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PASSOVER DAY?
A certain person once wrote: "In my studies, I have not
been able to find any scripture that says there is a day called
'The Passover Day.' ...."
This is an interesting thought concerning certain phrases that
may commonly be used in theology to state something that people
believe is scriptural yet can not be found "in so many words"
within the scriptures. Whether the idea being put forth by the
phrase IS actually the truth of the scriptures is a matter for
those listening to "search the scriptures daily, whether those
things were so" as the wise Bereans did when Paul preached
theword to them.
Is it proper for us to use phrases that technically are not in
the scriptures to give forth in a nut shell, a truth presented by
the scriptures?
We often talk about the "millennium" and how the word of God
portrays what it will be like, yet the word "millennium" is not
found in the Bible. It is a word that means 1,000.
And we know Revelation 20 does speak about a 1,000 year period
when Christ and the saints shall rule this world.
Proving there will be a period of a literal 1,000 year reign of
the Kingdom of God on this earth is a matter to search out and
find if the scriptures teach such a doctrine, but most of us
think little about using the word "millennium" in our religious
talk at times.
The phrase "second coming of Christ" can not be found in the
Bible either, but we use it as part of our common religious talk,
at least the Christians who believe Jesus will literally bodily
return some day to live again on this earth. It is a phrase that
denotes a certain truth that the scriptures present to us.
The phrase "Passover Day" is not then unlike the phrase "Second
Coming."
Now I must go on to the individuals other comment: "When I was
first told the words 'on the 14th at even' meant at the beginning
of the 14th day, I believed those in authority knew what they
were talking about even though it did not sound right. However,
after doing some really deep study on my own, I came to realize
that it was not correct......If I had never been told that the
14th at even was the beginning of the 14th; in my own studies, I
would never have come up with that belief....."
Umm, very interesting. Now I also do "very deep study" but before
all that, as a child I did not. I just read my KJV Bible. Let me
go back, ah, quite a few years now. My parents were not
religious, they never talked about the Bible at all, they never
went to church, except for a wedding or death. But for some
reason they decided to send me to a Church of England school as a
six year old.
The first half hour of every morning during school(from grade one
to grade twelve) was reading the Bible, some memory work like
certain Psalms, a little discussion,but NO DOCTRINES or
INTERPRETATIONS about this or that verse. No "brain washing" of
any kind. Most of the reading was from the Old Testament. In
grade one we started out just reading the book of Genesis and on
through from there to the end of Kings(which took many years).
I also attended as regular as clockwork, Sunday school in a
Congregational church. Again most of the reading was from the OT
during my young years. Once more no fancy interpretations given
to us, just reading all those wonderful old stories.
Now remember this was back in England from the age of six to
eighteen, when I came to Canada. I knew nothing about the
Worldwide Church of God, did not know they existed, had never
heard of Herbert Armstrong, but I sure had read my Bible all
those years. I loved reading it with a child like mind. No one to
tell me well this verse does not really mean that but means this,
NO ONE EVER TOLD ME ANYTHING ABOUT EX.12:6 ONE WAY OR THE OTHER!
But I had read it MANY times, over many years.
Now I had also read many times Genesis chapter one. In my child
like mind it was obvious God started the days beginning at
evening time - the evening and the morning were the first day
etc. Reading along through Genesis as we did in that Church of
England school we eventually came to Exodus and chapter 12. The
Israelites were to keep the lamb until the 14th day and at
evening kill it. The verse was talking about the 14th, simple to
me, with a child's mind. The 14th day began at even, didn't
Genesis tell me that? Sure did.
Very simple to me as a child. I did not need to do any "deep
study" on this matter, I mean it is like three days and three
nights(especially as I had read where Jesus said: "are there not
12 hours in a day.") - 72 hours, why any young child can figure
it.
>From a child of about 7 or 8 years I understood Exodus 12:6 to be
the BEGINNING of the 14th, and that was without ANYONE TELLING
ME!
I can not remember ANY person ever bringing up the subject, and I
sure had never heard of the ministers from the WCG or HWA.
Then there was verse 8. To my simple Bible reading "that night"
was the same night of the 14th not some other day, the context
was still talking about the 14th. Also verse 10. Nothing was to
remain until "the morning," the morning of what day? Well I never
saw the word 15th or 16th or 13th in the context, so I took it
God was still speaking about the 14th. When I came to verse 12,
to me it was simple, so simple a child could understand.
God was telling them He would pass through the land of Egypt
"this night." What night? I had not yet seen anything change, I
had not seen the number 15 or any other number in the context, so
to me it was still speaking about the 14th - simple, you bet.
