...For even Christ our passover
is sacrificed for us:
I Corinthians 5:7

The ordinance of the Lord's supper was instituted at passover.

Luke 22:5 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:

19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

Passover

Passover is an ancient observance that God commanded Israel to keep. Pharoah, king of Egypt, had refused to let the Israelites go to sacrifice unto the LORD and God brought judgments upon Egypt. In the last judgment, all the firstborn in every house would die. The Israelites were commanded to kill a lamb and put its blood on the two side posts and lintel (upper door post--Exodus 12:7) of their houses so that they would not be destroyed with the Egyptians.

Exodus 12:13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

Exodus 12:23 For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.

On that fateful night, all of the firstborn in every house that did not have the blood, died--the firstborn of both man and beast. Israelite houses were passed over and they were not destroyed. About one thousand five hundred years later, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, would be crucified and would shed his blood for us so that we will not be destroyed with the wicked in the day of God's judgment. He instituted the Lord's supper (sometimes called communion) at passover. The Lord's supper is one of the ordinances of the Christian church (this is not the same as the Roman Catholic mass).

Passover falls on the 14 of Abib (ref.Deuteronomy 16:1; Leviticus 23:5; Exodus 1-14)

This year, passover (the 14th of Abib) falls on the evening of April 18, 2011 according to our calendar. Your calendar may have an entry on April 18 reading, "Passover begins at sundown" or it may have an entry on April 19 reading, "Passover" because the 14th of Abib begins on the evening of the 18th and continues until the evening of the 19th. I've seen conflicting dates, but based on what I've seen, we plan to partake of the Lord's supper on the evening of April 18, 2011.

Hebrew Months

This list--

  1. Abib (Exodus 13:4) / Nisan (Nehemiah 2:1, Esther 3:7) (March/April)
  2. Zif (I Kings 6:1) (April/May)
  3. Sivan (Esther 8:9) (May/June)
  4. Tammuz (referenced by ordinal number, fourth month) (June/July)
  5. Ab (referenced by ordinal number, fifth month) (July/August)
  6. Elul (Nehemiah 6:15) (August/September)
  7. Ethanim (I Kings 8:2)/Tishri (September/October)
  8. Bul (I Kings 6:38) (October/November)
  9. Chisleu (Zechariah 7:1) (November/December)
  10. Tebeth (Esther 2:16) (December/January)
  11. Sebat (Zechariah 1:7) (January/February)
  12. Adar (Esther 3:7) (February/March)

The Lord's Supper

The Lord's supper is an ordinance that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ gave to his church so that we can remember him and shew his death till he come. It consists of unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine.

I Corinthians 11:23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:

24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

Some professed Christians are attempting to recreate the Jewish passover Seder as it is practiced today by Jewish people--that is not what the Lord gave us. He gave us the Lord's supper.

Passover Dates*

Passover begins at sundown on:
Monday April 18 in 2011
Friday April 6 in 2012
Monday March 25 in 2013
Monday April 14 in 2014
Friday April 3 in 2015
Friday April 22 in 2016
(Source: about.com)

*[Note: On the internet, conflicting information can be found concerning passover dates, e.g., I read one article that said that Passover begins the fifteenth day of Nissan, whereas the Bible clearly states the fourteenth of Abib. I also read where someone said that the 14th of Abib begins on April 18 while someone else said the 17th (I've only seen that once)... From what I read, the method for determining the date of passover has changed and is now calculated mathematically.]


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