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Ministry ofElijah’s Message |
Bible prophecy gives us the signs of the End of Time. How do we know it is the End Time, the Last Days? How do we know if a belief or doctrine on this, and other issues, is truth? Our hope and prayer at Ministry of Elijah’s Message is that we might serve as an encouragement to all Bible students to examine any and all doctrine, as did the faithful Bereans (Acts 17:10-11) against the solid Word, checking text upon text, precept upon precept, and line upon line, to see if the purposed doctrine or teaching harmonizes with all of Scripture. And then to only accept that which does harmonize with all sixty-six books of Scripture, and to disregard the rest.
Sacred
Names have been restored in this article. Our Heavenly Father’s name is YAH which
we are commanded to exalt [Ps. 68:4], His Son came in His name,
Setting the Date for
Passover
The
majority of the “Christian” world celebrates Easter, which is a pagan holiday
and never mentioned in the Bible. This observance was put into force, through
man’s laws, as was prophesied would happen in Daniel 7:25 and was fulfilled in
364 AD at the Synod of Laodicea. At this council, at the instigation of
Justinian, the decree was passed making it illegal to observe Passover, or any
other of the annual Holy Days of the Most High, which the Jews and Early
Christians had faithfully kept. And it was at this same time that the pagan
holidays usurped the Holy Days of Yah, our Elohim.
It was probably
about this time when our Blessed Savior’s name was also changed from the
original Hebrew name of, Yahushua (or Yahshua), which has great significance, to
that of a Greek name without meaning, except to identify Him with a pagan
goddess of healing. We are commanded not to even mention the names of idols, Ex.
23:13 and Josh. 23:7, or to take their names upon our lips. Instead, in Acts
3:21 we are promised the restoration of all of His divine matters just before
Messiah’s awesome return. This author believes His Name, His Holy Days and the
perfection of His Law, which reveals His beautiful character, will be revealed
to those, in these last days, that are searching for Truth. May our Elohim of
love, mercy and truth be upon me as I relate to you the understanding He has
caused me to believe.
Setting the month in
which Passover is to be held each year seems to be a bit of a problem for many.
Those who follow the Scriptural commandments to observe the appointed times are
split, it seems, between several camps. 1.) There are those who observe
Passover, as it is given on the
Any one of these
camps, by their calculations, ultimately sets the dates of the remaining year’s
annual festival observances, as well, according to the initial date arrived at
for Passover. When Messiah comes to take His bride home, His bride, the Body of
Christ, will be in harmony, in unity, as they walk in His truth. There can only
be one way of setting the correct date of Passover. Let us explore the three
ways mentioned and see if one or any harmonize with
Scripture.
It appears the
majority of individuals today are searching for more from their religion than
the experience they have already had. Man has been given an innate desire to
worship. As expression, this desire manifests itself in many forms. We desire
the exotic, the unusual, the romantic, the weird, the morbid, the serene, the
loud, and many other forms of worship depending upon our particular personality
makeup and circumstances. Many are finding freedom of expression for their faith
through the rites and ceremonies passed down through the Talmud, the Koran, and
various other religious matter. Does it matter to Him which style we desire to
manifest? Is it important to find out what pleases the Most High Creator of all
things? To find the answers, should we follow our own inclinations, the
teachings of men, or go to His Word?
It appears the
first and second camp of Passover date setters are inclined to follow the
teachings of the Talmud. The Talmud (tal’mood), which means ‘learning’ and is a
collection of writings, constituting the Jewish civil and religious law: it
consists of two parts, the Mishnah (text) and the Gemara (commentary), but the
term is sometimes restricted to the Gemara: cf. Halakha and Haggada. (
What “heavy burdens”
did the Pharisees, Sages, lay on “men’s shoulders”? We are warned, “To the law and to the
testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no
light in them.” Isaiah 8:20 (KJV) In order to detect the counterfeit,
one must first study, and be fully acquainted with, the original. With this in
mind let’s take a look at the Scripture text that first discusses the Passover.
We find that the introduction to the Passover observance is found in Exodus,
chapter twelve:
“And Yah spoke to
Speak to 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: And if the household is too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor
next to his house take it according to the number of the beings; every man
according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be
without blemish, a male of the first year: you shall take it out from the sheep,
or from the goats: And you 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. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts
and on the upper door post of the houses, where they shall eat it. And they
shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and
with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with
water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the bowels. And you
shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remains of it
until the morning you shall burn with fire.
And thus shall you eat it;
with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand;
and you shall eat it in haste: it is Yah's Passover. 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 mighty ones of Egypt I will execute
judgment: I am Yah. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses
where you 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
We find in this text not one
mention of barley or grain, except that their bread was to be made without
leavening. It doesn’t say whether that bread was made from old grain or fresh
grain. It does, however, establish the order of dates as, “This month shall be to
you the beginning of
months: it shall be the first month of the
year to you.” “In the tenth day of this
month they shall take to them every man a lamb… And you shall keep it
up until the fourteenth day
of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of
When we look at
all of the Scripture texts about the Passover, none mention a barley harvest or
even talk about grain. The closest to this is found in Deut. 16:1; “Observe the month of
Abib, and keep the Passover unto Yah your Elohim: for in the month of Abib Yah
your Elohim brought you out of
Most assume this
means tender as in grain since
‘barley’ is the first of all edible grain to ripen in Israel…”Speak to the children of
Israel, and say to them, When you come into the land which I give to you, and
shall reap the harvest of it, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of
your harvest to the priest: And he shall wave the sheaf before Yah, to be
accepted for you: on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave
it.” Leviticus 23:10-11 Because of this text many assume that Abib
(or Aviv) means ‘barley’.
