From time to time I get questioned as to why I kill a lamb for Passover.  I've learned over the years that many in the body of Christ are offended at such a practice.  I've decided to write an article to address this concern.  However, I would like to start by stating some facts from the New Testament.  First, the Apostle Paul stated clearly, "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ" (Col. 2:16-17).  We are not to judge one another in regards to how we keep God's holy days, and this includes the Passover.  When the Messiah walked the earth it was a very common practice for Israelites to kill a lamb for Passover.  Philo of Alexandria, who lived at the same time as the Messiah, writes, "which the Hebrews call, in their native language, pascha, on which the whole nation sacrifices, each individual among them, not waiting for the priests, since on this occasion the law has given, for one special day in every year, a priesthood to the whole nation, so that each private individual slays his own victim on this day" (Philo, The Decalogue, 159).  The Apostle Paul would have no doubt known that individual households killed their own lamb on this day.  We need to heed Paul's warning and not divide over this topic regarding the Passover, or any holy day for that matter.  This article is designed to explain why killing a lamb on Passover is relevant today as well as address some scriptural objections many people have.  Please do not construe this article as a judgment of any kind as to how anyone keeps the Passover.  I firmly believe if someone is convicted in conscience regarding killing a lamb, then they should not do so.  Each person needs to keep God's commands the best they know how.

Scriptural Interpretation:

          It is important to remember how we are to interpret the scriptures.  We are to interpret using the spirit of the law, not the letter of the law.  The spirit of the law is a modern term used today which traces back to the time of Moses.  It means, "the intent and purpose of the law maker" (https://definitions.uslegal.com/s/spirit-of-the-law/).  This is what Peter meant when he said, "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" (2 Pet. 1:20-21).  God, by His Spirit, inspired the Holy Scriptures.  We need to understand those scriptures based upon His intent and purpose.  Remember, God does not change (Mal. 3:6) and His law does not change (Matt. 5:17-19).  We need to keep every commandment in the scripture, but we interpret those commandments using the spirit of the law.  This is the only way that all scripture fits together. 

          Today, many apply this understanding to some laws, but they do not use it for all laws.  For example, the scripture says not to kindle a fire on the Sabbath (Ex. 35:3), but most do not have a problem with the fire kindled in the engine of their car or the lighting of their homes.  They understand that the spirit of this law was not to engage in work, which many times required fire. This does not refer to the fire required to light your home or drive your car to the Sabbath service.  Though we use this principle to understand many laws of the scripture we tend to only interpret laws like the Levitical Priesthood and the Temple sacrifices in the letter of the law.  Perhaps if we understood them in light of the Spirit of the Law they would make more sense.  Lets look at the Passover using this principal.  Lets look at the Passover in the spirit of the law.  For more on the spirit of the law please read my article here.

Why kill a lamb?

          This is a fairly easy question to answer for the scripture is pretty clear.  The controversy mainly comes from the objections people raise using specific scriptures.  In Exodus 12 we are given most of the Passover commandments.  Here is a list from a previous article I wrote.

• The Tenth of Abib:

1. The tenth day of the first month we are to set aside a lamb (Ex. 12:3).

2. One lamb for each house (Ex. 12:4).

3. A lamb can be shared with two households if one household is too small (Ex. 12:4).

4. The lamb shall be without blemish (Ex. 12:5).

5. The lamb shall be male (Ex. 12:5).

6. The lamb shall be less than one year old (Ex. 12:5).

7. The lamb shall come from the sheep or the goats (Ex. 12:5).

• The Fourteenth of Abib (evening):

8. A hymn shall be sang (Matt. 26:30, Mark 14:26).

9. Foot washing ceremony (John 13:4-5).

10. Communion bread shall be eaten (Matt. 26:26-30, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:18-22).

11. Communion wine shall be drank (Matt. 26:26-30, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:18-22).

• The Fourteenth of Abib (day):

