THE PASSOVER IS THE PREPARATION DAY

The Passover is the Preparation Day for the 1st Annual Sabbath (High Day) of the year (Mark 15:42)

Year     New Year     Passover      Unleavened Bread (1-2)          Pentecost(3)
2011     Tue Apr 5     Mon Apr 18      Tue-Mon Apr 19-25               Sun June 12

Passover was completely fulfilled by Jesus Christ (Y’shua the Messiah) on the 14th of Abib when He died on Wednesday 25th April (31 AD).

God’s days go from sundown to sundown, not midnight to midnight like we do today.

Tues 13th Abib—daylight portion and then when the sun went down immediately the 14th of Abib begins. Right at Sundown Passover starts (Lev 23:5)—the evening (night) portion of 14th of Abib.
(CHRIST’S LAST PASSOVER BEFORE HIS DEATH & RESURRECTION—NIGHT TIME PORTION)

The lamb was killed after sundown, roasted and eaten (John 13:2)—no longer required since Christ is the "true" Passover Lamb of God. (O.T. Ex 12:6-8)

N.T. Passover service includes the foot washing ceremony (John 13:12).

Bread & Wine are the new covenant symbols (1 Cor 11:26)

Final Words—during Passover Supper (John 14)

Christ goes to the Garden (John 18:1)

Arrest in Gethsemane (John 18:12)

Brought before the high priest (John 18:19)

(CHRIST’S LAST PASSOVER BEFORE HIS DEATH & RESURRECTION—LIGHT TIME PORTION OF THAT DAY)

In Pilates Court (John 18:28)

Christ mocked & beaten (John 19:1)

Christ placed on the stake at 9am (John 19:18)

Jews killing lambs/cattle for 1st Day of Unleavened Bread

Christ dies at 3pm (John 19:30)

Christ taken from the stake (John 19:39)

Christ placed in tomb BEFORE SUNSET/DOWN (John 19:42)

AT SUNDOWN PASSOVER ENDS AND THE 15TH OF ABIB—THE DAYS OF UNLEAVENED BREAD--BEGIN--THIS WAS A HIGH DAY, ANNUAL SABBATH, SPECIAL SABBATH, FEAST DAY

Christ was placed in the tomb just before sundown and this is why He was resurrected just before sundown. Fulfilling Matt 12:40—3 nights and 3 days in the heart of the earth.--THE ONLY SIGN CHRIST GAVE THAT HE INDEED WAS THE "TRUE" MESSIAH!

The women bought the oils and prepared them after the annual Sabbath (High Day)—{on Friday “a Preparation Day for the 7th day Sabbath as the Passover is the Preparation Day for the Days of Unleavened Bread--A PREPARATION DAY IS THE DAY BEFORE ANY SABBATH--WEEKLY AND/OR ANNUAL} --- and then they rested on the weekly Sabbath.  (Luke 23:56)

When the women go to the tomb it was still dark (night time portion of Sunday –the 1st day of the week--for the Sabbath –the 7th day of the week {when Christ rose right before sundown}--had just ended). (Matt 28:; John 20:1; Luke 24:1)

TIMING OF PASSOVER-- A single word in English Bible's has led to most misunderstanding and confusion. Translating more than one Greek or Hebrew word into a single English word is quite common. The word even or evening is the focal point for confusion.

The Hebrew word, ereb (#6153), found in Strong's is often misunderstood. Most people using Strong's would think the same Hebrew word was being used each time they found #6153. That's the problem! It isn't! It has different forms and structure in Hebrew.

SUNDOWN (ereb)-- In Genesis, God begins to show man how to divide time. God's ways are simple, but the intellectualism of man has confounded that simplicity. "And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening (ereb) and the morning were the first day" (Gen. 1:5).

God said the light was day and the darkness was night. Then He introduced a direct but simple division of time for a complete day. God said, "And the evening (ereb) and the morning were the first day." We must let God define time for us.

What divides these two periods of time in Gen. 1:5? The sun does! The two periods of time between day and night occur when the sun is down and when the sun begins to rise. When the sun is up it is day. As long as light emanates from the sun, it is day. When the sun is down it is night or in this case, ereb. The sun, the source of light, is the dividing factor between the light of day and ereb, when the sun is down.

