When Was the Old Testament Passover Lamb Slain? Part 2

Well, it was a very appropriate song. We always loved that song. It was very beautiful this time of year as we've been thinking about the Passover when Israel went out of Egypt. And that, of course, leads right into the sermon, which I'm going to be today going over the events leading up to the time when Israel went out of Egypt. So today, then, I want to continue to look at the events surrounding the Old Testament Passover, which occurred, again, just before God did, indeed, deliver Israel out of Egypt so long ago.

And then, going over these events, I realize there's been a lot of confusion and controversy over some of these events and how they actually took place and when they took place and so on. So I want to stress I'm simply trying to clarify and substantiate the position the Church has had for many, many years, going all the way back to Mr. Armstrong. And it's basically all the major churches of God have had this position going all the way back many, many years.

I realize there are different positions that, on the surface, at least, look like they have some merit, which is why we should not be judgmental at all or condemning towards other positions that some people may have. Now, one thing we all know, and as I know, I feel like I'm getting up there in years and I'm almost getting to be ancient, but I'm not quite that ancient.

I was not an eyewitness to these events. So, you know, I have to just kind of try to piece things together from Scripture, as all of us have to do. I was wondering, you know, sometime we're in God's kingdom, it would sure be great. Maybe we're in there in God's kingdom, and we'll just get in there and say, well, let's have a movie night. We're going to have a movie night, and I'm going to play you how it all played out when that first Passover and when God led us all, and we get to see how it really took place.

And there might be a few surprises for us, I don't know, but that would sure be interesting if we could have that play back for us to see exactly how things went. But today I want to look at seven questions surrounding Israel's first Passover, which led up to when they were delivered out of Egypt. And, of course, I already answered the first question, but I'm going to review it just quickly. So the title for my sermon here this afternoon is Israel's First Passover, or the Passover Part 2. It's Part 2 of the series I want to give here, leading up to the Passover. Again, all seven of these questions are very basic questions, but the answers have generated, especially over the last 15 years or so, a great deal of controversy and confusion.

And I say probably there's so much confusion now that all probability we're going to all have to wait until Christ returns until everyone can be convinced of the correct answers. But we can only try to put the pieces of the puzzle together as best we can and see how it seems to fit with Scripture and so on, which I'm attempting to do here in this series. Again, as I said, the first of these seven questions I want to address, the first one was actually answered last time. The first one was, when would the Old Testament Passover lambs killed?

Exodus 12.6 says, you know, at twilight, as it says in the New King James, or the Hebrew phrase there is, between the two evenings. When is between the two evenings? It's been a great deal of controversy as to what time that exact, like we referred to. As I showed last time, the most likely meaning of that, which is best supported by Scripture and by definition, is that between the two evenings was between sunset and when it became totally dark, right at the beginning of the Passover day, right after sunset on the 14th day of that first month, which is the way, again, Vines also defines it, and that's a very respected source as well.

And then, of course, it depends on, that's why it's so important, when you look at it, if you can take the position of the Jews that the Passover was sacrificed on the afternoon of the 14th, then that changes all of the subsequent events after that. So it all comes out differently depending on what you base your premise on. And for our purposes here, I'm going to base my premise on the position the church has had going all the way back to Mr.

Armstrong, that the Passover land was sacrificed right after sunset at the beginning of the 14th, rather than on the afternoon of the 14th. And actually, when you go through and you put everything else together and you look at it, you see that that fits better than any other way you can look at it.

So the next six questions in will address the events what then took place, the remainder of that Passover night, and during the following daylight portion of that 24-hour Passover day with the premise that those Passover lambs were sacrificed at the beginning of the Passover, right after sunset on the 14th. So I'm going to address those events that led up then to Israel's deliverance out of Egypt on the night of the 15th, the following day. So the next question I want to ask then, and begin the sermon here this afternoon, is this.

Where were the Passover lambs killed? Where were they killed? You might think, well, what? Why do we need to know that? But how does that play in all this? But it is an important question to ask as to where they were killed, because it's changed after time. That's why it's important to ask. Let's go back to Exodus 12 and begin there. Again, a lot of the information here is in Exodus 12.

