PASSOVER 2011
(Passover Confusion 2011)By Pastor G. Reckart
(Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved)
Confusion, confusion, confusion: yep, the year 2011 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 2011 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 Monday evening April 18th after sundown. I will show how this is proven later on. First I want to show the dates set by others for the year 2011.
The Catholic church and many Protestant daughters:
These have set April 22nd as Good Friday and the day of the crucifixion of Jesus with Sunday April 24th as Easter or the day of resurrection. Since these groups have Friday 22nd as the day of crucifixion it would fall of necessity that the Lord's Supper occurred the previous night on April 21st. Yet Catholics and Protestants who observe the Easter date will not celebrate the Lord's Supper on That Thursday evening. This is false yet many will follow the Papacy and Protestantism and celebrate Easter but not the Lord's Passover Supper on its annual correct date.
Jehovah's Witnesses:
The JWs will observe their annual Communion on Sunday April 17th after sundown. Sundown begins the 14th day of Abib. These are following false information and make the killing of the lamb before sundown on the 13th and this is false. The true Passover is after the lamb is killed the evening of the 14th day of Abib or the full moon. It is therefore false to observe the Lord's annual supper on Sunday evening.
Remember, the Jewish month and year is lunar and not solar (lunar 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. So although the Passover would be on the evening of the 15th of Abib Jewish time, Roman time would not count the 15th to begin until midnight. It is this confusion that has many believing the 14th then continues on until midnight and so they should celebrate the Lord's Supper on what they call the 14th. This is false.
If Jesus was crucified on Friday he then observed the Passover the evening before. How does this date relate to the 14th of Abib in 2011? It does not.
The 15th of Abib always falls on a full moon. The full moon must occur on or before the night of the Passover. The first evening of the full moon month 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.
When is the full moon in the month of April 2011? The moon is full during the night of the 18th of April Universal Time (GMT). It is not full on the day or evening of the 17th of April. Because the moon was not full before or on the 17th, the evening of the 17th does not qualify as the right night for observance of the Lord's Passover in 2011.
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 or on the night of the Passover. Since the moon is not full until until the evening of April 18th it is the wrong to observe the Lord's Passover before this evening. The Jews have this right most of the time. This year by their observing Easter on April 24th they are way, way off.
Additional confusion always reigns among novices trying to set their own personal day to observe Passover. This sometimes leads to these unlearned youth leading churches to observe Passover on the wrong evenings. Let me again attempt to offer some information to help guide those who are sincere in observing this Feast of Righteousness.
The month of Abib 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 between the 14th and 15th day but AFTER SUNDOWN THAT BEGINS THE 14th. This we do know, that the moon must be full before or on the evening of the Passover.
Passover facts:
According to Scripture and Jewish tradition (Edershiem) The Passover lamb is killed about 3pm in the afternoon as the 14th is ending. 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 quickly 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 house is totally cleansed of all leaven. 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.
All of this takes place on the afternoon as the 14th of Abib is closing out. Remember, the day the lamb is killed IS NOT THE PASSOVER! Remember in Egypt the lamb was killed on the "even" of the 14th, but the PASSOVER DID NOT OCCUR UNTIL HOURS LATER AT MIDNIGHT. So, when is the true Passover? Is it the day the lamb is killed or the day 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 evening 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 nor on the same day.
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 Passover. The lamb was to be kept up until the 14th and then killed. It was not kept up until the 12th and then killed on the 13th so they could observe the day of Passover when the 14th began at sundown.
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 do it for strife and confusion. Let us not allow this most holy day of the year to become a battle of hate and discord. Many have 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 man said the true fruit of the vine Jesus used was made from boiled grape juice [dibbs].
This is false!
If it was true how come Jews do not practice this dibbs ritual? 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. When I asked this man who attacked me if he ever had the Lord's Supper with grape juice made from dibbs, he said no. I asked him why he made this argument and did not practice it. He had no answer. I asked him if he knew of any preacher in the UPC or other organization who used this dibbs and made grape juice and he said no. This is the insantity that prevails today. They will not follow the Scriptures and they do not even follow their own so-called right way to do it.
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 claiming no wine was drank in the Tabernacle. They say the priest were forbidden to drink wine in the Tabernacle. These convolute the whole issue.
Where do they get the Scripture that the Passover sacrifice was a Tabernacle sacrifice?
So the condemnation against Passover wine is illogical. 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 was not a practice of the Jews to do so.
Passover this year 2011 begins sundown April 18th. Jews who celebrate the 15th will start Passover on Monday night. The first day of Unleavened Bread begins on Passover night. Passover occurs on Monday at sundown April 18, 2011/ The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins that night and ends on April 25th.
Jesus was crucified on the 15th of Abib on the day of Passover and he became our Passover Lamb. By his blood through our baptism, we are exempt from all future judgment and wrath of God. Let us observe his commandment to observe this annual celebration.
Happy 2011 Lord's Passover everyone!