When the sun goes through one complete cycle, of being down and up (in our "local" area), we have a complete day.
 
The Hebrew word ereb simply means the sun is down. Ereb can be any point of time during this period, when the sun is down, or it can be the whole time. This is much like using the English word night. 

Night can be at the beginning of a period of darkness, or at some point during that time, as long as it's dark or the sun is down. Like night, you couldn't say it was ereb at any point while the sun was still up.

UNTIL\AFTER--awd ereb, which simply means "until" ereb or until sundown. This is a period of time that leads up to even, when the sun is down.
"The soul which hath touched any such shall be unclean until even (awd ereb), and shall not eat of the holy things, unless he wash his flesh with water. 
And when the sun is down, he shall be clean, and shall afterward eat of the holy things; because it is his food" (Lev. 22:6-7).

From-- ma ereb which simply means "from" ereb. It is the opposite of awd ereb. Rather than a period of time that approaches ereb, ma ereb is marked "from" sundown, "from" the beginning of a new day.

A person was considered unclean until even (awd ereb). They were unclean during the day, as long as the sun was shining, but not until the sun was down (awd ereb) were they clean. It wasn't until a new day began that this person could be considered clean. 

God uses very clear language to make His instruction clear and precise.

AT SUNDOWN-- The word ba ereb has caused people difficulty, but only when they try to stretch its meaning beyond the one definition God gives. If we try to force our own interpretations and doctrine into scripture, then any word can become confusing. Once we understand the true use of such terms through scripture interpreting itself (revealed by God through His Spirit), then the confusion and foolishness of adversarial arguments is revealed.

"And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the Passover of the Lord. And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten" (Num. 28:16-17).

Leviticus 23 shows that the 15th day of the month is the first day of Unleavened Bread and an annual Sabbath, as is the seventh day of Unleavened Bread.

"And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread" (Lev. 23:6).

Unleavened bread was to be eaten for those seven days.

"In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even (ba ereb), ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even (ba ereb)" (Ex. 12:18).

What is ba ereb in this verse?

"At" ereb can have only one meaning and still fit into this verse. It can only be a specific moment at the end of one day while "going into" another day.
"At" should make it clear this is a specific period of time. It is "at" sundown. As we saw in Genesis, ereb occurs only when the sun is down. Ereb cannot be used to refer to any period while the sun is "going down". When it is "down", the sun divides a specific period of time from when it is "up".

It is from the end of the 14th "to" the beginning of the 15th. It is from the day of the 14th to the day of the 15th, specifically "at" the point the sun is down and no light is emanating from it. While light is coming from the sun, it is day and it is still the 14th. When light no longer can be seen from the sun it is night or ereb.

Society today passes from one day into another at precisely 12:00 midnight. God divided time by showing us that we pass from one day into another precisely at the point the sun is down. God divides time very clearly.

Exodus 12 shows us the beginning of Unleavened Bread is at the specific point in time at the end of the 14th and the beginning of another day, the 15th. It also ends precisely at the end of the 21st when the sun is down and the 22nd begins.

The ba ereb of any day is the moment of sundown for that Biblical day. Sundown (ba ereb) cannot occur during the period know as ereb. Sundown (ba ereb) in a Biblical day can only be at the moment which ends the daylight portion of a day, at the exact moment the sun is down. Sundown (ba ereb) cannot occur at any other time of ereb, because the sun is already down.

In Leviticus 23. Again, God is making it very clear when His Holy time begins. This concerns the Day of Atonement. "Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord" (Lev. 23:27). Next we come to a precise and ever so specific instruction about time. "It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even (ba ereb), from even (ma ereb) unto even (awd ereb), shall ye celebrate your sabbath" (Lev. 23:32).
 
After seeing the clear use of ba ereb concerning the instructions for Unleavened Bread, we can easily understand the use of it for Atonement. "In the ninth day of the month at even (ba ereb)" can only mean we are to begin observance of Atonement at the precise moment that ends one day and begins the next.