But Exodus 12 again, verses 3 and 4, which tell us where the first Passover service here leading up to Israel's deliverance out of Egypt, it tells us where the Passover lambs were killed. Exodus 12, verse 3, God told Moses, He said, Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, On the tenth day of this month, this first month, every man shall take from himself a lamb according to the house of his father, a lamb per household. And if the household is too small for the lamb, and again, as I said last time, the lamb could be anywhere from about eight days old up to no older than one year old. It couldn't be over a year old. Well, it depends. You know, if you had one that was only a couple of weeks old, probably only be maybe 20 pounds or something like that. If you had one that was almost a year old, it might be a 90-pound lamb. So that makes a lot of difference, depending on, you know, how old it was. And if you're a larger household, you'd want a little larger lamb. If you didn't, you could have a smaller, younger lamb. But if a household is too small for the lamb, let him take his neighbor next to his house, take it according to the number of the persons, according to each man's need, you shall make your count for the lamb. So the point is here, though, the question I was asking, where were the Passover lambs killed? They were killed at their households or at their neighbor's household. That's where they were killed. Verse 6, Now you should keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. So again, that's that phrase that many of your margins will say between the two evenings, as it is literally in the middle of meaning in Hebrew. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. So they would both kill and eat their lambs at their household's or at their neighbor's household, if two households combined together. And of course, if they combined together, they would have then placed the blood on the doorposts of the house where they were eating the lamb. And they sacrificed the lamb where they ate it. It would be on that particular household, as it says in the letter part there of verse 7. Again, verse 7, They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. The house after eating it in. Then they shall eat the flesh on that night, it says. Eat the flesh on that same night. So these three verses, verses 6-8, tend to make a very important point. I just want to point out. The Passover lamb was to be killed on the 14th and then eaten, it says here, on that same night. So it does indicate that the Old Testament Passover consisted not only of killing the lamb, but also of eating the lamb.

That Passover service entailed both of those things. They're both an important part of that Passover service. And I think that's an important distinction to make because it tends to indicate that both of those events, the killing of the lamb and the eating of the lamb, had to occur on the Passover day to be a part of the Passover service. You wouldn't have one on one day and one on another day. So it indicates you couldn't kill the Passover on the 14th and then eat it on the 15th and have different days and yet still have that part of the Passover service because the indication here is that it was to be killed and eaten on the same night.

Which was that Passover, beginning of the Passover day, that night time portion. But going back to my original question of where were the Passover lamb is killed, they were killed at the households where they lived or at their neighbor's household.

So this was an individual family household Passover service. We could call it a domestic Passover to distinguish it from what happened later on in their history where they had a temple Passover. So I'm making that distinction here. Now, next question, question number three in these first two sermons, and today we're going to the last six of those seven questions. Where were the children of Israel during that entire night? It's a very key question. Where were the children of Israel during that entire night? Did they remain in their houses that entire night, or did they leave their houses sometime during that night, as some believe?

Let's go to Exodus 12. See what it says. Exodus 12 verse 8. Then they shall eat the flesh on that night, roasted in fire, with unleavened bread, and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat it raw, nor boiled it all with water, but roasted in fire. It's had with its legs and its entrails. And you shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire.

So in any case, they would be there during the night, and that morning then what was left they would burn with fire. Let's go on. Verse 21, dropping down to verse 21 of Exodus 12. Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, Pick out and take lamps for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb. Verse 22, And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two door poles with the blood that is in the basin. And then, notice the latter part of verse 22, God's instructions to Israel through Moses, And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning.

That's quite clear. So here they are directly commanded by God that none of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning. Why? Verse 23. For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians on that night, and when he sees the blood of the lintel and on the lintel and on the two door posts, the Lord will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you.

Now what events does the Passover specifically commemorate, then? Verses 24 through 27. You shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever. It will come to pass when you come to the Lamb which the Lord will give you, just as he promised, you keep this service. And it should be assigned when your children say to you, well, what does this service mean?

It was meant by all this. That you will tell them, you will say, it is the Lord's Passover sacrifice. It is the Passover sacrifice of the Lord who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when he struck the Egyptians and delivered our households. So the Passover commemorates God's passing over the houses of the children of Israel who had the bloodless lane pass over Lamb on their doorposts. Now, did the children of Israel do as God commanded in verse 22? Did they stay in their houses and not go out of the door of their houses until the following morning?

What does it say? Verse 28. And it came to... excuse me, verse 28. Then the children of Israel went away, and they did just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. So they did. They did as he commanded. And he commanded them. He said, don't leave your houses. Don't go out of the door of your houses until the next morning. It says here, they did as Moses commanded. That would clearly indicate to me that they remained in their houses that entire night. And they did not leave their houses sometime after midnight as those who maintained a 15th Passover and all this happening on the 15th would tend to believe.

Seems pretty clear. When you combine Exodus 12, 10, verse 22 and 28, it seems to give us a very clearer picture. It clearly indicates that the Israelites remained in their houses that entire night and didn't go out until the next morning.

Now, I just want to make a correction. I think last week I said the Orthodox Jews believe that they left during that night is also some who maintained a 15th Passover and believe. Actually, I had a contact with somebody who actually has contact with rabbis and Orthodox Jews. And it's interesting, the Orthodox Jews, although they believe this all happened on the 15th and not on the 14th, I guess at least some rabbis and Orthodox Jews believe that the Israelites did remain in their houses all that night because of these verses.