12. Shall keep the lamb until the fourteenth day of the first month (Ex. 12:6).

13. Shall kill the lamb in the evening (Ex. 12:6).

14. Shall strike the sides and upper door posts with the blood of the lamb (Ex. 12:7).

15. Shall roast the lamb with fire (Ex. 12:8).

16. Shall blow the trumpet over the Passover Offering (Num. 10:10).

• The Fifteenth of Abib:

17. Shall eat the lamb in that night (Ex. 12:8).

18. Shall eat the lamb with bitter herbs (Ex.12:8).

19. Shall eat the lamb with unleavened bread (Ex. 12:8).

20. Shall not eat it raw (Ex. 12:9).

21. Shall not eat it sodden with water (Ex. 12:9).

22. Shall roast the lamb whole with it's head, legs, and internal organs (Ex. 12:9).

23. Burn the lamb until nothing remains (Ex. 12:10, Deut. 16:4).

24. Eat with your loins girded (Ex. 12:11).

25. Eat with your staff in your hand (Ex. 12:11).

26. Eat with your shoes on (Ex. 12:11).

27. Eat in haste/quickly (Ex. 12:11).

28. Shall teach the Passover to your children (Ex. 12:26-27).

29. Servants can eat if circumcised (Ex. 12:44).

30. Must be eaten in one house (Ex. 12:45-46).

31. Not one bone shall be broken (Ex. 12:46).

32. All the congregation shall keep the Passover (Ex. 12:47).

33. Strangers can keep the Passover if all males are circumcised (Ex. 12:48).

34. All that keep the Passover shall practice one law (Ex. 12:49).

35. If you miss the Passover you can celebrate it on the second month (Num. 9:6-14).

36. Shall remove all leaven from your household (Ex. 12:15).

37. Shall eat unleavened bread for seven days (Ex. 12:15, 18, Ex. 13:6-7, Lev. 23:6-8).

38. Those that eat leavened bread shall be excommunicated (Ex. 12:15).

39. There shall be no leavened bread in all your camp for seven days (Ex. 12:19-20).

40. A Sabbath is to be observed (Ex. 12:16, Lev. 23:7-8).

41. A Holy Convocation is to be observed (Ex. 12:16, Lev. 23:7-8).

42. No servile work is to be done (Ex. 12:16, Lev. 23:7-9).

          This is the list given the day God sent the last plague upon Egypt.  At the very end of this list God commands Moses, "And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service" (Ex. 12:25).  We were commanded to keep the service in Exodus 12, which is what is listed above.  In fact, the next chapter God makes the same commandment again (Ex. 13:5).  This is clearly the service God intended.  In the second year after the Exodus the children of Israel kept the Passover as well.  Numbers chapter nine explains, "Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season.  In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it"  (Num. 9:2-3).  The second Passover they kept the same service.  In ancient Israel they kept the Passover according to the commandments of Exodus 12.

          When Israel came into the land which God had promised them, they started doing the Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, the place where the LORD placed His name (Deut. 16:16).  This is where the controversy comes from.  If God commanded Israel to keep these feasts in Jerusalem, including the Passover, the question then becomes, is it still okay to kill a lamb for Passover today?  I believe it is.  Our problem is that we don't understand the sacrificial system in the spirit of the law.  There are two words in the Old Testament that are translated as sacrifice.  The first is zebach, which means, "properly a slaughter, that is, the flesh of an animal" (Strong's H2077).  The second is zâbach, which means, "to slaughter an animal: - kill, offer, (do) sacrifice, slay" (Strong's H2076).  The first word is the noun and refers to the actual animal that was killed.  The second word is the verb and refers to the act of killing the animal.  The word sacrifice has many religious overtones today, but there is nothing religious about it.  These words should not be translated as sacrifice.  A more accurate translation would be slaughter or butcher.  The sacrificial system slaughtered animals for a purpose that was practical and reasonable.  They were slaughtered for food (Peace Offerings), for fines and payments (Sin Offering), for fines with punitive damages (Trespass Offering), and for contract ratification (Burnt Offering).  Our culture does not understand this anymore because we are 3,500 years later.  The Passover sacrifice is simply slaughtering an animal for a barbecue to celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of our Messiah.  For more on the sacrificial system please see my videos The Tabernacle Offerings and The Levitical Priesthood.

