Passover is the First Day of Unleavened
Bread!
Passover is an Annual Holyday!
Many think the Passover is NOT the First Day of Unleavened - an Annual Holyday. However, it is SIMPLE to prove that it is.
Read Exodus 12.18 carefully. It is the KEY verse NOT mentioned by supposed authoritative Bible courses and books. Wonder why? To keep people from seeing that the Carpenter from Nazareth was literally and historically FULFILLING the FIRST Annual Holyday, the Passover, as our "Passover" and the Messiah?
"In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening."
Notice it says "until" the 21st day "at evening". In the
Bible, days begin in the "evening" at sunset (Gen 1.5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31).
So "until" means until the 21st day begins, at sunset. This means that the
20th day is the LAST (7th) Day of Unleavened Bread, a Holyday. Then,
counting backwards 7 days, the FIRST Day of Unleavened Bread (a
Holyday) is the 14th day. Of course, we know that the Passover is
observed on the 14th day. Perhaps the diagram below will show how obvious
it is that the 14th day, Passover, is the First Day of Unleavened Bread, a
Holyday.
21 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 |
7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
"Passover Night" is the "Night to be Much
Observed"
During the exodus of the
Israelites from Egypt, which nights were the most eventful nights
during the 7 days of unleavened bread?
Clearly one night had to
be night of the 14th of the month, when the death angel
killed all of the firstborn of man and beast in Egypt, except those whose
doorposts were covered with the blood of a lamb.
Then the other night had
to be the night of the 20th of the month, when the
Israelites crossed the Red Sea on dry land and escaped from the Egyptian
army (Ex 14.20-21,29 - "…and the Lord swept back the sea by a strong east
wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were
divided… the sons of Israel walked on the dry land through the midst of the
sea, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on
their left").
Why, then would anyone
keep the night of the 15th, about which nothing is mentioned in
the Bible?
I believe the confusion
started when we presumed that the Israelites did NOT start leaving Egypt the
night that the firstborn died because the Israelites were told to stay
indoors that night. So we
thought they left the following night, making the night of the 15th
the "night to be much observed".
But if you read Exodus 12
closely, you will see that they did start leaving immediately after
the death angel killed all of the firstborn, sometime after midnight, on the
night of the 14th.
Notice the following
scriptures:
Ex 12.6 - The lamb was
killed just after the sunset that started the night portion of the 14th
of the 1st month.
Ex 12.11 - The lamb was
eaten quickly that night while they were to stay fully clothed, to be ready
to leave that night.
Ex 12.12 - The firstborn
were killed "on that night".
Ex 12.13 - The blood on
the door was a "sign" of the "Passover".
Ex 12.14 - "Now this
day [which began the night of the 14th] (The end of the 13th) will be a memorial to
you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord;
throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent
ordinance."
Ex 12.5 "Seven days
you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall cause
to cease leaven from your houses;"
Ex 12.16 - "And on the
first day you shall have a holy assembly, and another holy
assembly on the seventh day;"
Ex 12.17 - "You shall
observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day
I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall observe
this day throughout your generations as a permanent ordinance."
Ex 12.29 - 'Now it came
about at midnight that the Lord struck all of the firstborn in the
land of Egypt."
Ex 12.30 - "And Pharoah
arose in the night, he and all his servants…"
Ex 12.31 - Then he called
for Moses and Aaron at night and said, 'Rise up, get out from among
my people, both you and the sons of Israel; and go, worship the Lord, as you
have said'."
Ex 12.33 - "And the
Egyptians urged the people, to send them out of the land in haste,
for they said 'We shall all be dead'."
Ex 12.34 - "So the people
took their dough before it was leavened…"
Ex 12.41 - "And it came
about at the end of 430 years, to the very day, that all the hosts of
the Lord went out of the land of Egypt."
Ex 12.42 - "It is a
night to be observed for the Lord for having brought them out from the
land of Egypt; this night is for the Lord, to be observed by all the
sons of Israel throughout their generations."
Ex 12.51 - "And it came
about on that same day that the Lord brought the sons of Israel out
of the land of Egypt by their hosts."
From the above verses, it
should be clear that the Feast of Unleavened Bread is seven days long (not
eight), with the first and seventh days being holy days.
The first day is the night & day that they left Egypt, starting with
the night of the 14th being the night to "be observed" since that
is when the firstborn died and the Israelites started to leave Egypt.
Then the seventh day is the night the Israelites crossed the Red Sea,
with the Egyptian army being drowned in the Red Sea at the "morning watch"
(Ex 14.24).
The "Night to be Much Observed" is the "Passover Night" - not the night after!
Of course the proper way to observe this night was
changed by the Messiah on the very night He had His last Passover meal here
on earth. You can read about
the new symbols and ceremony in Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, John 13, and 1
Corinthians 11. However, only
those who have repented, been baptized and have had hands laid upon them to
receive the Holy Spirit are allowed to participate in these symbols (Acts
2.38; 8.14-18; Exodus 12.43-45).
Finally, after 70 years of captivity to a lie about
keeping the night of the 15th as the "night much observed", we
truly are free to worship the "Lamb of God" in Spirit and in Truth!!