It seems to them that's very clear that's what happened. Then they also believe that Israel started going out of Egypt on a daytime portion of that next day, which to them was the 15th rather than the 14th. That creates a real problem when you get to Deuteronomy 16.1, which I'll mention later on. They have a hard time addressing, but I just want to clarify that up. Apparently, the Orthodox Jews do believe that Israelites remained in their houses because of these verses we just read. Now, I just want to mention to you, you might think, well, wouldn't they have to go out of their houses to roast the lamb?

Actually, no, they wouldn't. I have Nelson's new illustrated Bible Manners and Customs. It says that the houses of the Israelites, it says they measured about 15 by 50 feet, or about 750 square feet, so they're relatively small. Especially, probably some had probably a fairly large family, so they were in a lovely small space. But it says they had two rear rooms, which they used for a kitchen, and one of those rear rooms was open to the sky in their houses, so they could cook with open sky, so to speak. So they would not have had to go out of their houses in order to roast the lamb, which would have taken at least several hours to kill, bleed, and roast the Passover lamb.

That would have taken at least two or three hours, I would say.

It's at least several hours to do that, which would take them up to very late in that evening before they actually began eating it. And in some cases, if there's a larger lamb, there was maybe 80 or 90 pounds. Probably, they had a large household, they probably wouldn't have to be ready to start eating that lamb and partake in that service to probably quite late that night, maybe as late as maybe 11 o'clock or so, or just before the time the death angel passed over.

I'm going down to Exodus 12, verse 11. I'm going back, I should say, to Exodus 12, verse 11.

And thus you shall eat it with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover.

And I explained last time that can mean in haste and a sense of eating with a little bit of fear and trepidation and a sense of urgency because of what was about to happen, the death angel was about to pass over. So in other words, in any case, this was not just a leisurely, enjoyable meal.

There was a lot of tension in the air, a lot of anxiety, a lot of fear and trepidation, and so to speak, and a great sense of urgency with which they're eating this. And they had to be ready after this time to be able to believe because they were going to have to be leaving after this.

How long after this? Well, according to what we just read, it wouldn't be until the morning, but they had to be ready. So they had to be prepared to leave. Exodus 12, verse 29.

And it came to pass at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who set on his throne, to the firstborn of the captive, who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock. So Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants, and all the Egyptians. It was a great cry of need, for there was not a house where there was not one dead, who was dead. Then he called from Moses, verse 31, and Aaron, by night, and said, Rise, go out from among my people both you and the children of Israel, and go serve the Lord as you have said. Now, that will tend to indicate that Moses saw them, or he called Moses and Aaron, but apparently, however, Pharaoh got word to them to lead by a courier, rather than telling him in person. Because right after the ninth plague, Moses recorded us telling Pharaoh, just after the ninth plague, just before the tenth plague, when all the firstborn were killed, when this death angel passed over at midnight. Just after the ninth plague, Moses recorded us telling Pharaoh in Exodus 10, verse 29, he said, I will never see your face again, Moses said.

He said, I'll never see your face again. So that would indicate that when Pharaoh decided to get them to go, he got a courier to Moses and he said, okay, you guys can leave, get out of here fast. But there wasn't in person. Now, now we come to our next question. Question four, when did the children of Israel leave their houses?

See, did they leave shortly after midnight? Or did they wait until daybreak the next morning?

Now, I already answered that, but I want to go over because I want to cover some things in answering that that I haven't covered yet. Because we've already read that none of you should go out of the door of his house until morning. Now, the reason I want to bring this up is because there has been some controversy over the meaning of the Hebrew word translated morning in Exodus 12 verse 22. Some indicate that, well, that could be any time after midnight, could be considered to be morning. So the question becomes, then, when was morning? Can you prove from Scripture when morning was? Was morning daybreak? Or could it have been sometime after midnight?

See, was any time after midnight considered to be morning? Or was morning when the first fate, light of day, began to appear? Now, the Hebrew word for morning here—and I'm just going to spell it for you as it is in Strong's. It's a bokeh spelled B-O-Q-E-R.

And the Hebrew word for night—I need to cover that, too, because both of these have play in here. The Hebrew word for night is leila, and the way Strong spells it is L-A-Y-L-A-H.

First, I want to take a look at this word leila, L-A-Y-L-A-H, the Hebrew word for night.

That word is first used. In fact, both these words are used in Genesis 1 verse 5. Let's turn back there and just see how they're used, to see if we can find how they're used, how that would define what they would mean. And what we're trying to determine is, can morning mean any time after midnight, or does it have to be at the break of day, when it's beginning at daylight?

Genesis 1 verse 5 uses both of those words. Genesis 1 verse 5, God called the light day, and the darkness he called night. The darkness he called night. The Hebrew word night, there is leila, L-A-Y-L-A-H. The darkness he called leila in Hebrew. So by its usage here, leila can be defined as a period of darkness of the 24-hour day. It's a period of darkness. And also, I'll just mention here, it says evening and the morning with the first day, the word morning there is boker. So it indicates that boker is the morning, the daylight part of the day, where leila is a nighttime part of the 24-hour day. That's how it's first used here. That's what it indicates.