Ba ereb on the 9th day is at the very moment the 9th day ends when the sun has "gone down" on that day. So again, God makes it clear this is a precise time at the end of the 9th as we are going into the 10th day, precisely at the point when the sun is down.
 
"Ma" means "from", just as it is used here. It says "from even" (ma ereb) "unto even" (awd ereb)." Atonement starts precisely at the point the sun is down on the 9th and goes "from" that point, the beginning of ereb, "until" the next ereb, at the same point of time again. Atonement is a complete day, to be observed through the entirety of the 10th. God makes it clear Atonement is between two specific evenings.

If any one of these three words is misapplied (ma ereb, awd ereb, ba ereb) , especially ba ereb, then there is conflict with God's instruction and precise timing and understanding will be confused.

When using the word ba ereb (at sundown) in a present or future tense context, it can only occur at the end of the daylight period for that specific day when the sun goes down. With the instruction given in Ex. 12:18, only unleavened bread was allowed to be eaten beginning at sundown (ba ereb) on the 14th, which is the beginning of a new day, the 15th.
 
If the context is in the past tense for a specific day, "at sundown" (ba ereb) would apply to the end of the previous day. Using the example of Atonement, you could say, "You are to fast on the 9th day at sundown (ba ereb)." For Atonement it could not be said, "You fasted on the 9th day at sundown (ba ereb)." The action is past. Using past tense action that has already occurred, it would be correct to say, "You fasted on the 10th day at sundown (ba ereb)." The fasting occurred on the 10th day beginning ba ereb (sundown) on the 9th.

Some use Deut. 16:6 to define ba ereb, rather than the verses we have used. We should always use the clearer context to better understand more difficult scriptures. The scriptural examples we have been using are an excellent exercise for learning how to let God's Word define itself, hence the Bible interpreting the Bible. 

"But at the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even (ba ereb), at the going down (#935) of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt" (Deut. 16:6). 

If you have fully grasped the meaning of ba ereb as being the precise moment the sun is down, you will immediately notice why this verse can cause people problems. 

Focus on the "going down (#935) of the sun." This word "going down" is easily misapplied if you rely on English. "At even, at the going down of the sun" is used by some as a principle definition for ba ereb. When anyone focuses on the duration of time for the "going down" of the sun, then personal interpretations will become misleading.

How far back do we go in order to say this is the point where the sun begins to move downward? If we say that "going down" begins at the point the sun first touches the horizon, what prevents us from moving this somewhat nebulous period all the way up to noon when the sundial shows it has begun its movement downward? 

If we embrace the scriptures that plainly interpret themselves, we will better understand this scripture as well. There is another scripture that will help clarify what "going down" means. "And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, that I will cause the sun to go down (#935) at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day" (Amos 8:9). 

On this particular day the sun doesn't give the appearance of movement downward, but when God causes the sun to "go down" it is a complete change from daylight to night. What is important in the use of this word in the Hebrew is not the "duration" of a thing, but the "result"! 

The word "down" has been added to this definition. The word simply means "go" or "going". In Deut. 16, the people were being instructed to "sacrifice the passover (KJV)" at the "going of the sun", at sun down (ba ereb). 

The "going down of the sun" can only be at the specific moment of ba ereb, precisely when the sun is down.

BETWEEN TWO EVENINGS-- "bane ha erebyim". It literally means "between the two evenings" or "between the dual evenings". "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 (bane ha erebyim)" (Ex. 12:6).

Some of the main points of debate over the timing of Passover have come from this verse and the inability of people to agree on the two evenings to which it refers.

Controversy and conflict occur when brethren begin gravitating to the traditional Jewish and traditional Christian explanations for bane ha erebyim (between the two evenings). When any part of this interpretation is adopted, killing the Passover is moved to the afternoon of the 14th, while eating it is moved to the 15th. Some brethren have come to believe it is permissible to observe the Passover late on the 14th, during the daylight hours before sundown. 

Traditional Christianity seemingly chooses this period since it coincides with the time of day Jesus Christ died. Jewish tradition holds that it was necessary to kill the Passover in the afternoon to allow enough time to complete the immense task of slaughtering the hundreds of animals required for everyone to keep the Passover. 

