Mo’ed: Pesach (Passover) – The Paschal Lamb of God – 14 Abib

Isaiah 53:4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But [lit. Yahoah] has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him. (NASB 1995)

In accordance with the pagan Gregorian calendar during the “evening” of April 1st and the “morning” of April 2nd, arguably the third most important event of the Bible occurred (behind Christ’s Resurrection and the Holy Spirit’s being sent): Christ’s crucifixion as the Lamb of God in 36 CE. This marks Passover (Heb. Pesach), the second of God’s immovable appointed times (Heb. mo’edim) in perpetuity. Although not everything in the movie is correct, now is the perfect time to watch The Passion of the Christ to remind us of the brutality that Yehoshu’a (=Yahoah saves; Gr. ‘Iesous/Eng. Joshua) underwent to become our Redeemer and Savior so that believers in Him may receive Grace (i.e., a judicial pardon/clemency) on Judgment Day.

On the morning of April 1, 2018, billions of unwitting Christians paid covert homage to Ēostre, the spring fertility goddess of the dawn, thinking they are celebrating Resurrection Day. After their movable, sunrise Easter (“day of the Sun“) services, they paid no attention to the symbolism behind bunnies and eggs — both fertility symbols. Meanwhile, rabbinic Jews (Matthew 23:8) falsely began celebrating Passover on 15 Nisan – in contradiction to Torah – four evenings ago (March 30, 2018) based on their pagan Babylonian calendar and teachings from rabbinic “sages” in the Babylonian Talmud (Heb. Talmud Bavli). For more on this Babylonian assimilation, see the article entitled: Revelation Study: Mystery Babylon.

To learn the truth, it is necessary to start at the beginning… I touched upon the differences between Passover/Preparation Day vs. Unleavened Bread and Weekly vs. Annual (or High) Sabbaths. Now, those will be expounded upon.

What the Law of Moses (Heb. Moshe) States

The most definitive passage regarding the appointed times is in Leviticus 23. Let’s review what that chapter states about Passover and Unleavened Bread:

Leviticus 23:1 [Lit. Yahoah] spoke again to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘The [lit. Yahoah’s] appointed times (Heb. mo’edim; pl. of mo’ed) which you shall proclaim as holy convocations — My appointed times are these: (NASB 1995)

Author’s Note: See how false rabbinic traditions regarding the recitation of the Tetragrammaton as the Heb. Adonai (=my lords) is actually invoking the Greek Adonis and the Babylonian Tammuz? Because of this false tradition of “not taking Yahoah’s Name in vain” (Exodus 20:7 and Deuteronomy 5:11), it has led to translators employing “the Lord(‘s)” throughout English translations as well as the incorrect Yahweh in textual analysis; see the article on Mystery Babylon for details. We can certainly say Yahoah within the context of the Scriptures; that is NOT taking His Name in vain! Again, the basis is FALSE rabbinic tradition. In fact, it led to their forgetting how to even pronounce The Name (Heb. HaShem) over the millenia.

Leviticus 23:5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month [lit. between the two evenings] is [lit. Yahoah’s] Passover. (NASB 1995)

Leviticus 23:6 Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to [lit. Yahoah]; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work. 8 But for seven days you shall present an offering by fire to [lit. Yahoah]. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work.’” (NASB 1995)

Is the first (or seventh) month Nisan? (Author’s Note: Rabbinic Jews’ hearts are so hardened and are so confused that they even have TWO calendars — a civil and a religious/ecclessiatical. It’s a wonder that any of them recognized their Messiah!).