Objections to Killing a Lamb:

          There are some common objections to killing a lamb for Passover.  Most of these objections regard scripture that is misunderstood in application because we are not interpreting using the spirit of the law.  Here are some common verses used to say we should not kill a lamb for Passover any more.  We will start by looking at some of the New Testament objections.

1 Corinthians 5:7-8: "Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." 

     The objection goes like this.  Why would you sacrifice a lamb if the Messiah is the true sacrifice?  Isn't Jesus' sacrifice enough?  This sounds like good reason and logic.  The problem is that the logic must then be continued further.  Paul uses an analogy to show that the Passover is the shadow of the Messiah just as unleavened bread is the shadow of sincerity and truth.  If we use the same logic then you would have to say we should not eat unleavened bread during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  We should replace it with sincerity and truth, but no one who keeps this feast would do such a thing.  This passage in no way tells us not to kill a lamb.  All the Apostle Paul is saying is that the Passover lamb pictures the Messiah.  Just as they were to look forward to the true Messiah with the Passover lamb, we can look backward to the true Messiah with the Passover lamb.  Killing a lamb in remembrance of the Messiah's redeeming death, burial, and resurrection in no way denies Him.  I do this to honor Him.  If this verse is saying not to kill a lamb for Passover, then we are also not to eat unleavened bread for the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  Instead, we are to use sincerity and truth.  If this were our interpretation method, then each feast has a shadow to fulfill and we should practice the shadow and not the feast.  The truth is, if we do not practice the shadow correctly, we will not have a proper understanding of the reality.  The picture God gave us to remember the redeeming sacrifice of the Messiah is the Passover lamb.  I think this picture is a fantastic way to remember our Messiah's death, burial, and resurrection.  There is no need to change it.

Deuteronomy 16:5-7: "Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee: But at the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt."

     This is probably the strongest argument given to show that we should not kill a lamb for Passover.  If we understand this scripture in the letter of the law then we cannot sacrifice the Passover anywhere but Jerusalem, which is where God placed His name (1 Kings 11:36), but remember, we are also told, to keep every feast "in the place which he shall choose" (Deut. 16:16).  If we cannot slaughter an animal anywhere but Jerusalem, then we cannot keep any of the holy days anywhere but Jerusalem either.  If someone is going to use Deuteronomy sixteen to prove we shouldn't kill a lamb for Passover, then they must also stop keeping the rest of the feasts as well.  In Deut. 12:17 it also says, "Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of [all] . . . , nor thy freewill offerings . . ."  If we cannot slaughter an animal for Passover today, then churches can no longer take tithes or offerings either, but very few churches come to this conclusion.  Why do churches understand the spirit of the law for tithes and offerings, but not for the Passover?  The answer lies in our interpretation method.  Understanding this passage with God's intent and purpose in mind, which is the spirit of the law, will provide the answer.  Sometimes this can allow for exceptions in certain cases.  Here are a few scriptural exceptions regarding the Passover and the sacrificial system:  (The truth is Deuteronomy sixteen is not really speaking of the Passover sacrifice anyways, but that is a debate for another article to answer.  For more detail on Deuteronomy sixteen please read my article The Place Where God Put His Name).

King Hezekiah broke several Passover statutes when he reestablished the Passover again in Jerusalem.

King Hezekiah kept the Passover in the second month because the priest's were not sanctified in time to do the offerings (2 Chron. 30:2-3).  However, the command to keep the Passover in the second month was for traveling or being unclean by a dead body (Num. 9:10).  We tend to see the spirit of the law for some laws, but not all.  If Hezekiah can postpone the Passover contrary to the specific statute, then I should be able to kill a lamb for Passover contrary to the specific statute.  Albeit, with a valid excuse.

