The Jews Have Been Right All These Centuries -- 12 Proofs WHY Passover Should Be Observed On Nisan 15!

It is time we understand, and get this matter right, once and for all! There is simply no excuse for all the confusion that seems to exist among end-time remnants of the Church of YEHOVAH God as to when Passover ought to be observed. In this article, I will give you twelve powerful reasons, based on Scriptural evidence, that there should be no question on this vital matter -- no disagreement, no confusion, and no disunity. The very fact that such confusion, disunity and disarray exists, today, tells us a great deal about the spiritual condition of the leadership and members of most of the end-time Churches of YEHOVAH God which observe the weekly Sabbath and profess to observe YEHOVAH God's annual holy days!

When did YEHOVAH originally command that the Passover be observed? YEHOVAH commanded Israel, "In the tenth day of this month [Nisan], they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house . . . And ye shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall KILL IT in the evening [Hebrew, "between the two evenings"]. . . . And they shall EAT the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. . . . For I will PASS through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt . . . And THIS DAY shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a FEAST to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a FEAST by an ordinance for ever" (Exodus 12:3-14).

This passage shows that the lambs were kept up until the afternoon of Nisan 14, when they were slain, "between the two evenings." This expression meant simply between noon, when the sun begins to go "down," and sunset, when the sun has "gone" down -- it means, in other words, the time of the "going down" of the sun in the sky, until it has completely set (see also Deut. 16:6).

Since in YEHOVAH God's calendar each day begins at sunset and ends at sunset (Leviticus 23:32; Gen. 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31), this means that the lambs were sacrificed at the last few hours of Nisan 14, and then roasted and eaten that same night, after sunset, or on NISAN 15! Nothing can be plainer than this simple fact.

In Exodus 12, YEHOVAH God goes on to tell His people, "And ye shall observe this thing for an ORDINANCE TO THEE AND TO THY SONS FOR EVER" (verse 24). When children would ask their parents about this day, they were to teach them, "It is the sacrifice of the LORD's passover, who PASSOVER OVER the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses" (verse 27).

That very night, at midnight on Nisan 15, YEHOVAH God "smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt" and "there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead" (v. 30). Pharaoh was very upset, and all his advisers. He called for Moses and Aaron "by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people" (verse 31). The whole land of Egypt was desperate, anxious that the Israelites should leave immediately, "in haste; for they said, We be all dead men" (verse 33). They were afraid they would ALL die! So early the next morning, which was Nisan 15 still, the Israelites began moving OUT of Egypt in the greatest Exodus the world has ever seen. Three to five million people, men, women, and children began the journey to Canaan, with their flocks and herds.

This fateful night of the Passover was established by YEHOVAH God to be "a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations" (Exo. 12:42). This night was the "ordinance of the passover" (vs. 47-48).

We read, "And the children of Israel journeyed from Ramses to Succoth" (Exo. 12:37), the first stage of their journey, when they began marching out of Egypt. What day was this? "And they departed from Ramses in the first month, on the FIFTEENTH DAY of the first month; on the morrow [morning] AFTER the passover the children of Israel went out with an high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians. For the Egyptians buried all their firstborn, which the LORD had smitten among them" (Numbers 33:3-4).

Some few small groups claim that the Passover was slain after sunset, when Nisan 14 began, that all the next day (still Nisan 14) the Israelites stayed in Egypt taking their merry time, collecting their things, and that they did not leave until the FOLLOWING day -- Nisan 15! Such an interpretation, however, does violence to the Scriptures which clearly state that the Egyptians were so fearful of their lives that they pressured the Israelites to leave IN HASTE, immediately -- not a whole day later! It also does violence to the fact that when Israel left, they were pushed out with such urgency and haste that their cakes and bread dough "was not leavened; because they were THRUST OUT of Egypt, and COULD NOT TARRY, neither had they prepared for themselves any victuals" (Exo. 12:39).

