Part 4: THE SIMPLE TRUTH ABOUT PASSOVER: PREFACE

The question of when and how Passover is to be observed is one that has been dividing the Church since long before Christ was born. But would God put something in the Bible that we CANNOT understand? Are we forced to just take the best explanation we can get and leave it at that? Doomed to always have some questions that just can’t be answered, some objections that just can’t be resolved?

The passover is complicated for one reason, and one reason only; because tens of thousands of rebellious, carnal men over the last 3000 years have spent their entire lives TRYING to complicate it. The Bible really isn’t that complicated on the subject, if you believe what it says. But there are literally MOUNTAINS of paper written about the passover; when it is to be kept, who can eat it, what it represents. Literally billions of trees have died so that men could pontificate on this subject.

But why? Why would God allow this confusion? Could He not have been absolutely clear in the Bible? Could He not have spent one more chapter somewhere explaining in TEDIOUS detail just how passover was and was not to be observed? And of course He could have... but He didn’t. And do you know why? Because God knows that there is MORE than enough proof in the Bible of EXACTLY when and how it is to be kept; but to find it, you have to TRUST it! The Bible does give us the answer to EVERY question about passover, but if you allow what men have said in that mountain of paper to confuse you, if you let every wind of doctrine toss you about, you will NEVER find it.

God WANTS you to have every opportunity to reject the truth – because if you don’t want to believe Him, He doesn’t want you around Him! If you’d RATHER believe a lie, then God WANTS you to do just that! And this passover issue is one of the major ways God finds out just whom you do trust, and what it is that you really DO want. The passover is one of the first lines of defense for the truth.

Historically in every true church of God, the corruption of the passover is the first place Satan starts to tear it down. Which is a crying shame, for the passover is SIMPLE! It is EASY to understand! Anyone who graduated third grade can open a Bible and find out exactly WHEN and HOW the passover should be kept! But the wisest doctors of divinity could debate it until the universe dies and never find the answer!

But the only way to understand this, or anything else for that matter, is to scrape away the encrusted doctrines and opinions that our respective churches have taught and believe the Bible, by itself. It is quite clear on the subject. The Bible stands alone and doesn’t need anyone, be they man, devil or church to interpret it.

So if you want to find it, look in the Bible. This paper quotes it often; if my reasoning is flawed, don’t believe me. But if the Bible IS clear, as I think you’ll agree that it is, then TRUST it. There are dozens of ways, completely independent, to prove when passover is to be kept. But if you don’t believe the Bible when it says something – if you reinterpret it because it’s not what you believe – then don’t be surprised if you walk away from this paper angry and even more confused that you were when you started!

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Now although it isn’t directly related to the subject, before we can really start talking about the passover we have to talk about the authority of the Jews. The primary argument over passover is whether it is to be kept at sundown beginning the 14^th, or at sundown beginning the 15^th. Some also keep it on the afternoon of the 14^th. The Orthodox Jews today, and many sources from the time of Christ, say that passover is to be kept on the 15^th. However, as you’ll see later, the Bible exclusively refers to the passover as the 14^th.