During this same feast, many ate the Passover while unclean, contrary to the manner prescribed in the law (2 Chron. 30:18), but Hezekiah prayed for them and the LORD "healed the people" (2 Chron. 30:20).  This was an exception to the law because of their circumstances.  This is an example of the spirit of the law.  Can we today do this because of our circumstance?  I think we can.  They even decided to add seven more days to the feast (2 Chron. 30:23), but we were commanded to keep the feast for only seven days (Lev. 23:6-8).

Sacrifices were given outside Jerusalem:

Although the scripture mentions several high places that were pagan, many were righteous.  Samuel sacrificed in several locations outside of the Tabernacle (1 Sam. 9:18-19) and Solomon was complemented in his sacrifice to a high place (1 Kings 3:3-4).  These high places, when following God's Law, were an extension of the Tabernacle in Jerusalem.

Elijah lamented that Israel had "thrown down [God's] altars" (1 Kings 19:10).  The word "altars" is plural.  Which altars is Elijah speaking of?  He is not speaking of the Tabernacle.  This is a clear reference to the "high places of the gates ... of the city" (2 Kings 23:8).  This is where judicial proceedings were performed (Deut. 21:19-21).  This is a multi tiered judicial system similar to what we do in America.  These altars were the lower court system of Ancient Israel.  When they practiced the law of God, they were righteous, but when they practiced another law, they were pagan.  If Samuel and Elijah sacrificed outside Jerusalem contrary to the letter of the law, then why can't we?  Maybe when the scripture says to bring all offerings to the door of the tabernacle (Lev. 17:3-4) it means in the power and authority of the tabernacle.  This would be an acceptable understanding according to the spirit of the law and makes perfect sense when you consider how the gates of the city were set up as the lower court system (Ex. 18:21-22).

David ate the Showbread

King David broke the law when he ate the showbread (1 Sam. 21:6).  This was a clear violation of tabernacle ordinances.  In fact, our Messiah referred to this to help explain how to interpret God's Law.  David ate the showbread, "which was not lawful for him to eat" (Matt. 12:4).  His explanation was that David was starving (Matt. 12:3).  Apparently, we can break the letter of the law for certain issues beyond our control.

          Using some of these examples we can gain understanding as to how to interpret the law of God.  We should follow the letter of the law if we can, but when we are unable to for various reasons, God has grace and we can follow to the best of our ability without penalty.  This is the spirit of the law.  We need to understand and practice God's law based upon His intent and purpose.

The Spirit of the Law:

          The answer to this Passover dilemma is spelled out in the scriptures for us.  In Deuteronomy twelve we are given the commands regarding "the place which the LORD your God shall choose" (Deut. 12:5).  We need to understand these commands in light of the Passover and all other Tabernacle/Temple commands.  God commands Israel, "But when ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the LORD your God giveth you to inherit, and when he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety;  Then there shall be a place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the LORD"  (Deut. 12:10-11).  Here we learn that we are to bring all of our tithes and offerings to the place where God places His name.  However, if you think of the reality of this statement, there is no way everyone in Israel could do this.  It is estimated that 2.5 million Israelites were in the Exodus.  This is a stretch for one tabernacle to host this many people and their sacrifices.  Based on King David's census it is estimated that there were more than 5 million during his time.  There is no way one temple could satisfy a crowd of this magnitude.  In fact, this is what many critics of the scripture use to demonstrate errors in the Bible.