These Scriptures clearly prove, therefore, that Passover should be observed on Nisan 15! This was the original date when YEHOVAH God COMMANDED it to be observed!

The apostle Paul wrote, "What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? MUCH EVERY WAY," he answered his own question. He went on: "chiefly, because that unto THEM were committed the ORACLES OF GOD" (Romans 3:1-2). YEHOVAH entrusted His Word and by extension His Holy Days and revelations TO THE JEWS for them to be preserved throughout the generations and centuries and millennia. Were it not for the Jews' faithfulness to this command, we would not even possess the entire Old Testament of the Bible, where the laws and commandments of YEHOVAH God are all recorded!

The Jews all understand the truth about Passover, and all orthodox Jews to this very day, and all Judaism as a whole, observes Passover on NISAN 15, just as their forefathers and ancestors have done, century after century after century! They have never departed from this truth, any more than they have lost the correct weekly Sabbath day! Although Jews have, to this day, by and large rejected Yeshua as the Messiah, they have adhered to their own ancient laws and customs and traditions, and the laws and holy days of YEHOVAH God, despite vehement persecution from Catholics, Protestants, and so-called "Christians," who have rejected the laws of YEHOVAH God and substituted pagan observances in their place!

When did the Jews observe Passover during the time of the Messiah? The answer is, they observed it on Nisan 15, just as YEHOVAH God commanded. The gospel of John makes this fact absolutely clear and irrefutable. We read in John 13, "Now BEFORE the feast of the PASSOVER, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of the world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. And supper being ended . . . [Jesus] RISETH FROM SUPPER, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet . . ." (John 13:1-5).

This was the night of the "Lord's Supper." It was the last meal Yeshua was to have with his disciples. But notice carefully. John tells us in clear, unmistakable language that this supper was "BEFORE the feast of the Passover" -- therefore it itself was NOT the "Passover," as so many churches claim today!

In fact, the following night and day, when Yeshua was taken captive by the guard of the Sanhedrin, and brought before the high priest, and early the next morning before Pontius Pilate, the Jewish leaders "went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might EAT THE PASSOVER" (John 18:28). In other words, the Passover had not yet come! And this was the early daylight portion of Nisan 14.

Later that same morning, Pilate had Yeshua scourged and beaten (John 19:1-3). This time Pilate brought Yeshua before the gathered crowd of Jews, who demanded that he be crucified and executed (verses 5-12). Pilate, having no character or moral convictions about the matter, gave in to the pressure from the masses, and brought Yeshua forth to be condemned. "And it was the PREPARATION OF THE PASSOVER, and about the sixth hour [6:00 AM, Roman time]: And he said unto the Jews, Behold your King!" (John 19:14).

How plain! The true Passover had NOT yet arrived; it has not yet been observed. The Passover symbols which Yeshua had introduced during the last supper he had with his disciples, the previous evening, were introduced IN ANTICIPATION OF THE TRUE PASSOVER, anticipating or looking forward to the proper day of its observance! This was only natural, for Yeshua himself would be dead and buried in the grave on Nisan 15, the true time for the Passover meal and observance!

Yeshua was then crucified, and hanged on the tree from 9:00 AM till 3:00 PM, when he expired (see Mark 15:25, 34). After his death, "The Jews therefore, because it was the PREPARATION, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day -- the weekly Sabbath AND the annual Holy Day both fell within the same day), besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away" (John 19:30-31). Notice! It was after Yeshua was dead, after 3:00 PM in the afternoon of Nisan 14 -- and it was still the "PREPARATION" OF THE PASSOVER! The Passover lambs were even at that precise time being slaughtered at the Temple in Jerusalem -- something like 200,000 of them, according to the Jewish first century historian Josephus. They were being prepared for roasting that very night. Preparations were even then underway for the Passover meal which would be celebrated AT NIGHT, NISAN 15, just as the Jews had done for centuries, just as all Israel had done in the very year of the Exodus out of Egypt!