Now let's go back to Exodus 12.

Exodus 12, and we'll go to verse 29.

Exodus 12 verse 29, it came to pass at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the cat who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. Verse 30, so Pharaoh rose in the night. This is after midnight, after the death angel passed over, it says Pharaoh rose in the night, after this death angel passed over. Night here is leila. Pharaoh rose in the leila in Hebrew, in the darkness of the night, as was defined in Genesis 1 verse 5. Going on, verse 31, then he called for Moses and Aaron by night. Again, by a leila or by darkness, as it was defined in Genesis 1.5.

So this now was sometime after midnight, and it is still being called leila or darkness. It's not being called morning yet. It's being called night, darkness, and it's after the death angel passed over. So it's not being referred to as bulk or morning. It's being referred to as leila, as still as night, as a time of darkness.

Now, Vines' expository dictionary of biblical words also defines the leila as the period of time during which it is dark. So after midnight, Pharaoh rose in the night or in leila while it was still dark. This is after midnight. Now, how long does this period of the Hebrew term leila or darkness or night, how long does that last according to the biblical usage of that word?

I'm trying to go through in detail on this. It seems kind of meticulous, but a lot of people make a big deal and they'll say, well, no, morning can be any time after midnight.

How is leila? How is that word leila used and defined by its usage?

See, how long does this period of leila or darkness last according to biblical usage of that word? Let's go to chapter 13 of Exodus and verse 21, where it's used here. And the Lord went before them by day, this is a little bit later now, after he delivered them out of Egypt, he went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them a light, so as to go by day and night. Now, in both cases here, the word translated night is leila. How long would they need the pillar of fire? Well, they would need it until daylight, until the time when the sun was beginning to come up. That they would need it until that time, as long as it's still dark, they would need that pillar of fire to give them light.

Thus, as it is used here, leila, night or darkness, would refer to the entire period of darkness between sunset and sunrise. So, notice also, let's go and take another usage of that word, notice also, Exodus 10 verse 13. Exodus 10 verse 13, it says, Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord bought an east wind on the land all that day, and all that night.

And when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.

All that night is leila. And when it was morning, morning is the word, boker.

So, this verse is very significant in defining both terms, because it shows a complete period of darkness of night, followed by a complete period of the light of day. And it records that the wind blew all night and before morning, but for boker, the word boker came to bring the locusts.

So, it indicates that the word translated morning, boker, begins at daylight. It can't begin sometime after midnight. It shows that morning occurs after the darkness of night has ended.

Now, does the Bible elsewhere clearly define the word boker or morning for us?

Yes, it does in the book of Judges. Let's go to Judges 19. This is something that's hard for us to imagine is what happened here, what's described here, but it does show the meaning of the word boker from its usage. Judges 19, and I'll begin in verse 1, came to pass in those days when there was no king in Israel and everyone was doing what was right in his own eyes, which is horrible, as people even are today, also doing what's right in their own eyes and we're just about as bad today as it was then here, when there was no king, that there was a certain Levite staying in the remote mountains of Ephraim. He took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.

And as they were traveling together, they came to this little town of Gibeah.

I'm just going to describe what tells us here rather than read it.

And the sun had set, so they sat down in the town square, as no one would take them in to give them a place to sleep for the night. It tells us that in Judges 19, verses 14 and 15. And then there, they're sitting there in the town square, an early man saw them and invited them to spend the night in his home. And I'll pick up the story from there in verse 22 of Judges 19. As they rejoined themselves, and he was in this home of this elderly man, this Levite and his concubine, so suddenly certain men of the city, perverted men, surrounded the house and beat on the door. They spoke to the master of the house.

They spoke to the old man, saying, Bring out the man who came to your house, that we may know him carnally. But the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, No, my brethren, I beg you, do not act so wickedly. Seeing this man has come into my house, do not commit this outrage.

I mean, we can't even imagine something like that, and we can't imagine what happens next, either.

It's outrageous as well. So he says, Look here is my virgin daughter and the man's concubine. Let me bring them out now. He said, Humble them, and do with them as you please, but to this man do not do such a vile thing. Verse 25, But the men would not heed him.

So the man took his concubine and brought her out to them, and they knew her and abused her all night until morning. All night until morning. All night. The word night is Leila. How long did Leila or night last? All night until morning. And the word translated morning is Boker. B-O-Q-E-R. When does Boker or morning begin as it is used here?

And they knew her and abused her all night until morning, and when the day began to break, they let her go. So morning or Boker began when the day began to break. So here, as that word is used, it defines when it begins, it begins at daybreak. Morning starts at daybreak, as the Hebrew word is used in Scripture. As if some was beginning to come up.

