Overview of the Holy Days & Passover

Fred R. Coulter—February 27, 2010

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Let's begin by going to 2-Timothy and I think we will find that this is very important. A lot of people in religions use the Bible, but their belief in the Bible will be in varying degrees, and their obedience to the Bible with also be in varying degrees. In the degree that they obey the Word of God they have blessings. In the degree they disobey the Word of God, they either have blindness or all the way to cursings. So this is a spiritual thing that automatically works, because God is God. However, He gives us some very important keys that we need to understand. So let's begin with it and we will see what we're told to do here, the inspired Word of God, how we need to handle it and what happens when people don't.

Let's first of all begin here in 2-Timothy 3:15. He's writing to Timothy and telling him: "And that from a child you have known the Holy Writings, which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus." Now this is quite the opposite of what modern Protestantism teaches today. And that is, they teach you don't need the Old Testament, because Christ has done away with the Law and the Prophets, when He said He didn't. So you have the Holy Writings, the Old Testament. Then faith in Christ Jesus then is the way to begin to understand the Bible and God will lead you in it.

There is one very important key that I've seen through the years, which is this: When God is dealing with someone He will lead them, and if they follow that lead and begin obeying Him, then their understanding grows. So that's a beginning point with all of us.

Now here's how we're to view the Scriptures, v 16: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for doctrine, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.... [To help us to live our lives the way that God wants us to.] ...So that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work" (vs 16-17). Now when we take the phrase 'all Scripture,' that means each and every one of the originals. Those are called autographs. Copies are called apographs. So if you have good copies of the original, which they've been able to really more closely define that now, especially in the book by Robinson and Pierpont, The Byzantine Textform. When I translated the New Testament I used the Stephens Text of 1550, the received text, and that agrees with the Byzantine Textform about 99.1-2 [percent]. Many of what are noted as changes are really a little differences in spelling, or a little difference in word order, except when you come to some of the things like Westcott and Hortt did, so we won't get into that. When there is a proper translation, then the knowledge that God breathed into the Scriptures also comes forth. This is what we've endeavored to do with this Bible to recapture the Truth of God. Also in that, we want to recapture the original Christianity for today. We don't want to recover original Christianity and go back to sandals and robes and donkeys. We want to recapture it for today, because we live in the end-time.

Here's what else he instructs in 2-Timothy 4:1: "I charge you, therefore, in the sight of God, even the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is ready to judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the Word!... [So here's the instruction of what needs to be done for anyone who is going to teach or to instruct others with the Word of God.] ...Preach the Word! Be urgent in season and out of season..." (vs 1-2). So there are seasons that we come to according to the Word of God, according to the way that God has devised things, and we are beginning to approach that now, which is called the Passover and Unleavened Bread season. So we'll talk a little bit about that today. The preaching is to do this: to draw everyone directly to God, so that there is really no middleman between God and the individual. Teachers and preachers and apostles are much like coaches on the sideline. They get the whole team involved in doing what they need to do.

But it is to be given in such a way as to: "...convict... [that they will know the Truth and differentiate from Truth and error] ...rebuke... [because there are times when we need to be corrected] ...encourage... [encourage means to up-build, and that's the whole purpose to up-build the body of Christ.] ...with all patience and doctrine" (v 2). And doctrine merely means teaching. Jesus is called not only the Lord and Master, but He is called Teacher. Doctrine becomes a very important thing. When you study through 1-2-Timothy and Titus you find doctrine is the thing that divides between Truth and error, or the mixture of error and Truth. Here's what's happened, so we'll look at it today.

"For there shall come a time when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but according to their own lusts they shall accumulate to themselves a great number of teachers, having ears itching ears to hear what satisfies their cravings... [And that happens, so here's the result of that]: ...And they shall turn away their own ears from the Truth; and they shall be turned aside unto myths" (vs 3-4).

So what we are going to cover today will be the Truth from the Bible, but will be entirely different from what is accepted as the norm in the nominal Christian world. Let's see how we are to do this. Come over here to 2-Timothy 2:15. Here is how we are to do this. "Diligently study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of the Truth…. [Because, as you know, if you wrongly divide it, then you can create something which is not true, but gives the appearance of Truth.] …But avoid profane and vain babblings because they will only give rise to more ungodliness" (vs 15-16). That's what we see in the world today.

Now, before we get into the Truth of what we're going to cover today, a little bit about the Sabbath, but most about the Holy Days, I want to draw your attention to a very important book, called The Two Babylons, by Alexander Hislop. This was the first book I ever read well over fifty years ago. This tells you where all of the paganism came from that is now accepted as main-stream Christianity. This was written by Alexander Hislop right before the turn of the last century. It's very important to understand—first edition 1916, right after he did all of his research up to there, so this is a book that is out of copyright—it will be absolutely astounding when you understand what is in here. Then here's another book which is a condensation of thirteen volumes and it is called TheGolden Bough, by Sir George James Fraser. He does the same thing that Alexander Hislop does and puts it all into perspective:

• How did we get these things?
• How has Christianity gone so far astray?