Clearly, the Jews celebrated Passover on Nisan 15 -- and it was to them that YEHOVAH God committed His Words and Oracles! We should, therefore, follow their example!

Yeshua the Messiah told his disciples, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: ALL THEREFORE whatsoever they bid you OBSERVE, that observe and DO . . ." (Matt. 23:2-3). The Pharisees were the remnant of YEHOVAH's true Old Testament Church. They taught the word of YEHOVAH God and laws of YEHOVAH God correctly, insofar as the laws of Moses were concerned. Yeshua, in this passage of Scripture, plainly tells us that we are to FOLLOW THEIR EXAMPLE and TEACHING as to the laws and commandments of YEHOVAH God, because they had the authority passed down from the time of Moses himself! Yeshua said we are to observe "whatsoever" they bid us to do! That would certainly include, since nothing was left out, the observance of Passover on Nisan 15, at night!

The Pharisees were the Jewish religious leaders during the time of the Messiah, and we have already seen how they observed Passover on Nisan 15. The apostle Paul himself was also a Pharisee. He testified to the Jews, "I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and TAUGHT ACCORDING TO THE PERFECT MANNER OF THE LAW of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day" (Acts 22:3). Paul obviously was not ashamed of his Pharisaical upbringing.

On another occasion, Paul told the assembled Sanhedrin, "Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee" (Acts 23:6). Paul later testified before king Agrippa, "My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews; which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a PHARISEE" (Acts 26:4).

Paul, therefore, always observed Passover and ate the Passover meal on Nisan 15! If this were a huge doctrinal mistake, as some claim, then Paul could not have written to the Philippians that he was "as touching the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH IS IN THE LAW, BLAMELESS" (Phil. 3:4-6).

Yeshua the Messiah himself, of course, set us a perfect example. He never sinned. He never observed the Passover, or any other holy day of YEHOVAH God, on the wrong day! All His life, he was PERFFECT! (Heb. 5:7-8). He was absolutely sinless -- never sinned a day in his life, although he was tempted as we are (Heb.2:14-18). He was "in all points tempted like as we are, YET WITHOUT SIN" (Heb.4:15). Yeshua "knew no sin" (II Cor. 5:21).

Therefore, Yeshua the Messiah set us the PERFECT EXAMPLE of how to live pleasing in the sight of YEHOVAH God. The apostle John wrote, "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked" (I John 2:6). The Messiah lived his life in a perfect manner, "leaving us an EXAMPLE, that ye should FOLLOW HIS STEPS" (I Peter 2:21).

What day, then, did Yeshua observe the Passover? Notice! "Now his parents went TO JERUSALEM EVERY YEAR AT THE FEAST OF THE PASSOVER. And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem AFTER THE CUSTOM OF THE FEAST" -- that is, the Jewish traditional custom! "And when they had FULFILLED THE DAYS [observed all sevend days of unleavened bread!], as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it . . ." (Luke 2:41-43).

This passage shows us plainly that Joseph and Mary and their family, including Yeshua , their son, all observed the Passover on Nisan 15, the same time all the religious Jews did.

Is Yeshua the Messiah living his life in you, today, in your heart and mind? Has he taken up residence in your flesh through the Holy Spirit of YEHOVAH God? The apostle Paul wrote, "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his" (Rom. 8:9). Furthermore, Paul wrote, "For as many as are LED by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" (Rom. 8:14).

Paul himself declared, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but CHRIST LIVETH IN ME: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20). Is the Messiah living his life IN YOU -- today?

If you think he is, then consider this: YEHOVAH God Almighty declared, "I change not" (Mal. 3:6). Yeshua the Messiah is now a spirit being. He also does not CHANGE! The apostle Paul wrote of him, "Jesus Christ the SAME yesterday, and today, and forever" (Hebrews 3:8).

Now consider. Yeshua the Messiah, as we have proved, observed Passover on Nisan 15, just like the Jews did -- just as YEHOVAH God commanded! AND HE DOES NOT CHANGE! Therefore, he must still observe it on the VERY SAME DAY, IN OUR AGE, AS HE DID 1900 YEARS AGO!