Not sometime after midnight, as some would try to proclaim.

Now, let's look at one final Scripture on this before moving on, because I'm necessarily explaining this Scripture because those who believe Boker can begin anytime after midnight often go to this particular Scripture in the book of Ruth to try to get Scriptural support for that understanding. So let's go to Ruth chapter 3. Take a look at it, see what it really means, what some say it means. Ruth chapter 3, and I'll begin in verse 12.

Ruth 3 verse 12. Now, it is true that I am a close relative, Boaz is telling Ruth.

However, there is a relative who's closer than I am.

So Boaz tells Ruth, Stay this night, and in the morning it shall be that if he will perform the duty of a close relative for you, good, let him do it.

But if he does not want to perform the duty for you, then I will perform the duty for you. He would marry her as the Lord lives. He said, I'll do that. So lie down, he says, until morning.

Verse 14, So she lay at his feet, Ruth laid Boaz's feet, until morning, and she arose before one could recognize another.

15. So in all three cases here, the Hebrew word translated morning is boker.

Now, those who believe morning can occur anytime after midnight or well before daylight comes, use this scripture as support as it says morning here was a time before one could recognize another. How can you explain that then according to the definitions we've just seen? 16. Can this be reconciled with Judges 19.25, which tells us that boker or morning begins when the day begins to break at the very first glimpse of light, which can begin to occur maybe as much as 45 minutes or an hour before sunrise? Well, you stop and think about it. Just look at it practically.

And that's this. Here in Ruth 3.14, if Ruth were to rise from Boaz's threshing floor about 45 minutes or an hour before sunrise, and it's the very, very, very first fist starting on the rise and the birds are just starting to chirp because they know the sun's going to be coming up. The birds start chirping just before it even gets light, but they know it's getting light, and you've got the first glimpse of light. That time is still pretty dark, isn't it? Anyone standing off any distance at all would not be able to recognize who Ruth was. They wouldn't be able to recognize it. They wouldn't recognize who it was. Now, maybe they might be able to see somebody leaving, but they couldn't have any idea who it was. They wouldn't be able to recognize it. One couldn't recognize another person that early unless they were right very, very close. If you were only a few feet away, you could. But other than that, you wouldn't be able to. The very first time the sun's just starting to get a little bit of light on the horizon, still about 45 minutes before sunrise, that could still be classified as the very first part of morning, but it would still be too dark to recognize someone. So that is not necessarily a conflict. She still would not have been recognized because it's still been too dark. Now, so Route 314 then cannot be used to clearly substantiate that boker or morning can begin anytime after midnight and long before daylight. Because at the very first crack of dawn, as you just start to see a little bit of a light dissipate on the horizon, it's still way too dark to recognize anybody unless you're very, very close to them.

So there's not really a conflict there. So when then did the Israelites leave their houses on that Passover day? Well, it says they did not go out of their door of their houses until morning, until the day was beginning to break, and until it was beginning to get light. That's what it would mean, by the way, that word is used in other places in Scripture. Now, fifth question I want to ask is when did the Israelites spoil the Egyptians? Because if the Passover land was killed right after sunset at the very beginning of the 14th, and if the Israelites then remained in their houses for the rest of that night, didn't go out until daybreak of that Passover day, then when did the Israelites spoil the Egyptians? That's a good question. Now, those who believe the Passover land was killed on the afternoon of the 14th, and then eaten after sunset on the 15th, believed the Israelites had already spoiled the Egyptians prior to those events. And they based that on the King James and New King James translation of Exodus 12 verses 35 and 36, which does indeed tend to indicate that. Let's go back there and read it. Exodus chapter 12 verses 35 and 36. Exodus 12 verse 35. Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing. And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them whatever they requested, thus they plundered the Egyptians. A number from the New King James. The King James is similar. And this translation here leads us to believe the Israelites had already spoiled the Egyptians before they killed the Passover lamb, and before the tenth plague had been poured out over the Egyptians. However, does that necessarily really have to be the case? Is that really the case? That's the way it's translated.

Well, it depends on how you translate it. Now, there's other... I'm just pointing this out. I'm going to go to a scripture here to give me support. But there are other translations who put it more in the present tense rather than in the past tense. And here I'm just going to read three examples.

The American Standard Version translates these verses this way. The children of Israel did, according to the word of Moses, they asked of the Egyptians jewels of silver, jewels of gold, and ramen. And Jehovah gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so they let them have what they asked. That puts it more in the present tense rather than the past tense. Also, the New Century Version. The Israelites did what Moses told them to do and asked the Egyptians for silver and gold and for clothing. The Lord caused the Egyptians to think well of them, and the Egyptians gave the people everything they asked for. Now, you have to stop and ask, what would cause the Egyptians to give them whatever they asked for? Or what did God do that would cause them to do that? I'm just throwing that question out. One other translation. The New Jerusalem Bible translates these verses this way. The sons of Israel did as Moses had them, and asked the Egyptians for silver, ornaments, and gold, and for clothing. And Yahweh gave the people such prestige in the eyes of the Egyptians that they gave them what they asked.

