Passover and Night to be Much Observed #5

The New Testament Passover

Fred R. Coulter—March 18, 2006

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We're going to end up where we began, and let's also understand something that's very important. What does it say in the model prayer? This becomes important in our attitude toward God and what we do!

We're going to see some things so we realize how we need to do and handle things.

Matthew 6:9: "Therefore, you are to pray after this manner…"

This is an outline; just don't repeat this prayer like the Catholics do. You're not to just repeat this, this is an outline on how you are to pray!

Verse 6: "But you, when you pray, enter into a private room; and after shutting the door, pray to your Father Who is in secret; and your Father Who sees in secret shall reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions, as the heathen do; for they think that by multiplying their words they shall be heard" (vs 6-7).

Tie in 1-Kings 18; Elijah and the prophets of Baal. What did they do? They go up there and chanted: 'O Baal, O Baal, hear us,' and they cut themselves and slashed themselves, all this sort of thing, but didn't get an answer!

There's going to be a good lesson in this as it relates to the Passover and the Night to be Much Observed and the understanding of the teachings of the Bible and doctrine. There are some people today who say that 'doctrine is not important, we just to have love.' Doctrine means teaching, and the teachings on love is a doctrine.

Verse 8: "Now then, do not be like them; for your Father knows what things you have need of before you ask Him." But He wants you to ask!

• He wants to know what is in your heart
• He wants to know how you think and feel

God is not here to run a church like a church in the world that it is a social event, an athletic event, a political event or religious event. We're here to qualify and practice for eternal life! That's why we're here, and:

• IF you're here for any other reason
• IF you're here for any other doctrine
• IF you're here because you're seeking a position
• IF you're here seeking a 'religion'

THEN you're in the wrong place! That's why, frankly, that the Church of God today is having so many problems. There are too many self-willed people—ministers and members—who are out there trying to do their own thing!

They are trying to look in the Bible—I received another paper on the Passover—saying that the Jews never ever changed it. If you want a position and you study the Bible looking for your position, you have to twist and turn and distort the Scriptures, and sure enough, you will find your position. But it won't be the Truth! That's what we're dealing with, with all of this.

• we need the Truth of God
• we need the Spirit of Truth
• we need the Word of Truth
• we need to rightly divide the Word of Truth

Putting it together 'line upon line, precept upon precept, a little here, a little there' and put it together correctly!

Everyone of these papers I have received, the authors have never read The Christian Passover book. As I said before, it's not 500 pages thick just because we wanted 500 pages. It's 500 pages thick because it answers every possible question that I have encountered as a minister, the Church as encountered as a church, individuals have encountered as individuals in understanding the Passover.

They violate the very first thing that I wrote—in the Passover book—which is The Fourteen Rules of Bible Study. I also said:

This book designed to be read all the way through. Don't skip anything, because there's a lot of information in here. There's a lot of Scriptural information, a lot of numerical information, a lot of historical information, and there are quotes in there that you will not find anyplace else in any other publication on the Passover.

You just won't find it! So, what happened? I get papers! They go into the book and read a paragraph or two and say that I'm wrong, based upon their opinion! or Their position! When I get these papers, I read through them and if there is something that is right and they have a point that needs to be corrected, we will correct it; I have no problem with that, never have! God doesn't either!

But I'm not going to placate people and play games with people, or be political with people and say that doctrine doesn't matter. Well, the doctrine and teaching of the New Testament Passover matters unto eternal life!

We're not like the Fox News channel, fair and balanced. We're not looking at the devil's side and God's side and take the middle ground. That's precisely what Satan wants you to do! You're either on God's side, or you're not! There is no compromise! God is not going to compromise with people on positions or opinions! You either:

• believe God
• obey God
• love God
• do what God says

OR if you want to intermix it with your own thing and do like Adam and Eve did and:

• you decide what is good
• you decide what is evil
• you decide what is doctrine
• you decide what is Truth

OR you're not searching for the Truth of God!

God requires that we ask Him, because that shows our attitude. God has given us free choice and free moral agency. God is not going to change that or take it away from you, but He wants to know how you're going to use it!

Are you going to use it to:

• worship Him?
• serve Him?
• become like Him?
• grow and have the mind of Christ?
• love God?
• love the brethren?

and even

• love the world and your enemies, from the point of view that you put them in God's hands and let God take care of them?

So, God wants to know what's in your heart. When you pray, that's when you're heart is open to God. Besides, God knows everything anyway!

Verse 9: "Therefore, you are to pray after this manner: 'Our Father, Who is in heaven…'"

In the Hebrew series we have gone through what a great and tremendous blessing it is to be able to get on your knees and pray to the Father, the Sovereign Ruler of the universe. That's a great an awesome privilege and blessing, and God hears you.

"…hallowed be Your name…" (v 9). God is Holy! We're not in the same way, so in all of these positions that these papers take they are—if they're well intentioned—not thought through. And if it is done in sincerity then you will be willing to change. It starts out with our attitude toward God!

Verse 10: "Your Kingdom come… [not our kingdom] …Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven." Not our personality! Not our power! You are on earth and you want God's will done in your life!

God's will is always going to be done, whether for blessing or for cursing! You determine what it is by your attitude, whether you love God truly! Or Are you a 'religious' person seeking a position.