Deuteronomy 16:1 “Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover to [lit. Yahoah] your [lit. Elohim], for in the month of Abib [lit. Yahoah] your [lit. Elohim] brought you out of Egypt by night. 2 You shall sacrifice the Passover to [lit. Yahoah] your [lit. Elohim] from the flock and the herd, in the place where [lit. Yahoah] chooses to establish His name. (NASB 1995)

Elohim is the plural of Eloah. Why is Elohim employed? Because the tribe or family of El is comprised of the Father (Heb. Elyon; =Most High), Holy Spirit (Heb. Ruach HaKodesh; (=Spirit of the Holy One; Holy Spirit), the Son (preincarnate Yahoah and incarnate Yehoshu’a), 6-winged seraphim, 4-winged cherubim, ophanim, wingless arch-/angels, and the Heavenly host (Gr. sabaóth). As these all abide in the Heavenly realm (and not the earthly), by definition, they are extraterrestrials. For more on the Elohim, read the article Creation Week: Yom Rishon (First Day).

We know that the Gregorian and Masoretic calendars are pagan in origin, so what calendar correctly portrays this? The one from the Dead Sea Scrolls housed at the Shrine of the Book; see the Qumran calendar.

The Original Passover

Now that we know with certainty from the Torah that Passover and Unleavened Bread are two DIFFERENT appointed times — with the former occuring on 14 Abib and the latter from 15-21 Abib with the 15th and 21st serving as annual or High Sabbaths — let’s review the original Passover story in Egypt.

There are three important things to remember at that point in history:

The Israelites were captives in Egypt (specifically in the Land of Goshen),
Egypt had endured nine of the ten plagues foretold to Pharoah (spoken directly from Yahoah to Moses), and
The Law of Moses had NOT been given yet.

Although the specific pharaoh of the Exodus is not clearly identified in the Scriptures, Ramesses II was popularized as the pharaoh of Moses’ time in the 1956 movie The Ten Commandments. Even the Book of Jubilees remains silent as to the explicit name of this Pharaoh.

Let’s pickup with the “death of the firstborn” in Exodus 11.

Exodus 11:1 Now [lit. Yahoah] said to Moses, “One more plague I will bring on Pharaoh and on Egypt; after that he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out from here completely.” (NASB 1995)

Exodus 11:4 Moses said, “Thus says [lit. Yahoah], ‘About midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt, 5 and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of the Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the millstones; all the firstborn of the cattle as well. 6 Moreover, there shall be a great cry in all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been before and such as shall never be again. 7 But against any of the sons of Israel a dog will not even bark, whether against man or beast, that you may understand how [lit. Yahoah] makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’ (NASB 1995)

Keep “about midnight” in your back pocket for a moment; we will revisit that. The significance of the paschal lamb is about to be discussed:

Exodus 12:1 Now [lit. Yahoah] said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you. 3 Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers’ households, a lamb for each household. 4 Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; according to what each man should eat, you are to divide the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight. 7 Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 8 They shall eat the flesh that same night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather roasted with fire, both its head and its legs along with its entrails. 10 And you shall not leave any of it over until morning, but whatever is left of it until morning, you shall burn with fire. 11 Now you shall eat it in this manner: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste — it is [lit. Yahoah’s] Passover. 12 For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments — I am [lit. Yahoah]. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. (NASB 1995)

First of all, this reconfirms that Yahoah’s Passover is on the fourteenth of the first month. But, v5a provides the foreshadowing for the Lamb of God:

Exodus 12:5 Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old… (NASB 1995)

Yehoshu’a is the Lamb of God (John 1:29). He is unblemished (i.e., sinless) who is obviously male. But, the interesting thing to note is that most “theologians” and Biblical “scholars” contend that Christ’s ministry lasted three and a half years as three Passovers are mentioned in the Gospel of John. What they fail to recognize from Torah is Second Passover (Heb. Pesach Sheni) on the 14th day of the second month. This appointed time will be developed further below.