Now, I simply point this out to see there are alternate translations that can put this in a little different light. They put them more in the present tense than in the past tense. So, it all depends on how it might be translated. However, I realize if you want to have a certain position, you can't just go and take the translation that fits your position and use that and disregard the others. You can't do that. You have to have more support than that. So, that doesn't really prove anything one way or the other. It just shows that there are other translations that put it more in the present tense. But what do other scriptures indicate?

See, what did Moses tell them? And when did God grant favor to the Israelites and the eyes of the Egyptians? Did he do that before or after the tenth plague? Well, the scripture that gives us an answer to that. So, here's some scriptural support for what we can put in the proper context gives us a proper answer. Let's go back to Exodus chapter 3. Exodus chapter 3, I'll begin in verse 19, where God here tells Moses, as he's about to tell them how he's going to pour out these these plagues or these wonders on Egypt. But he says, but I'm sure, God tells Moses, I'm sure that the king or the Pharaoh of Egypt will not let you go. No, not even by a mighty hand.

Verse 20, so he says, so I'll then, I'm going to have to do, he's telling Moses.

And of course, as we already know, the first nine plagues didn't do the trick.

Pharaoh still wouldn't let them go, not until the tenth plague. Verse 20, so I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders, which I will do when it's missed. And after that, after I have stretched out my hand against Egypt with all my wonders, then he will let you go. Verse 20, how many wonders or plagues did all include? See, in all how many wonders or plagues did God strike Egypt with? Well, in all there were ten plagues or ten wonders. Then God here told Moses that after that, after all ten plagues had been poured out against Egypt, that after that, he would let them, even Pharaoh would let them go. And of course, we know that's exactly the case. Pharaoh would not let them go until after that tenth plague was poured out. Now what did God tell Moses would come next after all of God's wonders and after all ten plagues had been poured out?

Verse 20, so I'll stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders, which I will do when it's missed, and after that he will let you go. Verse 21, and then he tells us what's going to happen next. And I will give this people then favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and it shall be when you go, when he finally lets you go, and when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed.

But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing, and as you put them on your sons and on your daughters, so you shall plunder the Egyptians. So saying here, when you go, when they finally let you go, then you shall plunder the Egyptians. See, when you go where, at what time? Well, when you go out of your houses after the tenth plague, after God strikes Egypt with all of his wonders and all of his plagues, that is the clear implication of what it says here in Exodus chapter 3. The clear indication here is that Israel would not receive favor from the Egyptians until after all ten plagues had been poured out. So at least that is a position the church has taken. And you can see from Scripture that at least there's some evidence that that probably wasn't the way it was.

And you can understand that after the tenth plague, after the death of all the firstborn, they thought they might all die, didn't they? So they wanted them to leave at any cost.

And they're ready to, by then, give them whatever valuables they asked for. They wanted them to leave. They give them whatever they want. Let's get them out of here before we all die.

Prior to the tenth plague, it is not likely they would have done that.

So when did they most likely spoil the Egyptians? Well, during the daylight portion of that Passover day, after they left their houses that morning, as they were heading for Ramses. As we'll see in a little bit here, that's another part of the story. And I'm going to give you that part of the story by asking question number six, which is an important part of this whole picture.

Where did the Israelites live at the time they left their houses? Where did they live?

Well, let's go back and read it for ourselves. Exodus chapter 8.

Just turn four more chapters over. Exodus 8, and we'll read verses 20 through 22.

Exodus 8 verse 20. This is where God was going to make a distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites, because the first three or four plagues the Israelites suffered as well.

Exodus 8 verse 20. And the Lord said to Moses, Rise early in the morning, stand before Pharaoh, and as he comes out to the water, then say to him, Thus says the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me. Verse 21. Or else I will not let my people go, or excuse me, or else if you if I will not, excuse me, I'm reading again, or else if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants, on your people, and into your houses.

And the house of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. Verse 22. And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, nor that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the land, and I will make a difference between my people and your people. Tomorrow the signs shall be. So it says here, their houses were in the land of Goshen, where they ate that, killed that, those Passover lambs in their households, and ate them.

That, their homes were in the land of Goshen. That was the portion of Egypt which a former fair had given to Joseph, about 200 years previous to this, as recorded in Genesis 47 verses 4 through 6. They gave Joseph the land of Goshen for the Israelites to dwell in. And that's where they were dwelling when this all this occurred. They were in the land of Goshen. Now, it's very important to understand a little bit about the geography of the land of Goshen, if you do some research.

