn't want to be using Roman numerals.  They also gave us the convention of "north" always being at the TOP of maps.  

     As you may know, there are divisions among us over a few things.    One detail concerns the “barley wave offering”, often sighted by the Karaites in the land of Israel.    A small quantity of some species of barley became almost ripe early in 2005, however the whole harvest was certainly not ready.  It was still winter when the Karaites proclaimed the discovery of the ripe barley harvest  --  yet the whole harvest was not yet ripe at all.   Many Messianics among us jumped when the Karaites announced the first moon of the year.  The equinox is used in the calculation of the arrival of springtime; this is simply because we use a lunar/solar calendar (not strictly a lunar one as the Islamic world does).   Permit me to explain this "year" thing, and how Ex. 12:2 tells us that the arrival of the "first moon" of the year is in the SPRING/SUMMER cycle, not the fall/winter.   Also, the barley doesn't determine when to watch for anything;   we are simply told to bring a sheaf of the harvest to the priest  (SEE LEV. 23:10)  --  but the whole crop is being harvested, not just a patch of barley that is turning green that you had to go out and hunt down.   If each one of us privately interprets how and when to do things  -- as it seems we are  -- people are going to be very divided.   That's why we must search out the TRUTH of every matter carefully  --  and it's not hard to do.  Important to note:  the BODY OF MESSIAH is to be our critic.   The Karaites are not believers in Yahushua.   So, let no one judge you in new moons, Sabbaths, food, drink, or a festival, BUT the body of Messiah.  (Col. 2:16).

ABIB    THE FIRST MOON OF THE YEAR  (SPRING, EX. 12:2)

     "Abib" means ear, or grain, but not a "green" ear.   The sun, moon, and stars are all used together for days, years, signs, and moedim (called "seasons", or appointments).   Torah doesn't come out and actually say "equinox", however the SUN (and Earth's rotation, tilt, & orbit around it) determines days and years  -  the Hebrew term that equates with any equinox or solstice is TEKUFAH (See www.fossilizedcustoms.com/calendar.html).   While other places have more pronounced seasonal variations producing 4 distinct seasons, the land of Israel has mainly 2:  summer & winter.   Both begin with a marked increase in rain, giving us the "early" and "latter" rains (Dt. 11:14).    So, first we are to look for the arrival of the spring and its obvious "early rains", then watch for the ripening of the barley grains  -- the WHOLE crop  --  and when we harvest this crop, the "first fruits" of this harvest are to be taken before the High Priest, Who now is Yahushua, for Him to wave it before Yahuah.   The barley plays no role presently, because there is no operating priesthood conducting any of the waving of the first fruits aspects of the instructions in Torah;    we Natsarim know that Yahushua fulfilled this first fruits offering when He resurrected and presented Himself before Yahuah.   So, the unbelieving Karaites don't agree with us on every point.   Ultimately, it's not BARLEY, but it's YAHUSHUA they should have been watching for.   The barley was a metaphor or allegory which pointed to Yahushua.   Now, when we see the full barley crop ready to be harvested, we can better appreciate what Torah was pointing at.   Yahushua is the first harvest, and we His qodeshim (saints) are part of a group of the first fruits;  the larger wheat harvest in the fall are those who respond to our planting and watering work.   See?  It's all about "shadows" of meaning -- we need to be more concerned about the meaning behind the actual grains growing in the ground.

     As Rob Miller explained it so well,  "Since the discrepancy between the solar and lunar years amounts to 207 days every 19 years, the "leap month" of Adar Sheni is added to the third, sixth, eight, eleventh, fourteenth, seventeenth and nineteenth year of every nineteen year period, that is, seven times in a 19-year lunar cycle."   In other words, 7 years out of every 19 years must have 13 months   --   so the last sitting Sanhedrin ordained that a month is to be added, or "intercalated", making those years have an ADAR I and an ADAR II.   This past year was one of these, and some resist it because they saw a few grains of barley get ripened.   The WHOLE barley harvest must be ready to harvest, and ready to reap:  "When you come into the land which I give you, and shall reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest to the priest." Lev. 23:10.   The barley plays an important part, but it is only the "finger" pointing to Yahushua,  our true "first-fruit offering", Who offered Himself to the Father.   To keep looking at the finger (barley) is a very foolish thing to do  -- it signifies the Mashiach, who "waved" (was dead, then came back to life) before the Father, Yahuah.

Some watch the moon differently, and wait until a “crescent” sliver is seen, then instead of seeing this as the end of the first day of the moon, they see it as the beginning point, making their count one day later.  The “full” moon arrives on the 16^th day of their count, yet the full moon is supposed to be the 15^th day of the moon.

     The determination of when a new moon occurs has been in dispute over a range of one or two days. But it’s not days we are concerned with—it is the moon. Any physicist, meteorologist or technically trained person can tell you that a new moon is a black ball, as you will see on your calendar. This is the determination that is currently used by the Yahudim.  No one in Scripture ever says they "saw" a new moon.  This comes only from encyclopedias and men's descriptions of what was "traditionally" recognized by the Sanhedrin.  In the record of Scripture, there were no "witnesses" ever described who had to go look for the new moon.  It became obvious by the FULL MOON, on the 15th, whether the count was correct, or not.