It's because they basically have left the Bible, or they go in and they pick out this verse or pick out that verse, or pick out the other one, and then they use it with their interpretation rather than letting the Scriptures interpret the Scriptures.

Let's come all the way back here to Genesis and I'm sure this is where a lot of us really began to understand concerning the Sabbath. When we come to understand the Sabbath, we need to realize that there are other Sabbaths that are for us, which are called annual Sabbaths or Feasts or Holy Days. Genesis 2:1 is the key which unlocks a lot of understanding of the Bible. As one man mentioned, Constantine when he changed from Sabbath to Sunday, he didn't even ask God permission and had he, you know what the answer would be. It's like I've told people who want to know about the Truth, but don't understand about the Sabbath. I say, Okay, you do this. You keep the Sabbath every week for a month. In keeping the Sabbath every week for a month, I want you to study through the Bible and I want you to study about the Sabbath, and then after that month I think you will see, yes, you understand about the Sabbath.
There's a whole lot more that can be added to it as we go along, but here in the very beginning, Genesis 2:1: "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And by the beginning of the seventh day God finished His work which He had made. And He rested on the seventh day from all His work, which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day... [Now He hasn't blessed any other day except the annual Holy Days, as we will see, and they are called Sabbaths as well.] ...and sanctified it... [He made it Holy, Holy time to God] ...because on it He rested from all His work which God had created and made" (vs 1-3). God being ever-living, immortal Being did not need to rest, but He rested to set us the example and show that this day was to be a day to keep us in contact with God. That's one of the first things we learn concerning the Sabbath. Let's ask the question: Can someone who doesn't keep the Sabbath contact God? The answer is yes—but how do they do it?

Let's come to Isaiah 55. Let's see how a person can come into contact with God, begin to understand His word, begin to realize what God is all about. You see the Sabbath there, and remember God says He changes not. Isaiah 55 shows us how we can be in contact with God. God is there to hear and answer, but we must make the choice to do it. Isaiah 55:6: "Seek the LORD while He may be found... [there are other Scriptures showing that if you don't seek Him while He may be found, you might not find Him when you desperately need Him, because you neglected Him when you should have been seeking Him.] ...call upon Him while He is near." Now how do you do that? You do that in prayer and you do that in behavior.

Verse 7: "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon." How do you return to God? It says right there: forsake the way of sinning, forsake the evil thought, and, of course, the thoughts that we have contrary to the Word of God and let him return to the Lord. That's how you do it.

Now notice what he says here, v 8. This becomes very important for our understanding of the Word of God. "'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor your ways My ways,' says the LORD. 'For as the heavens are high than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts…. [That's why we have the Bible. Isn't it interesting that all what we need to know from God is contained in this one book. So then he shows some other things, which are important for us to realize in relationship to returning to God.] …For as the rain comes down, and the snow from the heavens, and does not return there, but waters the earth, and makes it bring forth and bud, and gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater, So shall My Word be which goes out of My mouth... [The Word of God, which we have here, God has spoken. That's why it's called 'God breathed'; because when we speak we're breathing.] ...but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall certainly do what I sent it to do" (vs 8-11).

Now there's another aspect of this that we need to realize which is this, put it in your notes there: Matt. 22, 'Many are called, but few are chosen.'—because it requires a response on our part back to God. When we respond to God, He responds to us. We respond to Him some more, He responds back to us. Now there are two ways it's going to accomplish what He pleases:

• For the people that He's dealing with, those that He calls, gives His Holy Spirit to.
• In things concerning the world with the prophecies, from the beginning to the end, all of those things are going to take place, whether for good or whether for evil.

We know there are a lot of evil things ahead in the world today when we read and understand the book of Revelation. These will be on a worldwide basis when they reach their climax at the end.

• It's going to accomplish His Word in what He wants done in bringing the Kingdom of God to the earth when Jesus returns.

So you can put all of those together and those are the overall goals that God is going to accomplish with His Word going out.

• A warning to the wicked.

As I wrote in one of the introductory chapters of the Bible, Why So Many Bibles in the World, everything that God wants everyone to know is in there. If He causes it to be printed and sent out and people don't read it, that's not God's fault. It's kind of like at the resurrection, someone may say, 'Well, God, why didn't you warn me?' He'll say, 'Did you have a Bible?' Well, yes. 'Did you read it?' No! 'Well, if you had read it, you would have known.' God has His plan, very few people understand it, because they are not willing to yield to God. Many people want to have religion so that God will help them when they're in trouble, and then be as much a part of the world as they can so they can get along with the world. It's kind of like they have one foot in God's camp and one foot in the world's camp. Sooner or later there's going to be a tension, which will come, which will cause problems for that individual to choose what he's going to do.