If he is dwelling inside you, through the Holy Spirit of YEHOVAH God, which YEHOVAH only gives to those who OBEY Him (Acts 5:32), then YOU, TOO, WILL BE OBSERVING PASSOVER ON NISAN 15, JUST AS HE DID, AND STILL DOES, TODAY!

Some may think that it really doesn't matter when we observe the Passover, so long as we observe it. Is this true? Again, the mere opinions of men who are fallible should not be used to justify disobedience to the plain commandments of Almighty God and His divine Word!

YEHOVAH God commands us clearly, "These are the FEASTS OF THE LORD"not your feasts or my feasts, but YEHOVAH's very own Feasts; they belong to HIM, and are to be observed in HIS HONOR! -- "even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. In the fourteenth day of the first month AT EVEN [at the end of the day!] is the LORD's passover [when the lambs were to be slain]. And on the FIFTEENTH DAY of the same month is the FEAST of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread" (Lev. 23:4-6).

Notice! These feasts are to be proclaimed "in their seasons." The New International Version translates this passage, "These are the LORD's APPOINTED FEASTS, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim AT THEIR APPOINTED TIMES. The Passover BEGINS at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. On the fifteenth day of that month the LORD's FEAST of unleavened bread begins" (same verses).

Notice! We are COMMANDED to keep these holy days "at their appointed times." That means NO OTHER TIME WILL SUFFICE OR COUNT! To observe these days at any OTHER time would be REBELLION AGAINST YEHOVAH GOD! Thus, to observe the Passover 24 hours earlier, at the BEGINNING of the 14th of Nisan, is tantamount to spiritual REBELLION and WITCHCRAFT! As the prophet Samuel said to ancient king Saul, who did not fulfill YEHOVAH's literal command to slaughter and kill ALL the Amalekites (I Samuel 15:1-9), "When thou was little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel? And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. Wherefore then didst thou not OBEY the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst EVIL in the sight of the LORD?" (I Sam. 15:17-19).

Saul protested that he was innocent, even as Samuel heard the bleating of the sheep and the mooing of the cattle in his ears. Then Saul attempted to justify himself by blaming the "people" for saving some of the sheep and cattle of the Amalekites alive. But Samuel thundered in his ear, "Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in OBEYING THE VOICE of the LORD? Behold, TO OBEY is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. FOR REBELLION IS AS THE SIN OF WITCHCRAFT, and stubborness is as iniquity and IDOLATRY. Because you have REJECTED the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king" (verses 22-23).

To try to change one of YEHOVAH God's Holy Day observances, even by 24 hours, is REBELLION against the law of YEHOVAH God, and REJECTION of the Word of YEHOVAH God! It is IDOLATRY! It is iniquity and WITCHCRAFT!

Those who knowingly do so are guilty of the very same sin as that of king Saul, who lost his kingship because of his rebellion! Those who knowingly and deliberately REBEL and observe the Passover at the WRONG TIME are doing EVIL in the sight of YEHOVAH God, and will lose out on their kingship in the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God -- they will wind up instead in the lake of fire and brimstone, along with all the other wicked idolaters and commandment breakers! (Rev. 21:8). The fearful, wavering, unbelieving, disobedient, and abominable, will have their portion "in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (same verse). From that death there is no resurrection!

The prophet Isaiah foretold that the Messiah would come to MAGNIFY the laws of YEHOVAH God, not do away with them. We read, "The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness' sake; he will MAGNIFY THE LAW, and make it honorable" (Isaiah 42:21). The Hebrew word gadal, translated "magnify," also means "to lift up, exceed, advance, make large, increase, promote, tower, make GREAT."

Yeshua did not come, as so many Protestants and Catholics teach, to do away with, diminish, abrogate, or nullify the laws and commandments of YEHOVAH God. He came to INCREASE their prestige, influence and greatness -- to ADVANCE their cause -- to promote them, and cause them to TOWER OVER all in importance and glory.

