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PassoverBy Randy CookPesach is fast approaching, or as most English speakers call it: Passover. Easter falls on the first full moon after the vernal equinox (the day on which the hours of daylight and darkness are equal lengths.). Passover is calculated by determining the first new moon after the vernal equinox, which becomes the first day of the month of Nissan. And Passover then falls on the 15th of Nissan. Therefore Passover and Easter do not always coincide.Did you know the word “Easter” is not in the Bible?KJV Acts 12:4 And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.The word ‘Easter’ above is actually ‘Pascha’. The Strong’s Concordance sheds some light on this:3957 pa,sca pascha {pas'-khah} ? of Aramaic origin cf 06453; TDNT - 5:896,797; n n ? AV - Passover 28, Easter 1; 29 ? 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, Nisan extending from the 14th to the 20th day of the month.(Strong’s Concordance/Bible Works)Messiah was crucified at Passover, and resurrected during the feast of Unleavened bread. This brings forth the question, why celebrate Easter? The majority of Easter’s traditions are pagan, and come from syncretism (Pulling in of pagan practices to entice pagan worshippers into the church.) Some say they celebrate it because it falls with Passover, but often it does not. Let’s not even get into the symbolism of the bunny and egg!Maybe it is celebrated by believers because it’s tradition. After all the Easter music in church is so beautiful, but in fact, most of it could be sung for Passover (“bunny trail” excluded). Not all traditions are good, but you probably know that. So often, Jews are expected to give up their traditions once they believe in Messiah. But ironically their traditions are closer to Biblical interpretation than many Christian ones are. What else about the crucifixion of Messiah have we been taught that’s not true?The Sunday church cannot prove the Sabbath was changed, so they use the explanation that the reason the day of worship was changed was because Messiah was resurrected on Sunday morning. This comes from the council of Nicaea in A.D. 325. A council of men who gathered to change the religious calendar and wrest it’s control from Judaism. Is this your belief? If it is, hold on to something because this next scripture is going to challenge your thinking.KJV Matthew 28:1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.Look at the word “day” above, it’s in italics, which means it’s not there. Which doesn’t make a difference right, still the same concept? Let’s look at the word Sabbath above and also the word week. Here is a sentence where both words are the same word. It’s the Strongs word 4521, and below it will show you how many different ways this word is translated.4521 sa,bbaton sabbaton {sab'-bat-on} ? of Hebrew origin 07676; TDNT - 7:1,989; n n ? AV - sabbath day 37, sabbath 22, week 9; 68 ? 1) the seventh day of each week which was a sacred festival on which the Israelites were required to abstain from all work 1a) the institution of the sabbath, the law for keeping holy every seventh day of the week 1b) a single sabbath, sabbath day 2) seven days, a week (Strong’s Concordance/Bible Works)The Strong’s concordance states that this word is translated 37 times as ‘Sabbath day’, 22 times as ‘Sabbath’ and 9 times as Messiah was resurrected at the beginning of the weekly Sabbath during the week of Passover.‘week’. It seems logical then, that the translators with a Bias against anything that looked Jewish translated the word incorrectly to fit their bias. However, these 9 times that the translators translate this word into week, are only during the passages about the crucifixion week. You may be thinking that if it’s translated as ‘Sabbath’ that it doesn’t make any sense. Let’s see.YLT Matthew 28:1 And on the eve of the sabbaths, at the dawn, toward the first of the sabbaths, came Mary the Magdalene, and the other Mary, to see the sepulchre,For most Sunday worshippers, this doesn’t make any sense. But if we understand the commandments of God, like the Jewish people did, then this makes perfect sense. We call this “Hebrew roots”. Let me explain. A day according to scripture starts at sunset. Remember in Genesis, the evening and the morning where the first day (Gen. 1:5.) As soon as the sun sets, it’s a new day. The “eve of the Sabbaths”, means Friday afternoon at sunset. The reason Sabbaths is plural in the verse above is because there is a seven Sabbath Count to Shavuot, which many call Pentecost. This was the first Sabbath in that count. Messiah was resurrected at the beginning of the weekly Sabbath during the week of Passover. Most Christians say He was crucified on Friday, however this does not add up. Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday morning do not add up to three days and three nights.These festivals are God’s Appointed Times, not the “Jewish holidays”.KJV John 19:31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.The week of unleavened bread, which we incorrectly call Passover, starts on the 15th of the month of Aviv. It lasts for seven days, in which the first day and the last day are holy days. It doesn’t matter which day of the week these days fall on. Any day that comes before a holy day is called a day of preparation. Christians have always assumed that the day of preparation is Friday. They are not completely wrong, every Friday is a preparation for the Sabbath, unless that Particular Friday is actually one of the holy days of Passover, Pentecost, or one of the fall festivals. Above we see that this is not talking about a weekly Sabbath, it’s talking about a high Sabbath, which in this case is the first day (15th of Aviv) of Passover.The 14th day of Aviv in the afternoon towards sunset, the paschal lambs were slaughtered. They were eaten after sunset, which is actually the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This the 15th of Aviv, is actually a High Holy Day. Passover and Unleavened Bread are two different things. Passover, or rather in Hebrew “Pesach” is nothing more than the lamb being offered at the temple. If you are not at the temple, you are not performing Pesach. Even if you are not at the temple you are still required to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days. The first day is the 15th of Aviv and the seventh day is the 21st day of Aviv.On the second day of Unleavened Bread (which is the 16th of the month of Aviv) the priest would wave a First Fruit offering of the grains they had harvested. This day is the beginning of what we call