In the meantime know this: Christ was born on the Feast of Weeks (Heb. Shavu’ot) in 6 CE during the census of Quirinius (Luke 2:2). His ministry began when he was nearly 30 years old (Luke 3:23) — in fact, He was 28. Recall that He was of the tribe of Judah — NOT Levi — therefore, the Levitical laws for priesthood did not apply (Hebrews 7:14). In fact, He is of the order of Melchizedek (Heb. Malki-tsedeq; =my king is righteous[ness]). It can be definitively deduced from the Scriptures that His ministry lasted EXACTY 574 yomim or 1.58 Qumran calendar years; see the article “Agricultural Feast: Chag Tirosh (New Wine)” for details. Therefore, from a ministry perspective, He was a YEAR OLD AT THE TIME OF HIS CRUCIFIXION! He met ALL of the requirements for serving as the paschal lamb from Exodus 12:5a:

Lamb of God,
Unblemished (i.e., sinless),
Male, and
A year old (i.e., His ministry lasted 1.58 years).

When was the paschal lamb killed? On the 14th of the first month. When was Christ hung on a tree? On 14 Abib in 36 CE. Our God is truly omniscient!

Recall the “about midnight” statement in Exodus 11:4. Now, let’s examine the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Heb. Chag HaMatzot):

Feast of Unleavened Bread

Exodus 12:14 ‘Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to [lit. Yahoah]; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance. 15 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses; for whoever eats anything leavened from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. 16 On the first day you shall have a holy assembly, and another holy assembly on the seventh day; no work at all shall be done on them, except what must be eaten by every person, that alone may be prepared by you. 17 You shall also observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as a permanent ordinance. 18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. 19 Seven days there shall be no leaven found in your houses; for whoever eats what is leavened, that person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is an alien or a native of the land. 20 You shall not eat anything leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’”

21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb. 22 You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning.

A Memorial of Redemption

23 For [lit. Yahoah] will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, [lit. Yahoah] will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you. 24 And you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever. 25 When you enter the land which [lit. Yahoah] will give you, as He has promised, you shall observe this rite. 26 And when your children say to you, ‘What does this rite mean to you?’ 27 you shall say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to [lit. Yahoah] who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but spared our homes.’” And the people bowed low and worshiped.

28 Then the sons of Israel went and did so; just as [lit. Yahoah] had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

29 Now it came about at midnight that [lit. Yahoah] struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of cattle. 30 Pharaoh arose in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was no home where there was not someone dead. (NASB 1995)

Without sacrificial blood, there can be no Redemption nor Atonement; hence, the paschal lamb’s blood on the lintel and doorposts. We see from v29 that the actual act of the “Passover” did occur about midnight on 15 Abib (that’s why rabbinic Jews consider Passover to be on 15 Nisan). However, without the paschal sacrifice on 14 Abib, Israel would not have been spared from Yahoah’s wrath, either; see vv21-23 concentrating on v23. That last verse bears repeating:

Exodus 12:23 For [lit. Yahoah] will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, [lit. Yahoah] will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you. (NASB 1995)

THAT IS THE POINT THE JEWRY MISS! In Christ’s time in 36 CE, they were expecting the King of kings and Lord of lords to vanquish the Romans, but they didn’t realize that the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 had to come FIRST! The conquering Messiah is certainly coming (Revelation 19:11-16)!

He (i.e., Yehoshu’a in the incarnate form of Yahoah) shed His own blood — as the ultimate paschal sacrifice — so that believers in Him may have eternal life and not experience the second death! Those who do not believe in Him will be judged by the Law, found guilty, and will be thrown into the lake of fire known as Gehenna on Judgment Day. Read John 3:16 in context. That is the whole point of Grace, which is a judicial pardon/clemency on Judgment Day; those who believe in Him — the paschal Lamb of God — WILL NOT BE JUDGED (although unworthy of His Grace). And, “The Name (Heb. HaShem) of the only begotten Son of God” in v18 is Yehoshu’a (=Yahoah is salvation) — the Light of the first “yom” of Creation in vv19-21!

One fact remains from Exodus 12:18… that although Passover (14 Abib) and Unleavened Bread (15-21 Abib) are separate appointed times, they are inextricably linked.

Last Supper (NOT a Seder!)