Yeshua said to his disciples in simple, plain, clear-cut language, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished" (Matt.5:17-18).

How clear it should be, then, that Yeshua the Messiah did not come to do away with the Passover celebration on the 15th of Nisan. Rather, He came to REINFORCE it -- to STRENGTHEN it -- to MAGNIFY it and make it GREATER THAN EVER! He did not come to "change it" to the beginning of Nisan 14, or any other time. He came to INCREASE the power, scope, and validity of the TRUE PASSOVER MEAL CELEBRATION during the night portion of Nisan 15!

Some, however, look at I Corinthians 11, and the words of Paul, and think that he gave us authority to observe the Passover at a different time and manner from the ancient traditional commandments of Scripture.

Notice carefully. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you. The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, 'This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.' For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes" (I Cor. 11:23-26).

Some churches claim that since Paul said "whenever" we eat this bread or drink this cup, the symbols of the Passover, that means we can do it "whenever we choose." Some claim that the appropriate time to do this is at the very time the "Lord's supper" occurred, at the beginning of Nisan 14, thus by that reasoning abolishing the Passover on Nisan 15 altogether and replacing it with a "modified Lord's Supper." Did Paul have the authority to make such a complete change? Did Paul have authority to do away with the LAWS OF YEHOVAH GOD which were established FOREVER?

Notice! Paul did not state that he was changing anything about the Passover and its observance. He merely said that "when" we observe it, we should do it "IN REMEMBRANCE" OF THE MESSIAH and his sacrifice, until he returns in his glory! Paul is merely restating the facts that Yeshua gave two of the symbols of the Passover, the unleavened bread and wine, NEW SYMBOLIC MEAING when we partake of them, which is annually, every year, at the true Passover, on Nisan 15! Paul did not seek to "change" ANYTHING AT ALL! He was merely pointing out the truth of the new emphasis Yeshua gave to the bread and wine which is taken at the normal, annual Passover dinner!

Paul was a meek and humble man. He did not arrogate to himself authority YEHOVAH God never gave to him. Rather, he said to these same Corinthians, "Follow my example, AS I FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE OF CHRIST" (I Corinthians 11:1). Paul, therefore, did not change a single thing about the Passover! He observed it the very same day, manner, and time that Yeshua the Messiah did! He also observed it on Nisan 15, in accordance with the law of YEHOVAH God!

The apostle Paul at no time sought to change a single law of YEHOVAH God. Contrary to widespread Protestant and Catholic opinion, Paul was the apostle who was dynamically FOR the law of YEHOVAH God! Why, he himself was a PHARISEE, who stood tall in support of the Laws of YEHOVAH God! And Paul even admitted to the fact that he was STILL A PHARISEE in A.D. 60 and 62 (Acts 23:6; 26:5). This was almost 30 years after his conversion!

Paul's attitude towards the law of YEHOVAH God is revealed in the book of Romans. He wrote that the Christian faith does NOT nullify the law of YEHOVAH God! He declared, "Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? NOT AT ALL!

Rather, we UPHOLD the law" (Rom. 3:31). Some, today, teach that the laws of YEHOVAH God are evil, bad, a curse and a burden. They seem to think that YEHOVAH was a horrible slave-driver and tyrannical monster. However, Paul knew better. He wrote, "What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was, except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, 'Do not covet'" (Rom. 7:7). Paul goes on, "So then, the LAW is HOLY, and the commandment is HOLY, righteous and good" (Rom. 7:12). He wrote that the law of YEHOVAH God is "spiritual" (verse 14), and that which is spiritual is ETERNAL (II Cor. 4:17-18).

Paul would not attempt to change one iota of YEHOVAH's holy, perfect, immutable, inexorable, eternal LAW! However, the ones who do attempt to rescind, nullify, and abrogate YEHOVAH's Laws, including changing the Passover and Holy Days of YEHOVAH God, which Paul himself observed throughout his life and during his ministry. Paul told the Ephesians, "I must by all means KEEP THIS FEAST that cometh in Jerusalem" (see Acts 18:21).