Let me just say something here that's very important: the reason that we produce books, the reason that I write is not because I want to be noted author. It is because I want all the brethren, and other people who may:

• to understand the Truth of God's Word
• to have faith in God
• to love God
• to have hope in God

• I'm not here for power
• I'm not here for money
• I'm not here to rule over anyone
• I'm not here to run people's lives

But I also tell you that I will not tolerate for a single instant brethren coming in, or ministers coming in:

• to rule over people's lives
• to have their pet doctrine
• to have their own pet ways
• to bring in the stupidity

A lot of it just plain stupidity and vanity; people want to be important!

If you have the Spirit of God and if you are converted, You are important to God! You don't need to seek any importance to yourself.

What are you going accomplish? Nothing is going to be done! We have enough troubles growing, changing and overcoming, so we need to realize that. Where it is "…Your will be done on earth…" that's in our lives! God is going to do it according to His Word of Truth, there's no doubt about it.

How many times have we read Matt. 7 and say, 'Yea! Yea! We really lambasted all of the false prophets.' Okay, let' apply it to ourselves instead of saying, 'all the false prophets.' Even Paul said that there are false brethren, false ministers and false apostles. So:

• if you are not seeking to be converted, which is a process
• if you not seeking to grow to have the mind of Christ, which is a process
• if you're here for social reasons
• if you're here for political reasons
• if you're here for power reasons
• if you're here for money reasons

Then I'm going to tell you that God is going to deal with you!

I'm going to tell you that if you are turned over to God for His judgment He can do a whole lot better job of it than any other person can do!

• He knows your heart
• He knows my heart
• He knows everybody's heart

Now, let's apply this to ourselves:

Matthew 7:20: "Therefore, you shall assuredly know them by their fruits."

When I get one of these papers, I look at it, go through it, I read it, and if there are things in there that are true and right and we need to change, we will do it! But I can also, in an instant, pick out where they're wrong and show where they are wrong.

Some people don't like that I don't agree with their position. Well, take your position and go someplace else where people may agree with you.

Verse 21: "Not everyone who says to Me 'Lord, Lord'…"—let's apply that to ourselves! How many people in the Church say, 'Lord, Lord,' in whatever way? Look at that foolishness of the doctrines that so many brethren and ministers come up with.

"…shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but the one who is doing the will of My Father, Who is in heaven" (v 21).

Doing the will of the Father has to do with not only keeping the commandments and loving God, but it also has to do with being true to the Word of God! The Word of God, God breathed, is the will of God, and He expects us to conform to it!

Jesus is not going to come down and preach to us today the way that He did to the apostles. God doing it once and having it preserved for us is plenty good enough! If we're not willing to live by that, then there's no way that we're going to be in the Kingdom of God. It's just that simple; we're playing games, just like these false prophets.

Verse 22: "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy through Your name?….'"

Weren't we in the only true Church? Therefore, You've got to save me because I was in the Church! NO! God doesn't have to save anyone because they attend anywhere! If they don't have the Spirit of God and they don't do the will of God, love Him and keep His commandments, God doesn't have to do anything for them, but He's going to do something tothem! You need to realize that.

"'…And did we not cast out demons through Your name? And did we not perform many works of power through Your name?' And then I will confess to them, 'I never knew you. Depart from Me, you who work lawlessness'" (vs 22-23).

Now let's tie this together with 2-Tim., because all of this has to do not only with the Passover and the Night to be Much Observed, but it has to do with everything we believe and teach, everything that God wants us to know!

There's another thing about the Laodiceans, not only do they think they're rich and increased with physical goods, but they think that every aberrant silly doctrine and notion that they have is good, and it's not! We've gone over 2-Tim. 4 many, many times, and we will go over it again.

2-Timothy 4:1: "I charge you, therefore, in the sight of God…" This is God's charge to every elder, minister and teacher!

2-Timothy 3:13: "But wicked men and imposters shall become worse and worse, deceiving others and being deceived themselves." We see this going on and on even in the Church of God! That's why we:

• have to be vigilant
• have to stand for the Truth

If I undertook to refute every false doctrine preached in the name of Christ, I would not have enough time—nor sermons—to do so the rest of my life. I would not be able to preach the Truth.

So, I can't undertake to do that with every single one. I'll tackle it with individual essential doctrines as we come along, but I want you to understand something very important here:

Verse 14: "But as for you, continue in the things that you did learn and were assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them; and that from a child you have known the Holy Writings…" (vs 14-15)—the Old Testament! Maybe you haven't know them as a child, but:

• How long have you been in the Church?
• What have you done with the time and effort and everything since you've been in the Church?
• Have you been applying yourself so that God can write in your heart and mind:
  • His Word
  • His Law
  • His commandments
  • the mind of Christ

or

• Do you do like a lot of Sunday-keepers and come to Sabbath services on the Sabbath and you are there as a glad-handler and you agree with everything as long as everything is smooth, wonderful, fine and good?
• And if the going gets tough or if there's something that you may not like, you get in huff and go your own way?

You alone can answer that, and I alone have to answer that for myself, too!

Verse 15: "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." This tells us that the Old Testament is essential!

Verse 16: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for [#1]doctrine…" The very first word! Any minister that comes along and says that doctrine is not important you know what you're going to get: false doctrine! The truth is that those who say that doctrine is not important, it is to them because they want to bring false doctrine! So, it's a double-speak!