Now let's carry on concerning the Sabbath. Let's come to Mark 2 and let's see what Jesus said concerning the Sabbath. Then we will look at some other Scriptures. A lot of people wonder, 'Well, why didn't Jesus—when He told the rich man keep the commandments—tell Him about the Sabbath?' The answer is very simple: He was living in a Sabbath-keeping nation. But notice when challenged by the scribes and Pharisees as to the conduct of the disciples who were plucking and eating grain on the Sabbath, notice what Jesus said:

Mark 2:27: "And He said to them, 'The Sabbath was made for man... [There you go! That's why it is for us; to keep us in contact with God.] ...and not man for the Sabbath…. [Meaning, that men cannot come along and do things to the Sabbath or say things about the Sabbath that are not in accord with the Word of God. One of the greatest sins of human beings that you see in 'Christian' religion today, they want to improve upon the Word of God.] (Now notice what He says. He makes it very clear): …Therefore, the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath'" (vs 27-8). If you have one statement by God and His Word is true, and Christ said, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life,' how many other Scriptures do you need to have to understand who is Lord of the Sabbath? None!

Not only that, we see that He created it. Let's come here to John 1. Now the Gospel of John is really a very powerful Gospel, and gives us a lot of information that we would not have otherwise if we didn't have the Gospel of John. And notice how he starts this, because this becomes very important and also unlocks one of the major doctrines of nominal or orthodox 'Christianity' today, which is: how many are in the Godhead.

I talked to some people who came from India this last week, and I said, 'How many gods do they have in India?' You make a guess? 800,000! In 'Christianity' today, if you don't believe in the trinity—which they cannot explain when you get down and say, 'Well, how is that?' They say it's a mystery. Let's unravel the mystery right here and find out how many are in the Godhead.

John 1:1: "In the beginning was the Word... [We know that's referring to Christ.] ...and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…. [Now in the Greek it means exactly the same thing. There is no other way to translate it and the Greek that is used here is very simple, straightforward Greek.] …He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and not even one thing that was created came into being without Him" (vs 1-3). God created time—did He not? He created the Sabbath day—did He not and blessed it? Yes, He did! Everything that we see is because through Jesus Chris, God created everything. Now that also means, as we're going to see, that He created the Holy Days. We'll cover those here beginning by going back to Genesis 1, again. Let's see what the one Who became Christ, because it says there in John 1 'and the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.' So the one Who said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light was the one Who became Jesus Christ.

Genesis 1:14: "And God said... [Who was the one Who became Jesus Christ] ...'Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide between the day and the night, and let them be for signs, and for appointed seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth.' And it was so. And God had made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night; and God had made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth…. [So this is when God finalized the position of the moon, the planets, and the earth and the sun to give us the time that we now have today.] …and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide between the light and the darkness. And God saw that it was good" (vs 14-18).

Now it's very important, v 14: for appointed seasons. We read back there in 2-Tim. 4 that we are to preach in season, out of season, and God has seasons and Holy Days, which we are to keep. Also remember what we read that Paul told Timothy that 'you know the Holy Writings which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.' So we find that just like when Jesus came and magnified the law, He gave a spiritual standard for the law. That now it has to do with how we think rather than just the exterior actions of what we do. So likewise, we're going to find with the Sabbath and with the Holy Days that there are spiritual things that God has revealed concerning them, which also are vital in understanding the plan of God. As we will see, it is key in understanding the whole plan of God.

Let's come here to Exodus 12. Here is where God gave the instructions to Israel for their Passover. What the world does not understand, there is a Christian Passover for us to keep today according to the instructions of Christ. But just like He gave things in the letter for the children of Israel, He reveals the spirit to those who have the Spirit of God and understand His Word. Now here's the beginning of the Passover for the children of Israel. We won't get into it today, because I covered it last week and there'll be a message that is entitled, Abraham, You and Passover, from Gal. 3. We will see that that has a great deal to do directly with the Passover. But here is where He begins to give the instruction to the children of Israel for the Passover.

Exodus 12:1: "And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 'This month shall be to you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year to you'" (vs 1-2). Now God calculates time differently than the calendar that we have which is called the Roman calendar. The calendar of God is based on the seasons and it is a lunar/solar calendar, and must be calculated. So that's another whole subject we won't get into that, but just to mention it in passing.

"'Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, "In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them each man a lamb for a father's house, a lamb for a house"'" (v 3). Now the tenth day is very interesting. I'll just project forward a little bit here in passing to show that there is the physical, then there is also the spiritual. In the book, The Harmony of the Gospels, that we have, I show from the chronology of the Gospels that it was on the tenth day of the first month that the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world was selected. So wherever you have a physical fulfillment, there is also a spiritual fulfillment. And this is what's important to realize and understand.

So then we see the type of Christ a lamb without blemish. Then he shows the instruction of what they were to do for it. Then they were to all slay the lamb at the set time at the beginning of the fourteenth day of the first month between the two evenings. We can get into many more details of this, which we will as we come closer to the Passover time.