          The answer, however, requires the spirit of the law and is found in the next few verses.  "When the LORD thy God shall enlarge thy border, as he hath promised thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul longeth to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after" (Deut. 12:20).  God's plan was to expand Israel.  They were going to grow, but how can this little tabernacle satisfy the needs of an ever growing Israel.  The reality is that it can't.  There is no way, aside from a miracle of God, that this could possibly happen.  The next verse says, "If the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to put his name there be too far from thee, then thou shalt kill (H2076 - sacrifice) of thy herd and of thy flock, which the LORD hath given thee, as I have commanded thee, and thou shalt eat in thy gates whatsoever thy soul lusteth after" (Deut. 12:21).  If we live too far from Jerusalem, then we can sacrifice within our own gates.  However, this is the second tithe since we are the ones eating it.  The first tithe still goes to the Tabernacle (Deut. 12:26).  We can eat our second tithe for feasting within our own gates, but the first tithe still goes to the priesthood at the Tabernacle.  We can keep the feast within our own gates, but the tithes and offerings go to the Tabernacle.  This is necessary especially as Israel outgrew the tabernacle.  In fact, in the millennium we are told that all the nations will come up to Jerusalem and keep the feast of tabernacles (Zech. 14:16).  There is no physical way that every person on the planet can keep the feast in Jerusalem.  What will most likely happen is the leaders of each nation will go to Jerusalem and keep the feast.  The rest of the nation will most likely keep the feast within their own gates just as Deuteronomy 12:20-21 says.  In light of this principle that God established we have every right to kill a Passover lamb within the gates of America, even though America does not recognize the Passover in any way.  This is consistent with the Israelites at the time of the Messiah and the earliest New Testament church.

          There are numerous quotes from the first century to validate this claim.  Josephus writes that the Temple would sacrifice 256,000 lambs for the Passover (Wars of the Jews, 6.9.3 422-427).  Clearly in Jerusalem they killed the Passover at the Temple, but what did Israelites do that were too far from Jerusalem?  Philo of Alexandria was a Jew, but lived too far from Jerusalem to keep the feasts.  He records many writings explaining how this was accomplished.  Philo wrote, "which the Hebrews call, in their native language, pascha, on which the whole nation sacrifices, each individual among them, not waiting for the priests, since on this occasion the law has given, for one special day in every year, a priesthood to the whole nation, so that each private individual slays his own victim on this day" (Philo, The Decalogue, p. 159).  According to Philo, Jews who lived in Alexandria would sacrifice their own Passover lamb.  Philo also wrote, "which the Hebrews call pascha, on which the whole people offer sacrifice, beginning at noonday and continuing till evening.  ... they sacrificed at that time themselves out of their exceeding joy, without waiting for priests.  And what was then done the law enjoined to be repeated once every year, as a memorial of the gratitude due for their deliverance.  And each house is at that time invested with the character and dignity of a temple, the victim being sacrificed so as to make a suitable feast for the man who has provided it and of those who are collected to share in the feast  . . ." (Philo, The Special Laws II, 145-148).  According to Philo, who lived too far from the Temple to travel there, the Passover was sacrificed in the homes away from the Temple.  This is authorized by Deut. 12:20-21.  We have complete scriptural authority to kill a lamb for Passover.  However, what did Philo do with his first tithe and offerings?  Philo also wrote, "Accordingly there is in almost every city a storehouse for the sacred things (ie. first tithe) to which it is customary for the people to come and there to deposit their first fruits, and at certain seasons there are sacred ambassadors selected on account of their virtue, who convey the offerings to the temple.  And the most eminent men of each tribe are elected to this office, that they may conduct the hopes of each individual safe to their destination; for in the lawful offering of the first fruits are the hopes of the pious."  (Philo, The Special Laws I, 78)  At the time of Philo, those who lived too far to travel to Jerusalem, stored their tithes and offerings in a storehouse.  At certain seasons (holydays) this tithe was brought to Jerusalem through ambassadors, but they ate their second tithe within their own gates.  It is important to remember that the Passover lamb is part of the second tithe.  We know this because the first tithe is eaten by the Levites (Num. 18:26-28), the third tithe is eaten by the Levite, stranger, fatherless, and widows (Deut. 26:12), but the second tithe is eaten by us (Deut. 14:26).  Since we are the ones who eat of the Passover lamb, then the Passover lamb is part of the second tithe.  We can eat of our second tithe within our own gates.

