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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, March 21, 1980
OFFICIAL RULING ON PASSOVER
By Herbert W. Armstrong
Page 2
It is di£ cult for me to understand why some ministers (probably no
longer with the Church) should be mixed up about whether the Passover was
on the 14th or the 15th of Abib (or Nisan).
As Mr. Neff states in the preceding, "certain papers were circulated
that concluded that the Bible account could be explained in a p
sible
way" to mislead the Church.
First, let's get settled once and for all: HOW HAS JESUS CHRIST, THE
HEAD OF THE CHURCH, ALWAYS PUT HIS TEACHINGS AND DOCTRINES INTO GOD'S
CHURCH? Search the book of Acts. Search the writings of Paul. The
Church always, from the beginning, received its teachings, doctrines and
practices FROM THE APOSTLES! And where did the Apostles obtain these
teachings? Direct from Jesus Christ who taught them IN PERSON. Jesus
was the PERSONAL Word of God. The Bible is the WRITTEN Word of God--the
same teachings and truths precisely. Some of the teachings and practices
injected into the Church were obtained by the Apostles from the PROPHETS.
The Church is founded on the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ being
chief cornerstone.
ALL
icial teaching, doctrine, and practice in
God's Church today has been put ih the Church by Jesus Christ THROUGH HIS
CHOSEN APOSTLE!
God says He is a jealous God. That is, He does not allow any other
to usurp His place or authority! Each of you ministers should fe
the
same way about anyone else jerking the rug out from under you or usurping,
without authority, your place. I feel that way about the Apostleship
Jesus Christ has conferred on me.
Now let me, once and for all, take space to MAKE CRYSTAL CLEAR the
truth about whether the Passover is on the 14th or the 15th. UNDERSTAND
this! Teach it to your congregations!
The children of Israel were slaves in Egypt, living in the sector
of Goshen. Through Moses God was about to deliver them from that slavery
and lead them out of it. You and I have been in slavery to SIN. It has
been God's purpose to lead us out of it into the FREEDOM of God's right
eousness!
Through Moses and Aaron,
He took their various objects
that tormented the Egyptians.
showing them that their false
God had sent a number of plagues on Egypt.
of worship and turned them into plagues
In God's LOVE for the Egyptians, He was
gods were enemies, not benefactors!
Finally there was one last plague. God would strike dead the first
born in each household. He gave instructions to the Israelites that at
even (between the two evenings--"dusk," American Jewish translation) on
the 14th of Nisan they were to kill a lamb. This lamb was a type of
Christ, to be slain for our sins.
They were to take the lamb on the 10th day of Nisan (Exodus 12:3).
They were to "keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month"
(verse 6) and "kill it in the evening" (between the two evenings, Margin--