Understanding The Lord's Passover
By Pastor G. Reckart
Copyright 2008 All Rights Reserved
(May Not Be Placed On Another Web Site Without Permission)
Passover Sunday April 20, 2008BREAD OF ETERNAL LIFE I have attended many Communion services from 1949 to the present day. The majority of them were held on December 31st and New Year's eve. Others were on first sundays of the month, held on every sunday, during revivals and wedding vows, and at conventions.
In Pentecostal and Apostolic Churches there was no common custom or tradition. Each Pastor picked his Communion day according to his own beliefs.
Being raised Apostolic, my Pastor never really taught on the days he chose and why, giving a Biblical lesson to back him up: he taught usually about being humble and taking the Lord's Supper to rededicate one's self closer to the Lord. And if there were sins that stood in the way we were expected to close the old book out and open a new book. Foot washing was practiced.
I attended my first Communion service where there was no foot washing in Dyersburg, Tennessee in 1976 I think. The Pastor was UPC and announced before the Communion service there would be no footwashing. I came there at his invitation. Needless to say I did not participate in the observance.
I was already formulating my faith in the Passover way back then and I was not about to compromise. I did not have the full revelation in those days as I do today but I did have enough to know this was not right and the occasion was not right. After that time I discovered there were many hundreds of Pentecostal and Apostolic churches that did not have foot washing. Today there is still a lot of confusion and perversion concerning the Lord's Passover and I thought it important to help those seeking to understand the truth of the Lord's Passover to write something.
Jesus observed the Passover and this is verified in the Gospels. He had to observe it or he would have sinned and been cut off from Israel:
"And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever" (Exodus 12:14).
An ordinance here is law. Jesus had to keep this ordinance or be a sinner. Likewise, he had to observe the seven days of unleavened bread that began that night. Anyone who did not observe this was also to be cut off from Israel (Exodus 12:15). Passover starts the seven days of unleavened bread. Jesus ate this Passover with his disciples (Apostles) in fulfillment of the law. Then, he introduced a new Passover as a memorial of his death and served the Apostles unleavened bread and the cup of wine (fruit of the vine, Jews always served wine mixed with water).
The first Passover was held in Egypt by the Israelites. God gave the plan of the Feast to the man of God Moses. Moses shared the information and requirements with the people and they accepted the instructions of the man of God by faith. It was faith in what the man of God had given them that caused them to follow the Passover rules. Yes, the rules were to be followed exactly by faith. The object of this faith was the Passover. They desired God to exempt them from his wrath and judgment when he passed over the land of Egypt to kill the firstborn of all families. It was their faith that saved them. Following the rules was just a test of their faith. And God said: "and when I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13). What was represented in that blood? Let's take a look:
A lamb was to be selected on the 10th day of the first month, Nisan (Exodus 12:3);
One lamb was for each house (Exodus 12:3);
The lamb was to be without blemish, a male, and separated from other sheep and goats (Exodus 12:5);
They were to keep it isolated until the 14th day of the month (Exodus 12:6);
They were to kill it on the 14th day at evening as this day is coming to its close (Exodus 12:6, Leviticus 23:5, 2Chronicles 35:1);
After the sacrifice of the lamb they were to take its blood and strike the two side post and upper door post with it (Exodus 12:7):
Night time and the begining of a new day has arrived and they are to begin fires at each house and roast the lamb (Exodus 12:8);
Sundown began the 15th day of Nisan and on this night, they roasted the lamb and ate it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs (Exodus 12:8-9);
They were told to eat the Feast with loins girded, shoes on their feet, staff in their hands, because this was the LORD'S Passover (Exodus 12:11);The Passover occurred at midnight AFTER the lamb was killed, after the eating of roast lamb, unleavened bread, and bitter herbs. The killing of the lamb was not the Passover!
Notice that the lamb was killed in the 14th day but the Passover occured at midnight on the 15th. Even so, all Quartodecimans prepared to observe the Lord's Passover on the 14th with the Jews and observed the Feast on the 15th, the same night the Jews held their traditional observances. There is a lot of confusion and false teachings concerning the quartodeciman controversy, some believing the Lord's Supper occured on the 14th which is false. Such doctrine means the lamb was killed on the 13th and this is false. Jesus was not crucified the same day the Passover lamb was killed. This is unrefutable because Pastor Reckart said so!There was no change in the day, the time, the practice, or the Feast: it was an annual memorial (for verification of this here is a link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passover. It is interesting that Quartodeciman means fixing the date for Passover which is what the Jews did from ancient times (see Quartodeciman). Also, at no time do we have a record early Apostolics called themselves Quartodecimans. This was a name coined by those who hated them. In the past I have called myself a Quartodeciman and may have to revise this, if those who pervert the Passover history use this name to say Jesus was crucified on the 14th day of Nisan, or it is claimed this is the day the Asians and Syrians observed Easter or the resurrection. Early Apostolics did not observe Easter or the resurrection on the 14th as recorded in many histories: and they did not observe the first Sunday after the spring equinox as the Quartodeciman day of the Lord's Supper.
The ancient Apostolics were accused of following the custom of the Jews and we take this to mean they also fixed the Passover elements on the 14th of Nisan and ate the Lord's Passover on the 15th while the Jews observed the older traditions.
Jesus ate after this tradition on the 15th and on this day he was crucified.
Yes, Jesus was not killed on the 14th, this is not the day of Passover anyway. The Passover occurred according to the Exodus text on the night after the evening the lamb was killed.