Many “Biblical scholars” state that the Last Supper was a Passover seder. Let’s set the baseline for the timeline:

Matthew 26:1 When Jesus had finished all these words, He said to His disciples, 2 “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be handed over for crucifixion.”
3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in the court of the high priest, named Caiaphas; 4 and they plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth and kill Him. 5 But they were saying, “Not during the festival, otherwise a riot might occur among the people.” (NASB 1995)

From v2 in Christ’s own words, we “know that after two days that the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man (Christ Himself) is to be handed over for crucifixion.” Unfortunately, that does not tell us whether it is the 14th or 15th of Abib (mistakenly called Nisan from the time of the Babylonian captivity). However, v5 makes it very clear that it was NOT to be on 15-21 Abib “during the festival.”

We know that the Triumphal Entry (Matthew 21:1-11) occurred on 9 Abib on the fifth day of the week in 36 CE (not Palm Sunday). After cleansing the Temple (Matthew 21:12-16), He left for Bethany to spend the night (Matthew 21:17); that would have been the evening of 10 Abib on the sixth day of the week. The next morning, He returned to the Temple in Jerusalem (Matthew 21:18) — still on 10 Abib, on which he taught again confounding the Pharisees and Sadducees while exposing their hypocrisy (Matthew 21:23-23:39). He then left the Temple for the Mount of Olives (Matthew 24:1-3) and foretold of His Second Coming and of Judgment Day to His disciples (Matthew 24-25). Although the opening of Matthew 26:1-2 appears to be a continuation of Matthew 24-25, it must have occurred on the weekly Sabbath of 11 Abib. Let’s examine what the other Gospels state.

Let’s start with the Triumphal Entry (Mark 11:1-11). Note a new piece of information in v11. It was late on 9 Abib when He entered the Temple and looked around, so they returned to Bethany to spend the evening. Therefore, the cleansing of the Temple (Mark 11:12-19) did not occur until the morning of 10 Abib. Note in v19 that they left Jerusalem again that evening — once again returning to Bethany as we learned in Matthew 21:17. The withered fig tree was encountered on the morning of 11 Abib, the weekly Sabbath (Mark 11:20-25; note that v26 did not appear in early manuscripts). This does not mean that Matthew is incorrect; that account just omitted a piece of information regarding the exact timing of events that was reconciled on Mark. Mark 11:27-13:37 generally concurs with Matthew 21:23-25:46 with some minor additions and differences. Mark 14 then realigns with Matthew 26 — on 11 Abib, the weekly Sabbath; the Passover would be commencing on 14 Abib as Torah states.

Luke essentially mirrors the Matthew account where it appears that the cleansing of the Temple occurred on the same day as the Triumphal Entry (Luke 19:28-48). John does not even discuss the cleansing of the Temple — only the Triumphal Entry (John 12:12-19). But, what the John account does is nail down the date of the Triumphal Entry to 9 Abib (John 12:1-12 concentrating on vv1 and 12); reference the calendar from the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The point of this was to definitively denote that the Passover is on 14 Abib as is corroborated by Torah; it is NOT the “first day of Unleavened Bread” as translators mistakenly assume from false Jewish tradition. The Torah is clear: Passover/Preparation Day occurs on 14 Abib while Unleavened Bread is from 15-21 Abib — with the 15th and the 21st serving as annual Sabbaths. To reiterate:

Leviticus 23:5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month [lit. between the two evenings] is [lit. Yahoah’s] Passover.

6 Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to [lit. Yahoah]; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work. 8 But for seven days you shall present an offering by fire to [lit. Yahoah]. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work. (NASB 1995)

Recall that Christ’s Hebrew Name is Yehoshu’a (Gr. ‘Iesous/Aram. Yeshua/Eng. Joshua), which means “Yahoah saves/is salvation.” Just as Joshua, the son of Nun, led the Israelites into the Promised Land, so, too, does Joshua, the Son of God, lead believers in Him to salvation.