On his way back to Jeruslalem, Paul stopped at Philippi to observe the Passover and days of unleaven bread. We read the account of his companion Luke, who inscribed in his journal, "And we sailed away from Philippi AFTER the days of unleavened bread" Acts 20:6). Paul wanted to observe that Pentecost in Jerusalem (Acts 20:16).

Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are [presently] unleavened [in your homes]." This was no doubt written during the days of Unleavened Bread, which the Church was clearly observing! Paul went on, "For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore LET US KEEP [OBSERVE] THE FEAST, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" I Cor. 5:7-8). The New International Version says, "Let us keep the Festival."

How plain this should be to all!

In the book of Daniel, we read that in the days after Paul, one would arise who would be an enemy of YEHOVAH's Law. This wicked person would "speak against the Most High and oppress the saints and TRY TO CHANGE THE SET TIMES AND THE LAWS. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time" (Daniel 7:25).

This same wicked one was called the "son of lawlessness" by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians (II Thess. 2:3). He wasa man "doomed to destruction" (verse 4). He was the "son of perdition." He attempted to abolish all YEHOVAH's laws and especially His holy days and observances.

Paul wrote, "Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the SECRET POWER OF LAWLESSNESS IS ALREADY AT WORK; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the LAWLESS ONE will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming" (II Thess. 2:5-8).

YEHOVAH God condemns all lawless ones who attempt to nullify and abolish or destroy or alter or change in any manner His divine commandments!

To attempt to worship YEHOVAH God in any way other than the way in which He has prescribed and ordained in His Word, is tantamount to the sin of Nadab and Abihu, the two sons of Aaron who offered "strange fire" before the LORD. "Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censors, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered UNAUTHORIZED FIRE before the LORD, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD" (Lev. 10:1-2).

To celebrate Passover at any other time than He commanded, at the night of Nisan 15, is tantamount to offering UNAUTHORIZED FIRE before YEHOVAH, and the penalty for knowingly doing so is DEATH!

Think about this for a moment. If YEHOVAH God did allow His holy Passover celebration to be changed, and switched from Nisan 15 to the night portion of Nisan 14, such a monumental change in the law should be carefully set forth and documented in the Word of YEHOVAH God!

Somewhere in the New Testament, then, there should be clear and precise language and evidence setting forth this enormously important change and alteration. However, the truth is that the entire New Testament, from the gospel of Matthew to the book of Revelation, is strangely silent -- mute -- about any such alleged change or alteration!

There is not a peep or a mutter or any mention whatoever about such a "change"! The strange silence to such a massive and important change is truly "deafening." The silence of the New Testament to such a change, and the fact that no such change is anywhere mentioned, stated, sanctioned, or categorized, means that such a change was NEVER AUTHORIZED BY YEHOVAH GOD IN HIS WORD! Therefore, any such change comes from MEN, and not the Word of YEHOVAH God! It is of human origin and tradition, not divine origin.

What does Yeshua say about those who worship YEHOVAH God by their own "human" ideas and customs? Solomon wrote in Proverbs, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the WAYS OF DEATH" (Proverbs 14:12).

Yeshua puts it very plainly: "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? . . . . Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, teaching for doctrines the COMMANDMENTS OF MEN" (Matthew 15:3-9).

If you observe the Passover on the night of Nisan 14, then you are following a commandment of MEN! For Yeshua the Messiah and the early New Testament Church of YEHOVAH God NEVER observed such a day or celebration as the "Passover"! Such a celebration is a perversion and a corruption of the original Passover truth! Furthermore, to attempt to celebrate the "Passover" by an austere, somber, sober-minded, quiet, fearful meeting, and partaking of a tiny piece of unleavened bread, and a small vial of wine, and calling that the PASSOVER FEAST, is a terrible paltry substitution of the PAGAN MASS for the festival of the Passover! Yeshua the Messiah never intended to institute a new observance the night of Nisan 14, with a pagan mass. He never commanded such a celebration or ceremony, nor did he ever sanction or authorize it. Therefore, it is a "way that seemeth right unto a man" -- it is a "way of DEATH"!

