The LORD's Passover ── sunset April 11, 2025

by Leonard V Johnson

Grace to you and peace from our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ ── April 11th, just after sunset, is the 14th of Nisan on the LORD God’s holy calendar! The LORD God (the Elohim, the family of God ── which now consists of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ). All true Christians will be keeping and observing this night as the LORD’s Passover (Leviticus 23:4-5). We have posted on our website ── https://www.owensborocojc.com/ ── a Passover Service, which is a step-by-step instruction video.

Our Lord and Savior kept the LORD’s Passover from the time of His youth ── now, many people call it the Lord’s Supper, or Communion. Truly, it doesn’t really matter ── 

“And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. 41) His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42) And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast.” – Luke 2:40-42. 

Our Lord Jesus continued keeping and celebrating the LORD’s Passover throughout His entire human life. He kept it “every year.” The LORD’s Passover is an annual feast (Exodus 13:10). It is observed on the 14th day of the FIRST MONTH (which is called Abib in Deuteronomy 16:1, and it’s also called Nisan in Esther 3:7).

And also, our Lord Jesus’ apostles continued keeping and celebrating His Passover as a remembrance. We are to remember this occasion until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. I’m not sure why there are people who won’t even read that very statement, which says – to PROCLAIM THE LORD’S DEATH UNTIL HE COMES. And He absolutely shows us in His living word that He is soon coming again. Jesus Christ also said on that very occasion – “’ This do in remembrance of Me.’” A command directly from our Lord Jesus Christ. Because He wanted us to never forget what He did for all mankind. And so we are reminded every year through this very ceremony – through this annual holy day, a holy convocation. To remember what Jesus did for all of us. Notice ──

“Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. 8) And He sent Peter and John, saying, ‘Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.’

9) So they said to Him, ‘Where do You want us to prepare?’ 10) And He said to them, ‘Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters. 11) Then you shall say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, ‘Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?’ 12) Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready.’

13) So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.

14) When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. 15) Then He said to them, ‘With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16) for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’

17) Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, ‘Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18) for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’

19) And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ 20) Likewise, He took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.’” – Luke 22:7-20. 

On our Lord Jesus’ last Passover, He had changed the customs associated with the LORD’s Passover ── but He in no way changed it from being an annual feast, nor did He change the time or the day on which it is to be kept and celebrated. 

Interestingly, even Constantine the Great understood that the Passover was to be an annual event ── at least according to a fifth-century influential theologian and biblical commentator, Theodoret of Cyrus. Again, antisemitism is on full display ── 

“Hence it follows that they [speaking of the Jews] have so far lost sight of truth, wandering as far as possible from the correct revisal, that they celebrate a second Passover in the same year. What motive can we have for following those who are thus confessedly unsound and in dire error? For we could never tolerate celebrating the Passover twice in one year. But, even if all these facts did not exist, your own sagacity would prompt you to watch with diligence and with prayer, lest your pure minds should appear to share in the customs of a people so utterly depraved. It must also be borne in mind that upon so important a point as the celebration of a feast of such sanctity, discord is wrong. One day has our Saviour set apart for a commemoration of our deliverance, namely, of His most holy Passion.” 1

I also want to note that the Roman Catholic Church ── at least according to Joseph Ratzinger ── teaches that our Lord Jesus kept ….

“The evening of the first day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Paschal lambs are slaughtered in the Temple, is the vigil of the Passover feast. According to the chronology of the Synoptics, this was a Thursday. … The Resurrection took place on the morning of the “first day of the week”, on Sunday.” 2

And, of course, they are blatantly wrong! – and I say this with all the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ! Our article, “Firstfruits From the Earth” helps you understand the LORD God’s living truth regarding their misunderstanding of this. 

The Apostle Paul properly understood that our Lord Jesus was (and is) the Passover Lamb that the Jewish people were slaughtering annually. He also taught that all true Christians are to continue keeping and observing the LORD’s Passover ──  

“Therefore purge out the old leaven …” ── and he was speaking about purging out the leaven of the churches of this world. Purging out their false doctrines and their self-righteousness! “ … that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. 8) Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” – 1 Corinthians 5:7-8. 