     The renewed moon can be seen a day or two after the moon passes directly between the sun and the earth. People have begun to look for the new moon after sunset and they have called what they see (which is a crescent moon) the new moon. This procedure cannot be found from Scripture. The knowledge of when the new moon arrives is determined by simply counting.  This is what was done:

     Nowhere in Scripture is there an example of anyone waiting to see the new moon, or looking up and seeing one.   When the “crescent” moon is first visible, it is actually the 2nd day of the renewed moon. The crescent moon was used by the ancient world, but it was not Israel who used it; the worshippers of Diana (Artemis, Ishtar, Venus, Asherah, etc.,.) used it as her symbol, as do the Ishmaelites (and Islam) today.

 The Yahudim have traditionally called the entire period of Passover and Unleavened Bread by the term “Passover.” (Luke 22:1).

     On the fifteenth at the beginning of the day (which is at evening) is the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. No laborious work is to be done except for preparing meals. Passover is observed on this first day of Unleavened Bread so when people sit down today for a Passover Seder, it's the fifteenth (the FULL MOON).  The lambs were killed between 3pm and sundown on the 14th.

     We perceive that the Yahudim are correct in their determining the new moon -- and we believe that Yahushua, our Passover Lamb, was sacrificed on the fourteenth, right on time. We believe that Yahushua’s last meal with His talmidim was on Passover's preparation day. He said, “with desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before My suffering, for I say to you I shall certainly not eat of it again until it is fulfilled in the reign of Elohim.” Luke 22:15 & 16

Please confirm your festival times with the actual moon!  The 15th of the real moon should be a FULL moon.  The best place to check the arrival of the full moon (the day of our feast, Ps. 81:3) is the U.S. Naval Observatory web site. The exact arrival of each moon phase, and the current appearance of the moon may be seen at these two links:

http://aa.usno.navy.mil/idltemp/current_moon.html

NOTE:  If you use the "crescent sighting" for a new moon, then on your count to the 15th day, the moon will be one day PAST full.  The day of our feast is ON the full moon, so beginning your count correctly is of utmost importance.  If you can see the crescent moon at sunset, that means it's the END of the first day, not the beginning.

     Yahushua is the Passover Lamb, so there is no need to have a physical lamb; but it is not necessarily wrong to do so. His body (the Lamb’s body), by His own words, is represented by the Matsah.  The cup of the fruit of the vine represents the new covenant in His blood offered for the remission of sin. “Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.”  The matsah and grape juice don't "become" Yahushua, they are simply emblems which represent His body and blood.  This has been called "cannibalism" by some, however the significance of this is that He will become PART of us, LIKE the food we eat;  not BE the food.  These are metaphorical, that is all.  He seeks to live in us, and eating the emblems represents a picture of how He is the bread of life, the Torah, which we live by.  We don't live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of Yahuah.  Yahushua is the Living Word of Yahuah, the Torah become a living human being.  We take bitter herbs (horseradish, parsley) with matsah, and take a cup of grape juice at evening as the 14th of Abib begins.  We make sure those with us doing this have been immersed, which is their circumcision;  and we examine ourselves to be sure we understand what the emblems represent, and that we take the observance very seriously.  It is a remembrance of YAHUSHUA'S DEATH !!

     It is still important for us today to remember how diligent Yahushua was in keeping His talmidim vigilant the night which followed the Passover Seder, because this was stipulated to be a night of vigilance by the Torah. Corresponding to the time of the slaying of the first born in ha shatan’s dominion, Yahushua was captured in the garden and His death began. 

Exodus 12:30:

Exodus 12:42:   “It is a night to be observed unto Yahuah for bringing them out of the land of Mitsrayim. This night is unto Yahuah, to be observed by all the children of Yisrael throughout their generations.”

THE VIGIL

     The word “observed” is the Hebrew word shimmur and it means a vigil or a watch. Passover is not a Sabbath but a night of vigilance. This is why Yahushua was trying to keep His talmidim awake, and also why everyone was awake in the city, standing around fires for warmth. It could be that Yahushua wants us to watch, because like the slaying of the first born in Mitsrayim, He will use this same night some year to take the weeds out of the earth. This is the opposite of what the rapture cult has taught us.

     As we observe the seven days of Matsah that follow, we remember that we left the bondage of sin behind. The unleavened bread represents our life with Yahushua without sin, and the haste of our deliverance.