The land of Goshen was an area about 300 square miles, or about 20 miles long and 15 miles wide.

Now, the city of Ramses, built by the slave labor of the children of Israel, was located in the very far lower center portion of the land of Goshen. It was right on the border of the land of Goshen in Egypt, where they built Ramses with the slave labor of the Israelites.

It's important geographical information because Israel began actually leaving Egypt from the city of Ramses, as we'll see. And that's recorded in Exodus 12 verse 37, also in Numbers 33, as we'll see.

They began leaving Egypt from the city of Ramses. So, well, here's what had to happen. Before they could leave Egypt, they had to get from their houses in the land of Goshen to the city of Ramses, because they began their journey out of Egypt from Ramses. But after leaving their houses in the land of Goshen, they then had to travel to Ramses before actually beginning to leave Egypt.

Now, you stop and think about this. It's important to understand, because how long approximately would all of that take? How long would it take then after they left their houses to go to Ramses to assemble in Ramses to get ready to leave Egypt? You know, there are upwards of two million Israelites. Exodus 12 verse 37 says there were 600,000 men, plus women and children.

And also in that same verse says they traveled on foot. They didn't have cars.

They had to walk from their houses with their belongings on foot to assemble in Ramses.

Now, you stop and think about this. This the land of Goshen where they had to leave their houses, that's 300 square miles. It's about 15 miles by 20 miles. So some of them, some of those Israelites, to get to Ramses from their houses, would have to travel and have to walk a distance of 15 miles or more. At three miles an hour, which would be a fairly good pace for that larger group with all their belongings, it would have taken some of them at least five hours or more to get to Ramses.

It'd probably take more like six to eight hours for all of them to get to Ramses, to assemble in Ramses before they could leave Egypt.

That would have taken up most of the entire daylight portion of that Passover day.

Now, Deuteronomy 16.1 says to begin leaving Egypt by night. And the Hebrew word there, translated night, is leila, which we have already seen by its usage, means during the time of darkness after sunset. Now, due to the distance they would have had to travel from their houses to the city of Ramses before beginning to leave Egypt, there's no way that they could have done that after midnight on the 15th and then still have begun to leave Egypt on that same night.

It's not possible geographically. You look at the practicality of it, it just couldn't happen that way. There's not enough time.

As some proponents of the 15th Passover believe, it just couldn't happen that way. When you think of all the practicality of it and you look at the whole picture, they've had to have spent the major portion of the daylight portion of the 14th just getting from their homes to the city of Ramses before beginning to actually leave Egypt.

Now, one final question. When and where did the Exodus begin? I already answered that, but let's review it again and verify that from Scripture.

See, first, in what manner did God command Aaron and Moses to bring Israel out of Egypt? What manner did He tell them to bring Israel out of Egypt? This is also interesting. Let's go back to Exodus 6, verse 26, because they were told something up here that plays into this whole thing. Exodus 6, verse 26, these are the same Aaron and Moses, to whom the Lord said, Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt, this is according to their armies. Is that how they're brought out? Were they brought out according to their armies? And what does that mean? What does that mean to indicate? Let's go to Numbers 33. There's quite a bit of information in Numbers 33.

Numbers 33, verse 1. It says, These are the journeys of the children of Israel who went out of the land of Egypt by their armies.

We just read where God says, Take them out by their armies. And this is the way they went out.

These are the journeys of the children of Israel who went out of the land of Egypt by their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron. Now, the Hebrew word translated armies is from a prime root Hebrew word which implies being assembled together or mustered in an organized manner. Like you would organize an army. It implies organization. They didn't all just in mass start leaving and just scatter all over the place and kind of ended up on the same road down somewhere. They assembled in Ramses to be organized in an organized manner to leave Egypt. That's the way God would do things. So it's not confusing. God is not the author of confusion.

So they were organized even as maybe an army of soldiers would be organized.

And again, as I said, Exodus 1237 says there were 600,000 men on foot.

Now it takes some time to assemble and organize that large group.

That can be done just a matter of a few minutes.

Presumably that would have been done toward the end of the daylight portion of the Passover Day as they all kind of streamed into the city of Ramses. So they could be organized, so they could leave Egypt in an organized fashion.

Now it would have been very difficult to do that in the middle of the night.

Plus, there would not have been enough time if all this took place in a single night. There just would not have been time for all this. You can't fit all that into a six-hour period from midnight to daybreak. Where did the excess begin? See, from where did they begin to leave Egypt? Numbers 33 verse 2. Now Moses wrote down the starting points. God had him right there. I want you to write down the exact starting points. Moses wrote down the starting points of their journeys at the command of the Eternal. And these are their journeys according to their starting points. This is where they started. Verse 3. They departed from Ramses. That was their starting point for leaving Egypt. They had to get from their houses to Ramses. They had to be organized there and assembled together. And that's where they then, after being organized, that's where they started in their journey out of Egypt. They started from the city of Ramses, not from their individual homes. They did start leaving Egypt from their individual homes in just kind of a scattered way. It says they had to get to Ramses, get organized, get there, and then that's where they started leaving Egypt. They departed from their houses at daybreak on the morning of the Passover day to journey to Ramses to assemble there in an organized fashion before beginning to leave Egypt.