God Teaches Through Object Lessons:

          Throughout the scriptures God gives His people object lessons to learn from.  Jeremiah was told to take his belt and bury it by the Euphrates River.  This belt was later dug up and was rotten.  This was used to illustrate the futility of chasing after false gods (Jer. 13:1-10).  God also told Jeremiah to buy a flask and then break it in front of the people.  This was done to show that God was breaking the nation because of sin (Jer. 19:1-15). Ezekiel was told to lie on his left side for 390 days and his right side for 40 days.  This was done to illustrate a siege (Eze. 4:1-17).  Numerous times God uses object lessons to teach His people.  The feast days are no different. They are called "holy convocations" (Lev. 23:2) throughout the scriptures.  The Hebrew word for convocations is miqrâ', which means, "something called out, a public meeting, a rehearsal" (Strong's H4744).  On these holy days we are called out to rehearse something, but what are we rehearsing?  The Apostle Paul answers this question.  He calls these feasts a "shadow of things to come" (Col. 2:16-17).  We are rehearsing things to come.  We are rehearsing the plan of God throughout the ages.  We are rehearsing the first coming of the Messiah and the second coming of the Messiah.  If we do not do the rehearsal, how can we be certain of what the shadow represents.  Before a wedding takes place, the wedding party goes through a rehearsal dinner to make sure the event is properly understood and takes place accordingly.  We are the bride of the Messiah (Rev. 21:9).  These feasts are our wedding rehearsal for our bridegroom, the Messiah.  Believers need to rehearse God's plan in order to understand it correctly.  Just simply studying the rehearsal is not good enough. 

          Today in America, we live quite far from Jerusalem.  In fact, Jerusalem does not even do the Passover correctly anymore because of their religious tendencies.  We have two reasons to kill the Passover within our own gates/homes.  First, Jerusalem is too far for us to travel, and second, there is no Passover in Jerusalem.  Both these provide a scripturally sound reason to kill our Passover lamb within our own gates, including our own homes.  Our problem today is we see all this as a religion, but it is a law.  Using legal principals to study the scripture is the only way to understand this.  In the Millennium, the Messiah is going to establish all of His feast days world wide.  He will institute the weekly Sabbath (Eze. 46:1), all the holy days (Eze. 45:17), the Passover and feast of Unleavened Bread (Eze. 45:21), the Feast of Tabernacles (Eze. 45:25, Zech. 14:16, 18-19), and all the appointed times (Eze. 46:9-11).  If you read these passages you will realize that during the Millennium all nations will keep these feast days, including Gentile nations.  There is no way every person on the planet can fit in Jerusalem to keep these feasts.  These nations will most likely send their rulers to Jerusalem to keep the feast, but the rest of the nation will keep the feast within their own gates.  The promise to believers today is to rule and reign with the Messiah (2 Tim. 2:12, Rev. 20:4, etc.).  Believers are going to rule with the Messiah during the Millennial kingdom.  I believe these rulers will keep these feasts in Jerusalem, but the rest of the world will keep these feasts within their own gates.  This is our reward for "keeping the commandments of God, and the faith of Messiah" (Rev. 14:12).  We will get to rule and reign with Him and keep His holy days in Jerusalem with Him.  There is no better time than now to start rehearsing for the Millennial kingdom.  I have no doubt that the Messiah will be keeping these feasts correctly according to all the commandments of God.  Maybe we should too.