the Omer count. We count seven weeks and the following day after the seventh week is the Feast of Shavuot, which some call Pentecost. The festival of Pentecost sometimes falls on Sunday, but not very often. What we as Christians need to understand, is these festivals are Gods Appointed Times, not the “Jewish Holidays.” It doesn’t matter if they coincide with our calendar or not. As I showed you earlier, Messiah was crucified during the Passover, not Easter. His resurrection was just before the Sabbath, not Sunday morning. The Holy Spirit was poured out on Shavuot, (“the feast of weeks”) as kept by the nation of Israel. Which is also called Pentecost by Christians.Let’s see what the scriptures actually say about Messiah being resurrected Sunday morning. I am going to lay out all the verses of the resurrection of Messiah, first in the KJV in then in the Young’s literal translation.KJV Matthew 28:1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.YLT Matthew 28:1 And on the eve of the sabbaths, at the dawn, toward the first of the sabbaths, came Mary the Magdalene, and the other Mary, to see the sepulchre,KJV Mark 16:2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.YLT Mark 16:2 and early in the morning of the first of the sabbaths, they come unto the sepulchre, at the rising of the sun,KJV Luke 24:1 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.YLT Luke 24:1 And on the first of the sabbaths, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, bearing the spices they made ready, and certain {others} with them,KJV John 20:1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.YLT John 20:1 And on the first of the sabbaths, Mary the Magdalene doth come early (there being yet darkness) to the tomb, and she seeth the stone having been taken away out of the tomb,KJV John 20:19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.YLT John 20:19 It being, therefore, evening, on that day, the first of the sabbaths, and the doors having been shut where the disciples were assembled, through fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and saith to them, 'Peace to you;'In the last verse, it says that the apostles where gathered together in one place during the first Sabbath counting to Shavuot (Pentecost). Now we could argue scripture for a long time, but let me ask you a logical question. Is the resurrection of the Saints in Revelation at the beginning of the Sabbath, (or Millennium), which is a thousand year Sabbath, or is after the thousand years is over? We have a Weekly Sabbath, in which we are commanded not to work, we have a yearly Sabbath, In which we are commanded not to till, and we have thousand year Sabbath, in which we are commanded not to practice war any more. The concept of the Sabbath is to enter into God’s rest. The main point of the millennium is to enter into His rest.When the children of Israel put the blood upon their doorpost, they put it on both sides as well as above their door. This forms the Hebrew letter ‘chet’, also known as the number ‘eight’. Eight represents a new beginning; there were eight souls on the Ark, again a new beginning. The lamb was to be taken in on the tenth day of Aviv and examined for 4 days. Messiah entered into Jerusalem on the tenth of Aviv and was examined by the chief priest and the elders of the people. He was crucified on the morning of the fourteenth and in the afternoon he gave up His spirit and quoted “it is done”.In the temple there were daily offerings specified in scripture, two of these offerings where the morning and evening sacrifices. In numbers chapter 28 God tells Moses to sacrifice two lambs every day, one in the morning, and one in the afternoon. The morning lamb became known as the ‘shacrite’ offering, the third hour of the day and the afternoon lambMessiah was beaten during the time of the morning lamb and he died at the time of the afternoon lamb. Messiah was symbolic of nearly every offering in one way or another.The afternoon offering was known as the ‘mincha’ offering, the ninth hour of the day. The morning and afternoon prayers in Judaism carry the names “ Shacrite” and Mincha based on the hours that they are made. There were no sacrifices offered until the morning Lamb was offered, only then would offerings of the people be accepted. Then in the afternoon the mincha Lamb was offered. At this point the daily sacrifices where finished. What did Messiah say just before his death? “It is finished.” In the Temple at that moment the priests where offering the afternoon lamb. The only offering after the mincha Lamb was the once -a -year paschal Lamb, the Passover. Messiah was crucified during the time of the morning lamb, and he died at the time of the afternoon lamb. Messiah was symbolic of nearly every offering in one way or another. There was one offering in the scriptures called the ‘peace offering’. You could eat on this offering for two days, but not on the third day. Messiah will fulfill this one by returning before the third day (a day being a thousand years). Every year we take communion, partaking of his sacrifice, so it is likely that he will return before the ‘third day’ the year 2030.Every year at our Passover meal, we all go to the door and invite Elijah in. We often send a child and tell them to open the door and shout for Elijah. A few years back we were having our seder (symbolic meal) and at the time I was pouring the cup of Elijah, a strong wind blew open our foyer and front doors and rain gushed in. This wind blew open both doors. This has never happened before and it hasn’t happened since. But it did happen just as we were about to send the child to the door, needless to say there was a lot of energy that night!The story of Passover is remembered every year, as we retell the story to our children, and instill in them the belief in Messiah, as we hope they will also do with their children. Remember the two rocks in the wilderness? Moses was commanded to strike the first one, and speak to the next one. The story of Passover is all about Messiah, as is the rest of the scripture. As the rock is, so is Messiah, He had to be struck. This time He will be spoken to . The overarching theme behind the Bible is eternal redemption for all mankind, and entering Messiah’s rest. We are at the threshold of entering that rest. That seven thousandth year will start before we even know it. The sixth day is the day of preparation, the sixth thousandth year is no different. Messiah is preparing to light the Sabbath candles. Once the candles are lit, all work is finished. ................
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