Now, to return to the meal itself… How do we know that the Last Supper was not a Passover seder? Because one key element was missing: roasted lamb! It is REQUIRED at a seder: here is the Law regarding the Passover Lamb:

Exodus 12:1 Now [lit. Yahoah] said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you. 3 Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers’ households, a lamb for each household. 4 Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; according to what each man should eat, you are to divide the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it [lit. between the evenings]. 7 Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 8 They shall eat the flesh that same night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather roasted with fire, both its head and its legs along with its entrails. 10 And you shall not leave any of it over until morning, but whatever is left of it until morning, you shall burn with fire. 11 Now you shall eat it in this manner: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste — it is [lit. Yahoah’s] Passover. 12 For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments — I am [lit. Yahoah]. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. (NASB 1995)

To reiterate the foreshadowing of Christ’s crucifixion from vv5-6:

He is the Lamb of God,
Unblemished (i.e., sinless),
Male,
A year old (i.e., His ministry on Earth lasted EXACTLY 574 yomim or 1.58 Qumran calendar years. — not 3-1/2 years as most “scholars” incorrectly state), and
Killed between the evenings (i.e., crucified during the “morning” of 14 Abib).

Note: This is to occur in perpetuity on the Preparation Day (14 Abib); no work can be performed on an annual Sabbath. The first day of Unleavened Bread (15 Abib) is an annual Sabbath.

Preparation Day

That’s a good segue into the topic of the Preparation Days. As no work may be performed on a Sabbath — not even cooking, the day prior would be a preparation day. On that day, one would perform the work for that day in addition to that of the Sabbath itself. The concept originated during the Exodus (which is anything but a “founding myth” per the Wikipedia article) when the Israelites were to gather a double omer of manna per person prior to the Sabbath. This is documented in Exodus 16:1-36 and Numbers 11:1-9. The pertinent verses are:

Exodus 16:4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” (NASB 1995)

Exodus 16:15 When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread which [lit. Yahoah] has given you to eat. 16 This is what [lit. Yahoah] has commanded, ‘Gather of it every man as much as he should eat; you shall take an omer apiece according to the number of persons each of you has in his tent. (NASB 1995)

Exodus 16:22 Now on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. When all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, 23 then he said to them, “This is what [lit. Yahoah] meant: Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a holy sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning.” 24 So they put it aside until morning, as Moses had ordered, and it did not become foul nor was there any worm in it. 25 Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to [lit. Yahoah]; today you will not find it in the field. 26 Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the sabbath, there will be none.” (NASB 1995)

There are fifty-two (52) weekly Sabbaths as well as the following seven (7) annual Sabbaths:

The first and last yomim of Unleavened Bread (Heb. Chag HaMatzot) on 15 Abib on the fourth yom of the week and 21 Abib on the third yom of the week;
Feast of Weeks (Heb. Chag Shavu’ot) on the fifteenth yom of the third month on the first yom of the week;
The Memorial/Day of Blasting [of Trumpets/Shofar] (Heb. Zichron/Yom Teruah) on the first yom of the seventh month on the fourth yom of the week (Rosh Hashanah is a false tradition manufactured by “rabbinic sages” and is certainly NOT the literal “head of the year”);
Day of Atonement (Heb. Yom Kippur) on the tenth yom of the seventh month on the sixth yom of the week; and
Feast of Tabernacles/Booths (Heb. Sukkot) on the fifteenth and twenty-second of the seventh month — both on the fourth yom of the week.

Author’s Note: A Biblical yom is not the same as a modern SI day; the former is slightly longer; see the article “HaDerech: It’s About Time.”

The Preparation Day (14 Abib) in the New Testament is specifically mentioned before the first day of Unleavened Bread (15 Abib), which is an annual Sabbath:

Mark 15:42 When evening had already come, because it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead. 45 And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. 46 Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were looking on to see where He was laid. (NASB 1995)

Note that because Joseph of Arimathea had touched Christ’s corpse, He had become unclean and could not participate in the Passover; however, he could participate in the Second Passover (Heb. Pesach Sheni) a month later (just not in the lunar month of Iyar as the Wikipedia article incorrectly states). Do you see how God pre-planned everything?