When did they depart from Ramses? Verse 3. They departed from Ramses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month, on the day after the Passover.

The children of Israel went out with boldness in the sight of all the Egyptians.

What were the Egyptians preoccupied with? Verse 4. For the Egyptians were bearing all their firstborn, whom the Lord had killed among them. So as the Israelites were assembling together in Ramses, toward the very end of that Passover day, as they were getting toward sunset, for the late afternoon of that Passover day, in and around Ramses, which was an Egyptian city, they saw the Egyptians bearing their dead. And the Egyptians in and around Ramses saw all the Israelites coming together in Ramses. And of course, when you have that larger group, even if they didn't leave until after dark, when that larger group leaves, you're going to know they left. So Israel did indeed go out in boldness in the sight of all the Egyptians. They could see them all assembling there, and then when they all left, they would know that they all left. When you have that 600,000 men plus women and children, and the Israelites, as they came into Ramses, that late afternoon of that Passover day, they would have seen as they were coming into Ramses and going there, walking from their homes along the land of the Goshun, they would have seen the Egyptians bearing their dead. So all that fits. But if all this had happened in the dead of night, the Egyptians would not have seen the Israelites, necessarily, and the Israelites would not have been able to see the Egyptians. Besides, not likely, the Egyptians would go out in the middle of the night to bury their dead. They'd need daylight for that. However, when did the Israelites actually begin leaving Egypt? Did they leave at night after sunset? Or was it then, and was it then, the day after the Passover? Was it by then the beginning of the first day of Unleavened Bread? Again, number 33. They departed from Ramses in the first month, on the 15th day of the first month. That's, you know, the 15th day is the first day of Unleavened Bread. So on the day after the Passover.

So begin departing on the first day of Unleavened Bread, on the day after the Passover.

Was it at the beginning of the first day of Unleavened Bread? Did they leave right after sunset?

They began leaving Egypt by night. Again, Deuteronomy 16.1.

Deuteronomy 16.1, observe the month of Abib and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out. Didn't say on the Passover day. It says, keep the Passover. It was in the first month that they went out. We just read it was on the 15th day that they went out. For in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night. It says by night. Again, the Hebrew word translated night is Leila, which by its usage elsewhere was a time of darkness.

What then does the first day of Unleavened Bread commemorate? Let's go back to Exodus 12.

Exodus 12 verse 17. You should observe the feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day, on the first day of Unleavened Bread, I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt.

And they began leaving Egypt in an organized manner on that first day of Unleavened Bread. That's what it commemorates. Therefore, you should observe this day throughout your generation's nations as a never-lasting ordinance. So the first day of Unleavened Bread commemorates Israel's departure from Egypt. Because that is when it began.

Exodus 12 again, verses 41 and 42. Verse 41, it came to pass at the end of the 430 years on that very same day, it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. It is a night, that first day of Unleavened Bread, that night, is the night of the solemn observance of the Lord for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. That's when they began their journey out of Egypt, from from Ramses. That was the starting point. This is that night of the Lord, a solemn observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations.

So again, the Hebrew word for night here is Laelah. And we do observe and remember and commemorate this night as the night to be much observed, or as the night to be much remembered.

The first day of Unleavened Bread commemorates Israel's departure out of Egypt, as that is when that event took place. The Passover commemorates the sacrifice of the Passover lamb, the eating of the Passover, God passing over the house of the children of Israel, who had the blood of the lamb of the doorpost because the Passover, all those events occurred on the Passover day. So the Passover commemorates all those events.

So in conclusion, then, that covers all the events surrounding Israel's first Passover.

Up to the night, they began to leave Egypt on the day after the Passover, on that night of the first day of Unleavened Bread. And that being the case, see, that's the case, and that's what it certainly seemed to indicate here. That's what Mr. Armstrong taught, which all the major troops have taught and believed for many years, but it hasn't always been clarified. But I think when you put it all together, that's the picture we get. But if that indeed is the case, then, then how do the Jews come to observe the Passover on the night of the 15th? Does they even still do today? See, that's a very important question. Just where do you find evidence for how that happened? How did that change take place? How come they ate the Passover on the night of the first day of Unleavened Bread? I'll begin to cover that next time in Part 3, where I'll address the question, how did the Jews come to observe a temple Passover on the afternoon of the 14th? Which they did in time. But how did that come about? What were the circumstances? Is there scriptural evidence for it? We'll go into that next time.