"…for conviction…" (v 16)—which is very important that you stand for the Truth! They you're not going to be 'driven around with every wind of doctrine.'

"…for correction…" (v 16)—we all need correction!

"…for instruction in righteousness" (v 16). That's why we have:

• the Sabbath
• the Holy Days
• it the way that we do year in and year out

Verse 17: "So that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work."

This applies to Timothy as a minister and teacher, and everyone who is an elder has to know and study the Word of God, understand it and apply yourself to know it!

• if the elders cannot stand for the Truth
• if they do not know the Truth

or

• if they are easily led astray
  • witness the Worldwide Church of God
  • witness the other churches of God

that have gone astray and leading people astray

• Then of what value are you?

2-Timothy 4:1: "I charge you, therefore…" This is a solemn charge from God!

Remember that these are God-breathed. How do you speak? With your breath!

"…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" (v 1). We're being judged right now! All of us!

Verse 2: "Preach the Word!…."

• the Word of God is spiritual
• the Word of God is true

"…Be urgent in season and out of season…" (v 2)—because it's always continually new, even though you go over things that are continually old! That's the nature of the way of God, the Word of God.

"…in season and out of season…" has to absolutely show that they kept the Holy Days and the Passover!

"…convict… [of right and wrong] …rebuke… [where there needs to be correction] …encourage… [with inspiration] …with all patience and [#2]doctrine" (v 2)—second time!

Verse 3: "For there shall come a time when they will not tolerate sound [#3]doctrine; but according to their own lusts they shall accumulate to themselves a great number of teachers, having ears itching to hear what satisfies their cravings."

If a preacher comes purring to you, 'Oh, we must have love and doctrine is not important; doctrine divides, and we need to be united.' The only way you can ever be united is to have the mind of Christ through the Spirit of God!

You can't be united by political things. Anyone who says, 'I wish we had it in the Church the way it was years ago.' Never happen! It's not God's will to do so! Any minister who presumes to set himself up to do so is absolutely self-serving. Look at the litany of ministers and false brethren.

The Philadelphia Church of God is supposed to be a church of love, and it's run by an iron fist, which totally destroys people's lives.

Other Churches of God a man comes along and says, 'I'm appointed as God's apostle in the end-time to bring all the churches together.' Oh, did God tell you so? Others come along and say,

• we have to do foot-washing at the end of the Passover service
• we have to combine the 15th on the 14th
• we have to combine the 14th on the 15th

So, why don't you combine Day 49 and Day 50?

It's just insane! As I said, I didn't write these books because I wanted to have thick books. If I'm not searching for the Truth, writing the Truth and teaching the Truth so that you may know the Truth of God—but you have to study it, I can't study it for you—then I myself am doing all of this in vain.

Verse 3: "For there shall come a time when they will not tolerate sound doctrine…" That's exactly what it is today!

I'll tell you that God is not going to call new people until we really get ourselves squared around and get rid of all the self-serving stupidity and carnality, false doctrine and glad-handing that is not based on the true love of God. We are coming down to the close of the age and:

• if you can't look out and see how evil and rotten this world is
• if you can't have compassion on the people in the world, knowing what they are going through
• if you cannot be like Jeremiah when he looked down and saw everything that was going on, he said, 'My eyes are weeping with rivers of tears'

Then you don't have a clue as to why you're in the Church!

You better take time between now and the Passover and during the feast of Unleavened Bread to find out.

This is a time to repent and change, and ask God to forgive you and go forward. That's why it says in the model prayer: forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us! We need our sins forgiven every day, because as long as we have rotten, carnal human nature, it's going to be there.

God is not going to remove it because He wants us to see the difference between righteousness and sin so we can overcome it. That's what God wants us to do!

"…but according to their own lusts they shall accumulate to themselves a great number of teachers, having ears itching to hear what satisfies their cravings" (v 3).

Here's the whole lesson of the Feast of Unleavened Bread: 'a little leaven leavens the whole lump,' and I have never yet seen if fail. If you really want the Truth, I guarantee you that God is going to put you through circumstances that you are going to be down to absolutely nothing except you and God, and to choose the Truth and God!

Verse 4: "And they shall turn away their own ears from the Truth; and they shall be turned aside unto myths."

What is a false doctrine? A myth! The most clever false doctrines are those that take Scriptures and twist and turn them, and make them plausibly derived from the Bible. They don't know enough about the Bible!

Paul had to fight this. He even said in 2-Timothy that everyone in Asia had left him, just showing how people don't want the Truth. They want everything else. People want enough religion so they think they're right with God, but they want to have enough contact with the world so they can get along with it!

When the world is going smooth, they'll go that way, and when it's getting tough in the world then they have enough 'religion' they can go back to God. That's a perfect description of a double-minded person!

1-Timothy 1:3: "WhenI was going to Macedonia, I exhorted you to remain in Ephesus, in order that you might solemnly charge some not to teach other doctrines; nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which lead to empty speculations rather than to edification from God, which is in faith" (vs 3-4). Every one of those things happened with the Churches of God, not only then, but now!

Were we not told that the 'great apostle' can trace his bloodline back the Throne of England, and isn't that a wonderful thing? If He doesn't preach the Truth then it's not of God. Remember, he went to Egypt and declared that Allah was the same God as God the Father, which is blasphemous!

You want to know why the Worldwide Church of God went down, you better take another hard look. If you think that so-called apostle of God was a perfect man and preached perfect doctrine, you've got another thought coming.

Now, I do know that he did repent of these things before he died. But he was doing exactly the same thing that Paul was writing about here. That shows about how little people know about the Muslim religion. It is evil, hateful, barbaric, and the way that they treat people and their women is absolutely insane! You need to understand that!

We're going to enter into very dangerous times. If you don't love God and know the Word of God, you're in deep do-do!

Verse 5: "Now, the purpose of the commandment is love out of a pure heart, and a good conscience… [not seeking to come in for power, position, money, or to bring in false doctrines] …and genuine faith… [not fake faith; there is such a thing as fake faith] …from which some, having missed the mark, have turned aside unto vain jangling… [that's what all false doctrines are] …desiring to be teachers of the Law… [they want to be teachers, they want to be important] …neither understanding what they are saying, nor what they are strongly affirming" (vs 5-7)—having people take strong positions on false doctrines—crazy!

Look at this way—let's see if we can put ourselves, and ask God for the perspective:

• How does God see His Church?
• How does God see His people?
• How does God view this nonsense and confusion that is going on?

We can be thankful that God is loving and kind and tolerant. He will deal with us, hopefully in mercy, to bring us to repentance. But there comes a time when He says that He's going 'to vomit you out of My mouth'! Spit you out!

Verse 8: "Now we know that the Law is good, if anyone uses it lawfully."

Likewise we know that the Law is good and true if we use it in truth and lawfully in the right way. With that said, let's first of all answer: Did Jesus keep the Passover? That's why we have the books:

• A Harmony of the Gospels
• The Christian Passover

We will answer the question both ways:

• Did Jesus keep the Passover?
• Did He keep a pre-Passover?
• Did He keep the Passover and the Night to be Much Observed on the same night?

{A Harmony of the Gospels can be used to see the following Scriptures from The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, a Faithful Version in parallel}

Matthew 26:17: "Now, on the first of the unleaveneds…"

Part of the misunderstanding on putting the Night to be much Observed on the 14th day—in other words moving the 15th back to the 14th—is based upon a mistranslation, an inserted word. In the KJV it's even in italic to alert you that it wasn't in the original.

I'm going to prove a point to you right here. If you do not know that in the King James Version of the Bible as well as The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, A Faithful Version that we have published, that the italicized words are words there meant to clarify and were not in the original. However, some of the added words, which are meant to clarify, cloud the issue and even bring in a false assumption.

One of the assumptions that was made concerning moving the Night to be Much Observed—the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread—and put it on the 14th, the Passover—is because of the italicized words added in the KJV of the Bible. So, to depend upon that to establish that doctrine shows an absolute shallowness of understanding the Word of God, of how to study and put together things, and is absolutely a wrong premise.

Matthew 26:17 (KJV): Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread…"—italicized, meaning they are not in the original! So, to claim that the New Testament puts the first day of Unleavened Bread on the 14th is incorrect!

That's why I explained it thoroughly in detail in the Passover book, and also in the footnote in the Harmony.

"…the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the Passover?" (v 17).

So, they say, 'Oh look, that combines the Passover and the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. I've got a brand new doctrine.'

If you come to a hard-to-understand verse, don't make an assumption. Dig, dig, dig, find the Truth! If you don't, you don't love the Truth. You may think that this is slick and easy to understand, but it's not so.

{Footnote in A Harmony of the Gospels}

Footnote: *This phrase has caused some confusion. It is certain that this phrase does not refer to the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins after, not before, the Passover. As recorded in the Gospels, "the first of the unleaveneds"…

That's why it's translated that way in the Harmony and in the Original Order Bible , because that's a literal translation of what the words mean! The word feast is not there. If the word feast were there in the Greek, then we would have something to consider, but it's not.

…was the day that the lambs were killed. Those who obeyed God's ordinances in Exodus 12 and kept the domestic Passover killed their lambs at the beginning of the 14th of Nisan. Those who followed the traditions of Judaism killed the lambs at the temple on the afternoon of the 14th. The Gospel writers were clearly referring to the 14th, and not to the 15th, as "the first of the unleaveneds." In New Testament times…

What was believed at the time this was written? Not to assume and think it to be today because of the KJV!

…this term was commonly used for the 14th day of the first month.

"In the first century, it was commonly known that 'the day of the unleaveneds' in Luke 22:7 was the 14th Passover day. G. Amadon, in an article entitled, 'The Crucifixion Calendar,' pointed out the error of those translators who translated this verse to read 'the first day of the festival.'….

So, even carnal-minded scholars in the world know that this is an incorrect translation. I provided this information in the Passover book and in A Harmony of the Gospels. So, if you did not read it, whoever believes this doctrine, you reveal your shallowness of research, though you may have studied for a long, long time. You can study for a long time and still be shallow in your research. Length of time does not necessarily indicate depth of research.

…[The following words are cited from this article.] 'But on what authority should the Hebrew translators, as Salkinson and Delitzch, introduce the word chag [a Hebrew word for "feast"] into these texts when the corresponding Greek has no word for "feast," and speaks only of the "first of the unleavened bread"—a common expression for the Jewish 14th with practically all first century writers' " (Journal of Biblical Literature, vol. LXIII, 1944, pp. 188-189, emphasis added).