Leviticus 23; let's see something very interesting. This also is a test of faith whether you believe what the Apostle Paul wrote in 2-Timothy 3 about the Holy Writings through faith, and so forth. Let's also understand something that is very important for us to realize which is this: In keeping the Sabbath and Holy Days of God, we are not trying to earn justification by works, because that's the first thing that is thrown up by those who reject them. No, we are seeking to obey God, because we are justified through the blood of Christ and we are not to continue in sin. If we walk in the ways of God, these are the good works of God for us to walk in. Whereas if we reject the ways of God and accept the ways of man as substitute, then we are trying to impose our righteousness upon God and trying to tell God He must accept us for what we do.

I thought about that the other day when I walked into the supermarket. Guess what they have on the right hand and on the left hand as soon as you go in? Bags of plastic Easter eggs and Easter bunnies. Well, the world says, 'This is what God wants us to do.' Really? But if someone would come to them and say, 'God wants you to keep the Passover and His Holy Days,' what would the action be? 'Well, you're trying to justify yourself, or you're trying to be a Jew.' If you have Easter eggs and that comes from paganism, are you trying to be like the pagans? Did God at any time accept what the pagans did as something that we should do? No!

So let's look at the structure here of Lev. 23, and see something very important for us to understand. Leviticus 23:1: "And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel and say to them... [Question as we're going along, as you read the first five books of the Bible: Can you find anywhere where Moses gave a law that you could say was Moses' law or did he tell the children of Israel what God said to do? So this is God's law. I know it's now called law of Moses, because Moses gave it, but it's really God's law that He gave, just like the gospel that we have in the New Testament is the gospel of God given to us through God in the flesh, Jesus Christ. Same way. And Jesus said He spoke the words of God—correct? Yes! So we have the same thing here.] ...Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, "Concerning the appointed Feasts of the LORD... [That's what we're talking about back in Gen. 1, appointed times. Who makes the appointment? God or man? God does!] ...which you shall proclaim to be Holy convocations, even these are My appointed Feasts"'" (vs 1-2).

Now notice how He starts it off, because this becomes important in understanding about the Holy Days, because we're involved with the Sabbath—right? "'Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, a Holy convocation. You shall not do any work. It is a Sabbath to the LORD in all your dwellings'" (v 3). Now why does He begin with the Sabbath? The Sabbath is the overarching sanctification of the Holy Days.

Hold your place here in Lev. 23, and let's come to Exodus 31, and let's see what God says concerning Sabbath-keeping. I think we will find something here that is repeated quite often in other places in the Old Testament as well. Exodus 31:12: "And the LORD spoke to Moses saying, 'Speak also to the children of Israel, saying, "Truly you shall keep My Sabbaths... [Notice that is plural, because in Lev. 23 every Holy Day is called a Sabbath, a Holy convocation.] ...My Sabbaths, for it... [Now why does it go from plural to singular there? Because the it is referring to the keeping of the Sabbaths.] ...for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations to know that I am the LORD Who sanctifies you"'" (vs 12-13). Then He goes on showing about the Sabbath, the weekly Sabbath.

Then come down here to v 17: "'It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested, and was refreshed.'" What were the children of Israel doing at the time Moses was receiving these commands from God? Aaron made a golden calf—didn't he? Yes! (Exo 32). What did he say? 'These are your gods which brought you out of Egypt. Let's have a feast to the Lord.' Sound a little like what goes on today? Mix in some paganism and says it's the Lord's will. That's been done many, many times.

Now let's come back to Leviticus 23 again, so we understand. I realize that for a lot of people who've never heard anything concerning this—I need to bring this out on Church at Home, too, so that they will understand. I talked to a woman here some time ago and she said she knows that Christmas is not right. She hates Christmas! Yet, she's locked into it and can't get out of it. Well, she could if she would. For people like that it is difficult and it comes as kind of a heavy load to carry to understand that, yes, there are appointed Feasts that God has.

Notice Leviticus 23:4: "These are the appointed Feasts of the LORD, Holy convocations which you shall proclaim in their appointed seasons. In the fourteenth day of the first month, between the two evenings, is the LORD'S Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD. You must eat unleavened bread seven days. On the first day you shall have a Holy convocation" (vs 4-7). On the seventh day is a Holy convocation.

I don't want to get bogged down into going through each one of the Holy Days. I'll let you read that. And when you read it you'll be reading the 'letter' of what God gave to Israel. There is spiritual understanding for all of these, which are revealed in the rest of the Bible. So that's why we need to study it 'line upon line; here a little, there a little; precept upon precept,' and put it together to get the whole picture, and it will be absolutely amazing! Every single major question that human beings have concerning what is God doing is answered by that and that's why we have the two books, Occult Holidays or God's Holy Days, Which? and God's Plan for Mankind Revealed by His Sabbath and Holy Days.