Most Jewish teachings place the first of the two evenings at some time during the afternoon of the 14th. Some claim this is around 3 p.m., while others insist it can be no later than 1 p.m. Such interpretations allow for killing the Passover on the afternoon of the 14th and eating it on the night of the 15th.
 
Ereb can never be a time when the sun is up. Ereb for a day time period can only be at the very close of the day, at the very instant the sun is down (ba ereb).

"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 (bane ha erebyim)" (Ex. 12:6).
 
bane ha erebyim-- as the two evenings that start and end a day.

Why would God use a term like "between the two evenings" as part of the instruction for killing the Passover? Other scriptures using this same term will begin to give us a clearer understanding. We shouldn't worry that a more specific term wasn't used in this verse. The context of the story clarifies the killing of the passover lamb had to take place right after sundown on the 14th, because there were still many things that had to occur during that same night.

Bane ha erebyim (between the two evenings) gives ample room within that day for additional events to be accomplished or fulfilled. "And the Lord spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season. In the fourteenth day of this month, at even (bane ha erebyim), ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it. And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the passover. And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even (bane ha erebyim) in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel" (Num. 9:1-5).
 
These verses indicate Passover day involved much more than just killing the Passover lamb between the two evenings (bane ha erebyim). Between the two evenings, during the 14th, they were to keep it according to all the rites and ceremonies, according to all the Lord had commanded Moses. The verses following Ex. 12:6 show that killing the Passover lambs was only one part of God's instruction for the day.

"Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the Lord. The fourteenth day of the second month at even (bane ha erebyim) they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it" (Num. 9:10-12). This observance for Passover says that "between the evenings" on the 14th they were to keep it according to all the ordinances of the Passover and eat the lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. In addition, they were not to leave any of it until the morning. 

"Between the two evenings" in these verses takes us up to the morning hours of the 14th. 

Is "between the two evenings" intended to cover only a part of the Passover of the 14th? We see that it includes more than just the killing of the lambs. It includes the eating of the passover lamb, as well as rites and ceremonies. Another scripture makes it plain that "between the evenings" includes the whole of the 14th. "In the fourteenth day of the first month at even (between the two evenings) is the Lord's passover" (Lev. 23:5). God wasn't just giving instructions to observe the first couple of hours for Passover. He was showing we are to keep the Passover on the 14th, which is one complete day, lasting "from" one sundown "until" the next. 

Passover, like Atonement (Lev.23:32), or any Sabbath or Holy Day is to be observed between two evenings, which defines one complete day. 

We must prove whatever doctrines we embrace, with God's Word interpreting itself and not with our own interpretations.  

When we yield ourselves to the Bible interpreting itself, God's Word becomes plain and simple to understand. This, in turn, makes His Word more inspiring and exciting.

Year      New Year**     Passover*     Unleavened Bread(1-2)          Pentecost(3)
2012      Sat Mar 24         Fri Apr 6       Sat-Fri Apr 7-13                      Sun May 27
**not feast day        *not an annual Sabbath
Year     Trumpets(4)     Atonement(5)       Feast of Tabernacles(6)     Last Great Day(7)
2012     Mon Sep 17       Wed Sep 26         Mon-Sun Oct 1-7        Mon Oct 8

The Passover, is a memorial of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins. This is also when we renew our agreement to come under the blood of Jesus Christ, the perfect Passover Lamb, for the forgiveness of our sins. We approach this period of the year with deep spiritual introspection. We commemorate the Passover on the 14th day of the first month of the sacred year with a service based on the instructions of 1 Corinthians 11:23-28 and the Gospel accounts of the New Testament Passover that Christ instituted.

This solemn service begins with a brief explanation of its purpose, followed by foot-washing (based on Christ's example and instructions in John 13). Then the minister gives an explanation of the symbols of the Passover, unleavened bread and wine, which represent the body and blood of our Savior. Each baptized member of the Church eats a small piece of the unleavened bread and drinks a small glass of the wine (Mark 14:22-24). 

Passover is the only festival that is not a Holy Day (annual Sabbath).