There are no grounds anywhere in the New Testament or the Old Testament for combining the 15th on the 14th or the 14th on the 15th! None!

Matthew 26:17 (FV): "Now, on 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?'…."

He did not eat a Lord's Supper! He did not eat a pre-Passover meal because He knew that He was going to be crucified later that day. He ate the Passover! The time of the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ has to do, not with Exo. 12, nor with the traditional service of the Jews at the temple, but it has to do with the covenant that God made with Abraham.

I spend three chapters in the Passover book going through it in detail and have a chart in there and in the Harmony showing it goes clear back to Abraham.

Verse 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.'"' Then the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and prepared the Passover" (vs 18-19).

I did put house in v 18 in italic because it's not there in the original, but we will see that it is in the parallel accounts, therefore, it was perfectly correct to put it in the account in Matthew to make it clear.

(go to the next track)

As we're going along here, we need to ask:

• Do you think that God is going to make us kings and priests if we cannot search out and understand the way that things that God has laid them out for us, and be willing to follow it?
• Do you think that He's going to bring someone into His Kingdom who is not going to obey Him first in this life?
• Who is not going to believe Him first in this life?
• Who is not going to, in faith, stand for the Truth in this life?

stop and consider:

• just because you may attending a church
• just because you say that you're in the Church of God
• just because you may have been there for a long, long time

Length of time does not guarantee you anything! It is how you stand before God, and that's how God is judging you.

If people are going to led aside by every wind of doctrine, and slight of hand and cunning craftiness of men…

People have followed along and said, 'Oh, the foot-washing is after.' Again because of the mistranslation in the KJV; all explained in the Passover book. It is there, and no one has disproved anything that is in the Passover book. There does not mean that there can't be some improvement, of course not. But no one has proved any error or disproved anything that has been written in it.

There have been vilifying attacks against me as being anti-Semitic and so forth. If they can't get rid of the message, they've got to get rid of the messenger! It's good to have it printed in a book!

Perhaps that some people don't read the Passover book is because they want to do their own research, and in doing so they reveal that they don't know how to research, and they don't go into it the way they ought to really discover the Truth. In researching are you looking for the Truth? or Are you looking for a position?

• IF you want a position you'll find it!
• IF you looking for Truth, you'll find it!

Again, I'm going to refer you to the Passover book where I fully explain why Mark 14:12 is translated this way.

Mark 14:12: "And on the first day of the unleaveneds, when they were killing the Passover lambs, His disciples said to Him, 'Where do You desire that we go and prepare, so that You may eat the Passover?'"

When did God say that they were to kill the Passover lambs? Exo. 12—'ben ha arbayim'—right after sunset and before dark!

Most of them did it right after the sun had set! So, because this is in the present tense—it's a present tense participle—they were killing the Passover lambs at what time of day did this have to be? Right after the sun had done down, and they first started killing the Passover lambs at the houses for the domestic Passover. We will see that this is a domestic Passover.

No temple sacrifice lamb was used here. Jesus didn't say to run up to the temple and grab a lamb. They were walking into Jerusalem and the disciples were seeing that at the various houses people killing the Passover lamb, and Jesus hadn't told them a single word about Passover, and it was on them! But Jesus had already had it prepared well in advance, and they didn't know it. What did Jesus say?

Verse 13. "And He sent two of His disciples, and said to them, 'Go into the city, and you shall meet a man carrying a pitcher of water; follow him. And whatever house he shall enter, say to the master of the house…'" (vs 13-14)

It was a domestic Passover, because Jesus was God manifested in the flesh, and He was the One Who gave the commands in the Old Testament. Since He was God, He keeps His own laws!

"…that the Teacher says, "Where is the guest chamber, where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?" And he shall show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. There prepare for us.' And His disciples went away: and when they came into the city, they found it exactly as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover" (vs 14-16).

Luke 22:7: "Then came the day of the unleaveneds…" It was obligatory!

Again, read the Passover book for all the details concerning it. When was it done? Exactly the time that God commanded it to be done!

"…in which it was obligatory to kill the Passover lambs. And He sent Peter and John, saying, 'Go and prepare the Passover for us that we may eat.' But they said to Him, 'Where do You desire that we prepare it?' And He said to them, 'Watch, and when you come into the city…" (vs 7-10). They were just right outside the gates ready to go in!

"…you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house that he enters; and you shall say to the master of the house, "The Teacher says to you, 'Where is the guest chamber, where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?'" And he shall show you a large upper room furnished; there prepare.' Then they went and found everything exactly as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover" (vs 10-13).

They did not prepare the Night to be Much Observed! Those lambs had to be killed at the temple. So, you cannot combine the Night to be Much Observed on the Passover night! That is twisting and distorting the Scriptures, it's a slight of hand, and it is not true! All of the papers that I have read do not prove it! And have not disproved anything either inThe Christian Passover book or A Harmony of the Gospels!

The reason is, as I've said before—which we'll state here:

Satan wants to confuse the whole issue concerning the Passover is because he doesn't want anyone to receive eternal life!

He is going to come with cleverly designed arguments to get you to think that you are doing right. He's not going to come with a—and these papers are almost as blatant as you can get—false doctrine, but he's going to come cleverly!