This concept, of the
barley is needed to reckon the date for Passover, originated with the
Pharisaical leaders and has been perpetuated through the writings and teachings
of the Talmud to this day. But this teaching can not be found in Scripture. The
original plan of our Heavenly Father as delivered through
How do we know which
month is the first month? By the signs He gave in His heavens we may know these
things, Gen. 1:14; “And Elohim said, Let
there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night;
and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:”
But Satan has ever sought to change these signs, seasons, days, and years. “And he shall speak great
words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and
think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a
time and times and the dividing of time”.
Since time began to be
recorded there has been a calendar. We don’t have to be in the dark on this
matter. The Jewish calendar has gone through three periods during our world’s
history. The first period was Biblical. The second period was the Talmudic
period. And the third is referred to as the post-Talmudic period. Throughout the
Biblical period calendar understanding was based solely on the observation of
the sun and the moon, as our Creator designed it should be. We are being called
to come back to the original design.
As
This counterfeit has placed
a shadow in the minds of people concerning the true science of the stars. As a
result a crafty diversion was created to take the emphasis away from the
heavenly display and revelation. In doing this, he was successful in hiding one
more means Yah gave of telling the true story. He did this in order to keep the
thoughts of the people on the earthly, temporary matters…that is of finding the
first ripened barley, instead of the heavenly matters that should occupy their
time.
Why was this allowed?
Because our forefathers did not have a love for the truth so they were given up
to believe the lies, 2 Thess. 2:3-11. How did it happen? Through the vain pen of
the scribes and Pharisees, Jer. 8:8, and chapter 23. But He says, “Woe unto you, scribes
and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed
appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all
uncleanness.”
The Hebrew calendar was
based on the lunar month of 29.5 days. Because of this the lunar year of 354.25
days fell short of the solar year of 365.25 days. To make adjustments for this,
every two to three years an intercalary month was inserted, called Adar II.
Originally, there were no names given to the lunar months. These months were
called First month, Second month, etc. as found in Exodus 12:2, and Deut. 16:1.
Originally, the word
Abib was not a factor in the process of establishing the date of the Passover.
During the Biblical period date setting was done entirely upon the observation
of the sun and the moon. It was not until post Babylonian captivity that the
months were given names. During the Talmudic period, in the days of our Blessed
Messiah’s ministry, date setting was based on observation and the reckoning of
barley. And the post Talmudic period is based solely on the reckoning of the
barley.
The ancient Hebrews studied
astronomy very carefully. Daniel was an astronomer and it is reported that it
was descendants, of the Babylonian followers under Daniel’s influence, that were
the informed ‘Wise Men” that sought to be present for the birth of Immanuel, the
Savior of the world, based on their calculations of the story told through the
constellations.
Messiah said, “For My yoke is easy, and
My burden is light”. Matthew 11:30 *“But now, after you have
known Elohim, or rather are known by Elohim, how do you turn again to the weak
and poor elementary matters to which you wish to be enslaved again?”
Galatians 4:9 *While this text applies to the Gentile converts wanting to return
to their idolatry, it also aptly applies to this situation. We have been
delivered from the tyranny of the commandments and regulations of men, yet many
of us wish to return to “the weak and poor
elementary matters to which you (the Jews) were
enslaved”
This
brings to mind another point that should be discussed. With the Ultimate
Sacrifice of the Lamb of Yah, “…He shall confirm the
covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week He shall cause the
sacrifice and the oblation (offerings) to
cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even
until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”
Was not Yahshua the
Firstfruits, and the risen saints a type of the 144,000? “…and the graves were
opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the
graves after His resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared to
many.” Matthew 27:52-53 Why are we so intent on doing works and
ceremonies that bind us to the laws of the Pharisees instead of looking to the
future coming of our Blessed Messiah, Yahushua
haMachiah?
Is not our mission in this life to be as
our Blessed Example? Of the Pharisees, who wrote the Talmud He said, “Let them alone: they be
blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall
into the ditch.”
Summary: Biblical evidence indicates to this author that His Word is so simple a child can understand it. Bible texts indicate that Yah our Elohim gave the lights of the heavens for the calculations of dates for the appointed times. Because the word 'Aviv' or Abib has the meaning of 'tender' as in beginning it seems apparent that the first month of His year must start in the spring. Therefore it indicates that the first new moon on the spring side of the equinox would be the start of the first month of the year. It is a command that Passover be held on the fourteenth day of the first month. This calculation is in harmony with His Word and so simple a child, anywhere in the world, can understand and obey it. Praise His Almighty Name, Yah.
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