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Now let's ask some questions here. What did God do on the Passover night, the first one for the children of Israel when they were in Egypt? They were protected by the blood on the doorpost and on the lintel.  To spare whom? The firstborn! Then God killed all the firstborn man and beast of the Egyptians—correct? Yes! What did He use the Feast of Unleavened Bread for? We'll just summarize. Leaven during the Feast of Unleavened Bread is a type of sin, because it puffs up. But what did He use the Feast of Unleavened Bread for? To start the exodus—correct? They were leaving Egypt. Egypt is a type of sin, referred to over and over in the Bible. He also on the last day of Unleavened Bread had them go through the Red Sea on dry ground showing that the only salvation there is, is through the Lord. Now God used the Passover and Unleavened Bread for a very important thing.

He brought the people to Him at that point. If you would like to even kind of do a little study, when you get into the book of Revelation you see many of the same plagues that were listed there in the book of Exodus—leading to what? The return of Christ and God bringing His people to Him. So there are many parallels. But let's just look at one example here in the Old Testament of how when the people went astray very badly, the way they came back to God was beginning with the Passover.

Let's come first of all to 2-Chronicles 33, and let's see one of the darkest times in Israel's history, and one of the times when they had apostatized from God in such a wholesale and abominable and gross way. Now the whole history of Israel is, if you'd put it on a chart, would be:

• God deals with them/they go astray
• God continues to deal with them/sends them off into captivity
• they repent
• God raised up a judge or a king/brought them back

So here we find one of the most wicked kings that is recorded in all the Old Testament. 2-Chronicles 33:1: "Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem." Now every time I read that I am thankful that here in America we have elections. Could we stand 55 years of our current President?

Verse 2: "But he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, like the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel, for he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down... [How did they return? With the Passover and Unleavened Bread.] ...and he reared up altars for Baalim... [Baalim is the sun god and the day of worship for the sun is Sunday.] ...and made groves, and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served them" (vs 2-3).We have the same thing occurring today. I have articles—why are Americans embracing new age religion, eastern religions? They're getting back to exactly what Manasseh was doing. Notice what he did. Notice the effrontery to God that he was.

"And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, 'In Jerusalem shall My name be forever.' And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. And he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom. He also observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD to provoke Him to anger…. [That was really quite a thing.] (Notice what else he did): …And he set a carved image, the idol which he made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, 'In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen before all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever" (vs 4-7).

So all of those things that were done. Now notice what happens with the public. The public goes along with it, with the exception of very few. Just recall what did God tell Elijah, when Elijah was moaning and groaning in the cave there after he fled from Jezebel. He said, 'I am alone, I alone.' The Lord said, 'I've got 7,000 that haven't bowed the knee to Baal.' So there are always a few.

Verse 8: "...Nor will I any more remove the foot of Israel from out of the land which I have set apart for your fathers—if only they will take heed to do all that I have commanded them, according to the whole law and the statutes and the ordinances by the hand of Moses.' But Manasseh led astray Judah and the people of Jerusalem, and caused them to do worse than the nations whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel…. [Now notice, God always sends warnings.]: …And the LORD Spoke to Manasseh and to His people, but they would not listen.... [How did He speak to them? By different prophets.] ...Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh with hooks and bound him with chains and carried to Babylon" (vs 8-11). Then it shows, low and behold, he repented. God accepted his repentance. He came back and cleaned up the whole temple area, but nevertheless, the punishment of God was at hand.

So then 2-Chronicles 34:1 we have a new king, a righteous king and he started out at eight years old. "...and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and did not turn aside to the right nor to the left" (vs 1-2). So then you read the rest of it there, he began to put away the idols, began to put away the groves, began to purge the land and restore the temple. The temple was in such bad condition that when they were cleaning it out, they finally came to the place where the Book of the Law was. They brought this to the king and it was read in his ears.

Verse 15: "And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, 'I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD.' And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan. And Shaphan carried the book to the king and brought the king word back again, saying, 'All that was given into the hands of your servants, they are doing. And they have gathered together the money that was found in the house of the LORD, and delivered it into the hands of the overseers and to the hands of the workmen.' And Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, 'Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.' And Shaphan read it before the king" (vs 15-18).

Now notice his reaction. He was probably reading the things there in Deut. 24, the blessings and the cursings. And here's what is always to remember: God honors repentance, but with repentance must come a change of behavior. We see that here, v 19: "And it came to pass when the king heard the words of the law, he tore his clothes…. [A sign of great repentance.] …And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king, saying, 'Go inquire of the LORD for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that has been found, for great is the wrath of the LORD that is poured out upon us because our fathers have not kept the Word of the LORD to do according to all that is written in this book" (vs 19-21).

And so what happened? The only real righteous person in that whole land was Huldah, the prophetess. So they went and asked her, 'What's going to happen?' Because you read all these curses, you see everything around there. Verse 23: "And she answered them, 'Thus says the LORD God of Israel, "Tell the man who sent you to me, 'Thus says the LORD: "Behold, I will bring evil upon this place and upon its people, even all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah, because they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to other gods, so that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. And My wrath shall be poured out upon this place and shall not be quenched."'" And as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, so shall you say to him, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel concerning the words you have heard"'" (vs 23-26).

Now here's a great lesson for us. Even in the worst troubles and times we find ourselves in, if you turn to God, He will hear you and honor it. Verse 27: "'Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before your God when you heard His words against this place and against its people, and humbled yourself before Me, and tore your clothes and wept before Me, I have even heard you also,' says the LORD. 'Behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace...'" (vs 27-28). Now what does this show us? This shows us that in a nation, if you have one man who will turn to God, will God hold back His curses and correction? Yes! Look at what we are having in this nation today. I hope in some of the things that we are seeing, there is enough repentance that God is going to hold back His hand of correction, because it looked like it was coming pretty heavy and hard here real fast. So we'll see if that's going to cause God to hold back His hand, if there are enough people who will repent.

But notice what He said: "'...and I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, nor shall your eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place and upon its people.' And they brought the king word again" (v 28). Now I don't envision this happening in Washington, DLC (the district of liars and corruption); however if the people turn from their sins—now the people in the land and there may be some turning from sin, God will honor that. So that's why when we say, 'Well, when are the events going to happen against us, because of God's correction? It depends on how people respond to the correction that has come already.

Now notice what he did. Notice how he responded. "And the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah, and the people of Jerusalem, and the priests and the Levites, and all the people from the great to the small. And he read in their ears all the words of the Book of the Covenant that was found in the house of the LORD.... [And I imagine there were a lot of people who for 55 years after Manasseh hadn't heard any of this. But they understood what was coming upon them from just viewing the events around them.] (So notice what he did): ...And the king stood in his place and made a covenant... [this is his repentance] ...before the LORD to walk after the LORD... [Notice what repentance requires—and it's the same way with Old Testament and New Testament.] ...and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book" (vs 29-31).

Now notice what one man can do: "And he caused all who were found in Jerusalem and in Benjamin, and the people of Jerusalem, to stand to it according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers…. [So then what did he do? He cleansed everything!] …And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the territories that belonged to the children of Israel. And he made all that were present in Israel to serve, even to serve the LORD their God. All his days they did not depart from following the LORD, the God of their fathers" (vs 32-33).

Now notice what they did in mass after that. Here's the key, 2-Chronicles 35:1. And this shows how important that the Passover is, and then we will see some spiritual parallels in the New Testament. "And Josiah kept a Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem. And they killed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month." They brought all the people in there and they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Verse 17: "And the children of Israel who were present kept the Passover at that time and the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days. And there was no Passover like that kept in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. Yea, none of the kings of Israel kept such a Passover as Josiah kept, and the priests and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel who were present, and the people of Jerusalem. This Passover was kept in the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah" (vs 17-19).

When you come back to God, you keep the Passover. Why is that important? Well, especially in the New Testament. So let's go there and let's see something concerning the Passover. Let's come to 1-Corinthians 5. This becomes very important. When I was writing the book, Occult Holidays or God's Holy Days—Which?, when I came to 1-Cor.5, and I explained that God wanted us to keep the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, commanded by the Apostle Paul here, I didn't realize that she [the editor] was a flaming evangelical, and she quit editing. So that's how I found Phil Neal, whom we've had ever since. She couldn't take it.

1-Corinthians 5:6, after Paul was exposing one of the sins they were accepting in the congregation of incest with his stepmother, and how they had to put him out of the Church. "Your glorying is not good.... [So here tells us, the spiritual application of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and also the reason for the Passover. So as we saw back there in 2-Chro. 35, how did they return to God? By repentance, by keeping the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread. Notice how that follows right along here with the Apostle Paul.] ...Your glorying is not good. Don't you know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?.... [That's true. A little sin brings more sin.] ...Therefore, purge out the old leaven... [get rid of that sin] ...so that you may become a new lump, even as you are unleavened.... [That means that they had to have put the leaven out of their homes as God commanded. Now notice the next sentence here. Here's the reason for keeping the Feast of Unleavened Bread.] ...For Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us" (vs 6-7).

Christ was the Passover lamb. And He was the Lamb of God to what? Take away the sin of the world. And that will happen according to God's plan and His time and His way. Notice what else he says, v 8: "For this reason, let us keep the Feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and Truth." So there's the spiritual lesson for us. This is why we keep the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread, because God commands us to. Now there's other Scriptures we'll look out later, which will also help us with this.

Let's come to Matthew 26, because just as God used the Passover in Egypt to carry out His plan to spare the firstborn, to bring the people to Him, likewise God uses the Passover in the very person of Christ to bring us to Him. Because there is so much confusion in the world, a lot has to be written to help clarify things, and connection of other things involved, and misinterpretations and poor translations. As a matter of fact, when you understand all the major doctrines of Protestantism and fundamentalism or evangelicals are based upon wrong translation, wrong interpretation of the King James and other translations. That why in the second edition we put How to Understand the Difficult Scriptures of Paul, concerning God's law and commandments.

So this has led me to do another thing. I'm going to have a parallel with the KJV and the Faithful Version and the Interlinear by Barry, three columns. I'll have two columns on one page and then the interlinear on the other page opposite. Once I get that, what I'm going to do is I'm going to pick out all the Scriptures that are wrong translations and wrong interpretations and highlight them, and show where Protestantism has completely misinterpreted those things in addition to inheriting the Catholic dogma of Sunday and the holidays of the world. That will become very important for us. But here what we are going to understand is this: all the events, the whole focal point of the Old Testament prophecies concerning the sacrifice of Jesus Christ came together and were fulfilled on the Passover day; that one day. Everything was focused right to that one day. This becomes very important for us to realize and understand.

Matthew 26:17: "Now on the first of the unleaveneds... [And I give a footnote explanation for that, why that phrase was used, and that's a literal translation showing that the Passover day was also an unleavened bread, called the first of the unleaveneds.] ...the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, 'Where do You desire that we prepare for You to eat the Passover?'" And you also learn it's not to be called the 'Lord's Supper.' You will also learn that according to the New Testament, it is not to be called 'communion.' But let's go forward, because as I started out, these two books show all the paganism that's involved in Christianity today, so what we need to do is go back to the Scriptures and restore them the way they ought to be and then ask the question, 'What is it that God wants us to do, what did Jesus do, and what's important for us to do?'

Let's see it here, v 18: "And He said, 'Go into the city to such a man, and say to him, "The Teacher says, 'My time is near; I will keep the Passover with My disciples at your house.'"'.… [The parallel account of this, He says Passover, all of them included, eleven times. What did He keep? The Passover! He didn't keep the Lord's supper; he didn't keep a pre-Passover. It was on the Passover day the way it should be, because Christ always obeyed His own laws that He gave and obeyed the Father.] ...Then the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and prepared the Passover. And after evening had come, He sat down with the twelve" (vs 18-20).

Something else happens. John 13, because here's something that very few do on the day that God said to do it, which was the Passover day, and in the manner that Jesus said to do it. This is also a point of obedience in love toward Christ, Who died for our sins on the Passover day. This has to do with footwashing. This comes before the bread and the wine.

John 13:1: "Now before the Feast of the Passover, knowing that His time had come to depart from this world to the Father, Jesus, having loved His own who were in the world, loved them to the end. And during supper... [This has to be at the beginning of the Passover meal and the Old Testament Passover meal was what? A roasted lamb with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. So Jesus had to finish the Old Testament Passover first, before introducing the emblems of the New Testament Passover.] (and here's where He begins what we should do on the Passover night): ...And during supper (the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, that he should betray Him), Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, Rose from supper and laid aside His garments; and after taking a towel, He secured it around Himself. Next, He poured water into a washing basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel which He had secured" (vs 1-5).

Now there's a great lesson for that. We'll see what it is. He took the lowest position of a servant to wash the disciples' feet. "Then He came to Simon Peter; and he said to Him, 'Lord, are You going to wash my feet?' Jesus answered and said to him, 'What I am doing you do not understand now, but you shall know after these things.' Peter said to Him, 'You shall not wash my feet, not ever'.... [Quite a statement. But notice what Jesus said.] ...'If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me…. [Very key important thing. How many people do this the way Jesus said? Do they claim to have a part with Jesus, even if they don't do it? In reality, Jesus said, 'You have no part with Me.'] …Simon Peter said to Him, 'Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.... [because that's what was required of the priests] ...Jesus said to him, 'The one who has been washed... [that refers to baptism; we have a detailed explanation of that] ...does not need to wash anything other than the feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all.' For He knew the one who was betraying Him; this was the reason He said, 'Not all of you are clean'" (vs 6-11).

Now here comes the lesson. Here is the lesson for Passover. "Therefore, when He had washed their feet, and had taken His garments, and had sat down again, He said to them, 'Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me the Teacher and the Lord, and you speak rightly, because I am. Therefore, if I, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, you also are duty-bound to wash one another's feet... [How many people do not do that or understand? He says duty-bound, the Greek there comes from the word called 'dei'—which means obligatory, duty-bound.] ...For I have given you an example, to show that you also should do exactly as I have done to you.... [Why?] ...Truly, truly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his lord, nor a messenger greater than he who sent him…. [So we have to keep all these things in perspective. This is to teach us that we are never to exalt ourselves above people. We are never to go against what Jesus has taught. We cannot say, 'Well, He said this, but now we do this.' That's why when you keep the footwashing ceremony, it keeps you in that perspective.] …If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them'" (vs 12-17). So that's why we do the footwashing.

Let's come back to Matthew 26, let's see what else we have involved here. Remember, this was on the night of the Passover. Remember, Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us. Just like God used the Passover day in bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt. And whenever the people sinned and returned to God, they kept the Passover. Likewise, it becomes important for us for the New Covenant. The New Covenant is for eternal life.

Matthew 26:21: "And as they were eating, He said, 'Truly I say to you, one of you shall betray Me.' And being sorely grieved, each of them began to say to Him, 'Am I the one, Lord?' But He answered and said, 'He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish, he shall betray Me. The Son of man indeed goes, as it has been written concerning Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It would be better for him if that man had not been born.' Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, 'Am I the one, Master?' He said to him, 'You have said it.'…. [Then we know from the account in John that he got up and left.] (This is the important thing concerning the Passover): …And as they were eating, Jesus took the bread and blessed it; then He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, 'Take eat; this is My body.' And He took the cup; and after giving thanks, He gave it to them, saying, 'All of you drink of it; For this is My blood, the blood of the New Covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins'" (vs 21-28).

If you don't have the footwashing, and you don't have the unleavened bread and the cup of wine, do you have connection with Christ? You may think so, but that may not be so. Let's come here to John 6:51, and let's see the lesson that is given here and we'll end this part with it. Here's the lesson. The whole purpose of the Passover is:

• to have a sacrifice to forgive our sins
• to bring us into contact with God the Father and Jesus Christ
• to know why God has called us and the whole purpose of conversion
• the whole purpose of why we do what we do

It's all wrapped up in that. Everything else in the Old and the New Testament flows from this.

John 6:51: "I am the living bread, which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread that I will give is even My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." His sacrifice! Now there are many details about how He was beaten and scourged and tried and plated with the plate of thorns and how He was unjustly convicted, carried out and crucified, and so forth. So He's telling the whole meaning of it here.

"Because of this, the Jews were arguing with one another, saying, 'How is He able to give us His flesh to eat?'.... [Because it's symbolically through the bread.] ...Therefore, Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, you do not have life in yourselves.... [And we can add to it, and also unless you do it on the day that Jesus did it, in the way that Jesus did it, you don't have life in you. Now there can be many substitutes out there for it, but it's not the real thing.] ...The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up in the last day; for My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink.... [this tells us the very substance and the importance of it]: ...The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood is dwelling in Me, and I in him.'…. [And that's the whole point of conversion, through the power of the Holy Spirit of God.] …As the living Father has sent Me, and I live by the Father; so also the one who eats Me shall live by Me'" (vs 53-57). And that means by every word of God, all the teachings of Jesus Christ.

So it's quite something when you begin to understand that here with the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread, that's the very heart and core of our relationship with God, and to be in New Covenant with God the Father and Jesus Christ the way They want us to be. God is not going to give eternal life to anyone who just desires it, but will not obey and will not love God, and will not serve God. They may have a religion labeled 'Christian,' but they don't understand what they are doing.

I have another book that I wrote which is easier one to read than the Harmony called The Day Jesus the Christ Died. I did it after Mel Gibson did his movie, The Passion. I saw it. He has many good parts in it, but he missed the most important thing—the day, the meaning of the Passover day. So God passes over our sins. Didn't even know anything about it. Furthermore, it was a total Catholic production and you know what they did? They took the mass, three or four or five times a day. He said whenever he had a critical scene to do, because he was producing it and all of the actors that were in it, they all participated in a mass. They had a priest right on the scene all the time, so they would have a mass and then they would go do whatever they were going to film at that particular time. Going through all of that. So I wrote, well, he's got part of the story, but what is the whole story? What is it that God wants? We still have that book.

The whole way of God is a way of life in which we are to live and have a relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ, to love them with all our heart and mind and soul and being. Think of what Jesus did to cause that to come about when you put together all the things concerning His crucifixion on the Passover day.

Scriptural References:

• 2-Timothy 3:15-17
• 2-Timothy 4:1-4
• 2-Timothy 2:15-16
• Genesis 2:1-3
• Isaiah 55:6-11
• Mark 2:27-28
• John 1:1-3
• Genesis 1:14-18
• Exodus 12:1-3
• Leviticus 23:1-3
• Exodus 31:12-13, 17
• Leviticus 23:4-7
• 2-Chronicles 33:1-11
• 2-Chronicles 34:1-2, 15-21, 23-33
• 2-Chronicles 35:1, 17-19
• 1-Corinthians 5:6-8
• Matthew 26:17-20
• John 13:1-17
• Matthew 26:21-28
• John 6:51-57

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Titus
• Matthew 22
• Galatians 3
• Exodus 32
• Deuteronomy 24

Also referenced:

Books:

• The Byzantine Textform by Robinson & Pierpont
• The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop
• The Golden Bough by Sir George James Fraser
• The Harmony of the Gospels by Fred R. Coulter

Booklets:

• Occult Holidays or God's Holy Days—Which?
• God's Plan for Mankind
• The Day Jesus the Christ Died

Sermon: Abraham, You and the Passover

FRC:lp
Transcribed: 03-15-10
Formatted: bo—3-16-10

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