I don't care how accurate a counterfeit bill is, it is still counterfeit. It looks like the real thing, but it's not! Same way with the Passover! 'Oh, this sounds really good,' but it's not true!

When you have a counterfeit bill you always hold it up to the light and it revels the truth. What do we do with doctrine? We hold it up to the light of God's Word and it reveals the Truth! Is it authentic or not?

Once you understand the Truth of what we just read is the simplicity of Christ. He doesn't make it complicated. MEN have made things complicated, because they don't want to believe God! They want to tell God what to do!

All you have to do is read Job 40 if you have something very important that you want to tell God, that you're going to tell God what to do, you better read Job 40, and I suggest you to do it on your knees while you're praying. Ask yourself: Do you really want, at the resurrection, for God to talk to you the way that He talked to Job in Job 40? Think about it!

Now we're going to make another point, a very simple point.

Luke 22:14: "Now, when the hour had come…

There's a proper time and hour to keep the Passover!

• What had to happen? They had to have had the lamb roasted!
• When was the lamb killed? Right after sundown!
• How long is 'ben ha arbayim'? About an hour and a half that time of year!

So, when Jesus came, it was just about dark, and that gave plenty of time for a small lamb to be roasted with fire. You can read all about that in the Christian Passover book

Mark 14:17: "Now after evening had come…"

• What are we talking about?
• What is 'ben ha arbayim' is what? Between the two evenings!

So, when He came at evening it wasn't at sunset!

• When was it? The evening just as it was getting dark; between the two evenings, between sunset and dark!

Luke 22:15: "And He said to them, 'With earnest desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you that I will not eat of it again until it be fulfilled in the Kingdom of God'" (vs 15-16).

Can you imagine what kind of Passover we're going to have with Christ commemorating receiving eternal life?

We're going to look at a couple of other things here as we go along, and we will continue right in the Harmony since it's all together there.

I wrote a letter, which was a copy of a letter that I did in 1975. How long has this misunderstanding and false doctrine been around? In English for a long time, but at least within my experience within the Church of God since 1975!

Let's read John 13 in the KJV first; this shows the shallowness of the man who created this doctrine (referring to the paper Fred received). He didn't have to know any Greek to understand that this was not after supper. All he had to do is have an Interlinear and the English translation would have showed it to him very clearly, which says, 'And supper taking place…'

John 13:2 (KJV): "And supper being ended…" not a proper translation! It is during supper. The Greek work that is used means at the beginning of supper.

In those days, when you came in they washed your feet. Why wash your feet at the end when everything is all over and you're going to leave and go out on the dusty street? Why not just leave your feet dusty?

A lot of people would say that's right, 'Why should we do foot-washing today?' Because that's how silly some people think!

John 13:2 (FV): "And after supper began (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…" (vs 2-5).

That was at the beginning of the New Testament Passover. But let's read what John says about foot-washing:

Verse 12: "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; for I have given you an example, to show that you also should do exactly as I have done to you. Truly, truly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his lord, nor a messenger greater than he who sent him" (vs 12-16). Very powerful statement!

• IF you do not agree with Christ you're setting yourself up greater than Him!
• IF you bring another message other than what Christ has taught, you're setting yourself up greater than the messenger who was the Son of God, God manifested in the flesh!

You're actually setting yourself up higher than God the Father, because God the Father sent Jesus! This becomes very serious business!

But people say, 'Oh, that's wonderful; let's have foot-washing after the Passover!' They lose the whole purpose of foot-washing, that it's a humbling experience! That sets the tone for receiving and taking the Passover!

Jesus had to finish the Old Testament Passover first; that's important to understand. He had to bring that to a conclusion because the Church from that time forward was not going to have a meal with the Passover.

If you have the Night to be Much Observed imposed upon the Passover night, you must have a meal with it! So, Jesus had to end the Old Testament Passover. Let's see how Jesus ended it.

Verse 18: "I am not speaking of you all; for I know whom I have chosen, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled: "He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me." I am telling you at this time, before it happens, so that when it does happen, you may believe that I AM. Truly, truly I tell you, the one who receives whomever I send is receiving Me; and the one who receives Me is receiving Him Who sent Me" (vs 18-20).

An awesome responsibility for anyone who proclaims himself to be a teacher or assumes to be a teacher.

Verse 21: "As He was saying these things, Jesus was troubled in spirit, and testified, saying, 'Truly, truly I tell you, one of you shall betray Me.' Then the disciples looked at one another, wondering of whom He was speaking. Now one of His disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was leaning on Jesus' chest. And so, Simon Peter motioned to him to ask who was the one of whom He was speaking. Then he leaned back on Jesus' chest and asked Him, 'Lord, who is it?' Jesus answered, 'It is the one to whom I shall give a sop after I have dipped it.' And when He had dipped the sop, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, Simon's son" (vs 21-26).

To end the Old Covenant, notice what this is symbolic of:

Verse 27: "And after the sop, Satan entered into him…." Jesus turned him over to Satan and his own devices!

"…Then Jesus said to him, 'What you do, do quickly'" (v 27).

Quite a profound way to end the Old Testament Passover! The reason that it was done this way is because the majority of the Jews—especially the Jewish religious authorities—rejected Jesus, and condemned Him.