Christ’s Crucifixion – Hung on a Tree for the False Charge of Blasphemy

So, why was Christ’s crucifixion so brutal? Why was the Son of God treated so violently before His death? Again, it goes back to the Law (Heb. Torah). As was explored above, Yehoshu’a was falsely charged with the crime of blasphemy:

Matthew 26:59 Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus [lit. Joshua], so that they might put Him to death. 60 They did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on two came forward, 61 and said, “This man stated, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.’” 62 The high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?” 63 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus [lit. Joshua] said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy; 66 what do you think?” They answered, “He deserves death!” (NASB 1995)

Blasphemy is one of the capital crimes in the Torah requiring death.

Deuteronomy 21:22 “If a man has committed a sin worthy of death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, 23 his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance.” (NASB 1995)

Note that burial is on the same day as when the “criminal” was put to death, but let’s put that aside for the moment. To demonstrate El Elyon’s (=God Most High) in revealing his Son to us, Christ’s name and “crime” was inscribed on the titlos per standard Roman crucifixion:

John 19:19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, “JESUS [lit. Joshua] THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” 20 Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin and in Greek. 21 So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews’; but that He said, ‘I am King of the Jews.’” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” (NASB 1995)

From this, the well-known Latin “INRI” and lesser known Greek “INBI” acronyms originated. Christ’s exchange with Pilate beforehand is why “the King of the Jews” was inscribed:

Matthew 27:11 Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.” (NASB 1995)

Returning to Pilate’s inscription, why would the chief priests care what was written in Hebrew — the Romans were executing the sentence they and their followers demanded (Matthew 27:15-26; Mark 15:6-15; Luke 23:1-25, John 19:1-15)? In the time of Christ, there was no meteg, which functions like a comma (among other things). This is why the inscription mattered; it as actually:

Joshua the Nazarene AND the King of the Jews

which transliterates to the following in Hebrew:

Yehoshu’a HaNatzri VeMelech HaYehudim

Taking the first letters of each work yields YHVH (yod-he-vav-he) or the Tetragrammaton. Yahoah, the true pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton, is the preincarnate Christ — the firstborn of Creation; everything was created through and for Him, and in Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:15-20)! Here it is in Google translate:

Pilate's Inscription in Hebrew

As far as I know, this was first proposed in Peter Michas’ book entitled “The Rod of an Almond Tree in God’s Master Plan.” I do not agree with everything written in that book, but I believe Michas was spot on this topic; Robert Vander Maten allegedly proposed the idea in the early 1990’s. For more information, see here.

So, why did the chief priests want to change the latter part of Pilate’s inscription? Because the acrostic would have then become ‎יהומה, literally meaning “A Jew!”

The Significance of Christ’s Last Words

Mark 15:34 At the ninth hour [Joshua] cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (NASB 1995)

Author’s Note: In the month of Abib, there are nine portions of daylight to nine portions of darkness; see The Book of the Courses of the Heavenly Luminaries: The Sun in 1 Enoch 72. The Koine Greek hòra (Strong’s 5610) is mistranslated as a modern hour; it means a “time period” or “portion of time.” A Biblical yom is slightly longer than a modern SI day, and there are eighteen (18) portions in it; see the article “HaDerech: It’s About Time” for details. Bottom line: The ninth portion of daylight on 14 Abib would refer to approximately the last hour and a half of that yom, so it was late in the afternoon.

With the last of His strength, Yehoshu’a cried out those specific words — “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” — which is a DIRECT REFERENCE TO PSALM 22! Reciting the first portion of a passage implies the ENTIRE passage. Let’s examine that:

