Questions for the Elders and Leaders of

Many Assemblies of Yahweh to Consider:

(Please study these questions and related Scriptures closely)

What did the sacrifice of the lamb in Exodus 12 represent?
It was to secure the release of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery after the death of their First Born. Egypt is a type of sin (Eze. 20:7 & Rev. 11:8).

What did the Passover Lamb ultimately point to, and was a forerunner of?
Yahshua the Messiah (1 Cor. 5:7-8, John 1:29-36, Jer. 11:19, Acts 8:32, Isa. 53:7).

What was the purpose of His sacrifice?
As a permanent atonement for the sins of all those who would repent of their sins and accept His sacrifice to pay for those sins.

When did He die?
Abib 14, about 3 PM – mid-afternoon (Mark 15:33-34, Luke 23:44-46).

Did Yahshua change the Passover symbols from an actual lamb, to symbols of His Body?
Yes. See Matt. 26:26-27; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:19-20.

Was this the Passover supper?
No, this was before the Passover. See John 13:1, 18:28. He was instructing His disciples how to keep the Passover observance from then on, with the new and True Passover sacrifice.

But didn’t the Jews keep the Passover a day late?
No. During Yahshua’s entire lifetime, including His execution on the stake, He always observed the same days as the rest of Israel, and never even hinted that they were keeping them wrong or on the wrong dates. Proof is in the fact that Yahshua, as Yahweh’s own Son, had to die on the correct day, AND at the same hour, that the lambs had been sacrificed ever since that first Passover event in Egypt, 1500 years before. Yahweh is a precise Deity Who does NOT make mistakes or vary from His original dates and times given in Exodus 12 and other places. He also is not the author of confusion (1 Cor 14:33 “ For Yah is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all assemblies of the saints.”

The word “confusion” is Greek “akatastasia” and means, according to Strong’s Concordance, 181., “ak-at-as-tah-see'-ah; from G182; instability, i.e. disorder:--commotion, confusion, tumult.”

This certainly does not describe any of Yahweh’s attributes. Yahweh would be “out of order” if He had Yahshua to die at any time other than mid-afternoon of the 14^th of Abib, exact same time the lambs were slain in Egypt and afterward.

Then why do most of the Assemblies of Yahweh and the Churches of God who observe the Feasts of Lev. 23, partake of the symbols and foot-washing at the beginning of the 14^th, instead of the end?
It has become a tradition of “men” and promoted by such leaders as Herbert W. Armstrong, Jacob O. Meyer, etc., based on a misunderstanding of “until” and “evening” in Exodus 12:6:  And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. So they have made a tradition of killing the lamb at the beginning of Abib 14, and spending the next day “spoiling” the Egyptians. But the proof is there that they did not tarry there. They were kicked out in haste that very day, early in the morning.

But how can we know this? Doesn’t Scripture say that the lamb was to be killed at the beginning of Abib 14, end of the 13^th, skinned and cooked later that same night, which is the beginning of Abib 14, and then the Israelites spent the daylight part of Abib 14 demanding of the Egyptians their “spoils”?
No, Scripture does not say that. This is where the error is. Let’s review those Scriptures now. In Exodus 3, when Yahweh first revealed Himself to Moses, He said that when they went, they would not go empty-handed (vss. 21-22). (“Borrow” in vs. 22 means ask, demand, etc. Strong’s 7592.

Then in chapter 11 (please note this carefully), verses 1-3. Yahweh reveals to Moses that He intends to bring one more plague on Egypt, then he will let the people go:

Exo 11:1 And YAHWEH said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether. Exo 11:2 Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold. Exo 11:3 And YAHWEH gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians.

So what have we seen here? Yahweh spoke to Moses and told him that he would bring one more plague on the Egyptians, and then Pharaoh would not only set them free, but kick them out immediately! So He told Moses to speak now to the people and have them demand their “wages.” Now see verse 3: “And Yahweh gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians.”

They had spoiled the Egyptians before the last plague, the death of the first-born. Now go to the next chapter (12):verse 3; this is still before the last plague. They had not even selected their sacrificial lamb yet, so it was before the 10^th of Abib.

Then we read about the Passover meal, and the last plague. We find that they are told to be dressed for immediate departure, sandals on their feet, staff in hand, and loins girded (v. 11). They were even told to eat hurriedly, and that they would be cast out. This was fulfilled in verses 30-39, when Pharaoh sent word for them to get out Now. Also, the Egyptian people were urgent upon the Israelites to get out, lest they all die!

Based on these and other Scriptures, it is plain to see that they did not loll around all that next day (daylight portion), doing what Yahweh told them to do, several days prior. And almost all Bible versions agree that they had done as Yahweh said, when He first commanded them to spoil the Egyptians in Exodus 11:3.

So here is the Biblical scenario: They selected their lamb without blemish on the daylight portion of Abib 10, and put it up. Then on the Passover Preparation Day they removed leaven from their homes and made ready to kill the Passover. This was then done about 3 PM, which is the true “between the evenings,” and the lamb was cooked until the meal was ready. They ate hurriedly, fully dressed and ready for travel.

Then the word to “get out now,” in great haste, came shortly after the firstborn were found dead. They had no more favor with any of the Egyptians after this occurred, as we have just seen. And, being dressed and ready, they began to leave immediately.

If you will diligently check out all these Scriptures, you will see that it would have been impossible for them to have lingered around for another 12 or 24 hours. They had to leave right then!

And the time of Yahshua’s own death on the stake, at about 3 PM on the afternoon of Abib 14, sets this in stone. Yahweh would not have Him, the True Passover, die on any other day or hour than that which had been done since time immemorial.

We need to change our thinking on this important subject. When you have an appointment with someone on a certain day and at a certain hour, and you are not there at the proper time to keep that appointment, then you have broken the agreement. You stood up the other party. And in this case, that other party is Yahweh, the Supreme architect, planner, designer, and creator of this entire universe.

A serious matter? He thinks so, and I agree! See what He said about some who were keeping the wrong days or keeping them in the wrong way, in the book of Amos:

Amos 5:21  I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.

(Some have wrongly tried to use this Scripture to “prove” that we do not have to keep Yahweh’s festivals today. But this is straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel, as the saying goes.)

Brethren, it is my solemn hope and prayer that more and more of you will diligently and seriously study this matter, and if your understanding is opened, then make the necessary changes by repenting of your years of wrong-doing. That is how we “grow in grace and knowledge.” To continue in an error is sin. And if we know better, then it becomes an unforgivable sin. Time to diligently seek the Will of our Creator, Yahweh! ~