The United Congregation of Israel

The Passover 1

The Passover As calamity after calamity comes upon the earth, man now finds himself in desperate need of being passed over. The problem is most of us have never participated in Passover, even though most of us grew up with a picture of Passover on our wall. This, in itself, shows us the power of a name change of this important holy day. By naming the picture “The Last Supper” instead of The Passover Feast, it ensured that millions of people would purchase this picture, place it on their walls, claim to love Christ, and some do, but never participate in the things that were pleasing unto him.

When Adam sinned and ate from the tree with his wife, they covered themselves with fig leaves. This was not a sufficient covering for their sins so YHWH had to cover them properly with animal skins. An atonement was made through the blood sacrifice of the animal. Likewise, the covering that would cover man’s sin could not be accomplished by the sacrifice of a natural lamb (whose blood would be placed on the door posts), but it had to be a “spiritual

lamb”, a man who would shed his own blood in the place of the lamb, thereby becoming “The Lamb of YAH” who took away the sins of Israel, and through them, the world.

“Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover unto YHWH (the LORD) thy Elohim (God): for in the month of Abib YHWH thy Elohim brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.” -

Deuteronomy 16:1 The Passover In the first Passover (Exodus Chapter 12), Israel was called out of Egyptian bondage (slavery) and gathered as a nation of people. The night before their release to go into the wilderness, they were instructed to paint the blood of an unblemished, male lamb (or kid goat for smaller houses) on the doorposts. This caused the plague of the Angel of Death to “pass over” Israelite houses, sparing their firstborn sons from death. The Passover lamb/kid goat was to be roasted whole and eaten with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. In Hebrew, Passover is “Pesach” which is based on the Hebrew root word that means “pass over”. Passover is explained in detail in Deuteronomy 16:1-6 and Leviticus 23:4-6 as beginning on the 14th day at even (sundown) in the first month of the Hebrew year known as Abib (April). Passover is a feast and a holy day (which pointed to the sacrifice of the Lamb of Yah who would come). It’s immediately followed by The Feast of Unleavened Bread-1st day (burial and separation from sin), The Feast of First Fruits (resurrection to everlasting life), and Unleavened Bread- 7th day (separation from sin in the Millennial Kingdom) – Leviticus 23. If Passover was missed due to uncleanness, or if traveling and unable to return to keep the Passover on the commanded day, a second Passover was instituted in the 2nd Hebrew month for these special circumstances (Numbers 9). This Passover make-up provision actually had to be used by King Hezekiah and the Israelites due to uncleanness in 2 Chronicles 30. “And as they were eating, Yahshua took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples,

and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for

many for the remission of sins”. Matthew 26:26-28

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Yahshua, The Passover Lamb The Passover was significant because Yahshua (so-called Jesus) showed his disciples he was about to become the Passover Lamb of Yah (GOD). His blood (the wine) and his body (the unleavened bread) would open the door to freedom from the deception of sin and it’s penalty (death). We take the bread, accepting the body of our Messiah to forgive our past sins and to heal our physical bodies (John 1:29; 1 Peter 2:24) so we can someday become perfect, mature, and complete, like the Father, YHWH commands that we be (Matthew 5:48). Foot Washings – John 13:1-15 When we wash someone's feet, we're following Yahshua's example of humility and service (John 13:1-17). In Philippians 2:5-8 we read that, although He was equal with Elohim, He took on the form of a human servant, like you and me -- and became obedient -- even to the death of the cross. He washed his disciples’ feet to set an example that we should follow, ready to serve, not only each other, but the masses of humanity we will someday be teaching and ruling. More importantly, Yahshua’s footwashing also magnified the commandment in the Old Testament that required the people to wash before holy convocation (Exodus 30:20) and the priest to wash in order to cleanse himself (Exodus 40:30-32). Thus, washing the feet is a spiritual application for our time to restore and cleanse the believer for ritual or spiritual purity. The Easter Deception In Acts 12:1-5, Pesach has incorrectly been translated in the New Testament Letters as Easter (Strong’s #3957). Strong’s Lexicon indicates the word is actually Pascha (Greek for Passover). Easter was originally a heathen festival honoring the goddess Eostre that was held for many generations by pagans long before Yahshua’s birth. Eostre was a Teutonic/Germanic goddess of light, springtime and fertility who was worshipped by many other nations and under various names. She was Astarte and the Queen of Heaven to the Babylonians (and her male counterpart was Tammuz). She was Ishtar to the Assyrians, Asherah to the Canaanites, Isis to the Egyptians, Venus to the Greeks, and Diana to the Ephesians. At the time of the spring equinox, sacrifices to the rising sun were offered in her honor. By the third century A. D., the Roman Emperor Constantine united his empire by adopting the so-called Hebrew faith. However, his new faith only incorporated heathen traditions into the Hebrew gospel that became known as Christianity by the Gentiles at Antioch first (Acts 11:26). By 352 A.D., at the Council of Nicea, Constantine officially replaced Passover and all things Hebrew with Easter; which would now be celebrated as the resurrection of the risen sun/Son. Easter is a holiday (not a holy day), instituted by the Roman Catholic Church, that is not supported by scripture or the epistles. Yahshua’s Magnification of Passover Many are completely out sync with scripture through their belief that Easter is biblical or that YHWH’s laws (which includes his Sabbaths, 7 Holy Days, and New Moons) were nailed to the cross. Yahshua’s purpose was to magnify the law and make it honorable!! Rather than hearing Yahshua’s own words, that he came to “fulfill the law”, even believers with some understanding of the Old Testament (foundation) still miss the significance that with Yahshua, the focus on the Spirit indwelling the physicial body of the temple, shifted to a focus on the Spirit indwelling the physical body of the believer (the human temple). Otherwise, Yahshua’s Passover would have been held at the temple with the rest of the Israelite nation; instead, the New Testament model of Passover was held in the upper room, in a guest chamber, of an Israelite man’s home (Luke 22). A further magnification of the law by Yahshua was the Nazarite Vow (Numbers 6:1-21) that He made during Passover, refusing to drink of the fruit of the vine again until he drinks it in the kingdom

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(Matthew 26:29). Yahshua kept that vow during the crucifixion when he refused to drink vinegar from the centurion’s sponge. Passover is a meal (OT) but it also includes the bread, wine and footwashing. (NT). Discern Yahshua’s Body – The Warnings 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 pronounces very serious warnings to believers who would partake in Passover. We are told that many are weak, sick and have died prematurely, eating damnation, for partaking of the Passover table unworthy, or failing to discern Yahshua’s body. The warning includes churches who offer believers the blood and wine more frequently than once per year and who offer it on a day other than the day of it’s first occurrence. Passover is commanded to be held in the spring season, in the month of Abib, and on the 14th day at even. And what of those who offer the blood and wine under a name other than Yahshua?? Thus, let every man examine himself - 1 Corinthians 11:23. The Inner Man In conclusion, Passover focuses on the blood and body of the Messiah for the inner man (NT) but still has it’s foundation in the OT. Since all Hebrew Israelites will receive salvation via Covenant with YHWH, they must be circumcised (and baptised) prior to Passover. Gentiles are not in Covenant but receive salvation through faith by grace. As a result, they were not ordered to receive a physical circumcision as of yet, but all believers are commanded to become ‘Spiritual Israelites’ and must circumcise their hearts (Deuteronomy 10:12- 19). In the very near future, Gentiles will also be required to become physically circumcised as well, since the scripture indicates that: “No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any stranger that is among the children of Israel” – Ezekiel 44:9.

“Know you not that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Purge out, therefore, the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread

of sincerity and truth”. 1 Corinthians 5:6-8