Psalm 22:1 My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34)
Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.
2 O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer;
And by night, but I have no rest.
3 Yet You are holy,
O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel.
4 In You our fathers trusted;
They trusted and You delivered them.
5 To You they cried out and were delivered;
In You they trusted and were not disappointed.
6 But I am a worm and not a man,
A reproach of men and despised by the people. (Deuteronomy 21:22-23; Galatians 3:13-14)
7 All who see me sneer at me;
They separate with the lip, they wag the head, saying,
8 “Commit yourself to the Lord (lit. Yahoah); let Him deliver him;
Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.” (Matthew 27:39-43; Mark 15:29-32; Luke 23:35)
9 Yet You are He who brought me forth from the womb;
You made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts.
10 Upon You I was cast from birth;
You have been my God from my mother’s womb. (Matthew 1:18-25)
11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near;
For there is none to help.
12 Many bulls have surrounded me;
Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.
13 They open wide their mouth at me,
As a ravening and a roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water, (John 19:34)
And all my bones are out of joint;
My heart is like wax;
It is melted within me.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
And my tongue cleaves to my jaws; (Matthew 27:47-48; Mark 15:35-36; Luke 23:36-37; John 19:28-30)
And You lay me in the dust of death.
16 For dogs have surrounded me; (Matthew 7:6)
A band of evildoers has encompassed me; (Matthew 23)
They pierced my hands and my feet. (Crucifixion: one method is to be hung on a tree!)
17 I can count all my bones.
They look, they stare at me;
18 They divide my garments among them,
And for my clothing they cast lots. (Matthew 27:35, Mark 15:24, Luke 23:34, and John 19:24)
19 But You, O Lord (lit. Yahoah), be not far off;
O You my help, hasten to my assistance.
20 Deliver my soul from the sword,
My only life from the power of the dog.
21 Save me from the lion’s mouth;
From the horns of the wild oxen You answer me.
22 I will tell of Your name to my brethren;
In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.
23 You who fear the Lord (lit. Yahoah), praise Him;
All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,
And stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel.
24 For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;
Nor has He hidden His face from him;
But when he cried to Him for help, He heard.
25 From You comes my praise in the great assembly;
I shall pay my vows before those who fear Him.
26 The afflicted will eat and be satisfied;
Those who seek Him will praise the Lord (lit. Yahoah).
Let your heart live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord (lit. Yahoah),
And all the families of the nations will worship before You.
28 For the kingdom is the Lord’s (lit. Yahoah’s)
And He rules over the nations.
29 All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship,
All those who go down to the dust will bow before Him,
Even he who cannot keep his soul alive.
30 Posterity will serve Him;
It will be told of the Lord (lit. Yahoah) to the coming generation.
31 They will come and will declare His righteousness
To a people who will be born, that He has performed it. (NASB 1995)

Just to be more explicit about the fulfillment of Psalm 22 and an allusion of the Judgment to come in Matthew 25:31-48:

John 19:28 After this, Jesus [lit. Joshua], knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. 30 Therefore when Jesus [lit. Joshua] had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. (NASB 1995)

Christ’s Burial on the Same Day — BEFORE the High Sabbath on 15 Abib

As was discussed above, Christ was buried on the same day that He was “hung on a tree” (14 Abib in 36 CE) so that this “blasphemer” would not defile the Promised Land per the Law.

John 19:38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus [lit. Joshua], but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body. 39 Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. 40 So they took the body of Jesus [lit. Joshua] and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 Therefore because of the Jewish day of preparation, since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. (NASB 1995)

What was the modus operandi for Christ’s “criminal act?” It’s quite simple:

Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us — for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” — 14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (NASB 1995)

That’s truly amazing, isn’t it? Christ died for ALL of us so that we may everlasting life! Folks, that passage in Galatians sums up the New Covenant/Testament (Heb. B’rit Chadashah) in a nutshell.

Be sure to read the companion articles in the Mo’edim (appointed times), Agricultural Feasts, and Passover/Unleavened Bread series:

Shema Yisrael! (Hear, Israel!)

2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. (NASB 1995)

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Mo’ed: Pesach (Passover) – The Paschal Lamb of God – 14 Abib

Published by L. Alan Schuetz

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Published by L. Alan Schuetz

19 thoughts on “Mo’ed: Pesach (Passover) – The Paschal Lamb of God – 14 Abib”

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