Now, how do you think our beloved Apostle Paul came to properly understand that our Lord Jesus was (and is) the Passover Lamb? Before his conversion, Paul was an ethnic Jew, raised in the culture of first century Judaism. How he came to properly understand was that He was taught directly by our Lord Jesus Christ. In the Book of Galatians, Paul emphasizes that he received God’s living Word, Truth, and Plan from our Lord Jesus directly for some three years.

Sadly, there were some in the 2nd century who wanted to keep and observe the Passover on the 15th (as most Jews do today), and Apollinaris Claudius (a church leader of the 2nd century and Bishop of Hierapolis in Phrygia who held strong beliefs similar to the original Church of God) wrote the following ── 

“The fourteenth day, the true Passover of the Lord; the great sacrifice, the Son of God instead of the lamb, who was bound, who bound the strong, and who was judged, though Judge of living and dead, and who was delivered into the hands of sinners to be crucified, who was lifted up on the horns of the unicorn, and who was pierced in His holy side, who poured forth from His side the two purifying elements, water and blood, word and spirit, and who was buried on the day of the passover, the stone being placed upon the tomb.” 3

Epiphanius of Salamis, of the 4th century, even admitted that the Catholic Church used to observe the Passover on the 14th. He wrote ──  

“Audians … (2) For they choose to celebrate the Passover with the Jews ── that is, they contentiously celebrate the Passover at the same time that the Jews are holding their Feast of Unleavened Bread. And indeed, <it is true> that this used to be the church’s custom ── … (4) And some, again, declare with a contentiousness of their own, ‘You changed the Passover to Constantine’s birthday.’” 4 

The Audians were a sect of so-called Christians in the 4th century in Syria and the Pontic–Caspian steppe, named after their founder Audius.

The Church of Jesus Christ Online Ministries, along with certain other church groups, have always kept and celebrated the LORD’s Passover on the 14th of Nisan ── and we will continue to do so. 

So, from the very time of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ ── and on throughout this present age ── a “little flock” (cf. Luke 12:32) of faithful servants will continue keeping and observing the LORD’s Passover on the 14th of Nisan annually. 

And then, the following night is THE NIGHT TO BE MUCH OBSERVED.

Let’s review this for a moment. Exodus 12:41-42 ── “And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years ── on that very same day ── it came to pass that all the armies of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. 42) It is a night of solemn observance to the LORD for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This is that night of the LORD, a solemn observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations.”

The night when they started to leave Egypt was the beginning of the Days of Unleavened Bread.

To the best of my knowledge, the meaning of those Hebrew words says, “it is a night of watching.” “The Lord’s vigil.” This verse 42 does not establish a separate holy day, or holy ceremony to be observed on the first night of Unleavened Bread. This verse doesn’t do it. Again, ‘a night to be much observed.’ A night of watching. 

Well, think about all the things that happened that night! You have this ceremony where you’re putting blood on the front of your house, and you’re told not to go outside. Stay inside and you’re protected. Imagine the cacophony that took place! When the Egyptian people, and the people who did not put blood on their doorway, when they realized that their firstborn children, or anything firstborn – animals included – started dying! Imagine the agony and the voices. The wailing that took place all over the nation of Egypt! It was a horribly sad moment for the Egyptians. 

Now, if you want to get together with your Church friends and have a dinner on the first night of Unleavened Bread, is there anything wrong with that? No. But, according to God’s living word, it is not a separate holy day or holy ceremony. Again, don't get caught in church traditions!

Our Lord Jesus kept His final Passover just after sunset on the 14th of Nisan. And He commanded His followers to continue to do so. Will you?

For our baptized brethren worldwide without a local minister, the Church of Jesus Christ Online Ministries is pleased to present and make available a Passover Service ── a step-by-step sermon. □

 

 Bibliography

1 Schaff, Philip, A Select library of Nicene and post-Nicene fathers of the Christian church. Second series, Cornell University Library, New York, The Christian literature company, 1890, pp. 47-48. 

2 Ratzinger, J., The Dating of the Last Supper, CERC, Retrieved 11 April 2025. 

3 https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/apollinaris.html. 

4 Epiphanius, The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis, Leiden ; New York : E.J. Brill, 1987, pp. 410, 411.