PASSOVER 2008
(Passover Confusion 2008)

By Pastor G. Reckart
(Copyright All Rights Reserved)

Confusion, confusion, confusion: yep, the year 2008 contains one of those spiritual times of complete confusion and chaos concerning the observance of the Lord's Passover. Novices, Pastors, scholars, and many others have set the 2008 Passover dates wrong.  This has led to a number of different dates set for the observance.  But what is the true date?  The true date is Sunday April 20th.  I will show how this is proven later on.  First I want to show the dates set by others for the year 2008.

The Catholic church and many Protestant daughters:

These have set March 21st as Good Friday and the day of the crucifixion of Jesus with Sunday March 23rd as Easter or the day of resurrection.  Since these groups have March 21st as the day of crucifixion it would fall of necessity that the Lord's Supper occurred the previous night on March 20th. Catholics and Protestants have Passover occuring on Thursday night March 20th.  This is false yet many will follow the Papacy and Protestantism.

Jehovah's Witnesses:

The JWs will observe their annual Communion on Saturday March 22nd after sundown. These are following the Catholic and Protestant methods.  This date has nothing to so with the 14th day of Nisan or the full moon.  

Remember, the Jewish month and  year is lunar and not solar (goes by the moon and not the sun).  The month begins with the new moon and after the dark of the moon (when it is completely dark) the new moon appears and announces the first day of the Jewish month. Jewish days are from sundown to sundown but Roman days are from midnight to midnight.  

If Jesus was crucified on Friday he then observed the Passover the evening before.  How does this date relate to the 14th of Nisan?  

The 14th of Nisan always falls on a full moon.  The full moon must occur before sundown.  For instance if the moon is full at 10:30am in the morning then this is the 14th day of Nisan.  The first full day of the full moon would begin at sundown and this signifies the 15th day.  But remember also, we are going by Jerusalem time.  To be accurate we must make all calculations according to the time of the full moon in Jerusalem.  Just as the Roman calendar is many times false on the annual date of Passover, so many Jewish calendars are also false.  They both ignore the true setting of the 14th according to the time of the full moon.

When is the full moon in the month of March?  The moon is full on the 21st of March at 6:40pm Universal Time (GMT). Jerusalem is + 2 hours meaning the moon is full in Jerusalem at 8:40 pm.  This occurs after sundown.  Because the moon was not full before sundown, the evening of the 21st does not qualify as the right date for observance of the Lord's Passover.

Setting the Passover evening:

Here is the simple rule, that if everyone followed all of this confusion and chaos would not occur:

The true date for Passover falls in Jerusalem on the first evening AFTER the first full moon after the spring equinox.  The moon must be full before sundown. Since the moon is not full until 8:40 pm and after sundown on March 21st it is the wrong date for observance of the Lord's Passover. The Jews have this much right this year by not observing Passover on March 20th. The Catholics and Protestants have it all wrong.

In addition to the above, this year is the 11th year in the 19 year cycle of calendar adjustment to make the total of 19 years equal out to each being 365. On this 11th year an extra month is inserted into the calendar.  This pushes the Passover date from March to April.

Additional confusion always reigns among novices trying to set their own personal day to observe Passover.  This sometimes leads to these novices leading churches to observe Passover on the wrong evening.  Let me again attempt to offer some information to help guide those who are sincere in observing this Feast of Righteousness.

The month of Nisan starts the year and has 29 days in it.  It starts on a new moon as the first day of the month. The full moon always occurs half way in this 29 day cycle.  That means the moon will be full on the 14th day of Nisan.  We do not know the exact time because the exact time of the new moon will determine the exact time of the full moon.  This we do know, that the moon must be full prior to the evening of the Passover.  The 14th must occur before the Passover is held.

Passover facts:

The Passover lamb is killed about 3pm in the afternoon.  It is then cleansed and prepared for roasting.  A fire is started and the lamb is roasted slowly so the meat is cooked throughout.  If the lamb is roasted to fast the outside will be cooked but the inside and around the bones will still be raw meat.  It takes about 3 hours for a lamb to be roasted correctly.  As it is being roasted the other elements of the Passover are gathered or prepared.  The unleavened bread is baked which takes very little time about a hour.  The bitter herbs are collected and the Passover wine is placed on the table (more on wine below).  