Yeshua says those who worship him in that way DO SO "IN VAIN"!

Are you one of them? These are not merely my own personal words or thougfhts. These are the very WORDS OF YESHUA THE MESSIAH! The gospel of Mark records the Messiah as saying, "You have let go of the commands of God and are holding to the traditions of men" (Mark 7:8, NIV). He added, "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!" (v. 9).

David wrote in the book of Psalms, "The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness" (Psalm 111:7-8).

David also wrote in the Psalms, "Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments" (Psa. 119:21). David went on, "Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law" (verse 53).

Did David despise the laws of YEHOVAH God? Not on your life! He wrote, "For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven" (Psalm 119:89). YEHOVAH's Law, therefore, is "settled" in heaven. It is eternal. It cannot be changed, abrogated, annulled, abolished, or altered! And that includes the law of the Passover! David said, "I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes ALWAY, even unto the end" (verse 112).

David wrote, "Thy law is the truth" (Psalm 119:142). Truth is eternal -- YEHOVAH's Word is also the "truth" (John 17:17). Yeshua himself is the "truth" -- and the perfect expression and image of the Law of YEHOVAH God (John 14:6). It is the "truth" -- or the LAWs of YEHOVAH God, therefore -- which Yeshua says will "set you free" (John 8:32).

David concluded, "The LAW of the LORD is PERFECT, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant WARNED: and in keeping of them is GREAT REWARD" (Psalm 19:7-11).

YEHOVAH God's Law is spiritual and eternal just as He is spiritual and eternal.

The Passover celebration on the correct day and time, therefore, IDENTIFIES THE TRUE PEOPLE OF YEHOVAH GOD as opposed to the deceived, false, misled millions who profess to obey and follow YEHOVAH God, but who in truth are victims of a Satanic delusion and false religious teaching -- the same vicious web of lies and deception that Satan the devil began to weave in the Garden of Eden!

YEHOVAH God says, "Verily MY SABBATHS [that is, all His Holy Days, including the annual Sabbaths -- including the Passover and First Day of Unleavened Bread!] ye shall keep: for it is a SIGN BETWEEN ME AND YOU throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you" (Exodus 31:13). "Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath , to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, FOR A PERPETUAL COVENANT. It is a SIGN between me and the children of Israel FOR EVER: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed" (verses 16-17).

If you observe the TRUE PASSOVER, with the correct symbols that Yeshua the Messiah instituted, at the correct time, on Nisan 15, along with the other holy days and the weekly Sabbath -- that IDENTIFIES YOU as one of YEHOVAH God's TRUE SERVANTS! It is a veritable PROOF that you are indeed one of YEHOVAH's own chosen ones! It is an identifying mark, characteristic, or "sign."

If you do not observe the true Passover, then you are off to a wrong start with the very first and in many ways the most important of YEHOVAH's Holy Days -- the one mentioned more often than any other in the Scriptures! You are deceived by Satan the devil, who appears as an angel of light and knowledge (II Cor. 11:13-15).

YEHOVAH God commands you to CHOOSE! Choose which way you will go. Choose which Day you will observe. YEHOVAH says, "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore CHOOSE LIFE, that both thou and thy seed may live" (Deut. 30:19).

Joshua, challenged all Israel, "Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in TRUTH . . . And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:14-15).

Elijah also challenged Israel, in his day, when the whole nation has plunged into the apostasy of Baal worship, and the pagan priests outnumbered the true servants of YEHOVAH God at least 850 to one (see I Kings 18:19).

"Elijah went before the people and said, 'How long will you WAVER between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him'" (I Kings 18:21). Now you know the truth. What are you going to do about it?