     The night of the Passover (and the memorial of Yahushua's death) is eaten on the 15th, and is an annual Sabbath.  The next morning and the very same day, the first day of Unleavened Bread, was the day Israel came out of Mitsrayim; the seventh day of Unleavened Bread was the crossing of the Sea of Reeds and the death of the army of Mitsrayim. The first and seventh days of Matsah are annual Sabbaths. We are commanded to eat unleavened bread those seven days, and have no leavened bread at all. This relates to our abandoning sin, and separation from the unclean and idolatrous secular realm, which will receive the judgment of Yahuah.  We definitely have nothing to do with "EASTER", which is a Pagan idol also known as ISHTAR, ASHERAH, ASTORETH, ASTARTE, etc.,.  (see any encyclopedia).

Deut. 16:5: “You are not allowed to slaughter the Passover within any of your gates (cities) which Yahuah your Elohim gives you, but at the place where Yahuah your Elohim chooses to make His Name dwell, there you slaughter the Passover in the evening at the going down of the sun, at the appointed time you were taken out of Mitsrayim.”

     Where do we observe Passover?  Like the first one, we observe it in our homes.  Yahuah’s Name dwells in His living Temple, and we are the living stones of His Temple, made without hands. We do not slaughter a lamb, because the Lamb has been slain, once for all.

     Passover points to our deliverance from sin, and to the marriage feast of the Lamb (Rev. 19:7-9) — we are Yahuah’s wife (bride), since we are part of the engrafted (or even natural branches) of Israel (Romans 11). The judgment of the world will correspond to the 10 plagues of Mitsrayim. The 10th plague, Passover, represented the judgment of ha shatan, who was represented by Pharaoh (known as the “son of the sun”), and his dominion. Pharaoh was considered the “son of RA”, which was depicted as an eagle, a sundisc with eagle wings, a snake (like Marduk), or an obelisk (sun ray). The judgment was the killing of the firstborn, and all 10 plagues were judgments against Mitsrayim’s principal idols. The final plague, the death of the firstborn, showed the world the weakness of RA (shatan).  The firstborn was to become the next Pharaoh. The Pharaoh’s (or RA’s) emblem was the eagle, which he wore on his chest, and has been used by shatan throughout his movements on the earth over all of history. The "obelisk" is another Pagan Babylonian image.  The Washington Monument is the largest obelisk to ever exist, and it resides in shatan’s center of power today. It is on “lot 666”, and is exactly 6,660 inches high — thanks to the Masonic / Illuminati planners who govern the US. The eagle is the national bird, as it was for Germany, the “Holy” Roman Empire, the Roman Empire, Zeus of Greece, RA of Egypt, Ahura Mazda of Persia, and Baal of Babylon.

The firstborn Pagan lineage of Pharaoh was snapped off, and became impotent; Mitsrayim NEVER RECOVERED.  

Sin is slavery, and is the mind of the flesh, but was overcome by Yahushua’s death.

The mind of the Spirit is Life, and you receive a LOVE of the Truth.

YHWH's Word is Truth (His Torah).

(This is what is called the renewed Covenant, when He writes His Torah on our hearts -- YermeYahu 31)

     The Ark of the Covenant (container of the Torah, the marriage covenant) was called “Yahuah”, and the two cherubim on the lid are both Yisrael (but divided into 2 "houses", Beit Yahudah & Beit Yisrael.  On the Mercy Seat, only one side received the sprinkled blood during the Lewitical priesthood, and this represented Yahudah (the Southern Kingdom, made up of Yahudah, Benyamin, and Lewi).  These cherubim can also represent the 2 priesthoods  (Melchizedek & Lewi).  The House of Yahudah can be understood as the “firstborn”, or the “older brother” in the parable of the prodigal son. The 10 lost tribes (the 10 virgins) are the other cherub on the mercy seat, who became “lost” and lived like Pagans, worshipping in harlotry (idolatry), but eventually return. Yahushua said, “I was sent only for the lost sheep of the House of Israel.” The older brother, Yahudah, will become jealous to see the younger “lost” brother return to Yahuah, and Yahushua’s blood has been sprinkled on the other side of the Mercy Seat now. Scripture calls the lost tribes “Ephraim” (Ezek. 37).

     The 10 virgins can represent the 10 lost tribes. The 5 wise virgins have plenty of oil in their lamps because they searched the Scriptures for themselves, and knew the Name and the Torah. The 5 unwise virgins only took the traditions of men into account, and listened to what the paid “merchants” taught. They were told to go “buy” oil from the merchants, but by the time the Bridegroom arrived, they were unprepared to enter the marriage feast. YermeYahu 16:19b: “Our fathers have inherited only falsehood, futility, and there is no value in them.” 

Yahuah says at YirmeYahu 16:14-17:

“’Therefore see, the days are coming,’ declares Yahuah, ’when it is no longer said,' Yahuah lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Mitsrayim’, but, ’Yahuah lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where He had driven them’. For I shall bring them back into their land I gave to their fathers. See, I am sending for many fishermen,’ declares Yahuah,’ and they shall fish for them. And after that, I shall send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.  For My eyes are on all their ways; they have not hidden from My face, nor has their crookedness been hidden from My eyes.” (See also Ezek. 37, Rev. 19:7-9).

Article compiled by Lew & Phyllis White

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