They had many opportunities to repent, but they didn't do it! Just like people today who come up with false doctrines, they have many opportunities to repent, but will they?

If they do not repent, what is the end of it going to be? The judgment of God is upon all of us! But we want the judgment of God to be upon us for good and for grace,not for judgment and correction. Part of the whole thing of the Passover is that if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged of God!

In other words, IF we would judge ourselves with the Word of God and do the correcting ourselves, THEN God would not to have to correct us!

If we find that we're doing things not right, we see that they're not right and we change, God doesn't have to correct us for it, because we have followed the leading of God's Spirit to make the correction!

If you have not experienced that in your life then you need to get closer to God so God's Spirit can lead you to give you conviction of heart and mind so you can change.

Verse 30: "So then, after receiving the sop, he immediately went out; and it was night. When he was gone, Jesus said, 'Now has the Son of man been glorified, and God has been glorified in Him. If God has been glorified in Him, God shall also glorify Him in Himself, and shall immediately glorify Him'" (vs 30-32).

The reason that was so was because Jesus would then become the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Very important to know and understand!

• What happened on this day?
• Were the disciples celebrating? No!
• What did they do?

After they were done they went out to the Garden of Gethsemane and Jesus prayed for approximately three hours, somewhere between 10 and about 1 or what we would call midnight.

• Were they celebrating? No!
• What happened then? At midnight God the Father did not pass over His firstborn—Jesus Christ—but rather delivered Him to become the sacrifice!

The reason that the Passover Day is not a Holy Day—though it is a Feast day—is because all the work that is done on the Passover Day. All of the work, anxiety, problems and difficulties that happened on the Passover Day with the crucifixion of Christ, is why it is not a Holy Day, though it is a Feast.

So, Jesus was arrested and led off and brought before the 'religious' leaders. Where were the disciples? They followed! Even Peter followed and he denied Jesus three times! You can read all the rest of the story in the Passover book or in A Harmony of the Gospels.

Were there two Passovers celebrated during the days of Jesus? Yes! The 14th Passover and the 15th Passover!

John 18:28—this was early in the morning, probably between 5:30 and 6A.M.:

John 18:28 (FV): "Now then, they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the judgment hall, and it was early…." This is Pilate's judgment hall!

Matthew 27:1: "Now, when morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death. And after binding Him, they led Him away and delivered Him up to Pontius Pilate, the governor" (vs 1-2).

John 18:28: "Now then, they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the judgment hall, and it was early. But they did not go into the judgment hall, so that they would not be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover." This verse tells us a lot of things:

• Since Jesus already ate His Passover the night before this morning, and they hadn't eaten the Passover, yet!

• What does this tell us? There are two Passovers!
• How can it not be so? The whole history of Judaism proclaims that it is so!

• Why wouldn't they go into the judgment hall? Where was the judgment hall? In Fort Antonia! What was Fort Antonia? Roman property!

If they would have gone in there, they would have been in a strange Gentile land and unclean! What they would have to do to go through the cleansing ceremony and the time involved would be more than from sunrise to sunset.

Let's look at something that's very important to show you. Let's see what the practice was, because if you recall the instructions concerning if you're on a journey afar off and can't keep the Passover then you come back into the land, and you can keep it in the second month on the 14th.

• Where were most of the Jews at this time? Scattered throughout the Roman Empire, over in Babylon, all along North Africa, up into Rome, Spain and so forth!
• Where were they? In Gentile lands!

If they made the pilgrimage to come and keep the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, what did they have to do ritually in order to come to the temple?

John 11:55: "Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up out of the country to Jerusalem before the Passover, so that they might purify themselves."

Apparently if the Jewish leaders would have gone into Fort Antonia then whatever it was that they had to do to purify themselves, there would not be enough time to do so from sunrise to sunset and then be clean to eat their traditional Passover beginning the night of the 15th. So, when they came out of the Diaspora they went up there.

Verse 56: "Then they were watching for Jesus, and were saying to one another while standing in the temple, 'What do you think, that He will not come to the Feast at all?'"

Whatever they had to do to purify themselves, because they lived in a Gentile country and were unclean by reason of living there, they had to do. This is why it is said of the priests and so forth that they didn't go into the judgment hall because they didn't want to be defiled. They wanted to keep their Passover on the night of the 15th; it's the next night.

So, Jesus ate it on the 14th then they had to eat it on the 15th. How can you say that the Jews always kept the 14th Passover and there was not such thing as a 15th Passover? It's unbelievable!

I tell you what, with all the things that we have available for us today to really know and understand, to research and do what we need to do, we have no excuse before God for believing these false doctrines and silly things that people want!

Just exactly where we started out with what Paul said, that people will not endure sound doctrine because they want to hear strange and interesting things and myths, and believe them!

The Passover and the Covenant of Eternal Life is so important that we cannot get caught in the trap of believing silly arguments or propositions.

• that's not to say that we're not to study
• that's not to say that we are not to research

That's to say that if we do, we better do it right, seeking Truth, in a way that we are going to do the things that God wants us to do!

Let's finish where we started, 1-Cor. 11. Even within the Church, because people are lukewarm and stagnant, the Truth is no longer interesting to they, so them want to listen to new and strange things. It's just like the monks who are in monasteries.

