This is a study of the dates mentioned in the Bible and whether they have any prophetic significance for today.

 

 

Passover


* Israel Leaves Egypt (This page below.)

*
Enoch's prophecy about Israel leaving Egypt.
* Joshua Crosses The Jordan And Keeps The Passover.
*
The Fall Of Jericho.
*
Hezekiah Did Good, Brought Revival.
*
Josiah Keeps the Passover
*
Ezra Keeps The Passover.
*
The Passover In The New Testament.
*
The Great Cover Up (What really happened at the crucifixion)
*
A Future Passover Event?
*
The Night to be Much Observed.
*
When will Jesus Return?
*
Peter Spends Passover In Prison.
*
Paul's Passover Letter.
*
The Wave Sheaf.
* Abraham Offers Isaac.
* The Holidays, the Key to Unlock the Book of Revelation.

*When NOT to keep the Passover.

Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. Exodus 23:14

Time #1 could be called Revival Time.

   Revival time begins with the Passover. The Passover is on the 14th day of Abib. Abib is the first month of the Hebrew Solar calendar. Passover is about April 4th on the Gregorian calendar.

   The 15th thru the 21st is the feast of Passover. This feast is also called The Days Of Unleavened Bread. The 15th and 21st of Abib are annual holidays. In the New Testament they are called High Days. In the Old Testament they are called Holy Convocations. We might call them church services.

   On the evening of the 15th, in some churches,  a banquet dinner is held. It is called A Night To Be Much Observed. (Exodus 12:6-20, 23: !4-17, Leviticus 23:5-8, Numbers 9:2-5, 28: 16-25, 2 Chronicles 35:11, Ezekiel 45:21 and 1 Corinthians 5:8.)

   In Zif, the second month, there is a Passover service for all those that were unable to keep the Passover in Abib. (Numbers 9:6-14 and 2 Chronicles 30:1-3.)

This article is about history and uses history books in addition to the Bible.

2 Samuel 1:1818 Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.

Joshua 10:13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.
 

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Israel Leaves Egypt

   People generally believe that the Passover got its start when Moses lead the Israelites out of Egypt. That Christ kept the Passover just before the crucifixion. And that the Jews still observe the Passover today. That the Christian religion replaced the Passover with Easter.

Exodus 12 - God's instruction to Moses and Aaron

1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying,
2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.

Comments

This is the month Abib.

5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
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.
7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
9 Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.
10 And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD's passover.
12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.
13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
14 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.
15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
16 And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.
17 And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.
18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.
19 Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.
20 Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.
21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover.
22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.
These events had prophetic significance. Jesus Christ was 'a lamb without blemish". In I Corinthians Christ is called 'our passover' and Christ was killed at the same time of day, in the evening.

1 Corinthians 5:7
Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
 

The Bible terms for the time of the day are sometimes confusing. In this verse 'in the evening' has the same meaning as P.M.

A.M. means morning and P.M. means evening. Christ died in the P.M. portion of the day.

A Prophecy

23 For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.
24 And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.
25 And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.
26 And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?
27 That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD's passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.

 

These events in verse 23-27 had not yet taken place. Notice the words, "and it shall" and "the LORD will"

In verse 27,"And the people bowed the head and worshipped" might mean, a closing prayer at the conclusion of the instruction.

And this instruction probably took place on a sabbath day.

The events take place.

28 And the children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.
29 And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.
30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
31 And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said.
32 Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also.
33 And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men.

The 14th of Abib

The lamb is killed in the evening.

At midnight the firstborn of Egypt were slain.

Pharaoh summoned Moses and told him to 'get out'.

Why were the firstborn of Egypt slain? Remember that the Egyptians were killing the Israelite babies.

(Exodus 1:15-16 And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, ...And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.)

Today 'Pharaoh' is killing our children in the abortion clinics. Will God once again get even?
 

34 And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.
35 And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment:
36 And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.
37 And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.
38 And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.
39 And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual.
40 Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.
41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt..

The 15th of Abib

The Israelites grabbed their stuff and left quickly.

 

Numbers 33:3 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 all the Egyptians.

42 It is a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations.
43 And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof:
44 But every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.
45 A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof.
46 In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof.
47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.
48 And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.
49 One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.
50 Thus did all the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.
51 And it came to pass the selfsame day, that the LORD did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.
Just as July 4 memorialized the founding of the United States, Abib 15th memorializes the Exodus from Egypt.

In the New Testament, this same day will also memorialized Jesus delivering us from sin by his death on the cross.

The Passover is the 14th and the Exodus is the 15th.

Israel was not yet fully out of Egypt.

 On Abib 21they passed through the Red Sea.

The seven travel days are memorialized and called 'the days of unleavened bread'.

Just as D-Day June 6 memorializes the crossing of the English Channel and the invasion of Europe at Normandy, Abib 21 memorializes the passing through the Red Sea to finally come completely out of Egypt.

 


Is the Passover Jewish?

The answer is "Yes" and "No".

To Explain: There are two Passovers. One is Jewish, the other is not.

You may recall that Jesus observed the Passover with his disciples before the crucifixion. Christians call it 'The Last Supper."

The Jews observed a Passover after Jesus crucifixion. The verses below are about events following the last supper.

John 18:28 Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the Passover.

John 18:39 But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews?

John 19:14 And it was the preparation of the Passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!

There are two Passovers! One is Jewish and the other is not. The one is Abib 14 of the Christian Solar Calendar Passover. The other is Nisan 14 of the Jewish Lunar calendar. You have probably never heard anything like this before. But it is true and the reason it is true is because there are two different calendars in the Bible. Two different calendars for two different peoples. A Solar calendar for Israelites (now called Christians) and a Lunar calendar for the Jews. (Whom the world calls Israelites.) Confusing isn't it?

Jesus kept the Abib 14 Passover with his disciples at the Last Supper. The Jews killed Jesus (The lamb of God.) on the Nisan 14 Passover. This is eventually explained elsewhere in this article and in the related Bible Study titled, The Two Calendars of the Bible.

Suggested next subject:

Enoch's prophecy about Israel leaving Egypt.

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Bible Holidays are statutes under the law Thou shalt keep holy the Sabbath day.