>From the age of 7 or 8 I had always believed God passed over the
houses of the Israelites and the Egyptians the NIGHT OF THE 14th.
And what about verse 14. Ah, "this day" - what day? Has the
context changed? Does the word 15th appear in the context, or
16th? No! The context has not changed, it is still the context of
the 14th. This 14th day - a day - was to be a memorial - it was
to be a feast day, one of the feasts of the Lord!
It was the day the Passover of God took place upon - it was the
"Passover Day" but such a phrase is never used in the scriptures,
yet the phrase is a nut shell of truth that Exodus 12 verses 6 to
14 explains.
God has 7 (complete number) festivals. The first one is a whole
day - the 14th day of the first month. It is not a Sabbath day,
but it is a feast day to the Lord. It is more than interesting,
God starts His festival season with a one day feast followed
immediately by a seven day feast. He ends His festival season
with a seven day feast followed immediately by a one day feast.
The problem too many are wound up in today is not reading the
Bible as a little child.
Much confusion would vanish away if we would remember the Bible
and its truths can be understood without a degree in theology.
Sometimes "really deep study" can get us so technically mixed up
and bogged down that we can not see the forest for the trees.
I have read articles that are very technical from Ph.D's in
theology who are trying to prove the teaching that Jesus will
literally return, is NOT scriptural. Such are persons who are as
Paul once said: "Ever learning and never able to come to the
knowledge of the truth"(2 Tim.3:7). Let them continue to deceive
themselves, those with a child like mind reading the scriptures
will know the plain truth that Jesus will literally return to
this earth one day.
Please do not misunderstand, or make the mistake that I do not do
some really deep study at times. I am not afraid to tangle with
the Ph.D's of religion. I have heard all the arguments against a
beginning of the 14th Passover, and I've answered them all in a
70 page document. What I'm trying to show you is that often the
best way to understand the Bible is to read it as a child.
Jesus in His day had all kinds of "scholastic" church leaders
coming to Him with their technical twig of the tree questions to
answer, yet they were far from getting the truth, so far in fact
that He eventually said: Father, I thank you that you have hid
these things from the wise and the prudent and have revealed them
unto babes.
Truly as Jesus said, "Unless you become as little children you
shall not enter the Kingdom of God."
Keith Hunt(Oct.1996)
POSTSCRIPT
Let's look at Exodus 12:6 etc. from a normal common laguage use
and understanding.
We have read the Bible from Genesis and we have seen at the
beginning that God begins days in the evening, from the evening.
Now, with that understanding we come to Exodus 12 and verse 6.
They were to keep the lamb UNTIL the fourteenth and then in the
evening kill it. The words fourteenth are used and evening. Now,
remember, days begin in the evening, that is now in our mind as
taught by the Eternal from Genesis 1.
If I was to say to you (only knowing that the day begins in the
evening), "Please keep this cup of water UNTIL the 14th day, then
pour it on the rose bush in the evening" I submit to you that you
would not have much trouble clearly understanding what to do. I
submit to you that you would pour the water on the rose bush at
the beginning of the 14th day, at the evening of the day when the
14th day began, for you would only know that the days begin in
the evening (from Genesis), and the word UNTIL, keeping something
UNTIL AND THEN DOING SOMETHING on the particualr day numbered (in
this case the 14th)in our sentence, means you do it on that day
so numbered, and when told, in the evening (see Lev.23: 5). As
you you know from Genesis to Exodus that the evening begins the
day, I submit, these words of Exodus 12:6 are very plain to
understand. The lamb was to be kept (from the 10th day, verse 3)
UNTIL the 14th day, and in the evening of the day mentioned they
were to kill it. There is only one evening, or "between the
evenings" (if you want to have a technical argument from the
Hebrew) of the 14th day, and that is at the beginning of the 14th
day. I have covered the technical side very fully concerning this
phrase "between the two evenings" in other studies on this
Passover question. The Bible interpreting itself proves it means
"dusk" or "twilight" even as the Jewish Bible so translates it
into English.
Notice again then verse 8, they were to eat the lamb "in THAT
night." God was to pass over the land "THIS night" (verse 12),
which in the CONTEXT has NOT changed, no other numbered day has
been mentioned from verse 6. The context is then still talking
about the 14th day. The context of the Passover is from verse 3
to verse 14, and from verse 6 ONLY the 14th day is given to us.
The use of common logical contextual language given only one
numbered day in the text from verses 6 to 14, together with
understanding when days begin (being taught only one way from the
book of Genesis), prove the killing of the Passover lambs was at
the beginning of the 14th day, in the evening of that day.
Written by
Keith Hunt
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