All of this takes place on the afternoon of the 14th of Nisan.  Remember, the day the lamb is killed IS NOT THE PASSOVER!  Remember in Egypt the lamb was killed on the 14th, but the PASSOVER DID NOT OCCUR UNTIL 9 HOURS LATER AT MIDNIGHT.  So, when is the true Passover?  Is it the day the lamb is killed or the day the blood is applied and the Passover took place?  

This sets forth the answer to a riddle that exposes the novices trying to invent their own day for Passover and they know nothing about the true Passover at all.  Passover takes place at midnight on a new Jewish day that began at sundown.  If the lamb is killed on the afternoon of the 14th, sundown begins the 15th.  The 15th is the true day of observing the Lord's Passover and this is the day Jesus was crucified.  

Jesus was not crucified at the same time the Passover lamb was killed.  

We know this to be a fact because Jesus and his disciples observed the true Passover according to the Law.  If Jesus did not observe the true Passover according to the Law then he sinned.  A person who did not observe the Passover on the correct evening was to be cut off from Israel (Numbers 9:13).

Jesus was forced to observe the Passover correctly on the right evening or be cut off.  This is serious and we do not doubt Jesus held the Passover correctly.  I make this a strong issue because many novices are setting churches to observe Passover on the evening of the 14th of Nisan thinking that the Jews anciently did this.  This is false!  I cannot stress how false this is.  If the Passover took place at midnight of the 14th, this would mean the lamb was killed on the 13th day of the month and this defies every thing we know about the ordinance for Passover.  The lamb was to be kept up until the 14th and then killed.  It was not kept up until the 13th and then killed so they could observe the day of Passover on the 14th.

Just as there were many who perverted Apostolic doctrine at the time of the Apostles and after their deaths, so there are many today among us who are perverting the celebration of the Lord's Passover.  They have been accepted this annual practice in just recent years and have not studied this out to have a clear understanding and correct doctrine.  It is my desire that unity prevail among those who celebrate this annual Feast of Righteousness.  It should be our desire to do this with as much sincerity as we can without there being diverse practices when the solution and correct evening is easy to determine.

Grape juice or wine?

I received a scathing email telling me that by serving wine for the Passover I was setting strong drink before my neighbors and causing them to sin and err.  I was told that grape juice was the right stuff to be in the Communion cup.  I was told that the Jews had a practice of boiling grape juice in pots on a fire and creating a syrup called dibbs.  Then at Passover time they added water to this dibbs and made grape juice. This the man said was the true fruit of the vine Jesus used.  

This is false!  

If it was true how come they do not practice this?  If I actually believed this lie I would get some grapes in July and press them out, boil the juice down to this dibbs, and then at Passover time add water and serve this at the Communion.  Since it did not happen, and Jews did not do this for Passover, I have never thought of doing this false thing.  

I do not understand why those who spread this lie do not make this dibbs and follow their own doctrine?  Suffice it to say, this man said wine was not fruit of the vine.  I ask him what wine was a fruit of if it was not made from grapes and grape juice?  He refused to answer. Let everyone know that the Jews have always used kosher Passover wine for Passover.  They NEVER had a practice of using dibbs and making grape juice because they believed it was a sin to use fermented wine for Passover.

Jews have never used grape juice for Passover.  In fact, grape juice plays no part in the Tabernacle or any of the sacrifices.  Only wine is used for sacrifices.  

The Passover lamb is considered a unique sacrifice separate from Tabernacle sacrifices.  

Some object to using wine for the Passover sacrifice that does not take place in the Tabernacle, by claiming no sacrifice in the Tabernacle was eaten where the priest took fermented wine.  These convolute the whole issue. Who said the Passover sacrifice was a Tabernacle sacrifice?  So the condemnation against Passover wine is moot. One thing for certain, fermented wine for Passover is the ONLY FRUIT OF THE VINE ON THE TABLE.  There is no grape juice in ancient times on the table because it did not exist.

Passover this year 2008 begins sundown April 20th. Jews who celebrate the 14th will start Passover on Saturday night.  Again, this means the lamb was killed on the 13th and this is false.  Many Jews are holding the Passover and first day of Unleavened Bread on the wrong evening.  Passover occurs on Sunday at sundown and the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins that night and ends on April 27th. Jesus was crucified on the 15th of Nisan and he became our Passover Lamb. By his blood through our baptism, we are exempt from all future judgment and wrath of God if we observe his commandment to observe this annual celebration.

Happy 2008 Lord's Passover everyone!