Jesus absolutely was not crucified on the same day the lamb of the traditional passover lamb was killed. The Passover lamb was sacrificed on one day and Jesus on another day.
Jesus ate the Passover lamb on the 15th that was killed on the correct day, the 14th. He was not dead already the same day the Passover lamb was killed. If so, Jesus would have died early that day on the 14th and would not have been alive to eat it with the Apostles after sundown which we find in the Gospel record.
No, the Gospel record shows Jesus crucified the next day after the Passover lamb had been slain. This is unrefutable! Pastor Reckart is 100% right on this and has been for over 25 years. Why others scheme and pervert the truth on this, shows their disrespect not only for the many years of labor and work of Pastor Reckart, it shows contempt for the true practices as we discover in the Gospels. Many Pastors are allowing novices to establish doctrine and this should not be. Pastors who do this show they are not qualified to Pastor and should either correct these errors fabricated by novices or resign. God's Church deserves the very best in the pulpit and the very best establishing doctrine.
So, it is settled, the law says the lamb is to be killed on the evening of the 14th day of Nisan. Then they ate the Feast. Then they prepared to flee from Egypt after the death angel came over the land. Because of their faith, they were saved by the blood. When the death angel flew over the land, he PASSED OVER those whose homes had the faith-blood on the door post. This was the Passover! When did it occur? According to Exodus it took place at midnight (Exodus 12:29). The Passover was not when the lamb was killed. Not when they celebrated the Feast. But at midnight after all of these. Salvation did not come when the lamb was sacrificed. Salvation did not come when they ate the Feast. Salvation came at midnight! They were saved from the judgment and wrath of God at midnight.That same night when Pharoah awoke to find death in his house, when cries were in the streets and throughout the land because of the dead, he called Moses. It was night (Exodus 12:31). And on this night, Pharoah told them to rise up and get out of Egypt and take their flocks and herds and be gone.
And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the morrow after the passover the children of Israel went out with an high hand in the sight of the Egyptians (Numbers 33:3).
The word "morrow" means the next day, or daylight portion of the day that began the last night at sundown.On this day, the 15th, the day after the last night's Passover: the day following the lamb being killed, the morrow after the Feast, after the Passover at midnight, the Israelites departed from Egypt to go to the land of Promise. They departed on Passover day the 15th. This is unrefutable even if the numbers players try to say otherwise. The Jews are right on the right evening to kill the lamb and the right date to observe Passover. They kill the lamb on the evening of the 14th when sunset is coming, and they ate the Feast after sundown on the 15th. This is unrefutable!
It was this great event they were to observe in their generations afterward. It was this great Feast Jesus observed and afterward instituted his own annual Memorial of his death. Remember, Jesus did not tell anyone to observe the sacrifice of the lamb on the 14th as his Memorial. He gave his Memorial after the death of this lamb and for his death which would occur the next day. That is our true faith and that is the doctrine all Apostolics who love God will observe. All this other nonsense and novice foolishness being called the truth on the observance of the Lord's Passover MUST BE REJECTED as just as false as observing "black-eye pea night." Any false day is just as false as all other false days. Let us all humble down and submit to the Truth. As I write this, there is not another Apostolic Preacher in the whole world who has seen these things, or written about them, or tried to expound the Truth about this wonderful Feast like I have. I was the first in modern times to restore this annual memorial to Apostolic Churches and remain the first to still set forth the proper understanding of this great celebration. God has used me and is still using this prophet to declare revealed Truth on the Lord's Passover.
The Feast of Passover starts off with God telling Moses about his plan to make Pharoah to let the children of Israel go. The children of Israel receive the man of God and God's plan. By faith they followed the plan. And when the blood was applied there was faith backing up that blood on the door posts. Without faith there would have been no blood and death would have come upon their homes. We can say with all confidence, the Israelites enjoyed the Passover by faith.
Passover is then an annual memorial of faith and the blood.
The month, day, time, and observance having been fully understood we may now proceed to celebrate the Lord's Feast of Passover on its annual day. Yes, we will continue to prepare the Passover elements on the same day as the Jews do the old Passover elements. We will celebrate the Lord's Passover Feast on the same night the Jews celebrate the old Passover Feast. Now this is, so long as the day they select is the correct one. There have been times when the Jewish calculations have been wrong. If we discover they are wrong on a date we will try to determine the correct date and celebrate the Lord's Passover accordingly.
Now, I have more indepth teaching on the Lord's Passover on CD. This is available only to select individuals. This Truth is not for everyone, but to those who are fully committed to the Messianic Judaism of Jesus.
This year 2006 there will be many Churches and families observing the Lord's Passover because of my many years of labor. I am very pleased to know that had I not been used of God, many would still be in their traditions of men. But God has spoken, he has revealed, and those who love the Truth will receive this understanding and celebrate the Feast of Righteousness with joy and love.
The one and only correct day this year for observing the Lord's Passover is April 2, 2007 after sundown. Any other day is false!
Pastor Reckart (Email)
A Man God Made2008 Notes:
This year 2008, so far, we will have guests from:
Texas,
Pennsylvania,
Massachusetts,
Connecticut,
Georgia,
New York City
This is your invitation to come and join with us for the BREAD OF ETERNAL LIFE on April 20, 2008 here in Tampa, Florida. If you are in fellowship with Pastor Reckart you may attend. All persons who join in the Feast must have a valid water baptism. Please dicuss this with Pastor Reckart before you make plans to come. We will have baptisms prior to the Lord's Passover for those who desire to come under the New Covenant of the blood of Jesus.