• What did they have to study? The Word of God!
• Were they not the ones who wrote it down and copied it accurately, in most cases? Yes!
• How many times did it say against idolatry, false gods and all the doctrines that the Catholics and the Orthodox were all wrapped up in. they had the Word of God right before them, but it was more interesting to have an idol of Mary and bow down to her. It was more interesting to have a false doctrine and so forth.

Let me tell you something, if you're bored with the Truth of God, you are in deep do-do!

1-Corinthians 11:18: "For first of all, I hear that there are divisions among you when you are assembled together in the Church, and I partly believe it."

Yes, it was quite a church! They got together and you would have the prophecy group over here, the doctrine group over there, the tongues group over there and the followers of Paul over here, the followers of Peter over there, the follows of Jesus over here, the followers of Apollos over there. One has a Psalm, another has a doctrine, another has revelation. Sounds like The Journal! {a publication born out of those in the former WCG}

Verse 19: "For it is necessary that heresies be among you…" These are going to come because of carnality, it is necessary to bring to the front false doctrines and to prove who is teaching the Truth, and who loves the Truth and who does not!

"…so that the ones who are approved may become manifest among you" (v 19). Approved by God by their fruits!

Verse 20: "Therefore, when you assemble together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord's supper."

If you are going to combine the Night to be Much Observed on the Passover night, you must have a supper. That's what these people do, they go through and have the breaking of the bread, then they have the drinking of the wine, then the foot-washing and then the hoopla of the Night to be Much Observed and a big meal. Paul said very clearly:

Verse 33: "So then, my brethren, when you assemble together to eat the bread and drink the cup, wait for one another. But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home… [obviously before he came to keep the Passover] …so that there will be no cause for judgment when you assemble together…." (vs 33-34).

So, what happens, you combine the Night to be Much Observed with the Passover and do it the way that I just explained:

• What are you bringing to yourself? God's judgment!
• Why? Because you're not doing it in the proper order that Jesus set forth!
• Who gives any man the arrogant right to do away with a day? Which is what you do when you combine the 15th with the 14th!'
• Who gave you the right to make the 6th day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the 7th day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and to make the 6th day when God didn't?

People have not thought these things through! If that offends you, you take it to God, became I'm preaching what is the Truth!

Verse 20: "Therefore, when you assemble together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord's supper."

I've got a whole chapter on that in the Passover book. When you go to these Protestant churches, do you eat the Lord's Supper? Why do you eat it at 10 o'clock in the morning? Grape juice and bread! Or if you're in the Mormon Church, bread and water!

All of this is just so much self-righteous stupidity of men thinking they're better than God!  

Verse 21: "For in eating, everyone takes his own supper first…" You sit down and take all of the best of it first!

I was at a Feast of Pentecost one time in a Church I used to pastor and I went back to visit the minister who replaced me was so filled with vanity and rulership and power that what he did is have a special table setup for the elders and deacons on the stage and all the lesser deacons would have to bring the best of the food brought and bring it to the table of the minister and sit up there and look down on all the brethren while they stood in line. The minister called to me and said, 'Fred, come up here!' I said, 'No, no no!'

I wouldn't join him on anything! I stayed down there and got my plate and talked with the brethren.

Let them have the best, and they'll choke on it! By the way, he's no longer in the Church, he's no longer a minister. His arrogance and everything led him to steal another man's wife in the Church and destroy that family and destroy her husband and to destroy everything for his vanity and self-serving!

I recommended that that man never be ordained, because he came out and was a ministerial assistant with me one summer, and I said that 'he's too vain and egotistical!' Whose judgment was right?

"…now on the one hand, someone goes hungry; but on the other hand, another becomes drunken. WHAT! Don't you have houses for eating and drinking? Or do you despise the Church of God…" (vs 21-22).

Let's be very frank! If you want to believe these kinds of false doctrines, and if there are ministers and elders and people out there who believe that, you despise the Church of God and you despise the Body of Christ because you are serving your own self-centered doctrines rather than the Truth of God!

"…and put to shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you!" (v 22).

All such Passover papers in the future I will guarantee will be BOA—burned on arrival! If not BOA, then TOA—thrown out on arrival!

Verse 23: "For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread." That the Passover night!

Verse 28: But let a man examine himself…" That's what we need to do in this situation!

Not only in our life for the Passover that is coming up, but also examine himself as to why he would teach such a thing. Why would people follow him, except that you fit into 2-Tim. 4

Scriptures from The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, A Faithful Version (except where noted)

Scriptural References:

• Matthew 6:9, 6-10
• Matthew 7:20-23
• 2 Timothy 4:1
• 2 Timothy 3:13-17
• 1 Timothy 4:1-4
• 1 Timothy 1:3-8
• Matthew 26:17-19
• Mark 14:12-16
• Luke 22:7-14
• Mark 14:17
• Luke 22:15-16
• John 13:2-5, 12-16, 18-26, 30-32
• John 18:28
• Matthew 27:1-2
• John 18:28
• John 11:55-56
• 1 Corinthians 11:18-23, 28

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• 1 Kings 18
• Exodus 12
• Job 40

Also referenced:
Books:

• The Christian Passover by Fred R. Coulter
• A Harmony of the Gospels by Fred R. Coulter

Booklet: The Fourteen Rules of Bible Study

Sermon Series: Hebrews

FRC:bo
Transcribed: 8/13/20