          At the time of the early church, the Apostle Paul said, "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:  Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ" (Col. 2:16-17).  The Apostle Paul was the Apostle to the Gentiles (Rom. 11:13).  There is no doubt that he would have been familiar with how Israelites practiced the Passover away from Jerusalem.  He would have known that they killed a lamb within their own homes and within their own gates, yet he still told us not to judge each other regarding our keeping of the Holy Days.  He told the Corinthians to keep the feast, yet they lived 800 miles away from Jerusalem (1 Cor. 5:7-8).  Traveling to Jerusalem three times a year would cause them to be traveling nearly six months out of every year.  This is not very reasonable at all.  Paul must have expected them to keep the feast within their own gates.  It would make more sense to send their first tithe to Jerusalem with Ambassadors while they kept the feast with their second tithe in Corinth.  In fact, when you get to the end of First Corinthians you see they did just that.  Paul said, "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye" (1 Cor. 16:1).  This collection was collected on the first day of the week (1 Cor. 16:2).  Paul continued, "And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem" (1 Cor. 16:3).  Corinth sent people who were approved by letters.  A letter of approval is what we call a letter of credential today, also called diplomatic credentials.  This is what Ambassadors travel with to this very day.  Paul told the Corinthians as well as the Galatians to send their tithes and offerings to Jerusalem, but they kept the feast within their own gates just as Philo said.

Conclusion:

          The scripture teaches that our tithes and offerings are to be given to our Judicial System (Levitical Priesthood).  There are three words for "offerings" in the scripture and they all represent something brought to the altar as a gift (Strong's Dictionary terûmâh - H8641, minchâh - H4503, qorbân - H7133).  This word means a gift to be given to someone else.  To not give it to the rightful person would be stealing.  For some reason the churches of America think it is okay to take a tithe even though they are not Levites or a Judicial System.  They also believe the tithe belongs to them even though they are outside of Jerusalem, which is contrary to the scripture, yet it is not okay to kill the Passover outside of Jerusalem within your own gates, which is completely okay with the scripture.  The truth is simple.  The scripture teaches that our Judicial System is to be paid with the first tithe.  This is a government institution, not a church.  Our income tax is our first tithe, although incorrectly administered.  Our income tax should be only ten percent and given only to our Judicial System.  The rest of the government should be funded by a tax.  This provides for an independent judiciary to be the checks and balances to our government.  Wouldn't America be better if we obeyed God and kept His commandments?

          I do not believe everyone has to kill a lamb for Passover.  If someone does not know how to do so then they can certainly use the spirit of the law and recognize this in some other way.  My point is simple.  We are to recognize the Messiah in Exodus 12 for the Passover and do our best to keep every statute.  This is the difference between the spirit of the law and the letter of the law.  Paul told the Corinthians that the letter of the law kills, but the spirit gives life (2 Cor. 3:6).  How does the letter kill, you might ask?  When the scripture says you can only keep the feast days in Jerusalem it kills our chances to obey God in the letter, but if we understand the spirit of the law and realize that we are too far from Jerusalem, we are given life and can keep God's commands in the spirit.  The lesson is simple.  We should keep the letter of the law if at all possible.  When there is a circumstance that keeps us from following the letter of the law, then we have the freedom to keep the law in the spirit if necessary.  However, we should not use this liberty as an opportunity to sin (Gal. 5:13, 1 Pet. 2:16).  We should keep every commandment we can and only use our liberty if necessary.  God will be our judge as to how we use this liberty.

          My family and I have been judged pretty harshly by many believers because of our conviction to obey God and keep His commandments.  We have been removed from two different fellowships as a result.  We should heed Paul's warning and not judge others in regards to Holy Days.  Exodus chapter twelve contains all the statutes for the Passover.  We should do our very best to keep every commandment.  If someone does not know how to slaughter and roast a lamb for Passover, then there is grace and we should keep every commandment we can.  It would be just as much the Passover if we bought our lamb from the grocery store on the tenth and put it in the fridge marked "Passover."  You could roast it over fire on the fourteenth and still honor every other commandment in Exodus chapter twelve.  This is keeping God's commands in the spirit of the law.  Though we are not capable of following the letter, we can still keep God's intent behind His commands.  This is how law works, but unfortunately many in the body of Christ still judge others for how they keep God's feast days.  I currently attend an awesome church that does not judge others for their biblical beliefs.  I do not think they agree with my interpretation of keeping the Passover, but they have not divided over my convictions to keep the Passover.  I pray that all churches do the same.

By Steve Siefken

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth

not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV